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Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

Here's a head's up - Continental has canceled dozens of flights going into and out of Houston (IAH)...but they haven't told anyone. They canceled my outbound flight to California through Houston (which, fine, understandable), but didn't send me so much as an email or phone call, like most carriers do. It wasn't until I tried to check this morning that I was met with their proposed new flight plan (see attached.) It's sad and hilarious at the same time. Needless to say, I've rebooked since then.

I'd have been in trouble at the airport if I hadn't tried to check in this morning, so just a warning to anyone trying to fly across the country today - the airlines, particularly Continental, are doing their usual awesome job at handling the situation. I'm not so much upset about changing my plans, it's the total lack of communication from Continental and the completely useless "solution" they tried to offer.

(Photo: FlyGuy92586)

A few weeks ago, I became very frustrated when frequent flier miles weren't posting to my account...I called every few weeks but kept getting shuffled around by the service reps. Finally, a little over two months after the flight, I emailed Larry Kellner, Continental's CEO. I hoped at least one of his Executive Assistants would call me back. 45 minutes later, Larry Kellner called me himself. I couldn't believe it. He was apologetic and explained why that hadn't posted. He also told me to email him back if they hadn't posted within a week. I logged in the next day to my OnePass account, and the miles had posted.

There are plenty of awful companies out there, but after this, I can say for sure that Continental isn't one of them.

And once again, that's the power of taking it to the top. Now, quick! Spend them before they're totally worthless.

(Photo: Mark J Burns)

If your flight is canceled or you're given a wrong connection, the airline might have to put you on another flight for free, even if it's on another airline. Airfarewatchdog blog has put together a handy table to help you tell which airlines follow these procedures, and to what degree. They also have links to the contracts of carriage for the airlines that have them posted online. Handy to check if you're covered before booking, and also good to print out and bring with you to the airport just in case you need to invoke your rights and the airline employee has forgotten their own policies.

Rule 240 Revisited [Airfarewatchdog Blog]

An Open letter to All Airline Customers:

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers. Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.

They've sent you an EECB... how will you respond?

Airlines: Curb oil speculation [CNN]

Circling the winged wagons, United Airlines and Continental announced they're partnering up into something just shy of a full merger. Continental will try to join the Star Alliance Network and the airlines will begin code-sharing on some routes. Travelers will be able to spend frequent flyer miles earned with one on the other. Might want to avoid flying them for a while until we see how well they two manage to integrate their systems, because, if there's one thing airlines are good at, it's screwing up.

United, Continental Form Broad Marketing Alliance [WSJ]
Continental Airlines and United Airlines Announce Comprehensive Plan for Global Cooperation; Continental Plans to Join Star Alliance [Press Release]

(Photo: So Cal Metro)

Continental chief executive Larry Kellner and the company's president, Jeff Smisek said in a message to employees: "The airline industry is in a crisis. Its business model doesn't work with the current price of fuel and the existing level of capacity in the marketplace. We need to make changes in response."

Both announced that they would not take salaries for the rest of this year.

3,000 Continental Jobs, Capacity To Be Cut [WNBC]
(Photo: Zonaphoto )

This week, travel guy Christopher Elliott talks about the growing worthlessness of buddy passes—the travel vouchers airline employees get for family members, or unhappy customers sometimes get as a peace offering. For examples, "on American Airlines, it’s often less expensive to buy an advance-purchase ticket than to use a buddy pass, once you factor in all taxes and fees." And Continental will add a $100 to $400 surcharge per buddy pass starting this Monday, rendering the "perk" of a buddy pass entirely moot.

But wait. It gets better.

As a result of current market conditions, CO is no longer in a position to absorb additional fuel costs for the weight of a Buddy Pass rider’s second checked bag. Like non-elite revenue passengers, Buddy Pass riders will be assessed a $25 service charge for their second checked bag. When applicable, excess, overweight, and oversized baggage charges will still apply.

This is sending a clear message to Continental’s employees: Our elite frequent fliers are more important than your friends and family. What a shame.

So the next time some airline apologist points out that Gokhan Mutlu, the JetBlue toilet passenger, was flying on a buddy pass, it’s worth noting that these passes hardly pass for a perk anymore.

"You call that a perk? The truth about airline buddy passes" [Elliott.org]

RELATED
"JetBlue Forces Passenger To Sit On Toilet For Flight"
(Photo: Getty Images)

From the AP:

Continental is also still in discussions about an alliance with AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and British Airways, said an official with knowledge of those talks. That person also was not authorized to discuss the matter and requested anonymity.

The official said it would not be unusual for Continental to be considering alternatives, but that the British Airways-Continental-American talks are progressing and don't appear in jeopardy.

Nasty, airlines. Nasty.

