Tornadoes, planes, and grumpy fliers — oh my!

by Justin Glow on

Jerry’s post on weird weather around the world, and my observation and subsequent “whining” (as a few readers put it) about Allegiant Air’s lack of online check-in reminded me of one of the strangest airport experiences I’ve had in recent past.

Some of our U.S. readers might have heard about the nasty stretch of weather that made its way through the Midwest last week. The epicenter of the situation, it seems, was in Springfield, Missouri, where I currently live. More specifically, it happened within a few miles of the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) last Monday, January 7th — the evening I was due to fly to Vegas for CES. More than a dozen tornadoes broke out that evening, and the entire airport was forced to evacuate not once, but twice, sending passengers fleeing into vacant hallways in the center of the concourse. (Pictured above; Click to enlarge.) What’s worse, people past the security checkpoint (myself, naturally) were forced to take cover on the other side of security, which meant I had to go through the checkpoint twice that night — regardless of the fact that the supervisors in air traffic control “didn’t see a need for evacuation.” Best to lean on the side of safety, sure, but the most annoying thing (aside from fellow passenger directly blaming the situation on global warming. ZOMG!) happened after the employees corralled the passengers into the hallways: they joined the rest of the staff outside, under the awning, tornado sirens blaring, for a smoke break. That’s annoying. Surprisingly, I still made my flight (though four hours late), and we took to the skies, white-knuckled, with bolts of electricity hugging the sides of the plane.
The entire situation reinforced my argument that Allegiant Air needs to offer online check-in. If they did, I wouldn’t have had to show up two hours early, during one of the most severe tornado outbreaks in recent history, only to take cover twice, and sit around the airport for an extra four hours just so I could make sure the seat I already paid for wouldn’t be given to someone else. Had I been able to check-in online, I would have been able to ride out the storm at home, checking in with the airport on a regular basis to see if it was safe to show up, or if my flight was still scheduled.

I know, whine whine whine — it’s all I do

It’s my only complaint with Allegiant, however. Their planes are clean and updated, the seat pitch was some of the best I’ve experienced, and the staff was helpful and kind. Allow me to check-in online like the rest of the airlines, and I’ve got nothing to whine about.

Air travel in 2008 to get worse: Tips on how to deal with it

by Jamie Rhein on

The news is not rosy for air travel in the U.S. for 2008. An article by Jeff Bailey in today’s New York Times covers the predictions that make air travel sound like something people are REALLY going to be miffed about. If we thought there were hassles in 2007, watch out. We haven’t seen anything yet.

The changes make me think we ought to rethink how we see air travel woes in order to trick ourselves into feeling better about them. Here are some psychological strategies I’ve thought of that work in other areas of life. Let’s see if the same strategies can work in this air travel situation.

Change #1 – Prices are going up.

We can either think that flights are too expensive, or give ourselves the illusion that they are cheap.

Instead of thinking that you’ll be able to snag a round-trip ticket for a screaming deal, like under $200, just say to yourself, “The flight will surely be too expensive for me.” Then add $100 or so to whatever you think the price might be. Then when you find out what the price really is, it will be, more than likely, less than what you imagined. Instead of being bummed that you can’t afford the trip –or mad that you are paying so much, you’ll think that you lucked out on a good deal.

How strategy works in other areas of life: This is similar to the when you are considering buying a new item that perhaps you don’t need, but you really, really want to have. Your significant other asks you how much it costs. You initially inflate the cost by 50% or more so that when the actual cost is reveled, it’s clear that you scored a bargain.

Change #2- Planes will be even more crowded.

To deal with crowding, expect that you will be stuck in the middle seat, or that you will not find room in the overhead bin for your own stuff. Then when you have an aisle or a window seat and there’s room for your luggage, you can count your blessings.

Also think of something worse that could be happening. Say something like this, “At least I’m not in a crowded emergency ward at a hospital with a cut on my foot that needs nine stitches.”

How this works in real life: If you are in an emergency room with a cut that needs nine stitches, you say to yourself, at least I’m not stuck on an airplane with the chance of bleeding to death because the plane is in a holding pattern.

Change #3 – There will be even MORE lost or delayed luggage.

We can get angry and frustrated or not care –and possibly feel happy about it.

