Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Vouchers and Amenities
Sometimes it helps to think of flying as a game. As with any game you have to know the rules or you aren’t going to win. Since we are at that time of year where flights are at or above capacity and weather delays start to wreak havoc on airline operations, I thought we could talk about the rules involving vouchers and amenities.
If you misconnect, that is miss your connection flight, and it wasn’t your fault then you are usually entitled to some form of compensation. The airlines have various implements at there disposal to keep you happy when they are at fault. These include things such as airline miles, overnight kits, food and hotel vouchers. If you are stuck in a connection city for a few hours, they can give you food vouchers so that you can get a bite to eat. If you are stuck there overnight, they can put you up in a hotel and give you and overnight kit. The overnight kits usually include some necessities such as deodorant, a razor, shaving cream, a shirt, and other essentials you might need. They can also offer this to you if you bag is missing when you arrive.
If you find yourself on an oversold flight, then you can stand to profit from it by taking a voluntary “bump” from the flight. If you can fly at a later time, sometimes just a few hours later then the airline can compensate you with vouchers good for a couple hundred dollars. If you are involuntarily removed from a flight due to an oversell of weight restriction on the flight then they have to offer you almost double what the voluntary passenger gets and you are able to get cash or check instead of a voucher. for more specific numbers check out the DOT site.
Being informed is very important with flying these days. The airlines are out to save a buck anywhere they can. They pull in charges with things like baggage fees but are not nearly as faithful in handing out the vouchers an amenities that are owed when they make mistakes. If you know your rights you can speak up and get what’s owed to you. If the airline still doesn’t do what’s right, document it and report them to the DOT, Department of Transportation, let them know you intend to do this. They get severe fines for not following the rules and would rather take care of it with you than deal with the DOT for non-compliance.
Tags: airline, airline miles, Amenities, bump, compensate, connection, flights, flying, hotel vouchers, misconnect, operations, Vouchers
US Airways defers Airbus
US Airways announced today that it will be deferring the delivery of 54 Airbus jets. It will wait until at least 2013 before accepting the Airbus aircraft to add to it’s fleet. US Airways had intentions of going to an Airbus heavy fleet and phasing out the other aircraft. Although this will put those plans on hold, this move also keeps the Tempe, Arizona based company further away from bankruptcy. The move has approval by some on Wall Street.
By not accepting the Airbus jets at this point US Airways will save 2.5 billion over the next three years. This is a move that shows responsibility during an economic downturn. With hard decision making the airline sets itself up for survival in the long run.
Tags: airbus, aircraft, airline, bankruptcy, jets, US Airways, Wall Street
Be Cool
Be Cool, a simple rule to follow when flying. A lot of the times however, the airline system seems to be a challenge for most people’s sense of calm and cool demeanor. In spite of this, you have to realize that there are consequences for violating this rule. Forty-nine year old John Murray found this out November 17th when a US Airways flight diverted to Boston and had him removed from the flight.
Details are sparse at the moment but it is clear that at some point after takeoff from Philadelphia Murray became unruly and disruptive with the flight crew. The flight on it’s way to London was diverted by the flight crew to Boston when the Scottish man refused to take instruction from the flight crew involving an arm brace he was wearing. The reports say that he was arguing and causing a disturbance with other passengers.
That’s not all he did to the other passengers, the US Airways flight was delayed in Boston for 2 hours and 40 mins due to the unruly passenger. While unsure of the actual circumstances involving the dispute, Murray’s inability to keep his cool resulted in the flight and passengers being delayed. Murray is also now in custody of the Boston police for ” interfering with crew on flight 728.”
There are no allegations of terrorism, substance, or alcohol use involved in this case due to appear at East Boston District Court. There is an old saying that states: you have to pick your battles and I would add that you need to pick the place from where you wage those wars. Clearly aboard a flight going anywhere, let alone an international flight, is not the appropriate place to pick a fight. You will not win this dispute, the law and powers that be will always come down on the side of the flight crew.
If you have a dispute with the airline or flight crew, keep your calm and wait until you are off of the plane to make your argument or complaint heard. The consequences of not doing so, are hardly worth the instance which usually provokes these sorts of things. Murray has a girlfriend who lives in the states and frequently travels between here and there. Hopefully, after this incident Mr. Murray will learn to master this first and most basic rule of flight . . . Be Cool.
Tags: arm brace, Be Cool, Boston, delayed, diverted, flight, flight 728, flight crew, flying, international flight, John Murray, passengers, Philadelphia, takeoff, terrorism, unruly passenger, US Airways
What’s in Your Garage?
