Airlines’ first priority? Putting customer service last
American Airlines did it. Then United Airlines did it, followed almost immediately by US Airways. Am I talking about the controversial $15 fee for the first checked bag. No. I’m talking about putting customer service last.
American’s former CEO rocks industry with call for reregulation
Bob Crandall, American Airlines’ former chief executive, rocked the airline community when he claimed high fuel prices are not to blame for the current industry malaise and called for limited reregulation of the airline business.
Southwest poised to pass Northwest as nation’s fifth-largest carrier
It’s amazing when good things happen to good airlines. Southwest Airlines is poised to pass Northwest Airlines in terms of passenger miles flown to become the nation’s fifth-largest carrier.
5 quietest and 5 noisiest national parks
The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR) just released their list of the five quietest national parks in the lower 48 states as well as their five noisiest national parks. Where should you go this summer and fall if you want to escape the rising tide of man-made sound? Here are their findings in their words.
Hotel deals coming on the heels of higher fuel prices
Hotels are offering more and more bargains in the wake of rapidly rising gasoline prices and airfare increases. As other travel costs rise with the price of fossil fuel, opaque Web sites like Priceline and Hotwire should become more important for travelers looking to save money.
Affordable Europe: 10 secrets for stretching your dollar this summer
You’ve probably read all the stories and watched the TV pundits warn that Europe is getting outrageously expensive this summer. Charlie Leocha says you can still afford the trip. Here’s how.
American scrambles to collect baggage fees, plans customer service later
American Airlines has launched a public relations campaign to convince the flying public that paying $15 for the first bag checked is a deal. Unfortunately, the airline has to scramble with a lot more than only pricing.
Warning: online travel agencies not all the same
When the Internet Age began with online alrline bookings there were basically four big guys on the block — Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and OneTravel.com. Yahoo had some sort of travel engine as well, but it didn’t get much attention. Today the sector has exploded and the flight deals available on these sites can be very different.
Are Continental’s “crisis” cuts a harbinger of travel industry implosion?
Continental Airlines has announced deep capacity cuts and personnel cuts for its airline operations. It is slashing 3,000 jobs, 67 aircraft and reducing capacity in the fourth quarter by 11 percent in what it calls a “crisis.” This is serious.
Ted may not be the end of United, but it’s still dead
Looks like the latest victim of capacity cuts is United Airlines’ airline-within-an-airline, Ted.