A very speculative story based on rumors is circulating that US Airways and American could consider a merger if Continental and United were to combine, as the second pair of carriers has acknowledged they're considering again. Read the speculation at this link.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 9:58 AM
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Another case of an airline pilot flagged as he was about to take off, this time in London, for having alcohol in his system over the legal limit. Read more here.
US Airways' multitude of members of its frequent-flier program who live in the region have been learning about changes in redemption rules through e-mails in recent days. Inquirer airline reporter Linda Loyd tells us more about the changes in a good explainer this morning, found at this link.
Most air travelers have heard that TSA's Secure Flight program requires airlines to use a passenger's name exactly as it appears on their government-issued photo ID. The new policy is being phased in and there's an indication that TSA is showing some flexibility right now in enforcement of the policy. Read more about it in a New York Times column found here.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 5:18 PM
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Here's a deal that may help you if you're flying now through early January: Google is offering free WiFi access at 47 U.S. airports how through Jan. 15, and on all Virgin America flights. Unfortunately, neither PHL nor a number of other major airports are included, and of course Virgin America doesn't serve PHL. The deal will be good in Baltimore, Charlotte, Houston and Miami, but not in Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, the New York area airports or Philadelphia. Previous agreements with other WiFi providers may have prevented a new, temporary deal with Google. Google is using the free service to help it collect donations for several nonprofits. Find a list of the airports participating here
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 10:53 AM
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The September report from the U.S. Department of Transportation on airline on-time performance is the best evidence I've seen yet that cutbacks in schedules this year mean good things for those customers still flying: On-time arrivals are growing at PHL and other airports, with more than 80 percent of them within 15 minutes of schedule at the 31 largest U.S airports.
Remarkably, almost 82 percent of arrivals at PHL were on-time, yet the airport finished in 29th place for the month because, for the first time in many years, the New York area airports didn't finish at the bottom. (Remember that weather has a lot to do how each airport finishes in any given month or year.)
At PHL, US Airways and Southwest, the largest carriers in passenger numbers and flights, were in a virtual tie for on-time arrivals in September; Southwest was at 83.5 percent, US Airways at 83.1 percent. US Airways continues to pay employees bonuses as a result of it finishing among the top three for system on-time performance and fewest lost bags and consumer complaints, in what it considers its competitive set: the legacy carriers American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United.
Detail of how each airport ranked can be found at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Web site, www.bts.gov, and detail by airport for each airline, and the service reports are at www.dot.gov.
Remarkably, almost 82 percent of arrivals at PHL were on-time, yet the airport finished in 29th place for the month because, for the first time in many years, the New York area airports didn't finish at the bottom. (Remember that weather has a lot to do how each airport finishes in any given month or year.)
At PHL, US Airways and Southwest, the largest carriers in passenger numbers and flights, were in a virtual tie for on-time arrivals in September; Southwest was at 83.5 percent, US Airways at 83.1 percent. US Airways continues to pay employees bonuses as a result of it finishing among the top three for system on-time performance and fewest lost bags and consumer complaints, in what it considers its competitive set: the legacy carriers American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United.
Detail of how each airport ranked can be found at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Web site, www.bts.gov, and detail by airport for each airline, and the service reports are at www.dot.gov.
The Federal Aviation Administration's recent efforts to collect large fines from airlines for failure to comply with safety regulations is under fire in some quarters. The question is why FAA has been more active in its enforcement, because of political pressure from Congress and others, or because, as it says, it's "working smarter," identifying more problem areas? Read a good analysis of the issue in the Travel Weekly trade newspaper here.
Today's Winging It column is a fresh look at a topic I have followed for years: The seemingly wacky world of airline pricing, why a PHL-Boston roundtrip ticket can cost more than $1,000, and gives a nod to the pressures airlines face that make them do what appear to be such wacky things. Read it all here.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 10:48 AM
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Two major, prominent international airlines are reporting details of how they are sharing in the worldwide pain caused by the recession. Airlines globally are expected to lose close to $11 billion this year. British Airways today reported a record first-half loss. More detail can be found here. And flag-carrier Japan Airlines is looking at cutting pensions for retirees to stave off bankruptcy, a familiar plight many U.S. airline workers have faced. Read more on that at this link.
Rare is the airline or online travel agency thesd that doesn't charge a fee for a traveler to buy a ticket over the phone. Airlines began charging even before adding checked-bag fees. Now one online service, Expedia, eager to try to get or keep business in the recession, has eliminated the $20 fee for phone bookers. A lttile more detail can be found here.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 2:40 PM
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About Tom Belden
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