Airline analysis, travel tips/deals and other musings
If you are interested in plane crashes, then I suggest checking out Malcolm Gladwell’s new book Outliers . He has a nice treatment on why ethnic differences, in terms of upbringing and culture, can explain certain accidents. This is not a new idea, nor is it his idea. But, as with everything Galdwell writes, it is presented to the reader in very clear, compelling prose. So check it out. The rest of the book is worth a read as well.
I just completed 6 flying segments on 4 different airlines over the holidays and have a few anecdotal observations:
1. With almost all carriers charging for checked luggage, I am seeing more and more people go through security with absurdly large bags. I remember a few years back when the TSA screening for JFK JetBlue’s flights went on a crazy kick monitoring the size of every bag coming through security. If the bag didn’t fit into the container supplied by JetBlue then they would make you go check the bag. The strict manner with which they enforced the rule was a bit overboard. Now, however, I’m seeing people get beyond security with giant bags. Not surprising but don’t be surprised if the TSA starts getting on your case about the exact dimension of your bag.
2. As always, make sure to check the price of your flight AFTER you have purchased your ticket. One AirTran segment I flew dropped more than $100 from the time of purchase. Since, it was a refundable ticket I just re-booked with no fee and saved $100.
3. Southwest will try to sell you tickets with 25 minute layovers. This is a bad idea. It might be possible if you are on a very early morning flight, but even then it is risky. Make sure you have a backup plan.
4. Continental offered me a muffin breakfast on a Monday morning flight between Houston and Fort Meyers on a EJ-145. I had already eaten, but I appreciated the gesture. I’m not sure it really brings in extra volume, but they certainly have a different product. They’ve essentially done the exact opposite of their new partner, United.
Today only JetBlue is offering 9% off flights with promo code NewYear09. Travel is valid through Feb 11. Book here.
Over at pda.continental.com, the flight status tool offers an extremely useful link: “Where is this aircraft coming from?”. It allows you to check on the inbound flight which generally is a better indicator of when your flight will actually depart. I’m not sure how long it has been around but it is the most useful PDA flight status tool I’ve stumbled upon.
I’m all for airlines actually trying to make money. The nickel-and-diming doesn’t really bother me from a strategy perspective. But, poorly executing the strategy is troublesome.
Last week I purchased and flew a segment on United. In both the purchase and check-in stages the experience was less than satisfactory. When I was buying the ticket online, I was presented with the option to upgrade to First Class on my 1 hour flight for $80. I had no interest in this and declined the option. However, the “Decline” button on the web-page wasn’t loading properly so the page froze. I was purchasing a held ticket and midnight passed as a result of the first class offer. I could no longer access the itinerary so I had to call in and speak to a few people. The issue was resolved but I had to spend a half hour on the phone from midnight to 12:30 talking to United reps.
Then, when I checked in at the airport, I was provided the same option for upgrading to First Class. I again declined this, after which the machine wanted to know if an economy plus upgrade was more suitable. The chances of receiving an E+ seat were already very high as all the economy seats had been assigned, so I again declined. Then, United was curious if I was interested in the Miles accelerator option. I declined and finally got my boarding pass.
Sure, I only had to answer a few questions. But, as a paying passenger, I knew I just wanted my boarding pass. At least allow me to pre-program my Mileage Plus account so that the machine is aware that I am not interested in those offers.
The WSJ has a good recap of the Continental Crash which occurred over the weekend. You’ll likely be reading copious amounts of speculation regarding the root cause of this crash. However, with most commercial jet crashes there is a better chance that this accident was caused by the unanticipated interaction of a few small things going wrong.
For instance, it is very unlikely that the 30 MPH winds caused this crash, as one story I read specualted. However, it is quite possible that when something else what wrong, the problem was exasperated by the 30 MPH winds. The NTSB should be out with an initial finding over the next couple weeks and everyone will have forgotten about this by the time the comphrensive report is released.
Last day to purchase E+ on United at 30% off. If you are flying long-haul the extra five inches might be worth the $70-100. For short flights I still don’t see the value. Especially, when you can just not pick a seat and chances are they’ll have to put you up in E+ anyways. (Disclaimer: The downside of that strategy is getting stuck with the middle seat in the last aisle. Up to you.)
Awhile back when Midwest Airlines announced they were cutting nearly 50% of their routes and dumping the MD-80, I always assumed they would be keeping their charter MD-80s. I assumed this because chartering can be quite profitable as you have more leeway to control you revenue stream. My assumption was wrong though as local news laments the end of service to to the Bucs and Brewers. Air Canada is picking up the slack right now for the Bucs, but no word yet on a permanent replacement.
Late last week, AirTran made news as the first airplane to sign up for flights to Branson, Missouri.
Exciting? Maybe for those flying from Atlanta looking for some good midwestern, riverboat cruises.
For the rest of us, this airport is far more intriguing as it is the only privately financed and operated commercial airport in the United States. Debt and equity combined it took the developers around $150M to get this airport going. Branson is unique in that it has sufficient demand but no airport. Flights are set for next summer and it should be interesting to watch.
I’m helping some friends with a trip to South Africa and the itineary was too much for the Delta site. I found a flight for March 5 (PIT-ATL-DAK-JNB) returning March 14 (CPT-DAK-JFK-PIT) that returns as “Refundable” for only $1400. You could probably get away with booking this and they’ll likely honor it.
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