Ah, the dangerous liquids ban. We’re all so much safer because of it.
travel
By 8.23.07
../../../..//2007/08/23/fly-discount-first-class-by-knowing/
Fly discount first-class by knowing how to search and ask for “Y-UP” and “Q-UP” fares. [FareCompare]
Spirit Air CEO Learns The Dangers Of Hitting "Reply All" When Callously Responding To Consumer Complaints
By 8.22.07
This is how Ben Baldanza CEO of Spirit Air responded to a complaint letter from a first-time customer:
Please respond, Pasquale, but we owe him nothing as far as I’m concerned. Let him tell the world how bad we are. He’s never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny.
Which might have been ok, had the email stayed inter-office, but Baldanza seems to have hit “reply all” and accidentally sent the message back to the original complainant. Oops.
Delta Names Former CEO Of Northwest Airlines As Their New CEO
By 8.22.07
Delta has named Richard Anderson, former CEO of Northwest Airlines as their new CEO according to CNNMoney.
Executive Email Carpet Bomb, Consumerist Post, Prompt United To Solve Reader's Complaint
By 8.20.07
After being dissatisfied with his United ticket being changed without notice, and the fact that he called three times and each time there was some sort of birthday party in the background rendering the conversation incomprehensible, Bob got his story posted here. We advised him to send an executive email carpet bomb (EECB), and CC his complaints to the Department of Transportation. Now, the godly hand of United customer service has reached out of the ether and given him a scratch behind the ears, and Bob has gone from peeved consumer to pleased…
Southwest Could Become World's Biggest Airline
By 8.20.07
According to the Associated Press, Southwest Airlines is poised to become the world’s biggest airline—beating American Airlines for the first time. Even though Southwest is a domestic-only carrier, they’ve already eclipsed American Airlines’ combined domestic and international travel in 2007.
Southwest carried 40.3 million passengers on domestic routes between January and May, an increase of 4.2 percent from last year.
By 8.20.07
../../../..//2007/08/20/remember-that-guy-jetblue-and/
Remember that guy JetBlue and the TSA wouldn’t let on a plane for wearing an Arabic shirt? He, joined with the ACLU, have just sued them for racial profiling. [Seattle Times]
American Airlines Sues Google Over Trademarked Search Terms
By 8.20.07
American Airlines has sued Google over search terms that include words that American Airlines has trademarked. For example, if you search Google for “Aadvantage,” American Airline’s frequent flier program, Google will display a link to the program, but also show ads from competitors.
And This Is Your $4190.76 iPhone Bill
By 8.18.07
Like others, Pierre had found out the hard way just how extremely expensive international data transfer rates are…
It's A Myth That Airfares Goes Up On Weekends
By 8.17.07
Some say that airfare goes up on the weekends, but FareCompare’s Rick Seany, says this is a flight of fancy:
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.
Start Shopping For Thanksgiving Airfare On Aug 22
By 8.14.07
According to the fare prediction scientists at Farecast.com, Aug 22nd marks the date to start shopping for Thanksgiving plane tickets. They shared these tips and stats about turkey-time airfare:
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.
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.
