Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Japan Airlines to test Jumbo Jet with Biofuel
The flight is meant to test the reliability as well as the efficiency of this fuel, and therefore its engine and aircraft will also be analyzed by their specific engineers.
Japan Airlines will be the first Asian airline to fly with biofuel, and only the second airline in the world to use a Boeing 747 jet to do so.
Friday, December 19, 2008
JetBlue Turns Pet-Friendly
- Each pet must be carried on in a carrier, and thereby the pet must be able to fit inside the carrier. The combined weight of the carrier and the pet cannot be more than 20 pounds.
- Only four pets are allowed per flight. Therefore, in theory, only four passengers would be able to carrier on a pet per flight.
- Pets cannot travel alone and therefore must travel with a customer.
- Each pet must satisfy immunization requirements if required by the state entering or departing.
- Each pet must be booked on the flight via phone; they cannot be booked online.
Each carrier will be counted as the carry-on bag of the customer. Therefore, each passenger with a pet carrier will be allowed on personal item (purse, computer bag, etc).
The carrier will be given a bag tag to put on so that other customers know that there is a pet on board. In addition, passengers with carriers will not be allowed to sit in bulkhead or exit rows, to make sure any emergency will be swiftly and efficiently dealt with.
JetBlue will be the first budget airline to offer free in-cabin pet service. It will be interesting to see what the popular airline will do next.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Continental to Test Biofuel
While a biofuel movement has been slowly churning from several years ago for conventional car gasoline, airlines were forced to review their fuel sources when oil prices skyrocketed over the summer. Since fuel prices have been volatile, airlines have been having a difficult time pinpointing a specific price and time to purchase their oil. Because airlines purchase their fuel for several months at one time, even if prices drop for a week or so, it rarely has an impact on the prices the airlines pay. Fuel remains one of the highest expenses for an airline - for example, an average Continental flight of 1,000 miles will consume 18 gallons per person.
Continental wanted to make sure their new biofuel would not only decrease emissions, but also be actually sustainable, which is the reason behind the algae-jatropha combination, unlike other fuels such as corn. In addition, the airline expects that the results from the flight should show that the biofuel will perform just as well as traditional jet fuel in terms of performance and safety.
While other airlines are also moving towards testing biofuels around the world, Continental will be the first large carrier to do so. It will be interesting to see if a biofuel blend would become the standard of airline fuel in the future.
Continental to Offer Video on Demand
In addition to the entertainment upgrades, the airline also installed AC ports all around the economy cabin, making it a little better for passengers with laptops. As Continental continues to be one of the few airlines offering meals in economy class, it will be interesting to see what the airline will do next.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Bangkok Airports Reopen
However, it will take a few days until flights are able to resume their normal schedule. Since the airports have not operated under normal conditions for about a week, all systems need to be retested. Currently, only cargo flights are using the two airports - actual passenger flights are due to start on the 5th for domestic airlines, to commemorate the birthday of the King of Thailand. It will take several days after that for international flights to resume. Hopefully, within a week, at least some of the approximate 230,000 stranded tourists would be able to go home.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Both Major Airports in Thailand Closed
Airport officials have released that they will not reopen the international airport until Monday night at 6 pm in Thailand since facilities will need to be cleaned and fully operational before being functional. However, that is contingent on the airport being cleared of its current occupants - the protesters. Since the PAD has made clear that the group has no intentions of moving out, it might take another few days, or even weeks before the PAD is convinced by negotiators to leave the airports.
The Suvarnabhumi International Airport handled over 40 million passengers, it was 18th busiest in the world in 2007, with an average of 700 flights a day. In order to thwart the loss of the two major airports in the country, the Thailand government has opened up U Ta Pao air force base, which is located about 140 kilometers (90 miles) south of Bangkok. While a few airlines have decided to use the base as their airport to make sure stranded passengers leave the country, others, such as Singapore Airlines, have decided to temporarily suspend all flights to and from Bangkok until further notice. Thai Airways has suspended all domestic flights from Don Mueang airport as well. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have both canceled their flights in and out of the city as well, but have set up flights for those who are stranded.
