There Is Hope for the Stranded

by Iva Skoch on

Yes, flying is bad. Not flying, however, can be worse. June 2007 was the worst month for taxi-out times (the time between boarding and taking off) in a decade, with 462 planes stuck on the ground for more than 3 hours, today’s International Herald Tribune reports.

Once a while, you hear stories of passengers frustrated with the airline industry who can turn their rage into something productive…while the rest of us fume for a while, possibly write a letter of complaint and then forget. This is one of those stories.

Last December, Kate Hanni and her family were stuck aboard a jet for hours out on the tarmac. After that experience, Hanni decided she would get a law passed making long confinement on a plane illegal and allowing passengers to get off the plane. Like that, she became a passenger advocate. You can get more information and sign a petition at www.flyersrights.com.

Budget Airlines Whine About Environtmental Concerns

by Catherine Bodry on

Budget Airlines, like Europe’s EasyJet, complain that they’re carrying the burden of concern about air travel’s environmental impact. EasyJet’s Chief Executive Andy Harrison argues that taxes should be based on the efficiency of planes and the distance traveled rather than being a per-passenger duty, claiming that budget airlines’ fleets are newer and thus more efficient than traditional airlines.

While I don’t think that budget airlines alone should be charged with “ruining the planet,” I do think it’s difficult to ignore the impact of cheap and quick airfare on less environmentally-damaging overland travel, like rail. That’s not necessarily the airlines’ fault though — they’re simply meeting travelers’ demands.

What do you think?

Gadling Readers Respond to Southwest’s Decision to Drop Family Pre-Board

by Justin Glow on

Yesterday we covered Southwest Airline’s decision to discontinue their pre-boarding service for families, and our readers are reacting.

“Traveling with a family on SW is (or was) really great, you got the low fares and were able to preboard, in essences cutting the line and sit where you wanted. Now that they take that away if you are bringing the family you have to get there really early (sitting in an airport for hours with small kids is no fun), run the risk of being separated on board, or hope a stranger is kind enough to switch with you so you can sit together. So for someone with a family flying southwest it is actually much less attractive than paying a little more for assigned seats.” writes Jennifer.

Another reader says, “Interesting…actually everyone boarding a plane will be affected…. so, even if I did not have any kids, I would still prefer families with children to board ahead, so they would not be in the way! Dumb move on Southwest’s part!”

“I am a new father, and having flown with and without children, this does not seem to be a very good policy. Without children, I’d rather not be inconvienced while i’m trying to board as families wrestled with their kids and various devices to keep them occupied during the trip. With children, I appreciate the room and time to sit and get settled without feeling rushed by the line of people behind me. On an airline with assigned seats, i can board last, as i did last weekend. However, this is not an option with SWA, and now flying with them is not an option either,” says another Gadling reader, Doug.

Not looking good so far, Southwest. Still no word about the issue on the blog…

Click here to read the rest of the comments, and leave a few of your own!

Sex Toys and Sausages: A Bad Smuggling Combination

by Neil Woodburn on

Butchers in Mannheim, Germany alerted police on Wednesday when a customer speaking broken English asked the shop keepers to hold on to two “Schwartenmagen” sausages he had purchased from them earlier in the day. He told the butchers he was flying to Dubai the following day and asked if they could store his Schwartenmagen in their refrigerator for the night.

The butchers became suspicious, however, when they noticed that the Schwartenmagen were much heavier than they should be. Concerned that the 50-year old man on his way to the Middle East might be using the sausage to smuggle something dangerous on to the plane, they immediately called the police.

A crack squad of Germany’s finest arrived on the scene where they quickly wrestled the sausages to the ground and discovered a rather large sex toy embedded in each of Schwartenmagen. I’ll let you guess what type of sex toy might fit within a hollowed out sausage.

Hey, isn’t there a better way to smuggle those things? It sort of makes you wonder why the old prison method wasn’t used instead. Ugh!

Skybus Opens for New Routes: Move Quickly for the $10 Deals

by Jamie Rhein on

I’m waiting for a Skybus route to upstate New York to open. Stewart Airport in Newburgh would be divine. Not yet, but there are four more routes to start December 5.

If you have any desire or need to head to Chattanooga, Gulfport-Biloxi/New Orleans Area, Milwaukee or Punta Gorda/Ft. Meyers, check out Skybus to see if its schedule and airport locations suits you. Starting December 17 there will be one more flight a day to Jacksonville/Daytona (actually St. Augustine.)

Keep in mind, when you do book a Skybus flight, make sure you have a way from the airport to where ever you are actually going. A friend of a friend of mine was thrilled to pieces over her cheap flight to Boston. She didn’t know that the airport Skybus considers the Boston area is actually about 50 miles away and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The friend she is visiting in Boston does not have a car. At this moment, she has no idea how she is actually getting to Boston.

Last week I tried to find the route from that same airport into Logan International Airport for a friend of mine. He’s flying from Atlanta to Boston and then wants to come to Columbus. Figuring out the logistics of how to get from Logan to Pease Airport made me tired, so I quit. Sometimes it’s just worth paying the extra money to be able to get to exactly where you need to go–unless you are renting a car anyway. Then, I say, go for the bargain.