Image by Getty Images via Daylife United Airlines is dropping a call center that took compliments or complaints after a flight, instructing passengers to send a letter or email instead. It will stop publishing its customer relations number. It will be training its call centers in Chicago and Honolulu to respond to written customer comments,…
The Middle Seat Terminal reports that Delta Air Lines, undisputed king of travel at Cincinnati, which is one of their hubs, has announced the cutting of fares from between 5 and 60% on both business and leisure tickets. The airport has long been, statistically, the most expensive airport in the country to fly out of.…
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="US Airways New Gimmick"][/caption] US Airways has announced it will charge $7 for a pillow and blanket beginning February 16th. The service will not be offered on US Airways Express flights, but can be purchased immediately on their website. In a recent BNET article, Barbara Hernandez commented on the subject. She…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Best Western International has partnered with Southwest Airlines as a loyalty partner. Beginning February 15th, members of their reward program will be able to earn Rapid Reward credits. Portland-based SeaPort Airlines will serve the Oregon communities of Astoria and Newport beginning March 15th with service to Portland International Airport…
Image by skampy via Flickr The Middle Seat Terminal reported that Spirit Airlines, the same people whose customer service agents tried to charge a cancellation fee to a Flight 1549 survivor, wants to plaster ads on its flight attendants. Ads have been found in many places on planes as airlines try to increase revenue. Skybus…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife We’ve really been trying to get into this Twitter thing, but it is a slow learning curve. JetBlue posted the following tweet: “We’re testing buy-onboard snack boxes and sandwiches in addition to our free snacks and beverages Let us know if you see some on your flight” Now, we…
Image by James Willamor via Flickr AirTran apologized yesterday after delaying a flight from Columbus, OH to Orlando, FL for over 10 hours. Passengers boarded at 8AM and were stuck until changing planes before taking off at 5:46PM. The plane was almost literally frozen to the ground as it sat parked overnight in a snow…
Welcome to all those people who found us through the recent Middle Seat Terminal blog post. It is always nice when we notice that professional journalists are reading our efforts, and certainly it inspires us to post more. In writing about the early jet days, which admittedly are before our time, there were other aspects…
Image by Telstar Logistics via Flickr Ray LaHood is now the US Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Hood is opposed to the slot auctions at New York airports, dedicated to a new generation of air traffic control equipment, and we’ll see how he is for the country’s transportation network. 3M has issued a press release that…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqQgNZylLw Introduction to the Jet Age The Census Bureau reminded us that today, January 25th is the 50th anniversary of the first scheduled, nonstop flight from Los Angeles to New York, operated by American Airlines using the Boeing 707 jet aircraft, which was the inauguration of domestic jet service. Many omit the National Airlines usage…
Image via Wikipedia Spirit Airlines, the same airline whose CEO made the mistake of sending a private inconsiderate email back to a customer tried to charge customers a cancellation fee for surviving an airplane crash. Two passengers, Rob and Jeff Kolodjay were scheduled to fly out to Myrtle Beach for a golf trip. Their flights…
Image via Wikipedia We were catching up on our reading when we discovered a comment made by the Cranky Flier on the subject of an Op-Ed piece from the New York Times about the ‘good old days’ of travel. We have to agree with Ann Hood, the bygone age of air travel does seem glamourous…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife We, unlike some elements of the media(if we can call ourselves that), do not like to milk a story until its becomes too old. Until there are more developments, we intend to update you on a few items of interest, and move on to new topics. The cockpit voice…
Image via Wikipedia In a press release, US Airways confirmed the downing of Flight 1549, and advised information requests for those who may have had family members onboard may call 1-800-679-8215. The Middle Seat blog over at the Wall Street Journal reports that if you are going to ditch a disabled plane in a city,…
[caption id="attachment_856" align="alignleft" width="224"] USAirways Jet in Hudson River[/caption] AP reports that a USAirways plane has crashed into the Hudson River, sending passengers into the icy water. New York City firefighters are responding. The plane is apparently intact. The plane appears to be an Airbus A320, flight 1549, heading from Laguardia Airport to Charlote, NC,…
Image via Wikipedia Washington’s Dulles Airport will be temporarily closing its newest runway to provide parking for a surge in private planes during the Obama Inauguration. The 9400 foot runway known as 1L/19R will be closed from January 16th through the 23rd. The airport is estimating some 500 private aircraft will arrive at Dulles. Three…
Image via Wikipedia Two years ago, we wrote about one Raed Jarrar, who was told to remove his shirt, which stated “We will not be silent” in both Arabic and English. Here is our synopsis of the time. It is reported that on August 12, Raed Jarrar was about to board a Jetblue flight from…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife To start off the New Year, let’s remember those that are no longer with us…Every year, the Cranky Flier has a summary of airlines we have lost…Here’s his list and our summaries. If you aren’t interested, skip past it. There are more thoughts below. AlpiEagles – Didn’t have much…
Image via Wikipedia Happy New Year to all! We hope you had an enjoyable holiday season. Those of you who braved the airports during the season, we hope you had a relatively uneventful travel experience. We’ve made some New Year’s resolutions, including our continual resolution to post more. We do have jobs, and lives, and…
Image via Wikipedia Delta announced it would be phasing out full-sized jets on its shuttle routes between New York-Laguardia Airport and Washington-National Airport in March. It will replace 148-seat MD-88 aircraft with 76-seat Embraer regional jets operated by Shuttle America, configured with 12 first class seats. Delta insists that otherwise, the product will remain the…
Happy Holidays to All. Spirit Airlines is adding service from Boston’s Logan Airport to Atlantic City International Airport once daily beginning May 1st. Spirit is also requesting DOT approval for service from Ft. Lauderdale to Armenia, Columbia to begin in Summer 2009. It will complement their approved service to Medellin, Columbia, which launches March 1st.…
Image via Wikipedia In a recent post, we discussed Southwest’s desired expansion into New York’s LaGuardia Airport and its current New York City Area service into Long Island MacArthur Airport, aka Islip. Here’s what we said…. As for Long Island’s Macarthur Airport(Islip), we hope that Southwest maintains its commitment there and considers adding additional capacity,…
Image via Wikipedia A husband and wife are suing United Airlines for negligence, saying the drinks served them on a flight from Osaka, Japan to San Francisco fueled their subsequent actions. “Fortified with Burgundy wine allegedly supplied at 20-minute intervals by United crew members during the December 2006 trip, Yoichi Shimamoto became so inebriated “that…
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Ryanair has made another bid for Irish competitor, Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus is preparing its defense plan and wishes to remain independent. Continental announced it has completed installation of an Audio/Video on demand system on its fleet of 757-200s aircraft, with the last two reentering service by December 23rd.…
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Airlines are constantly looking at new forms of technology. How they can automate processes, how theycan add features to increase their competitiveness… Brett Snyder, the Cranky Flier himself, visited LiveTV, the In-Flight Entertainment company which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways. They are preparing to start installing…