We recently reviewed CNN Money’s ‘5 dirty secrets of airfares’. We have added our own commentary. 1. Low cost carriers don’t always have the lowest fares – Remember, the legacy carriers are competing with them. If their fares were not comparable to their competiition, they’d lose all business. Revenue or yield management, which determines how…
The Travel Security Blog reports on the training given to air marshals. Given reports of what has caused these highly trained individuals to break cover and take charge of a situation, ie passengers who don’t obey the fasten seatbelt sign…we are curious about how the recent news that the marshals will now be allowed to…
As reported by the Seattle Times, Seattle-Tacoma Airport has decided not to apply for the government’s Registered Travel Program. The TSA’s Registered Traveler Program is set to provide expedited security screening for passengers who volunteer biometric and biographic information and successfully complete a security-threat assessment. The information is collected by private organizations licensed by the…
Bruce Schneier, author of several books on security technology, comments on his blog. We must agree with Mr. Schneier and suggest that all click through and read his thoughts on the subject. If terrorists can cause us to hurt ourselves, to panic and suspect everyone of being dangerous, they have succeeded in striking a blow…
CNN reports that the pilot on an Air Canada Jazz flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg on Saturday returned from the airplane lavatory to discover he was locked out of the cockpit. With 30 minutes to go, the pilot went to the bathroom, leaving the first officer in charge. When he tried to return, the door…
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.
It is reported that on August 12, Raed Jarrar was about to board a Jetblue flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Oakland, CA. Allegedly, four officials, either from the airline or security stopped him and informed him he could not board with the shirt on. One apparently told him, “Going to an airport with…
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…
Our colleagues at our sister blog, opening this week, Gadget Wisdom sent us this link from Slashdot A passenger lost his Ipod in the airplane lavatory, and despite advising the flight crew some minutes later, the plane is diverted to Ottawa and a bomb squad is brought in, prompting an investigation. Once again, the most…
Last week’s entry on Candidates for an Award for Travel Stupidity referenced a 21 year old man, one Howard McFarland Fish, who had a stick of dynamite in his checked luggage. on a flight from Buenos Aires to Houston and onward to Newark. Further information, provided by the Sun Journal, indicates Fish bought it at…
A USAirways flight from Philadelphia to Houston was diverted to Tri-Cities Airport in Tennesee after a bomb threat was found in a note on board. Reuters reports that although all 52 passengers were offloaded, it turned out to be another hoax. Meanwhile, this woman, Janet Gregory, Age 66, was arrested in Charlotte, after she refused…
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…
The Darwin Awards are ones given to those who contribute to the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who remove themselves from it…essentially people whose stupidity gets them killed. Here at Flight Wisdom, we honor those whose stupidity or lack of forethought in the current security environment impacts us all. Today, we salute…
As we reported earlier, the Federal Judge deciding on the case of the Northwest Airlines Flight Attendants and their right to strike blocked them from going on strike today. He has issued an injunction, stating that a delay was necessary so that the legal issues under the Federal Railway Act could be explored further. We…
In the tradition of the major news networks, we present our coverage of the Northwest Strike… Late Wednesday night, the U.S. Department of Justice sought to block a threatened strike, maintaining it would violate the Railway Labor Act, which does not allow strikes without both sides of the conflict being released from mediation. The Association…
Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines announced today the introduction of confirmed standby for its passengers. Confirmed Standby is a newer concept in the airline industry. Previously, airline policy was very black and white. Either standby was not permitted for earlier flights or airlines would allow you to standby for earlier flights that day for free, and get…
A 29-year-old man in Chicago opted to face arrest rather than face the disappointment of his mother. We must commend Madin Azad Amin for not wanting to disappoint her, although we question his intelligence. He was stopped on August 16th on his way to Turkey when an item resembling a grenade was found in his…
We reported yesterday that the Dutch were holding twelve passengers from a Northwest Airlines flight to Mumbai. No evidence could be found that they were anything but difficult passengers. It appears they were merely rowdy. It is a lesson to us all…stay in your seat when the fasten seatbelt sign is on, remain quiet, keep…
The deprecated No Smoking Signs on aircraft may soon be replaced by “No Mobile Signs” on some planes next year, Reuters reports. This is not a new idea. Some planes have replaced these signs with “It is Now Safe to Use Portable Electronics” messages. But this is a small portion of the overall aircraft, despite…
When was the last time you saw a printed timetable? Fewer and fewer of these timetables are being printed by the airlines that still print them, relying on electronic means to do so. Their websites will often still offer printable versions in PDF format and other downloadable options. But as David Grossman of USA Today…
The Boston Globe comments on the lessons of security for El Al, the National Airline of Israel. El Al security focuses on intercepting bad people, as opposed to bad things(bottles of water, shoes, etc). They monitor behavior, and profilers interview travellers at length. Only when the profiler is satsified with you are you allowed to…
We here at Flight Wisdom tend to address the security situation with a degree of skepticism. It is not that we are unconcerned about the threat of aviation terrorism, or that we do not believe it should be taken seriously…but some of these incidents cause us to question the approach. For example, today’s incident in…