United's Tilton to give Parker a shot at top job-FT [Reuters]
AP source: United, Continental in alliance talks [AP]
(Photo: Zonaphoto )

So where will all this drama end? We figure by the end of the season, US Airways will be merging with someone in a cute wedding chapel, but then a bunch of men will run in firing machine guns and we won't know who lived and who died until the fall!

Combining United with Continental would create a company with a combined $35 billion in revenue and nearly 100,000 employees, surpassing the Delta-Northwest combination as the world's largest airline.
 
But that merger may not happen. United Airlines, whose shares plunged 40 percent when it reported a quarterly loss earlier this week, is also talking to US Airways.
 
Analysts have said a merger between those two carriers would be less complex than one between United and Continental Airlines.
 
JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker earlier this week said a deal between United and US Airways could be easier when it comes to aligning the wages of pilots, combining fleets and reducing flights and seats.

We've listed most of the major airlines and their regional affiliates. We've indicated whether the airlines are now defunct, part of Delta, recently bankrupt, or possibly looking for love with another airline. Regional airlines are marked with their affiliates' logos. Watch out Continental... we think United has her eye on you. Enjoy!

Dear Mr. Kellner,

I'm not the type of person to generally write letters such as this, but Continental used to be a company I not only used regularly for travel, but that I also envied enough to want to work for. On top of flying 50,000 miles or more over several years, I even applied for a job with Continental because it seemed like an organization I would want to be a part of.

However, I hate to say that, in the past several months my experience with Continental has been so aggravating that I have not only become increasingly frustrated, but have even changed my allegiance to another airline. I would have considered this a clean enough break in my relationship with your company, if I did not have a few existing reservations with Continental that require me to still deal with your customer service group. These dealings, as recently as today, leave me completely dumbfounded.

My difficulties started when I attempted to use a number of my accrued miles to purchase BusinessFirst reward tickets for my fiancee and I to go on our honeymoon. After putting two ideal reservations on hold, I called later that night to book the reservation. After a quick and easy phone call, I was told the reservations had been made, the miles deducted, and we were all set to go. When I asked why the reservation still showed as, "On Hold" in my online account, rather than, "Confirmed", I was told that it would take several hours to process, and I would receive an email.

After several hours had passed I became anxious and called back to customer service to check why the status had not changed. I was told that not only were the reservations not confirmed, but they, in fact, had been changed in such a way that my fiancee and I had been split into separate records, my held reservation only showed one leg of the trip, and my fiancee's flights were for different dates. Moreover, I was told that the flights I had originally put on hold were no longer available at the 100,000 mile award level, but that I was welcome to book them for 250,000 miles each. Keep in mind that throughout this process, I had printed copies of my original reservation, showing the proper flights on hold and ready for purchase at the correct price.

I will spare you the details of what ensued. I actually kept a running log of the next 8 phone calls I had with customer service, over a 3 day period, for a sum total of 12 hours. Through some miracle, throughout this ordeal, I was connected with one amazing customer service representative who had sympathy for my situation. Still, try as she did to help, her job was only made harder by a number of ridiculous policies, including the fact that she was not allowed to give an extension where I could call her back, nor was she allowed to call me back, though she regularly needed to leave for long periods of time to call other groups within Continental and partner airlines. Through sheer tenacity, and I don't want to know what else, after three days this representative was able to cut through enough red tape to restore our original reservation.

The question still remains - why did all this have to happen? By the time I found my way to this first helpful representative, there was no way in the system to look back and determine who the representative was who had mangled my reservation, yet told me it was correct. And, of course, there was no way to determine which representative was the one who hung up on me, after curtly telling me that I had attempted to force the online system to somehow book a reservation that it should not.

Today, I intended to make one small time change to an entirely different, existing reward reservation. I checked online to ensure availability, and called customer service to make the change. After I agreed to a $35 charge, the representative told me the change had been made, the $35 charge had been made to my card, and that I would receive an email shortly reflecting the change.

Low and behold, an email arrived showing that, not only had I been charged $50 for the change, rather than the agreed upon $35, but what's more, the flight had not been changed! The itinerary was exactly as it was before the call!!

I called customer service yet again. This time, I was connected to a less-than-pleasant representative who, when I asked to speak to a supervisor, explained that she was the, "first line of response", and that I could not speak to a supervisor without speaking to her. I explained what had happened. The representative told me that the previous representative had misquoted the change fee, and that I would be charged the $50 (which I never agreed to) regardless. This 'first line of response' was then, fortunately, able to change the flight as requested.

It's likely that you're not even still reading this at this point. But, if by some chance you haven't tuned out, my simple question is - what am I supposed to do when I deal with Continental?!?!? I realize that in practice the customer is not always right - customer service representatives are forced to deal with rude, ill-informed, and unreasonable customers. But in each of my dealings with the airline, I have tried my best to be none of these. Still, where does it leave me when every time I get off the phone with your airline, I'm left wondering if what I was just told was correct, or if what I was told was done actually was.

