Good news about flight delays? No kidding
The Department of Transportation released its monthly Air Travel Consumer Report (PDF) Friday, giving us on-time, mishandled baggage and consumer complaint data for September. There have been several news reports on the high-level glamor stuff, but what about the parts of the iceberg under the water?
Is passenger “entitlement” the fault of Baby Boomers?
Today’s “Millennial” generation presents unique challenges for employers. David Burns discusses how airline management may be causing a similar sense of entitlement among passengers.
Why did travelers forget National Customer Service Week?
Every year, the first full week of October is dedicated by Congressional proclamation to customer service “professionals” around the country. David Burns wonders why the travel industry missed it.
Should air travelers just give up and stay home? Report says: yes
I’d better be careful. If I continue my monthly habit of dissecting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report, I’m going to wind up on the side of those people who are grousing about our country’s lack of a Passengers’ Bill of Rights.
Now is not the time to debate a Passengers’ Bill of Rights
Is the timing right for Congress to debate an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights? Our airline customer service specialist David Burns doesn’t think so. It seems that Congress’ plate is full of other crises at the moment.
The best of the Blue Ridge in historic Hendersonville, NC
Slightly off the beaten path, nestled in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, the historic town of Hendersonville and the surrounding area offers a wide range of activities that will suit virtually any vacationer. David Burns take a look at his hometown.
FAA “Blue Ribbon Panel” recommendations are anything but winning
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently unveiled 13 improvements to Federal Aviation Administration safety programs resulting from a months-long study, “Managing Risks in Civil Aviation: A Review of the FAA’s Approach to Safety,” conducted by a “blue-ribbon” panel of experts in the aviation field. Some of the things in this plan are, well, sort of dumb — the kinds of things that make a person want to say “duh.”
Papayas, like bombs, are no joking matter
I’ll bet Ms. Rosalinda Baez wishes she were facing a lawn mower and some garden gloves instead of six months in jail, a possession of marijuana charge and a $23,000 fee to pay jetBlue back for the cost of an emergency landing after she made a false bomb threat to the airline.
5 more airline passenger types
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column on ten types of airline passengers and asked readers to come up with some of their own. Did they ever.
Airline “Darts and Laurels” from latest DOT report
The U.S. Department of Transportation released its monthly Air Travel Consumer Report yesterday, and it’s time once again for David Burns’ list of awards — some good and some not-so-good — for the nation’s airlines.