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…
In 1999, regulation of the airline industry with a Passenger Bill of Rights was by public agreements by airlines to change their practices…thus avoiding federal regulation. But now, studies indicate perhaps they’ve not only failed to live up to that, but they are lacking in many areas. A group of passengers who were stranded for…
There was no discussion or dissent as the board running the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey voted to purchase the remaining 93 years of the operating lease for Stewart Airport. The National Express Group paid 35 million for the lease, and is selling it for 78.5 million. The agency hopes to take…
Frontier is expanding service on 29 Routes – Frontier will inaugurate Denver-Hartford(March 3), Louisville(April 1), Vancouver BC(May 5), and resume seasonal service to Anchorage(May 6-October 14). On May 4, Frontier will upgrade both its Dayton flights to Airbus aircraft. Frontier will offer the first daily summer nonstops to Ft. Myers, Indianapolis-Cancun service with Wednesday, Saturday,…
British Airways will be canceling all of its flights from London Heathrow airport on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week due to a strike by cabin crew. The Transport and General Workers Union has set walkouts for January 30-31st; February 5-7, and February 12-14. While Willie Walsh, head of British Airways, insists their door remains…
We’ve been following a story on the Consumerist for the last few weeks on one family’s issues with United. First of all, if you’ve had some major issues with United, and been unable to get satisfaction from their line agents, talked to supervisors, and written letters, try their Executive Customer Service. The Consumerist reported on…
Mesaba Airlines, which has suffered from financial difficulties and bankruptcy, has signed an agreement with Northwest Airlines. Under its new reorganization plan, it will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest. Since Mesaba operates Northwest Airlink flights using forty nine Saab 340 turboprops, bailing out the airline allows it to keep operating those flights on…
Spirit Airlines has purchased thirty additional Airbus 319s, to be delivered from 2009 through 2013. This will, when complete, bring Spirit’s fleet to seventy aircraft. Airtran Airways announced service to St. Louis’s Lambert Airport, effective May 8, 2007, with nonstop service four times daily to Atlanta, and once daily to Orlando. Airtran Airways also announced…
Beginning in September 2007, Continental will inaugurate the first ever nonstop service from Jackson, Mississippi to the New York area. A single flight will operate daily from Newark’s Liberty Airport to Jackson. Continental already operates service from Jackson to Houston. American Eagle will add summer service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Montrose, Colorado operating once daily…
Last month, a 21-year old German tourist who wanted to visit his girlfriend in Sydney, Australia mistyped his destination on an online travel site. His ticket took him via Portland, Oregon to Billings, Montana, where he realized his mistake just before he was about to board a commuter flight to Sidney, Montana…population 5000. He spent…
Westchester County Airport in White Plains reported yesterday that Jetblue advised them they are coming. Jetblue must begin service by March 5, and airport manager Peter Scherer has said Jetblue told him the routes they were considering were considering included Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Chicago. Considering the slot situation at O’Hare…Chicago seems like a…
“Do knee-jerk reactions that limit our freedom of expression and travel make us safer?” – Persuasive Games asks, and has created Airport Security, a game that allows you to inspect each passenger and his luggage and remove forbidden items…as the list of forbidden items changes constantly…Try it out here…
Virgin America is taking its case to the public. The carrier, which shares a brand name with Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, not only has revised its ownership application…hoping to reverse the decision of U.S regulators to deny its bid, but it has established letVAfly.com, a website that allows citizens to automatically email their representative and…
United announced today that it will amend its mileage policies for its frequent flyer program. Miles that are in accounts that are inactive for eighteen months will expire. United does this in the hope that their “most loyal customers will compete with fewer people for award seats, making it easier for them to redeem.” However,…
Delta Airlines filed an application, the Associated Press reports, with the US Department of Transportation today to get government approval during the next round of China bids for service from its hub at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International AIrport to Shanghai daily, beginning March 28, 2008. We have no doubt Continental, Northwest, and American…the losers in the…
As USAToday reminded us, new government regulations will take effect this week, requiring all individuals, including US citizens, to have a passport in order to enter the United States. Previously, a birth certificate or driver’s license was acceptable. Next year, passports will also be required at land and sea crossings, although for regular travellers of…
The United Parcel Service(UPS), is expected to cancel the only remaining order for the cargo version of the A380 superjumbo jet. As the Washington Post reports, rumors are that they will cancel the ten plane order sometime next week. In October, UPS began to review its purchase in light of the third delivery delay on…
Today, Boeing unveiled a life-size display of the interior for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. The 747 has transported passengers for decades. The 747-8 is stretched 18.3 feet from the 747-400 to provide 467 seats in a typical three-class configuration. The new interior configuration offers updates from the designs of later passenger aircraft, like the 787…
Up until last year, Airbus had outsold Boeing in commercial airplanes for five straight years. However, in 2006, Airbus received 790 airplane orders, compared to Boeing’s 1044. Airbus’s problems are blamed on the delays with the Airbus 380, which is two years behind schedule. The redesign of the A350, which failed to compete with Boeing’s…
A Delta spokesman said today that Delta is seriously considering resuming its New York-Tel Aviv route as part of its international expansion at its JFK hub. Delta has tried this before, most recently in 2001, but suspended it along with a number of other routes after 9/11. We were in the Delta terminal a great…
Jetblue is delaying an announcement on whether it plans to fly from Westchester County Airport in White Plains. Jetblue and Airtran both serve nearby Stewart Airport in Newburgh, and Airtran inaugurated service from White Plains to Atlanta and its usual Floridean destinations last year. The airport told executives at Jetblue as long as they begin…
As KFWB radio reports, a FedEx MD-10 cargo jet equipped with Northrup Grumman’s Guardian anti-missile defense system took off from LAX on Tuesday. During this test phase, which will be until March of 2008, nine MD-10s equipped with the system will be in commercial operation. While these systems are being tested on cargo planes, the…
United announced today new service from its Denver hub to Dayton, Ohio(effective April 24); Kalispell, Montana(effective June 7); Huntsville, Alabama(February 14) and resumption of service to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina(effective April 24). Dayton service will be operated by 70-seater CRJ7s, twice-daily service to Kalispell will be with 50-seater CRJs. Starting April 1, Frontier Airlines will offer…
Two New Startup Airlines Seek to Capitalize on the Myrtle Beach vacation market Myrtle Beach Direct Air will start flying March 7 with non-stop flights from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Pittsburgh, Newark, and Niagara Falls. It will not be daily service, but two to five flights per week on its routes, operated with Boeing…