We are continuing our series of posts on our Southwest Experience. We got a lot of wonderful material and pictures, and we haven’t even talked about our time onboard yet. To any other airline tempted, if you send us somewhere, we’ll take just as many pictures and talk to as many people as we can…
Image via Wikipedia In a recent conversation we heard of, a woman talking to an airline representative in regards to a delayed flight due to a mechanical problem with an Airbus aircraft told the airline they should buy Boeing. We found that rather amusing. Boeing and Airbus are both companies that produce good products. No…
[caption id="attachment_1224" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Yemenia Airbus A310, a day before its crash."][/caption] In the face of protests, Yemenia will be canceling its flights from Marseille to Sana’a indefinitely after a second day of protests by Comorans at Marseille Airport. The Yemenia flight that went down originated in Marseille on an Airbus 330. Passengers changed in…
Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via Flickr This weekend, Americans take to the skies, cars, buses, etc to join in celebrating July 4th. In fact, as any holiday requires a three-day weekend, today is Independence Day(Observed). People have already taken to the skies to visit their families. For those of you concerned with flying…
In the final installment of our series on our time on Southwest, we explore the process onboard. Southwest is known for its friendly and enthusiastic in-flight crew. The flight crew was very cooperative with our obsessive picture taking. The flight itself was uneventful. We had a free seat next to us, which allowed us to…
Image via Wikipedia We’re slowly inching toward our goal of reaching 1000 posts. We hope you’ve been enjoying our increased efforts. Air Canada yesterday inaugurated service from Montreal to Fort-de-France, Martinique. The service will be offered on Saturdays until August 29th, and then will recommence on a year-round basis on December 5th. Alaska Airlines inaugurated…
We’re going to try to start posting some notice of fare sales when they become available and see how that goes. We’ll be limiting it to large sales of note. Southwest is offering a massive seat sale, where all routes are on sale for $30/$60/$90(depending on distance), with the following caveats: Purchase by July 8,…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo We love any excuse for a musical interlude, or a classic Youtube video. In this latest one, musician Dave Carroll comes up with a creative way to protest United’s refusal to take responsibility for the guitar they broke. Carroll spent nine months trying to get United to do so. They admitted they had broken…
Image via Wikipedia Yesterday, we reported on one musician’s unique way of dealing with poor customer service. The L.A. Times travel blog reports there has been a quick response to his song. United Airlines has made contact with the musician, Dave Carroll. We’re not surprised, with a video that has had over 100,000 views and…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay7hFIYQFnw Artist Dave Carroll(appears above) thanked the Internet community for its support of United Song #1(remember there are two more). United has offered compensation to Carroll, but he has declined, asking them to donate the money to a charity of their choice, and share that news with the public. We hope they take him up…
In a final note on the impact of United Song #1, which we previously reported on, United Airlines has decided to donate $3000 to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for music education for children. Taylor, the manufacturer of the guitar, did give Dave Carroll, the artist responsible a gift. They are giving him a…
Image via Wikipedia Now, we recently got some interesting comments on our post on Fastening Seatbelts. Hi! Flight Attendant here: ) You’re right, FAs are informers not enforcers, but as you said it is a federal offense not adhere to FAs instructions. Although, I have never seen a FA call the authorities over a passenger…
Image by ATIS547 via Flickr The longest runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will be closed for about four months next year as part of a renovation, and airlines have been asked to revise their schedules. The runway, 13R-31L is more than 2.75 miles long, is the second longest in North…
Image by Eric Bégin via Flickr We haven’t said anything about the JetAmerica situation, and we think the title says it all. JetAmerica began taking bookings in May. At the time, the Cranky Flier commented, “Something tells me that the chance of this working is very, very slim. And that’s being kind.” We can’t say…
Southwest Flight 2294 made a safe landing at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after a hole appeared in the fuselage of the aircraft, causing the plane to decompress. The flight, heading from Nashville to Baltimore, diverted to Yeager after the hole appeared in the ceiling of the cabin. No one appears to have been…
[caption id="attachment_1329" align="alignnone" width="384" caption="Hole in Southwest 2294 - 7/13/09 (AP Photo/The Charleston Gazette, Chris Dorst) "][/caption] We’ve had mixed feelings in the past about reporting on airline incidents. We were tempted to take the high road and say nothing until the NTSB issued a report, which is months later. We decided that since it…
Throughout last evening, those of you visiting the blog may have seen some changes happening. For the first time since our launch on July 26th, 2006, we have a new theme. We promised some changes, and this is the first one. The new theme, which we had been field testing at Transit Wisdom. We’ve simplified…
Image via Wikipedia [caption id="attachment_1397" align="alignleft" width="138" caption="The Last Timetable issued by Southwest Airlines 6/28/09"][/caption] Southwest announced the end of the paper timetable. The current timetable(pictured left), effective June 28th, the first one featuring LaGuardia, will be the airline’s last timetable. Like many people, we have collected and hoarded timetables as a snapshot of the…
We enjoyed Dave Carroll’s unique approach to speaking out against customer service. Apparently we were not alone in this. It seems a lot of people did. It struck a chord with Westjet, the Canadian discount airline, which invited Dave not only to jam with them, but to fly with them next time. While we were…
[caption id="attachment_1408" align="alignleft" width="256" caption="NTSB Interior Shot"][/caption] Earlier in the week, we reported on Southwest Airlines 2294, which made an emergency landing in Charleston, WV with a hole in the fuselage(pictured left). The NTSB continues to investigate. The section was removed from the aircraft and examined in the NTSB Materials Laboratory. The damage left a…
Image via Wikipedia The following appears courtesy of NYCAviation. Some days are just historically significant. 1933: Lithuanian research aircraft Lituanica disappears mysteriously after a successful crossing of the Atlantic. 1944: Napalm incendiary bombs are used for the first time in war, dropped by American P-38 fighters on a fuel depot in France. 1975: An American…
Image by mattbatt0 via Flickr Jaunted reports that JetAmerica, the fly-by-night airline is apparently not going to fly at all. The airline, which did not actually fly its own planes and never really existed, has ceased to exist. Fortunately, as a public charter airline, all monies are held in trust for passengers. “We are reluctantly…
For those of us who love the airline industry, sometimes we wish to show our interest by buying airline-related merchandise. For those of you with children, who wouldn’t be tempted to send their youngster to school with an airplane bookbag(seen left)? “This completely custom backpack features an airplane shape, US Airway colors and logos, with…
Image via Wikipedia Earlier, NYCAviation, who earlier in the week reminded us of other anniversaries, reminded us that on July 19th, 1989, United Flight 232 made a crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa, after a loss of all hydraulic controls. 296 Passengers were on board the flight from Denver to Chicago when one of the…
Image via Wikipedia About two weeks ago, The Department of Transportation fined Delta Air Lines $375,000 for failing to follow the proper procedures for bumping passengers from flights. The problem is that most people don’t know what their rights are, and Delta failed to ensure they did, which is to their advantage. Did you know…