News and notes from around the interweb:
- FAA changes its rules to keep Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos from being considered ‘astronauts’ the timing is clearly tied to their space efforts, so there’s no mistaking the intention, which seems more than a little unfair regardless of the ultimate merit of the new criteria.
To qualify as commercial astronauts, space-goers must travel 50 miles (80km) above the Earth’s surface, which both Mr Bezos and Mr Branson accomplished.
But altitude aside, the agency says would-be astronauts must have also “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety”. What exactly counts as such is determined by FAA officials.
- What happens when only one London Heathrow border officer shows up to work at terminal 5
- Another 3 year old kicked off a Southwest flight over masks
- Starting in October London Heathrow will introduce a £5 ‘passenger dropoff charge’ for all vehicles entering the airport, as some other airports do. It is for “improving air quality and reducing congestion” but the truth is it’s a revenue-raiser. It’s expected to bring in 100 million pounds per year
The charge zones will be enforced using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, with the charge being paid online, via mobile phone or an automated telephone service.
Parking fines will be handed out to those who do not pay the charge, Heathrow bosses warned.
- American Airlines is scaling back its Austin expansion… slightly: reductions in weekend service to business markets. Legacy US Airways, of course, ran very much reduced Saturday schedules. Seeing Cancun buck the trend isn’t surprising. Vasu Raja recently said they’re scouring Mexico for airports they don’t serve that have paved runways.
– El Paso – No Saturday flight
– Cincinnati – No Saturday flight
– Oklahoma City – No Saturday flight
– Reno – No Saturday flight
– Indianapolis – Reduce from 2x to 1x on Saturday
– Nashville – Reduce from 2x to 1x on Saturday
– New Orleans – Reduce from 2x to 1x on Saturday— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) July 25, 2021
- That time American Airlines Boeing 737s had reasonable legroom and padding in the seats.
It’s damn time airports in the US charge to drive up to the terminal. You ever see airports like SEA even at midnight, the arrivals hall is packed like an AA customer service line. Because the terminal curbs are obviously over capacity, airports should incentivize passengers taking a shuttle or tram to a remote parking lot to meet their greeters. Only paid premium passengers (or their drivers) should pick up from terminal curbs.
And if that’s more revenue for the airport, I consider that a win win. Airports do deserve revenue when it is fair and beneficial to the user experience. I just don’t want revenue going to the obese middle manager’s Monday night cocktail that he is only drinking because he misses his college frat days and wants to find a side chick instead of making love to his obese wife.
As to the 3 year old mask thing, sad situation, and SHAME ON WN for making that family feel like criminals.
@P Ness +1. People park or loop around the airport waiting for their passengers. It’s terrible and makes it impossible to get to the airport when you need to. SEA is my base airport and there are times it takes me 30 minutes to get into the parking garage because of the traffic. Usually parking off-site and walking or taking the link light rail is easier simply because of these selfish people.
Since children can be a vector for the virus, parents should reconsider flying if their child has a problem wearing a mask. I am tired of all this garbage about stopping the mandatory masks on aircraft. The “Delta variant” has made every discussion entirely moot. Children cannot currently be vaccinated. But they can still become infected and pass that infection onto others. Considering that less than half of US population is vaccinated, this is dangerous! We are going into another wave. With the unvaccinated/uninformed at the greatest risk! The more people who catch Covid, increase the chances that another variant will occur. A variant that may escape the protection of vaccines! When will this level of moroncy stop?
Or maybe airports can cut back slightly on the kickbacks to unions, mobsters (in NY) and politicians, and use the untold billions every terminal costs these days and actually build to capacity. Just a thought.
If youre 3 yo isn’t well behaved enough to put on a mask, maybe you shouldn’t be flying with him while we’re still in the midst of a pandemic.
Gotta love these a**holes happy about a 3 year old getting kicked off the plane. BuT KiDs cAN sPReAd ThE ViRUs! Bet those gate agents and flight attendants felt good about themselves too as they go sit in the food court and go shop in the store with no masks on every day. Wow, you are really saving the world. Seriously, if you are scared of people not wearing masks DON’T FLY. Maskers are just weird control freaks now.
I think its pretty easy to get a kid to wear a mask- you just have to practice. Just like making them wear shoes, or anything else they don’t want to do. It’s pretty basic stuff here. And yes, I have a young child who I had to get to learn to wear a mask. He’s fine with it now. Anyone who can’t manage this is ridiculous. Following rules is a thing that kids need to learn early and I don’t actually understand why this is becoming a political issue instead of a health one or basic human decency (follow the rules- wait your turn in line, say please and thank you, etc). Did none of these people ever go to kindergarten and learn this stuff?? But please, yes, let’s give this one family all the time they need to comply with a rule thats been around for months and months now and they knew about and inconvenience the entire rest of the plane. How can people not see how selfish this is? Even if you think its a ridiculous rule! Just be a decent human. Or be like @Don and act like a selfish tool.
AA should consider redesigning aircraft cabins by looking to the past. Good legroom and cushions go a long way.