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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Airlines are scaling back service at smaller airports, driving up fares and driving customers to drive to airports with more service. Several years ago, carriers ordered a large number of 50-70 seat regional jets to replace its aging turboprop fleet on many routes. However, many of these planes turned out to be fuel inefficient and…
Jetblue began service from New York’s JFK Airport to Nashville Airport today. This service kicks off six weeks of inaugurations, with a new Jetblue destination every week. On September 7, they will begin service to Houston’s Hobby Airport. On September 15, service to Aruba. On September 21, Sarasota-Bradenton Airport. On the 28th, Tucson Airport…and finally…
Westjet, the second largest airline in Canada, is holding talks to join the Oneworld Alliance. The Oneworld Alliance consists of American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Lan, Finnair and Iberian. Aer Lingus is scheduled to leave the alliance later this season, but new members, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and Japan Airlines will be…
The Star-Tribune reported that the Northwest Flight Attendants union has told the federal judge who postponed their planned strike that Northwest has little incentive to negotiate. No negotations are planned, and there is no reason to believe there will be any before the judge issues his final ruling on the matter. Mollie Reiley, the president…
In a press release yesterday, Airtran resumed service from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. With this move, all nonstop markets served from Gulfport-Biloxi prior to Hurrican Katrina have been restored, and flights are 120 percent of pre-Katrina levels.
In a press release earlier today, USAirways has announced a reduction in fares from Huntsville, Alabama. USAirways has lowered its fares in various markets and eliminated Saturday night stayover and roundtrip requirements in various markets as part of its attempt to transition to a Low Cost Carrier(LCC) model. LCCs are categorized, among other things, by…
MAXJet, the all business airline with service from the US to London Stansted Airport announced today they will be beginning service from Las Vegas on Mondays and Thursdays effective November 2nd. A press release can be found here.
San Jose International Airport, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is the largest US city still operating a major commercial airline terminal without jetways, forcing passengers to walk across the tarmac to board their aircraft. Airport officials are in negotiations with construction companies to rebuild the airport. Construction would begin next year with a demolition…
On Sunday morning, a Comair Flight bound for Atlanta took the wrong runway upon takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. All but one of the 50 people onboard were killed. We mourn the loss of life in this tragedy. For more news on this investigation, a fuller report is available here. What does…
Toledo Express Airport has been awarded $400,000 in grants for air service. The Small Community Air Service Development grant will be used to secure non-stop passenger air service to New York City. The federal monies will be used to offset any loss an airline might incur. Toledo was one of 25 airports to receive a…