Plan for your luggage to be delayed or lost. Pack clothes that you don’t want anymore so that when your luggage is lost, you’ll think, “Good riddance.” If the luggage does shows up, after you wear the items one more time, donate them to a place like Goodwill for a tax write-off. You’ll have already done the hard part–deciding which clothes to get rid of. Consider this part of an ongoing winnowing process throughout the year if you travel frequently.

Be happy that you remembered to pack an extra change of clothes and your underwear in your carry-on bag so that you’ll be looking fresh as a daisy despite the snafu. Better yet, vow to only buy new clothes when your luggage is lost or delayed so you’ll be hoping that this happens. That way you can wear something new for a change instead of wearing the same tired wardrobe over and over again.

How this works in real life: When your dog chews up a pair of your shoes, decide that you really didn’t like them anyway. Besides that, they weren’t quite so shiny, the insoles had lost their puff, the heels were wearing down, and isn’t it great to have a good reason to buy another pair of shoes?

One change I didn’t notice is if flight delays will be more or less. Let’s just say, no news is good news on this account.

The article does point out the reasons for the increase of travel woes, (Let’s just call them opportunities that give us the chance to act like our best selves under duress.) Higher oil prices are the number one reason. Consider this. Last year oil was $52 a barrel. Now it’s up to almost $100. The airlines are looking for ways to boost their profits. That’s the bottom line.

The silver lining to this cloud, and yes, there is a legitimate one. Airlines like Skybus and Virgin America may get a boost because of their cheap travel options.

Severe turbulence causes emergency landing in Calgary

by Martha Edwards on

Several passengers have been taken to hospital in Calgary, Alberta this morning after an Air Canada Airbus A319 had to make an emergency landing, according to reports. The cause appears to be severe turbulence, which led to passengers and loose items being thrown around the cabin. Luckily, no one is severely injured.

According to one passenger’s account: “It happened very fast. One side of the plane just went up a little bit sideways and then just went back down. Our friend was really hurt. … She flew up and hit the ceiling and went back down.”

With a dad who’s a pilot, I certainly know the meaning of bad turbulence — but it’s pretty rare that turbulence is so severe it causes an emergency landing. Scary.

Could terrorists hack your 787?

by Grant Martin on

Ever get one of those turbulent landings where you think that with a little flight simulator experience you could land the plane better?

Well with the new 787’s computer system architecture, maybe you can! According to a recent UK Times article, the FAA is concerned with the potential connectivity between passengers’ entertainment systems and that of the airplane control. Their thought is that both software engines on the same computer system create a security vulnerability through which “hackers” and “terrorists” can access the flight system from their seats. Apparently, current Audio and Video on Demand (AVOD) and flight systems do not operate in this way.

Perhaps it’s just me, but knowing a little about computers I can’t fathom how or when Boeing could allow a design flaw this serious. In addition to the ridiculous hardware and software securities that must exist between the two entities, does not a hacker need some way to access the system? Most AVOD systems run with a remote control or touchpad. Some new airlines, have USB, wireless or firewire ports on their systems, but aren’t these run on a closed seat loop?

Has anyone ever plugged a keyboard into an AVOD system and tried to reboot?

Perhaps some of the nerds out there can enlighten us. Anyone out there on Engadget ever hacked an AVOD system? I’m really interested to see how far off base on this I am, but to me this article stinks of an over protective bureaucracy nedlessley waving its arms over a problem that doesn’t really exist. In the end, our peace of mind is the only victim.

Post holiday fare sale from Virgin America

by Grant Martin on

Like many domestic retailers, Virgin America has slashed its post holiday fares across the board. Unlike most retailers at the mall, however, whose January pants always seem to be too big for me (who wears size 52?), you may be able to use some of these tickets.

VX is having a brief four day sale among its seven left and right coast cities. Starting today through the 11th, you can snag tickets as low as 118$ one way across the country. Nothing unheard of, per se, especially when you include tax, but if you already have to fly trans continental or have been itching to try out the airlines’ superior in-flight product, this might be a good time to strike.

You’ve got until the middle of March to fly, so you can spend the next two months working off those holiday pounds before you take a little R&R in San Diego right before the St. Patty’s day binge.