Tagged With "airlines"
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Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?
Keep in mind that the picture is the patent model...tricked out with real upholstery it may look very different. Other than fitting big people better, I think this may mainly be used on smaller airliners that fly as one- or two-class, as British Air does on a lot of European flights....business class there is pretty much just empty middle. This would allow flexibility. Be my guess...
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Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner
I like the image of Boeing handing over a set of keys to AA executives for a jumbo jet. I'm glad to see more of these planes come in to service and hope within the next year or so to have the opportunity to fly one.
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Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner
I'm flying on a 787 late May!Glad to see AA starting to get theirs!
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Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner
Looking forward to a 787 blog from you, Rob! That should be fun.
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
All my miles in one pile this morning, enough to go anywhere, and I still can't decide, a truly terrible problem.
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
Yes, the transfer seems to have gone very smoothly...too bad, in a way; I was hoping for an accidental bonus as I once got from Delta (which added an extra zero, back in 1999).
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: All my miles in one pile this morning, enough to go anywhere, and I still can't decide, a truly terrible problem. But an enviable problem, PM. If it's the worst thing you have to deal with this week, you're having a pretty fine week.
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
I'm always aware, DrF, I've lived a charmed life (for a commoner).
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
Now I'm really confused. I just learned from your POD yesterday that you were a princess pretending to be a commoner....
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Re: AA/USAir miles programs merge starting Saturday
No, DrF, you read it wrong. A commoner with delusions.
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Re: Delta makes its 20-minute bag guarantee permanent
Nice to hear of something positive for consumers. As you know Alaska Airlines sparked this, as they've done this for at least a decade. But less waiting for a bag is a positive thing for travelers and I applaud them for doing so.
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
What I dislike are when fees are not used for what they're charged for. If airport improvement fees really are used to fix up and improve airports, I think most consumers are fine with that. But when they just get put into the general revenues of a city's cash pool, that bugs most of us. What a find far more unreasonable than this are the fees to change or cancel a flight. Often they approach or exceed the value of a ticket. That's really gouging the consumer.
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
The other fees that especially bother me are the ones you never see in tickets, because they come out the back door. Compare airport car rental prices with off-airport of the same brand; compare the price of gum or candy at the airport or a neighborhood store. That’s airport revenue, too, either through a direct charge (car) or super-high-rents (newsstand)
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
Good points, PHeymont. I have noticed the extremely high fees imposed by airport car rentals. Sometimes these exceed the cost of the car rental itself.
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Re: As scheduled Cuba service nears, charter operators face unknown future
With a few exceptions, the charter prices for Americans were really expensive. So for those companies, the gravy train is over.
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Re: As scheduled Cuba service nears, charter operators face unknown future
On leaving Cuba last year our flight home to the UK was delayed. We had to wait on the plane for 4 hours. The airport had run out of Jet Fuel A1. So a fuel tanker was dispatched to fetch some. I do hope the US embargo stops before I go again. I'm not fighting American Airlines for the last drop of Jet Fuel !!
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Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
Excellent and informative article!!
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Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am
Make that the '70s - no 747s in the '50s.
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Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am
We get some great Twitter responses to our articles. @ nichtvermietbar asks of this one: " including smoking?"
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Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am
A good question, and it is mentioned on the site: that part is up-to-date, and no smoking is allowed.
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Re: For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am
Perhaps they will compromise and allow e-cigarettes. Smoking without the tobacco smoke.
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Re: Where the lost bags go: Scottsboro, Alabama
I happened to stop by the store today. it's really is a tourist attraction now. It's huge and a lot of the merchandise has never been used and their original tags are still on. I didn't think the prices were that cheap ,but I was amazed at the high end merchandise people have lost including lots of electronics.
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Re: Where the lost bags go: Scottsboro, Alabama
Not something I have ever seen before. Reminds me of something I only heard for the first time last year while visiting the US. Dumpster diving.
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Re: Boeing's next seat squeeze...in the lavatory!
I'm not sure a person with movement disabilities or who is very obese will be able to get around in that limited space anymore....
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Re: And the squeeze goes on: are carry-ons next?
I favor standardizing, but think the seven inches depth is too skimpy. Nothing is more frustrating than having a bag that is okay as a carry-on with one airline, but to large with a connecting airline. Still, overall it looks like we're getting screwed again!
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Re: And the squeeze goes on: are carry-ons next?
Good news for people traveling on Canada's two major airlines, Westjet and Air Canada. They will not adapt these new standards to their markets. The old baggage rules still apply. More on this story in the Vancouver Sun .
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Re: And the squeeze goes on: are carry-ons next?
So far, it appears, all the North American majors are staying out of it. Perhaps if this could be rethought so the depth could stay at 9", and the other two change, it would get more love from us customers...
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Re: Bid for Airline Seat Upgrades
Oh, pooh. Now I'll have to add a surprise upgrade to my list of never-to-happen, along with winning the Powerball and skydiving...
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I like the idea of passenger's time having value, but the fines seem pretty steep to me. I'm not sure this wouldn't hurt the viability of several smaller airlines or cause increased fares for everyone.
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
Yes, the fines are steep. That's intentional...if they were set very low, the airlines would have no incentive to make the improvements and arrangements necessary to avoid them! Remember...these fines only apply to situations in which the airlines could have avoided the delay but didn't.
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
I agree with DrF, the fines seem unnecessarily steep, especially when multiplied by a plane-load of passengers. Stuff happens, all we well-maintained car owners know. Not surprising the airlines are balking. The definitions could certainly be more clearly defined and the fine amounts reduced to an amount that deters but isn't quite as medieval in proportion to the crime.
