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A US Airways & American Airlines Tie Up … revisited

Following the mergers of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines followed by Continental Airlines and United Airlines talk of further airline consolidation was rampant. Discussions of ‘the next’ merger was frequently fueled by US Airways’ CEO Doug Parker, with the logical tie up being a US Airways and American Airlines merger.   Now, as American…

UK Border Agency Goes On Strike & Passengers Report A Better Experience

For the past week the threat of the looming Public Sector labour strike in Britain gripped airlines and airports with fear.  As UK Border Agency Immigrations Officers announced they would take part in the public sector strike action today some airlines readjusted schedules, other carriers cancelled flights and London Heathrow Airport warned that passport control…

Oh No American Airlines Is Bankrupt & I Have Tickets!

Businesses going bankrupt immediately conjure up images of windows being boarded up, assets being sold at auction and phone lines going dead … but that is not the case with American Airlines following its parent company AMR filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection this morning in US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New…

American Airlines Files Bankruptcy…is anyone surprised?

American Airlines was founded in 1934 and has long been America’s premier flagship airline. … or so Page 3, Section I, item 5 says in AMR’s bankruptcy filing that was submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Court, in the Southern District of New York this morning.   In fact American Airlines was founded in 1930 as American…

Should The Gov’t Get Involved In Baggage Fees?

The airline industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world, despite the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-504).     Nearly every aspect of an airline’s operations are subject to regulation … but airlines are free to charge what they’d like for fares and services, provided they do not…

Reader Mail : Why Does The TSA Rescreen Passengers Connecting From Int’l Flights?

Security is a fact of life for airline travel and screening procedures vary from country to country … which leads to this reader mail from Gene R., from Pittsburgh, PA.  Gene writes “I just flew home to Pittsburgh from Paris with US Airways, as I have done a few times through Philadelphia.  When connecting through…

DOT Slaps Spirit Airlines With Fines For Tweets

For some time the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has been monitoring the social media activities of airlines to ensure that airlines fully disclose fares up front to travelers.  Under DOT regulations any far, including promotional fares, must disclose taxes and fees up front. While DOT fare disclosure eats into Twitter’s 140-character message, regulations for…

The TSA Turns 10 Today – A Look Back At Day One

On the 19th of November 2001 Public Law 107-71 (PL 107-71), the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), was enacted any the 107th Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush. With the flick of George W. Bush’s pen, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created and airport security through the United States…

Eva Air Flies Hello Kitty Again…quick get the kids…

The last time I wrote about Hello Kitty was in early 2008, three years into Eva Air’s operation of its two Hello Kitty themed Airbus A330-203s, which the airline then retired in 2009 … much to the disappointment of my kids who never had the opportunity to enjoy the Eva Air Hello Kitty experience.  …