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Internet addicts, take heart: American Airlines says it will be the first U.S. airline to bring inflight internet access to domestic skies.

The airline said Wednesday that it will test the service next year on some Boeing 767-200 jets that mostly fly transcontinental routes.

American will charge a fee for the hookup but said it did not know how much that would be.

American, a unit of AMR Corp., said it signed a memorandum of intent with AirCell LLC to provide the service.

AirCell will build cellular towers throughout the continental United States to transmit the signals. Planes will have three antennas, two on the bottom and one on top.

Notice that there’s a whole lot of future tense in there. “Next year.” “Will build towers.” Where’s the beef?

We’ve been hearing about the buildout of AirCell for well over a year now, and it hits the news about once per quarter. (Scott McCartney’s last piece on it was on April 3 of this year, if you’re keeping track.)

Boeing tried its hand at a satellite-based system, Connexion, but that folded. Maybe AirCell will do better: Inflight internet would be nice on longer domestic flights, and I’m happy to see an American commit to it. But I’ll believe it when I see it.

Thanks to reader Paul, who quips: “No word yet on whether they’re forcing AirCell to change their name to ‘AAirCell.’” (ThAAnks PAAul!) Sorry.

Related:
- Inflight internet moves closer to reality in American airspace
- “No Cellphones” light to be added to aircraft interiors
- It’s official: Boeing pulling the plug on its inflight internet service, Connexion

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Downgraded: Any last smidgen of credibility for inflight radio interviews
If you’ve ever flipped through the inflight audio dial on American Airlines, you’ll know that there’s a channel (#9) devoted to “interviews.” University of Chicago economist and Freakonomics author Steve Levitt was invited to participate… for the low, low price of $3995.00. I honestly never gave those interviews advertorials much of a listen, but the participants pay-to-play? And for that much?? Wow. ZERO credibility. (Thanks, Dr. Vino!)

Upgraded, possibly: The international airport welcome wagon
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill expanding the “model airport” program to other international ports of entry.

In April, the DHS designated Houston’s Bush International Airport as the first “model” port of entry, adding multilingual signs and informational videos narrated in Spanish, French, German and English to guide arriving travelers through the customs and immigration process. Arriving visitors are also presented with a “Welcome to the U.S.” brochure.

Unclear if general tone of the arrivals halls will feel any less like a police station, what with the fingerprinting and generally gruff attitude of every employee, but here’s hoping it helps.

Downgraded: British Airways’ standing among royal Qataris
Members of Qatar’s royal family were kicked off a British Airways flight for not following safety procedures, when they refused to take their seats. Why wouldn’t they sit? “After boarding, the women complained about the seats they had been allocated because they were next to men they did not know.” Setting aside the culture clash: None of this would have happened if British Airways would actually allow advance seat assignments for passengers on fares lower than the most expensive tickets. (Given their seating concerns, I imagine the royals flew discounted business business class.)

Downgraded: Your privacy (who knew it could be downgraded more?)
Under an expanded security agreement between the US and the EU, gobs and gobs of personal data can and will be shared with governments. If asked, airlines will be required to hand over any information they collect from you. Ask for a king-size bed as part of your package? Homeland Security will know. (Via Consumerist)

Upgraded: TSA Chief Kip Hawley’s internet presence
Downgraded: Logical explanations
Security guru Bruce Schneier is running a multi-part interview with TSA Director Kip Hawley this week. The first part is here. Bruce questions the logic of the 3-ounce liquid restrictions, etc. I’m happy to see Hawley reaching out again, but some of the answers just don’t cut it. For example: “If a TSO finds you or the contents of your bag suspicious, you might get interviewed and/or have your bags more closely examined. If the TSO throws your liquids in the trash, they don’t find you a threat.” Huh? What? Read the whole thing.

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American Airlines officially announced the expanded rollout of their improved business class seats to their Boeing 777 fleet yesterday, on the same day as United’s announcement of their next-generation business class. It’s good to see some improvements. But I’m sorry, American, United takes the trophy home on this one.

American’s seat is an step up from their old seats, but it’s a tweak, not a redesign. The seat is angled when fully extended, which in my book puts it immediately behind any 180-degree product.

