Monthly Archives: December 2006

Frequent Flyer Roundup

There has been a lot of talk about Frequent Flyer programs of late…especially considering the issues in redeeming, since more and more people are accumulating mileage through credit cards, and the airlines are offering fewer seats and raising the amount of miles needed to acquire them. First of all, a frequent flyer ticket isn’t actually…

Airline Flaws Revealed in DOT Review

USAToday reported last month on the results of a DOT study that was the first review of airline customer service since 2001. The report acknowledges improved performance by the airlines, and a partial recovery from the problems created in a post 9/11 environment. Auditors for the Inspect General spent the last year examining how airlines…

Orbitz is the Workshop of Satan

We just love that title, which is the title of a blog entry on cosmicvariance.com. Cosmic Variance is a blog by four physicists with their perspective on not just their jobs, but their time outside them. We also have no love for Orbitz and the other online consolidators. They are not interested in helping the…

Seat Guru

Seat Guru is a website that shows maps of the airplane configuration of many different airlines. It provides advice on the best seats and features of various aircraft. It is much more detailed than the websites of the various carriers its references. Thus, it is a very useful resource.

China Tells Fliers: Stop Complaining

And people say that air service in the United States is bad…Reuters reports that China’s civil aviation authority is asking fliers to stop complaining about domestic air travel there. They hope to “increase consumers’ understanding about the special nature of the civil aviation industry, so that together we can create a cosier, more harmonious aviation…

US Airways takes Delivery of E190 Aircraft

The Embraer 190, popular as the second aircraft model used by low-cost carrier Jetblue, has recently been added to the US Airways fleet. The 190 will be operated as a mainline jet, with 11 first class seats and 88 in coach. It will be serving niche markets too large for a regional jet and that…

Star Alliance Expels Varig

As of January 31st, Varig will be removed from the Star Alliance because it no longer operates a major global network, which is one of the membership requirements. The Brazilian carrier has had a bad year and has greatly reduced its network. For the Star Alliance, that means it will be the only one of…

Woman sues Jetblue over Husband’s Death

The Associated Press reports that a woman has filed a wrongful death suit against Jetblue, claiming that an in-flight crew ignored her husband after he suffered a fatal heart attack during a flight nearly two years ago. The timing of the claim seems rather suspicious to us, as the incident occurred on Febuary 16, 2005,…