In a twist, thirty former TWA flight attendants picketed outside the Association of Professional Flight Attendants(APFA) headquarters. After American Airlines bought TWA when it was in bankruptcy in 2001, TWA employees were put at the bottom of the seniority list. They carried placards stating, “A real union protects all of its members.” At TWA, the…
Vnunet.com reports that scientists at University College London are developing a system called Optag, that combines RFID tags and closed-caption tv cameras to track passenger movements in busy airports. The system will work by placing these tags on boarding passes. While the possible benefits are many…passengers who are late for their flights can be located,…
The LA Daily News had an article last week about a mother and her difficulty in getting understanding from Delta Airlines in a death situation. Betty Haack made arrangements in April to visit her son in July, and ended up moving them back a week…not to visit her son, but to bury him after he…
Aero-News Network reports that the first 737NG with in-seat video was recently delivered to Jet Airways, an Indian carrier. The latest 737-800 offers a Panasonic in-seat video system as an option, as standard outlets(not power ports) throughout the cabin. Boeing refers to it as the most technologically advanced single-aisle jet family on the market today.…
Jetblue began its new three daily nonstop flights to Houston’s Hobby Airport today. For the inauguration of service, they are offering a $79 fare, or $99 with onward connections. Regular fares will begin at $117. Hobby Airport was built as Houston’s primary airport and remained that until 1969, when Intercontinental Airport was opened. Hobby remains…
The new USAirways still in many ways remains two carriers. It operates flights separately, it still has duplication of staff, and it has not settled various integration issues. In New York, the old USAirways pulled out of JFK to serve LaGuardia exclusively years ago, while America West has always flown to JFK. Technically, the Las…
As Gotta Go! comments, the Hyatt Hotel is partnering with Baggage Airline Guest Services, an Orlando-based organization, to provide service at some locations. Baggage Airline Guest Services(BAGS), is an organization that is authorized to issue boarding passes for some carriers and will, as part of their service, take your bags from the hotel to the…
Yesterday, CNN reported that the lone survivor in the Comair flight crash in Lexington, KY regained consciousness. James Polehinke was the co-pilot on that flight and while he may be able to shed light on the subject, his doctors advised family members not to question him on the subject until he is recovered more fully.…
The London Free Press reports today that an Air Canada crew on Sunday threw a child off a plane. The plane, heading from Toronto to Cancun, was forced to turn back when a six year old passenger refused to fasten his seatbelt. The child was travelling unaccompanied. At last, finally, someone who deserves to be…
We reported recently on the Power of Prayer, and how it got one Orthodox Jew booted off a plane in from Montreal to New York. The article we references mentioned how the Flight Attendant recognized the man in question was not a Muslim. A Canadian doctor from Winnipeg is demanding an official apology and compensation…
We’re not sure if you saw this…and we hardly are attempting to endorse Continental, but this commercial emphasizes the impression people have of inflight service.
CBC News reports that on Friday, a passenger on an Air Canada flight from Montreal to New York City was removed from a flight for prayer. Some fellow passengers wonder why the man, an Orthodox Jew, was removed. He was moving back and forth and his prayers were not audible, but apparently they received more…
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported not long ago on a baggage incident on the 23rd at Philadelphia International Airport. By 11PM, the passengers from Flight 30 from Las Vegas had been waiting for their bags for an hour and a half. No information on the delay was available. Robert Ensign of California, one of these passengers,…
In a recent article entitled, 1-800-I-am-truly-fed-up, the LA Times addressed the issues of airline call center outsourcing. We were inspired to address it ourselves. When calling any company, airline or not now, you are brought through a menu of options, or an Interactive Voice Response system(IVR) designed to automate your experence and eliminate the need…
The TSA fired one employee and indefinitely suspended two others, the Orlando Sentinel reports, on Friday after an internal investigation into alleged theft from luggage at Orlando International Airport. We’ve questioned the wisdom of the TSA a great deal since we started commenting on the current security situation. Despite the fact that they have a…
The Mercury News reports that about 100 people were evacuated from a terminal at Mineta Airport in San Jose Saturday morning after screeners found two flashlights hooked through wiring. They found it suspicious enough to evacuate, although ultimately it was found to be harmless. In Little Rock, two passengers were removed from a flight from…
WQAD of Moline, IL reports here that on the biggest travel weekend since the new restrictions went into effect, people are still not used to wait they cannot have in their carryons. In Moline alone, they are still throwing away over 200 items a day. The New York Times reports here that drinking water, dehydration,…
The Enid News and Eagle reports that on August 31, commercial air service out of Woodring Regional Airport in Enid, Okaholma will end. This service, operated by Great Lakes Aviation, was operated under the Essential Air Service Subsidy from the FAA. Despite the fact the FAA’s contract to subsidize Enid didn’t expire till March of…
In a recent post, we referred to Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, and his lack of interest in whether or not people talked on cell phones as long as it was profitable. On Wednesday, Ryanair issued this press release. Ryanair announced a deal with OnAir to have its entire fleet of 737s equipped with their…
The Star-Ledger reports that Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey called on Congress on Wednesday to approve the hiring of additional security screeners at Newark Liberty Airport specifically. In 2003, Congress imposed a limit on the number of airport screeners, limiting it to 45,000 nationwide. Before that they had about 55,000. This year, they reduced…
Fear is a great motivator. As Threatwatch.org comments, ever since the thwarted liquid plot in London, checked baggage has increased by 20%. While this is having the positive effect of speeding some through security checkpoints and speeding up aircraft boarding, the gains made there are losses elsewhere, as the time it takes to load the…
We came across this column from the Orlando Sentinel by Steven Cole Smith. We have to agree with him. Flying isn’t as fun as it used to be. You have to wait on a line for a disinterested government employee to rifle through your possessions. If you try to bring a bottle of water, then…
In light of last week’s Comair tragedy in Lexington, Delta has agreed to extend the deadline for Comair to bid on regional jet service. The fact that Delta had requested proposals from other regional carriers was a slap in the face to Comair, which happens to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta and many…
Yesterday, a USAirways flight arriving at Miami International Airport from their hub in Charlotte, NC blew two tires and caught fire, necessitating an evacuation using the emergency slides(Picture courtesy of USA Today and the AP). No one was hurt in the incident, and so far there is no call for USAirways or other carriers to…
Yesterday, Northwest Airlines reported a net income of 101 million dollars for July. The Minneapolis-St.Paul Business Journal notes that the carrier stated it “can and will” negotiate a labor agreement with its flight attendants, despite the fact that the concessions imposed on the flight attendants results in millions in savings management insisted are essential for…