Archive for August, 2005
August 24 2005
Eos, a start-up run by a former British Airways Executive, will launch all-business class service from New York to London Stansted beginning in September. The 757s, normally designed to hold around 200 passengers, will be outfitted with just 48 seats. Fares will start at $6,000 round trip, so, knowing my readers, none of you will ever fly on it. Neither will I.
Bless them for trying, but this type of service is ripe for secondary markets without lots of service. It will be much more difficult to convince consumers to fly an airline they’ve never heard of, when first class service is available from many others at a similar price.
Uncategorized | No Comments » 
Print This Post
August 24 2005
In Peru a TANS Boeing 737 crashed in a remote jungle airport after attempting and emergency landing without its landing gear. TANS is a commercial airline founded by the Peruvian Air Force which has focused on routes to remote destinations. This flight was on its way from Lima to Pucallpa.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 24 2005
Midwest Airlines, which used to be known for its all-business class seating before it eliminated the product on some flights, is upgrading its Minneapolis flights to all business class seating. Flights will feature a 2-by-2 layout and, best of all, hot cookies. The move was made to get back at Northwest, which has introduce a bunch of flights out of Midwest’s home base in Milwaukee.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 23 2005
It’s a big day for plane spotters: US Airways has released photos of the new livery (paint job) for the combined airline (you can see the photo here). If you’re really interested in this type of thing, Airliners.net will have lots of photos up in the next day or 2. A quick glance shows that it’s actually quite nice, a combination of the two current liveries, though the plane is primarily white (instead of US Airways’ black) to handle the 115 degree Phoenix temperatures.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 23 2005
It appears that Northwest’s first full weekday schedule while its mechanics were on strike went relatively smoothly for passengers. News reports note that management says that delays and cancellations were few and far between, while union spokespeople say that disruptions were frequent. It appears that the reality is that cancellations are still pretty infrequent, but that delays are up somewhat. While most passengers are getting to their destinations without a problem, both United and American have offered to take Northwest passengers on their flights (customers must convert their e-tickets to paper tickets).
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 22 2005
Gate 1 Travel is offering a $599 5 night package from NYC to Buenos Aires for travel in September and October. The whole package is less than airfare alone. Great deal.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 22 2005
Well, I was half right about the Northwest strike (which is why you should only believe about half of what I say): Northwest’s mechanics did, in fact, go on strike, (oops!) but I was correct that their operations have pretty much continued without disruption. There are lots of mixed reports in the media about flights being late, but it appears that Northwest weathered their first weekend with few problems. Their weekend schedule is lighter than their weekday schedule, so today is their first real test. Even so, if you’re booked on a Northwest flight this week, you’re probably in pretty good shape.
Uncategorized | 2 Comments » Print This Post
August 19 2005
Frommers has a nice rundown of packages to Turkey for this winter. Turkey used to be a crazy expensive place to get to—but no more. The highlight? Troy Tours has a six day package from New York that includes airfare and hotel for a way low $499. Hard to beat that…
Uncategorized | 2 Comments » Print This Post
August 19 2005
Northwest Airlines’ mechanics are set to walk off the job on Saturday if labor and management cannot come to an agreement on contract terms. The airline says that it has hired and trained sufficient replacement workers to keep the carrier running should there be a walkout, and the public appears to believe them, as ticket sales have not fallen off. If you’re flying Northwest this weekend, check out the Labor Update portion of Northwest’s website during the day. My guess? They’ll extend the strike deadline and make a deal. Northwest is the only major carrier not to receive significant givebacks from labor.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
August 19 2005
A Northwest Airlines 747 flying in from Tokyo had its landing gear collapse while landing on Guam, injuring three passengers. Passengers were evacuated down the aircraft’s emergency slides. Guam’s airport was closed after the incident, and traffic was diverted to Guam’s Air Force base or to Saipan.
Uncategorized | No Comments » Print This Post
« Prev - Next »
Eos to Launch All Business Class Flights to London