We commented last week on the Spirit Airlines plan to charge $10 for the second bag, $100 for each additional bag above that. The Coalition for Luggage Security had even more interesting things to say than we do. The coalition is in favor of further separation of the cost of the ticket and the cost…
Not to be outdone by Jetblue’s recent Bay Area Trifecta, Southwest has announced its intention to resume service to San Francisco International Airport. Southwest operated at SFO from 1982 to 2001. At the termination of service, Southwest offered 14 daily departures to San Diego and Phoenix. Southwest credits its return to the airport to the…
USA Today’s Today in the Sky blog has a good roundup on the new British Airways luggage fees. Many will be surprised about these fees, as the press confirms that BA actually failed to instruct its sales staff to advise customers of the new baggage policies when they booked their tickets. Thus, those who didn’t…
Delta has ordered 30 Bombardier CRJ900 Aircraft at a value of $1.1 billion. Delta operates 350 out of the 1395 CRJ series aircraft. US Airways is in talks with Boeing and Airbus about buying sixty new aircraft to replace its aging 737 and 757 aircraft. UPS has ordered 27 new Boeing 767-300ER cargo planes to…
Effective on Saturday, Spirit Airlines will charge passengers ten dollars for a second checked bag. Spirit will now have the strictest baggage policy in the industry…although ten dollars for an extra fifty pounds is not bad. A third bag will be one hundred dollars. Industry average in the U.S. is now at two bags, fifty…
Frontier and Northwest Airlines have been issued cease and desist orders on the serving of alcohol on flights to and from New Mexico. This follows an earlier order against US Airways, issued after its lack of state license was discovered during an investigation, as we mentioned last week. US Airways has filed an application for…
Negotiators began a new round of talks today on the Open Skies treaty between the European Union and the United States. These negotiations have failed in the past. The main sticking point has been foreign ownership in U.S. airlines…which the EU expects to be resolved before they will complete the agreement. Open Skies would allow…
Jetblue will form its first formal international alliance with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus, which reformulated itself as a low-cost carrier in the aftermath of 9/11, operates service from two Jetblue cities…Boston and New York, to Shannon and Dublin, Ireland. From Dublin, it offers service into Europe. Jetblue currently does not offer interline…
Expressjet’s(Stock Ticker: XJT) move to start its own service is a rather controversial one. The question so many people are asking is if they will go the way of Independence Air. Independence Air had operated as a regional carrier for various airlines until United withdrew its contract and the airline went independent. Independence was unique…
Continental Airlines announced today that Colgan Air has been selected to operate 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes on short and medium distrance routes starting early next year. The Q400, as we have mentioned in the past, is an update of the Dash 8 turboprop…with state of the art noise suppression, seating comfort, and engine technology.…
The recent increase in passenger duties on long-haul flights to forty pounds sterling for economy, eighty for premium, boosts the cost of taxes and fees on an economy ticket from the US to the United Kingdom to nearly $300. Domestic and intra-European flights increased by five pounds. The tax has been very controversial in England,…
Expressjet, best known for operating Continental regional flights, will be operating flights under its own name, due to decreased demand for its services. Expressjet is painfully aware of the lessons of Independence Air…whose independence did not last as long as many had hoped. Expressjet’s new commercial service includes, according to their website: San Diego to:…
Under a rule issued by the US Department of Transportation, baggage liability limitations will soon rise to $3000 per passenger from the current limit of $2800 effective February 28. It applies to any flight using large aircraft and only commuter air carriers are exempt. Airlines could pay an additional $2.6 million per year as a…
New Mexico has ordered US Airways to stop serving alcohol on their flights scheduled to arrive or depart in New Mexico. While investigating a fatal drunk driving crash caused by a man who became intoxicated on a flight to Albuerquerque, it was discovered the airline lacked the required public service liquor license. It was the…
The Ledger reports that airlines are dropping discounts for children occupying a seat. Infants travelling on their parent’s lap are still eligible for discounts. American Airlines stopped offering them January 13th, citing lack of usage. Delta dropped them December 26th. Continental, known for not dropping amenities other airlines have, still offers them in limited markets.…
We are concerned about the latest news from Jetblue. Known for its democratic one-class policy, it is putting together a plan that would hold some of the new 36″ pitch seats created by their decision to remove seats for the passengers paying the highest fares. Jetblue’s management is convinced that business travelers don’t fly Jetblue…
The New York Daily News reports that a 73-year old Manhattan woman, Phyllis Gershon, is suing Jetblue for $5.5 million after she was removed from a flight for asking for a large air sickness bag in case she got a case of air sickness. Gershon charges she was the victim of “hysterical and unjustified actions”…
Pilots found the body of a South African teen yesterday in the wheel well of a British Airways flight at LAX during a routine inspection shortly before it was scheduled to return to London. British Airways 283, a 747-400, had arrived at LAX from London Heathrow. Before that, the plane had made trips to Hong…
In a press release today, American Express offered some tips for those who want to protect themselves from lost luggage. Â Tag your Bags – Many people forget to put their name and contact info on a tag outside the bag. Even more forget to add it inside. You can also leave a copy of your…
British Airways has reinstated the flights it cancelled for tomorrow in anticipation of a cabin crew strike. The Transport and General Workers’ Union has called off the strikes, as their issues with BA have been resolved. Customers wishing to take the reinstated flights must contact British Airways or their travel agents as soon as possible.…
Would people really be willing to take a ten-mile boat ride to catch a plane? As the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Adam Englund has been fixated for decades on the idea of a floating airport, and thinks San Diego, which needs a bigger airport…would be a good place to try it. Lindbergh Field in San…
Reports that Airbus had solved the wiring problems for the Airbus 380 were apparently premature, as Airbus announced on Friday that the problems had been solved for the first aircraft only. Work is still going on to solve the long-term issues. Airbus expects to start building a common design platform between its various plants…the variance…
Over the next few weeks, you may notice some improvements in our categorization. In order to help our users keep track of things, we are adding new categories…most notably categories for Airlines and Airports…allowing users to look for all stories we’ve posted on an individual airport. It will take some time for us to categorize…
We usually think of Southwest as having a reputation for good customer service, even when dealing with difficult situations. However, this story from the Consumerist shocks us on many levels. Richard Brown nearly died because of Southwest Airlines. A ticket agent refused to let him fly because of his size. His weight gain is due…
After hearing so many negative stories, when we find a story of an airline doing something nice without being asked…or threatened, we just have to write about it. Perhaps related to their big blunder the same day, a reader of the Consumerist was delayed with his wife for several hours due to the lack of…