Posted by Seth on January 26, 2012 under News | 
There have been a few stories today about the unveiling of the American Airlines 777-300ER cabin interior configuration. Most of them (including Ben’s) have been rather effusive, raving about the new Business and First class cabins. And, no doubt, the press photos of those look pretty nice.
But there is a third photo included in the press release, the shot of the economy cabin:
The good news is that the photo shows a pretty nice individual IFE screen, universal power plugs and a handset to control the IFE, meaning reduced likelihood of someone tapping on the back of your seat the whole flight. And those are all good things, but there’s one really big bad thing, too. The seating configuration appears to be incredibly tight. Based on this point of view it appears that the cabin will have a 3-4-3 configuration, bringing American in line with Emirates and Air France for offering one of the most cramped coach cabin configurations in modern aviation. The aisle actually looks ridiculously narrow, too, making me wonder if this is even a real shot of the cabin, but if it is that looks like a VERY uncomfortable coach experience.
Some back of the napkin math based on the size of the power ports and the representation of things in the image suggests that the seats are about 17" wide, maybe a tiny bit less. That’s quite a bit tighter than their current economy products, especially compared to their current long-haul configurations. And they’re articulating – or "slidey" – seats, which means the legroom gets worse when reclined. Ouch.
There was some suggestion that there is going to be a "Premium Economy" product rolled out as well, but no details on that in these photos or in the release. That leaves me a smidge skeptical. Adding that to match their oneworld alliance partners would make sense in many ways. It is also the fastest growing segment of seating in the industry. Then again, when starting from zero relatively recently, it is easy to make "fastest growing" show up. It would be a first for a US-based carrier, so it is worth keeping an eye on.
The premium cabins look quite nice. Matching Cathay Pacific for the business class seat is particularly nice. But most passengers are going to be stuck in those economy seats and it looks painful. I hope it is better than that makes it appear.
It also seems that American has decided in the past 8 weeks to shift the planes from the originally announced service to London, putting them on the Dallas-Sao Paulo route instead. That’s a pretty inefficient utilization plan for the newest, nicest, planes, so they must think they’re going to drive some serious premiums on the route. Good luck.
Posted by Seth on December 14, 2011 under News |
And who the heck is buying it? I don’t know the answer to those questions but there’s a guy currently under arrest in Reunion who apparently knows the answer.
The 28-year-old photographer, based in Canada, would travel first class on Air France and other carriers and disembark with a stash of airline napkins, glasses, plates, blankets and anything else he thought he could sell online, according to French police.
OK, so I’ve taken a blanket before. And I’ve got a set of the cool airplane salt & pepper shakers from an airline or two. But even clearing out an entire plane of all the tableware it seems that it would be difficult to generate so much in sales as to net €10,000 in sales, even over a 3-year period as is alleged. That’s some serious eBay action.
Posted by Seth on November 22, 2011 under Flying, News |
Faced with "poorly performing" routes and an uncertain economic future, Delta has announced that they are trimming six international destinations from their Atlanta hub in 2012. One of the destinations, Shanghai, has been an on-again, off-again operation with limited service (currently only 2x weekly). The other destinations being cut – Athens, Copenhagen, Moscow, Prague and Tel Aviv – were all seasonal destinations which are not being reinstated as originally expected in the Summer ’12 season. Oh, and the timing of these cuts is a bit of a smack at the ATL airport authority. The airport’s new international facility is scheduled to open in 2012 right as demand is apparently drying up.
A few seasonal destinations from New York City are also being cut by Delta, including Manchester, U.K.; Budapest, Hungary; and Berlin.
But it isn’t all cuts for Delta. They are picking up the slack for SkyTeam and anti-trust alliance partner Air France, operating the Seattle – Paris route starting in March the day after Air France leaves the market. On that route it is most likely a fleet utilization issue as the two carriers share profits and expenses on many transatlantic routes thanks to the ATI arrangement. Delta will also be adding service between Detroit and Paris, likely for similar reasons.
There’s a lot more red on that map than green.
Tags: Air France, Athens, Atlanta, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Delta, Detroit, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Prague, Seattle, Shanghai, Tel Aviv
Posted by Seth on August 17, 2011 under News |
Apparently this concept is harder to comprehend than it should be. And, recently, the issue is apparently managing to use a lavatory at all. Ick.
