What goes better than mixing a little airline action with Star Trek? This is an old Western Airlines ad from 1985 with Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and Spock. At the time, I doubt William Shatner would have any idea he would have a great future career as a travel company’s spokes person. Did you know he has made $600million as spokesperson for Priceline.com? Not too shabby, although he can afford his own private jet with that.
The Sky Couch is super comfy and great to snuggle with your valentine.
Man, airlines have just been pulling out all the stops with contests recently. The most recent one is pretty slick and is from Air New Zealand. Remember, not that long ago Air New Zealand showed off their new Boeing 777-300ER with the sky couch (aka cuddle class). Between now and Valentines day they are giving away a free pair of tickets on cuddle class seats to either Auckland or England from Los Angeles.
Where other contests have you making videos, this one you just need to Tweet. Everyday you have a chance to answer a question via Twitter. Air New Zealand will choose one lucky winner per day and then you’re off on your adventure. If you are super lucky, you might be the one person chosen to get an all expense-paid, week-long trip to New Zealand. Here’s how you join:
1) Go to Trazzler’s website for the contest
2) Enter your email address
3) Send a Tweet, answering their question and making sure to include “#airnewzealand http://bit.ly/ehhR” in your tweet
4) Hope to win a free trip
Air New Zealand is well known for love in the air. In October 2009, they had a match making flight and more recently they had Rico trying to set up an unsuspecting pair mid-air (and he succeeded). Is your story next?
Allegiant's Boeing 757 N902NV at Paine Field.
If you read the blog, you know I have a nice little fascination with Allegiant getting Boeing 757s. From the first announcement, to getting some of the first photos the Boeing 757 in Allegiant livery, to photos of the 757s in the new, new livery and their ETOPS delay.
Dan Webb on his blog, Things in the Sky, has a great update on Allegiant’s 757s. It looks like Allegiant will be pushing back additional purchases of used Boeing 757s and leasing others. They will only be flying one domestically to gain the experience to get ETOPS certified to fly to Hawaii. Allegiant tells me they will be flying N902NV which is currently housed at ATS at Paine Field.
The tram wizzes by at Detroit's airport. Photo from DTW.
Recently I was hanging out at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) waiting for a flight back home and I became annoyed that their airport did not provide free Wi-Fi internet. Oddly the airport did have free wired terminals were folks could check their email. I have become a spoiled traveler. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (my home base) has had free internet for quite some time. The more I travel the more and more I start finding free wireless access at airports. Heck, while waiting for the bus in Austin to go to the airport, I got free Wi-Fi from the city of Austin while standing at my bus stop.
I was voicing my frustration about no free Wi-Fi at AUS via Twitter, when Scott Wintner, who works for Pubic Affairs for Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport (YIP), reached out via Twitter and wanted to share why many airports do not offer free Wi-Fi. He pointed out that Wi-Fi isn’t free and not all airports can afford to give it to passengers without charging. I decided to try and learn more about why more airports don’t have free Wi-Fi and Wintner was more than happy to help out. Here is our talk:
AirlineReporter.com (AR): When did DTW get Wi-Fi?
Scott Wintner (SW): December 2003
AR: Who is it through?
SW: Concourse Communications (now part of Boingo)
AR: How much does it cost a passenger to get internet?
SW: The rates are established by the provider (Boingo), which currently offers several different rates and packages. You can find all of their rate/package info online at www.boingo.com (there are many to choose among). It’s important to note that, because we use one of the leading global providers, internet purchased for use at DTW also works at hotspots around the country and, with some plans, the world. Plus, customers who already have a Wi-Fi plan with another carrier with which Boingo currently has roaming agreements (such as AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.), you can login to our Wi-Fi using your existing account.
AR: How much does DTW get from each internet purchase?
SW: That’s a complicated question because it’s not as simple as a flat % or sum per transaction. So, the best I can offer you will likely be an annual total’¦ which our finance folks are working on for me now. Please standby’¦
AR: How much did it cost DTW to set up Wi-Fi?
SW: It didn’t cost the Airport Authority anything because the system was developed by the provider (Boingo). They may be able to provide you with more info about how much a system such as the one in place at DTW costs to set-up and maintain.
AR: Does “free” Wi-Fi even exist?