For many out there, the garage is place to store you car and possibly some excess storage. For Anthony Toth, it is the storage space for his Pan Am 747 jet. Pan Am has been defunct since 1991, but Toth won’t let the airline fade into memory. Toth has been recreating the first class cabin and galley of a Pan Am 747 in his garage. He has been buying the pieces for his creation for twenty years now.
Where does he get the parts for his labor of love? There is an airline junkyard, a couple of hours outside Los Angeles that is a gold mine for this Pan Am enthusiast. The junkyard mainly caters to Hollywood for movie props but Toth has given them a hefty amount of business as well, to the tune of $50,000.
Toth has been recreating the jet from a series of pictures he took as a child documenting all the details of the cabin. The obsession stems back to a family vacation from his childhood days. His work is amazing and from the inside you definitely get the feel of being transported back in time to 1979 in a actual Pan Am jet. He not only has the seats, overhead bins, and galley, but Toth also has authentic details down to the airline’s magazines and place settings. For him, it is an ongoing work which may never be done.
Anthony Toth works for United Airlines as a sales manager and often entertains friends in his jet. He even as pre-packaged nuts to hand out to his guests. CaptainNowhere.com salutes you Mr. Toth way to bring your work and passion home with you.
Tags: 747, airline, Anthony Toth, enthusiast, first class cabin, galley, garage, Hollywood, jet, junkyard, Los Angeles, Pan Am, United Airlines
Track a Flight? There’s an App for That.
FlightAware has introduced a free app for iPhone and iPod Touch users to track flights on there mobile devices. With the app you can track the real-time status and position of any commercial flight. It includes a full screen map which tracks weather, speed, and altitude.
Besides commercial airline flights, you can also track private or corporate jets. You can search buy origin, destination, airline name, or flight number. It also allows you to see delays, routing, and other flight information. The app is available for free at: http://flightaware.com/iphone/.
Tags: FlightAware, free app, iPhone, iPod Touch, mobile devices, track flights
Captain Sully in the Cockpit Soon?
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who safely avoided disaster by landing a US Airways flight in the Hudson River, will be returning to the cockpit soon. The word from US Airways is that he has completed the necessary training to make his return and is working out the details of his flight duties.
Among those duties, he will receive a promotion into management. He will be a “management pilot” on the airline’s flight operations safety management team. Captain Sully says: “In my new role, I will continue to be the same kind of advocate for aviation safety that I have been for several decades.” He is the head of his own aviation safety firm and a former Air Force pilot.
Capt. Sullenberger looks toward to getting back in the pilot’s seat. In a recent statement, he says “ I have missed working with my colleagues at US Airways, and I am eager to get back in the cockpit.” His book is set to release next month documenting the splash landing titled “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters”.
Tags: aviation, aviation safety, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Captain Sully, Cockpit, flight, Hudson River, management, pilot, promotion, US Airways
Trusted Travelers
Do you fly international often and wish there was a quicker way to get through the hassle of customs? There is, the Trusted Traveler Program can speed you through this process. The program lets travelers use kiosks that take fingerprints, digital pictures, and answer questions to get through Customs.
The cost is $100 for five years of the service. You have to put in an application and have an interview. A background check is done on you, and once cleared you are in the program. At the moment there are thirteen airports which use the program among those are: JFK, Los Angeles, O’Hare and Atlanta. You can put and application or look at more information here.
Is it a service you would value? Or do you think it makes sense to be made to pay for impersonal service? We want to know what you think please let us know.
Tags: Customs, fly international, travelers, Trusted Traveler Program, Trusted Travelers
Too Many Carry Ons
A new type of passenger has emerged, the bag fee dodger. Airlines charging for bags have spurned many into bringing more carry ons. This seems to be making passengers who pay the fees upset. Mainly because the fee dodgers are getting bags checked for free at the gate. When a passenger shows up to the gate with a bag that won’t fit into an overhead compartment or, if the overhead bins are full because there are too many being brought, the airline gate checks them. This usually results in the passenger getting a free checked bag or two. Most airlines are supposed to charge for the gate checked bags but are waiving the fees with regard to getting flights out on time or not wanting to deal with the hassle of the charges.
