News and notes from around the interweb:
- Air traffic controller response to Scott Kirby over Newark. I don’t think this articulation is fair, but I pass it along for completeness.
The controller gives away the game when he leads with ‘families were uprooted’ when they were paid six figures to temporarily move from New York TRACON to Philadelphia to help transition the airspace – because the N90 Long Island facility was toxic, not accepting new controllers.
There was a job action by the controllers that sabotaged Newark, coupled with FAA tech screwups (consistent with the past 50 years!) and a runway down at the airport until next month. At the same time, Kirby is exaggerating the crisis because he wants slot controls back – using the government to keep competitors out of the market.
- The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sioux City North-Event Center imposes a $4.99 “property fee” (there is no further explanation, and no ostensible ‘benefits’). It’s really that simple. The property fee means that your $4.99 becomes their property.
- I do not see Southwest flying much Europe with their Boeing 737 MAXs, and certainly not Asia. Surely this is just about codesharing with partners. Their first partner is Icelandair.
Southwest Airlines has applied for DOT permission to serve any country that has Open Skies with the United States (countries in Europe, most of Latin America, some in Asia, Africa, and others).
This could mean nothing, or maybe they’re preparing for new international… pic.twitter.com/BYOW2rLXU2
— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) May 13, 2025
- The Deltalina interview.
She’s baaaaccckkkk and here to answer all your questions.
Posted by Delta Air Lines on Tuesday, May 6, 2025
- Hotels are in the hospitality business. But the Holiday Inn Express San Francisco – Airport South charges extra for hospitality. Also at the Holiday Inn Express San Francisco – Airport North. In fact, the fee for hospitality is twice as high when you travel north.
If they only charged you the room rate you’d get cold, aloof, and inhospitable service. Sounds about on-brand. Why is it always the IHG properties??
- I’m not the only one who says this!
Anyone who thinks a middle seat occupant doesn’t deserve both air rests deserves a special place in hell.
Thank you, Gary, for finally posting about the situation at Newark airport.
Interestingly, as reported by multiple sources: ‘Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy keeps going on TV and insisting it’s safe to fly in and out of Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, despite a string of extremely frightening outages and workforce shortages recently. But Duffy has now admitted he changed a flight booked for his wife on Monday so that she wouldn’t have to travel through Newark.’
And it’s not just EWR, it’s the FAA, it’s dated technology, it’s lack of investment, and this administration is making it worse, not better, mostly by deflecting, scapegoating, etc., so far.
Newark Airport is a facility built in the 1930s and not designed for the volume it handles. Delays and operational constraints have plagued the airport since the early days of the Continental Airlines hub in the late 1980s. Like most US infrastructure, it is old, out of date, under-invested, and greedy corporates continue to push for more money making at the expense of common sense or plain logistics.
If a hotel is charging for hospitality then they better provide it.
@lavanderialarry — You are correct that many airports in the USA, especially in that region (NYC), were built long-ago, have been expanded several times before, and are currently being renovated again. The Port Authority, which operates all three major NYC airports (JFK, LGA, and EWR) has complete major projects at all three in recent years (and will continue to do so for at least the next 5 years). If you’ve recently flown through the new LGA or EWR Terminal A, you would see that those new terminals are actually amazing (modern, spacious, efficient, elegant). Yet, there’s much more to go. The improvements at JFK (new roads, parking, and mega-terminals 1 and 5-6-7) is expected 2026-2030. And EWR has plans for a new Air Train by 2023, and eventually a new Terminal B (replacing the old A, B, and C), but that may take a long, long time (probably not until well into the 2030s). There are websites dedicated to these plans that are worth a look.
All that said, the recent incidents at EWR have little to do with the terminal modernization projects. These radar and staffing issues are more about mismanagement at the FAA, and Congress’ failure to act, fund better technology, staffing, etc. Separate, but somewhat related.
*EWR new AirTrain is expected 2030 (not 2023). Wish it would connect to Newark Penn Station so that we could then take the PATH more easily. Currently, the bus there is ‘not great.’
Bunch of corporate crooks.
Scott Kirby’s handling of what should be a relatively simple runway reconstruction project will prove to be one of the biggest blunders in corporate America.