For the time being, Japan Airlines plans on flying one flight at 1PM in Thailand from U Ta Pao on Saturday, with a 324-seater Boeing 747-400 plane. It will board passengers according to how recently they made their reservation - older reservations will receive priority. On Sunday, the airline plans on two more flights, one at 1pm (a 245 seater Boeing 777) and another at 4 pm (a 382 seater Boeing 747-400).
All Nippon Airways is planning similar flights out. On Saturday, a 306 seater Boeing 777-200ER will fly from U Ta Pao base at 1:30pm. It is currently still planning flights for Sunday and Monday. The airline, unlike Japan Airlines, is also selling tickets for this flight as well.
Some tourists are taking several flights to return to their respective countries. A layover in Singapore and/or Malaysia has been popular enough to prompt Malaysia Air to change their Kula Lumpur to Phuket aircraft to a bigger one that seats more.
There are concerns that that are up to 10,000 Japanese stranded in the country. All of them are expected to be in hotels since none could be found in the airports. The same cannot be said of Americans - there are several stranded at the airports with an approximate total of about 4000 from all over the world. Currently, due to the government intervening, several hotels in Bangkok have opened their doors and are allowing guests who have already checked out to stay for free, as well as those who were originally planning on checking out. In addition, for tourists, even if their visa expires while they are in Thailand, as long as they show their original flight information, they will not be fined for overstaying.
While it is clear that the Thailand government has taken into consideration the concerns and needs of the travelers, the PAD has effectively frustrated many of them. Even though the protesters are giving away free food, distributing flyers to explain their reasoning behind their actions and being amicable, many tourists simply want to go home. Hopefully, many of them will be able to do so, in time.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
We hope you, your family, and friends have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend.
Zagat 2008 Airline Survey Ranks Continental, JetBlue, Singapore, Southwest Among Best
While average overall ratings involving comfort, service and food had increased from the previous year, the biggest growth of service was seen in the premium economy class while some growth was seen for economy class. In addition, many felt that the airline's websites were much better than actual in-air performance; therefore, airlines seem to have a long way to go before customers are willing to admit service was good all around.
For domestic Premium Economy seating as well as international Best Value for Money categories, Continental Airlines took first place. At the same time, while Continental did not take top honors for the other domestic categories, it still ranked #1 above all other major domestic US carriers known as the "Big 6" - American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways - for the second year in a row. Overall, Continental was able to rank in the top 5 for 10 out of 14 categories, strengthening Continental's strong image.
For International Economy, Singapore continued to rank first for both Premium Economy and Economy class seating for the 9th survey in a row. All Nippon Airways was able to make it into the top 5 for Premium Economy class as well.
Overall however, Southwest took many of the first place rankings, including Best Value for Money, Best Airline Website, Best Frequent Flier Program, Best Consumer On-Time Estimates, and Best Luggage Policy. It only failed to grab one top spot out of all categories it was included in the top 5, and that was the best large domestic airline economy seating, losing to JetBlue. However, it seems that Southwest must be doing something right - it is evident the airline has a strong following.
Other interesting facts were also released: of those surveyed, 60% used airline websites, 4% called the airline directly, 18% use travel booking sites like Expedia and Orbitz, 9% through work, and 8% use a travel agent. In addition, 65% use their frequent flier miles for free flights, while 25% use them for upgrades, and 10% deem them useless and don't utilize them at all.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Faulty Luggage Scales Found in New York City Airports
Air Fares Fall for the Holiday Season
Somehow, for the first time in many years (for many, the first time in their life time), holiday travel prices are dropping as the holidays are approaching. Sound like a contradiction? For previous years it is - but not this year. As the economy slumps further, many people are finding that they need to pinch for pennies. But it did not help that the airline fees were at an all time high during the summer due to high fuel prices. Unfortunately for some - fortunately for some bargain hunters - the airlines realized that beyond specific dates, people were unwilling to shell out the increased holiday prices that were published over the early fall. Beyond specific dates such as November 20th, December 20th, and December 26th to the 28th, most airlines were seeing empty seats in flights they are used to seeing long waitlists for.
Of course, like any holiday season, certain destinations simply don't warrant a price decrease, since passengers already expect a higher fare. An example of this is New York City, where flights have been booked relatively solid for dates outside of the ones listed above for a while now. But exceptions like New York are rare, and therefore bargains have been appearing all over the internet. Perhaps it's time to go check out that flight you were interested in back in the fall?