First up was the guy on a JetBlue flight who, while underage, got tanked prior to a flight and then couldn’t quite make it all the way back to the lav before unloading his bladder.
I was drunk, and I did not realize I was pissing on her leg.
Yeah, not so classy. And apparently the indecent exposure charge comes with a potential $1,000 fine and 1 year in prison, along with the loss of his position on the US Ski Team development squad. Not that it matters all that much, but the family is insisting that the guy missed.
Fast forward a few days and switch continents to France and apparently the situation repeated itself. Apparently French actor Gerard Depardieu had a few too many drinks (it is not clear if they were alcoholic or not) prior to his flight yesterday and needed to use the lav. The cabin door was closed and they were taxiing for departure so the flight attendants instructed him to remain seated. He apparently didn’t like that policy so he relieved himself in the cabin.
France’s Europe-1 radio aired an interview with the passenger, identified only by her first name Daniele, saying that Depardieu appeared inebriated and announced "’I need to piss, I need to piss." The passenger said when the cabin crew told him to remain seated during takeoff, "he stood up and did it (urinated) on the ground."
Not a great week for lavatory service.
Posted by Seth on June 24, 2011 under frequent flyer, News, points |
First it was the YouTube video of soldiers being charged the appropriate fees for checking their bags on a Delta flight that caused the airline to change their policies and issue an apology. Then things calmed down for a few days and it looked like we were back to normal. But it could not last. No, Delta found itself in the middle of a mess again this week when someone managed to completely misinterpret the carrier’s policies regarding a planed partnership with Saudi Arabia Airlines as part of the latter’s efforts to join the SkyTeam alliance.
With awesome headlines like "Delta adopts Saudi ‘no-Jew’ fly policy" and "U.S. Jews Not Able To Fly On Delta Flights To Saudi Arabia" it i s no wonder that the media went crazy over this one. And eventually Delta capitulated. It is a sad day indeed.
The uproar is over the fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("KSA") generally will not issue visas to travelers who state their religion as Jewish on their passport or who have stamps from Israel in their passport. Every airline is responsible for ensuring that passengers boarding an international flight have the correct documentation to permit them entry at the destination country. The fines can be severe for non-compliance. So Delta would be required to comply with the policies of the KSA and ensure that passengers boarding a flight had the correct Visa. If they do not then they do not board. This is not racism, anti-Semitism or anything else that the stories written about it have claimed, at least not on the part of Delta. But with leading paragraphs like this one, it is easy to see how the facts got confused:
Delta Air Lines’ plan to add Saudi Arabian Airlines to its SkyTeam Alliance of partnering companies would require the American carrier to ban Jews and holders of Israeli passports from boarding flights from New York or Washington bound for Jeddah, prompting outraged accusations of illegal religious discrimination.
What is most interesting to me, however, is Delta’s response. In a blog post yesterday they did their best to clarify the situation and in doing so they appear to have made a few assertions that are, at best, confusing. For example, on the topic of service to Saudi Arabia Delta offered this:
Q: Do you operate any service to Saudi Arabia?
A: No, we don’t codeshare with any airline that serves that country
Except they do. Delta codeshares extensively with Air France which offers service to Riyadh 3x weekly. There is no Delta code on that flight but that’s not the statement made in their answer.
The other interesting assertion in their post is this one:
Q: Will Saudi Air’s membership into SkyTeam affect Delta customers?
A: Simply put, no. We don’t intend to codeshare or share any reciprocal benefits (such as frequent flier benefits) with Saudi Air.
The whole point of the global alliances is a seamless travel experience across member carriers. Things like frequent flyer point earning and redemption reciprocity and codeshares are the reason the alliances exist. And instead of celebrating the growth of the alliance Delta is yielding to the fear mongers and bible-thumpers and disavowing all relationships.
Let me be very clear on this: I’m not a fan of the KSA policies. I’m also not planning on visiting soon. But I’m also not supportive of boycotting a company in the USA that does no business there, certainly not with misinformation and knee-jerk reactions like the ones we’ve seen this week.
It never ceases to amaze me how the idiots can drive policy by proclaiming their ignorance louder than anyone smart.
