UPDATE: Executive Email Carpet Bomb, Consumerist Post, Prompt United To Solve Reader’s Complaint
airlines
Continental Passengers Revolt After Sitting On Tarmac For 5 Hours
By 8.16.07
Will July 29, go down in history as airline traveler’s Stonewall? 120 passengers staged a protest aboard Continental Flight 1669 after waiting on the runway for over five hours.
10 Ways To Avoid Airline Weather Delays
By 8.15.07
Tripso, a travel site penned by James Wysong, a long-time airline steward, has 10 tips for avoiding airline delays due to weather. His number one?
LAX Meltdown Caused By A Single Network Interface Card
By 8.15.07
The card, which allows computers to connect to a local area network, experienced a partial failure that started about 12:50 p.m. Saturday, slowing down the system, said Jennifer Connors, a chief in the office of field operations for the Customs and Border Protection agency.
How Long Does It Take United To Get A Maintenance Crew To Fix Something With Duct Tape?
By 8.14.07
How long does it take for United Airlines to get a maintenance crew over to your plane so that they can “fix” something with duct tape? The answer is 45 minutes, not including the time it took to “de-plane” the passengers.
A Review Of A Non-PR Infected Virgin America Flight
By 8.13.07
Jaunted decided to test the hype and fly Virgin America without the crack PR team. Result? 2 hour delay, no permanent terminal at JFK, but otherwise a pleasant flight.
20,000+ International Passengers Stranded In LAX
By 8.13.07
At one point, airlines were given clearance to get fuel and food, but many airlines didn’t take advantage of it, for whatever reason.
Retributive Airlines "Tweak" Each Other, Offer Great Fares To Consumers
By 8.12.07
Rick Seaney has a great post about the “tweak,” a move used by airlines to piss off competitors by offering discount airfares from their rival’s hubs. The spurned airline will often retaliate by tweaking the offender back in return. Rick Seany explains:
Southwest Airlines Won't Pay Your Train Fare
By 8.10.07
Bad weather forced a recent Southwest Airlines flight to divert to Baltimore instead of its destination of Philadelphia. The only option for a couple eager to make their granddaughter’s birthday was to take a train, at a cost of $118. The couple claims a Southwest employee told them they’d be reimbursed for their trip if they called the 1-800 number and explained what had happened–but when they called, the reimbursement was refused.
Airline Complaints Up 47.2% In First Half
By 8.9.07
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics complaints about airlines were up 47.2% in the first six months of 2007.
Sign Up For Virgin America's Frequent Flier Program, Lose Your Discount Airfare
By 8.9.07
Mike writes to us on Virgin America’s maiden day of service to complain that his discount fare vanished after he signed up for Virgin’s frequent flier program. Mike and his girlfriend tried to buy $44 tickets from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but after signing up for the frequent flier program, the fare jumped to $79. Though Virgin has invested in a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system, from the looks of Mike’s letter, they haven’t invested nearly enough in customer service. Mike writes:
Virgin America Begins Flying The Crowded Skies
By 8.8.07
Virgin America has taken off, according to USAToday. The carrier had to fight hard to convince US authorities it was not an extension of Richard Branson’s “worldwide aviation empire” and, instead, something new. But will it be?
Will American Airlines In-Flight WiFi Succeed Where Others Have Failed?
By 8.8.07
The Chicago Sun-Timestakes a look at the difference between American Airline’s new in-flight WiFi service and other failed services that came before it. What will be the big difference? Technology. Unlike more pricey satellite services American will use technology that uses ground-based cellular phone sites to provide internet.
Air Travel Delays Worst In 13 Years
By 8.7.07
So what can you do? NBC finds some expert to give you advice, but let’s face it: You can’t really do anything. Airlines are flying too many flights, and they’re flying them 90% full.
Virgin Atlantic, British Airways Admit To Collusion, Prepare To Issue Vouchers
By 8.6.07
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways admitted last week to the Department of Justice that they colluded to levy excess fuel surcharges ranging from $10 to $100. Despite the admission, both airlines claim that passengers weren’t really overcharged.
Today Show Interview With CEO of Southwest On The Crappy State Of Air Travel
By 8.3.07
The Today Show asks Gary “Sit Anywhere” Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, to explain himself in the above clip.
American Will Test In-Flight Broadband Next Year
By 8.2.07
American Airlines will test fee-based broadband on its transcontinental flights early in 2008. If you hate listening to other people talk on the phone, don’t worry—they’re going to block Skype and its ilk.
By 8.1.07
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In case you hadn’t heard: Airline delays bad, getting worse. “FAA Blames Poor Weather, Traffic Congestion; Little Improvement Likely” [Washington Post] (Thanks, Ian!)
