Cranky Flier

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• Ryanair Wants To Let People Bring Unlimited Carry On Bags

  It’s incredible to think about how the title of a post or article really sets the tone for a story. For example, if you saw the recent Dow Jones article entitled “Ryanair To Ban Check-In Baggage And Airport Check-In,” you might be surprised... Posted Jun 30 2009, 02:55 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Baggage, Ryanair, Airport Experience

• US Airways Ditches Scientific Boarding for the Cattle Call

  In last week’s internal company newsletter, US Airways noted that it was switching up its boarding process. They’ve gone back to basics. Instead of trying to figure out the best way to board from a time-saving perspective, they’re just... Posted May 14 2009, 04:25 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: US Airways, Airport Experience

• LAX Opens Public reLAX Lounge, Others Should Follow

  So, you’ve been trying to get to Seattle for a few days now, huh? I’m one of the lucky ones this year since I’m not going anywhere for the holidays, but if I were, I’m sure that the nasty weather would have me sitting on the floor... Posted Dec 24 2008, 04:17 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, LAX - Los Angeles

• Delta’s Terminal Consolidation Plans Begin to Take Shape

  Details of Delta’s plans to combine facilities with Northwest are starting to leak out, and I’m very happy to see that the most difficult terminal situations are being addressed early. First up, the LA Times is reporting that Delta has decided... Posted Dec 23 2008, 03:56 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, Delta, Northwest

• Virgin America Moves Into Renovated LAX Terminal 3

  As I mentioned, the reason I had the chance to interview Virgin America CEO David Cush yesterday was because he was in town for the ribbon-cutting on the airline’s newly renovated space in LAX Terminal 3. They’ve done a great job here, and... Posted Dec 11 2008, 09:37 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Virgin America, Airport Experience, Schedule Changes

• United Furthers Trend to Offer Elite Benefits to Everyone Else

  Ah the life of an elite member on United. No fees, special lines, and free upgrades to Economy Plus. It may seem like a fair reward for devoting your business to United, but the airline continues to devalue elite benefits. Now, the difference between... Posted Dec 09 2008, 03:34 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: United, Airport Experience, Frequent Flier Programs

• LAX Reveals Plans for Nice but Very Expensive Bradley West Terminal Expansion

  I know, I know. I’ve had a fair number of posts on LAX lately, and I’m sorry about that for those not impacted by this airport. But I think this should be the last one for a little while. As we all know, LAX is not exactly the world’s... Posted Nov 24 2008, 03:56 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, LAX - Los Angeles

• Virgin America Making Progress on Its Renovation of LAX Terminal 3

  I thought I’d throw out a little Sunday bonus posting this week since I had the chance to stop by LAX Terminal 3 to see how Virgin America’s transformation work was coming along. Things appear to be going well and the move is scheduled to... Posted Nov 23 2008, 03:14 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Virgin America, Airport Experience, LAX - Los Angeles

• United Gets Beaten Down Over PhoCusWright Presentation on Customer Experience

  It’s been a long but interesting few days here at PhoCusWright. Mostly, I’m here to meet with people and learn more about their companies, so I haven’t been attending too many of the sessions. That being said, there was one presentation... Posted Nov 20 2008, 03:22 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: United, Airport Experience, Customer Service

• My Sneak Preview of the New Indianapolis Airport That Opens Tonight

  Next stop on the roadtrip: Indianapolis. My main reason for being here was a visit with the in-laws, but while I was in town, I was able to arrange a tour of the brand-spanking new Indianapolis Airport that opens tonight, November 11. Ok, so it’s... Posted Nov 11 2008, 12:16 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, IND - Indianapolis

• Air New Zealand’s New Fast Check-In Process

  Air New Zealand recently rolled out its new check-in process for domestic flights, and I have to say that it takes the best ideas of Alaska’s Airport of the Future and expands upon it in all the right ways. The idea is to keep people flowing through... Posted Nov 05 2008, 01:53 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Technology, Airport Experience, Air New Zealand

• JetBlue Opens Its New JFK Terminal 5

  JetBlue travelers rejoice! The airline’s brand spanking new Terminal 5 opened yesterday. This means the cramped and awkward Terminal 6 is finally, mercifully empty. If you’d like to learn more about the terminal, you can see my earlier post... Posted Oct 23 2008, 04:08 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, JetBlue, JFK - New York/JFK

• Ask Cranky: Is the Clear Program Worthwhile?

  Thank you for submitting your questions after the inaugural Ask Cranky column. Please keep them coming . . . Dear Cranky, I’ve been reading you a while and I wonder what your experience/opinion is of the Clear program that is now in place at 17... Posted Oct 15 2008, 03:44 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, Safety/Security

• Continental’s Auto Check-In: What’s the Point?

  I was recently talking to someone and the subject of Continental’s relatively new auto check-in came up. It sounds pretty cool, but I honestly can’t quite figure out when I’d want to use this feature. Let’s see if you guys have... Posted Oct 02 2008, 03:48 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, Continental

• JetBlue’s Terminal 5 Opens October 22

  I haven’t written much about JFK Terminal 5 lately, and really, there’s no good excuse. JetBlue has put together what looks to be a great terminal here that will really make a big difference for people flying the airline to and from New York... Posted Sep 30 2008, 03:51 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airport Experience, JetBlue