DoT gives airlines $175,000 reminder ahead of Thanksgiving

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Three airlines just scored a first with the U.S. government: they were fined for leaving passengers in the lurch. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet (a Continental affiliate) and Mesaba (part of Delta) racked up a total punishment of $175,000 when their combined efforts left fliers on a plane in Minnesota for six hours.

Continental and ExpressJet were slapped with a fine of $100,000, while Mesaba was nailed for $75,000, according to the Department of Transportation.

With the busiest travel day of the year right around the corner, the timing couldn’t have been better. Airlines that let their guards down could face stiff fines. And, let’s face it: these airlines can’t afford peanuts, let alone five- and six-figure fines.

On August 8, 2009, 47 passengers were stuck on a Continental Express plane, which was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota (the original plan was Houston to Minneapolis), where they were forced to spend the night. ExpressJet operated the flight, while Mesaba, the only airline working the airport, refused to let passengers leave the plane.

Keep up on Thanksgiving airport traffic with Travelocity’s Task Force

by Grant Martin on

Nobody is looking forward to venturing into battle tomorrow. Wednesday is the year’s biggest travel day, a congested, high stress day when airports are packed, tempers are high and any small hiccup can make an entire airport turn upside down.

We all have to get home somehow though, and the harsh reality facing many of us is that the airport needs to be handled (my flight to London leaves from O’hare at 5PM).

Luckily, Travelocity already has street teams organized to help us manage the battle. This year, while they continue to quarterback part of the effort from their affable Window Seat Blog they’re also mobilizing the Twitter army to keep an eye on specific airports across the country. Each specific feed will dispatch updates from airport including delays, parking, security lines and general mayhem that’s going on around the terminal. It’s a great way to glean some insight into what to expect when you arrive — or watch the disaster from the comfort of your own home.

Each feed can be found on the Thanksgiving Task Force subpage. Tune in now and get your fighting pants ready for Wednesday — it’s going to be a big weekend.

Orbitz reveals which airports to avoid this Thanksgiving

by Scott Carmichael on

As we slowly head into the worst time of year to be traveling, Orbitz has revealed which airports to avoid this Thanksgiving.

The list is not really filled with any surprises, but it is always nice to see some solid research done by those that actually have the data needed to make a top ten like this.

Of course, as with any busy time of year, it pays to be prepared. Know how to pack, know the current TSA rules, and know how to control your anger when you arrive at the airport and find that it looks like something out of a disaster movie.

Here are the top ten “Orbitz Insider” busiest airports for Thanksgiving 2009.

  1. Chicago, IL – Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
  2. Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles International (LAX)
  3. Denver, CO – Denver International (DEN)
  4. San Francisco, CA – San Francisco International (SFO)
  5. Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Hartsfield International (ATL)
  6. Boston, MA – Boston Logan International (BOS)
  7. New York, NY – New York LaGuardia (LGA)
  8. New York, NY – New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
  9. Newark, NJ – Newark Liberty International (EWR)
  10. Seattle, WA – Seattle Tacoma International (SEA)

If you have already booked a flight in or out one of these airports, well, then it sucks to be you. All is not lost for those still waiting to book – Orbitz also compiled a list of the 10 least busy airports.

  1. San Jose, CA – San Jose International (SJC)
  2. Nashville, TN – Nashville International (BNA)
  3. Richmond, VA – Richmond International (RIC)
  4. Sacramento, CA – Sacramento International (SMF)
  5. Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville International (JAX)
  6. West Palm Beach, FL – Palm Beach International (PBI)
  7. Hartford, CT – Bradley International (BDL)
  8. Orange County, CA – John Wayne International (SNA)
  9. Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
  10. Fort Myers, FL – Southwest Florida Regional (RSW)

Armed with this this information, smart travelers who hate crowds may be able to book themselves out of alternate airports. Anyone in the New York area is pretty much screwed – LaGuardia, JFK and Newark are all in the top 10, but it is a relatively short drive to White Plains Westchester airport. Passengers planning to avoid LAX may be better off with flights out of Burbank or Orange County and Chicago passengers may be able to find a better flight out of Midway (I doubt it though).

You’ll find the complete list of busy Thanksgiving airports over at the Orbitz blog.

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The scale doesn’t lie, at least not in New York

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and we’re all dreading the thought of stepping on the scale the next day … and making all kinds of empty promises about jogging and losing weight and not eating like that again next year. Some of us we’ll even unleash a stream of profanities and accuse the device of lying. Out in Queens, however, a few scales have been tested, and they won’t be fooling anyone at turkey-time.

Inspectors from the Department of Consumer Affairs have verified that the 741 luggage scales at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports. On the first run, 92 percent were found to be in compliance, and following repairs, a re-inspection showed a 98 percent success rate. The remaining 2 percent? Don’t worry: they won’t be used until they’ve been repaired.

With the extra fees that can be triggered by hefty bags, this is a pretty serious issues, especially in a market where airlines are trying to pick up a little extra revenue and consumers have become sensitive to additional charges.

Passengers to become drivers for Thanksgiving this year

by Tom Johansmeyer on

We aren’t staying at home, but we’re definitely not flying. That’s the word out of AAA this year. Thanksgiving, always a travel-heavy holiday, will see more cars in the road than people crammed at the gate, as travelers respond to the recession and recent increases in airfares.

AAA puts the number of people driving 50 miles or more from home for Thanksgiving at 38.4 million — up 1.4 percent from last year. The number of people traveling by car (regardless of distance) is set to edge 2.1 percent higher. Meanwhile, the number of people taking to the skies is expected to drop a hefty 6.7 percent. The Air Transportation Association sees the passenger count dropping 4 percent, but that’s for the “holiday period,” which stretches from November 20 to December 1. “Economic headwinds” are the primary reason, the ATA says.

The economic situation’s role in the decision to drive versus fly isn’t limited to the change in prices. Airlines have been pushing their fares up for the past few weeks, but for consumers, the decision is based on cost relative to their willingness to spend. Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, tells MSNBC, “A leisure traveler might have bought a domestic ticket for $350 last year. Lately, $250 has been the breakpoint; above that, they just weren’t going to buy.”

If your flight looks crowded this year, it’s probably because there aren’t going to be as many planes in the sky. Only 679 billion domestic seat miles will be offered this year, down from last year’s 730 billion, which was already cut from the year before. From 2008 to 2009, the number of available seat miles is off 7 percent.

While the economic climate is certainly a factor, AAA sees other drivers in the trend from wings to wheels. The cut routes and flights, delays and the security gauntlet have all contributed to the decline in Thanksgiving passengers since 2000 of a profound 62 percent. If the airlines didn’t think they had competition for the Thanksgiving season rush, this is an answer that can’t be ignored.