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Posted
Aug 12 2009, 12:54 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Continental Airlines' offer of refunds and travel vouchers to the 47 people kept overnight on a grounded commuter plane wouldn't fly with Linda Maddox if she had been one of those passengers.
"Oh yeah, what I want from you now is a VOUCHER for another flight, so I can get trapped in another one of your cans ... again. Give me a refund, and I'll call a cab," Linda, who is claustrophobic, commented at The Two-Way blog at NPR.
Could this latest outrage be the one that breaks the opposition to the proposed air passengers' bill of rights?
"If senators don't think the air-travel bill is as important as health care and some other issues, maybe they should hold a town hall meeting with the 47 passengers who were forced to sit on a grounded airplane for six hours last weekend in Rochester, Minn.," opined Maine's Kennebec Journal.
Tom Belden said at Winging It, "Whatever, I suspect the chances of Congress actually adopting federal rules for treatment of airline customers during long tarmac delays just got a lot better with a tale from a flight this weekend."
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Posted
Apr 17 2008, 01:43 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
In these days of near-record flight delays, no food, baggage charges -- not to mention passengers stranded on delayed flights for hours at a time or last week's 3,000 canceled American Airlines flights -- the government is throwing airline passengers a bone.
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Posted
Mar 26 2009, 03:28 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The airlines are struggling these days, much like everyone else.
In its effort to provide essential business and economic news and information to Minyans the world over, Minyanville.com has already covered the most critical trends, such as Ryanair (RYAAY) contemplating the first pay toilets inside commercial airliners.
As a frequent flier on US Air (LCC), I received a notice saying they were no longer going to charge for soda and water. Holy catfish. Not only is US Air unpopular with geese, they apparently wanted to antagonize the entire population (good thing they're stopping).
But what grotesquely overpaid executive thought up the idea of charging for soda and water in the first place? Probably the same executive who thought up in-flight pay toilets, which makes me suspect this advice could be coming from roaming consultants.
This is the kind of stuff you just can’t make up. The severity of the economic pinch on airlines is no secret. But some of this is getting ridiculous.
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Posted
Dec 13 2007, 01:59 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from David Wood at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. While this year's Thanksgiving travel rush was less troublesome than expected, frustrations of all kinds await travelers not only during the holidays but year-round. Here's a holiday review of frequent mishaps and what you can do to avoid them. The epidemic of lost bags is the tip of the iceberg. Flight delays, canceled flights, overbooking and an assortment of other annoyances are common. Keeping your cool is only part of the equation. You also must be educated about your rights and the laws and regulations that govern airlines. For instance, it's no secret that airlines routinely overbook flights in anticipation of passengers not showing up, and there is nothing illegal about that. Part of the traveling life is the chance of being bumped, and minors are not exempt.
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Posted
Sep 16 2009, 04:03 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 The global airline industry, still staggering from huge losses and bankruptcies late last year after oil prices passed $140 a barrel, is not doing much better in 2009. Low passenger traffic is the chief culprit, but crude at $70 after a sharp dip early in the year puts on significant additional pressure.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its new forecast for worldwide airline losses this year and it moved up $2 billion to $11 billion. “The bottom line of this crisis – with combined 2008-9 losses at $27.8 billion – is larger than the impact of 9/11,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
The industry is so heavily burdened with debt that weak demand during the upcoming holiday season will threaten to sink some carriers. Japan Air has already announced nearly 7,000 layoffs and the Asia carrier is looking for a cash infusion from AirFrance-KLM or a major US carrier–perhaps American Airlines.
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Posted
Apr 06 2009, 06:11 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.
My wife and I have begun to explore the idea of taking a trip later this year. We're in the preliminary stages of our research and budgeting. Though we aren't ready to book anything yet, it's fun to look at what's available, and to dream of where we might go.
Over the weekend, I polled my followers on Twitter to ask their advice for finding great travel deals. Here are some of the tips and Web sites they recommended. I'm sure I'll refer to this list often in the coming months.
Kayak is a travel site that allows users to find deals on flights, hotels, cruises and more. More people suggested this site to me than any other. "K3n85" reports that he's had good luck with Kayak's deals section. And I have to say: A $649 six-night trip to London, Paris and Rome (including airfare and lodging!) sounds like a bargain. I love Kayak's bare-bones user interface. It's refreshing.
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Posted
Sep 11 2009, 03:30 PM
by
Anthony Mirhaydari
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Airline stocks were big movers this week after the release of positive analyst reports from J.P. Morgan and Barclays Capital. This helped push up the airline sector in particular and transportation stocks in general. UAL Corp. (UAUA), the parent of United Airlines, gained 21.4% this week while US Airways (LCC) gained 19.2%. Compare this to the 2.6% rise in the S&P 500.
Transportation stocks tend to act as a leading indicator for both the broad market and the economy, so bullishness here is a good sign traders believe the economy is healing.
I snagged copies of both reports. The team at J.P. Morgan believes that we won't see any airline bankruptcies this winter based on better-than-expected revenue trends in July and August as well as stable fuel prices. In their words, they suggest "everyone makes it, this time." Barclays Capital believes many "underestimate the potential for a significant airline revenue recovery."
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Posted
Jul 10 2008, 08:00 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Myscha Theriault at partner blog Wise Bread. How little luggage can you take and how low can you go on the budget end when you travel? Space With all the talk about airlines starting to charge for the very first bag you check, one-bag travel is going to become a larger priority for many. This is easier to achieve on some trips than others. My personal indicators? The length, diversity and independence level of the trip. The longer my husband and I are traveling, the more climates, cultures and regions we're trying to see, or the more independent we are trying to be in order to maximize our travel bucks, the harder it is to eliminate items like the corkscrew, multipurpose tool, and other miscellaneous gear like mosquito nets, sleep sacks or hammocks.
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Posted
Apr 16 2009, 01:16 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
United Airlines announced that it's following the lead of sister airlines and will now charge obese passengers for a second seat in certain situations. The Wall Street Journal's The Middle Seat Terminal blog reports that the airline is responding to almost 700 complaints from passengers who were squished by fat seatmates.
The Terminal asks a good question: Is this fair to overweight people?
Here are the particulars of the new policy: (Actually, take time to read the entire policy because many news and blog reports about it were inaccurate.):
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Posted
Feb 27 2009, 02:58 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Has this ever happened to you? You're boarding one of those small commuter planes that doesn't have a bathroom, and you're extremely nervous about your bladder. (We once sat next to an elderly lady in distress who was in tears by the time the plane landed.)
This comes to mind because the head of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget cheap airline, told the BBC that it may begin charging for in-flight use of toilets. Michael O'Leary, what are you thinking? Surely you jest.
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