SW: There is ’œno such thing as free Wi-Fi’. A wireless internet infrastructure costs money to develop and maintain’¦ no news there. So, that cost has to be paid by someone. When you stay at a hotel that offers free Wi-Fi, you can bet that the cost of providing the service is merely baked-in to their operating costs and reflected in room rates. Likewise, when you go to a coffee shop, etc., that offers ’œfree Wi-Fi’, the cost of providing that service is assumed in the price you pay for a latte or a bagel there. Of course, a for-profit business could elect to absorb the cost of providing Wi-Fi by paying for it out of profits rather than charging more for their goods/services. I don’t think it’s likely for many businesses to choose that option. But, either way, someone is paying for the cost of providing internet ’“ and generally, it’s the customer.
AR: How do airports differ?
SW: Unlike hotels (which charge for a bed) and coffee shops (which charge for caffeine), airports do not charge their customers to use the airport. Yes, airports do charge for ancillary services such as parking and food/beverage/retail, but those services aren’t the airports primary reason for existing. Airport customers can ’“ and many do ’“ pass through the facility without spending a dime. So, airports can’t just jack-up their nightly rate or their admission fee to cover the costs of providing free Wi-Fi ’“ there are no such fees to raise. Sure, airports could jack-up the price of parking and concessions to cover the cost of Wi-Fi ’“ and many probably do.
AR: Can’t the costs be added to the airline’s fee for flying to an airport?
Raising airline costs at airports creates a whole separate set of effects. At minimum, those added airline costs become reflected in ticket prices. But, in most cases, added airline costs become a huge disincentive for airlines to expand (and in some cases even maintain) air service at that airport’¦ which could lead to fewer options and less competition (read: higher prices). In either case, travelers are ultimately paying the bill.
AR: Why has DTW decided not to provide “free” Wi-Fi?
SW: While finding a way to cover the cost of providing Wi-Fi is one thing, here in Detroit (as at many airports), we take it a step further. Much like parking, food and retail, we approach Wi-Fi as an important revenue stream. It’s not a matter of lining our pocketswe don’t make a profit and haven’t run a surplus in our 100 year history. Meanwhile, we have an incredible airfield here and two beautiful, new terminals that need to be both paid-off and maintained. We get a lot of kudos on our facilities here, and both travelers and airlines appreciate that we rarely have delays to due capacity issues at DTW. But, maintaining J.D. Power & Associates #1 Airport in customer satisfaction takes money. We have to get it from somewhere’¦ and, for the reasons I described above’¦ it’s incumbent upon us ’“ for the good of the community ’“ to generate as much revenue from non-airline rent sources as possible.
AR: How much does Wi-Fi factor into the airport making money?
SW: Wi-Fi is a tiny percentage of our overall revenue, but it’s something ’“ and, it at minimum pays for itself. We hope it can pay us even more, because our customers enjoy the things such revenue is used to pay for (i.e., heat, hot water, clean bathrooms, working escalators, a tram that whisks connecting customers through the mile-long Concourse A in 2 min to make their connection, clear runways, top-notch safety and security systems, etc.)
AR: Why do any airports provide “free” Wi-Fi then?
SW: To that question, I refer you back to my first key point ’“ it’s not really free. How do some airports justify increasing costs elsewhere to cover providing free Wi-Fi? That you’d have to ask other airports. But, for smaller airports, it’s often for competitive reasons. Lots of people say to me, ’œI can’t believe you don’t have free Wi-Fi’¦ even the tiny LANSING airport has free Wi-Fi,’ ’“ as if to suggest that a smaller airport would be the last to offer such a service. In reality, those smaller airports need to find ways to incentivize travelers to use them (and I say ’œsmall’ loosely ’“ airports such as OAK are actually not that small, but they are the ’œlittle guy’ competing aggressively for Bay Area traffic). In their case, airlines aren’t likely to serve their airport unless the airport can show that travelers demand such air service. The economics of the smaller ’œspoke’ airports are just entirely different than hub airports.
AR: Is there anything else travelers should know about DTW?
SW: Despite being a major hub for Delta (their second-largest), and formerly the largest for Northwest, DTW has an impressive roster of other carriers. Since we became an independent Airport Authority in 2002 (which largely affected our economics in terms of a focus on lowering airline costs), we’ve added service by Frontier, AirTran & Air France’¦ and have gained new service on Southwest, Spirit & US Airways. All of those carriers fly routes also and already flown by NW/DL, which means we’ve been able to keep the economics to these carriers good enough to take-on an established hub carrier in their own hub and not only be successful, but GROW. That’s not easy to do ’“ look at CLE today, MSP (until very recently), EWR, etc. We’ve done it with our focus on low-cost operations. We’re not the Nordstrom of airports’¦ we’re more like the Target of airports. People fly out of DTW because they know they’ll get great rates and good service with LOTS of options all under one roof.
