Rick Seaney, who is the CEO of FareCompare.com wrote up the six worst airplane passengers via ABCnews while back and I felt it was worth sharing. Here is a preview:
* “Liquid Soap Lady”: A woman on a United flight allegedly took pills and alcohol, then tried to bite a crew member’s leg.
* “I-Have-a-Bomb Guy”: A passenger on a Delta flight reportedly knocked a crew member to the floor as he attempted to open an exit door while yelling, “I have a bomb!”
* “Drinking Buddy”: According to reports, flight attendants on a small Comair jet cut off the booze to a hefty and clearly intoxicated passenger, so he started swinging.
Read more…
Found via Things with Wings
Mesaba Airlines runs operations for Delta Connection
Senator Charles Schumer from New York is trying to change what information customers receive while booking their tickets online.
Most regional carriers that are branded with a major airline’s name and logo are actually run by smaller, individually owned regional airlines. For example, Continental Express & American Eagle Airlines are both made up of two regional airlines and Delta Connection is made up of almost 10 regional airlines.
The Regional Carrier Disclosure Act of 2009 being proposed by Schumer would require online travel websites to clearly list which regional carrier would be operating the flight. Some websites already display this information, but require multiple clicks to find it. The idea behind the legislation is to allow potential passengers to make an informed decision on what airline they would actually fly on.
The action by the senator comes in the wake of the February 12th crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 which took all 50 lives on board. Although that tragic accident has brought up many legitimate questions about the safety of some regional carriers, I wonder if this legislation would make any difference. Here are a few things I see wrong with this proposal (yes I love lists):
#1. In most regions, there aren’t many other options. Airlines run the smaller aircraft on certain flights, since that is the only way to keep it profitable. In some cases a person might be able to find a similar flight with a larger aircraft, but most of the time a traveler would need to find alternative transportation or just not go.
#2. This seems like it will do nothing but raise people’s fear of flying. It has been shown over and over again that flying, even in small aircraft, is very safe transportation. Singling out regional carriers could really hurt them for no reason.
#3. Does the average flier know what flying on “Shuttle America” vs “Delta Connection” means? Do people know what “Delta Connection” vs “Delta Airlines” mean? I don’t think it quite defines what kind of aircraft a person would be flying on for most people.
I am all about improving the airline industry and especially safety regulation that will actually save lives. This seems more like feel-good legislation and I am not really sure how it would go about saving lives or making regional carriers any safer. But maybe I missed something?
Image: brandonfs88
A preview of what is to come.
The cabin of the Boeing 737 has slowly evolved over the years, but Boeing feels it is time for a large upgrade. Starting in 2010, Boeing will upgrade their 737 interiors with what they are calling “Boeing Sky Interiors.”
Heavily based off the research for the Boeing 787 interior, the new 737 interiors will “give a better connection to the flying experience.” Passengers stepping into the new 737 will notice the soft blue lighting on the ceilings and larger window reveals, giving the sense of a larger cabin.
Along with the aesthetic benefits, the new layout employs several practical changes. The overhead bins will have more storage space and they are pivot hinged (much like the Boeing 777), allowing more head room and open space when closed. The reading light and call buttons have been redesigned to create less confusion and less unintentional calls, which will make the flight attendants happy.
The new Boeing 737 will also feature performance upgrades. Boeing is hoping to increase fuel consumption by 2% via a combination of airframe and engine improvements. 2% might not sound like much when you think about your personal automobile, but when a Boeing 737-900ER can hold over 7,800 gallons of fuel, 2% can make a huge difference.
Source & Image: Boeing.com
The livery is to celebrate Continental Airlines’ 75th anniversary which happens on July 15th.
Continental Employees voted this to be their celebratory livery which was first introduced in the 1940’s.
Image: Rick Schlamp
A familiar few out a Southwest Airline's window.
In January Southwest’s mechanics’ union approved the airline to complete some of their maintenance work in El Salvador. Before the program starts, some Southwest dispatchers are raising concerns about their ability to handle the new international operations needed to get the aircraft to El Salvador.
Southwest states they are working with dispatchers making sure they are fully trained and point out there will be very limited number of the international flights.
With the ever increasing competition to provide lower fares, more airlines have been looking at outsourcing their maintenance work. No matter if one thinks this is a wise move or not, it is important to make sure the people in charge of getting the planes to El Salvador are properly trained to safely get them there, even if there are no passengers on board.
Source: Forbes Image: Sthomas1