Am I supposed to start recording every conversation I have with your airline? I know that you do, but when I asked if those tapes could be accessed two representatives told me, "no". So if I repeatedly find myself in the situation where I'm pitting my word against a representative's, and that representative has the power to summarily dismiss me as wrong, what is my recourse?

I appreciate that you are busy, and further appreciate any time you have given to reading this. I don't necessarily expect any answer, let alone any resolution. But, if you should have the time to even pass this on to someone who would be willing to answer, I would genuinely appreciate it. Without feeling like this situation won't continue to arise, I don't see how I could consider buying another ticket on Continental, and would encourage others not to as well.

Thank you in advance for your time,

Mike

Actually, though I didn't expect any answer, I got way more than I had bargained for. After sending the email to both Larry Kellner, and to Consumerist, I got a call on my cell phone from the Executive Assistant to the CEO. The woman was very nice, and apologized profusely for the problems I have had. I got nervous when she pulled up the reservation I had fought for 3 days for, for our honeymoon, since it was finally right, and I didn't want to risk anyone touching it.

But, she also said she would credit the difference in the fee that I was misquoted, and incorrectly charged.

Further, she emailed me her direct contact information, and told me not to hesitate to contact her in the future with any difficulties, or success stories, that I might have in dealing with customer service.

For what it's worth, she said they would be tracking down the employee's involved in the problematic calls that I had, to figure out the problems; but she did not imply that any of the follow up would be passed along to me.

All in all, I'd say I'm still wary to book anything else on Continental at this point, despite having a ton of miles still accrued. But, I will sleep a little better knowing that if we show up at the airport to leave for our honeymoon, and have any difficulties, I have a number to call for someone who won't just immediately tell me I'm wrong and hang up on me.

Small victories,

Mike

(Photo:Zonaphoto)

Hi all,

As a devoted reader of your site, I have read the multiple articles on the famous "Rule 240" which can sometimes assist the desperate traveler. Thus, when I saw that my return flight was canceled, I remained calm knowing I was armed with this knowledge. I had arrived a full two hours before my flight, and was extremely patient in the fifty minute wait to get to the counter. A different flight had also been canceled, and I watched with amusement as one man actually put his friend on speakerphone to confirm that weather was *not* an issue in Newark. I must say that the agent's face was a lovely shade of eggplant during this stunt. When I finally reached the front of the line, I was positive that courteousness and sympathy would cajole this harried staff into pushing me onto another flight.

At this point, it is important to give a bit of background. I am a full-time college student, so naturally money is always an issue. I had decided to fly home for spring break, and had booked it out in advance on Continental using my father's miles. I had the perfect setup: an early flight on Saturday + an evening flight on Sunday = maximum time with family and pets. I had an exam on Tuesday, and the review was Monday morning. Missing class was NOT an option. I was flying out of South Bend, Indiana into Manchester, New Hampshire- two very small airports which are both two-three hours away from the major hubs of O'Hare and Logan.

Now- back to the story. I asked if he could check whether or not there was an available route that would get me back to school (I stressed that the number of connections were not a problem) and he responded that the absolute soonest he could manage this was TUESDAY. I explained the issue with my exam, and was met with a blank stare. I decided it was time to drop the 240 line. He rolled his eyes and responded, "Well you can ask them," motioning to the other counters. I glanced at the Delta and United lines, which were approaching Disneyworld length, and politely requested that he check what would be available to me before I left the counter. He told me he could not do that. I asked if he could check Logan, figuring they would have many more flights. After no more than two seconds of glancing at his screen, he said that they had nothing. I then asked if he could specifically check Logan to O'Hare. This time he didn't even pretend to look- he just flat out said no. I was trying to remain calm, but I was almost in tears at this point. I was literally running up against a brick wall.

I hauled my bags down to the Delta counter. Once I reached the front, I quickly explained my dilemma to the woman. She gnawed on a red talon as she informed me that the Delta flight to Chicago was pulling back and there was no way I could get there in time. I almost lost it at this point- if Mr. Continental had gone the extra inch, I could have been on that flight. She was slightly more helpful in terms of willingness to actually use her computer, but produced no results. I got the basically same story at United.

Thankfully, my father saved the day. He went online and found a Southwest flight to Chicago leaving in about fourty minutes with a few open seats. Given the circumstances, we had no choice but to pay the exorbitant price for the last minute ticket. So much for saving money. I made it back to Chicago, but missed the bus back to campus by fifteen minutes. I had to wait another two hours to catch the next one (another $40, by the way), finally returning at 2 am. My car was still at South Bend airport, and I couldn't find a ride to collect it until Wednesday ($30 extra). The final kicker? A heavy baggage charge from DELTA randomly appeared on my credit card from the flight home (I hate dealing with Capital One).

