FAA, DOT and airlines battle over solutions to NY airspace crowding
The FAA and DOT are making proposals that will add market based auction and pricing solutions to the New York airspace crowding problems linked with capacity controls. The airlines continue to squeal but offer no new suggestions for immediate relief.
Are gas costs really strangling travel? No, and here’s why
There are lots of articles suggesting that travel habits are changing because of the high cost of gas. Some are even suggesting that our suburbs are going to become crumbling wastelands because of $4-a-gallon gasoline. I don’t think so.
Germany’s castle resorts
After living in Germany for a half-dozen years I will never forget the dramatic castles rising on mountain tops, presiding over riverbends and tucked between majestic mountains. Many of these castles have been restored and turned into luxury hotels that can fill any medieval or royal fantasy.
Warning: carry-on luggage cops are on patrol
Airlines are starting to aggressively enforce their own carry-on rules. On a recent trip through Boston’s Logan and New York’s JFK airports, the baggage gestapo was out in force at the Delta Air Lines terminals monitoring passengers going through the security line.
Chasing the early summer snow in Chile
While North America is sweltering in 80- and 90-degree temperatures, the bottom half of the world is descending into an early winter. Charlie Leocha is chasing the snow at Chile’s Valle Nevado resort.
Internal memo details American flight cuts at LaGuardia
After the vociferous objections to caps and slot auctions at JFK and Newark from airline organizations, American Airlines has announced a dramatic cut in their LaGuardia flights and called on the Transportation Department to limit flights at LaGuardia.
Congress sleeps while America’s passenger rail system crumbles
As gasoline prices steadily rise and airfares go up day by day, rail travel is looking more and more like a bargain. The only trouble is, the Amtrak system is literally crumbling and needs federal funding. Congress, who controls the purse strings is asleep at the switch.
TSA’s new secret ID rules
It may sound strange. The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is keeping the airport checkpoint ID and search policies secret, but you may go to jail for not obeying them. This one of the most amazing real-life catch-22s I can imagine — all in the name of security.
Do something for New York airspace congestion now
To deal with New York’s chronic air traffic congestion problems, the Transportation Department has proposed flight caps and a novel auction for landing and take-off slots at JFK and Newark. But its approach has left the airlines howling.
Laughing about airline fees for everything
Here is a small selection of videos that we have collected to back up our continuing coverage of the airline fees for everything program. As always, we hope our readers enjoy these vignettes far more than their time flying with our major airlines.