Who is at fault? The passengers are always going to try and get away with what they can. Is it fair that some are caught at the various checkpoints and others are not? Shouldn’t they get stopped by the agent at the counters? The agents checking in for flights usually don’t like to deal with the grumbling passengers over bag fees but most try to do their job. Most of us get to pay the fees due to an airline representatives doing their job. But the ticket counter can be a very hectic place and agents will miss things. What about security? TSA is also supposed to be enforcing the quantity and size of bags passing through. But, you will find that for the most part they are more concerned with searching for prohibited items and moving the line along.
Overall, the one common denominator for bags getting past is “time”. Every aspect of air travel involves moving you and your stuff through as quickly and smoothly as possible. If the measures were to be enforced, more delays would negatively affect passengers as a whole.
There are two solutions, in my opinion, for this. One get rid of the checked bag fees or two, start charging for carry on luggage. Personally, I can understand those trying to dodge the fees but I also would be upset if I paid the fee and someone got away with it for free. This is just the byproduct of the new system of checked bag fees.
Tags: airline, airline representatives, charges, checked bag, checked bag fees, checkpoints, delays, fee, gate checked, luggage, overhead bins, passengers, TSA
God Hijacks Plane: Preacher in Custody
Jose Flores, a 44-year-old Bolivian preacher and resident of Mexico, is in custody for hijacking an Aeromexico Flight allegedly under the orders of God Almighty himself. At 1pm on September 9th 2009 the pilot from Aeromexico Flight 576 radioed in that a passenger onboard had an explosive device and was demanding to speak with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The explosive, he told flight attendants he had, was a can of juice with little lights attached. The man on board, Flores, demanded the flight circle Mexico City seven times before landing. The Boeing 737 did not have sufficient fuel to do this and had to land at the Mexico City Airport.
Once they landed and the SWAT team had arrived negotiations through the flight crew began. Flores, the hijacker, was demanding to speak with Mexican President Calderon and that Televisa television network send female reporters to speak with him as well. As part of those negotiations he allowed the release of all women and children aboard the flight. After the women and children had vacated the jet, the SWAT team stormed the plane and took Flores and several men from the plane in handcuffs. The other men were later cleared and released as they had nothing to do with the hijacking. Flores had indicated to the flight crew that he had accomplices as part of his ruse. Flores later admitted his only companions aboard the flight were the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
So, why had this preacher taken the flight hostage. Flores claims God had entrusted him with informing the Mexican President of impending doom. The date of the hijacking was 09-09-09 and upside down that was the satanic number of 666. He was privy of knowledge via a higher source that this date was to be harbinger of a great natural disaster unlike any other before in the form of an earthquake. It was his duty to warn the president of the eminent danger. He had received this revelation months ago but was unable to get his message to President Calderon. He felt God had given him a sign to hijack the flight as means to convey the message.
Passengers for the most part had been unaware of the situation believing the delay was due to the need for an additional security check. Once they landed and saw the police standing by armed and ready to go, the passengers became aware of the danger they were in. The situation went smoothly all things considered and passengers were left shaken but otherwise unharmed. Today is Sept.10th and the supposedly “accursed day” day has passed with no great disaster. If anything, through God’s grace the dangerous situation came to peaceful end. One passenger, Pamela Cheatham, said that she was particularly cautious about flying on possibly dangerous dates, and was avoiding flying on 09-11. The possibility of the 09-09-09 having any significance had escaped her until after this incident.
As long as there are crazy people walking the face of this Earth there will be those who carry out things in the name of God unjustly. It would be nice to see these disturbed people do things this like this in their own names. I suppose, that as far as hostage situations go aboard flights that to have such a peaceful resolutions would be the ideal.
Tags: 09-09-09, Aeromexico, Aeromexico Flight 576, airport, explosive, flight, God, hijacker, Hijacks Plane, hostage, hostage situations, Jose Flores, Mexico City, passengers, President Felipe Calderon, September 9th 2009, SWAT team, Televisa
Love is in the Air?
Is the sky a good place to find a date? According to The Courier Mail of Brisbane it may be. In an article they say: “one in 10 Australian men say they have had a relationship or romance with someone they sat next to on an airline flight, a survey on inflight preferences has found. Women were half as likely to admit to a high-altitude fling.” People who are searching for love may just want to consider a flight to Australia.
We find this interesting and would like to conduct our own poll of how many in the US and other places have found love on a jet plane. If this is you or someone you know, please leave a comment or email us. We will post results when we have signifigant amount of responses. We would welcome any unusual or funny related stories you might have. Were you married on a plane or in an airport? We look foward to hearing from you.
Tags: airport, Australia, flight, jet plane, love, Love is in the Air, relationship, romance