Smoother Ride On Planes Of The Future

by Jonathon Morgan on

A new turbulence detection system is being developed that may help pilots avoid weather disturbances. According a National Geographic News report, this NASA initiative could “prevent injuries and save airlines millions of dollars.”

There’s two systems in the works — the first of which is a modified version of the radar pilot’s currently use, called E-Turb. This informs pilots of potential sources of turbulence, making them easier to avoid. The second is used when a plane has already encountered turbulence — creating instant reports which allow ground crews to spot any maintenance issues, while also alerting nearby aircraft to the disturbance.

These new technologies could give pilots an additional several minutes of warning before they hit severe weather — time which, according to NASA engineer Jim Watson, is “enough time to get everybody seated and carts stowed if you’re in the meal phase of the flight.”

British Airways to Start Charging for Extra Baggage

by Justin Glow on

According to a press release issued yesterday by British Airways, starting February 13th the company will begin enforcing a “new simpler baggage policy” which includes charging an extra fee for a second bag. This new policy, however, will not affect UK to US flights

“It’s all part of a trend toward selling bare-bones plane tickets and then charging for everything from checked baggage to advance seat assignments,” says Rob Lovitt in this MSNBC article, who expects more carriers to adopt similar policies in the future. If this is true, and you’re already accustom to packing lightly and not splurging on extras, the money you spend on a plane tickets could go down if more carriers do indeed start making similar changes. The bad news?

For one, if your used to traveling with two pieces of checked luggage, prepare to pay for what once was included in the cost. Or, try scaling down to a single bag. Without any new restrictions on carry-ons, however, you can bet that people will find loopholes in the system.

“The problem is that many passengers will do whatever they can to avoid the added cost, and that means one thing: more – and bigger – carry-on bags,” says Lovitt. “If U.S. airlines start charging for checked luggage, you can bet the already tedious process of boarding is going to get a lot more frustrating.”

For more, visit MSNBC.com.

Website Tracks Pet Deaths on Major Airlines

by Justin Glow on

On a trans-Atlantic flight to Germany some time ago, I witnessed a woman having complications with a little dog she brought on board. The dog was confined to a cage small enough to be considered a carry-on, and it was obviously agitated and ready to be set free. The poor pooch tried to escape by biting onto the metal cage, where it eventually got it’s mouth stuck in the open position. Over the next 20 minutes or so, the woman — worrying loudly in a panicked German accent — tried to pry her dogs mouth off of the metal bars. Luckily, she was successful, and the dog lived to make it off the plane and out of that tiny cage.

Not all pets are as lucky as this one, though. I recently ran across PetFlight.com — a site dedicated to tracking airplane-related pet deaths across the United States, organized by date and airline. So what airline is your pet most likely to die on? Continental, the data shows. They’ve reported 27 animal deaths/injuries (including one rat) since May of 2005 — almost three times the amount of runner-up, American Airlines, who reported 10.

Luckily none of the airlines reported any snakes on their planes, dead or otherwise.

Previously on Gadling: Fluffy is Gone.

[Thanks, Tom!]

Snow Brings Travel Misery To US And UK

by Willy Volk on

Everybody knows that the weather in much of the US is really rotten right now. Frigid, icy, and wet, some areas of upstate New York have already topped 100 inches of snow since Sunday — and the end is not in sight. Moreover, at O’Hare, more than 140 flights were canceled this week. The unreal snowfall and airport closures aren’t restricted to the US, however. The UK is getting sacked, too.

Throughout southern England, the Midlands, Wales, and Northern Ireland, heavy snowfall has blanketed the area, and thousands of airline passengers have had their flights delayed or canceled. In fact, at least five airports in the south of England were forced to delay flights and suspend departures this week. Moreover, the region’s train systems have come to a stand-still. The country, apparently, is crippled. According to David Frost, Director-General of the British Chambers of Commerce, “It is expected that the lateness and loss of work hours caused by transport disruptions will cost the British economy up to £400 million… This situation highlights the need for a real change in the current UK travel infrastructure.”

Wow. Not to rub it in, but I’m sitting in shorts and flip-flops on my back porch.

[Photo: gunbot]

U.S. Airlines Get Bad Grade in 2006

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s been another bad year for the airlines.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Department of Transportation has just released an industry report card which reveals just how truly bad 2006 was for airline travel in the United States.

A combination of cost cutting measures, bad weather, and “outdated air traffic control system” resulted in a slew of inconveniences for travelers.

Some of the lowlights:

25% of flights were delayed (worst since 2000)
6.7 bags per 1,000 passengers were lost (worst since 1990)
1 in 10,000 passengers were bumped (worst since 2000)

Naturally, such spotty service resulted in an increase in complaints to the Department of Transportation. Here the five worst categories;

Flight problems: 2,162
Baggage: 1,936
Customer service: 1,019
Reservations, ticketing and boarding: 1,007
Refunds: 774

The good news is that airlines are finally starting to make a profit again. The bad news is that it doesn’t look like they are folding it back into their services so that we can all fly more comfortably.