Posted by Seth on May 8, 2011 under frequent flyer, News |
Back in November 2010 rumors started to circulate around an enhanced economy class product that Delta would be offering on its long-haul flights. Details were scarce at the time but as of this week things are much more clear with the official launch of Economy Comfort. The service will be available starting June 1, 2011 on wide-body aircraft only.
Economy Comfort will include up to four inches of additional legroom and 50% more recline than traditional coach seating. It will also include free booze throughout the flight. Even with those benefits it is not considered a separate cabin of service. That means upgrades from coach to BusinessElite are still a single upgrade (unlike Air France, which would consider it a double upgrade due to their premium economy product) and the upgrade should not attract higher APD taxes for flights departing the United Kingdom.
It will be offered to Diamond and Platinum elites for free. Gold elites will receive 50% off and Silver elites will receive 25% off the published prices. Based on some early data points the price seems to vary between $80-160 per passenger. That is pretty much comparable to the rates charged by United Airlines for their Economy Plus product, though United gives it to all elites for free.
Hat tip to The Points Guy for noticing that it is finally on sale.
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Posted by Seth on January 10, 2011 under News |
SkyTeam, one of the three major global airline alliances, is growing again. The Middle-Eastern carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines has joined the group, according to reports. This is not unexpected; the potential for this move was reported a month ago when the carrier signed an agreement with SkyTeam member Air France to establish a significant code-share and joint marketing agreement. Then again, the Saudia website only mentions the code-share agreement, not the alliance shift, so it is not particularly clear that this really is a move the alliance can claim as growth.
If the story is true it would be the first major Middle-Eastern carrier to join one of the global alliances. The other carriers in the region have, to date, all remained independent with specific bilateral agreements where appropriate.
Still looking for confirmation from any of the associated press groups (SkyTeam is somewhat notorious for not updating their website with changes like this) and hoping to nail this down shortly.
UPDATE: A press release was issued this afternoon confirming the move. The carrier is expected to be integrated into SkyTeam in 2012.
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Posted by Seth on November 4, 2010 under News |
Details are a bit sketchy right now as there isn’t a lot of public information about the change, but there are multiple reports that Delta’s company intranet is offering up information about a new Y+ section on the carrier’s international fleet. There are many different ways that the cabin could be offered, ranging from the United Airlines/JetBlue version of just extra legroom up to the legroom/seat width/catering upgrades that carriers like SkyTeam partner Air France offer. Initial indications suggest that the new product will only be increased pitch, but it is not yet certain.
There are many other questions still to be answered beyond the above uncertainty about which type of premium economy product the new cabin configuration will represent. Most notable for frequent flyers is the question about upgrades. Will getting a seat in that section require an upgrade instrument for all passengers? Just non-elites? Is Coach to BusinessElite now considers a two cabin upgrade? What about earning points in the new section of the cabin? Will they earn at a premium rate commensurate with the higher cost of the seat or just the regular economy rate? And will the regular economy section become even tighter as a result of the new product?
Lots of questions but still some mostly positive news in the world of airline passenger comfort.
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Posted by Seth on September 26, 2010 under All You Can Jet, AYCJ, Trip Reports |
JetBlue might not have quite as extensive of an international route map as some other legacy network carriers, but I still managed to get to the Orient using my All You Can Jet pass. Orient Beach, that is.
Located on the French side of St. Martin, Orient Beach is a small town with a couple miles of white sand, a few dozen hotels and merchants and crystal-clear blue water as far as the eye can see. The town also has a number of restaurants in it, all within walking distance, so I was able to find some good food even though my rental car was broken and i had to disconnect the battery overnight to turn off the horn that was sounding incessantly. It is off-season in St. Martin right now so many of the shops and restaurants are either closed or running on limited hours but overall there was still enough to see and do and eat to keep me going.
After a morning walk the length of the beach – and passing plenty of naked old dudes having their morning constitutional as well – I settled in on a beach chair at La Playa, adjacent to L’Hoste Hotel where I was staying. I saw about a dozen people total over the next two hours which was just fine with me. A bit of quiet reading and relaxing time was quite enjoyable given my flight patterns the past couple weeks.
