Cranky Flier

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• Cranky on the Web (October 26 – 30)

  Continental Joins Star Alliance Tomorrow – BNET Continental is in no-man’s land as they end their SkyTeam participation and prepare for Star Alliance. Ontario’s Air Traffic Glut Draws Anger Toward LA – BNET Ontario’s traffic... Posted Oct 31 2009, 05:51 AM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: BNET, Fares, ONT - Ontario, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, US Airways, Continental, JetBlue

• American and United Add $10 Surcharge For Peak Holiday Travel

  It looks like United and American have decided that you don’t pay enough to travel on the peak holiday travel days, so they’ve added a $10 surcharge. Is this a new fee? Nah, I think it’s just the lazy man’s fare increase. You’re... Posted Sep 25 2009, 04:31 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: American, Fares, United

• Frontier Lowers Its Change Fee to $100

  We don’t see this very often, but the folks at the newly-reinvigorated Frontier have decided to make some changes. While bag fees are going up $5, the big news is that the change fee is going down from $150 to $100. Huzzah! The $150 change fee is... Posted Sep 09 2009, 03:26 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Fares, Frontier

• El Al’s New Low Economy Class Isn’t Revolutionary

  Think of it as a new airline within an airplane. While many airlines in the past have really liked the idea of starting a low cost carrier, El Al has decided to do it on its existing fleet. There will now be a low-cost class of service on European flights... Posted Aug 21 2009, 03:26 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: El Al, Fares, Air Canada

• Cranky on the Web (August 10 – 14)

  Why is Allegiant’s Load Factor Dropping While Others Increase? – BNET Allegiant’s load factor dropped more than anyone else last month, but I’m not too concerned. Southwest’s Bid for Frontier Raised to $170 Million –... Posted Aug 15 2009, 03:51 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Allegiant, American, BNET, DCA - Washington/National, Delta, Fares, Frontier, LGA - New York/La Guardia, Southwest, US Airways, JetBlue

• JetBlue Lets You Fly Anywhere for a Month for $599

  I’m sure many of you were hoping to see a post today on Republic winning the auction for Frontier thanks to labor thwarting the Southwest bid, but I didn’t have enough time to do the research last night to write a post. I’ll have more... Posted Aug 14 2009, 03:45 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Fares, JetBlue

• This Week on BNET (July 20 – 24)

  Fare Hikes on Domestic Routes Airlines have started raising fares again, but that sometimes ends up being good news for the bargain hunter. May Premium Traffic Monitor Shows Steep Declines Thought things were looking better? Not in the premium world.... Posted Jul 25 2009, 03:01 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Allegiant, BNET, Fares, Southwest, United, Continental, JetBlue

• Why Southwest Should Consider a Change Fee

  On Friday, Southwest announced it was adding a couple fees and increasing another. For most airlines, a Friday that sees a new or increased fee would just be called “Friday” but for Southwest, it creates some shockwaves. These fees are actually... Posted Jun 01 2009, 03:53 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Fares, Southwest

• Why do Fares Change so Often? (Ask Cranky)

  You know what time it is, kids? That’s right, it’s Ask Cranky time! (I need to get out more often.) There have been some great questions coming into the inbox lately. Please keep it up, as I’m always more than happy to answer them. I’m... Posted May 28 2009, 03:37 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Ask Cranky, Fares

• Air Canada’s Weak Low Fare Guarantee

  Air Canada has now swept out its top management and it’s trying to do what it can to avoid running out of cash. I’m sure a lot of work is being done on the finance side, but I’ve been waiting to see what they’d be doing on the... Posted May 05 2009, 03:35 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Distribution, Fares, Air Canada

• Spirit Adds a PUF When You Buy a Ticket

  A piece in the Wall Street Journal yesterday noted that Spirit is planning to start charging a PUF, or Passenger Usage Fee, for anyone who doesn’t book their tickets at the airport ticket counter. Even though the author said it was coming in the... Posted Mar 04 2009, 03:14 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Allegiant, Fares, Spirit

• This Week on BNET (Feb 23 - 27)

  JetBlue Leaves Open Skies for Sabre The Open Skies system may be simple, but it no longer provides what many low cost carriers need. That’s why it’s Sabre time. Abandoned Airport Looks to Solar Energy Palmdale Airport may not work as an actual... Posted Feb 28 2009, 03:17 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airbus, Alaska Airlines, BNET, Boeing, Civil Aviation, Delta, Distribution, Fares, Government Regulation, Northwest, Safety/Security, United, Technology, Schedule Changes, PMD - Palmdale, JetBlue

• Air Canada Offers to Pay You If You’re Willing to Be Bumped Early

  Air Canada has long been the leader in finding things to sell that were not previously offered at all, and it appears they’ve done it again. Now, you can earn some cash by volunteering in advance to be bumped if they need your seat closer to departure... Posted Feb 16 2009, 03:55 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Fares, Overbooking, Air Canada

• Delta Lowers Fares in Cincinnati, but How Much?

  Last week, Delta announced that it would lower its fares at its Cincinnati hub. I’m sure this is a last ditch effort to save the hub from being dismantled, but somehow I doubt it will work. Still, it does mean that there are finally some more affordable... Posted Feb 10 2009, 03:38 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Delta, Fares

• Airline “Pay Per Minute” Plan Is a Bad One

  Anyone heard of Airtime Airlines out of South Africa? If not, you’re about to hear about it as every blogger that covers airlines is bound to write about it. These guys want you to buy minutes for travel like you buy minutes for cell phones. Let’s... Posted Jan 08 2009, 03:40 PM by The Cranky Flier Filed under: Airtime, Fares