Power outage in New Jersey delays flights at Newark Liberty airport

by Scott Carmichael on

Earlier this afternoon, an equipment failure inside a switching station plunged 15,000 people in New Jersey into darkness. Included in the power outage area is Newark Liberty airport. With the exception of air traffic control, nothing is powered at the airport, including ground movement of planes.

At the moment, the FAA still reports a ground traffic management program, and people on Twitter are tweeting that their planes are all grounded.

CNN reports that some passengers had to be rescued from stranded elevators, and that passengers are still stuck on the AirTrain. Are you are Newark airport? Leave a comment with your experience!

Update: Power has been restored, but it could take several hours for airport operations to return back to normal.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Delta Air Lines adds “economy comfort” section; improves BusinessElite and First Class seating on long-haul international flights

by McLean Robbins on

Delta Air Lines announced this morning a major investment in its international fleet: a premium economy section, dubbed Economy Comfort, on all long-haul international flights this summer. The new seats will feature up to four additional inches of legroom and 50 percent more recline than the airline‘s standard international Economy class seats.

The product, which is similar to upgraded Economy services currently available on flights operated by Delta’s joint venture partner Air France-KLM, will be installed in the first few rows of the Economy cabin on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft by this summer.

In addition to more leg room and recline, customers seated in Economy Comfort will board early and enjoy complimentary spirits throughout the flight. These benefits are in addition to Delta’s standard international Economy class amenities, including complimentary meals, beer, wine, entertainment, blankets and pillows. In-seat power will also be available on aircraft equipped with personal entertainment systems which come with free HBO programming and other for-fee content. The seats will be designated with a specially-designed seat cover.

Customers who have purchased an international Economy ticket on Delta will be able to choose Economy Comfort seats for an additional fee of $80-$160 one-way via the web, kiosks and Delta reservations beginning in May for travel this summer. SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallions will enjoy complimentary upgrades for themselves and up to eight companions traveling in the same reservation. Customers purchasing full-fare tickets will also enjoy complimentary upgrades. Gold and Silver Medallions will enjoy 50 and 25% discounts on the Economy Comfort seat fees, respectively.In addition to investing in the international Economy cabin, Delta today announced it now plans to install 34 horizontal flat-bed BusinessElite seats with direct aisle access in each of its 32 Airbus A330 aircraft by 2013. With this announcement, Delta now plans to offer full flat-bed seating in BusinessElite on all international widebody flights, or more than 150 aircraft, by 2013.

The new A330 seat, manufactured by Weber Aircraft LLC, will be 81.7 inches in length and 20.5 inches wide, similar to the flat-bed product currently offered on Delta’s 777 fleet. It also will feature a 120-volt universal power outlet, USB port, personal LED reading lamp and a 15.4 inch personal video monitor with instant access to 250 new and classic movies, premium programming from HBO and Showtime, other television programming, video games and more than 4,000 digital music tracks.

In addition to adding the Economy Comfort product and offering full-flat bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet, Delta is upgrading its domestic fleet with more First Class seats and in-seat entertainment; adding personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all long-haul international flights; adding in-flight Wi-Fi service to all domestic aircraft with a First and Economy class cabin; and building new terminal facilities for international customers at its two largest global gateways – Atlanta and New York-JFK.

Former TWA terminal at JFK airport could become boutique hotel

by Melanie Nayer on

It appears second chances do exist in the travel industry. The Wall Street Journal reports that the former TWA terminal at New York’s JFK airport might re-open in the form of a boutique hotel.

The terminal was first opened in 1962 and welcomed travelers into the international port, but was closed in 2001 when American Airlines bought TWA, according to USA Today.

The rumor around the airport is that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the airport, would place a 150-room hotel into the unoccupied area that sits between the TWA terminal and the newer JetBlue terminal. The WSJ reports that the space would also house additional restaurants and shops.

Our prediction: If the airport turns this space into a hotel it could be a cash-cow opportunity for the airport. With JetBlue’s international affiliations and most flights arriving and leaving from T6, where the hotel would be near, this could mean a few overnight travelers thanks to redeye flights and international schedules.

Ryanair flight grounds 104 Belgian students after luggage fee fight

by Scott Carmichael on

Another day, another chance for Ryanair to make the news. Today’s incident comes from the Spanish Canary Islands where a plane full of passengers had to be emptied after a mass fight broke out.

The fight happened after one passenger got angry when he was told he’d need to pay to have his oversize bag checked. This didn’t go down well with him, or with the large number of fellow students he was traveling with.

A fight broke out and the flight crew called for assistance. Police arrived, and all 168 passengers were told to leave the plane.

According to the news report, all passengers had to be “identified”, which probably means the flight crew pointed out which of them were involved in the scuffle.

Of those 168, only 64 were allowed to fly home to Belgium. The rest of them were forced to spend the night in Lanzarote. None of the students stranded on the island had any money left, so the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to intervene, forcing Ryanair to fly the students back. This will take several days as the group is being flown back five or six at a time.

Thankfully for Ryanair, this is one incident that can’t be blamed on them – and those passengers stuck on the island deserve all the inconvenience they can get.

UPDATE: Ryanair issued a response to the incident on their site.

[photo: AFP/Getty Images]

Easy Luggage handling program for cruise passengers

by Chris Owen on

One of the great benefits of a cruise vacation is only having to unpack one time as your floating hotel goes from port to port, a big advantage over land vacations. But the cruise eventually comes to an end and we have to pack up and go hone. A relatively new service makes that whole process much easier.

The normal procedure for luggage handling at the end of a cruise has a lot of steps. Leave it out in the hallway the night before disembarkation, get off the ship in the morning, wade through a sea of luggage with everyone else, claim yours, head to the airport, check your luggage again then claim it one more time at their home airport. That’s just the way it’s been done for years.

The procedure has so many steps that passengers often choose a “self-assist” option where they carry their on luggage on and off the ship, bypassing some of the handling.

But now there is a better way and it gets you airline boarding passes too.

Airportbags.com has a new service that allows guests to skip all that, set their luggage out the night before disembarkation then never touch them again until they get to their home airport. Airportbags.com has partnered with cruise lines, airlines and government security forces to make it all happen and the cost is reasonable.

Onboard Airline Check-In Program from Airports Bags on Vimeo.

You now have the opportunity to complete the airline and luggage check-in process for your flight home before you even step foot off the ship. Simply complete an enrollment form while onboard the ship and return it to a staff member. The night before disembarkation your airline boarding passes and preliminary baggage tags will be delivered to your stateroom along with detailed instructions on how to proceed once departing the ship.

Ricardo Torres of AirportBags told Gadling “This disembarkation option allows you to enjoy your final hours in the port at your leisure. Imagine your options: 1) enjoy the sights of the city or 2) stand in a never-ending line at the airport–the choice is yours with Onboard Airline Check-In. “

I did a version of this coming off a Princess Cruises Alaska Cruisetour last year where we had to go through customs in Vancouver too. In that case we transferred from the ship to the airport on a sealed bus that followed a sealed truck with our luggage in it. Their version is called EasyCheck and it was simply wonderful.

Most major cruise lines have a version of it too. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises call it the Luggage Valet and Onboard Airline Check in plan. Disney Cruise Line’s version is the Onboard Airline Check-in Service. On Norwegian Cruise Lines it’s simply Bags and Holland America Line calls it Luggage Direct while for Carnival Cruise Lines the program goes under the name of Luggage Express. Prices vary by line but range from free on Disney Cruise Line to $20 on pretty much all the others.

Flickr photo by quinn.anya