Would you fly this airline?

Spring Airlines, a Chinese low cost carrier is introducing a series of themed flights for passengers: We’re mixing up our flights with some fun onboard themes – like these maid and butler costumes.  What’s your favourite theme that you’d like to see onboard a Spring Airlines flight?  Let us know .. and we’ll try our best to make your dream come true.

Online reaction has been mixed:

 You’ve gotta be kidding me. Objectifying [sic] flight attendants is the last marketing/promotion strategy you wanna use. I wonder what your passenger demographics look like. I do hope this marketing move is supported by solid market research…

น้องน่ารักมากครับ (Very cute idea!)

Founded in 2005 by Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, the Shanghai based private airline is actually called “Spring and Autumn Airlines” in Mandarin.  Skytrax rate them a 3 star airline. Customers give them a  five out of ten rating. This video gives a bit of an insight into the CEO and his desire to model Spring after US based Southwest Airlines:

The carrier flies to 34 destinations across China and Japan as well as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia using 174 seat 32 Airbus A320s. Fares include a 15kg luggage allowance. Food is available for purchase on  board. One of the more unusual aspects of the carrier are their inflight exercise classes.

There is a Spring Plus business class which allows more luggage - and presumably a maid.

I am not sure why an airline with a close to 95% flight occupancy needs to market itself in this way? Are they looking for the last few seats to be filled?

So, would you fly them for the maids or another reason?

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Ten Worst Airlines- 2012

This was no ordinary flight for me. According to my flightmemory, it was my 950th flight ever. In addition, it was my 275th flight with Qantas and my 24th on an Airbus A330.

Booking: 9 out of 10

Qantas’ booking engine is very streamlined. Six steps take you from enquiry to payment. If you are logged in as a Qantas Frequent Flyer, then the amount of information required to be typed in is minimal. Thanks to Skyscanner, I found the same fare on another website for $249 less. This saved me almost a third of the fare. It has annoyed me in the past that unlike Department stores, airlines don’t like to match fares. Since 2012, Qantas has offered a price guarantee: if, after purchasing a Qantas flight, on the same day, you find the Same Qantas Fare (including fare conditions) for a lower, publicly available price on an Australian website, we’ll match it. Frequent Flyers can also earn 1,000 extra points.  The site I bought from was not Australian so no bonus for me! – just a nice fare saving.

After booking and paying for me seats on the external site, I chose my seats back at qantas.com. Exit row seats were available for 90 dollars which I could not be bothered paying.  I opted for a seat as close as possible to the front of economy. I initially got  25 two rows behind the front Economy Row. 23, I looked every couple of days to see if the front row had become free. It did not.

Check in: 7 out of 10

I found Qantas online check in a little frustrating. It is supposed to be a five easy step process! For a  start,  why do I have to enter the same personal information for migration authorities every time I check in? Why cannot Qantas use my already entered name, and store my date of birth and passport information. I get tired of typing in passport number multiple times.  I also found that I could not complete the check in on my Ipad as a check box refused to respond to my response. After multiple times, I switched to a lap top and started all over again.    Still no seats available in row 23, sadly.

The use of the online check in meant I bypassed all of the queues at Sydney airport. The Economy line was crazy long. Even business class check in lines were long. Thanks to an express card obtained from a roving check in agent I got from airport entrance to Qantas lounge in just nine minutes.

Lounge: 7 out of 10

I was interested that I was recognised by three of the lounge staff. This was probably the result of some of those 275 flights! The Qantas business lounge was full. I commented on this to one of the staff and he told me this was the direct  result of the change of Qantas hub from Singapore to Dubai. He noted that the Asian flights now depart earlier in the morning, along with the Dubai flights. As a result there is now a mad morning rush in the lounges, followed by a lull until the US bound flights depart and then the afternoons are quiet. When I was in the lounge, seats were scarce, it was noisy and there were lines for the food. It was not exactly a restful expereince.

One of the the lounge staff changed me into a seat in row 23  and assured me that there would be no one next to me – he was right.

Boarding: 10 out of 10

I walked down to gate from the Lounge as late as I could so I missed out on most of the scrum. We were welcomed very warmly as we stepped onto the craft. I strolled to my seat in row 23 and settled in. Moments later,  I was greeted with a fresh orange juice, as was my neighbour across the aisle.  This is something I would get from time to time as Platinum customer. I was not sure how I won the honour on this occasion.