Hmm, okay I guess I have to be forgiving of this. How can I say it is alright for airlines to charge fees on things, since I shouldn’t have to pay for what I do not use, when I demand “free” Wi-Fi at the airport. It might be a bit selfish of me to ask others to help pick up with bill for Wi-Fi when not everyone will be using it. Just it can be difficult to pay out $10 for airport Wi-Fi, then another $10 for Wi-Fi on the plane. Of course, no one is forcing me to pay for it.
The 1000th Boeing 767 (JA622A) looked gorgeous in her newly painted ANA livery.
Yesterday was quite the milestone for Boeing. About three weeks ago, Boeing invited folks to check out the 1000th Boeing 767 during final assembly. It was a small gathering of people to remember how much the 767 has done for the airline community and looking forward to a possible tanker deal. Yesterday’s event was quite a bit larger and really felt more like a celebration.
Even though the 1000th 767, in All Nippon Airways (ANA) livery, was center stage, the ceremony really honored the past, present and future of workers who have had an impact on the 767. Bus loads of retired Boeing employees, who at one time or another worked on the 767 line, were taken to the factory floor and as the ceremony progressed, current Boeing employees gathered from all around the factory to join in on the event. We were all treated to multiple professional videos showcasing the 767’s past and there was even a 767 song that was surprisingly catchy (trying to work on getting a copy of that still).
This also gave an opportunity to look at the recent 767 production line reconfigurations. While fancy lights shined on the 1000th 767, the much less popular 1001st Boeing 767 looked on. Even though it didn’t get the attention it deserves, the 1001st aircraft will be the first to actually roll off the new 767 line. To create the new line, 8000 yards of concrete were removed, a building was partly cutdown, a new hangar door was installed and 767 tooling was moved around. It was quite the change and leaves the 767 a pathway from the rear of the factory to the front with just five feet of clearance in some areas.
During the event, Jim Albaugh, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, stated he was confident that the Boeing 767 would have a long life ahead of it, even if the tanker deal does not go through. “The 767 is still a very, very efficient airplane. In fact, from a trip standpoint, it’s the most-efficient twin-aisle airplane being manufactured (it’s also the smallest).” Albaugh continued, “And we have quite a number of customers we’re talking to right now about buying this airplane for commercial use. And I think we’ll be here, I hope, in another few years to be talking about the delivery of airplane 2,000.”
After the mood lights and crowd were gone, the 767 (JA622A) still looked beautiful.
This is not to say that Boeing doesn’t have every confidence that the 767 tanker will be chosen. “It’s the best airplane,” Albaugh said. “It’s an airplane that can put more booms in the sky. It’s an airplane that’s much more efficient to operate. It’s an airplane that can forward deploy to all the fields that the Air Force needs it to go to.”
After the ceremony, when Albaugh was asked how the older Boeing 767 will be able to effectively compete with the Airbus A330, he stated that the demand for wide body aircraft will be too great and with recent cost reductions in the aircraft, the 767 can will be a viable competitor. “We have figured out a way to take a lot of cost out of this airplane. And I think now that we’ve worked through that we’re going to have a very competitive offering going forward.” He also talked about the A320neo, the 777 replacement and outsourcing lessons learned on the 787. It’s all good information, but since Aubrey Cohen with the Seattle PI covered those parts so well, I don’t want to re-hash here.
Boeing has put a lot of time and money on the line for the future of the 767. I might not have the positive outlook for the 767’s future, if the tanker deal doesn’t go through, but I would imagine Boeing has looked how to convert the 767 line to produce 787’s if needed. Let’s hope one way or another it all pays off.
MORE GOODIES:
Of course you need more eye candy: here are 28 photos of the 1000th 767 event and a video from Boeing showcasing three generations on the 767.
It is interesting (at least to me) to see the different headlines that come from people attending the same event. I find it sort of refreshing. Here are some examples (all good reads btw):
* Boeing’s new 767 line ready to make Air Force tankers by Aubrey Cohen at Seattle PI
* Boeing rolls out 1,000th 767, but all eyes still on tanker deal by Glenn Farley at KING5
* Temporary 787 line in Everett could become more permanent by Michelle Dunlop with The Everett Herald
* Albaugh says Boeing’s 767 can still find customers by Dominic Gates with the Seattle Times
* Boeing Celebrates Completion of 1,000th 767 Jet by NYCAviation