Mixing politics, oil and customer service
I just received a surprising email from a professor friend in California.
Hi Charlie — I’m on hold with Delta Skymiles, and in addition to the usual ABBA soundtrack, I get a nice little political message that says Congress “must” enact legislation banning oil speculating and promoting domestic drilling. Left or right, this is the first time I’ve ever been propagandized by an airline while waiting to spend my money.
Surfing the Internet at altitude
Delta just announced the start of in-flight internet access. Prices will range from $9.95 for flights under three hours, to $12.95 on flights of three hours or more (Does this account for ATC holds and other delays?). Delta is promising to roll this service out across their fleet finishing by the middle of 2009.
Airline schedule and passenger service roulette
Our transportation system has deteriorated to the levels of the most undependable third-world countries. The USA that once prided itself on on-time transport by air and rail, has slipped into a worsening spiral of schedules that aren’t worth the paper on which they are printed. And the state of customer service is just as catch-as-catch-can as the airline timetables.
Pursuing Passengers’ Bill of Rights is a waste of time and money
Monday, July 28, was not a fun day to be an airline passenger departing from virtually anywhere in the northeastern U.S. So much so, that some of the long airline delays even made news headlines, as in the case of from JFK to Las Vegas.
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.
Remember Delta/Northwest merger promises? Forget about ‘em
As the ink was drying on the Delta/Northwest merger agreement, executives from both airlines boasted that their union would be consummated without any loss of flights, hubs or personnel. After all, the simple act of merging would quell the effects of fuel price rises.
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.
Peanut plaintiff feeds airline lawsuit surge
Is it too soon to say frivolous lawsuits against airlines have become a full-blown trend? The latest court action involves Tehmina Haque, a New York ophthalmologist who is suing American Airlines because it served peanut snacks on a flight.
International airline executive questions U.S. merger wisdom
If the Northwest Airlines brand disappears in a merger with Delta Air Lines, would that be a smart move? Not according to Christoph Franz, the chief executive of Swiss International Air Lines.
Hands up! Looks like a Senate hold-up
I’ve heard of Senators working hard to take care of their constituents, but Max Bacus seems to be going above and beyond the call of duty. And I’m afraid that what is good for Montana is not good for the rest of the country. Come to think about it, it may not be good for Montana in the long run either.