Takeoff

We departed a mere three minutes after the scheduled time. Take off was very smooth and we turned into the north-west bearing for Bangkok.

On board: 7 out of 10

I am not a fan of the A330, at the best of times. To me, it  feels  one of the more cramped of the Airbus family.   The 267 Economy  seats are arranged 2-4-2. They have a pitch (distance between seats) of 31″ and a width of 17″ . The 30 Business class seats arranged 2-2-2 have a pitch of 60″ and a width of 21.5.  Qantas has not had rave reviews over their economy seats. They are adequate. There are six lavatories  in economy and three in business class.

There was a tiny (and I mean tiny) amenity kit on each seat. The kit  includes a foul tasting tooth paste, cheap tooth brush and eye mask.  The kit reflects the continuing diminishing of  Qantas customer service. Once upon a time, there was more in the kit.

I asked a member of the Cabin crew if she could ask the pilot to sign my boarding pass for my 950th flight. I was very touched that Captain Pattison came down to see me and present me with a signed boarding pass.

Entertainment System: 7 out of 10

Both Economy and Business  have a seatback Audio and Video on Demand System. Qantas  has 20 Radio Channels, 120 CDS, 30 Movies, 120 TV programs including destination guides and 10 games. In Business, there are an additional 30 movies available. Found the selection, a little more disappointing than I have on previous occasions and found that I had seen all of the TV shows that I have any interest in. The system was a little slow in its responses when buttons were pressed.

While there is a power outlet in every business seat, there are no power outlets in economy which is a grave oversight in today’s world.   This distressed a fellow passenger who (almost tearfully) said that they had a full nine-hour work schedule to complete on the laptop and needed it charged. When the laptop’s battery flattened, the crew took the laptop and charged it in business class and returned it to the passenger who watched movies on it for the Rest of the flight! (not sure what happened to the work?)

Qantas has no on-board wi-fi. They cancelled the wi-fi program after a six month trial which saw five per cent of passengers using the wi-fi. Interestingly, Qantas’ new partner Emirates is continuing to roll out their wi-fi.

Meals: 8 out of 10

The crew provided a very attractive menu card, soon after take off. I chose a beef dish which was very nice. Fresh fruit available with drinks from the galley throughout the flight.
A small pizza sub was offered just before landing. Good selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, although the whites were not very exciting.

Landing

We had a very gentle landing into Bangkok, almost 30 minutes early.  I was met at the airport by a greeter service -part of the Fast Track service. They got me from gate through customs and immigration to the railway station entrance in seven minutes! (I had no checked luggage) I will use that service again!

The Verdict

My Flight Rating: Overall 80% (4 out of 5).

My Overall rating of Qantas: 4.7 out of 5 (based on my 275 Qantas flights)

Skytrax Rating of Qantas : 4 star

Positives: Staff, punctuality   Negatives: Entertainment system, wi-fi
Would I fly them again? Yes!

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Look up the monetary conversion rates before you go.

Finding out that your dollars won’t go as far as they do back home is a nasty shock.

I use currency xe online – its also a downloadable app

If you prefer a paper based tool, gocurrency has a tool that allows you to perform a currency calculation and print it on paper tuck into your wallet or handbag.

Revealed this week an A380 for the tenth operator of the A380 British Airways. The plane is due to be delivered by July, 2013 followed by three more this year and then another eight after that to make a grand total of 12 for the carrier.

The plane will be flying initially between
- London and Los Angeles from 15th October (as BA268 and 269)
- London and Hong Kong from 15th November as BA25 and BA26

The BA A380 will have 469 seats in a four class set up:
1. BA First Class – 14 “mini-suites” all on lower level. Pitch: 78″ Width: 21″
2. Club World Business – 44 seats on lower level arranged 2-4-2 and 53 seats upstairs arranged 2-3-2. Pitch: 73″ Width: 20″
3. World Traveller Plus premium economy – 55 seats upstairs arranged 2-3-2. Pitch: 38″ Width: 18.5″
4.  World Traveller economy has 199 seats downstairs arranged 3-4-3 and 104 seats upstairs arranged in a much nicer 2-4-2 setup (thats where I will try and sit if I am in Economy). Pitch: 31″ Width: 17.5″

How this compares with other operators:

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Following on from last week’s post about Czech air, the ex European bloc airlines have not fared well since the dissolution of the former Soviet states.

