Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

Archive: August, 2008

TEXT SIZE: A A A A
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Gustav: Your government at work
After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina three yeas ago, made worse by the Bush administration's inept response, the Department of Homeland Security is taking no chances with Gustav. It's called out the cavalry days in advance. Secretary Michael Chertoff is in New Orleans today, and the Prez himself may skip his own party's big show in St. Paul to show that he's in charge. If you have travel planned, go to your airline's Web site using the links to the right to see what flexibility they're showing in case you need to change plans.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 3:52 PM  Permalink | 2 comments
Friday, August 29, 2008
Gustav and the airlines: Pay heed to warnings
This is the time of the year when monitorig weather forecasts  can make an air traveler very anxious. Just in time for the third anniversary of Katrina, Gustav, a Category One hurricane at the moment, is headed into the Gulf of Mexico and could hit the mainland by early next week somewhere between Florida and Texas. Fortunately, airlines have gotten much better in recent years in issuing public statements well in advance of a major storm, outlining policies for making changes to tickets that usually involve a fee. Some airlines so far have said customers can make changes to tickets without penalty to a specific city or two. US Airways has applied its flexible policy to more than a dozen destinations, as you can see in its news release posted on its Web site yesterday. If you're traveling next week, pay heed to what your airline says about how your destination could be affected. Links to all major carriers at PHL are in the right-hand column of the blog.  
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 4:04 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Friday, August 29, 2008
New York-area airport slot auction halted
The FAA's own general counsel has questions about the Bush administration's plan to auction takeoff slots at the three New York area airports as a way to stimulate competition. PHL hasn't been targeted in Transportation Secretary Mary Peters plan, which has already limited operations at Newark, LaGuardia and Kennedy. The airlines are vehemently opposed to the auction and have succeeded in having it suspended for more study.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 9:30 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Friday, August 29, 2008
Candian airline Zoom abruptly shuts down
Zoom is zooming no more. In another sign of the times, the high cost of jet fuel has grounded another airline. Zoom, a Canadian carrier that few in the rest of North America had even heard of, quit flying. Some of the scenes caused by the grounding were almost comical -- unless you were a customer stranded on a Zoom plane at Glasgow, Scotland, that sat on the tarmac, unable to take off because of a dispute with the airport. The passengers eventually were freed when the plane was allowed to return to the terminal. Read a little more here.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 9:01 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
FAA: More whipping up on whipping boy
I missed posting any news yesterday about the computer problem at FAA that caused big delays for hundreds of flights for  a very good reason: I was traveling, had lots of obligations and couldn't stop long enough to check in on the day's news. I was one of the lucky ones: My flight left early in the morning and I wasn't caught up in the problem. Today has brought criticism of FAA from all sides -- even the presidential candidates have piled on. Read a second-day AP story here. Of course, just attacking the beleagured agency has been popular sport for years, and saying it's dysfunctional, too bureacratic and incapable of doing anything right is old news. In fact, it does many things right every day. But if the next president really wants to win friends among frequent travelers, he will have to make a better effort at fixing what's wrong with FAA than we've seen in the past.  Until we get to that point, and knowing that stuff will continue to happen, remember that www.flightstats.com is an excellent way to keep up with flight delays at PHL and elsewhere.   
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 3:36 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Southwest, FAA still at odds over fine
Southwest says don't look for it to issue a big check to the government by this Friday's deadline. You surely remember this story: The FAA went ballistic in March, under pressure from a powerful member of Congress and others in government, fining Southwest $10.2 million for failing to inspect some of its jets for cracks. The airline has alrways maintained that its 46 jets, alll 737s, that missed inspections for minute cracks showing metal fatigue, were still safe to fly. The deadline for paying the fine is Friday, or the FAA says it will refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In this Bloomberg News story, Southwest says it's still talking to the FAA about it. 
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 3:16 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Southwest joins parade of flight cuts, including some from PHL

Sorryu we've been off the grid today and just got back on. For those of you who come here first for airline news, here's what Southwest announced earlier today. They're reducing their flights between PHL and Tampa and Chicago Midway, among about 200 trims from its January schedule. Read more in a staff and wire service report here.

 

Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 6:40 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Monday, August 25, 2008
American Express Business Travel Monitor: Data show how much fares have risen in 12 months

Anyone who flies knows that fares, pushed up by struggling airlines trying to cope with higher fuel costs, have risen substantially in recent months. This morning, American Express Co.'s Business Travel Monitor was released, providing a part of the picture of just how much domestic and international ticket prices have increased over the last 12 months. The data is based on actual fares paid by client companies of the largest travel-management company. The second quarter "marked a seven-year high in the average fare paid by business travelers," Amex said. "Oil prices, capacity constraints and ticketing restrictions drove up air fare 10 percent, year-over-year."

 According to the Amex data, a year ago the average one-way fare paid was $236, and in the 2008 second quarter it had risen to $260. Interestingly, the averages actually declined slightly from $236 between last July 1 and March 31, '08, before shooting up in the second quarter. On its clients' international itineraries, the average fare was 11 percent higher than it was a year ago, finishing at $1,980 each way, compared with $1,788 in the second-quarter of 2007. The international data include business-class fares.     

Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 4:29 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
Monday, August 25, 2008
Winging It column: Are airline prospects getting better?
Do lower fuel costs leave you confused about what's happening to airlines? The industry's prospects have gotten better but don't relax just yet. A few opinions are in this morning's Winging It column in print, and we're looking for more. Keep checking this space.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 8:13 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Friday, August 22, 2008
Oil price fluctuations mask long-term demand
Anyone can get confused these days with what's happening to the price of oil. It's dropped almost $35 a barrel in the last month, after roughly doubling over 12 months and peaking at $147 a barrel, causing some to wonder if all the concern of recent months has been overblown. The fall recently has given a lift to the stock prices and prospects of airlines for 2009. But don't be misled, as this Forbes.com story today indicates, and look for more thoughts on the subject in Monday's Winging It column.
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 10:06 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Pages: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4
About Tom Belden
Tom Belden has been reporting and writing about Philadelphia International Airport and other air travel subjects for nearly 25 years. He has written business travel columns for The Inquirer's Travel and Business sections. His ground-breaking reporting (with colleague Craig McCoy) on baggage handling problems in Philadelphia have been credited with helping improve the system. His previous blog was called Road Warrior. He can reached at tbelden@phillynews.com.
Advertise Here