Researchers over at the top-ranked Brookings Institution have taken a look at the airline industry and at airport congestion, and they'd like you to know that they're very concerned. They note that airline delays have increased dramatically over the last decade, until now more than one in ten planes is over two hours late. Very true and very concerning, and thank you for bringing that to our attention, though it's hardly news.

Their solution, which is to raise fees in order to discourage travelers from flying during peak congestion times, seems to us much less smart:

The researchers said much of the problem is due to heavy concentrations of short trips between big cities, but they also cited an "ill-equipped" air traffic control system and other factors. They suggested increasing high-speed rail service to offer travelers alternatives to short flights. They also recommended letting busy airports charge fees on rush-hour flights to make airlines spread trips more evenly through the day.

]]> Omri 2009-10-08T16:33:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/29/8658/15457

We’ve seen our share of airline delays due to weather, mechanical delays, and even wacky passengers. However, there aren’t too many delays caused by furry critters. Well, that’s exactly what passengers of an Air India flight had to deal with as they were stuck to wait things out for about 11 hours.

Apparently a flight with over 200 passengers from Amritsar, India was supposed to head out to London over the weekend. Early on Saturday morning passengers spotted a rat on the plane, and then the rest of the day was spent searching for the little stowaway. After all, it definitely didn’t go through security. ]]> kjb 2009-09-29T08:58:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/11/73050/1376

We’ve all been there, and we certainly have done our share of complaining about them: the dreaded delayed airplane. For the most part it has just become one of the many fun features that are now part of the travel experience. However, there are some researchers trying to crack the code behind these inconveniences, and the smartypants scientists feel that a little math might help everyone out. If academics can help aircraft land on time and leave on schedule, we just might head back to school.

Computer scientists at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland have created a system to use runways efficiently to reduce delays and to conserve fuel use. Their plan uses the size of aircraft, fuel efficiency of the plane, and number of passengers aboard to figure out the most effective way to move the birds around the airport. Their new math also looks at the amount of suitcases on the planes to ensure baggage handling delays are kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of preventing baggage loss—too bad. ]]> kjb 2009-09-11T09:18:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/20/1165/04429

Have you ever been in an airplane traffic jam? We imagine that it looks something like the picture above, and judging from the latest numbers from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a healthy number of Delta passengers have been enjoying this view lately.

In terms of airlines whose flights have had more than two hours of Taxi-Out time, or "the time elapsed between departure from the origin airport gate and wheels off," Delta ranks first with a hefty amount of their 105,430 flights suffering such a delay in just the first three months of 2009. For 31 of those flights, the planes sat on the tarmac for over 180 minutes, awaiting their turn at their skies.

Knowing about this now, we can better prepare for future Delta flights, especially the one we've got tomorrow. Just remember the major rule of pre-flight comfort: fully charge iPods, Kindles, cell phones, and electronic handheld Sudokus. Perhaps bring a bag lunch just for the plane; it's a shame pizza can't be delivered to the airport tarmac.

Related Stories:
· Taxi-Out and Other Tarmac Times [BTS]
· Airline Delays Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: matt.hintsa]]]> JetSetCD 2009-05-20T12:06:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/1/7226/73318

There’s nothing worse than flying on small commuter jets, except when those jets aren’t flying for the day and you’re stuck. That could be the scene today as Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which usually flies Delta connection flights, has grounded about 60 regional jets to check out their engines.

Apparently an internal audit at ASA raised some questions as to whether the company was checking out what they were supposed to be checking out. It sounds like they weren’t following manufacturers guidelines, and like good kids, the airline reported the problem to the FAA and took the initiative by grounding these planes. Only ASA’s Bombardier CRJ200s are currently affected, so your plans aboard a commuter jet aren't totally ruined today. ]]> kjb 2009-04-01T10:20:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/20/141237/64

Snow, sleet, and rain in the Midwestern and northeastern United States grounded hundreds of flights this weekend, majorly screwing up travel plans for thousands of people and giving news outlets a timely opportunity to run their annual holiday travel chaos stories. Airports in Detroit, Chicago, and even Las Vegas had rampant delays and cancellations, while Milwaukee's General Mitchell airport shut down entirely to focus on snow removal. Things were pretty grim in the New York area as well, with more than 500 flights canceled at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports. Since New York is such a major airline hub, its delays and cancellations caused ripples throughout the entire country, making more people than usual shake their fists in anger at the Big Apple.

We're actually kind of surprised so many flights were cut, because it didn't seem like we got that much snow. It came down pretty steadily yesterday, but ultimately left only a couple of inches on the ground and coat of ice on the plastic crocodile (pictured) that Louie, our landlord, keeps in the garden. Sub-freezing temperatures must have compounded the problems, because what's on the streets now isn't going to be melting on its own any time soon. If you're flying this weekend, Google your flight number to see if you'll be making it to Grandma's house before Monday, and pack a good book just in case.

[Photo: Victor Ozols]

Related Stories
· Storms Snarl Flight Schedules in Midwest, Northeast [USA Today]
· Retreat! Retreat! NYC Snowed In [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-12-20T14:12:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/17/8310/0850

Mid-air nose dives and delays galore have already tested the "any publicity is good publicity" adage for Qantas, the Aussie airline with a plummeting reputation. Now they're in the news for being tight with the toilet paper.

A flight into Sydney from Singapore had to be diverted over the weekend thanks to storms, and everything soon fell apart: The plane landed in Canberra for a while, then missed Sydney's curfew, then when it was finally able to take off, the crew had been on shift too long and had to be changed. Because Canberra's not equipped to deal with 747s, they couldn't restock anything, so rationing began, and that's when passengers had to ask for toilet paper when they visited the bathroom--and were given just four sheets each.

After spending the night on the plane, Qantas finally sent passengers to a hotel at 6 am and then got them back on the plane late morning and on to Sydney. But there's an idea in this story for budget airlines: If passengers are bringing their own food, they could easily bring their own toilet paper too.

Related Stories:
· Loo Paper Rationed on Bummer of a Diversion [The Age]
· Qantas coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: whizchickenonabun]]]> amandak 2008-11-17T09:00:14-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/