Southwest Airlines has been in the news in recent days for a couple of incidents, and successfully winning government approval to proceed with the AirTran Airways merger. Yesterday, Flight 1919 from Denver skidded off runway 13C after landing during a rainstorm at Chicago’s Midway Airport. None of the 134 passengers or five crew members were…
Commentary
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Suggestion for “galley curtain policy” to reduce airline cabin light pollution
A flight attendant’s recent use of a curtain in the forward galley got me to thinking about the “curtain policy†U.S. airlines have been forced to take resulting from a post September 11, 2001 directive by the TSA. Airlines were initially ordered to remove all curtains that impede a visual line of sight from anywhere…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: United Airlines Boeing 737-200
It’s time for another Vintage Airline Seat Map, and I’ve selected a United Airlines Boeing 737-200. Seating 109 passengers in a two-cabin configuration, this bird was an absolute workhorse for United during its tenure with the carrier & affectionately called the “guppy.†I flew it many, many times in both cabins and really enjoyed watching…
United Airlines flies extra section St. Louis to Chicago with a 757 today
I mentioned previously that United Airlines does a fantastic job ensuring a quick recovery of backlogged passengers when events cause flight disruptions, and today is no exception. With St. Louis airport reopening today after the tornado struck on Friday night, United ferried in a Boeing 757 to make a St. Louis Lambert Field to Chicago…
American Airlines celebrates 30 years of the AAdvantage program with daily deals
As widely reported this week, American Airlines is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the AAdvantage frequent flyer program with 30 days of deals. If you’re not following me on Twitter, I had posted the link to the promo when it began on Monday, and today is a great day to “Follow†AAdvantage as they’re giving…
New federal airline passenger protections set to be announced today
The U.S. Department of Transportation is planning to release several new airline passenger regulations today. It is being reported the new rules will make all fees more transparent up-front, enhance denied boarding compensation, refund some baggage fees, and add a 4-hour tarmac delay rule for internationally arriving flights to the U.S. The full regulations have…
Trial set for United Airlines pilot’s assault against Denver gate agent
Trial is set next month for a United Airlines pilot who was arrested after pushing a gate agent at Denver International Airport last December. Captain John Rood allegedly became irate when the agent refused to allow a jump seater’s luggage from being stored inside the cockpit where they would be sitting. The unnamed person fell…
Amenity Kit Review: Delta Air Lines Business Elite (Current 2011 offering)
It’s time for another Amenity Kit Review, and I’ve selected the current Delta Air Lines Business Elite offering. For a better description of each category, and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introduction post here. Bag/Container: I like it when airlines incorporate their branding & color scheme into the amenity kits, and Delta…
Baseball fever airline style, award fee changes, suing Orbitz, ATC shakeup & fortune cookie miles
Here’s a summary of other news that caught my attention this week: United Airlines brings close-in award ticketing fees back for trips booked less than 21 days before departure, and modifies fees to change or cancel award tickets. Global Services and 1K members still enjoy a no fee policy across all changes. Premier Executives and…
Navigating the Airport of Tomorrow: ATW Webinar summary
Yesterday, I listened in to the Air Transport World/Amadeus webinar entitled “Navigating the Airport of Tomorrow,†with presentations by Norm Rose, President-Travel Tech Consulting, Inc., and Patricia Simillon, Head of Airline Operations Strategy for Amadeus. The hour-long webcast summarized the similarly titled report completed late last month & linked here. The focus of the presentation…