Bottom line: I would not be writing this e-mail if the agent had offerend one iota of assistance or even sympathy. I know they are often the messenger who gets killed, and I always keep this in mind when I am dealing with them. Screaming at them is no more effective then screaming at your local gas station owner about prices. However, I expect this decency to be returned, and I truly feel that it wasn't. I urge EVERYONE to vote for the airlines (most especially CONTINENTAL) in The Consumerist's worst company contest... they are working harder than Hillary to win this thing.

Still, we can't help but notice that the real disservice here is from Laura's college. Who schedules a midterm two days after spring break? That's just cruel.

(Photo: lunchtimemama)

It was the fourth week in a row that carriers have raised ticket prices, and the second round of increases led by Chicago-based United, the second-largest U.S. airline, in as many weeks, according to a tally by airline ticket pricing Web site FareCompare.com.

United's higher fares went into effect late Thursday, hours after crude oil prices surged to a new record of $111 a barrel. The increase is unusual for its size. Most recent fare increases have been limited to about $10 round-trip.

"It's like the jump in (oil prices) has totally changed the playing field," FareCompare.com Chief Executive Rick Seaney said.

United spokesman Robin Urbanski said the higher fares are based on the length of the flight, meaning that trips of under 500 miles will cost travelers $4 to $10 more round-trip. Journeys of more than 1,500 miles are now $12 to $50 more expensive than before the increase, she added.

Atlanta and Seattle, Boston and Denver, and San Francisco and Philadelphia were among the thousands of city pairs that will now cost travelers $50 more round-trip on United, Seaney said.

"They obviously have some metrics that say, 'these are our less competitive markets,'" he said.

The move comes just a week after United raised its domestic fuel surcharge by an additional $6 to $10 per round trip, effectively raising fares. United's fuel surcharge now stands at $50 round-trip in markets where the airline does not compete against low-cost carriers, Urbanski said.

"Fuel is our highest expense. The cost of it clearly continues to rise," Urbanski said. "We must be able to pass along these costs just like other businesses do."

United Raises Fares by Up to $50 [AP]
(Photo:tiangotlost)

Due to WEATHER / SNOW-ICE, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH (CLE). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 3 hours and 12 minutes.

(Photo: .Dianna.)

It's pretty much agreed that Delta and Northwest will merge. Yeah we called it. It was tough, too. The fact that Delta hired CEO Richard "Anybody Wanna Buy An Airline?" Anderson, formerly the CEO of Northwest, made it like, really hard to tell which airline they wanted to merge with.

The media is also saying that the Delta/Northwest alliance made United Airlines jealous and insecure, and that airline may rush into sleeping with Continental airlines. Previously, United and Continental had talked about getting serious, but just couldn't figure out where they wanted to live and who would be the boss.

There's also a tragic story behind all this Valentine's airline love, Mr. Merger, Doug "I'm OK to Drive" Parker seems to be left out in cold. Doug attempted a hostile takeover of Delta last year. His bid ultimately failed, and he was arrested for drunk driving a few hours later.

Won't someone find an airline for Doug to love?

Delta-NWA, Continental-United mergers may be close, reports say [USAToday]

The TV will set economy passengers back $6, and will be free for those in First Class. Wi-Fi internet will be free for all passengers.

LiveTV services are already being used on JetBlue's aircraft, and are also available on WestJet, Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc., Virgin Blue and AirTran. Also, Southwest Airlines Co. said earlier this month it would test Internet connectivity on four aircraft this summer.

Subject: Flight Experience Reply: Yes

Message: To Customer Relations Representatives,

I would like to share with the company what I can only classify as a series of blunders, characterized by indifference. I booked a ticket for myself, and later, for my cat at the cost of $711.70. The first leg of the flight was #1174 to Newark, the second was #336 to Ponce.

Flight #1174 was delayed for several hours, supposedly, and I emphasize that, for weather related reasons. I was very concerned because I was not only traveling with my cat but also because I knew if I missed my connection that would mean I would be stranded for the day. I was assured confidently by the woman at the boarding gate that if I were to miss my flight, I would be put for the night in Newark. What can I say? I was an optimist but I knew deep down that your airline would sooner crash my plane. My real hope was that since Newark was the one experiencing delays, as they announced over the speakers, my connection might still be there. But lo and behold, I arrive at Newark, a supposed contributor to my flight's delay and somehow the airport seems fine, my connection departed at least close to on time. Two agents (one a supervisor I believe) re-booked me for the next day, with no upgrade or apology or so much as something that might seem as sympathy. The only thing they offered was to book me to San Juan, which is as helpful as offering to rebook someone going to Philadelphia, to fly into New York. Not helpful at all. I was informed that I would probably not get anything. It's then 1AM, and the agents at the gate inform me that I should go to Terminal C to gather my bag and perhaps get a voucher. I go to Terminal C, and only the bag office is open, I speak to an agent there ( I wish I had written down names at this point), who informs me there are no more hotel vouchers, customer service reps, no taxi vouchers and that bag is in some cage up somewhere so I've utterly wasted my time carrying my bags and my cat at this late hour in the Newark airport on the airtrain.