And then it was back to the Dutch side of the island and making my way back towards the airport. I drove through Phillipsburg and across the southern edge of the island as I made my way back towards Maho beach. Phillipsburg has a lovely beach of its own and plenty of hotels, as well as being a somewhat developed section of the island with grocery stores, shopping and industrial areas.
I returned the car early and headed to the airport to grab my boarding pass before a bit more plane-spotting at Maho beach. The line was completely ridiculous, however, three hours before departure so I made the 10 minute walk to the beach without having checked in first and figured I’d just hope for the best. It was worth it as just moments after I arrived at the beach – literally I dropped my bags in the sand to grab these shots – an Air Carribes A330, F-ORLY, arrived from Paris. What a beauty.
After that a couple US Airways planes – an A320 and a B757 – came in.
And then the real moment of truth for this day, the Air France A340-300 arriving from Paris.
Now it was only 1:40 prior to my flight’s scheduled departure so I bid adieu to my AYCJ pals I was plane-spotting with and hoofed it back to the airport. No line at check-in which was great. I also learned why I had been unable to complete online check-in. I got SSSS’d. Seriously. That hasn’t happened to me in 5+ years. I was shocked. Even the guy working the counter couldn’t figure it out.
The crazy part is that apparently it didn’t matter. No one checked anything special throughout the immigration or security screening process. They didn’t even check my boarding pass as I went through the metal detectors. At the gate the same agent took my ticket and asked me to make sure I had my bag inspected by the rent-a-goons they had performing “random” secondary screenings in the jetway area.
I probably could have just walked past that without trouble but I was curious to see just how thorough my screening would be. Not very. The buy didn’t make it more than 2 layers down into one of my two bags before waving me on. Don’t get me wrong – I think most of the “security” crap today is, well, crap – but they barely even tried here even after I was apparently flagged for some reason.
Off to seat 12A and a nice, smooth flight back up to New York City. A bit of a nap and a bit of screaming from the baby next to me, plus the lap child he was holding, and I made it safe and sound. Just another day in the Jetting life.
Posted by Seth on September 24, 2010 under All You Can Jet, AYCJ, Trip Reports |
“Oh, you again.”
Probably not the way most folks want to be greeted when boarding a plane. For me this morning, however, it was just another JetBlue flight attendant who I had previously had the pleasure of flying with during the All You Can Jet month and one who remembered me. Good to see you again, too, Michael.
This is also my first AYCJ flight where I’ve been acutely aware of just how many others on the pass are on the flight. There were a number of AYCJ conversations going on in the cabin during boarding. Hearing “Where else have you been?” is a pretty good indicator on that front. The flight attendants took a quick poll just prior to departure, asking all the AYCJ folks to raise their hand. I counted roughly 20. A solid showing.
A bunch of us chatted during and after the flight about going to watch the planes land at Maho Beach but there was nothing definitive. At the rental car office the couple sitting behind me happened to show up on the shuttle after mine. We all started chatting with the guy behind the counter about plane spotting and I mentioned that the KLM MD-11 was due in about an hour hence. The other couple was nearly as excited as I was (he was much more than she) and we drove over to Sunset Bar, had a couple Carib beers and watched the planes land.
It. Was. Awesome!
I also confirmed that an Air France A340 is due in tomorrow afternoon shortly before my flight leaves so I’ll be back at the bar to catch that arrival, too.
I’m staying on the French side of the island, right on Orient Bay Beach. Quite nice, though it is clearly off-season and a bit quiet. That’s actually probably a good thing for me.This was sunset from the bar on the beach:
Yeah…life doesn’t particularly suck at all right now.
Posted by Seth on May 14, 2010 under News |
Looking for an opportunity to experience the Airbus A380 but not willing to commit a ton of time or money to that search? Air France just might have the solution you’re looking for. The airline has announced that they will be operating one of their A380s on the London Heathrow – Paris route 3-4x weekly this summer. This will be the only short-haul route that the aircraft operates on and the fares aren’t bad at all.
The fares range from £80 in coach to £280 in business class. Service will be offered once daily on Saturday, Sunday and Mondays all summer long, as well as Fridays in July.
I just checked my schedule for the summer and I don’t have any weekends in either Paris or London, at least not yet.
