Airlines From the Inside Out
January 23
While rummaging through some files (of the hard-copy variety) I came across this Boeing 777 brochure. I could stare at this for hours as I’m sure some of you can appreciate. I chopped it up in the scanner to make it a bit more legible. Enjoy!
December 29
There are already a few outfits that rank airline performance so why are yours different?
I use a proprietary model that assigns numbers to 20 different factors of airline experience. These numbers make up a total score.
Planereality’s rankings compare apples to apples by using categories: i.e. comparing international business class to international business class. Comparing Delta domestic coach class to Singapore Airlines International Business class will tell you very little.
The person ranking the airlines, me, has experienced the airlines first-hand. These rankings are not a combination of tens of thousands traveler opinions
Only airlines I have flown are included in these rankings.
TOTAL SCORES: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CLASS
total possible score: 100
name of each airline links to its location on Planereality.com
1. Qatar Airways 92
2. Singapore Airlines 87
2. Emirates 87
3. All Nippon Airways 84
4. Cathay Pacific 83
4. Asiana 83
5. Malaysia Airlines 81
6. Swiss Airlines 78
6. Lufthansa 78
6. Delta Airlines 78
7. Korean Air 77
8. Virgin Atlantic 76
9. Thai 75
10. Air France 72
11. American 71
12. United 69
20 factors that make up score (last 3 are purely quantitative)
leg room
food quality
food quantity
service
schedule
value
frequent flyer program
reservation ease
check-in ease
entertainment
seat comfort
privacy
lounge
clean aircraft
beverage selection
boarding
amenity kit
average age of fleet
load- lighter the loads, better the score. based on 2009 & 2010 average
safety- based on number of fatal accidents
October 12
Last month I took a ride out to Seattle to check out the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Everything from coffee pots to carpets were on display. Naturally, I was focused on the seats. There were a few newer models on display including Zodiac Aerospace’s Cirrus Premium Class Seat, Sogerma’s Equinox and Sogerma’s Solstys. The Equinox was designed for a 2-2-2 configuration while the Solstys for a 1-2-1 configuration.
There are also some pictures at the bottom of the post that show a 767 crew rest and a Bucher/Thales front row entertainment system.
Sorry, no coffee pot, carpet or wire casing pictures, but hope you enjoy these.
Zodiac Aerospace’s Cirrus Premium Class Seat
Sogerma’s Equinox (note the stacked foot rests)
Sogerma’s Solstys
Bucher/Thales 12.1″ front row economy display
smart phone integration also at Bucher booth
crew rest
geven
geven
September 28
A few years back, someone dragged me to see Louis CK’s stand up show in Atlanta. At the time I had never heard of him, but it turned out to be the funniest stand-up I have ever been privy to. This video is a few years old, but never really gets old. I have been meaning to post it for a while.
I think Louis provides a very fair characterization of society in general. Meaning, when we get all worked up and frustrated, just take a step back and put things into perspective. He starts talking about airlines at the 2 minute mark, but it is worth listening to the whole segment to get the gist of what he is talking about. Have you seen this before? Enjoy.
September 14
Here at Sea-Tac airport and am thoroughly un-impressed with the synergies between Delta and their “partner” Alaska Airlines. To be sure, there is 0 synergy. Today’s itinerary: SEA-LAX-ATL. I booked this on delta.com and the 1st leg is operated by Alaska Airlines. I called the Delta Gold Medallion desk last night to inquire about flying directly to Atlanta. I was told that this was not a problem if I called 3 hours before the time of departure of the flight I wanted to standby on.
When I arrived at the airport, however, a different story unfolded. It took a full 25 minutes for a huffing, puffing and annoyed priority desk agent, assisted by no less than 3 other agents, to inform me that because my itinerary started on an Alaska Airlines flight, same day standby was not available unless space was immediately available on the Delta flight I was standing by for; which it was not. OK, I kind of understand this part, but why all the confusion? Nobody has ever done this in Seattle where Alaska owns half the joint?
“Can you assign me a seat on Alaska?” I asked. Nope. Couldn’t do that either.
Did I mention I could not check in online last night either? Also because my 1st flight was operated by Alaska Airlines.
I was able to check in at an Alaska Airlines kiosk, but it only provided me with 1 boarding pass to LAX. The Alaska agent told me to go to the Delta counter for the lax-ATL boarding pass.
I laughed. I wasn’t falling for that.
Unfortunately, I have had similar experiences with other airlines’ “partners”
Airlines celebrate and publicize these partnerships when they are created. They are touted as creating a more seamless flying experience for the for the traveller. Looks great on paper but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s more hassle than it’s worth (for the traveller). In my case:
No seat assignment
Can’t check-in online
Can’t get boarding for all flights
Can’t fly standby
AND still not checked in for ATL-LAX – can’t do it online or in SEA
August 2
The poll results are in and it’s a landslide. The majority (62%) of Planereality readers (or at least those who voted) believe that US Airways will be the next airline brand to disappear. US Airways received over 3 times the number of votes as the runner-up, Alaska Airlines. I have my theories as to why. Relative to other US legacy carriers, US Airways has done little to expand internationally, developed no strategic partnerships, failed to engage their customers digitally, and they have played catch-up refurbishing cabins.
OK, so maybe they want to stay away from the herd mentality. That’s fine, but what are they doing to separate themselves form their competitors? What I am I missing? Your thoughts?
