Airlines post worst on-time performance of the year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

June was the worst month of the year for airline on-time performance since December, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Together, U.S. airlines had an on-time arrival rate of 76.1 percent, down from 80.5 percent in May. But, they had fewer delayed flights than in June 2008.

Hawaiian Airlines put up the best on-time results in June, with Delta subsidiary Comair at the other end of the spectrum. Continental had the fewest delays among the legacy carriers (those that had a large footprint before airline deregulation in 1978), and American Airlines was at the bottom of the barrel for this category.

Unsurprisingly, weather, equipment problems and airport congestion were cited as the most frequent reasons for flight delays. To count as a delay, a flight must be more than 15 minutes late – canceled and diverted flights also count. Through most of the year, flight delays fell largely because airlines were cutting routes and servicing fewer passengers.

Mishandled baggage fell, as well, year-over-year, though it was up from May to June. Reports were down 20 percent from June 2008 to June 2009. AirTran had the fewest gripes from passenger. American Eagle (a unit of American Airlines) had the most.

Peter Graves discusses Gogo Inflight Internet etiquette on AirTran – gladiator jokes included

by Scott Carmichael on

For anyone in the air a lot, Peter Graves is probably a bit of a cult hero. His role as Captain Oveur in Airplane! is one of my all time favorites.

So, when I came across Peter Graves (and a couple of other celebs) explaining “Internetiquette” on board AirtTan flights with the Gogo Inflight service, I just had to share them with you.

The site has three hilarious clips and a guidebook, and even if you don’t plan to fly AirTran any time soon, I highly recommend making some time to watch them – you won’t regret it (unless of course, you hate Airplane! and Peter Graves).

All joking aside – their Internetiquette guide actually provides some common sense tips about online security and the kind of photos you shouldn’t be looking at in public. Enjoy!

AirTran provides obvious internet etiquette tips

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Is AirTran the pot or the kettle? It’s hard to say, but the airline that has done a great job of making passengers uncomfortable – think of it as the Greyhound experience of the sky – is now telling passengers how they can keep from making their fellow fliers unhappy. It’s like giving a stern warning and nothing more to a bank robber caught in the act: it won’t do much.

Nonetheless, now that AirTran has wireless internet service on all its flights, the airline has issued Internetiquette: A Guide to Keeping Everyone in Line While They’re Online. This list of suggestions will be found in every seatback pocket, right with the emergency card.

This isn’t exactly a new concern. The debate over in-flight porn may be behind us but is not forgotten. And, even non-sexual computer interaction may involve some actions that disturb other passengers – from muttering to yourself to shuffling papers around.

So, what does AirTran recommend? Find out after the jump.

1. Flight attendants are not tech support (no shit)

2. Online investors shouldn’t give advice to other passengers (would be nice even on flights without wi-fi)

3. Be aware of anyone who could be reading over your shoulder

4. Don’t offer to land the plane for the flight crew

Yeah, not much to work with … you can check out the list here.

New fees aren’t new, but airlines keep trying

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Cheaper fares are being offset by an array of extra fees, as airlines try to bring in some extra revenue in order to keep planes in the sky. And, to a certain extent, it’s working. United Airlines forecasts $1 billion in revenue from these fees this year – accounting for more than 5 percent of its revenue. But, as they try to find new ways to dig into your wallet, fewer and fewer new ideas are popping up, according to an article in MSNBC.

US Airways and United have found that the best new fee is just the same ol’ one: put one fee on top of an existing one. Passengers who pay their extra baggage fees online can avoid an additional $5 fee that’s assessed at the airport. United’s came into effect on June 10, 2009, with US Airways’ bringing it to life on July 9. AirTran is nailing passengers for the extra legroom of an exit row to the tune of $20. Again, it’s not new … it’s just new to AirTran’s passengers.

You don’t need to be big to think big. Smaller airlines are getting in on the game, too. Allegiant Air charges a $13.50 “convenience fee” for passengers wanting to buy their tickets online. This one actually is fairly new, as most airlines realize that they can save a fortune by using technology (who’d’ve thunk it?) to sell things instead of paying people more for a slower process. Spanish airline Vueling makes you pay for choice. Want to pick your seat? Pay €3 (around $4.50). Another €30 will get you an aisle or window – and an empty aisle seat beside you! That’s a deal I’d definitely pay for.

Of course, Ryanair remains the master. If you want to check in at the airport: €10 ($13.50). So, you decide to save some cash and check in online … €5. You can’t win!

Only a year ago, most passengers were able to dodge the fees, since you didn’t get slammed until you checked a third bag or sent an unaccompanied minor into the sky. Today, nothing’s sacred. Delta and AirTran claim not to have plans to charge for carry-ons … but why would they say that? Clearly, it’s crossed somebody’s mind.

The only way to beat the fees, it seems, is to fly first class. Hey, if you’re already paying a fortune, the airlines will probably want to treat you well.

Afraid of flying? One man’s cure: flying non-stop for a month

by Alison Brick on

Some fight it with sleeping pills. Others just opt to stay home. But Mark Malkoff is choosing to confront his fear of flying head-on–by flying for a month straight.

Mark started his journey yesterday, traveling from La Guardia to Atlanta to San Francisco back to Atlanta. No rest for the weary; he’ll continually be on a plane for the next month, only getting off to change to a different plane at an airport.

Forget a fear of flying, I can think of a dozen things about living on a plane that would surely scare me more.

Mark’s flying AirTran the whole way. Considering he’s averaging five or six flights per day for a month, it makes you wonder whether he has an AirTran sponsorship. Two reasons: the clearance to stay on a plane when a cleaning crew is doing its thing, and the cost. I mean, their tickets may be cheaper than those of other airlines, but they’re not exactly cheap enough to fly nonstop for a month.

Not a stranger to stunt-pulling, Mark is a comedian/writer/filmmaker who’s already known for living in an Ikea store for a week and consecutively visiting all of the Starbucks in Manhattan (all 171 of ’em). You can follow his journeys through videos and Tweets he’s posting online.

[Thanks, NYPost.com]