Better lighting? Better power ports? Privacy screens? All good. But not top of the line.

Much like United’s announcement, the focus is on the hardware, not the service aspect. Don’t get me wrong, improvements of any kind are great, and I’m looking forward to similar bravado in improving economy class seats. (… crickets chirping …) But I’d like to see an American carrier commit not only to improving the mechanics of travel, but also the experience of travel. Consistent, friendly, helpful service. Is that too much to ask?

Virgin America’s website crashes (Mechanical delay?)
Virgin America finally opened its virtual doors for business, and within minutes, their site crashed. As Cranky noted, this might be the sort of thing they prepared for a little better. Maybe they should have upgraded from that $6.95/month Blue Host web hosting plan. Flights start August 8. If you want to buy tickets on Virgin America, and they’ve got some good promotional fares going, you can call them at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN.

As I write this, a quick search shows that their flights don’t yet seem to be loaded on all the major online booking sites. Too bad: I was about to suggest booking online with Hotwire or Priceline, since both are waiving booking fees for all airfare on all airlines for the rest of the summer. But VirginAmerica’s fares aren’t available yet on those sites. No luck on Expedia or Travelocity, either. So far, I’ve only found the fares on Orbitz. If it’s any consolation, some airlines, such as jetBlue, are matching some sale fares. (aff)

Update 11pm: Virgin America’s site is back up. Huzzah.

Simpsons marketing goes airborne
Remember the saucy chalk-outline advertisements targeting air travelers flying into London-Gatwick? The same tactic has been put to use as part of the marketing hullabaloo for the upcoming Simpsons movie, to some controversy, because the drawing of Homer is mocking the, erm, virile outline that was left in a British field centuries ago by pagans. As far as Simpsons marketing goes, I prefer the conversion of 7-Elevens to Kwik-E-Marts anyway.

Travel to avoid… if you can
Joe Brancatelli has a great set of tips in a recent Portfolio column. He offers a list of airports and airlines to avoid if you can, and the special circumstances for each. For example, avoid flying Northwest Airlines in the last ten days of each month. They don’t have enough crew members, and they run short at the end of every month, leading to cancellations. Other tips are equally astute. (What, no swipe at Chicago O’Hare? Too easy?) Go read the whole thing.

Short-haul awards are back on American Airlines
Good news: Tim Winship reports that American Airlines is bringing back its 15,000-mile economy roundtrip short-hop award for nonstop flights less than 750 miles (each way). That’s a 10,000 mile savings per ticket. Dates of eligible travel will be September 1, 2007 through February 29, 2008. See here for full details. Historically, this means that United will announce a similar deal within a week or so. Start your stopwatches, the countdown is on!

Upgraded: Seat pitch regulation?
Chris Elliott notes that European regulators are considering rules to require minimum seat pitch, though it’s not clear what that minimum would be. Some of the ultra-cheapo carriers have legroom below 30″, which is horrendous. (Skybus-esque, for an American equivalent.) The reason for the regulation? Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, a.k.a “economy class syndrome.” Maybe they should invest in this guy’s airline seat design while they’re at it.

Upgraded: Free wireless calling
Looking to cut down on the cellphone minutes? T-Mobile (aff) customers can sign up to make unlimited free calls with a compatible cellphone, if they’re in range of a T-Mobile wireless HotSpot or if you enable your home or office wireless router to link up with your phone. Brilliant. I’m a T-Mobile wireless customer myself, and I’ve been extremely satisfied with their service, both in terms of their network and their customer service. A few years ago, when wi-fi was less common in hotels, I sometimes traveled with a router and plugged it into the hotel jack, creating my own in-room hotspot. With T-Mobile’s new service, I’d strongly consider carrying a cellphone-linked router with me once again.

Upgraded: Paris Wi-Fi
Another city goes wi-fi. This time, it’s Paris. David Ourisman reports on the new arondissements electroniques.