I fortunately have some friends in the city, because I do believe that the hotels were booked, you know, with the "delays" and those people that got vouchers earlier. So I arrive at the empty terminal on time for my flight that day, at the kiosks, I get nothing but attitude when I ask to check-in, since I was so interrupting their little chat. They didn't have the decency to point me in the direction of the open security point, or otherwise did not know which one was the only one open at that hour. The agent I spoke to from the bag office the previous night, asks me how I'm doing, and I answer truthfully, "fucked" , I say. And you know what, I meant it. He's apparently offended at my language and after I ask where the open security point is, he begins to scornfully complain that "stuff like that is why people don't want to help you. " ... and on, until I finally find the security point myself. I would like to reiterate that I stayed calm, that I never yelled, or complained and that I only responded to a direct question honestly when I was at the end of my rope with your agents at this point.

I am aggravated with your whole airline and frankly, I'm not looking forward to the return flight at all.

Sincerely,

Rita

Dear Ms. [redacted]:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines Customer Care regarding your recent experience while traveling with us to Ponce. I would like to express my sincerest apologies for the negative impression that has been left upon you, and thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

I do see that flight 1174 departed late from Chicago due to Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance, as both Newark and Chicago were experiencing some weather, which caused a strain on the airspace around both airports. I do see that this flight arrived into Newark at 12:38AM, and your connection to Ponce did depart 63 minutes late, at 12:58AM. I know how disappointing it was for you to miss your connection, and I assure you that it was not our intention to cause you any inconveniences or additional out of pocket expenses.

We do expect our ground crew to provide the best available accommodations to passengers affected by this unfortunate circumstance of missed connections, and based upon your description; we did not fulfill your, or our, expectations of service. The behavior you described receiving in Newark, I assure you is not typical of the service we provide, no matter what the circumstances are, and on behalf of Continental Airlines, I extend my sincere apologies for the negative impression we may have created. All of our employees from reservations to the in-flight crew and everyone in between are expected to provide a friendly, efficient service, and I regret that this is not what you experienced. We realize that their response to your requests make the difference in your perception of our overall product.

I know that you were disappointed to hear that we were not going to be able to provide you overnight accommodations or a transportation voucher when you missed this connection to Ponce, as this is not something that we typically provide when delays and missed connections are due to weather, ATC, or other force majeure events. I understand from your correspondence that you are requesting reimbursement for the out of pocket expenses you incurred; however, I must respectfully decline this request, as per our Contract of Carriage, we are not liable to provide these accommodations when delays are due to these circumstances.

As a gesture of goodwill, I will be sending, via a separate email, an Electronic Travel Certificate in the amount of $75. This certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue, and may be applied towards any future flight on Continental Airlines. The terms and conditions are clearly printed on the certificate and I am sure you will find it easy and convenient to use. I do sincerely hope that you will use this certificate and afford us another opportunity to win back your trust.

I have also prepared a detailed report containing your experiences, as you recounted in your correspondence to us, and I will be including it in our monthly Customer Care report, which is distributed to our Senior Management teams for their further internal review and corrective actions. I assure you that the feedback we receive from our passengers is taken very seriously, as we are continually striving to improve our customer's experiences.

We do recognize you have alternatives in your choice of carriers. However, we hope you would not judge us based on this experience, as we would consider it a privilege to have you include Continental Airlines in your future travel plans. Please be assured Continental Airlines strives to maintain the highest quality of customer service. I apologize if your experience has not been an example of this and would like to assure you that it was the exception and not the rule.

Ms. [redacted], I understand that this experience with Continental Airlines has left you with a negative impression of our airline. I am quite confident that given another opportunity to welcome you aboard once again you will experience the outstanding service and operational reliability that we traditionally provide.

Respectfully,

Sarah

Maybe we're being overly critical, but Sarah does seem to have missed the part where the employee in Chicago told Rita that she would be provided with accommodations if she didn't make her connection. If that's not something they "typically provide," someone should mention it to the employees.

We suggest sending this complaint to the Department of Transportation.

