This story combines two immutable laws of nature in a surprising twist: that executives don’t always know what their front-line employees are doing, and that airline employees don’t give a f*ck who you are and will call the police if you annoy them.
airlines
Airlines Add $10 Surcharge On Busy Holidays
By 9.26.09
If you’re planning any air travel on the busiest post-holiday travel days this year, prepare to pay $10 in an extra, uh, “fuel surcharge” on Delta, American, and United flights. Fuel is super extra expensive on November 29th, January 2rd, and January 3rd, you know.
British Airways Adds Seat-Selection Fee
By 9.25.09
With baggage fees, $3 ramen noodles and even fees to let you cut the line, we thought the airline industry had gone about as far as it could to separate passengers from their money while preserving the illusion of selling cheap tickets. But British Airways has one-upped the yanks with a new fee that gives passengers the privilege of selecting their seats more than 24 hours in advance, for a mere £10 to £60.
US Airways: No Mags For Miles, But Here's A Credit Card
By 9.15.09
You know those too-bad-to-be-true mailings that offer to let you turn expiring frequent flyer miles into magazine subscriptions? Turns out that, at least in some cases, they’re even worse than advertised. Google SEO god Matt Cutts had racked up about 15,000 miles on U.S. Airways, and was looking for a way to cash them in before they expired. The magazines seemed like a better deal than just letting the miles turn to vapor, so he went ahead and ordered a bunch, and waited for them to arrive. And waited. And waited.
RyanAir Business Plan: Low Fares, Soaring Fees
By 9.11.09
Ireland’s discount airline RyanAir wants to be known as the “Tesco of the skies.” (Think “flying Walmart.”) The metaphor would apply beautifully if Tesco also charges you a 25 cent unpeeling fee on a 35-cent banana. In the last few years, RyanAir’s “ancillary” revenue, or money raked in from fees, has reached £548 million ($914 million USD).
Delta Doesn't Even Have A Customer Service Number Anymore
By 9.9.09
Are you unhappy with your recent experience with Delta airlines? Would you like to talk to someone about it? Using a telephone? Too bad. Delta doesn’t even have a dedicated customer service phone number anymore. If you want to talk to them, like Time’s Richard Zoglin did, you will have to call their corporate headquarters on an unpublicized number. You will then be told that they don’t accept customer complaints by telephone and be sent back to the website.
Southwest Suddenly Decides Man Is Too Fat To Fly — Again
By 9.8.09
We thought this issue was taken care of the last time a Las Vegas Southwest employee randomly stopped someone from flying without checking to see if they could actually sit in a seat with the arms down (per Southwest’s policy), but apparently not. Now a Chicagoland man says he was stopped from boarding a return flight home to Chicago because he was too big (6’2″ 350lbs), but he airline wouldn’t allow him to prove that he could fit in the seat.
US Airways Will Serve You A Cup Of Ramen For Only $3
By 9.5.09
US Airways recently debuted a new snack menu for their coach passengers, and it’s posted online.. It’s not that it’s bad, or even unreasonable. It just makes the snacks at the airport gift shop look like a discount grocery by comparison.
Want To Cut The Boarding Line On Southwest Airlines? That'll Be $10
By 9.4.09
Do you know what the airline industry really needs about now? More fees! Luckily, Southwest Airlines is happy to oblige. They’re now charging a $10 fee to customers who want to board the plane before everyone else.
People Love Airplane Wi-Fi, But They Don't Love Paying For It
By 8.28.09
The WSJ’s latest “Middle Seat” column is about that holy grail for all internet-lovers — airplane Wi-Fi. It turns out that people love, love, love it… but pay for it? Nah.
American Airlines Raises Baggage Fees For Flights Abroad
By 8.28.09
If you thought you could escape American Airlines‘ increased domestic baggage fees by only flying abroad, think again: AA is raising checked bag fees for some international flights to Europe and India.
Breaking Down Airline Safety Records
By 8.28.09
The Daily Beast says it has determined which airlines in the U.S. are the safest by comparing the global statistics for the 25 airlines with the best safety records and those with the worst. Which is the safest? The answer may come as a surprise, since this methodology showed that AirTran is the safest national carrier.
US Airways Raising Bag Fees By $5 On Most Flights
By 8.27.09
Providing that you check your bags online at least one hour before your flight, US Airways says it will begin charging $20, instead of $15, for the first checked bag and $30, instead of $25, for the second. Those who choose to check bags at the airport can expect $25 for the first and $35 for the second, an increase of $5 per bag.
Let Sun Tzu Be Your Travel Buddy
By 8.26.09
Reader Anil sent us this post that adapts Sun Tzu‘s The Art of War for battles at the airport ticket counter.
Gee, There Was A 6 Hour Tarmac Delay At New York's JFK Airport
By 8.24.09
So, we’ve recently noticed that the new cool thing for airlines to say when they mess up is some variation of, “We tried to make them comfortable,” as if they were escorting you to meet your maker instead of transporting you to Minnesota to see your grandmother and eat “bars.” We think this is creepy. We think they should stop saying this.
Southwest Customer Exposes Self, Punches Another Passenger, Then Strips Naked
By 8.21.09
Here’s an issue you probably didn’t expect to run into on your flight from Oakland to Las Vegas. According to the SF Chronicle, a man exposed himself, then punched a passenger who screamed. After that, he decided to strip naked and resist while flight attendants and other passengers subdued him. The flight was turned around and both the man and the woman he punched were taken to the hospital. They apparently don’t know each other, and the man is wanted on drug charges.
Wi-Fi Coming To Southwest Airlines Next Year
By 8.21.09
Southwest says a test of Wi-Fi on its planes was successful, so they’re going to expand the service to all of their planes next year.
Dave Carroll Launches Second "United Breaks Guitars" Song And Video
By 8.18.09
Musician Dave Carroll hit the jackpot with his first song, “United Breaks Guitars,” last month. The song, the video, and the subsequent media coverage formed a perfect anti-ad for United’s poor handling of customer property. Now he’s released the second of his planned three-song cycle and this one has more of a “we could have had something together” feel to it. Like any sequel, it’s about 600 times more elaborate. We’ll always love “United Breaks Guitars” most of all, but it’s great to see Carroll continue his one-man shaming of an airline for not doing the right thing when it had the chance.