Upgraded: American Airlines to London… Stansted?!
With open skies a reality between the US and Europe, airlines have been announcing new and expanded routes across the Atlantic. American Airlines announced a route from New York-JFK to London-Stansted, the airport that Ryanair made famous. This is interesting, since it’s the first (corrected below) a major network flight between the US and the more obscure Stansted Airport. (Maxjet and Eos fly there, yes, but American’s use of Stansted is big.)
Update: Joe Brancatelli writes in to point out that American Airlines has actually flown to Stansted in the past, with a Chicago-O’Hare to London-Stansted flight that launched in 1992. So now, with Maxjet and Eos eating American’s premium-cabin lunch on the London route, American makes its (triumphant?) return. Thanks, Joe!

Downgraded: Check-in? (or is that Upgraded?)
Jared Blank picks up on Spanish airline Clickair’s promise to eliminate the need for check-in. No real details, but it reminds me of train service, where you get on and have your ticket punched by the conductor. I’m too tired to figure out how it might work, but first come, first served seating is nothing new, and “shuttle” flights have existed for years, so there’s no reason this couldn’t work on heavily-traveled, high-frequency business routes.

Downgraded: Alitalia
Could Alitalia be downgraded any further? Already plagued by bankruptcy, strikes galore, and general incompetences for years, the Italian flag carrier is killing its frequent flyer program. And from its ashes will be reborn a new program, but you’ll only keep your miles if you fly the airline twice in the first half of 2008. Gary Leff has the story. I share his disdain.

Upgraded, in theory: Designer airlines that may never fly
From a Newsweek article on how the ultra-rich are finding ways to burn through their substantial cash: “Brands like Versace, under new leadership, are moving beyond red-carpet dresses into areas like interior jet and auto design. Last year Donna Karan went a step further, researching the launch of a branded airline.” Donna Karan Airlines?? Would the name of that airline perhaps be DKJFKSFO? DKDFWPHX? Yeah, sure. The ultra-rich don’t fly commercial. Good luck with that venture…

Upgraded: American Express’ Starwood card
I’ve long been a proponent of the Amex credit card that’s linked with the Starwood Hotels program. Several e-mails in my inbox have alerted me to the recently upgraded bonus offer: Get 10,000 bonus points with first purchase, and (here’s the upgrade) 15,000 bonus points for charging $15,000 in the first 6 months. Nice bonus, if you can get it. Click here for the latest bonus offer. (aff)

Upgraded: Boeing’s 787
With much fanfare, Boeing rolled out its first 787 Dreamliner yesterday (on 7/8/07, har har har). The plane has a lot of potential to revolutionize air travel, and I’m excited at the prospect of actually flying in one someday. Sure beats the regional jets I’ve sat in lately… MSNBC’s photo page of the 787 rollout is here.

Speed round of Upgrades and Downgrades
Upgraded: Zeppelins! (Beware if Christopher Walken is on board.)
Downgraded: Airport showers at LAX.
Upgraded, as much as possible: Regional jets.
Upgraded: Latin America; Downgraded: Easter Island.
Downgraded: Traveling bulldogs.
Downgraded: Business class meals at the hands of a NYT food critic. Shocking.

Another one bites the dust. American Airlines is the latest airline to cut your frequent flyer miles’ lifespan, this time from 3 years to 18 months.

In an e-mail to members, American announced that the changes would go into effect on December 15, 2007. On that date, if your account hasn’t had any activity after June 15, 2006, your account will be zeroed out. If you’re not a recent customer, consider your past loyalty discarded.

At least they had the decency to write, though the letter essentially reads, “What have you done for me lately?”

Frequent flyers who continue to regularly earn (or spend) miles on the airline don’t have anything to worry about, since the clock is reset every time you accrue or redeem. But for infrequent flyers who are slowly collecting their points, watch the calendar.

The change follows the trend: United and US Airways have recently introduced a similar 18-month account activity window to keep miles alive. Delta’s window is 24 months. Air Canada’s is merely 12 months — and even if you remain active in their program, they expire your miles after 7 years. Nasty.

Northwest and Continental sort of have expiration policies. Your miles don’t technically expire, but if you have no activity, the account may. (Northwest’s window is 3 years, Continental’s is 18 months.) That may be a matter of semantics, but from what I’ve experienced firsthand and heard from others, they haven’t been canceling stagnant accounts wholesale. Yet. Just a matter of time, I’m sure…

The lesson: No hoarding! So spend those miles, if you have them. If you don’t have enough for a trip, and want to burn through them, consider magazines.