Instead of an expected, "we apologize for the confusion and we'll look into it", we received a lecture on how the PASSENGERS are usually wrong in cases like this and that we should just go home. If we were completely spineless we might have listened but after bringing in three more Continental attendants to assist, all of whom looked at the same 'holy computer' and stated that my wife needed a Visa, we were moved to a supervisor's counter and the process of deciphering the 'Countries Requiring/Not Requiring Visa' list took another 20 minutes. (I think a list of known UN countries in alphabetical order is probably less than 300 so a quick scan in my book would take about 20 seconds). After some quiet side conversations where we overheard the discussion about the "Democratic People Republic of Korea" (NK) and the "Republic of Korea" (SK) I reminded the Continental rep not to confuse North and South Korea (again). I (again) was told to 'tone it down'. After about another five minutes we were handed our passports back with two boarding passes without a word - no apology, no 'enjoy your flight'. To add to the wonder of it all, Continental dedicates an entire section of check-in counters for travel to tourist destinations in the Caribbean at Newark's Terminal C. Why they also don't dedicate employees with a passing knowledge of countries in the world for their INTERNATIONAL check in agents is beyond me. I guess that's asking for too much behind courtesy and professionalism for their front-facing customer service reps. Ted

(Photo:Google Maps)

It seems that airlines vary wildly when it comes to their on-board delay policies. Some include very specific information (ATA specifies when to order food) while other airlines are flying without any policy at all (Delta, for example.)

This list includes the airline's definition "extended period of time," as well as airline's planned response to an extended delay, if any.

Some airlines say they'll take you off the plane just 1 hour after arriving (Northwest). Others think 5 hours sounds reasonable (JetBlue).

Sadly, airline policies are not the whole story. Some airports have plans in place to help stranded passengers and some do not. In all, this data strongly suggests that airline and airport plans should be standardized, but until that day comes: Compare, contrast, and choose wisely when you buy your next ticket.

Alaska
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 90 minutes
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 2 hours (for arrivals.)

Aloha
"Extended Period Of Time" means: Not defined.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: No policy.

American
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 2 hours
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 4 hours (as of April 10, 2007)

ATA
"Extended Period Of Time" means: In 1 hour you get beverages and in 4 hours, catering.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: No policy.

Continental
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 2 hours
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 4 hours for departures (as of June 15, 2007)

Delta
"Extended Period Of Time" means: Not defined.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: No policy.

Hawaiian
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 2 hours
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 2 hours (as of August 1, 2001)

JetBlue
"Extended Period Of Time" means: Not defined.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 5 hours (as of February 20, 2007)

Midwest
"Extended Period Of Time" means: Not defined.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: No policy.

Northwest
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 1 hour for arrivals and 3 hours for departures.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 1 hour for arrivals and 3 hours for departures.

Southwest
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 2 hours
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 2 hours

United
"Extended Period Of Time" means: Not defined.
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: 1 and a half hours for arrivals and 4 hours for departures
(as of September 5, 2007)

US Airways
"Extended Period Of Time" means: 2 hours
How long before they let you off the %@#$% plane: No policy.

A Few Example Airport Delay Policies:

Seattle-Tacoma International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to determine remote parking locations for aircraft to deplane passengers and provide buses if requested.

Dallas/Fort Worth International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to monitor length of time hold positions of aircraft. If over 2 hours, coordinate aircraft return to gate.

Austin/Bergstrom International
Plan to deplane passengers? No
Airport policy is to determine parking spots of diverted aircraft.

Indianapolis International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide available gate or remotely deplane passengers to buses upon request.

George Bush Intercontinental
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide buses when requested.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide mobile lounges to take passengers to gate when requested by airlines.

Honolulu International
Plan to deplane passengers? No
Airport policy is to encourage carriers to off-load passengers and offer immediate assistance by, among other things, offering use of available airport facilities.

John F. Kennedy International (New York)
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to, after 2 hours and upon request, help to find alternate airport locations to safely deplane passengers.

General Mitchell International (Milwaukee)
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide buses when requested.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide air stairs and buses to deplane passengers when requested.

Dallas Love Field
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to provide emergency services upon request.

Chicago O'Hare International
Plan to deplane passengers? No
Airport policy is to monitor length of time hold positions of aircraft.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Plan to deplane passengers? Yes
Airport policy is to help with deplanements via jet bridge or remote hardstand and provide buses to transport passengers.

ACTIONS NEEDED TO MINIMIZE LONG, ON-BOARD FLIGHT DELAYS (PDF) [DOT]
(Photo:meghannmarco)

Southwest started the fare raise by upping their prices from $1-$10 each way on Aug 31. "American Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. matched the fares over the weekend, spokesmen said. Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Holdings Inc. raised prices to a lesser extent," says Bloomberg.

