Southwest Airlines inspected all 181 of its Boeing 737-300 jets overnight after a small section of the fuselage on one jet peeled up Monday, prompting a rapid decompression and an emergency landing in West Virginia.
Passengers aboard Flight 2294 from Nashville to Baltimore could see through the approximately 1-foot-by-1-foot hole in the top of the jet near where the vertical fin rises from the jet's tail. The flight was carrying 126 passengers and five crew.
Passenger Brian Cunningham told NBC's Today show Tuesday that he had dozed off in his seat in mid-cabin when he was awakened by "the loudest roar I'd ever heard."
He said the hole was above his seat. People stayed calm and put on the oxygen masks that dropped from the ceiling.
"After we landed in Charleston, the pilot came out and looked up through the hole, and everybody applauded, shook his hand, a couple of people gave him hugs," Cunningham said.
Teams from the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing were arriving in Charleston to examine the jet.
The damage was similar to several incidents in previous decades, including cases that caused fatalities.
The highest death count in aviation history occurred on Aug. 12, 1985, when a Japan Air Lines 747 suddenly decompressed, damaging the jet's hydraulic system and rendering it uncontrollable. The jet slammed into a mountain, killing 520 of the 524 people aboard. The accident was blamed on a faulty repair that had been done seven years earlier.
A flight attendant died on an Aloha Airlines 737 on April 28, 1988, when 18 feet of the jet's skin peeled back at 24,000 feet. The NTSB ruled that undetected fatigue had weakened the jet. The accident prompted broad new inspections of aging aircraft.
The Southwest 737 was delivered to the airline in 1994, said airline spokeswoman Beth Harbin. Inspections of the 180 other 737-300s in the airline's fleet overnight showed no evidence of anything unusual, Harbin said. About 20 flights experienced minor delays this morning as maintenance workers conducted the inspections.
The airline sent a backup jet to Charleston to pick up the passengers after the emergency landing. They arrived in Baltimore at about 9 p.m., about two hours late, Harbin said.
Last March, Southwest agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle charges that it operated planes that had missed required safety inspections for cracks in the fuselage. The inspections were prompted by the 1988 Aloha crash.
The airline had made nearly 60,000 flights without the required inspections. A senior FAA inspector allowed the airline to make some of the flights even after the missed inspections came to light.
Southwest performed all of the necessary inspections last year and insisted that safety had not been compromised.
Federal regulations require aircraft manufacturers to build a jet's fuselage strong enough so that if a hole opens up in flight it will not spread or damage the nearby structure.
Dallas-based Southwest carries more than 100 million U.S. passengers a year, more than any other airline.
Showing posts with label Airlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airlines. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Southwest Kicks Off Services from New York LaGuardia
Southwest Airlines kicked off its new service out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport over the weekend with its “New Service, New Attitude, New York” themed celebration. Southwest Customers and employees dined on New York-style bagels while being serenaded by Southwest’s rapping flight attendant, David Holmes.
New Yorkers can enjoy Southwest’s service and low fares, while Washington, D.C.- and Chicago-based customers now have a new low-fare option for flying to La Guardia, according to Greg Wells, Southwest’s senior vice president of operations. Southwest Airlines is now serving New York City travelers from LaGuardia with eight daily nonstop flights -- five daily nonstops to Chicago Midway and three daily nonstop flights to Baltimore/Washington. In addition to the eight daily nonstop flights, Southwest Airlines will offer direct or connecting service to more than 45 destinations from New York City, including Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego. Southwest operates from Gate B4 in LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building.
Earlier in the week, Southwest Airlines celebrated at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in New York City with customers and employees. Southwest employees will continue its community involvement with volunteer activity at Flushing Meadows, where employees will clean up the park.
New Yorkers can enjoy Southwest’s service and low fares, while Washington, D.C.- and Chicago-based customers now have a new low-fare option for flying to La Guardia, according to Greg Wells, Southwest’s senior vice president of operations. Southwest Airlines is now serving New York City travelers from LaGuardia with eight daily nonstop flights -- five daily nonstops to Chicago Midway and three daily nonstop flights to Baltimore/Washington. In addition to the eight daily nonstop flights, Southwest Airlines will offer direct or connecting service to more than 45 destinations from New York City, including Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego. Southwest operates from Gate B4 in LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building.