Related:
- AAdvantage Mileage Retention Policy (aa.com)
- United cuts the lifespan of frequent flyer miles
- Air Canada joins race to the bottom on frequent flyer mile expiration
- Reader mail: Whose miles are worth the most?

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When free drinks aren’t welcome
Why would there be an uproar over an airline giving a customer a free bottle of wine? When that customer is a celebrity who just left rehab for alcoholism. A well-meaning Qantas flight attendant gave a bottle of red to singer Keith Urban, who apparently declined. But come on: give the flight attendant a break! Unless the airline is giving CIA-style background briefings about the passengers in the cabin, you can’t be expected to know the ins and outs of every celebrity’s (or every passenger’s) personal life. In fact, I was quite content to be blissfully unaware of Mr. Urban’s specific addiction before this imbroglio. (Thanks Dr. Vino!)

Group hug: Mergers and partnerships
JetBlue merging with Delta? Rumored, but unlikely. Brazil’s TAM and Germany’s Lufthansa? Not a merger, but a codesharing partnership. United is getting in on the hot codesharing action with TAM, too. Lufthansa also joined up with El Salvador’s TACA, already a United partner. Are the Star Alliance invitations far off? And keepin’ it Star, is Singapore Airlines buying China Eastern? They’re buying a piece, but how big will that piece be?…

Can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?
British Airways, apparently in a response to the all-business class service from startups like Eos, Silverjet, and Maxjet, is considering rolling out all-premium service between unnamed European and American cities. Premium economy in the back, business in the front. No straight-up economy, and no first. (Thanks, Benet!)

Countdown to 7/8/07
Boeing has started assembling its first 787 Dreamliner, a plane manufactured in prefab pieces around the world and bolted together at the Everett factory. The debut is scheduled for July 8. 7/8/07… 787… har har har.

American updates website, makes it more like Southwest
American Airlines revamped their website, giving you an overview of the different fares you can book. The layout will be familiar, if you’ve ever booked on Southwest. Or Air Canada. Or Qantas. Or Ted. (Does anyone ever actually book tickets at the Ted site?)

Yapta comes alive!
Yapta, the service that tracks fares after you’ve bought, mentioned here last week, is now live.

Alaska Airlines downgrades their upgrades
If you used miles to upgrade flights on Alaska Airlines, you’ll have to buy far more expensive tickets in order to do so. Thumbs down. Gary Leff has the full scoop.

Reader Michelle C. writes:

I got this e-mail from American Airlines about a club with American Airlines: “Save $400 on airfare when you join the TrAAvel Perks® program! No inventory restrictions. No hassles…” It costs $134 to join. Is there a catch to this?

As a rule, I am extremely wary of any “club” that requires cash up front and then promises discounts in the future. There are usually numerous strings attached, with lots of fine print. The terms and conditions for this club are no exception.

American promises that its club will save you $400 in airfare. It’s possible, but you’ll have to work for it, and your timing will need to be right.
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Upgraded: Onboard pizza delivery
If you’re stuck on a plane for eight hours, the pizza is free! (While supplies last.) Yes, another airline incident, again on American Airlines, with passengers trapped on board the plane for hours on end. Been there, done that. It happened on April 24th, when a Dallas-bound 757 was diverted to Midland, Texas, but it took weeks for the news to trickle out, not even making real headlines anymore. (So when is that Passengers’ Bill of Rights making its way to the Congressional floor for a vote?…) But the reporting of the story contained this nugget that demonstrates the absurdity of the event: “Pizza was delivered, but only 50 to 70 slices, along with 30 bags of chips.” People weren’t allowed off the plane, but it was okay to order takeout?! And whom do we blame for messing up the order? Were they taking requests? If I were onboard and called in an order for barbeque, could I have had that delivered as well?

Upgraded: Ryanair’s pricing
Euroskinflint Ryanair took a consumer-friendly step in the right direction this week: The airline started quoting their prices inclusive of taxes. Considering the number of mandatory fees and taxes that are added on, that’s a significant change in policy. Good for them!

