Miles for not flying? What’ll they think of next?
So United Airlines is offering the opportunity to earn bonus miles by buying an expensive ticket? US Airways has done one better: it’s offering bonus miles on mileage purchases.
US Airways claims planes are cleaner now that it charges for drinks
Now that US Airways are charging for drinks, the airplane cabins are cleaner and the logjam in the aisles is largely gone according to US Airways’ President Scott Kirby. Really?
Is the cost of airline surcharges worth it? Yes — and no
The airline world is being roiled by an “unbundling” trend. Once the costs of baggage, meals, drinks, pillows and blankets were included in fares. Today, most airlines are beginning to charge for these as extras — add-ons to the basic charge of getting passengers from Point A to Point B. But not all of them.
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.
Airline form letter lying to Dominican victims
I read with interest my colleague Chris Elliott’s blog posting this morning about US Airways’ response to its customers stranded in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, after their flight was canceled due to a tropical storm and they were “escorted” from the terminal by armed guards.
US Airways to Dominican flight victims: “This is not a compensation issue”
By all accounts, US Airways flight 1860 from Punta Cana to Philadelphia did not go well on Aug. 15. A tropical storm forced the airline to cancel the flight. Then, armed guards ordered 274 stranded passengers out of the airport. They were abandoned. Could the airline make things any worse? Yes.
After customer service disaster, US Airways flying straight
Congratulations to US Airways for one of the most dramatic on-time turnarounds in aviation history. Going from worst to first, the airline seems determined to get the basics right and sort out financial challenges as it continues trying to mend its labor force together.
Grass roots movements are thriving in the travel industry too
The last place one might think of finding a grassroots movement is in the airline business. That’s just plain wrong. A “grassroots” effort is one that is driven by constituents in a homegrown and spontaneous way. Use Google to search for examples of these movements. There’s quite an array. David Burns takes a closer look.
Protest paying for soda or water on USAir and it might be free, maybe
USAirways began charging passengers for water, soft drinks and coffee. There were reports that passengers may not have to pay for drinks after all, but only if they protest, as the unprecedented legacy carrier charge was imposed. Even airline management, clueless in many cases it seems, about customer service, knew this was going to be a shocker.
US Airways says “buh-bye” to in-flight entertainment
US Airways, the beleaguered airline undergoing a painful transformation that it hopes will return it to profitability, has decided to end in-flight entertainment on some aircraft.