News and notes from around the interweb:
- What’s grosser than gross on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Cape Town?
I get in my seat, smell a funky smell, look at the seatbelt and see that there’s dried throw up on my seatbelt, with some additional splash on my husband’s. I flagged down the FA and tried to get our seats changed but they stated it was a full flight and couldn’t change us. They ordered new seatbelts to replace, wiped down the seat, then had us sit once it was replaced. The smell was definitely lingering but we were told to basically suck it up, there’s nothing they could do.
Oh, and the flight attendant “picked the seatbelts off the floor with her bare hands and put it on the galley counter where they prep F&B.”
- Alaska Airlines expected to join American Airlines-Japan Airlines transpacific joint venture
Ross Leggett, Managing Executive Officer of Japan Airlines (JAL), expressed the intention to include Alaska Airlines Group in the trans-Pacific joint venture between JAL and American Airlines.
Leggett, Senior Vice President of Route Marketing and Sales, said, “There are obviously challenges, but once we come to the stage where we can make a solid announcement,” and described it as “very positive.”
- I don’t even know what to say about this sentence, “customers can now kick back with a glass of Horse Soldier Bourbon Whiskey or Still G.I.N., By Dre and Snoop, two perfect options for sipping* on while waiting for their next flight” in American Airlines lounges.
I’m just trying to (w)rap my mind around Chief Commercial Officer Heather Garboden and Senior Vice President of Premium Services Brady Byrnes O.G. gangstas?
Credit: American Airlines - Now that Michael Whitaker is no longer Administator of the FAA, he believes that the FAA should not be both regulator of air traffic control and service provider. Split those roles out into different agencies, or you’ll never get proper accountability!
That mission tries to capture two distinct functions of FAA: regulating safety and operating the air traffic system. The Administrator ought to be focused on the safety of the flying public, and I’m pretty sure that if you took a poll of Americans, you would find they would overwhelmingly tell you that they care more about keeping flying safe than they do about the efficiency of the air traffic system. . . . [There is] an inherent conflict in FAA being both the regulator and the operator. You can’t be the conductor and [also] play the tuba section. Sometimes as a regulator you really have to bring the hammer down, and it’s a lot to ask to bring the hammer down on yourself.
- American Airlines food for sale now shows snack and drink prices in both cash and miles, with miles worth one cent apiece towards cocktails and doritos.
- The onboard credit card pitch using a bullhorn must’ve been epic
Back in the late 80s when we took a family trip to Ireland my grandparents, on Aer Lingus, had the same situation. The flight attendants handled it pretty much the same way.
On the vomit seatbelt situation: That’s bad, but what’s worse is that CPT-ATL route is 14-16 hours. And with all the norovirus going around earlier this year, who know what happened beforehand.
On Alaska’s joint venture with AA and JAL: If it opens up more business class award space on JAL metal, then I’m all for it; otherwise, it’s really hit-and-miss these days, unless it’s last-minute.
On the FAA: Gary, you had a post about the new administrator, Bedford, but I guess it got taken down. Hope everything is alright with that. He was at Republic, so he has a lot of experience with the big-three since AA, DL, and UA each use it as an operator for many ‘regional’ flights on ERJs. Again, if he can actually manage the ATC shortage and upgrade critical systems, he’s a winner–if not, he’ll be blamed for each and every accident, or the President will just blame DEI (again, unforgivable when he did that on January 30… that reaction and blame-game was so messed up).
That’s premium vomit to you, prole…
For an elevated, thoughtful travel experience on a (mostly) shit- and vomit-free seat, please consider Delta.
I’m glad that I haven’t flown on Delta in quite a while due to their problem with body fluids from time to time (among other reasons.)
Michael Whitaker now wants the FAA split after he no longer is in charge there. Not willing to take the heat of a political fight but wants others to take it.
@Matt — You’ve still got it, sir! I’ll ‘Keep Climbing’ until I vomit, too.
@JCW — Ya know, some folks pay good money for them bodily fluids, so I’d say it’s more the bourgeoisie (or even some ‘freaky’ aristocrats).
Part of the new deal with Citi is that they get really aggressive in selling the credit card. Bullhorn included. I can’t wait Ppl with the credit card do not get hot coffee spilled on them! Ooops!!!! I spilled again!!!!
If I were a frequent flyer I would have a simple plastic seat cover to use when I fly.
I would try to take care of myself.
The problem with modernization of the ATC network is that it requires everyone in the air to get with the program. Like trying to change everyone over to IPv6, we’ll be stuck with the dual stack solutions for decades.
The attempt to get everyone to use ADS-B shows what happens when a bunch of rich guys don’t want to participate, they get exemptions. Now you have an exception, and an excuse. Not to mention the massive exemption for any military aircraft. And for the most part the system works, due to the diligence of air crews and a shared set of rules. So why change anything?
@ReadyKilowatt — The ‘problem’ is that everyone has to do it? I think and hope that you were being facetious.
Here’s a different situation, and still safety related: When ‘seatbelts’ became ‘a thing’, it was proven to save lives in vehicle accidents. The company who invented them, Volvo, purposely chose not to patent them, so that more (if not, all) vehicles could more easily install them. I’m sure there were those who complained (and some who still do, ironically) that this was an ‘impossible’ burden to implement. But, the objective truth remains: seatbelts save lives. Updating ATC systems do, too.
Yes, as you say, the ‘rich’ don’t often have everyone’s best interests at heart or in mind–they didn’t become obscenely wealthy by ‘sharing’ or ‘doing the right thing,’ now did they?
So, this is where government (by the people, for the people) is supposed to step-in and regulate–like, to do ‘their jobs’–yet, we’ve elected the wealthiest people in the world, and they are predictably only serving their own interests.
Yeah, there are always folks who resist positive changes–they’re called ‘conservatives’. Often, the supporters of that ideology aren’t even themselves ‘wealthy’ yet they still fall for the propaganda that makes them ‘feel’ like they are ‘in the club’ by resisting. Ultimately, I think of them as ‘voting against self-interest,’ unpaid ‘shills,’ and ‘bootlickers’ who ‘carry water’ for the oligarchs. @Mike P @Mantis @Andy S — Where you at?
Yet, what we’re dealing with today, in the USA, Russia, and elsewhere, is really closer to fascism, run by authoritarians in an increasing totalitarian society, where power is obtained and maintained through lies and scapegoating, social media and violence, not rules or laws, norms or decency. We all suffer under that system, immensely. People really oughta wake up and remember the lessons our parents, grandparents, and in some cases, great grandparents fought and died to learn.
Another Premium Delta experience.
O.G. gangstas is redundant.
@KidStarA — Good catch! That is like folks who unironically say ‘RIP in peace.’