Best Airlines for 2007

by Willy Volk on

Recently, we mentioned the 2007 Airline Quality Rating. While the report is discouraging — 2006 saw more people bumped, more bags lost, and more flights delayed than in 2005 — the report isn’t all bad. It does spotlight the airlines that seem to be getting things right — giving savvy travelers a clue as to the airlines that will (likely) be best for 2007.

The AQR identified Hawaiian Airlines as the top-rated US airline. In the report, Hawaiian was noted as having a lower customer complaint rate than the industry average and the lowest mishandled baggage rate in the industry. Congrats, aloha, and awesome! In case you’re interested, the airlines rounding out the top 10 are:

2.) Jet Blue
3.) Air Tran
4.) Frontier
5.) Northwest
6.) Southwest
7.) Continental
8.) United
9.) Alaska
10.) American

If you want to learning more, the complete (PDF) report can be found on the AQR website and includes details about each of the 18 airlines ranked.

The Airlines Hate Us

by Jonathon Morgan on

Airlines are treating their passengers worse than ever, with customer service blunders on the rise for the third year in a row. According to the annual Airline Quality Rating, last year saw more people bumped, more bags lost, and more flights delayed than in 2005.

Worst of all, it looks like things will continue to go downhill. An industry spokesman told the Associated Press that because the number of flights is exceeding the capacity of air traffic controllers, “We’re going to see more delays and those delays translate to cancellations, mishandled bags and unhappy passengers.”

United — who’s stranding of passengers for hours on runways wasn’t included because it was weather-related — tied for the most-complained-about airline with US Airawys, while Southwest registered the fewest complaints.

I’m at the point where I almost expect some kind of delay when I’m at the airport. But what about you, is the change noticeable? Any flight-delay horror stories you’d like to share?

How Much Money Will You Get For Lost Luggage?

by Jonathon Morgan on

Starting February 28, the maximum amount airlines can be required to pay after losing your luggage will be $3,000 — $200 more than the previous limit.

But don’t get your hopes up. The chances of actually getting that much money are slim to none. Namely, because while they’ve set a max payout, the government still allows the airlines to decide how much they’ll give you in return for your missing bag and its contents.

According to travel lawyer Al Anolik, not only is the claims process difficult to navigate, its filled with rules that — not surprisingly — favor the airlines. In addition, many expensive items — like jewelry and electronic goods — aren’t eligible for reimbursement. Subsequently, payouts are a usually a fraction of the government’s limit.

Says Anolik, “They can exclude (from payment) everything but dirty underwear. It’s hard to get to $3,000 from dirty underwear.”

Have you ever tried to get reimbursed for lost luggage? Was it really that bad?

Passengers’ Bill Of Rights Proposed In Senate

by Jonathon Morgan on

In response to recent incidents in Texas and New York where passengers were made to wait on grounded planes for up to 11 hours, Senator Barbara Boxer is proposing a “Passengers Bill of Rights.” The bill would give passengers the right to deplane if their aircraft sits on the ground for more than three hours past the scheduled departure time.

In addition, Boxer intends for the bill to include provisions allowing passengers access to food, water and hygiene. Currently, airlines operate under a voluntary code of conduct, which stipulates only that they make “reasonable efforts” to meet these needs, even in the event of extreme delays.

A spokesman for the Air Transport Association countered by warning that “inflexible standards that would be imposed through some sort of mandatory legislation could easily have the unintended effect of inconveniencing customers more in some situations.”

For information on a grassroots effort in support of the bill, visit the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights blog.

Beautiful Video of US Flight Patterns

by Willy Volk on

Aaron Koblin collected a single day’s worth of mundane air-traffic data from the FAA and rendered the associated traffic patterns and density output as a gorgeous video. He then laid a gentle, trance-y soundtrack over the top of it, and the result is an abstract, interpretive map of the US.

Equal parts genius and beauty, the light-display-map shows familiar shapes, drawn by flight patterns, emerging from the darkness. Can’t spot Hawaii? You will in about 5 seconds.

[Via Collision Detection]