EasyJet bans disabled, French government mad

by Tom Johansmeyer on

EasyJet isn’t letting unaccompanied disabled passengers onto its flights, and the French government is furious. It’s threatening the airline with sanctions “with the greatest severity” for leaving these passengers on the ground. The government response was triggered by EasyJet‘s refusing to allow three passengers on flights after they bought tickets, citing safety concerns.

In a statement by the French transport ministry reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, “EasyJet cannot hide behind safety regulations for refusing to board passengers who have difficulty moving around.” It continued, “It must implement solutions adapted to each case, as most companies do. Otherwise it must be sanctioned with the greatest severity.”

EasyJet says it’s in discussion with the French government to work out a solution but noted through a spokeswoman, “European regulations oblige us to evacuate an aircraft in 90 seconds so we are authorised to ask someone to accompany (those needing assistance) to assure the safety of the person and the passengers.”

[photo by twinkleboi via Flickr]

JetBlue All You Can Jet pass returns with new pricing – same popularity

by Scott Carmichael on

It is back! For those of you in desperate need of a way to fill a month with non stop flying, JetBlue has brought back their popular “All You Can Jet” pass. Last year, the pass was offered for $599, but the airline changed its pricing method this year, offering a $499 version for five days of travel (excludes Friday and Sunday), and a $699 pass for seven days a week.

The fine print is simple – you need to be a TrueBlue member, inventory of the passes is limited and taxes on international and Puerto Rico flights are not included. You also need to book flights three days in advance. Other than that, you can fly all you want, wherever you want and whenever you want, between Tuesday September 7 and Wednesday October 6. There are also restrictions on how often you can pass through the same airport on a single day.

And no – you will not earn points for each flight, but the airline doesn’t leave its TrueBlue members with empty hands – the 7 day pass yields 4200 TrueBlue points, and the five day pass gets you 3000 points.

To learn more about this fantastic deal, or to order your pass, head on over to the JetBlue All You Can Jet information site.

Does JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater know himself?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Steven Slater has almost always been the top dog. As Skyliner747, he posted on aviation message board Airliners.net on January 18, 2008: “I have been flying for 11 years, 90 percent of which has been in the lead position where I have encountered every kind of boarding challenge imaginable.” So, here’s a seasoned flight attendant who’s accustomed to being in control and has seen everything that could possibly be thrown at him?

Yet, this is also the same old pro who told the New York Times he’d been thinking about his grand stunt for 20 years. Did he fantasize about grabbing a Blue Moon and siding to freedom for nine years before becoming flight attendant?

The numbers just don’t add up, adding to the list of inaccuracies surrounding his incident and career.

Fortunately, Slater doesn’t know when to stop typing on message boards. Two years later, on March 16, 2010, he explains in response to a rather rational post on Airliners.net about what flight attendant compensation does and does not include, “After 19 years of flying, I am pretty clear on what I do, and what I don’t get compensated for.”

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Somehow, Slater picked up eight years of experience in two … likely the result of the profound talent that led to so much time in the lead position during his first 11 years. This also explained the additional experience – not commensurate with normal math – that he picked up from March to August this year.

Does this seem like the writing of a stable mind? We have someone who brags of extreme competency and experience, and wants his job back, yet he exhibits neither of these characteristics in his online rants or in his actions in the cabin. And, he seems unable to stick to a single version of the truth when talking about a profession that he claims is in his blood.

Nonetheless, if you believe Slater’s account of the events transpiring on the plane, despite the obvious credibility shortfall, he comes across as a hero to flight attendants around the world. Well, it seems he has trouble with some of his fans, too. He writes of them:

I am always amazed by the (fortunately few) FA’s on power trips. We know who they are, and as unpleasant as they are for the passengers, imagine the nightmare of working three days with these people in close proximity! So often, the common denominator in these altercations and passenger removals is the same FA over and over.

And, it gets better:

I have found that a little tact and diplomacy on my part goes a long, long way to making my own job much easier. “Busy” or not, unprofessionalism is unacceptable, and you don’t speak to people that way. Period.

The fact that Slater doesn’t know how long he’s been in the business pales in comparison to the lack of self-knowledge exhibited here. Tact and diplomacy? And when that fails, it’s time to get off the plane – immediately.

[Image: AP Foto/Louis Lanzano]

Spirit Airlines uses Steven Slater to sell seats

by Julie Gerstein on

Irate JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater has gone from controversial hero to marketing tool, thanks to a new campaign from JetBlue competitors Spirit Airlines. Their new promotion advises, “don’t be blue, slide down to low fares with our $35 coupon.”

This isn’t he first time Spirit’s done some cheeky advertising: In 2007 they held a “MILF” sale — claiming the acronym stood for “Many Islands Low Fares.” Sure. And more recently, they attempted to capitalize on the BP oil spill with a campaign encouraging people to “Check out the oil on our beaches.” Blech.

While a $35 coupon isn’t really enough for us to travel on Spirit Airlines, it could spell good things for Steven Slater. After all, we know that Mr. Slater wants his old job back, but perhaps he should give Spirit a ring.

Win two flights to anywhere bmi flies with a video entry

by Grant Martin on

bmi continues it’s summer bmifriday campaign this week, this month asking visitors to submit user generated entries cheering on the product. Videos can include any content, but have to say something about the campaign. Videos that earn the most page views (and the marketing department’s favor) by the end of September will earn two free round trip tickets to anywhere that bmi flies.

And to where does bmi fly? Including codeshare flights, bmi serves over 30 destinations in North America and hundreds more across the planet. Two tickets to anywhere in their network could thus be very valuable.

Here at Gadling Labs we’re always up for a challenge so we created a bmifriday entry of our own. Stir up a big pot of creativity and you’ll surely get more than the 7 hits we’ve collected so far.