FAA update: Flight delays continue, airline inspections could continue through June

by Jeffrey White on

There are a few factors at work behind the widespread disruptions, cancellations and plane groundings at airlines like American, Delta and Alaska. One of them is U.S. Representative James Oberster (D – Minnesota). He is the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is demanding the tougher scrutiny of airline upkeep that we see the Federal Aviation Administration now responding to.

Congress went easy on the airline industry during the immediate aftermath of 9-11, given the financial hit carriers took in the wake of decreases in passenger traffic. But now passenger numbers are up, and airlines like Southwest have acknowledged lapses in mandatory safety inspections. Congress has turned its helping hand into a fist.

“[This is all] an effort to get [airlines] back on course, to being the gold standard in the world for aviation safety oversight and maintenance oversight, and to re-establish a safety mind-set and culture with in the [FAA], instead of this coddling of the industry,” Oberster told the New York Times yesterday.

The FAA seems to be listening. Today it is breaking the bad news that a broader round of airline inspections are likely to last through June. The FAA also suggests that further groundings are likely not just in the coming few weeks, but during the next few months.

The inspections, like the ones at American, are targeting specific things (at American, it’s faulty wiring in the wheel wells and along the wings of its MD-80 fleet). But there is a broader investigation also ongoing here, as airlines are under increased pressure to prove their compliance with industry safety regulations.

Of course, passengers suffer, in the form of flight delays and cancellations. Some of the biggest hubs in the country, like O’Hare and LaGuardia, have been most affected.

I want to put this question out there: Are these travel inconveniences acceptable if it means that we have an aviation system that is taking our safety seriously, or is it more important to arrive to our destinations on schedule? Let me know what you think.

Skybus may return again: Some ideas for making a go of it

by Jamie Rhein on

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, so might Skybus. Yesterday, there were several stories about the possibility of Skybus Airlines’ return. The first story I heard was on the radio. Next came the nightly news. According to the stories, John Weikle, the airline’s founder, said he’s been working out ways to bring it back.

Weikle pointed to Allegiant Air as an indication that no-frills airlines can work. In order for the airline to pull it off, it needs to up the on-time performance and control expansion. Considering that Skybus has the planes, it has the logo, it has people who have probably not found jobs yet, AND there is the space in airports designed specifically for Skybus, it seems to me that the ingredients are there. Even since yesterday, I’ve talked with more people who were either going to buy tickets or who bought tickets all the time in order to visit relatives.

Now, it’s almost impossible to fly anywhere from Columbus without stopping somewhere along the way–often in an opposite direction. For people who are older, changing planes is problem. Why not promote Skybus as the airline that brings family members together. Another thing that I think would help push the smaller airports is to have step by step directions on how to get to the larger cities from the small airport locations. For example, have it spelled out how to get from Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York to Grand Central Station. I don’t think it’s that hard, but it’s something people need to know in specifics. If the directions are in a format so they could be printed off, even better. How handy, people might think.

Another idea I have for a user-friendly addition is to have a page to click on at each airport location that highlights the things to see in the area. Click on Greensboro, North Carolina and you’ll find out information about what it’s near. I’d really like to know what’s near Greensboro, North Carolina without having to search myself. When I went to Allegiant Air’s Web site, I saw information about Allegiant Air destination towns and photographs. This put me in a traveling mood. Also, Allegiant’s Web site looks like it changes with new highlights. Smart. If Skybus could only get some more investors. An article in the Dispatch today said that those in Columbus shouldn’t hold our breath. I do have my fingers crossed.

Travel agency screw up: Name discrepancy looks to thwart Swede’s trip to the U.S.

by Jeffrey White on

Here’s the rare case of an airline getting the back of one of its customers.

A Swedish woman who recently booked a round-trip ticket to visit her boyfriend in the States through a UK travel outfit called Gold Medal Travel is being told she’s going to need to pony up another $200 because the agency botched her name on the tickets. Gold Medal says the woman’s last name appears twice on the tickets and that this won’t fly with the carriers involved, namely KLM and Northwest. Gold Medal says the woman needs to pay for the change or forfeit her trip. The agency also says the airlines involved are the ones that require the high fee for name changes on tickets.

That seems like news to Northwest.

The woman’s boyfriend contacted Northwest and was told the ticket as it reads now wouldn’t be a problem and that she should not have to fork over so much for a simple name change. KLM has yet to be consulted, it seems, but I’m guessing it will conclude the same thing.

Seems likely the travel agency is trying to squeeze a little bit more out of this particular package. But then again, the name discrepancy might matter.

I have a Czech friend who once had some trouble in the U.S. because of a slight discrepancy with her last name. The last names of Czech women often end in ‘ova’, though my friend goes by a westernized version of her last name that drops this suffix (she grew up in Canada). So her printed ticket sometimes does not match the name on her Czech passport.

I wonder if Gadling’s dear own Iva, also a Czech native, has any trouble with this, since she too goes by two last names (her last name is Skochova in Czech, though I don’t know if that is how it is printed on her Czech passport).

Right now it appears the couple in question are weighing their options, including logging official complaints with travel boards in their respective countries. Whether Gold Medal Travel will come around remains to be seen.

More American Airlines flights cancelled for more MD-80 inspections

by Grant Martin on

Over two thousand flights are being canceled over the next few days on American Airlines for more maintenance checks.

The nation’s largest carrier continues to have problems with their MD-80 fleet. The issue this time is similar to what happened a few weeks back — wiring along the wing hasn’t been inspected properly and needs to be checked. For some reason, inspections weren’t up to snuff last week though, which is why the carrier is grounding much of their fleet again.

American expects to finish the inspections shortly, but at the time of writing most of their MD-80 fleet (and their respective passengers) are still on the ground. Keep an eye on your itinerary if one of these aircraft is involved in the next few days.

Here we go again: Saturday night stay may be required

by Iva Skoch on

I thought the annoying Saturday night stay rule was largely a thing of the past. I guess it is not.

The NY Times reports that–because major airlines struggle to offset oil prices–they have begun changing limits on cheaper coach fares, increasing the minimum days required between departure and return and, in some cases, adding a requirement of, you guessed it, a Saturday night stay.

Back in 2000, competition from low-cost carriers forced the major airlines to start dropping the limits. Until then, the Saturday night rules were in place specifically to discourage business travelers from buying the cheapest fares, which airlines then referred to as leisure fares. Business travelers do not usually want to spend a Saturday night – meaning, in effect, an entire weekend – on the road.

The Saturday night rule must be one of the stupidest rules in the world of travel. That, along with the pricing of air tickets. Yes, the one which makes it more expensive to fly anywhere directly, although flights with layovers are twice as long and require twice the resources.