Earlier in the week, Southwest Airlines celebrated at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in New York City with customers and employees. Southwest employees will continue its community involvement with volunteer activity at Flushing Meadows, where employees will clean up the park.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Struggling airlines launch more 'a la carte' fees at fliers
Figuring out the cost of his parents' recent trip between Dallas and southern California was "a nightmare" for frequent flier Thomas McDonnell.
Comparing airline baggage fees and other extra charges was so difficult that McDonnell had trouble determining the most economical flight. "It was so complicated that driving became a strong option," says McDonnell, of Austin.
McDonnell's frustration is shared by many fliers who are confronted with an ever-expanding array of fees for services that once were included in the price of an airline ticket. They complain the charges aren't transparent, are misleading and even a rip-off — so much so that William Maloney, president of the American Society of Travel Agents, says Congress may need to force greater disclosure.
"There's an increasing feeling among consumers that they're being taken advantage of," Maloney says. "Consumers have more rights when they buy a hammer at a hardware store than when they buy a $1,000 airline ticket."
But the fees — what airlines call à la carte pricing — aren't going away. More airlines are imposing or expanding them to offset big losses in revenue as fewer people fly during down economic times, and fuel prices are again on the rise. Even Southwest Airlines (LUV), a longtime opponent of extra charges, announced new ones last month.
The airlines justify fees as letting customers choose the level of service they're willing to pay for and say passengers are getting used to them. And ultimately, as aviation consultant Michael Boyd says, "It's business, and they (airlines) have the right to charge for whatever they want."
Sorting out the airlines' fees can be a time-consuming task.
It took a week for a USA TODAY reporter — who, unlike most consumers, was assisted by airline public relations staff — to compile 28 different types of fees charged by 14 major airlines.
Even professional travel agents such as Maloney's members and big companies with travel departments have trouble sorting through them.
"Budgeting travel costs becomes difficult without knowing the full price employees will spend on air travel," says Kevin Maguire, president and CEO of the National Business Travel Association, which represents more than 4,000 travel managers and suppliers.
When the group surveyed corporate travel managers on the issue of fees last fall, 76% of 230 who responded said airlines were misleading the public.
Some fees are 'absolutely crazy'
Excluding yearly membership fees to use airport lounges — which cost $525 at United Airlines (UAUA)— the most expensive fees that airlines impose are for international ticket changes and overweight bags.
Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines (AMR) and US Airways (LCC), for example, charge $250 apiece, or $1,000 for a family of four, to change an international ticket between some destinations. United charges $400 for a bag weighing 71 to 100 pounds on flights to Africa, the Middle East and some Pacific destinations.
But it's often the little charges that can be most infuriating for many passengers.
Frequent flier Scott Jozefowski says some fees are "absolutely crazy," including one he saw invoked on a US Airways flight in April.
When the woman sitting next to him was cold and asked for a blanket, Jozefowski says, the flight attendant told her she could buy it. US Airways charges $7 for a pillow and blanket set. The woman dodged the charge, he says, by persuading the attendant to lower the air conditioning.
More irksome, Jozefowski says, was the $3 he was charged for a 4-ounce bag of trail mix on a Northwest Airlines flight to Hawaii last year.
"Everyone on that plane paid $400 or more for that flight, and the airline couldn't even give us peanuts," says Jozefowski, an education consultant in Purchase, N.Y.
That's since been remedied. Delta acquired Northwest in October and has restored free snacks, including peanuts, on Northwest flights, says Delta spokesman Kent Landers.
McDonnell, the frequent flier from Austin, finds booking fees the most irritating. Most airlines charge a fee to passengers who book a ticket — even a free frequent-flier ticket — on the telephone instead of online.
"It seems moronic to pay a representative of the business when I am trying to spend money," McDonnell says.
But the airlines need the money that the fees generate during down economic times when people are traveling less. The fees produce substantial revenue.
AirTran (AAI) expects to generate $300 million this year from fees for checked bags, ticket changes, business-class upgrades, alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi and other services.
United Airlines said last year it expected to annually collect $275 million from fees for the first two bags that passengers check on its flights.
