Alaska Airlines Useless Apology Cards
I normally like Alaska Airlines. They're generally very nice, and in the case of a major delay (during which we had to turn around and return to the airport of departure) they were polite and professional. No big deal. To... [read on...]
Posted at 09:15 AM | Please feel free to comment (0)
Toms Toothpaste Interpreted as a Threat
I know I'm not the first person who's complained about these things, but my respect for TSA security is so low I could scream. Twice recently I've had these idiots rummage through my bag in search of liquids and when... [read on...]
Posted at 04:40 PM | Please feel free to comment (1)
JetBlue's Expiring Miles
JetBlue is a wonderful airline - they are hip, polite, and have cool features like live TV on the flight. However, their frequent flyer program, true blue, is a failure. Why? Because miles expire after one year. As a result,... [read on...]
Posted at 01:52 PM | Please feel free to comment (1)
Airbus' Immobile Armrests
I never wanted to get into this battle, but I have to throw it in - Boeing's large jets are superior to those of Airbus, at least the Air France variety. Why? One and only one reason - the central... [read on...]
Posted at 09:49 PM | Please feel free to comment (2)
Northwest Airlines $15 Aisle Seat Fee
Northwest Airlines will now charge $15 to travelers who want to specifically reserve an aisle seat at check-in. Article here. This idea is so stupid it's gotten me to write something on my neglected blog (which takes a lot these... [read on...]
Posted at 04:01 PM | Please feel free to comment (14)
United Airlines Deceptive Decline
Chicago: I suppose this is more of a rant than a useful comment, but there are a few things in it worth thinking about. Bear with me. First of all, United Airlines insists on claiming that it has "direct" flights... [read on...]
Posted at 04:43 PM | Please feel free to comment (8)
The Wright Amendment
Dallas: Thw world of aviation is filled with strange protectionist laws, but none is stranger or more questionable that the infamous "Wright Amendment" and it's cousin the "Shelby Amendment". When Dallas and Ft. Worth set out to build a massive... [read on...]
Posted at 01:07 PM | Please feel free to comment (1)
Ryan Air Destinations
London: Although Ryanair is great for getting to obscure places from London for very, very cheap, one must never forget that they are incredibly misleading about exactly where they fly. To the seasoned traveler, this is seldom a problem, but... [read on...]
Posted at 09:54 AM | Please feel free to comment (41)
Immobile Armrests
Your Airline: One of the rare luxuries of economy class air travel occurs when you have a whole row of seats to yourself. You can raise the armrests and, if all goes well, sleep the hours away. In order to... [read on...]
Posted at 04:11 PM | Please feel free to comment (2)
One Way Airfares
Your Airline: I'm not the first person to be baffled by the complexity of airline ticket pricing, so I'll concentrate on one minor area: One Way Ticket Pricing. How can it possibly be to an airline's advantage to price one-way... [read on...]
Posted at 11:45 AM | Please feel free to comment (8)
Persistence of Paper Tickets
The Airlines: Nothing is more annoying than losing a plane ticket and going through the nightmare (and cost) of having it re-issued. Although the majority of airlines are making efforts to go "completely electronic", there are situations where they continue... [read on...]
Uncoordinated Empires
Branson HQ: European "frequent flyer" programs generally offer dismal reward opportunities when compared to those in the US, where huge numbers of miles can be earned by using credit cards, phone companies, car rentals and a lot more. This is... [read on...]
Posted at 05:44 PM | Please feel free to comment (5)
Elevated Tunnels
Heathrow, Terminal 1: The outlying gates here are connected by very long tubes with no windows. The lack of glass would make sense if they were underground, but they're actually elevated quite high in the air. Even if you're not... [read on...]
Direct Flights (not)
Airline X: So are you flying direct? Depends how you define it. Most people think a 'direct flight' is a 'non-stop' flight. It's not. In the same defining spirit as the term '100% recycled', the term 'Direct Flight' simply means... [read on...]
Bogus Window Seats
NWA 757: Expecting a window seat, this is what I got. Had the flight not been a merciful 45 minutes, I might have clawed a window of my own. My guess is there is a structural reason for this... [read on...]
Posted at 04:15 PM | Please feel free to comment (6)