Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for August 2018.

This Ramp Worker Has Mad Skills — and Could Care Less About On-Time Departures

man raising arms in air
Aug 28 2018

It’s hard to mind so much having a little fun on the job when they show enthusiasm, and a lack of care in the world for who might be watching — as in the case of this ramp worker who took a break from his job to play “toss the cone.”

The man shoots — and he scores! And he’s caught on video experiencing the true thrill of victory. The video is just 13 seconds, and worth watching all the way to the end.

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How John McCain Supported America West and Ultimately Helped Put Doug Parker in Charge at American

map of usa
Aug 28 2018

Senator McCain wanted to eliminate the perimeter rule at Washington National airport, but maintained that if that wasn’t politically feasible he wanted airlines based outside the 1250 mile perimeter to have access to Washington National airport. This meant America West getting a Phoenix – Washington National non-stop.

McCain also supported the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act which handed out airline subsidies after 9/11 to America West Airlines, US Airways, American Trans Air, Aloha Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Evergreen International Airlines, and World Airways.

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Marriott Explains What Systems Still Aren’t Working and When They’ll Be Fixed

outside marriott hotel
Aug 27 2018

On a scale of travel company IT integrations, Marriott’s new program launch didn’t go nearly as well as the largest travel program merger — American Airlines-US Airways — nor nearly as badly as the biggest debacle United-Continental.

While Marriott managed to get functionality up quickly to book reservations, even now 9 days later there are several lingering issues.

I spoke with David Flueck, Marriott’s Senior Vice President of Global Loyalty, to get a sense for where things stand — what bugs are still outstanding, and when we can expect those to be resolved.f

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The Capital of a Small European Nation Figured Out How to Get The World Talking About a Visit

lets your build your pleasure map
Aug 27 2018

They call themselves the ‘g spot’ of Europe, “nobody knows where it is but when you find it, it’s amazing.”

Their quiz actually made me blush a little. Their things to do – like the National Gallery of Art – are described as “pleasure spots.”

Truth is though that while this isn’t likely to directly cause people to visit, it is likely to raise awareness for Vilnius, Lithuania.

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JetBlue Increase the Price of First Checked Bag to $30, Will Other Airlines Match?

baggage claim
Aug 27 2018

Over the last year JetBlue has made several moves to squeeze more revenue from customers. The airline has been eliminating its product advantages over competitors, and diminishing its customer-friendly approach. They still offer more legroom and their inflight internet generally works, but the legroom advantage is less than it used to be and the airline no longer offers a free checked bag to everyone.

Now JetBlue has made a move that its domestic rivals hadn’t yet — increasing the cost of a first checked bag to $30. And what everyone wants to know is, will other airlines match?

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Has United’s President Done a 180, Started Caring About Customer Experience?

airplane seats
Aug 27 2018

United Airlines President Scott Kirby, who has previously served as President of American Airlines (and US Airways and America West before that), is the most ‘by the numbers’ executive in the airline industry today. I’ve called him a destroyer of airlines.

However he’s just given an interview where he actually says that brand matters to an airline’s success in the long run and so more than what’s in the spreadsheet matters. Does the new rhetoric match reality?

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American’s CEO Finally Tries His Own Coach Product. Here’s His Reaction.

back of airplane seats
Aug 27 2018

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker has finally flown the airline’s new standard coach product, a full nine months after it has entered service.

American debuted a new domestic interior on their first Boeing 737 MAX back in November. That isn’t just the new product that is going on one plane (of which they have 100 on order). They’re taking all of their existing Boeing 737s and replacing the interior with new seats with less distance from seat back to seat back, that have less padding, and no seat back video.

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American Airlines Voids a Bump Voucher. Did They Do It For Spite – or Worse?

airline ticket
Aug 26 2018

American offered compensation so that the rebooking would be listed as voluntary rather than involuntary, not because DOT requirements were at play here at all.

The passenger agreed to give up their seat for compensation and American agreed to book the passenger onto the next available flight. Due to a delay the next available flight happened to be the original one.

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