CEO of World’s Worst Airline Being Detained in Pakistan For Offering Good Seats, Service

pakitstan international airlines
Mar 18 2017

I’ve frequently argued that Pakistan International Airlines is the worst airline in the world. But what’s finally got the government’s attention isn’t sacrificing a goat for safety or flying with more passengers than seats (and making customers stand for 1700 miles).

Instead there’s now a corruption probe over a wet lease deal with SriLankan in which PIA spent $19 million to lease an Airbus A330 for 6 months in ‘the most profitable deal SriLankan ever had’.

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No, Donald Trump Isn’t Going to End the Essential Air Service Program. Sad!

woman waiting on sand outside international airport
Mar 17 2017

The Trump Administration’s proposed budget eliminates the non-essential Essential Air Service program.

Created in the late 1970s as a temporary measure to soften the blow of deregulation, it’s a perfect example of the old axiom that there’s nothing as permanent in life as a temporary government program. The legislation included a ’10 year transition’ period in which small community service could receive subsidies. This was supposed to end in 1988.

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3 Ways to Make the Middle Seat Much Better

Mar 17 2017

Middle seats are the worst. You’ve got someone on either side of you, so you can’t just lean over into the window or the aisle, and you’ve got two armrests to fight over not just one.

Often the passenger in the middle seat was disserviced on a previous flight. Or they paid the most for their ticket in the whole cabin, buying when there weren’t any aisle or window seats left. In either case the person who may be the most deserving of a better (or at least not deserving of a wose) experience gets exactly that. Over time there have been several ideas floated to address this.

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American Airlines Flight Diverted After Can of Soda Spilled in Economy

Mar 17 2017

American Airlines finally has a plan to put seat power in the legacy US Airways ‘basket of deplorables’ aircraft.

Since this is the management team that decided to remove seat power from planes that used to have it when America West took over US Airways, there’s a little small part of me that wonders if the whole thing wasn’t contrived to begin building the case not to make this investment.

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