Airline employee helps roommate get on plane strapped

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A US Airways employee had the brilliant idea of helping his roommate bring a concealed semiautomatic handgun onto a plane yesterday. On the bright side, this would have meant one less gun on the streets of Philly. Now, both have been charged by the FBI.

Roshid Milledge, a customer service agent, switched bags with passenger Damien Young at the gate, so Young could bring his unloaded weapon on board the plane. He was moving to Phoenix and asked Milledge about the rules for transporting firearms. Instead of following the rules (how boring …), the customer service rep decided to elevate how passengers are treated by airlines and carried the 9mm gun through an employee entrance, bypassing security.

Another passenger, however, saw that Milledge looked “fidgety.” It didn’t take long for the authorities to find Young, who was comfortably on the plane, and bring him back to the gate (after the plane had begun to taxi).

Now, both Milledge and Young are in federal custody, and according to the Associated Press, neither seemed to be represented by council (yeah … smart).

So, what about all those other passengers on board … you know, the folks who didn’t blow off the rules? They were delayed several hours.

Yet another delay caused by airline customer service …

Misery works: airlines making money on baggage fees

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The one thing nobody says about the “nickel and dime” strategy is that it can work. For the airline industry, charging passengers for extra bags translated to more than $1 billion in lifeblood to a struggling business last year, according to the Department of Transportation. As much as you may hate to shell out that extra cash, last year, it went to businesses that desperately needed it.

Before the financial decay spread to every corner of the business community last year, airlines typically allowed two pieces of checked luggage per person and charged for anything else that followed. Then, United Airlines started demanding that passengers throw down $25 for a second bag, with US Airways following to the tune of $15.

It adds. Up. United brought in an extra $133 million. Delta picked up an extra $177 million. American Airlines wins with $278 million last year from baggage fees. Even Southwest Airlines pulled in an extra $25 million. Rick Seaney, CEO of Farecompare.com, believes that baggage fees could be worth up to $3.5 billion in 2009.

US Airways goal: survival

by Tom Johansmeyer on

US Airways offers a story of aimlessness searching for an identity. Its attempts to go low-cost in 2005 never panned not, nor did its hopes of being a global heavyweight two years later. Now, it sits uncomfortably in the middle and has the unfortunate goal of survival.

The CEO, Doug Parker, of course, has all the answers. He blames the industry analysts for making too much of the company’s woes … particularly as it has been able to squeeze an extra $160 million a year out of passengers – with 10 percent fewer seats – by implementing popular measures such as charging fees for preferred seats and checking luggage. Because of this, US Airways could turn a profit “even with a 15 percent drop in revenue this year.”

Fun!

Reasons for optimism must be balanced against, well, reality. Over the past two years, the airline has amped up its customer service. Why? It had nowhere else to go, ranking rock bottom (or close to it) on such trivial matters as on-time arrivals, customer complaints and mishandled bags. Nonetheless, progress is good!

Unfortunately, Wall Street‘s concerns aren’t dismissed with a $5 voucher for the food court and promises of a first class upgrade. After all, these are the same disgruntled passengers dismayed at having to pay for the “good” seats.

The company raised (and ostensibly burned through) $700 million it raised in credit markets in the fourth quarter of last year. While other airline stocks dropped an average of 70 percent, US Airways’ share price plummeted 93 percent.

If you invested $100 in this airline last year, you’d have $7 today. If you bought $100 in beer last year, you’d have: $100 in beer, a hell of a hangover and probably $7 from the deposits on the cans.

Which way would you go?

FAA releases US Airways flight 1549 ATC transcripts

by Scott Carmichael on

Sorry if our constant coverage of the US Air flight 1549 crash is beginning to bore you – but it isn’t often that a plane ditches in a river, and everyone is able to walk away.

The news today comes courtesy of the FAA, who just released the air traffic control transcripts of the actual event.

The audio is pretty boring, so I cut out the most interesting part where the controller is told by the pilot that he’s going to ditch in the Hudson river (as you can see in the image above).

If you really want to hear the conversation, you’ll find the MP3 file here, or a written transcript here.

Separation of the airline classes made clear in a photo

by Scott Carmichael on

This is the kind of photo I could probably post without wasting too many words on. If you ever wondered what kind of perks a first class ticket will get you, then think about the coach class passengers up to their knees in freezing cold water, watching the first class passengers take a comfortable seat in the raft.

I wonder whether any of the first class passengers demanded some hot nuts and a drink?

(Photo from Calacanis.com)