In April, US Airways said its "à la carte revenue initiatives" have brought in more than $255 million since they were initiated in May 2008. They're expected to bring in $400 million to $500 million this year.
"Our à la carte business model is a necessary way to generate revenue during a time when capacity exceeds demand," says US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder.
Airlines began imposing the fees last year to help offset what then were record-high fuel costs. Although many of the fuel surcharges airlines imposed then have since come off, other fees have remained and been expanded.
Last month, Delta scaled back its plans for a $50 fee for a second checked bag on all international flights. When competitors didn't adopt a similar policy, the airline said the fee, to begin July 1, would apply only to travel between the United States and Europe.
But that's a rarity. Boyd, the airline consultant, says travelers shouldn't expect fees to disappear. "Fees," he says, "are a way of life now."
Paying for what you use
Some airline industry experts, such as Ohio State University's Nawal Taneja, say the airlines are damaging themselves by slapping on so many fees. They're alienating passengers, he says.
"Airlines are doing strategic moves that passengers are not accepting," Taneja says, and "the elastic is about to break."
Taneja, a business strategist who has written five books about the airline industry, says airlines should only charge extra for products and services that cost them money, and the fees must be reasonable.
"Airlines must do it in a manner that gets them money but is not offensive to the customer or destroys their image or brand," Taneja says. "A $250 change fee for a free frequent-flier ticket is unreasonable."
Others agree with his assessment. Consumer advocate Brandon Macsata also says the fees are driving away customers. Those most affected are seniors on fixed incomes, college students and lower-income families, he says.
"Marketing economics 101 dictates that higher fees equates to fewer customers," says Macsata, executive director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. "It doesn't matter whether it is a durable good at a retail store, food at a restaurant, automobiles at a car dealership, or excessive airline fees for everything under the sun — they restrict markets, not grow them."
The airlines clearly don't buy that argument.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air (ALGT) and European discount carrier Ryanair— which recently confirmed plans to charge to use the toilet — "successfully charge separately for most customer services without great criticism," says David Castelveter, vice president of the Air Transport Association, which represents U.S. airlines.
"Is hotel demand down because hotels charge extra for items in the minibar and Internet connections?" he asks. "What about à la carte at the movies, opera or ballpark?"
Christopher White, spokesman for AirTran Airways, says the airline is seeing a change in passenger behavior, with customers beginning to "embrace à la carte pricing."
Passengers like paying only for services they use, White says. And without à la carte pricing, he says, AirTran wouldn't be able to offer the $39 one-way fares it offers on some routes.
Comparing airline baggage fees and other extra charges was so difficult that McDonnell had trouble determining the most economical flight. "It was so complicated that driving became a strong option," says McDonnell, of Austin.
McDonnell's frustration is shared by many fliers who are confronted with an ever-expanding array of fees for services that once were included in the price of an airline ticket. They complain the charges aren't transparent, are misleading and even a rip-off — so much so that William Maloney, president of the American Society of Travel Agents, says Congress may need to force greater disclosure.
"There's an increasing feeling among consumers that they're being taken advantage of," Maloney says. "Consumers have more rights when they buy a hammer at a hardware store than when they buy a $1,000 airline ticket."
But the fees — what airlines call à la carte pricing — aren't going away. More airlines are imposing or expanding them to offset big losses in revenue as fewer people fly during down economic times, and fuel prices are again on the rise. Even Southwest Airlines (LUV), a longtime opponent of extra charges, announced new ones last month.
The airlines justify fees as letting customers choose the level of service they're willing to pay for and say passengers are getting used to them. And ultimately, as aviation consultant Michael Boyd says, "It's business, and they (airlines) have the right to charge for whatever they want."
Sorting out the airlines' fees can be a time-consuming task.
It took a week for a USA TODAY reporter — who, unlike most consumers, was assisted by airline public relations staff — to compile 28 different types of fees charged by 14 major airlines.
Even professional travel agents such as Maloney's members and big companies with travel departments have trouble sorting through them.
"Budgeting travel costs becomes difficult without knowing the full price employees will spend on air travel," says Kevin Maguire, president and CEO of the National Business Travel Association, which represents more than 4,000 travel managers and suppliers.
