Tagged With "Delays"
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Re: Berlin's airport tragedy of errors continues
It's hugely embarrassing to my German friends, and a farce of incompetence. What kind of architects and engineers are designing this place????? Correspondence school graduates? Perhaps the should just bull-doze the place and start over again. Might be quicker that way.
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Re: Economy Ticket, Private Jet!
In the spirit of one-upmanship, same number of passengers, bigger plane, I was once one of 2 passengers on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to San Francisco. It wasn't the advantage I thought it might be as all the flight attendants just went to sleep, so no service rather than personal service. It was a long time ago but memorable enough that I still remember the airline.
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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: Postcard delayed in the mail...138 years!
Where did it go? The same place socks in the dryer go.
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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: Is bad PreCheck planning responsible for TSA delays?
I don't like the whole concept of PreCheck because when they started this added security at airports, they insisted terrorists could be anyone and that's why we need to check everyone. We enter trains, buses and metros without a PreCheck, and it doesn't take forever. There is a history of attacks on those means of transportation too. And now attacks could just as easily happen at the ticket counter at the airport as on the plane.
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Economy Ticket, Private Jet!
Weather can really scramble airline schedules, and this week was no exception with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed, and thousands of passengers rebooked on other flights. But for two lucky Delta passengers enroute from Cleveland to New York,...
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Delta makes its 20-minute bag guarantee permanent
Delta's guarantee that your bags will hit the conveyor belt in the terminal within 20 minutes of landing, announced as a test a few months ago, is now permanent. Delta passengers whose bags don't appear in time are eligible to fill out an online form...
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AA flight delays blamed on pilot iPad crash
American Airlines, the first airline to ditch huge paper pilot flight books for iPads, has had a little trouble with them this week. The airline reports that 24 flights on Tuesday (4/28) and 50 more yesterday were delayed by failure of an app that...
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Euro airlines: Delays continue in compensation for delays
Passengers waiting for delayed flights Photo: Wikimedia / Tony Hisget Passengers claiming compensation for flight delays under EU rules are finding themselves still delayed or denied in receiving the...
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U.S. airlines hit new low in long tarmac delays
The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that "tarmac delays"—incidents in which passengers are kept on the plane during long take-off delays—hit their lowest total since rules fining airlines for allowing them went into effect...
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Where are flights most often delayed? Now you know.
It's not a trick question, and the answer is not "At the airport." The Telegraph (UK) has collected delay figures for summer flights involving popular holiday destinations, and fond that Portugal had the worst record last year, with 51 percent...
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Berlin's airport tragedy of errors continues
Berlin's long-delayed (it was supposed to open in 2008) new airport will now have a new delay: work was stopped today when it was determined that the terminal roof may not be strong enough to support the air-conditioning units that have recently been...
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Postcard delayed in the mail...138 years!
French stamps of the 1870s Always frustrating to get home from a vacation and find that the postcards mailed to friends and grandchildren haven't arrived yet. But this story from northern France tops that one. A postcard mailed on January 27th,...
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Southwest's Software Issue Cause Hundreds of Delays
Southwest Airlines said that about 800 of its 3,355 scheduled flights were delayed at least 15 minutes Sunday. Passengers reported long lines at several airports and in Los Angeles, airport workers handed out water and provided shade...
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Take-off delays for O'Hare expansion?
A plan to end gate shortages and ease flight delays at Chicago's O'Hare needs to win approval from current airline tenants.
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Is bad PreCheck planning responsible for TSA delays?
A veteran travel editor argues that the 90-minute+ security lines growing at airports stem in part from TSA's mishandling of its PreCheck program.
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Carnival might delay first USA cruise to Cuba in over 50 years
Carnival announced they will delay May's launch to Cuba and subsequent sailings there until Cuba lifts rule that bars Cuba-born Americans from the trips.
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Germany may be no-fly zone Wednesday
Strikes by ground-staff unions may delay and cancel flights across Germany Wednesday. Frankfurt is the focus, but other major cities will be affected.
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Runway delays grow at U.S. airports
The time between pushback from the gate and actually flying is getting longer at U.S. airports; for the first nine months of this year, it averaged over 23.5 minutes, according to the Associated Press. That's almost a minute longer than last...
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TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
TSA lines are getting very long again at many airports, with passengers told to allow 3 hours at some. At Atlanta, the solution is part of the problem.
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TSA adds agents after airport complaints
After complaints about growing delays, TSA has gotten an OK to cancel layoffs, hire agents and move teams. But the delays are still growing...
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No smooth sailing yet for U.S.-to-Cuba cruises
Delays in Cuba's government licensing process are putting U.S.-to-Cuba cruise plans on hold, but operators hope to get going soon.