Wireless Access in Planes a Reality
While internet has always been an interest for many passengers as wireless capabilities expanded on ground, previous systems have been expensive, or with unreliable connections. Currently, JetBlue has a system that has e-mail service that utilizes existing cell phone towers for service - however, this system can only work on flights over land. Due to this, the service Gogo uses, Aircell, is also limited to domestic flights as well. However, many passengers believe this is better than nothing, and therefore the outlook seems to be positive for now.
Various other airlines have released similar plans:
Satellite Based System - Row 44
- Alaska Airlines to test in a Boeing 737 in 2009
- Southwest Airlines to test in 4 aircraft in early 2009
Cell Phone Tower Based System - Gogo
- Air Canada to test in several Airbus A319s in 2009
- Delta Airlines to test by the end of 2008, with expansion to Northwest as well. By 2009, should have 330 aircraft with the system.
Cell Phone Tower Based System - LiveTV
- Continental Airlines to test the system by Summer of 2009
It will be interesting to see if US Airways and United Airlines come up with a plan of their own - even though they have yet to mention any news concerning wireless internet access. But as demand increases, it will only be a few years before wireless internet becomes a standard in all domestic flights across the United States.
Friday, November 21, 2008
DayJet Files for Chapter 7
The airline was well known for its on-demand personal jet service, which serviced many smaller airports. DayJet concentrated on the Southeast because of the lack of major airline presence due to service cutbacks over the recent years. However, the airline suddenly ceased operations on September 18th, citing the lack if capital as its reason. In addition, the airline refused to honor existing tickets or give refunds, and those who had already started their travel but had yet to complete their trip were stuck without a plane ticket to their destination. In addition, though the airline has stopped service since September 18th, it was only on November 14th that the airline filed. The reason for this delay has not been cited.
It seems long ago when airlines were bristling with passengers and capital. Only time will tell if and when would the outlook be positive again.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Southwest to Expand into New York
Currently, the airline only operates to Islip Airport on Long Island, making it difficult for many customers to access. Since LaGuardia Airport is one of the three major metropolitan airports in the New York City area, Southwest's expansion to the area would allow the carrier to finally enter the competative arena of being able to connect to European flights, since most European flights fly out of New York. Although Southwest operates as a completely domestic carrier, it is currently working with other international airlines to expand its service. Recently, Southwest has made ties that would allow it to operate code share flights to Canada and Mexico. Therefore, by moving into the New York market, Southwest would potentially become a larger international carrier through code shares and eventually, their own flights to and from Europe.
Southwest is the largest carrier in the US domestic arena, yet the airline is known to arrive on time most of the time, unlike other carriers which carry a smaller passenger load. This is mostly due to its well planned flight schedule, proven at both Philadelphia and San Francisco airports. As the airspace in New York is one of the most overcrowded areas in the nation, the airline will be facing some difficulty in scheduling. However, at the same time, since Southwest is only planning on purchasing 14 slots, which can allow about one gates worth of flights a day, for now, it is expected that they would succeed in continuing their mantle of success.
For the future, critics will be focusing on both Southwest Airlines' performance as well as how the airline would fare in the New York City environment, due to the large amount of international carriers in the area. But for now, at least Southwest is planning on expanding to LaGuardia while cutting flights from less profitable markets. This in turn allows the airline to stay the same size since the size of its fleet would not have to be expanded. Perhaps the airline will succeed in New York - prospects currently look good since the airline is the only carrier without fees.
Tabit Walker - English Blog Opens!
Greetings from @Tabit! We hope everyone is bundled up during this early winter season - it has been getting rather chilly out in the streets of New York City.
While we have had a Japanese blog going on for some time now, it was brought up that we did not have a way to reach out to our English speaking customers. Starting today, we will be posting news and new information about the airline industry - domestic and international alike - as well as potential vacation locations to visit when you need a break and get away. With time, we are looking to widen the span of our blog posts, so keep a look out for new types of information!
Since new information comes out so often, we are looking to update this blog about 2-3 times a week. If there are topics you would like for us to post about, or go more in depth, please do not hesitate to ask!
We at @Tabit look forward to hearing from all of you!