Next candidates for an airline merger – United Airlines and US Airways?

by Scott Carmichael on

In what can probably be described as “just a matter of time”, rumors are heating up about a possible United Airlines / US Airways merger.

The push for this kind of consolidation is being fueled by the last big airline merger – that of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Of course, anyone who has followed the aviation world will know that a United/US merger has been in the news before. The two tried to merge back in 2000, and again in 2008. At one point they had already put their signatures on the deal, but had to cancel the party when the government and unions voiced their opposition.

Despite the size of the two airlines, a combination would still only make them the second largest in the nation.

All these mergers mean fewer airlines (US Airways merged with America West several years ago), and a United/US merger may force Continental to go shopping for similar arrangement.

Of course, things are still in a very early stage, and have not moved beyond “speculation”. Time will tell whether three times really is a charm for these two airlines.

United Airlines snags first place in 2009 on-time performance

by Scott Carmichael on

Yesterday, United Airlines announced that they had climbed to the first place for on-time performance among the five largest global carriers in the country. This means United performed better than Delta (including Northwest), American Continental and US Airways.

On-time performance means the plane arrived at its destination within 14 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Their 2009 performance was 10% better than the previous year, and preliminary numbers show that the airline will continue the trend in 2010.

One of the driving forces behind the huge increase in performance is a cash bonus for employees – for each month the airline took first spot, employees receive $65. For the entire year, United paid out $32 million, with each employee earning an extra $825.

Since delays are probably the number one complaint from most passengers, I’m very happy that the airline is putting so much effort into becoming better at being on time. And I do have to admit that the past couple of flights I took on United did indeed depart and arrive on time, something not always true in the past.

Fingers crossed that other airlines pick up the pace, and do what they can to beat United – more on-time flights will eventually benefit us all.

Good move by United Airlines – last minute award redemption fees to be eliminated

by Scott Carmichael on

Effective July 30th, United Airlines is removing the fee for Mileage Plus customers trying to book last minute award travel.

Several years ago, United Airlines added 2 “last minute booking fees” to award trips; within 21 days, the fee was $75, and 7 days or less would cost $100.

Of course, when the fees were introduced, customers were furious, as last minute trips had long been one of the most profitable ways to use miles.

I’ve been on the receiving end of about $400 in these fees, so they already have one customer that is extremely happy to see them go.

A United Airlines spokesperson said that members told them they want “ease, flexibility and availability when using their miles”. That is a nice way of saying that customers were fed up with the fee racket, and want to redeem their miles without it costing them an arm and a leg.

Kudos to United Airlines for this move. As is often within the airline industry, it’ll probably spell the beginning of a similar wave of changes at their competitors, and that is always good for customers.

United Airlines to charge obese passengers for the extra space

by Scott Carmichael on

United Airlines just announced their plans to charge obese passengers for the extra seat they take up on their planes.

They are not the first airline to do this, and most likely won’t be the last. That said, their definition of obese means that readers with a bit of a beer belly won’t have to worry too much.

Only passengers who need more than one seat belt extender, or who can not sit in their seat with the arm rests down will have to pay.

That probably means less than half a percentage of their passengers. I’m a big guy myself, but I have no problem using the regular seatbelt, plus I can easily keep the armrests down without bothering the passenger next to me.

The extra charge will be for a second seat, and on aircraft without a spare seat, the “passenger of size” will have to wait for the next flight.

The new rules will be enforced by the gate agents, which is probably going to lead to nothing but trouble for the airline, and I suspect they will be in court with a large passenger defending this new rule pretty soon.

Their official policy can be found here.

Tips for Upgrading Your Airline Seat — On the Cheap

by Catherine Bodry on

I used to enjoy flying, but lately it’s become such a chore. Long lines, delays, and uncomfortable seats. Well, Aviation.com offers some help for the seat situation. These tips won’t get you through airport security any quicker, but they might make a long wait on the tarmac a bit more bearable. Here are a few of the tips for scoring a more comfortable seat:

  • Fly JetBlue. JetBlue’s has added extra legroom on its Airbus jets, with at least a 36-inch seat pitch in the first 11 rows of its Airbus 320 fleet and at least 34 inches in rows 12-25 (seat pitch is the distance between any one point on the seat and that same point in the row ahead or behind). Some airlines have 32 or even 31 inches between seats.
  • Pay for an exit row. Gadling blogger Iva is all for upgrading to an exit row — while it may cost as much as $75 for all that luxurious legroom, it’s worth the price on an international flight. Aviation.com lists some exit row seats going for as low as $5.
  • Look for “premium economy.” On United, you can sometimes upgrade to “economy plus,” which has 5 more inches of legroom than regular economy. Frequent United flyers might want to look into Economy Plus Access, which allows passengers to reserve economy plus for themselves and a guest for a year of travel, which at $349 a year isn’t too expensive.
  • Use miles to upgrade to First Class. I still haven’t flown in First, but one of these days I’m going to cash in my miles for a taste of the good life.

These are just a few of many tips offered; it’s worth reading the full article at Msnbc.com.