Cranky Flier

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• Air Canada Jazz Ditches Life Vests, Who Cares?

  Looks like Air Canada’s commuter, Jazz, has decided to take life vests off its planes. This will save a little over 50 lbs per plane, and you know the story from here. (Less weight = less fuel, blah blah) As usual, some people are up in arms suggesting... Posted Aug 27 2008, 03:41 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Air Canada, Uncategorized

• The Winners of the Six Word Contest

  I know, you’ve been waiting to hear who won the contest to best celebrate the TSA’s liquid ban 2 years after its creation, right? Well, thanks to an excellent response that saw more than 500 submissions, it took some time to sift through everything... Posted Aug 25 2008, 01:00 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation

• This Week on BNET (August 18 - 22)

  Southwest Filing Fares in ATPCO Once Again You may not know ATPCO, but I’m guessing that airlines all over the US are happy to see Southwest back in the system again. Why does it matter? Jake Brace Leaves United The oft-vilified United CFO Jake... Posted Aug 23 2008, 02:41 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: United, Safety/Security, Schedule Changes, Government Regulation, Southwest, Fares, American, Distribution, Advertising, AirTran, DFW - Dallas/Ft Worth

• You Have Less Than 24 Hours to Enter the Contest

  I know you’ve been putting off entering the contest to celebrate the 2 years anniversary of the TSA liquid ban until you had the best idea possible, but you’re running out of time. The contest ends 24 hours from when I write this, at 9p Pacific... Posted Aug 15 2008, 05:00 AM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation, Admin

• Enter to Win an iPod Nano with a Six Word Summary on the TSA Liquid Ban

  Raise your hand if you’re ready to enter Cranky’s first contest. Ok, put your hands down now. I can’t see them anyway. (By the way, if you’re a new Cranky visitor, welcome! Please throw some comments out there, and sign yourself... Posted Aug 05 2008, 01:00 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation, Admin

• This Week on BNET (July 14 - July 18)

  Bombardier Kicks Off Farnborough by Launching the C-Series Bombardier has talked about it for years, and now it’s official. The 110 to 130 seat C-Series has launched, and it’s promising massive fuel savings. ExpressJet Ending Branded Service... Posted Jul 19 2008, 02:38 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: US Airways, Safety/Security, Delays/Cancellations, Delta, ExpressJet, Bombardier, Pinnacle

• Dangerous Go Arounds Earn the AP the Cranky Jackass Award

  You know that feeling when you see a news report from a reputable news source that is just so insanely wrong that it makes you question everything they do? Well, here’s a good one for you. This report is so absolutely ridiculous that it has earned... Posted Jul 08 2008, 03:32 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Operations, Cranky Jackass

• New LAX Taxiway Makes the Airport Safer For You

  LAX announced yesterday that the new center taxiway on the south runway complex has opened for business. There’s lots of talk about how this increases safety, but for the average traveler, I don’t think this really resonates without further... Posted Jun 25 2008, 03:38 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, LAX - Los Angeles

• Homeland Security Makes Traveling Harder . . . Again

  Nothing like some misguided Homeland Security policy to make you feel all warm and cozy. This time, we’ve got two policies, one that will impact foreign visitors and the other that could theoretically impact anyone. First, let’s start with... Posted Jun 16 2008, 03:28 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation

• Benet Wilson on Security Fun

  So the Cranky Flier is off on some boondoggle. But rather than give you, his loyal readers, a few days off from his pearls of wisdom on the aviation industry, he called on some of his few friends to fill in as guest bloggers. In my day job, I’m the editrix... Posted Apr 30 2008, 03:40 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security

• Don’t Blame the MD-80 For This Mess

  There’s no question that American has done an absolutely terrible job of managing the latest round of MD-80 maintenance issues from a PR perspective. It’s been so bad, that I’ve seen articles start to question the MD-80 as an airplane... Posted Apr 10 2008, 03:55 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, MD80, American

• Random Bits of Info: Fighting, Grounding, Delaying, and Dying Edition

  We’ve got a lot going on today, so without further adieu, let’s get started. Southwest and the FAA Fighting - If you haven’t heard, there’s been a steel cage match in Washington lately. In one corner, we have Rep Oberstar breathing... Posted Apr 09 2008, 04:51 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation, Southwest

• The EMD Safety Bracelet

  Here’s an invention you can file under “really bad idea that should never see the light of day.” Yes, it’s the EMD Safety Bracelet. What does EMD stand for? Electro-Muscular Disruption. Oh yeah. This nasty little device will give... Posted Mar 26 2008, 02:39 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security

• Southwest Checks for Cracks

  I’m not going to spend too much time talking about what happened today, because it’s been covered by just about everyone. (I should say overdramatized by just about everyone.) In short, Southwest had to take 38 planes out of service to perform... Posted Mar 13 2008, 04:04 AM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Government Regulation, Southwest

• Be Careful Before Deciding Southwest Was Unsafe

  This is definitely the hot topic of the last couple days, and I must admit I’m still trying to sort it all out. This is what I’ve put together so far (with the help of some good reporting from the Dallas Morning News). Back in 2004, the FAA... Posted Mar 07 2008, 04:46 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Safety/Security, Southwest