After a single airliner went ever so slightly astray because its flight crew were using laptops in the cockpit, lawmakers are poised to bring regulations crashing down that forbid almost any kind of gadget being used by pilots. That's ...READ»
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson got that nickname for taking off his shoes once in the second game of a doubleheader in 1908.One hundred and one years later, TSA is still making Shoeless Joes of us all with the apparently immutable requirement ...READ»
Bumping is the nemesis of the business traveler. Leisure travelers often have a certain amount of latitude as to when they need to arrive at a destination. Not so with the road warrior, who is a clockwork captive. While it is highly ...READ»
When the founding fathers endowed us with certain inalienable rights I would have hoped they had the foresight to assume these truths would have been self-evident even when sitting on an airplane.Unfortunately, it seems like the ...READ»
Irish bargain airline Ryanair announced yesterday they would begin selling smokeless electronic cigarettes on their flights. The gimmick may bring in a few extra nicotine-happy customers in Europe, but Ryanair doesn't fly to the ...READ»
Anne Marie Chaker of The Wall Street Journal wrote an excellent review recently of the new bus services that have come onto the scene to cater to business travelers. Her story includes a charming video of her trip to Baltimore on ...READ»
Business travel is the oil that lubricates the wheels of business. I've always felt that companies that cut back on travel for business are cutting back on their business's prospects. Now several surveys say that while ...READ»
From a marketing standpoint, money can't buy a more exquisitely perfect demographic than airline passengers: bored, opinionated, and current users of the company's product. Why are airlines passing up the opportunity to collect data ...READ»
When new software is introduced, such as whiz-bang applications for mobile devices, technology reviewers tend to focus whether it is the latest, greatest, or coolest thing to hit the market. Less often do you see reviewers take a step ...READ»
I'm sure it comes as no news that spending time in a sealed, pressurized aluminum tube at high altitude is probably not the most healthful thing you can do to your body. For that reason, one would think that fliers might have ...READ»
It gets pretty cloudy in Juneau, Alaska. Constant overcast, plus the fact that the airport there is surrounded by mountains, has caused many flight delays and cancellations. Fifteen years ago Alaska Airlines (AA) came up with a ...READ»
Enough is enough.
On July 17, I blogged about Ryanair's announcement that it was mulling the idea of requiring passengers to pay to for potty privileges.
Ryanair has now topped itself. It now is floating the trial balloon ...READ»
Okay, I have a confession. For the past several months I have been a "virtual" road warrior. Like many of you I, too, have been affected by corporate travel restrictions. As a result, today I crossed the jetway threshold for the first ...READ»
Most travel experts think Ryanair's announcement that it is considering charging for bathroom access on the plane was purely a PR ploy. But I think it was more in the nature of a trial balloon.
Yes, Ryanair is justly regarded ...READ»
With no sign of a recovery in airline travel, and with aviation gas costs ramping up, the major carriers are continuing to cut capacity, led by Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. What this indicates is that we are not out of ...READ»
Before you criticize someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. Yes, it's an old joke but I'm reminded of it when I fly with kids - whether the kids ...READ»
Fliers increasingly are warming up to the concept of choice, aka à la carte, meaning paying only for those services you want in the airport or on the plane. But going à la carte comprehensively, that is, across hundreds of ...READ»
In January, Continental Airlines became the first U.S. airline to test biofuel in a jet engine. The Boeing 737 used a B50 blend of jet-A, jatropha, and algae - so it was 50 percent conventional jet fuel and 50 percent ...READ»
Whole-body scanners will replace metal detectors, in a little-noticed policy shift at the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). This means that instead of walking through the familiar security portals that stand next to the ...READ»
It's ironic that the world's sexiest airline --
RIP, Hooters Air -- is still a Virgin. But these days, that's a good
thing. As older carriers battle bad press (say, U.S. Airways) and
financial woes (pretty much everyone ...READ»
Travelers will see an added layer of security when the TSA finishes implementing "Secure Flight" officially on August 15, 2009.
Travelers will also see an added security hurdle because Secure Flight requires that all ...READ»
Reflecting concern at the thought of a road warrior indulging in luxury, corporate travel departments have cancelled an estimated $1 billion worth of industry conferences in the first two months of 2009. Called the "AIG ...READ»
