All of the legacy airlines, with the exception of Northwest, have matched United Airlines $50 roundtrip fuel surcharge announced Friday. Airfare maven Rick Seaney says that Northwest is usually the last one in when it comes to price increases, but if they don’t follow suit by tomorrow, then the other airline could begin to wobble and drop the surcharge.
airlines
American Airlines Ex-CEO Bob Crandall Shares His Crazy Cost-Saving Strategy
By 1.12.08
Former American Airlines CEO Bob Crandall fired a guard dog at a Caribbean outpost to keep costs down. Just look at the self-satisfied gleam in Crandall’s eye. This is no mere cocktail party story, but a defining act of corporate leadership for his grandkids to cherish.
United Increases Fuel Surcharge To $50
By 1.12.08
United Airlines will increase the fuel surcharge on roundtrip tickets to $50, a new industry high. “Every penny increase in a gallon of jet fuel costs our industry $195 million annually, and while we operate more efficiently, we must be able to pass commodity costs on to customers, as other industries do,” said UAL spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. The new surcharge is more than double the previous charge. Other airlines haven’t yet commented on whether they will match the move. Just another reason to not fly United.
JetBlue: You're 4 Years Old, Would You Like An Amex?
By 1.11.08
Thought you might enjoy this: We got an application for a jetBlue-branded American Express card in the mail today for our oldest daughter. She is four. We flew on JetBlue about four months ago, so I suppose they sent their entire passenger manifest over to AmEx.
TSA Detains 5-Year-Old As National Security Risk
By 1.9.08
A 5-year-old boy was detained as “security risk” because he had the same name of someone on the TSA “No-Fly” list. The TSA had to conduct a full search of their persons and belongings. When his mother went to pick him up and hug him and comfort him during the proceedings, she was told not to touch him because he was a national security risk. They also had to frisk her again to make sure the little Dillinger hadn’t passed anything dangerous weapons or materials to his mother when she hugged him. Pretty insane. If you’re ever mistakenly on the No-Fly list, here’s how to get off it.
Mice Found On United Airlines Flight
By 1.9.08
United Airlines Flight UA897 from Washington to Beijing landed in China with a mice infestation onboard, reported a Chinese state official on Monday: “Eight mice, dead and (alive), were found at last … hidden in pillows.” An “emergency team” boarded the craft and “put rat poison and mouse traps at every possible corner on the aircraft, including the cockpit… the surviving mice were sent to labs for testing.”
By 1.8.08
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If you have problems getting an exit seat from Midwest Airlines ticket agent Ramone at LGA, it’s possible he will tell Roger to go up to you on the flight and boom, “I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS SEAT AND WANT OFF THIS FLIGHT.” [Click Here Technology Columns]
American Airlines Doesn't Care If You Were Rushed To The ER With Appendicitis. You Are A No Show, And Will Receive No Refund.
By 1.6.08
“What is ya’lls experience with dealing with AA when the passenger has a case of appendicitis? My sister is going under the knife in London right now, and was admitted to the ER 6hrs before her scheduled flight back to Seattle. We’ve called AA and they say no chance of getting any sort of re-booking, rebate, coupon, or whatever because she was listed as a “No Show” for the flight. We called the airline before the flight to inform them of the situation.”
American Airlines India-to-U.S. Flight May Have Spread Tuberculosis
By 1.5.08
A woman infected with multidrug-resistent tuberculosis, or MDR TB, “traveled from New Delhi to Chicago on American Airlines Flight 293 on December 13, and then to California on a domestic flight,” say officials with the Centers for Disease Control. They’re now trying to locate 44 passengers who sat near the woman as well as crewmembers who worked in the same cabin.
By 1.4.08
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New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut are preparing legislation similar to New York State’s airline passenger’s bill of rights. [San Francisco Chronicle via ConsumerWorldBlog]
5 Most Complained About Airlines In November
By 1.4.08
Wow, you guys really hated airlines in November. Complaints against airlines jumped 37% in November as compared to last year. Here are the five airlines pulling in the most gripes:
WestJet Is Taking Child Endangerment Seriously
By 1.3.08
THE QUOTE: “The situation is of utmost concern for WestJet and we are taking this matter very seriously. We have apologized to the parents of the child and are doing all that we can to ensure that this does not happen in the future.”
Tarmac Stranding Lawsuit Against American Airlines Seeks Class Action Status
By 1.2.08
If we had an award for most pissed-off consumer ever, it might go to Kate Hanni. After being stranded on the tarmac by American Airlines in 2006, she started a group called “The Coalition For An Airline Passengers’ Bill Of Rights,” which, since we first reported on it, has grown from a blogspot blog to a full blown lobbying group that has a tipline and issues press releases.
United Cancels More Flights—Staffing Issues To Blame?
By 1.2.08
Today United Airlines canceled almost 60 flights at airports around the country, bringing the airline’s total cancellations since December 23rd over 1,100 flights—far more than any of its rivals. United’s official excuse is weather, but according to the Reuters, pilots are saying United’s decision to scale back staffing has lead to the scheduling disaster.
Cathay Pacific Thinks Your Kid's Car Seat Is A Security Threat
By 1.2.08
James writes:
We were kicked off the 747-400 because they refused to allow a car seat on board and my two year old son was incapable of staying in his coffin-like seat. We were told we were a security threat, threatened to be left behind and accused of not following crew instructions.
New York's Passenger Bill Of Rights Goes Into Effect
By 1.2.08
Back in those lazy summer days of August, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer signed a “passenger bill of rights” into law—requiring airlines who keep passengers on a grounded airplane more than 3 hours to provide water, snacks, fresh air and a working toilet.
Reach US Airways Executive Customer Service
By 1.2.08
877-369-6512 is the number for the US Airways Executive Office.