When the group surveyed corporate travel managers on the issue of fees last fall, 76% of 230 who responded said airlines were misleading the public.
Some fees are 'absolutely crazy'
Excluding yearly membership fees to use airport lounges — which cost $525 at United Airlines (UAUA)— the most expensive fees that airlines impose are for international ticket changes and overweight bags.
Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines (AMR) and US Airways (LCC), for example, charge $250 apiece, or $1,000 for a family of four, to change an international ticket between some destinations. United charges $400 for a bag weighing 71 to 100 pounds on flights to Africa, the Middle East and some Pacific destinations.
But it's often the little charges that can be most infuriating for many passengers.
Frequent flier Scott Jozefowski says some fees are "absolutely crazy," including one he saw invoked on a US Airways flight in April.
When the woman sitting next to him was cold and asked for a blanket, Jozefowski says, the flight attendant told her she could buy it. US Airways charges $7 for a pillow and blanket set. The woman dodged the charge, he says, by persuading the attendant to lower the air conditioning.
More irksome, Jozefowski says, was the $3 he was charged for a 4-ounce bag of trail mix on a Northwest Airlines flight to Hawaii last year.
"Everyone on that plane paid $400 or more for that flight, and the airline couldn't even give us peanuts," says Jozefowski, an education consultant in Purchase, N.Y.
That's since been remedied. Delta acquired Northwest in October and has restored free snacks, including peanuts, on Northwest flights, says Delta spokesman Kent Landers.
McDonnell, the frequent flier from Austin, finds booking fees the most irritating. Most airlines charge a fee to passengers who book a ticket — even a free frequent-flier ticket — on the telephone instead of online.
"It seems moronic to pay a representative of the business when I am trying to spend money," McDonnell says.
But the airlines need the money that the fees generate during down economic times when people are traveling less. The fees produce substantial revenue.
AirTran (AAI) expects to generate $300 million this year from fees for checked bags, ticket changes, business-class upgrades, alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi and other services.
United Airlines said last year it expected to annually collect $275 million from fees for the first two bags that passengers check on its flights.
In April, US Airways said its "à la carte revenue initiatives" have brought in more than $255 million since they were initiated in May 2008. They're expected to bring in $400 million to $500 million this year.
"Our à la carte business model is a necessary way to generate revenue during a time when capacity exceeds demand," says US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder.
Airlines began imposing the fees last year to help offset what then were record-high fuel costs. Although many of the fuel surcharges airlines imposed then have since come off, other fees have remained and been expanded.
Last month, Delta scaled back its plans for a $50 fee for a second checked bag on all international flights. When competitors didn't adopt a similar policy, the airline said the fee, to begin July 1, would apply only to travel between the United States and Europe.
But that's a rarity. Boyd, the airline consultant, says travelers shouldn't expect fees to disappear. "Fees," he says, "are a way of life now."
Paying for what you use
Some airline industry experts, such as Ohio State University's Nawal Taneja, say the airlines are damaging themselves by slapping on so many fees. They're alienating passengers, he says.
"Airlines are doing strategic moves that passengers are not accepting," Taneja says, and "the elastic is about to break."
Taneja, a business strategist who has written five books about the airline industry, says airlines should only charge extra for products and services that cost them money, and the fees must be reasonable.
"Airlines must do it in a manner that gets them money but is not offensive to the customer or destroys their image or brand," Taneja says. "A $250 change fee for a free frequent-flier ticket is unreasonable."
Others agree with his assessment. Consumer advocate Brandon Macsata also says the fees are driving away customers. Those most affected are seniors on fixed incomes, college students and lower-income families, he says.
"Marketing economics 101 dictates that higher fees equates to fewer customers," says Macsata, executive director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. "It doesn't matter whether it is a durable good at a retail store, food at a restaurant, automobiles at a car dealership, or excessive airline fees for everything under the sun — they restrict markets, not grow them."
The airlines clearly don't buy that argument.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air (ALGT) and European discount carrier Ryanair— which recently confirmed plans to charge to use the toilet — "successfully charge separately for most customer services without great criticism," says David Castelveter, vice president of the Air Transport Association, which represents U.S. airlines.
"Is hotel demand down because hotels charge extra for items in the minibar and Internet connections?" he asks. "What about à la carte at the movies, opera or ballpark?"
