Boeing has gone all out to say it is updating software and the 737 MAXes will be back up in a few weeks. No problems anymore! But will people still refuse to board? No one wants to talk about that. What passengers now want to know is how to avoid that bad plane. Everyone who has watched… Read More
Boeing, Boeing, GONE! Last Wednesday, President Trump announced the grounding of the 737 MAX fleet in the United States, making it the last major country to take this step. His statement came after days of turmoil that saw Boeing stock descend steadily while nation after nation moved to bar the fast-selling plane from flying.… Read More
Serious problems were exposed this week by the Southwest Airline Pilots Association when the organization’s leader said that 80 percent of its maintenance is outsourced. This is far more than other airlines. United Airlines farms out 51 percent of maintenance, Alaska 49 percent, Delta 43 percent, and American 33 percent, the union said. Last Friday, Southwest… Read More
We live in an automated society. In the 1800s, 90 percent of the population lived on farms; today it is around 1 percent. We’re seeing jobs being automated away, and we adapt. But what about fully automated flight controls? The October crash of a Lion Air jet off Indonesia, killing 189, raised questions about Boeing rapidly… Read More
Behold, the new Greyhound of the skies! American Airlines’ new A321 Neo. Sardine seating? Check! One lavatory for 60 passengers? Check. One flight attendant per 50 passengers – which equals no flight attendants? Check! No seatback screens, aka no in-flight entertainment? Check! However, this may be insulting to Greyhound, we understand, because at least the… Read More
Remember the good old days, when frequent flyer programs were easy to decipher and actually rewarding? Travelers earned mileage based on distance traveled. Airlines rounded mileage up to 500 for short flights, free tickets were easier to accrue, miles never expired, and award travel was basically free, requiring little more than a Saturday night… Read More
As we look back with pride on our successes, and look forward to another year of challenges, we gratefully reflect on the fact that we are an organization supported entirely through the generosity of our members. Again we must ask you, our loyal membership, to continue your generous support in 2019. The fight is far from… Read More
Boarding Changes Reward Higher-Paying Travelers In attempt to ease rush for luggage space, carriers are charging passengers more to get on the plane sooner Alison Sider Dec. 21, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET WALL STREET JOURNAL Airlines are changing boarding procedures as the fight among passengers for overhead storage space intensifies.… Read More
We get plenty of questions, but one we recently received deserves a wider audience: What things are most likely to trip up a passenger in a contract of carriage? All airline contracts of carriage are contracts of adhesion, involving no bargaining power by the consumer. Read more about adhesion here. You agree to the airline’s… Read More
What is the difference over regular economy and the dread Basic Economy? … Read More