2/11/2008 at 12:05 PM
Tags: Airline Food, Southwest Airlines, Low Cost Carriers, LCCs (all tags)
Must be fun to be an airline like Southwest. While the competition is worried about making a profit, the low cost carrier's biggest hurdle is switching from salted to honey roasted peanuts. The airline's aptly named Nuts about Southwest blog broke the news this morning:
Every six months or so we switch from dry roasted to honey roasted peanuts, giving us all the opportunity to debate the merits of each style of nut and rehash old peanut stories.
It's no small debate. Passengers actually write in to praise their preferred flavor/complain when it vanishes. Southwest's response? If you're that serious about your nuts, bring your own.
Related Stories:
· The Official Semi-Annual Peanut Transition [Nuts about Southwest]
· Southwest Airlines coverage
[Photo: kthypryn]
by pbb
11/14/2007 at 9:30 AM
Tags: FlyLAL, LCCs, Baltics, Airline Food, London Gatwick (all tags)
Everyone's got their own low cost carrier these days, even former Soviet states like Lithuania. And while Lithuania's FlyLAL doesn't usually offer the ridiculous €1 flights or taxes-and-charges-only fares you'll find on other European budget airlines, it does advertise "cheap direct flights to Vilnius" (Lithuania's capital) and has a heap of flights on sale for 199 Litas ($85).
FlyLAL has quite a colorful history: it began life way back in 1938 as Lithuania's national carrier, became a branch of Aeroflot during the Soviet era and nearly went bust in 2005. Then it reemerged with new owners and a budget airline philosophy--and Western aircraft to replace any Russian planes it still flew--and is now cruising right along. Earlier this year it was named the most punctual airline flying into London Gatwick.
The other neat thing about FlyLAL is that it still supplies meals on particular flights. For example, Vilnius to Brussels flights get a free hot meal; Vilnius to Munich flights get a free cold meal. Some longer flights get nothing, but the short hop from Vilnius to Tallinn is rewarded with a free snack. Must be a case of Lithuanian logic.
Related Stories:
· FlyLAL [Official Site]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Lithuania [HotelChatter]
[Photo: moacirpdsp]
by amandak
10/22/2007 at 9:50 AM
Tags: Virgin America, Fred Reid, Airline Food, Airline 2.0 (all tags)
We already know that Virgin America has a tricked out entertainment system and is working on in-flight WiFi. But CEO/poker enthusiast Fred Reid isn't done building the airline. In a recent interview with Fast Company he says food is the next thing on his agenda:
[The food] is not where I want it to be yet. I'm looking for an upscale option. For some reason, most airlines think that they have to offer you a soggy, cold turkey sandwich for $4. My challenge to my team is: I dare you to do a $20 meal option, because anybody who's traveling on business should be able to expense that. For $20, I can put on something kick-ass--and I'd be the only one doing it.
While Reid says that's his plan, he also describes hating the food when he was president of Delta. He says the food was so bad, he'd bring his own on board, even though he could obviously expense the airline-provided meal. If we're going to shell out 20 bucks for some grub, it better be tasty enough for the airline's CEO.
Related Stories:
· After the Virgin Birth [Fast Company]
· On the Scene: Virgin America's Party At Tryst [Jaunted]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: San Francisco Chronicle]
by pbb
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