Across the U.S., commercial air travel is the main, often the only, means of long-distance transportation. Yet the airline industry is a case study in U.S. policy gone awry. Mergers have resulted in four mega airlines with take-it-or-leave it conditions while reaping consistent record profits. It may be last major industry where service standards are steadily declining for… Read More
TSA Is Keeping a Secret Watchlist of Those Who Resist Are you a smart aleck to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers? Have ever swatted away a screener’s hand or expressed displeasure at what you considered intrusive groping? Do you hang around airport checkpoints? Well, you could be on America’s newest watchlist and not know it. That’s because the list… Read More
Is economy travel just for the little people? News broke last week that American Airlines CEO Doug Parker still hasn’t sat in Economy Class on his newest and tightest aircraft, the Boeing 737MAX. Admittedly, nobody “wants” to fly economy, but shouldn’t the managers of an airline know what it’s like? Also newsworthy was that AA is… Read More
The world is waiting to hear from Southwest Airlines: How many engines have been inspected for defective fan blades? How many fan blades have been found to be defective? What percentage of the SWA fleet remains to be inspected? Some in the industry are saying stop with the negative labeling of Southwest. The airline… Read More
Finally, a worthwhile accomplishment in Congress! Thank you to all who answered our Call To Action last week and contacted your congress members, urging them to vote pro-passenger on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill. They heard you! The House overwhelmingly passed the FAA bill that renews the agency’s funding for another five years. This bill has been years… Read More
Why are new jet engines generally becoming more unreliable? Is routine maintenance being governed by the airlines’ accounting departments? Sen. Chuck Schumer said last week that the fatal accident on Southwest reveals a steep, troublesome drop in federal enforcement actions over aviation maintenance. As the recent 60 Minutes segment on Allegiant Air reported, the FAA in general has reduced its emphasis on… Read More
Calling on all passengers to contact your member of Congress to support pro-passenger measures – and oppose anti ticket price shopping measures inserted by the airline lobby, Transportation Chairman Shuster and ranking Member DeFazio. Find your Representative HERE: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 THIS WEEK. FlyersRights.org has indicated… Read More
Is air travel still safe? Within one week, 60 Minutes ran an investigative report on Allegiant Air’s safety record. And Southwest Airlines blew an engine at 30,000 feet, killing one passenger. Throw in years of Boeing 787 engine troubles– which have affected Norwegian Air Shuttle, Air India and others – and a lot of questions are raised: Is the no-fault, no-fine… Read More
Not only is 29-inch pitch becoming the new normal in economy cabins, seat makers are now claiming they can make a 27-inch pitch feel as “comfortable” as a 29-inch one. See where this is going? This week, seat manufacturers showboated their latest in sardine accommodations at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. And, running circles around the rest was a… Read More
The airline industry needs some fresh competition. It’s shown itself to be deaf to the needs of its customers, as confirmed by a study released last month by Consumer Reports which polled 55,000 members who had recently taken airline flights. The results underscore what we have been saying all along, that the increasing levying of nickel-and-dime fees is… Read More