Airlines advertise and promote airfare sales throughout the year. Typically there are numerous sales taking place simultaneously. A lot of travelers receive sale notifications via email, twitter or perhaps seek them out on an airline’s website. I typically ignore these fare sales as what looks good on the surface often turns out to be an average sale fare at best.
Example: fares to Europe starting at $225 each way. Wow! Cool!
But when you add fees, taxes and fuel surcharges, the fare prices out at well over $1000… A thorn in the side of the frequent flier’s existence!
I decided to take a closer look at some current airfare sales to compare the advertised price vs. what the actual fare costs. Here are the random 6 I priced out:
1) European Carrier
SALE: Fall travel from US to Europe from $284 each way
(fine print: up to $260 surcharge + weekend surcharge)
Only 1 route at the advertised $284 (BOS-LHR)
I priced random dates 10/13-10/17 for BOS-LHR
Outbound fare was $562.92
Return (most basic fare unavailable) $736.20
Total Airfare: $1299
56% More than advertised!
By the way, I looked at Kayak and there were 19 carriers cheaper than $1299 for same dates
2) US Carrier
SALE: Fall travel to Hawaii from $344 roundtrip
fine print: travel from 8/22-12/15
I priced same dates 10/13-10/17
LAX-HNL was $237 outbound & $237 return for total of $474
LAX-Maui (OGG) was $623 round-trip
37% & 81% more (respectively) than advertised
3) Asian Carrier
SALES: LAX-NRT $766 R/T
travel between 8/16–11/15
used same dates as above
priced at $882 Total
15% more than advertised
4) US carrier
SALE: flights to CA (listed under “deals”)
but no base fare no travel dates provided
the airline did give example routes (in case you don’t know what cities are in CA)
JFK-SFO $318 Total
Nothing to compare; but this price has you leaving NY at 6am and returning at 12:30am
5) US carrier
Flights to Delhi
from $516 each way was cheapest city pairing (IAH-DEL)
travel from 9/1-/9/30
fine print: up to $190 surcharge & Saturday stay minimum
example dates 9/15-9/20
$515 outbound + $515 return
$1073 all in
12% LESS than advertised (taking into account maximum surcharge)
6) US Carrier
SALE: Europe travel between 8/14-10/27
from $295 each way (for FLL-MAN) round-trip purchase necessary
$239 outbound $219 return
total $615
4% More than advertised
I was surprised at the results, admittedly assuming every flight I priced would be significantly greater than advertised. It’s really a mixed bag though! The moral? Take a minute to look at the fare sales, but don’t get too excited about the base price. Paying a bit more attention to these sales may save me a few bucks.
CONTEST: First person to name the airline that is running each “sale” in the COMMENTS section will receive a $25 AMEX gift card for their next trip. Offer expires at 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time (12 hours from time of post) Example: 1) tree top airlines 2) fuji air etc….
Boarding Area bloggers & staff cannot win. Check back in the comments section for the winner.
Mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies take place in every industry. In many cases the brand which seems the least likely to be bought, merge or go out of business is the one that does. This got me thinking, which airline brand will be the next to disappear/go away/be absorbed etc…? Here are some that came to mind. US Airways, Hawaiian, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue. What do you think? Vote to the right or add your choice in the comments section.
June 13
This past Friday a Lufthansa A380 made its inaugural flight from Frankfurt to Miami (D-AIMD). The crowds were huge and sprawling along Runway 9. The street turned into a parking lot and active railroad tracks a standing gallery. A DC-3 and DC-7 preceded the A380′s landing. In case you missed it, here is the inside of a Lufthansa A380 (D-AIMA) . Here are the photos from the event.
There are also a few other random sightings while waiting for the A380.
There has been quite an uproar over Delta’s policy of charging soldiers returning from combat up to $200 dollars each for a 4th checked bag. A gross oversight? Definitely. Should active military personnel be charged for extra bags when travelling on military orders? Absolutely not, but I have to give Delta credit on this one. Credit where credit is due, in fact.
I lived in Atlanta for quite some time, got to know many Delta employees and can tell you with certainty that these folks are a far, far cry from un-patriotic. On countless numbers of flights I have flown, Delta flight crews, be it pilots or flight attendants, have made special announcements acknowledging active and former military personnel flying on the plane that day. In some instances even calling for a round of applause. 99.9% of Delta staff will go out of their way to accommodate military personnel, including upgrading those in uniform when space is available.
When was the last time you saw the aforementioned actions take place on a Virgin America flight? Huh? When?
Greater Atlanta, all of Georgia and consequently Delta have strong military ties (aka Fort Benning, Fort McPherson, Robins AFB etc… ) Military service is not something taken lightly in these parts. Delta made an unfortunate mis-calculation and rectified the situation. Take it easy. Many thanks to all those who serve around the World!
A few weeks back you may have seen a post about a Swiss Airlines fare sale. A faithful Planereality follower suggested airfare sales should be listed with all fees, taxes and surcharges included a.k.a “all in”
This reader felt that listing just the base fare was a “buzz kill” -a term I have never heard anyone use (except myself)
I do indeed agree with said reader and thought his comment called for another installment of “Where The Good Fares Are”
This is a series of posts that highlight relatively inexpensive airfares between random city pairs on somewhat random dates. Between the price of oil and the pick up (that’s relative too) in the economy, the real great fare are not as plentiful as they were a year ago, but here are the ones I just found on Orbitz.com
OBW- Would you rather see economy or business class fares here?
Example: Sept 1, 2011 – Sept 7, 2011 (Business Class- All In- Found on Orbitz.com)
