Jun 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Cheaper fares are being offset by an array of extra fees, as airlines try to bring in some extra revenue in order to keep planes in the sky. And, to a certain extent, it's working. United Airlines forecasts $1 billion in revenue from these fees this year – accounting for more than 5 percent of its revenue. But, as they try to find new ways to dig into your wallet, fewer and fewer new ideas ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
delta posts
New fees aren't new, but airlines keep trying
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Cheaper fares are being offset by an array of extra fees, as airlines try to bring in some extra revenue in order to keep planes in the sky. And, to a certain extent, it's working. United Airlines forecasts $1 billion in revenue from these fees this year – accounting for more than 5 percent of its revenue. But, as they try to find new ways to dig into your wallet, fewer and fewer new ideas ...The newest weapon in the battle for your money - free booze!
Jun 18th, 2009 at 2:30PM: The battle for your summer airfare dollars is getting ugly (for the airlines). For years, Qantas has been the only carrier to offer unlimited free booze on the Los Angeles - Sydney route (at least since all US airlines removed that perk). But now, Delta airlines has decided that booze may be just what passengers need to pick them over any other carrier. The airline will offer passengers in coach ...In-flight bathroom bandit strikes deal
Jun 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: All Joao Correa wanted to do was go to the bathroom. He ate something bad and needed to get it out of his system ... we've all been there. A beverage cart stood in his way, but that wouldn't deter the spirit of this passenger. He asked to use the first class lavatory: denied. So, his only hope was on the other side of that cart – which didn't move for several minutes. The chain of events ...Delta backtracks on extra bag fees
May 29th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Delta is caving to competitive pressures, cutting its plans for extra bag fees on international flights. The airline says that others have not matched its fee of $50 for the second bag checked on international flights. Now, it will only apply to travel between the United States and Europe. The fee is effective July 1, 2009.
Originally, this new fee was supposed to bring the battered airline ...Delta plane diverts after food poisoning scare
May 29th, 2009 at 1:30PM: A Delta flight on its way to Atlanta had to make an unscheduled stop at Orlando International Airport to offload three passengers suffering from food poisoning. The plane had departed Ecuador, but the condition of the three passengers was serious enough to warrant an early stop to get some medical attention. Two of the passengers were transported to a local hospital, the third refused any help. ...Giving up your seat for a voucher? Only on one condition!
May 19th, 2009 at 4:00PM: It's always pretty tempting. You're sitting in the gate area and hear the voice on the loudspeaker, offering travel vouchers and other perks if you'll give up your seat because your flight is oversold. You know the drill ... "if your travel plans are flexible." Well, while en route to the Gadling meet-up in Chicago, I got this opportunity and decided to roll the dice. Along the way, I learned a ...Misery works: airlines making money on baggage fees
May 14th, 2009 at 12:00PM: The one thing nobody says about the "nickel and dime" strategy is that it can work. For the airline industry, charging passengers for extra bags translated to more than $1 billion in lifeblood to a struggling business last year, according to the Department of Transportation. As much as you may hate to shell out that extra cash, last year, it went to businesses that desperately needed it.
Before ...March airline plunge softens in April
May 9th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Passenger traffic is still falling. That's not going to change for a while. But, the decline slowed in April, signaling that the prolonged sharp dips may be behind us. Some optimists even believe that the worst is over – though I maintain a healthy skepticism.
Note the metric being used: passenger traffic. There's a lot of mileage between asses in seats and money in the bank. On a positive ...Extra seat charges: big bias or svelte snobbery?
Apr 28th, 2009 at 8:00AM: As airlines are scrambling for any shred of extra revenue they can find, some policies are getting more attention than others. The so-called "fat passenger policies," which govern the accommodation of passengers who require more than one seat, have attracted the ire of the NAAFA. Never heard of it? It's a new one on me, too: the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. On the other hand, ...Making sense of the airline industry
Apr 27th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The situation is currently grim for airlines, having gone from "bad in January to ugly by March," according to USA Today, mirroring the U.S. economy as a whole. But, some feel that the worst is behind us. At the same time, a decline in business traveler traffic may suggest that we have a long way to go.
