Tagged With "Departments"
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Re: New name for U.S. highest mountain
Good point…new name as far as official government name goes…old name as far as local peoples are concerned!
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Re: Norwegian Air to finally get U.S. license
This is great news! And this license should really have an impact on trans-Atlantic prices.
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Re: Airfare bill would roll back consumer protection
With the continuing unbundling of fares, it's important that people get some idea of what their flight will actually cost. I don't understand the airlines opposition to it. Most of them use the same tactics and it's unlikely someone won't fly because their true fare is revealed (though a few might not). People need clarity to make well-informed choices.
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Re: Airfare bill would roll back consumer protection
It was a task to compare fares before the law, so I hope it doesn't revert back. Gotta love the name of the new bill. I guess it's opposite day again.
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Not just DC: Govt wants more concession from AA/USAir
Reuters reports the Department of Justice wants a broad range of promises and concessions in any deal to withdraw its objections to the merger of American and USAir. Read more HERE
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Crowded Skies: U.S. sets air passenger record
Nearly 850 airline passengers for 2014! To be exact, 848.1 million passengers (obviously some repeaters!) flew on domestic airlines last year, or on foreign airline flights to and from the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The...
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Update: Did complaints force out Frontier CEO?
Dave Siegel, CEO of Frontier Airlines is out; the airline says his resignation was for "personal reasons," but Frontier Barry Biffle told the Denver Post that the changes at the top are meant to help fix the carrier's operational issues. ...
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United off the hook on "mistake fares"
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ruled that United is not obligated to honor $50 first-class trans-Atlantic fares sold in error two weeks ago. DOT ruled that since customers were only able to obtain the fares by misrepresenting themselves as...
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Traveler advocates ask DOT to cap change fees
FlyersRights.org has petitioned the Federal Department of Transportation to put a $100 cap on change fees for international flights. The fees, which used to run around $50 to $100 now go as high as $750, and the group says they have no relation to 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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Airline ratings: Frontier is worst and latest
Frontier and Southwest planes pass each other at Seattle. Photo: Wikimedia / rsocol In two different surveys recently released, Frontier takes the cake...sort of. On one, it was the airline garnering the most complaints; on the other (perhaps...
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Is Delta trying to become a "stealth airline?"
Above, Delta flight takes off. Below, Delta takes off flight info from ticket agencies Delta, which earlier this year stopped posting its award charts so that its Skymiles members can no longer plan ahead how many "miles" they'll have to...
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New name for U.S. highest mountain
It's hard times for famous Americans these days. Either Hamilton or Jackson is slated to lose his place on the money, and Ohio's William McKinley has now lost his spot on the tallest mountain in the U.S. It's now officially to be called Denali, a...
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France redraws its regional map
Following a decision last year to simplify its administrative structure and save money on bureaucracy, France has drawn a new map, reducing its 22 regions to 13, and proposing new capitals for the 7 new merged regions. Six existing regions are...
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Airline Price Gouging, Collusion, Undisclosed Fees
Is our federal government finally taking some action in favor of consumers where airline pricing and fees are concerned? According to Consumer Reports, the Department of Transportation has launched an investigation of 5 airlines over price...
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In 2016, TSA may not take some states' driver's licenses at airports
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005 and it requires certain security features to be on Drivers Licenses. The Department of Homeland Security announced a plan of enforcement two years ago. And in 2016, the agency will start enforcing...
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Airfare bill would roll back consumer protection
An airline-industry-backed bill in Congress would roll back the requirement that airlines and travel agencies advertise the fare you'll actually pay. Before the 2011 Department of Transportation rule—which has been upheld in court—airlines...
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That's a Mickey Mouse way to give out visas!
Really. Brazil, which sends 2 million visitors a year to the U.S., has seen long waits for appointments and for visa issuance at U.S. consulates and embassies there. And since tourists=dollars, that's a problem. According to travel industry...
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Gov't study: Airline loyalty programs fair but confusing
A Department of Transportation study has found that airline loyalty programs are working fairly well, but could use some further study and help.
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Ready, set, Havana! U.S. DOT announces routes
The U.S. Department of Transportation lists the airlines and cities that will begin regular air service to Cuba's capital by this fall.
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Norwegian Air to finally get U.S. license
Norwegian Air will finally get its U.S. foreign-carrier certificate, after waiting through over 2 years of opposition and inaction.
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More details on U.S.-Cuba airline agreement
The U.S. State Department has confirmed yesterday's press reports that the U.S. and Cuba have come to agreement on resuming regular commercial flights between the countries, with service starting in the first half of 2016. However, the U.S. restrictions on tourist travel to the island remain in place; travelers will still need to self-certify that they fall into one of the allowed categories of travel, which include cultural activities, journalism, academic pursuits, people-to-people...
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U.S. picks airlines for Cuba flights; no Havana yet
U.S. parcels out the first commercial route approvals for flying to Cuba, but the big plum, Havana, won't come until later.
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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: Crowded Skies: U.S. sets air passenger record
What the graph doesn't show is the huge dip that occurred after 9-11. And with this trend and less planes flying, no wonder the airlines think we're a captive audience.
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Re: Crowded Skies: U.S. sets air passenger record
The dip turns out to not be as huge as some of us imagined. At the end of 2003, DOT estimated the loss at 7.1%, and by the end of 2004 the figure was higher than before 9/11. I've gone back to DOT figures for emplanements (which means a passenger getting on a plane) and extracted these numbers from the month-by-month numbers for international and domestic passengers. Note that the numbers in this table are a bit lower than the figures cited above, for one reason: This is a count of people...
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Re: Crowded Skies: U.S. sets air passenger record
After 9-11 reports in the news claimed that demand for flights to the US from the UK had dropped dramatically. In March the following year I needed to be in Maryland. I tried to book a direct flight to any airport in the American north east. Any time - any date - any week before Mid- March The earliest time I could book 2 seats to fly over was in June ! Many flights had been cancelled and prices - for those still operating - had risen suddenly. After contacting many UK travel agents for help...
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Re: Crowded Skies: U.S. sets air passenger record
I believe...but haven't time for full research just now...that there was a greater drop in capacity than in demand. That results in low availability and high prices. And if you look at the numbers above, you'll note that the drop in numbers for international is much less sharp, proportionally, than in the domestic...hence Garry's experience.
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Re: In 2016, TSA may not take some states' driver's licenses at airports
To me the thought of some Americans not be able to fly domestically because they have 'the wrong' drivers license is unacceptable. I can't see how this has anything to do with safety and real people will be unable to get to a loved one with an illness or death in their family just because they didn't know about 'the right' ID.