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
I'm going to take the contrary view. First, remember that the short clip above doesn't reflect the detailed regulations or the deliberations of the court. But remember the circumstance quoted “which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken,” Reasonable measures guarantee that crews are scheduled so that even if illness befalls the scheduled crew, it does not take over 3 hours to bring a replacement crew on line. Reasonable measures to avert mechanical...
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
Rules that may be perfectly reasonable for a large airline, the crew issue for instance, may be less reasonable for a small airline or a low-fare airline that needs optimally efficient practices to make money and continue to offer us the low fares. That may not include extra crews hanging around "just in case". As passengers, we can't have everything - low fares and no occasional delays, although those airlines appear better at avoiding delays than any others, of necessity. At the same time,...
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Re: Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
I'd agree with those expectations...but I also think that if the penalties are too harsh, then the airlines should move to have them changed, and enlist passenger support, not just stiff the passengers by evading the rules. And passengers CAN be won to support campaigns; it was not British Airways' lobbying, but a broad popular sentiment, that has begun dismantling the Air Passenger Duty.
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Re: Waived Booking Fees on AA Award Travel
Really good news, because some of those partner flights are hard to book online even when you know they exist. This should make it easier to make connection to a number of areas in Europe without having to do Heathrow...
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Re: Airlines defend holding onto fuel surcharges
There is no excuse for collecting money for fuel surcharges. That's not what it is being used for. That's just dishonest and fraudulent. Which is what we expect from people who think they have a better use for other peoples money. It's just like taking unemployment benefit after you've gone back to work. Just not acceptable.
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Re: Airlines defend holding onto fuel surcharges
I agree with Garry. It is dishonest to call something a "fuel surcharge" when it's not used for that purpose. They should just make it part of the fare.
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Re: Airlines defend holding onto fuel surcharges
Or, alternately, if it’s a time-limited charge to pay for specific capital costs of improvement, call it that—and take it off when the work is done. Although those of us who live with bridges and tunnels that were supposed to become free after they were paid off…good luck!
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Re: Airlines defend holding onto fuel surcharges
Yes Paul. We've been paying for the 3 mile tunnel under the River Mersey for 50 years. It was supposed to be free 2 years ago - fully paid for. We're still paying now - with an increase to subsidise better public transport. Again - I smell a rat in the kitchen. A greedy one as well
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Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
Of course the king of "Banking" for years has been Icelandic Air. They have made their whole business plan around bringing planes from 10 different North American cities in the morning and having those same planes fly out to 10 different European cities 1-2 hours after landing. This allows 10 plane loads of passengers the ability to mix and match origins and destinations. Then in the afternoon they do the reverse run. For 2-4 hours a day the terminal is full as passengers switch planes, the...
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Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
Thanks for reminding me of that, Jonathan...since it's where I first noticed it. It's actually so bunched that most of the terminal employees work two short shifts a day, with a gap between.
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Re: In-flight refueling for airliners? Worth a look!
Existing planes can travel half way around the world now, without refueling. For example, from Texas to Singapore. I'm not sure I see the point to this. Having a plane full of fuel flying around waiting to refuel another craft has to be expensive, and while the low risk of fire and such for the military might be acceptable, I'm not sure it is for commercial aviation. I'd rather have my plane refueled in the usual manner.
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Re: In-flight refueling for airliners? Worth a look!
I agree on the preference for not being refueled that way...I'm not going to be sitting in an ejection seat with a parachute attached. But the reason they're interested in doing this is not without merit. The idea is that the plane that flies that long route could take off on a shorter runway (reduce load on existing airports, more operations per hour, use other airports that are not now long enough), or replace fuel weight with payload (cargo or passengers). The tankers, obviously, wouldn't...
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Re: United Economy to Offer 3 Course Meals, Free Beer & Wine on Some Flights
Alaska has been offering free microbrewery beer and local wine on its Horizon flights for years. So Kudos to United for expanding their economy services. We need to acknowledge their service improvements when they occur
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Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
Fascinating piece, PHeymont. And I've noticed how tight they are making these connections. For example, in Europe we had connections scheduled 50 minutes from the plane's landing, assuming it was on time. We were definitely running, and it seemed everyone else at Schipol was as well. We made the connection, but I'd rather have an extra hour for a more relaxed transfer. I'm like you -- book a direct flight if possible, even with a premium, and look carefully at where and how long those...
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Re: Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
very informative and useful article, PHeymont. Yes, I can relate with most of this, especially trying to make connections with only minutes to spare. We've now taken to seeking alternative forms of transport like trains and buses just to avoid airports!
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Re: Discounts top all in passenger perks survey
Everything has relative value -- a hungry person would pick the free meal, for instance -- but at some point people pay for comfort. Many already pay a little extra for legroom by sitting in the exit row (or use points to do so). There comes a point where, especially on longer flights, you want to be comfortable and are willing to pay a little more to achieve that. I definitely consider the pitch and width of airline seats when making purchases, especially overseas purchases. I'll pay a...
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Re: Discounts top all in passenger perks survey
I'd agree...in fact, the issue of space is what keeps me from considering some longer flights...and I have been known to change flights for the possibility of a 2-seat row rather than 3...better an aisle and a window without a middle!
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Re: March 28, 2019: World's Largest Airplane Weathervane, Whitehorse
Awesome Capturing This airline is really big and amazing to see.