That's why I love USA Today ... two perspectives for the price of one!
Let's make one thing ...Angry rush to cockpit forces Delta flight to land in Boston, not Tel Aviv
Apr 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: When a Delta Airlines flight left New York for Tel Aviv, the passengers didn't think they'd be stopping in Boston. After all, though it's on the way, it's a bit close to warrant needing to stretch your legs. An angry passenger rushing the cockpit, though, tends to make an emergency landing prudent.
Late last night, Delta Flight 86 boasted 206 passengers – 205 of which were perfectly ...Wrong switch, gets Delta fighter jet escort
Apr 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Don't slip! A Delta Airlines pilot accidentally activated a hijacking alert on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv. As a result, Israeli fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane "safely" to Ben Gurion Airport. The fighter jets lingered briefly over the airliner and its 100 passengers ... ultimately for no reason. Then, they escorted the plane – and probably a confused flight crew ...Slash flies Northwest/Delta
Apr 5th, 2009 at 7:30PM: One of the few advantages to being in an airplane almost every weekend is that sooner or later, you run into someone famous. That's what happened last night on my way back from Los Angeles, where boarding my 757 I was pushed out of the way by an eager flight attendant carrying two guitar cases labeled "Slash." As I pointed them out, one guy next to me suggested that the real Slash was probably on ...Delta has Fewer Gates
Apr 3rd, 2009 at 5:00PM: Delta is getting rid of gates to save cash. According to Bloomberg.com, the airline will save tens of millions every year simply by operating with fewer gates. That seems pretty reasonable, but we have a feeling we're gonna regret saying that the next time we can't find a seat while we're waiting to board. Apparently, of the 249 Delta gates in Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis, and other locations ...Uniform changes, soft drinks wait for Delta and NWA
Apr 2nd, 2009 at 9:00AM: This week, Northwest employees will get some new threads. Delta has announced that the vanquished will don the mother ship's uniforms this week, calling it "one of the first outwardly visible signs that the two airlines are now one." More important than the employees' new sartorial splendor, free snacks are coming back to all flights! But, one important question remains: Coke or Pepsi? Delta and ...Delta passenger busts open exit door at JFK
Mar 31st, 2009 at 3:00PM: Every passenger stuck on the ground fantasizes about busting open the door and liberating people on the plane. For me, it usually involves the battle cry, "I GRANT YOU FREEDOM!!!" Of course, I'm no Robert McDonald. He acted on these urges during a delay at John F. Kennedy International Airport (yep, no surprise there). The Glasgow, Scotland resident was charged with reckless and endangerment and ...Another week, another ring of luggage thieves busted
Mar 20th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Theft from airport baggage is becoming such a common thing, that pretty soon we'll be reporting on the airports that have not yet been in the news for having a theft ring busted. This week, it's St. Louis airport that made headlines with the roundup of six baggage handlers and two of their friends who had been helping themselves to our belongings. The baggage handlers worked for a handling firm ...Northwest flight attendants go retro before assimilation
Mar 18th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Rumor in the underground has it that Northwest Airlines' flight attendants will be going retro during the last week of March, in a throwback to all of the old Northwest and Northwest Orient garb over the ages. Apparently April 1st marks the first day that staff are required to wear the new Delta uniform, so employees will be digging back into their closets to pull out the vintage gear. And as one ...Delta to investors: capacity to be cut
Mar 11th, 2009 at 10:30AM: Yesterday, Delta CEO Richard Anderson and President Edward H. Bastian sent a memo to its 70,000 employees announcing passenger capacity cuts. Distributed with the subject line, "Responding to a Worsening Economy," the memo outlines Delta's proposed changes that were planned for announcement at an investor conference later the same day. According to the memo, "In just the few months since we last ...Your paltry Delta miles aren't accepted here
Feb 20th, 2009 at 2:00PM: If Delta Skymiles could be equated to a currency, they would be Zimbabwean Dollars. Over the past several months, numerous changes at the Atlanta based company have brought significant detriment to the joint Delta and Northwest frequent flyer program. These modifications range from an increase in mileage fee for economy tickets (tickets to Europe, for example, went from 50K to 60K miles,) ...
