“New” Delta Still Blames “Old” Weather

by Iva Skoch on

It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend with a group of dear friends in Maine. It sure didn’t start out that way…

On Friday afternoon, we get to JFK airport to be told by a Delta representative that our flight was canceled.

“The weather,” says the rep as if that answers everything.

“The weather? Why don’t you just wait for the weather to get better rather than canceling?” I say.

“I don’t know. It’s the pilot’s decision,” she says.

“It seems odd. It is gorgeous in New York, Boston and Maine,” I say.

“Sorry. The computer says the weather is bad.” Says the rep. She was done with us. No offer to put us on a different flight, compensate us, nothing.

Well, if the computer says the weather is bad, then it must be bad. Still, something tells me that “the computer” also finds it convenient to cancel flights and then blame the weather to avoid having to compensate travelers. This is not the first time Delta has been accused of doing this.

I will spare you the details of our adventurous trip up to Maine but I will mention that they finally put us on an alternative flight to Boston instead (somehow, the weather for that flight was OK) and a shuttle from there to Portland, ME. Needless to say, the weather was great throughout this entire trip.

I was shocked how poorly Delta treated us. They basically kept saying “Well, it’s the weather, there is nothing we can do.” I know for a fact that there are things they can do. So can I. Never flying Delta again is step one. (Unless, of course, I get a personal apology letter from Delta’s CEO, like Bruce Nussbaum from Business Week did. Yeah, right.)

When in Rome, Do As the Baggage Handlers Do. Relax!

by Iva Skoch on

Those flying into Rome Fiumicino airport must have been hating Rome the minute they arrived this past weekend. There is nothing like a warm welcome to a foreign country! Hundreds of thousands bags got delayed as baggage handlers “took their time” getting them from the plane to the passengers. The reason? Low pay.

European workers have had a long tradition of going on strike but this seems more creative than a regular strike. They were apparently slowing down the flow of baggage by using things such as chewing gum to cover up barcode readers that sort the bags and that electric trolleys used to ferry bags to and from aircraft were often found to be lacking power.

Stranded at the airport for hours waiting for one’s bags is a good time to contemplate how accustomed we have become to things working on our own schedule. If you are sitting at terminal A right now, wedged between a couple of sweaty tourists, you probably don’t understand what I mean. All I am saying is, “things going wrong” is a part of travel. One day, this will make a good story.

Petition to Keep Flights Mobile-Free

by Neil Woodburn on

Like it or not, mobile phones will probably be allowed on airplanes sometime in the near future.

Unless, of course, you do something about it.

And that’s exactly what the editors of the Telegraph travel section have decided to do.

Like myself, they have probably closed their eyes and imagined a plane full of people yapping on their cell phones and cringed in pain at the thought of enduring this as a captive audience.

And so, the editors have launched a petition to Keep Flights Mobile-Free.

The only problem is that the Telegraph is a UK based newspaper and their petition will be aimed at the British government only. But that’s not to say our faithful Gadling readers can spearhead their own drive in their own countries to help the cause.

The word in Britain is that the campaign is gaining steam and already has support from a number of MPs. As you might imagine, this has become a rather passionate debate pitting businessmen and others who want to make the most efficient use of their time against those who want less noise pollution on the plane.

Spirit Airline Woes

by Justin Glow on

Alex Rudloff, one of the brains behind Gadling’s blogging engine, recently tried to fly to Las Vegas from Orlando via Spirit Airlines when he ran into a few problems. First, his flight was canceled. “That’s sucks,” he wrote on his blog, “but hey, that’s the reality of the god awful air industry here in the States.”

To make matters worse, Spirit Airlines made the rescheduling process a nightmare. “The 800# then hangs up on me. I call back, hitting 0 to talk to an operator, same message, hangs up on me. I try all the appropriate sounding options on their voice mail, and get hung up on every single time. Thanks, Spirit Air! What went from a somewhat understandable situation (relativity is a bitch), now has me pissy. Finally, I try “book new flight” to speak to a spirit airlines sales agent. Sure enough, that one (the option where they take the money) works fine”

Finally, he’s able to speak with a representative who puts him on another flight that arrives 5 hours later. “There’s no upgrades or anything like that, no option for a partner airline or a transfer, no real attempt at anything. Here’s the kicker. They make you pay extra to bring a bag. They refused to even refund this $5 each way fee, not even for one of ways.”

How frustrating. Anyone else have any Spirit Air horror stories?

European Trains more Time Efficient than European Planes for Short Hauls

by Neil Woodburn on

With the rash of budget airlines plying the skies of Europe these days, one must wonder why anyone bothers to take the train at all.

The reality, however, is that high speed train travel between European cities that are less than 550 kilometers apart is actually more efficient than flying according to a recent study.

Think about it. Most European airports are not only way outside the city center, but also eat up your time with security, boarding, and that pesky rule about getting there an hour before flight time.

Train stations, on the other hand, are usually located in the center of town and passengers can arrive just moments before their departure time.

The actual time spent traveling is much longer on a train, but the overall journey tends to be about the same length of time or perhaps just a bit longer. The important difference here, especially for business travelers, is that almost all of your travel time on a train can be spent working. There is no turning off your electronic equipment, putting it through an x-ray machine, or standing in long lines. Your laptop can be opened the moment you sit down and you can plug away uninterrupted until you arrive at your destination.

The efficiencies of high speed train travel, however, are only gained with journeys that are four hours or less. Planes become increasingly more efficient with your time over longer journeys.