This will be the 10th fare raise this year. Only JetBlue and Alaska Air abstained from the latest increase.

Southwest leads way as 8 airlines raise fares [Baltimore Sun]
(Photo:Ack Ook)

Continental: Small, dirty, understaffed, "free" wi-fi, snacks, booze. $45 per person.

American Airlines: Spacious, filthy, gross bathrooms, ripped furniture, private shower (LAX), WiFi isn't free, pay to eat, no free drinks, rude service. $50 for one person, $75 for two.

Delta: Complimentary snacks, free drinks, big screen tvs, fax machine, copier, computers, friendly but disorganized service. $25 per person.

United: Inconsistent quality, (SF was like a lush hotel lobby, Atlanta a "motel cafeteria"), pay wifi, pay for drinks, a few free snacks, conference rooms. $50 per person.

Maybe its just us, but none of these really seem worth the price of admission, except perhaps for Delta's lounge. Then again, we're not big drinkers.

Are Airline Lounges Worth The Price of Admission? [WSJ]
(Photo:justin)

"August 21, 2007

Last month I booked tickets for me and my wife on Expedia for air travel later this week as follows: Continental First Class (refundable) EWR-DEN/ Frontier Coach (non-refundable) DEN-LAS / Continental First Class (refundable) LAS-EWR for later this week. My wife injured her back so I called your toll-free number to cancel the reservation. The representative with whom I spoke told me that I would have a credit of $3,063.78 on Frontier Airlines, since they were the "validating carrier" (carrier who issued the tickets) and that my refundable first class tickets had become non-refundable...."

I would have assumed that Continental would have issued my tickets since they were the originating carrier and made up the majority of the cost and the travel - and since I live on the East Coast, a Frontier credit doesn't really do me any good. Whenever I have booked travel in the past, the carrier on the first leg has been the carrier who issues the tickets. Furthermore, I was shocked to learn that the refundable portion of my trip had become non-refundable.

I then asked to speak with a supervisor who told me that the determination of which carrier will serve as the validating carrier is "up to the airlines" and that Expedia has nothing to do with it and does not know before the ticket is issued who that carrier will be. She added that in Expedia's rules and regulations it states that when you book through Expedia, the entire itinerary is subject to the most restrictive ticket's restrictions, so since my coach Frontier tickets were non-refundable, so was the whole itinerary - including the expensive first class normally refundable tickets. I have never heard of this policy before from any travel booking service.

When I asked to speak to that supervisor's supervisor, I was hung up on.

I then called your Corporate Headquarters and the receptionist gave me the number of your Corporate Customer Service Department. The first woman I spoke with was defensive and repeatedly said that there was language in the fine print on the web site entitling Expedia to do what it's doing. I asked to speak with her supervisor and was transferred to Martin, who was very friendly and sympathetic. He explained that Expedia chooses the validating carrier based on the carrier's commission structure and that Frontier's commissions to travel agents are higher than Continental's, so that's why Frontier issued the tickets.

So, contrary to what I had been told by three other representatives of your company, not only does your company know who the validating carrier will be but chooses the validating carrier based on its commission structure.

I have the following problems with your policies and actions:

1. It is not clearly stated that the carrier who issues the tickets is up to Expedia and may not be the originating carrier. And that this is entirely in your interest and not the consumer's. And this goes against what most consumers would reasonably expect when booking their tickets.

2. That you turn refundable tickets into non-refundable tickets if those refundable tickets are part of an itinerary with non-refundable tickets. You don't make this policy clear to consumers and it makes no sense. I can only assume it is because you can make more money with this arrangement.

3. That your customer service agents were defensive, unhelpful and repeatedly misinformed me by stating that Expedia has no control over which airline issues the tickets booked through the site.

I would like you to do the following:

1. Either refund my money or give me a credit for the full amount that I can use on Continental Airlines.

2. Make your policies clearer so that other consumers don't go through what I went through. If I knew then what I know now (and still wanted to use your service) I would have booked the Frontier segment separately.

I am very disappointed with the way you treated me and these customer-unfriendly practices. I hope that you will rectify this immediately.

Regards,

Jonathan R. Teller

cc: Ben Popken, Editor - Consumerist.com

So passengers began drumming in unison on the overhead bins. The crew freaked out, one steward admonished them "for destroying airline property," and eventually the police were called, who boarded the plane and disembarked the passengers Continental had said were "becoming violent."

70 of the passengers later signed a petition which said:

We did not have water, food, toilet paper.. The toilets were clogged and completely unsanitary. Moreover, there were a number of children and older and special-needs passengers, including a diabetic and a pregnant woman, who desperately needed attention.

