There’s been zero discussion of updating the NOTAM system to focus on giving pilots (and airline ops centers) the right information, in the right form, at the right time – just how to keep the existing system from dumping again.
Commentary
Category Archives for Commentary.
DOT Brings On A New Head Of Competition To Beat Up The Airlines
We can expect a more aggressive approach that pulls whatever tools are convenient in pushing for greater competition in transportation policy.
New refund rules and fee disclosure rules are already pending at the Department of Transportation.
Nonsense From The New York Times On How To Address Airline Reliability
The New York Times ran an op-ed on Friday by William J. McGee full of bizarre nonsense, arguing that it’s time to re-regulate the airlines, because Southwest Airlines melted down over the holidays and the FAA (government regulator!)’s antiquated NOTAM system failed for several hours this past week.
The author makes the case for the Civil Aeronautics Board – abolished by deregulation – because it limited competition and ensured airline profitability. That’s obviously bad for consumers.
The Battle For What The Southwest Airlines Meltdown Means For Society Has Begun
A confluence of events, from weather to staffing to technology, combined to drive the meltdown which will cost Southwest more than more investment would have, in other words it’s a story of management error more than greed. Management lost free cashflow rather than increasing it.
It’s a tragedy for people whose holidays were ruined, but it’s not an easy story about industry consolidation (this didn’t happen because Southwest bought AirTran) or ‘financial capitalism’ (until the meltdown Southwest was the story of a company that’s highly unionized with a great culture). Trying to make it an allegory for a hobby horse doesn’t work when the facts aren’t there.
Two Amazing Elite Statuses People Used To Push The Limits Taking Advantage Of
The Ambassador program was a paid program, and you had to be a member to qualify for its invitation-only level Royal Ambassador. But when you made Royal Ambassador you used to get a referral certificate to gift the status to someone else. And they got a referral certificate to give to someone else, and so on.
Weekend Pilot Joke
TOMORROW: A Bunch Of Bloggers Are Pulling A Crazy Stunt For Charity
Several travel bloggers and frequent flyers are going to pull a crazy stunt tomorrow to raise money for charity. They’re helping to bring awareness and support for Give Kids The World, a charity that fulfills the wishes of dying children to experience Disney World.
Here’s their plan: ride every Disney ride in a single, 18 hour day. That’s 53 rides and over 20 miles of walking and running.
California’s High Speed Rail Is A 20 Year, $100 Billion Joke. Ethereum’s Founder Knows What To Do
Eight years ago James Fallows wrote in The Atlantic that California high speed rail “will cost too much, take too long, use up too much land, go to the wrong places, and in the end won’t be fast or convenient enough to do that much good anyway.” Now the New York Times has caught on.
When So-Called Experts Can’t Even Agree With Themselves On How Much A Mile Is Worth
There are a lot of sites that purport to tell you how much a mile or point is worth.
The range quality and rigor offered by various sites to value points is significant, I think. But what I stumbled across is that one company that puts these out cannot even agree with itself.
Travel Really Is “Fatal To Prejudice, Bigotry, And Narrow-Mindedness”
Research suggests that traveling abroad while young and still forming worldviews and spending time speaking with ordinary people at your destination appears to foster Twain’s notion of becoming more open-minded and empathetic towards others without respect to geographic boundaries.
Not all travel meets these conditions, of course.