EWR has been overscheduled by both CO and UA; it has nowhere near the capacity of other large airports in part because the parallel runways are so close together which limits their use in bad weather.
He has trashed the FAA and flipflopped on what he thought would get UA the biggest win and the FAA, DOT and controllers are sick of it. Who ever thought that trashing your regulator would end up in a good place needs their heads examined. Repeatedly getting on national media to say that the FAA’s decision to remove slot controls at EWR was a mistake is someone asking to get taken down; in fact, slot controls were removed at EWR because UA failed to use slots to FAA requirements. The reality is that UA’s size without slot controls is not much different than it was under slot controls while no other airline has sustained more than 5% of EWR’s flights.
UA and UA alone is responsible for overscheduling EWR.
The irony is that Scott Kirby gave DL 1/4 of the slots at LGA while he was at US and, because of his grandstanding and enemy-making at UA has the potential for the US.
EWR has been in the national news every day for weeks and the DOT will very likely cut EWR flights at least through the end of October. Kirby could be presiding over yet another exercise in boosting every other hub airline in NYC except UA even as he cries about needing to get back into JFK.
and this is all on top of labor unrest that will get worse until UA forks out some major money to increase pay first for its FAs and mechanics and then all of its ground workers.
Fact. . .NEW was never designed for the traffic UA placed there and has overwhelmed the system by not working with the airport or caring about their passengers.
AA. . . start running ads in NJ about safer travel out of PHL. . .biggest doesn’t mean the best Kirby.
@sunviking82 NEW (Lakefront airport in New Orleans) is a general aviation airport. UA does not utilize it.
@Tim Dunn — I hear you; it’s not pretty. But, to say it’s ‘one of the biggest blunders in corporate America’ is a bit hyperbolic, sir. I mean, I’d still go with Eron, especially since they took out Arthur Andersen with ’em. Lehman was a big deal, too, especially for those who lost their 401(k)s. Then there’s all the outright fraud with Madoff. Just sayin’, I wouldn’t go that far… it’s just an airport, and even with these recent troubles, it still functions. I’ve flown outta there countless times, and still have ample itineraries from there this year. Hoping for the best, expecting ‘bad’ though.
Meanwhile, United is introducing an upgraded J cabin that is even better than an already excellent Polaris cabin.
Delta, on the other hand, is busy nickel and diming pax with a irritating pricing scheme aimed at unbundling services.
Delta Premium Select Basic, anyone lmao
*an irritating pricing scheme
Idk, southwest could go to Europe with their 737s. United is flying their 737 sardine can configuration to Europe this summer!
Something that is not helping staffing levels either — I don’t know what the policies are at the moment, but my friend (who took some flight lessons and flew a Cessna a few times) was looking into working in air traffic control. Per Google (when these events happened) this must have been in 2007. He suggested I look into it too since the pay was quite good, I for one do not get stressed out in high stress situations, and I’m good at juggling info around etc.
Then they started deciding they’d strictly enforce a dress code, so despite being in a tower where nobody will ever see you you could not wear jeans, t-shirts, etc. That was enough to turn me right off the job, but he was willing to deal with that. (I work in software development, compared to some in my line of work I’m dressed up just because I have socks and tennis shoes instead of flip flops LOL.)
THEN, just before he started taking the classes, they decided they would cut pay — 30% pay cut for new hires, they had a temporary freeze on raises (and slowed down on raises after that), and considerably lowered the top pay, so over ones career it would have been more like a 50-66% pay cut. That was that, he decided it was not worth the high-stress job for the pay he was then going to get.
I see now they are going to raise pay by 30% — is this compared to the 2007 levels? They may want to also consider relaxing that dress code (or at least the enforcement of it) if they haven’t. It might seem silly but the so-called “non-monetary perks” cost nothing and may end up with more willing to fill those positions, and lower early retirement rates.
@hwertz — Yeah, within reason, a strict dress code doesn’t seem necessary there. The real issue is the pay and benefit cuts. It’s an essential job for this industry. So, pay them more, support them better, and invest in the new technology and infrastructure. If Congress needs to do it, then the airlines should get their lobbyists on that (like, come on, Airlines for America, do something beneficial, for once, rather than just fighting against consumers and workers rights, sheesh). Until then, it’s gonna get worse and worse. Anyway, hope the Cessna flights were fun at least!