Right There on the Tarmac, the Inmates Revolt [NYT] (Thanks to Melinda!)
(Photo: FlyGuy92586)

Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
Northwest Airlines
American Airlines
US Airways
Continental Airlines
Skybus Airlines
British Airways

Bookmark it before your next flight.

Travel Cheat Sheet [Elliot.org] (Thanks to Mark!)
(Photo: daiji)

But there is a price for a non-stop flight: To increase that airplane's range, airlines book less people (and therefore carry less weight). Passengers wanting to save serious money (about $750 a person) should book flights that have layovers.

World's Longest Passenger Flights [Forbes]
(Photo:Aaron P)

The flight attendant's motivation for removing the Mom and toddler is still not clear to us. Will this mystery ever end?

Good Morning America

UPDATE: Video of the Kid Misbehaving On Good Morning America. Time to call Supernanny.

PREVIOUSLY: Mom And Toddler Kicked Off Continental Flight For Talking Too Much

Her two-year old, Garron, repeated the phrase all through the flight attendant's safety speech. Afterward, the passenger, Kate Penland, said the flight attendant told the man sitting next to her to shut the baby up. From ABC13:

"As she finished, she leaned over the gentleman who was sitting next to me, and she said, 'OK, it's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up,'" Penland said.

Soon after the baby Benedryl incident, the flight crew made an announcement that they were returning to the gate. Authorities at the airport were notified of a "passenger disturbance," but arrived to find only Kate and Garron being escorted off the plane.

Continental ExpressJet responded: "We received Ms. Penland's letter expressing her concerns and intend to investigate."

We really can't figure out why they'd go so far as to kick the woman off the plane. Maybe a creepy kid chanting the phrase "Bye, bye plane" scared them? We know that's lame but that's all we can think of. Too weird.

Talking toddler and mother removed from flight in Houston [ABC13]
(Photo:ABC 13)

I was flying from Massachusetts to New Jersey on Continental Airlines on this past week. There was terrible weather over New Jersey and while the plane took off on time, a half-hour in to the 47 minute flight we ended up circling over southern Connecticut. After a number of "we'll only be holding here for a few minutes" updates, an hour had elapsed and the pilot told us that the storm that held us up was making it impossible to get to New Jersey and that they didn't have enough fuel to get back to Massachusetts. We were diverted to a remote airstrip and were told that we'd just refuel and then get to New Jersey.

Of course, the "30 minute refuel" turned into 2 hours stuck on the tarmac at this airstrip because the storm came right through our location.

At this point we'd been on the plane for 4+ hours and despite some individual heavy sighs, most people were still pretty pleasant. We were all blown away when the flight attendant came on the PA and told all of us that they had a surprise: the crew had called in an order for pizza and had 10 pizzas delivered to the plane. They also told us not to write into Continental about this because "they'd get in trouble".

It turns out that the pilot paid for the pizza out of his/her pocket! It was a remarkable gesture, and what I found really terrible was that the crew felt that they'd get in trouble with the airline for being so thoughtful, generous, and kind to the passengers.

So, I definitely think that this particular crew deserves a pat on the back, and provided that Continental doesn't penalize them for their actions, then the airline deserves a pat on the back for hiring such high quality people. I've modified some of the info in the story to mask the identity of the flight and crew - but I feel that the story deserves to be told nonetheless.

(Photo: David de Groot)

Continental won the overall satisfaction award for a traditional carrier with 704 points out of a possible 1,000, despite hosting a sewage geyser on a recent flight. JetBlue won the overall satisfaction award for a low cost carrier with 810 points, despite massively fumbling its response to snow.

Blemished records aside, this is Continental's second consecutive year winning the award, and JetBlue's third. Congratulations, airlines - just don't celebrate by buzzing the tower. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Traditional Network Ratings [J.D. Power]
Low-Cost Ratings [J.D. Power]
(Photo: stephenhanafin)

PREVIOUSLY: Continental Airlines Sewage Flight, Eyewitness Account

"To be blatantly honest, I was more nervous than I had ever been on a flight," said [passenger] Collin Brock. "I've never felt so offended in all my life. I felt like i had been physically abused and neglected. I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours," said Brock.

Dana (who was in first class, away from the poo geyeser) from Metroblogging NYC writes:

Shortly thereafter they announced that one of the two working toilets is now completely broken, that we will all—all 250 of us—need to share the one toilet in first class and that it is not quite fully functional. We are literally told not to through any paper down and to only go "#1" if we can help it.

So here we are on an 8 hour transatlantic flight with one semi-functional bathroom and they start serving food and drink. I had two bloody mary's hoping that the sodium levels would make me retain water. My boyfriend and I both refrained from eating or drinking much of anything—a real bummer when you paid for first class and all that good food and alcohol that comes with it. Everyone on the flight was told to "limit their consumption" and to "control what comes out on the other end"

In the end,