Our favorite airfare-watching site Farecast is finally out of beta and its predictions/recommendations have been certified by an independent firm as being around 74.5% accurate, which is much better than our previous method of just guessing.
airlines
Handy US Airways/America West Contact Info
Several phone numbers that may be useful if you’re having an issue with US Airways/America West.
6 Muslims Who Were Arrested On A Flight Sue Passengers For Reporting Them As Potential Terrorists
Now the 6 arrested passengers are suing their accusers. Boy, there was sure a whole lot of nasty racism going on that day. It’s hard to figure out who should sue who, isn’t it? Psst, the airline probably has more money. —MEGHANN MARCO
Sorry Doesn't Cut It: JetBlue CEO Replaced Effective Immediately
Founder of JetBlue David “Mortified” Neeleman is no longer the CEO of his company, effective immediately. He’ll continue on as “non-executive chairman,” and play a “more strategic role.” Whatever that means.
SNL: Training The Crack TSA Team In The Fight Against Liquids
A decently humorous (a smile creaked on our craggy face) SNL skit underlining the absurdity of the TSA’s anti-liquid rules.
Box Cutter Found On United Airlines Flight Causes Delay
A box cutter was found by a passenger on United flight 490 from Denver to Dallas Tuesday, causing a delay of almost two hours while the passengers were rescreened. From the AP:
Flight 490 had left the gate and was taxiing toward a runway when the passenger found the cutting instrument and notified a flight attendant, United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said.
US Airways Has "Tardiness Issues", As Our 3rd Grade Teacher Would Say
Hey US Airways? Is everything alright at home? Getting enough sleep? How’s Doug? Has he quit drinking? Your flights were on time only 56% of the time in March, and it’s becoming an issue with your schoolwork.
Passengers Stranded On Grounded American Airlines Flight For 8 Hours
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, a flight was diverted because of severe thunderstorms and passengers were left to sit on a grounded airplane for 8 hours. By the time they arrived at their destination, they’d been on the plane for 11 hours. Sound familiar? It happened again. The snacks and drinking water got scarce. Someone ordered pizza—”50-70″ slices for 200 people.
All US Airline CEO's Contact Infos
This appears to be a giant list of all US airlines’ CEO contact info (for instance, the phone number for US Airways corresponds with the information listed on their SEC filing) Shoot your complaints to the top of the totem pole with this information. — BEN POPKEN
JetBlue Employees Charged In Credit Card Scam
Don’t leave your credit card on the JetBlue counter at JFK! Four JetBlue employees and a city corrections officer are charged with stealing credit card numbers from JetBlue passengers, according to Newsday. The “JetBlue 5” as we’ve decided to call them, used the cards to go on a “spending spree” that included “restaurants, liquor stores, and shops including Bloomingdale’s and Victoria’s Secret.” Naughty!
Airlines Thinking Up New Fees For Summer
Airlines are gearing up for summer with a suite of new fees and costs for travelers. Among them:
Delta: Get Ready For "Signature" Cocktails and $5 HBO Movies
Delta. Yesterday you were bankrupt, today you’re talking about HBO and alcohol.
Open Skies Agreement Means TransAtlantic Airways Cleared For Competition
Transatlantic travelers should be treated to lower costs and increased offerings, thanks to the “Open Skies” agreement signed yesterday between the US and the EU.
Calm Down, British Airways Looking To Hire "Air Rage Investigator"
The post has been advertised against a backdrop of a sharp rise in the number of air rage incidents. According to the Civil Aviation Authority’s latest statistics, the number of incidents has increased from one in every 27,000 flights in 2002-3 to one in every 16,000 flights in 2005-6.
Delta Exits Bankruptcy!
Get ready for the rebranding, Delta Airlines has exited bankruptcy and they’ve got $10 million set aside towards making you believe they don’t suck. They’re probably going to paint the planes and do some new advertising. Woohoo! It’s a brand new day! —MEGHANN MARCO
How Guaranteed Are Low-Fare Guarantees?
FareCompare tested out different airlines “lowest price guarantee” to see how they match up. That’s when an airline says “if you find a price lower than ours, we’ll refund the difference.” They were able to get a refund from everyone, but it took varying amounts of hassle.
JetBlue CEO Interested In In-flight Text Messaging
David Neeleman, founder and chief executive of JetBlue, said text communications could prove attractive but agrees with the misgivings of many U.S. airline executives about the onboard use of cell phones for voice calls.