On July 29th, 2006, the Flight Wisdom Blog launched. When we launched, we thought the blog would be a small part of a larger site. We still have that dream, but maintaining everything and doing all the other things we have to do does force us to prioritize. Two years ago this week, on July…
A followup to yesterday’s New York Times Traveler story on Orville Wright’s historic flight. Today’s paper reports, under the banner headline of Spain is Facing Outbreak of Civil War, it reports that Wright failed to fly, and got three days more, which explains the historical note that the flight took place July 30th. The entire…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife We previously reported that Republic Airways had put down a bid to buy out Frontier Airlines. Today, another airline put down a bid, Southwest Airlines. Southwest announced it was preparing a bid to compete with the Republic bid, which had been given tentative approval. If it is successful, Southwest…
Image via Wikipedia In today’s issue of the New York Times Traveler, the Wrights finally took their record-breaking flight. It met the extended deadline set for tests by the War Department, which will be paying the Wrights $25,000 for their plane. The Wright flyer hit an incredible speed of forty-two miles per hour, making the…
We’ve been really enjoying this history kick we’ve been on of late. So, newsflash…July 31st, 1986….
The Associated Press reports that Newark-based People Express will eliminate service to eight cities and change its pricing structure and policies, as well as lese eight 727-200 aircraft to another airline. It was the largest reduction in service thus far for the then five-year old carrier.
JetBlue has announced a fare sale with fares as low as $29 on selected routes. The sale is on travel between September 8th and December 16th, with blackout dates from November 24th through the 30th. Advertised fares are most often found on midweek travel dates. Changes/cancellation at $100 per person. Click The JetBlue Fall Fare…
We’re not a hoarder of frequent flier miles. We have them, of course. But, we’ve never been aggressive about it. The credit-card programs only seem to devalue the miles or points in these systems. JetBlue, however, has made several improvements to its frequent flier program. TrueBlue had some serious limitations under the old system. For…
Image by Pylon757 via Flickr A Continental Airlines flight from Brazil to Texas hit turbulence early this morning, injuring at least 26 people, 4 of them seriously. Continental reports that the fasten seatbelt sign was on at the time. The aircraft, a Boeing 767, had 168 passengers and 11 crew onboard and made an emergency…
Received via Twitter…. American Airlines & AA.com: 5% off your next flight when you use promo code: FCB20K0809 To qualify, book your reservations on AA.com by 11:59pm (CT) Wednesday, August 5, 2009. and travel between September 1, 2009 – November 15, 2009 with embargoes from September 4 – 7, 2009 and September 11-13, 2009.
In honor of reaching one million followers, JetBlue’s Cheeps program is offering a 20% discount on all flights booked from now through the end of October for today, August 5th ONLY. Blackout dates of October 9th through the 12th and other restrictions apply. Use Promo Code: MLNTH09
Image by caribb via Flickr An Israeli woman, unwilling to travel without her dog by her side, purchased the entire business class section on an El Al flight from Paris to Tel Aviv. It is the first time she and the dog have flown since 2006. The dog suffered severe anxiety after flying alone in…
Image via Wikipedia On Saturday morning, an emotionally disturbed man named Scott McGann showed up at LaGuardia Airport with a ticket on United to Chicago and onward to Oakland, purchased by family. He also showed up with a duffel bag contained an item that was not, but appeared to be a bomb. The Central Terminal,…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Effective December 17th until April 12th, US Airways will add seasonal nonstop service from Phoenix to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The flights will operate four weekly flights on Airbus A319s. It is the first nonstop destination in the Caribbean from their Phoenix hub. They already serve Montego Bay from Philadelphia…
Image by cambodia4kidsorg via Flickr We’re continually testing new features to add to the Flight Wisdom blog. If something looks new, feel free to comment on it. The easiest way is via Twitter @FlightWisdom, but we do read as many comments as we can. We will shortly have a contact us page up to allow…
Image via Wikipedia The Chicago Tribune announced that United Airlines may be announcing today a move of 2,800 employees and its operations center to the Sears(now Willis) Tower in downtown Chicago from its home in the suburb of Elk Grove. The city would be giving the airline millions in incentives and paying for the move…
Image via Wikipedia To celebrate National Aviation Week from August 19th through 22nd, LaGuardia Airport will have an Amelia Earhart impersonator, as well as an exhibit featuring a replica fighter plane that previously flew from the Intrepid. The exhibit can be found in The Food & Shops in the Central Terminal. The airport is also…
The Southwest Blog has a post up on upcoming changes to their website, which will improve the experience. “As Customers are directed to the new booking area, they will experience an updated user-friendly design. Plus, on direct flights (with stops but no change of planes), we will now show you the city location where your…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Tomorrow, Jaunted reminded us, is the two year anniversary of Virgin America. Tomorrow, the Mayor of San Francisco is even declaring it “Virgin America Day.” There isn’t much we can say about Virgin America. They are based in San Francisco, and fly from there to Seattle, Boston, New York-JFK,…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RI08CwiLjw We love Southwest and are happy to finally see them in our hometown of New York City. We are hoping they expand beyond Baltimore and Chicago to new offerings, which would require additional slots at LaGuardia Airport. One of the most wonderful things about Southwest is their philosophy of People-first. They want to offer…
Eating at the airport costs a lot. Prices are significantly higher at the airport than they are in the heart of the cities those airports serve. Many travelers feel the airport eateries have them over a barrel. With flight delays common, and people rushing to get where they need to be, sometimes you have to…
Image by Kevin Boydston via Flickr Passengers on a Continental Express flight from Houston to Minneapolis spent the night on a regional jet parked at Rochester MN Airport. The plane was operated by Expressjet, and Chris Elliott rightly asked who was in charge. The plane is branded Continental, it was sold by Continental, yet operated…
Image via Wikipedia Jetblue and Virgin America decided to announce San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale service. Jetblue will begin service on November 17th, with a redeye flight leaving San Francisco 11:30PM and arriving 7:50AM, returning at 7:15PM and arriving at 10:35PM. In between, JetBlue can deploy the plane on its east coast network. Connections will…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqZKpCJEqNE Northwest Airlines insists it has exclusive trademark rights to the word Northwest. The airline is going after GoNorthwest.com, which provides tourist information on the Pacific Northwest. Originally, they insisted owner Jack High shut down, then they moderated their response to merely giving up trademark rights and not expanding. High registered his trademark, which looks…
Image via Wikipedia US Airways will be transferring 125 pairs of slots currently used to provide US Airways Express service at LaGuardia to Delta Air Lines. They will be getting 42 pairs of slots at Washington National. The plan will allow US Airways to expand service at National Airport and acquire the rights to fly…
JetBlue will be offering an unlimited pass to fly from September 8th through October 8th, for $599. The pass has the following conditions: On sale till August 21st, or while supplies last. So a limited number will be sold Includes all domestic taxes and fees. International and Puerto Rico taxes and fees not included. Reservations…