•  In Slovakia, Slovak Airlines closed in 2007, SkyEurope 2009 and Air Slovakia in 2010
• Last year, Malev, the airline of nearby Hungary collapsed and WizzAir has made continuous losses since launching in 2003
• Poland’s LOT is in financial difficulties
• Bosnia and Herzegovina B&H Airlines was grounded briefly last month
• Romanian government owned TAROM has had five years of losses
• Croatia Airlines has lost money almost every year since commencement in 1989 and was unable to pay for four A319s last October when it faced bankruptcy
• Slovenia’s Adria airlines has operated at a loss in 2005 and every year since 2008. The government tried to sell the airline in 2012 but no one wanted it
• A month ago, the Serbian government took over their carrier JAT ’s accumulated debt of $170million Euro, ahead of a tie up between JAT and Etihad which many hope will lead to an eventual Etihad takeover of the Serbian carrier
• Not quite Eastern Europe but over in Austria, Lauda airlines disappeared into Austrian in 2005 and Niki was taken over by Air Berlin in 2011 although unlike its new owner, it was profitable. Lufthansa took over Austrian Airlines in 2009 but were unable to stem years of losses. Last year, all of Austrian’s operations were handed over to its subsidiary Tyrolean Airways

Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG (British airways/Iberia) says there are too many airlines and favors widespread consolidation:
Will we have 1,057 airlines in five years’ time? I think the industry would be a hell of a lot better if there was half that number.

Who would take on East Europe’s airlines? Could we see Turkish or Lufthansa or IAG get the appetite for LOT? Ryanair or Easyjet or Air Berlin look at Wizz? JAT go to Etihad?

Whoever gets involved, I cannot see in five years time, the same number of Eastern European carriers. Maybe two or three big carriers (Lufthansa? Etihad?), a large regional and a smaller low cost carrier? Walsh will get his wish in this region at least!

As an Australian, I am used to people reacting enthusiastically to the mention of my country.

Last year, however, at the launch of a  $180 million “There’s nothing like Australia” campaign, research was revealed that Australians have a mixed perception internationally. 80 per cent of international travellers see Australia as “different”, 60 per cent had knowledge of it, half thought Australia was a relevant place to them – but only 30 per cent held Australia in high esteem.

• Americans saw Aussies as “carefree and rugged”  but believed Australians don’t deliver quality or good value.
• British believe Aussies are “charming and independent” but untrustworthy
• Indians see Aussies as “daring” but arrogant

The results change for people who actually visit Australia so tourism Australia is encouraging people who have visited the land down under to tell the positive stores via Facebook.

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Tomorrow will be my 950th flight ever!

It will also be my 275h flight with Qantas, my 260th time at Sydney airport and my 17th time at Bangkok airport. I have flown now to 203 airports!

I am flying im an Airbus A330 and this flight will make it the 24th time I have been inside one. It wil be the third time I have flown into Bangkok airport in one. To be honest, the 330 is one of my least favorite of the Airbus family (along with the 320).

Check out more at:

http://My.FlightMemory.com/mjc3000

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My 2012 USA flights

Last year, I travelled to 59 airports in 15 countries!

One day, stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina I called a friend for advice on where to get some good food. There have been many airports where I have wandered aimlessly from terminal to terminal looking for decent food. What I should have been doing is developing an app to help the millions of passengers annually who do the same thing.

Dan Stratman, an airline Captain with 23 years of experience has done just that declaring:  “I’m all too aware of how frustrating air travel has become. I wanted to use my years of experience to make a better travel app that would make travel smoother and easier for everyone.”

That App is Airport Life

The free version includes:

•  airport-terminal maps
•  airline rules and policies
• security rules
• weather information for your departure, connecting and arrival cities
• airport dining
• airport shopping options

There is a very handy  ”Airport Wall” feature which allows passengers to share important information with other Airport Life  such as last-minute gate changes, flight delays or cancellations.

