Continental Airlines finally made its big move to the Star Alliance last week, a long awaited, much talked about transition from its former partnership with Delta and Northwest Airlines. It’s a move that will affect the way that you earn and spend frequent flyer miles across the board, but what does it mean immediately to the every day traveler?
On the surface, not much. Continental will remain the best legacy airline in the country, with onboard meals, top notch service and a happy customer base just like before. Most routes and services wont change but for a few ads and partnership banners here and there. So the infrequent traveler who just wants to get from point A to point B has little to read further into.
For the more frequent traveler, its time to take another look at your frequent flyer account. Star Alliance’s network is huge (especially overseas,) and there are now a wide spectrum of airlines and awards on which you can earn and spend your Continental miles. It’s worth taking a look at the Star Alliance webpage to see which airlines are involved and how you can earn miles on them.
It’s also important to check your current bookings to make sure that the proper frequent flyer number is loaded. Obviously, none of the Skyteam Alliance members will now earn miles on Continental, while flights on United and US Airways will. For the ten minutes that you spend proofreading your itineraries, you could earn a ton of extra miles, so go ahead and do it now. We’ll be here when you get back.
Is it just me or is it a little early for a winter snowstorm?
The Denver International Airport (DIA) had to cancel flights yesterday due to blizzard conditions. It was just too difficult to keep runways and taxiways clear, so United canceled about 200 of its 400 flights departures and arrivals, and Frontier canceled 19 of its 155 departures. Passengers on flights that had been delayed find themselves waiting one to four hours.
As of yesterday afternoon, about a foot of snow had dropped since Tuesday evening. But the wind — with 20 to 40 mph gusts — is actually the greater threat, rather than the snow.
The two east-west runways have been closed, but the other four north-south runways remain open.
Anybody with a flight scheduled into or out of DIA should check their flight status before going to the airport.
Taking a page out of the “they don’t make them like this any longer” book, I’ve compiled a list of 10 fantastic vintage airlines commercials.
Take a walk down memory lane with me, and see how flying looked back in the 70’s, or listen to people tell you how awesome their (now bankrupt) airline is.
This article originally appeared on Gadling last year, but as part of our closer look at vintage America, the video clips have been updated and refreshed.
Wien Air Alaska – “When it comes to experience, Alaska’s first airline has the last word“ (1981)
Yes, that is a video of Captain Wien, father of our very own Kent Wien! The video took 35 takes to get right, because pilots are apparently better at flying a plane than acting on command. And here is a bit of trivia for you; Wien Air Alaska was the second airline in the country, and at one point they flew to more places in the world than any other airline (excluding Aeroflot). Sadly, Wien Air Alaska ceased operations back in 1984. I just hope they found a good home for the Canada Goose!
Eastern Airlines – “we earn our wings every day” (1984)
Eastern Airlines is another airline that is no longer around. They closed up in 1991 leaving 18,000 people without a job or pension. This video clip taken in 1984 and shows a bunch of very happy employee/owners, completely unaware that just 7 years later their investment would be worthless.
Republic Airlines – “Nobody serves our republic like republic” (1982)
This 1982 commercial has everything that made 80’s commercials the hilarious relics they are today. Republic Airlines was born in 1979 out of a merger of 2 other airlines, and in 1986 Northwest Orient Airlines and Republic Airlines merged to form Northwest Airlines, which is still operating strong today. The old Republic Airlines hubs (Detroit, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Memphis) are still the main hubs for Northwest today.
Northwest Airlines – first airline to ban smoking on domestic flights (1980)
Remember when checking in at the airport meant picking smoking or non-smoking? This commercial from 1980 shows Northwest Airlines bragging that they are the first airline to ban smoking on domestic North American flights.
Continental Airlines – “If you can’t fly Continental you might as well not fly at all” (1977)
Ah, the 70’s… This commercial is the cheesiest of them all. The theme song is soap opera meets bad radio jingle, but it’s the kind of bad song that sticks in your head.
United Airlines – Gene Hackman flying the friendly skies (1994)
This is the youngest commercial in the list, but even at 14 years old it shows how much has changed since then. The commercial brags about the 1000 flights and 135 destinations United flies to every day. In just 14 years they have grown to 3200 flights and over 200 destinations. Of course, it also shows that 14 years later, they are still using Rhapsody in Blue for all their commercials.
United Airlines – The new DC10 jetliner featuring the Friendship Room lounge in coach! (1971)
Here is an early United Airlines commercial where they get to show off their new DC10 jetliner. Featuring specially designed spacious seats, and a luxurious lounge in coach! This 1970’s plane shows just how miserable flying as become nowadays.
Braniff International – The end of the plain plane (1965)
A funny commercial from a time when it was still considered acceptable to brag about your attractive flight attendants. This clip tries to convince people that Braniff has the most colorful planes and “that they won’t get you there any faster, but it sure will seem that way!”
American Airlines – Doing what we do best (1982)
Warm meals in coach, full service no matter what you pay and a skycap who opens your cab door to help you out. It’s how flying used to be, just 26 years ago. This vintage AA commercial is another from the feel good era.
TWA – Steak in coach! It’s the new widebody L-1011, it’s built for comfort! (1977)
The last Lockheed L-1011 rolled off the assembly line in 1984, after just 250 of them were built. They can still be found today, but none are in operation with any major US carrier. This TWA commercial shows the spacious wide body cabin, the fantastic steak dinner in coach and the captain explains that their Rolls-Royce engines mean you’ll get a smooth ride!
As the financial brainiacs of the world slowly start to see some gradual improvement in the global economy, the worlds airlines are pushing through some far reaching changes to their Q4 2009 schedules.
Because the recession hit the airlines so suddenly, none of them were able to make any major cuts to their schedules (these schedules are set in stone in advance).
Overcapacity has meant that 2009 was actually a very good year for passengers, with some of the lowest airfare we’ve seen in years.
Of course, now the airlines are looking at their new schedules, they are making sure that the overcapacity is a thing of the past, and that means trimming the schedule.
Obviously, fewer seats means more people fighting for the cheapest seats, which will naturally result in higher prices. The schedule cuts will bring airlines back to the levels post 9/11.
According to an AP report, American Airlines will be hit the hardest, with a 10.5% drop in passenger miles on its domestic routes. United Airlines is hit equally hard, with a 9% drop. It isn’t all bad news though – JetBlue expects a modest increase in passenger miles for the rest of the year.
Bottom line is – don’t expect any more amazing fare deals any time soon and think about booking early, because flights are probably going to be filling up pretty quickly.
Those who spin the wheel receive freebies for use on future flights, like an upgrade to Economy Plus, Premier Line access at the security checkpoint and at the boarding gate, or a Red Carpet Club pass. After a closer look at the wheel, it seems like spinners have the best odds of landing on “Economy Plus”, which, depending on the flight, can cost anywhere from $9 to over $100. Those who aren’t so lucky don’t walk away empty-handed though. Other prizes include water bottles, puzzle books, or decks of cards.
If you missed the booths today, you’ll still get your chance to spin the prize wheel. The booths will be at the Denver, Washington Dulles and San Francisco airports until October 5th, when they’ll be moved to a few yet-to-be-announced airports around the country. The booths made their debut earlier this summer at the Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles International Airports.
