Cranky Flier

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• Continental’s Overnight Excursion in Rochester, Minnesota

  I haven’t commented on the ridiculousness that is Continental #2816 yet, and I’ve received plenty of emails asking me why that hasn’t happened. You know the flight; that’s the one where the passengers got stuck on their little... Posted Aug 24 2009, 04:03 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Customer Service, Continental, Delays/Cancellations, ExpressJet

• FLTAdvisor Tells You If You’re Flight is Really On Time

  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say that they wish airlines would just be more honest with them about delays. Sure, airlines promise to update you every 15 minutes these days (yeah, that happens), but often, the agents aren’t... Posted Mar 17 2009, 03:08 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Technology, Delays/Cancellations

• This Week on BNET (Jan 26 - 30)

  Southwest Reports Q4 Loss on Hedges Hedges and other “special items” brought Southwest down to a Q4 loss, but it was the announcement on growth that had people turning their heads. Southwest Sees Strong Revenue Performance in Fourth Quarter... Posted Jan 30 2009, 03:01 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: United, Baggage, Virgin America, Schedule Changes, Customer Service, Southwest, Mergers/Finance, Delays/Cancellations, American, Delta, Allegiant, BNET, Fuel, IND - Indianapolis

• Why I’m Glad the “Glory Days” of Air Travel are Gone

  I saw an op-ed in the New York Times over the holidays from a former TWA flight attendant that got me so riled up, I had to write a response. I sent it in to the NYT, but it was way too long to be considered as a letter to the editor, and my [...] Read... Posted Jan 09 2009, 04:21 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Customer Service, Delays/Cancellations

• This Week on BNET (Dec 22 - 26)

  Secretary of Transportation Nominee Ray LaHood on Aviation Obama has picked former Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL) as his Secretary of Transportation. Will this be good for the airline industry? When Twitter Gets Interesting It’s rare that I find... Posted Dec 27 2008, 03:51 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Schedule Changes, Government Regulation, Southwest, Continental, Accidents/Incidents, Delays/Cancellations, American, Delta, Alaska Airlines, BNET, Alliances, Westjet, LGA - New York/La Guardia

• Trip Report: A Mess of a Trip

  I’ve had several people ask me if I had given up on writing trip reports, and the answer is no. I just haven’t been on an airplane for awhile, so I had nothing to write. But I’m back, and this one is a doozy. I usually have good luck... Posted Dec 19 2008, 03:35 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Southwest, Delays/Cancellations, Trip Reports

• DOT Now Releasing Tarmac Delay Information

  Sorry I’m a little late this morning, but we’re (finally) getting some serious rain here in Southern California and that knocked out our power for awhile. We’re back up and running now, so let’s get to it. If you read other blogs... Posted Dec 15 2008, 04:44 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Delays/Cancellations, ExpressJet

• Ignore Irresponsible Warning About Holiday Travel on JetBlue and to Minneapolis

  Those of you who are Elliott.org readers might have been a little alarmed by an article yesterday entitled, Christmas air travel warning: avoid Minneapolis, JetBlue and Northwest Flight 189. That article was so incredibly misleading that I had to clear... Posted Dec 03 2008, 04:10 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: JetBlue, Delays/Cancellations, Northwest

• Not Why Your Flight Was Canceled

  Popular Science had an odd four-piece photo gallery entitled Why Your Flight Got Cancelled. Maybe it’s just me but this seemed all wrong. Let’s take a look, you hit the comments, and then let me know if I’m missing something here. Repairs... Posted Oct 27 2008, 02:36 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Delays/Cancellations

• This Week on BNET (Sep 29 - Oct 3)

  Delta Adds First Class to New York Shuttle Flights Delta will reconfigure its Washington-New York-Boston Shuttle fleet to have First Class seating. This isn’t all about the customer experience. Why I Didn’t Write About Delta and Northwest Approving... Posted Oct 04 2008, 03:00 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Government Regulation, Mergers/Finance, Delays/Cancellations, Delta, Northwest, BNET

• 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

• Airlines and the Environment

  I started putting this post on the airlines and the environment together a long time ago, and then it fell by the wayside. I dusted it off this weekend, and fortunately it’s still relevant. In fact, it’s only going to continue to become a... Posted May 19 2008, 03:53 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Environment, Delays/Cancellations, American

• Heathrow Terminal 5 After The Dust Settles

  A friend of mine who frequently flies out of London/Heathrow wrote to me recently and wondered why my coverage had been so light on the new Terminal 5. I guess I was just waiting to see when things calmed down. I mean, everyone has been talking about... Posted Apr 07 2008, 03:44 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Baggage, British Airways, LHR - London/Heathrow, Delays/Cancellations

• Air Canada Offering Protection From Weather Delays (For a Fee)

  It’s been awhile since I broke out the gold star award. I thought about it yesterday with Delta’s new seat, but that’s still a couple years off from being anything tangible. But when I saw Air Canada’s new On My Way service, I... Posted Apr 03 2008, 03:11 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Customer Service, Delays/Cancellations, Air Canada, Air Canada Introduces On My Way Service

• ATA Shuts Down Immediately

  The rumors started swirling yesterday, and it was confirmed overnight. ATA is shutting down effective this morning. They lost their military contract, and so they’re done. I’ll have more on this tomorrow (my regular post here today will be... Posted Apr 03 2008, 02:51 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Southwest, ATA, Delays/Cancellations