Struggling now-basically-regional carrier Midwest Airlines is hardly the only carrier trying to cut jobs these days to stay afloat. But Midwest may have got more than it bargained for when its deal with Republic Airlines eliminated 270 jobs, including the positions of 125 unionized pilots whose jobs will be taken over.]]>
This Friday-night flight to Milwaukee boasted just five passengers, leaving plenty of leg room and plenty of cookies, but also a new wealth of worries for the struggling Wisconsin carrier.
When we asked a gate attendant why there were so few people waiting in the terminal to depart, she said, "Well, because it's so late." This was at 8:30 pm, though, admittedly, right around last call at the airport bar.
Our flight wasn't one of the newly outsourced routes officially taken over Wednesday by Republic Airlines, and potential Midwest passengers may well be scared by the subcontractor. Republic is more like an octopus of regional operations, a former subsidiary of Frontier which currently flies for Midwest as Midwest Connect (to New York-LaGuardia, Denver and Washington-Reagan among others) and for US Airways as US Airways Express. On the bright side, they're hiring!
Related Stories:
· First-Person Flight Reviews: Passenger Says Midwest Service Not Suffering Yet [Jaunted]
· Midwest Job Outsourcing Starts October 1 [WTMJ]
· Airline Open Thread: Is Midwest Still Worth Paying A Premium For? [Jaunted]]]>
Oh, airline travel. You used to be so cool. Flights were affordable, on-time, and featured amenities like meals, blankets, and a selection of current magazines and newspapers. Now, despite rising fares, fliers are lucky to get a bag of pretzels to munch on and a SkyMall catalog to read, and when it comes to making connecting flights and getting reunited with luggage, it's a crapshoot. What happened?
A recent AP item reports that as airline satisfaction rates have declined, customers have begun to push back, demanding improved service to justify the wave of extra fees for things that were once included in the ticket price. Airlines are responding with new initiatives to improve punctuality and baggage handling, as well as upgrades for business and first class passengers.]]>
The life of a flight attendant was once very glamorous. The stewards and, more frequently, stewardesses who worked for airlines like Pan Am, American, and Eastern in the 1960's and 1970's were seen as globetrotting style icons, with enviable job perks like layovers in exotic locales, interaction with rich and influential people, and free travel for themselves and their families. According to Michelle Higgins of the New York Times, however, those halcyon times of fun in the sky are long over, replaced by days-long assignments that have flight attendants working crowded flights with an increasingly irritable - and irritating - clientele. ]]>
At the deli by our office, a turkey sandwich used to be four dollars even. Then, about two years ago, they started adding sales tax on top of that, when it used to be included. Not long after that, a couple slices of tomato suddenly cost an extra fifty cents. Within weeks they came for the lettuce: another fifty cents. What's next, a quarter for a squirt of mustard? The underlying justification here, of course, suggests a redefinition of the sandwich. For the purposes of the JY Deli, a sandwich consists of lunch meat on bread with your choice of butter, mayo, or mustard. Everything else - lettuce, tomato, pickle - is ancillary, and thus, costs extra. It's an ā la carte approach, designed to mask the creeping prices under the pretense of giving the customer more control over their order. After all, some people don't like lettuce. Why should they be forced to pay for it?
The airline industry seems to have taken a page from the deli book. Using the same ā la carte sales philosophy, they've been tacking on extra fees for luggage, blankets, legroom, and even beverages, which were once seen as the one sacrosanct right of all travelers. An interesting story in the New York Times this weekend has an in-depth analysis of all the extra fees, and why the flying public is more or less okay with paying them. The gist of it is, it's seen as unavoidable, and much too profitable for the airlines to stop now. After all, the definition of a flight these days is little more than a seat on an airplane. In-flight amenities - and even checked luggage - now cost extra.
There are a few holdouts, though. Southwest Airlines advertises "freedom from fees," and Delta doesn't yet charge for the first checked bag. And in a move that could almost be described as Orwellian, there's talk about introducing higher all-inclusive fares that include the things that were, until recently, included in regular fares. But whatever the airlines are charging, the traveling public will likely pay up, given the lack of good transportation alternatives. Just like we keep paying six bucks for a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mustard.
Related Stories:
· At Least the Airsickness Bags are Free [The New York Times]
· Airline News Coverage [Jaunted] ]]>
Topsy-turvy oil markets have got everybody in a tizzy these days, and the airline industry is no exception. Higher ticket prices are a drag, to be sure, but at least the economic shock is finally causing the major carriers to look into alternative fuels to power their fleets. A recent AP item points out that scientists are experimenting with various types of biodiesel jet fuels, an especially challenging proposition since there's little room for error at 35,000 feet.
Still, a few options look promising. South African carriers have been burning a jet fuel blend that uses "clean coal" as a primary ingredient for a decade already. And in February, Virgin Atlantic airlines flew a 747 that was partially powered by B20, a biodiesel made from babassu (a type of Amazon palm) and coconut oil. I wonder if the exhaust smelled like a piņa colada. And there's even talk of harvesting algae to create fuel.
All eyes will be on Boeing and Air New Zealand later this year, though, as the companies prepare to test a fuel made from the oil of the jatropha tree. The homely-looking plant isn't good for food, but it grows easily in warm climates, doesn't require much water, and represents an economic opportunity for many impoverished people. Best of all, fuel made from the oil of jatropha nuts is significantly cheaper than crude oil, which is fortunate, because all the good intentions in the world won't create a market for alternative fuels unless it makes sense on the bottom line.
Related Stories:
· Airlines Push for Homegrown Jet Fuel [AP]
· Virgin Atlantic Completes Biodiesel Test [Biofuels Digest]
· Jatropha Plant's Oil Studied as Biofuel for Jets [LA Times]
· Airline News [Jaunted]
[Photo: AP]]]>
Oil prices may have eased somewhat in the past couple of weeks, but they're still pretty lofty, causing airlines to do everything they can to keep costs down. Some airline pilots, however, feel that their bosses are going too far, forcing them to fly with less fuel than they'd like to, and possibly compromising customer safety
As the AP points out in a recent news item, pilots are increasingly complaining to government authorities about management scrimping on fuel on certain flights, causing a few white knuckles in the cockpit as the needle drifts perilously near the red. In February, for example, a 747 captain reported burning extra fuel over the Atlantic on his way to JFK due to headwinds, but being rebuffed by his airline overlords when he discussed a refueling stop. The flight landed safely at JFK, but the captain said it was just too close for comfort.
The airlines say that flights always have sufficient fuel, and U.S. authorities are reluctant to get involved. But our own pilot friends have complained of this exact phenomena numerous times: "I didn't have enough fuel to wait in the pattern at JFK so I had to reroute to Philly," or "They're flying smaller jets on transatlantic routes now to save money, and they sometimes have to declare fuel emergencies on approach because they can't afford to wait in line to land."
We're content to leave this to the experts to work out, but would certainly hope our next flight has a few extra gallons to burn, just in case.
Related Stories:
· Whiney Pilots Complain that Stingy Airlines are Forcing Them to Fly Uncomfortably Low on Fuel [Consumerist]
· Pilots Forced to Fly Low on Fuel Worry About Safety [AP via Newsday]
· Airline News [Jaunted]
[Photo: Modern Mechanix]]]>