We have a pretty decent respect for Aussie airline Qantas, with its better-than-average safety record and generally trouble-free flights (of course, we're not impressed by the recent beer ban on some flights, but it probably was in the name of safety, so who are we to complain). And now we can feel a little better about last year's mid-air drama over Western Australia, because investigators are blaming cosmic rays.

You might vaguely remember that in October last year, a Qantas flight from Singapore made an emergency landing after some rollercoaster action: it suddenly plunged 650 feet, got back up again then fell 400 feet. This led to some serious passenger injuries (no deaths, though) and a whole lot of serious questions. At the time, a lot of people were blaming passengers using laptops and other electronic devices. ]]> amandak 2009-11-18T17:09:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/1/954/41263

There will be no more SkyEurope in the sky...um, over Europe, as the low-cost airline based out of Slovakia ceased operations this morning thanks to bankruptcy. As a result, its five planes (down from 15 in the past) had their flights cancelled, stranding passengers at airports like Bratislava, Prague, and Paris-Orly.

Not only has the deep-sixed airline left their customers in the lurch, but they've also pulled a jerk move in refusing to refund any of the tickets. Instead, they posted a statement to their website encouraging would-be SkyEurope passengers to dispute the ticket charge with their credit cards and then book a flight home on another airline, at additional expense. Them's fighting words! ]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-01T09:35:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/26/162746/864

US Airways just announced that they're hiking up their baggage fee again. Why, and a Happy Hump Day to you too US Airways! Grrr....

The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said Wednesday it will charge $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, when bags are checked online. Passengers will pay an extra $5 per bag when checking in at the airport.

They're also adding a $50 second checked bag fee for trans-Atlantic flights. Because for business travelers spending significant time overseas, a second bag is an indulgence that it's reasonable to harshly penalize.

This hike is actually good news for us. We were a little nervous that our indifference toward US Air's last fee hike would make people think that we were losing our edge. Now we get a whole new opportunity to complain about the ticky-tacky nickle-and-dime opaque fees that they've taken to indulging in. ]]> Omri 2009-08-26T17:34:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/18/122437/046

The saga of the PR nightmare for United Airlines continues with the second installment of the 3-part music video series from a United passenger who had his guitar smashed by baggage handlers.

The music group, Sons of Maxwell, were headed on a week-long tour when they flew United through Chicago, and glimpsed their checked guitar cases being roughly handled on the tarmac. Sure enough, the lead singer's guitar was broken and required $1,200 in repairs. United refused to pony up any dough in retribution, and so Sons of Maxwell vowed revenge in the form of musical shame. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-08-18T13:03:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/14/1133/13347

Do you swear that the airlines have it out for you and so manage to lose your bags 9 times out of ten? Well, you aren't all that special since lost baggage is still very much an epidemic, and Andrew Price, the head of the International Air Transport Association's Baggage Improvement Program, can attest to this. He not only has his own bags lost or delayed much of the time, but it's actually his job to see that this doesn't happen.

Poor Mr. Price; he just admitted this embarrassing fact to the Wall Street Journal and they've used it as a jumping-off point to take a deeper look at the barely-turning cogs behind international airline luggage movement: ]]> JetSetCD 2009-08-14T11:39:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/20/84415/5412

Well, we've survived the weekend after hearing—last minute on Friday, of course—that beleaguered LCC start-up JetAmericahad crashed without ever getting off the ground. Although we've always preached caution in believing that they would ever hit the skies, it's still difficult to watch a potential airline fail, especially one touting such low fares.

In response to JA's pulling out of their operations and Toledo airport, Toledo Port Authority board member Jerry Stabler told the Blade that their calling it quits doesn't surprise him: "It's the other shoe dropping, there's no question about it. The fact that [John] Weikle was involved with SkyBus should have been a heads-up for us." Chabler actually echoed our sentiments back when JetAmerica canceled their first bunch of flights; we're betting he didn't book a flight like we did, though.

Which brings us to our next point: refunds and a possible JetAmerica rebound. We're still waiting on our refund, but many other would-be JetAmerica passengers are worrying about more than this; they now have to replace their JA plans with expensive tickets on legacy carriers, and travel through Detroit versus Toledo. The Lansing's WLNS spoke with a woman who had purchased $700 in non-refundable Broadway tickets because she had saved so much on airfare. The dilemma is now to book flights that cost the same amount and double the vacation budget, or stay home and sacrifice the tickets.

Knowing the ups and downs of JetAmerica, and its final fatal denouement, would you consider flying on them in the future, if they regroup and relaunch? Do you think John Weikle, founder of both failed SkyBus and failed JetAmerica, should maybe find a new career? More importantly, for those booked on JetAmerica, have you received your refund yet? Let us know in the comments!

Related Stories:
· JetAmerica Will Not Be Jetting Anywhere Ever [Jaunted]
· Customers complain about flight cancellations [WLNS]
· JetAmerica cancels entire route network; Toledo flights grounded [Toledo Blade]
· All JetAmerica Coverage [Jaunted]
]]> JetSetCD 2009-07-20T11:09:20-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/17/17570/6229

What we all suspected would happen has finally happened today: JetAmerica has officially folded. From the AP:

JetAmerica, a fledgling discount airline that garnered attention with $9 promotional fares, has folded without ever getting off the ground.

The Clearwater, Fla.-based company says it's suspending sales to all markets and will immediately begin to process refunds to customers.

CEO John Weikle says:

We are reluctantly suspending our public charter operations effective today,” said John Weikle, CEO, who has been with the company since April. “Finalizing the slots required to support our charter program at Newark has taken longer than expected and we have decided to suspend our flights in order to refocus on different markets.

And company spokesman Bryan Glazer added:

It is unfortunate that so many consumers' will be affected. This was unavoidable. I worked closely with the executives of JetAmerica for several months and know they did their very best to overcome the challenges that the slot situation posed. But in the end, the business plan never called for paying for more than a half million dollars for slots.

The problem? The airline couldn't secure landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport. So once again, JetAmercia will need to reissue refunds for any of the passengers who had booked flights after the inaugural July 13 flight was delayed. As we were writing this, the JetAmerica website was still loading and advertising fares. However, booking a flight was not possible.

Still, this really stinks. Yes, we were mad at JetAmerica for not taking off as initially planned on Monday but we were still looking forward to flying one of their $9 fares. Oh well, we'll just wait for the next reincarnation to surface.

In the meantime, if you are part of the $900,000 pie that needs refunds, here is what Mr. Glazer says:

All customers will receive automatic refunds within 7-14 business days. Any customer not receiving a full refund in 14 days should call 727-451-3970.

Related Stories:
· JetAmerica coverage [Jaunted]
· Discount air carrier JetAmerica folds [AP]
· Minister, Hopeful Lawyer and Others Forced to Pay More Thanks to JetAmerica [Jaunted]]]> juliana 2009-07-17T18:01:21-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/