Christopher White, spokesman for AirTran Airways, says the airline is seeing a change in passenger behavior, with customers beginning to "embrace à la carte pricing."
Passengers like paying only for services they use, White says. And without à la carte pricing, he says, AirTran wouldn't be able to offer the $39 one-way fares it offers on some routes.
Friday, May 22, 2009
JetBlue Plans New York JFK-Jamaica Service this Fall
JetBlue Airways has announced plans to begin new service to Kingston, Jamaica -- its 14th international destination -- this fall. The airline expects to serve Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport with daily nonstop service to/from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, with onward connecting service available to cities across the United States. JetBlue's flights to the Jamaican capital are expected to go on sale in June at www.jetblue.com, subject to receipt of government operating authority. Kingston will be JetBlue's second destination in Jamaica; it just kicked off daily nonstop service between New York (JFK) and Montego Bay. For more information, visit www.jetblue.com.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Southwest Piloting Onboard Wi-Fi
Southwest Airlines today launched a one-airplane pilot test of inflight wireless Internet with satellite connectivity supplier Row 44. In the next month, Southwest plans to expand the trial to three more aircraft.
The carrier is offering onboard Wi-Fi for free during the trial period, though it plans ultimately to monetize the offering, a spokesperson said today.
Though Southwest did not disclose price points, as it awaits trial results, Row 44 CEO John Guidon said, "If we were selling this as a retail service, meaning if the airlines weren't marketing it, then we'd probably put it somewhere in that $7.99 region, but we have really no input on how much the airlines will charge. They'll charge as they'll see fit and I'm sure it will be a good value."
Southwest expects the trial to extend "for the next few months." The Southwest trial is the first with Row 44, though Alaska Airlines, which already has inked an agreement with the provider, is expected to roll out the service "extremely soon," Guidon said.
Southwest said expansion beyond the pilot requires Federal Communications Commission approval, as Row 44 continues to wrap up its permits. "We're in a process that we've been navigating through for some months, and we're getting very close to the end of that process," said Guidon.
The carrier said the service is compatible with any Wi-Fi-enabled device, including laptops and smart phones, though "cellular technology will not work."
Southwest joins a growing number of domestic airlines that are bringing Wi-Fi onboard. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the past year have rolled out Wi-Fi on a limited domestic basis in conjunction with Aircell. American Airlines in August began rolling out the service across its 15-plane Boeing 767-200 fleet, while Delta is planning a fleetwide domestic rollout of the service, which this week launched on its 20th domestic aircraft. United Airlines last month also announced plans to outfit 13 transcontinental Boeing 757 aircraft with inflight wireless Internet capabilities in the second half of the year.
The carrier is offering onboard Wi-Fi for free during the trial period, though it plans ultimately to monetize the offering, a spokesperson said today.
Though Southwest did not disclose price points, as it awaits trial results, Row 44 CEO John Guidon said, "If we were selling this as a retail service, meaning if the airlines weren't marketing it, then we'd probably put it somewhere in that $7.99 region, but we have really no input on how much the airlines will charge. They'll charge as they'll see fit and I'm sure it will be a good value."
Southwest expects the trial to extend "for the next few months." The Southwest trial is the first with Row 44, though Alaska Airlines, which already has inked an agreement with the provider, is expected to roll out the service "extremely soon," Guidon said.
Southwest said expansion beyond the pilot requires Federal Communications Commission approval, as Row 44 continues to wrap up its permits. "We're in a process that we've been navigating through for some months, and we're getting very close to the end of that process," said Guidon.
The carrier said the service is compatible with any Wi-Fi-enabled device, including laptops and smart phones, though "cellular technology will not work."
Southwest joins a growing number of domestic airlines that are bringing Wi-Fi onboard. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the past year have rolled out Wi-Fi on a limited domestic basis in conjunction with Aircell. American Airlines in August began rolling out the service across its 15-plane Boeing 767-200 fleet, while Delta is planning a fleetwide domestic rollout of the service, which this week launched on its 20th domestic aircraft. United Airlines last month also announced plans to outfit 13 transcontinental Boeing 757 aircraft with inflight wireless Internet capabilities in the second half of the year.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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