The “First Class” version  costs $1.99 per month and provides:

•  automatic flight updates sent to your phone when itinerary changes (I get this already with Tripit)
•  an expense tracker
• a record where in the airport carpark someone has left their car (be nice if it would tell me where my keys were too!)

There are three drawbacks or disappointments about the app:

1.  the app only works at 113 airports in the USA, and Europe. Please add Asia!
2. It lacks graphics… lots of lists of text.
3. You can’t increase the font- when I don’t have my reading glasses, it is tricky

Finally, here is an ad that Captain Dan has produced.

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How I got hooked on Flightmemory.com

The FAA (the U.S. regulators) has approved the return of the grounded 787 Dreamliner to the air next week. The authority were clearly satisfied with Boeing’s fixes with US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood saying: “These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers“. The manufacturer is saying while it does not know what caused the fire, it’s fixes will deal with 80 possible causes.

“Next week, the FAA will issue instructions to operators for making changes to the aircraft and will publish in the Federal Register the final directive that will allow the 787 to return to service with the battery system modifications. The directive will take effect upon publication. The FAA will require airlines that operate the 787 to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.”

It is unclear what Japanese regulators will do. They may accept the FAA decision or require additional information from Boeing or demand additions safeguards or require the manufacturer to undertake more test flights.

The F.A.A. approval which has been expected for the last few days, nonetheless came before the National Transportation Safety Board hearings next week on why the battery ignited on the Tarmac at Boston, USA back on January 7. The Board is also investigating to what extent any potential battery risks were underestimated. Officials from Boeing, Thales (battery system), GS-Yuasa (the battery manufacturer) and the FAA have been summoned to Washington.

The 50 jets owned  by seven airlines  will start flying in weeks.
Boeing has 300 technicians deployed in teams around the world to quickly install the modified batteries and other changes on these jets, a process that takes five days per plane. I listed the fixes in a post last month.

United will probably start May 31, as foreshadowed in my blog post last week from Houston to Denver.

ANA have also placed the 787 in their schedules from May 31.

Ethiopian and Qatar have said they want their 787s in the air as soon as possible.

The F.A.A.’s decision will allow Boeing to deliver many of the 34 completed 787s in Charleston and Everett, which airlines are waiting for.

Now let’s see how the passengers feel!

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March 8: No 787 for a long, long time

February 23: Where can you find a 787?

February 16: 787 situation gets more serious

 February 9th: 787 Update- one flies, would you fly it?

  February 2: 787 still grounded

 January 25: The 787 Battery Fire: Step by step January 18: All 787s grounded- airline by airline

 January 12: 787 Safety “Concerns”

Korean Air finalised its 44 percent investment in CSA (Ceske Aerolinie AS), the Czech government owned flag carrier on April 11, 2013 for a nominal price of 2.64 million euros ($US3.4m). The government said: “We only had two options: either find a strategic partner or consider liquidation of CSA”. Korean was the only bidder for the carrier, although Qatar expressed an interest.

If the European Commission loosens regulations on foreign ownership of EU carriers then Korean Air will have first option to buy the remaining 56% stake held by the government owned holding company.  If this occurs in the next twelve months, then the price would be based on the current bid. After the year,  the asking price would be calculated by an an independent adviser.

Korean have pledged to hold their stake in CSA for five years, according to the terms of this week’s sale. In return, CSA won’t  make “significant” changes in its strategy.  Korean Air have also publicly stated they are not interested in managing the Czech carrier. Korean Air is likely to use its new investment as a feeder airline for its Asian flights making the Czech capital Prague one of its European transfer cities. Korean are also moving their European call centre to Prague.

The European airline has been running since 1923 and has 26 planes flying 59 routes. It was one of the first airlines to fly jet planes back in 1957. It is currently rated a three star airline by Skytrax. Korean, has a fleet of 152 aircraft and operates flights to 130 destinations in 45 countries including 11 European cities. This of course, includes Prague. It is a four star airline according to Skytrax. Both the airlines are members of Skyteam, along with US Carrier Delta and Air France-KLM. I have flown with Korean and rate them at eight out of ten overall. My brother has flown CSA and though they were okay.

Korean may have luck with CSA. The integration into the Korean network should prove a fillip to the smaller carrier. What the picture will look like in 2018 will be interesting.

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