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Atlanta tells TSA 'shape up or ship out'
Atlanta's busy airport, upset over long security delays, threatens to replace TSA screeners with private contractors.
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Re: U.S. airlines hit new low in long tarmac delays
Thanks Paul. Had to chuckle at that one ! I take it that Tarmac is a rarely used word - over on your side of the pond. I'll add it to the queue of everyday words I use when I'm in the US. Tarmacadam is a good word to use - when discussing relaying pavements ! I think you should start a campaign to reinstate old words ! That would be very astute of you .
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Re: U.S. airlines hit new low in long tarmac delays
When I was young, which is not recently, alas, I heard it more. These days in U.S. it seems only to be used for airport runways, and for an indpendent local car repair place near me in Brooklyn...
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Re: U.S. airlines hit new low in long tarmac delays
"A man walks into a bar with a lump of tarmac under his arm. ‘What would you like?’ asks the barman. The man replies, ‘A pint of beer and one for the road.’
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
I was in the Atlanta airport in October and the TSA line was a mess then. I think the very fact that they have crowds before people go through security make the airports far less secure.
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
The overcrowding of US Airports is easily solved. Drag the minds of those who make decisions into the 21st Century. - Better late than never. If you're only making an international connection in the US - you stay in the International Departures Lounge until your onward flight is boarding. The rest of the world has been doing it for decades. And one other thing. Stop confusing making travel safe with just insulting people who are not Americans. You've had long enough to get your act together.
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
The TSA currently charges $5.60 US for a one way trip originating in the USA, up to a max of $11.20 a trip. Given the actual time you are "serviced" by the TSA, that seems more than adequate to fund the screening process. Two problems as I see it. 1) Likely not all of this money goes to the TSA. The federal government is notorious at shifting designated monies to its pet projects, so I expect TSA money is going elsewhere. 2) The TSA tolerates terrible behavior from its employees. Many TSA...
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
Thursday afternoon update: Congress has just approved shifting funds to immediately hire 768 more screeners and to use overtime to speed up lines.
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
Maybe its time to start profiling. Mom, Dad and the kids aren't a risk. Old people with walking difficulties. Same. I prefer the interview I had in the check-in line before leaving the UK. "Where is your destination in the US - Have you been before - where's the nearest Pub can you walk to - how many pubs are there - name them - what's your occupation - qualifications - name a typical job you'd do ? " And while you talk some guy is watching you closely. Whether he checks your info on his...
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
Ah, I think I see the purpose of that interview: weed out any Temperance campaigners!
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Re: TSA: More delays, more complaints, some hope
I think Karl has hit on a key point in his TSA comments: behavior. Long bureaucratic lines can bring out the worst in us, both on the line and running it...but the better the attitude of those running it, the fewer incidents of any kind will happen. Some of my experience of that has been as a high school assistant principal in schools where the city mandated scanning at the entrances. When the right tone is set by supervisors, the friction level is lower, and even though there is resentment...
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Re: TSA adds agents after airport complaints
I thought there was a $10 or so fee on every airline ticket sold in the US to cover TSA. Isn't that where their funding is supposed to come from? So with more air traffic, there should be more funds available for TSA agents. Of course, inevitably such funds are just absorbed into the general budget, rather than what they were intended for.
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Fear of Flying: Does it Make Sense?
Samantha shares some thoughts on the fear of flying, and whether she thinks it's justified, or just plain silly.
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Re: Fear of Flying: Does it Make Sense?
In my younger days, I always enjoyed flying and even strong turbulence never bothered me, but my fear of flying developed over time for a number of scary instances. Taking off in a jet from a Caribbean island, one of the engines failed and we ran off the runway into a field nearly ditching in the ocean. The plane was brought back, maintenance worked on it and after reboarding the captain said he was going to give it another try. Then on a military 12 passenger fixed wing plane, we...
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Re: Fear of Flying: Does it Make Sense?
I don't know about pilots refusing, but there are a few airports here and there where only pilots with special training are allowed to land or take off, places with narrow margins of ocean and mountain or special wind conditions. My general thought is that I'd just as soon go somewhere else... I'm not really afraid of flying—just skeptical. For all the times I've flown, there is always that moment, heading down the runway, when I'm sure that this huge thing simply cannot get off the ground,...
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Re: Fear of Flying: Does it Make Sense?
Wow George, that sounds like a LOT. I can see why it can create anxiety and fear. So many scary instances. So crazy, but like you said, when you're military, you have to get on those planes. I've had a few scary instances myself but nothing like any of that. We did miss a landing strip once in Ontario, CA due to crazy high winds. Had to pull up and try 3 times before we landed. Wasn't real scary, just weird and wondering what would happen if we skidded off and hit a building, etc. It's...