Downgraded: jetBlue’s CEO and his many apologies
JetBlue founder and CEO David Neeleman, who took a beating for the way his airline kept passengers stuck on board its planes for hours on end back in February, may have won some sympathy for his incessant apologizing after the incident, but his board of directors fired him anyway. “Sorry” doesn’t pay the bills, I guess.

Upgraded: Hotel wi-fi…for hotel management, not you
Next time you check in to a hotel, your minibar may get better internet access than you. Hotel managers are rolling out new features that link their back office to your room via wi-fi, as well as creating in-house wi-fi powered walkie-talkie systems for staff members. In other words, yes, they’ll use wi-fi to keep tabs on your minibar, but they’ll continue to charge you $10.95 a day for you to access your e-mail from your room. Lovely.

Upgraded: Deodorant
If your armpits have that certain je-ne-sais-quoi after you lug your rollaboard around for a few hours, then the TSA may soon try to register you in a database of travelers’ odors. I’m not entirely kidding. Wired reports that the federal government’s Technical Support Working Group is soliciting proposals for a system designed to collect human scents and record them in a database “for future use to track a specified target.” For civil libertarians seeking to avoid detection, the solution is simple: Start dousing yourself with other people’s sweat. “Freedom sweat,” anyone?

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Northwest axes its standby program
While yesterday’s guest blogger Tyler Colman couldn’t hop on the earlier flight of his choice on American Airlines, he should thank his lucky stars that American still actually has free standby as an option.

Today, with a press release that trumpets the good news and buries the sad reality, Northwest proudly proclaimed the expansion of its “FlyNow option,” which allows travelers to confirm flight changes on the day of travel for a $25 fee. But here’s the real nitty-gritty:

Northwest WorldPerks Elite customers will still maintain the ability to stand by for alternate flights throughout the entire day of departure and will not incur a fee if a seat becomes available. Beginning April 24, all other customers traveling on non-refundable tickets will be charged a $25 fee for same day flight changes, whether boarding via standby status or confirming through the FlyNow option. The $25 fee for boarding via standby status replaces the current option that allows non-Elite customers traveling on non-refundable tickets to stand by for eligible flights at no cost.

Bottom line: Free standby is gone at Northwest, much like it’s no longer available at US Airways. You’ll pay $25 to confirm, or to standby. Why isn’t there a discount for the non-guaranteed standby option?? (Hat tip to reader Sarah in the comments!)

United kills Silver Wings Plus and Ameniti
United has pulled the plug on its two travel clubs. Silver Wings Plus, aimed at seniors, and Ameniti, targeting paying business and first class flyers, are closing shop at the end of June 2007. Ameniti was fairly short-lived, but Silver Wings Plus was around forever. The clubs each cost money to join and provided discounts for certain tickets. (Ameniti gave free companion tickets on full-fare tickets.) But therein was the problem. Much like learning the rules of a frequent flyer program seems to require an advanced degree, the rules for getting the benefit of these clubs weren’t always obvious. Members will receive prorated membership fee refunds. (Thanks to reader Richard!)

Delta to offer carbon offsets
Travelers feeling guilty about the carbon emissions spewing out of their plane’s jet engines will be able to buy carbon offsets through the Delta website beginning June 1. It won’t be mandatory, like all-business class Silverjet requires. It’s more like Expedia and Travelocity’s optional offsets.

Some seat changes on American cost $15
Bought your American Airlines ticket from a travel agent or website other than aa.com? Then you’ll pay $15 to change your seat assignment over the phone with the airline. Seat changes via the American website are still free.

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Wineblogger and friend of Upgrade: Travel Better Dr. Vino pays us a visit today with this report from the field.

On Friday afternoon, I made my way to LaGuardia to catch my American flight to O’Hare. Since I knew I would be cutting it close with my appointment soon after scheduled arrival, I tried to go standby the hour earlier flight.

No dice.

During the check-in on AA.com, there was no option to fly stand by on an earlier flight. When I got to the gate of the 2 PM flight, the agent told me it was unlikely that I would get on the flight.

“Would it have mattered if I had gotten on the list when I did the check-in on the web site,” I inquired?

“Nah,” she said glancing at my ticket. “You don’t have status.”

Truer words were never spoken. In the ensuing half hour, I became enthralled with my plunging fortunes, prominently on display for all in the gate area to see (providing they could work out the short form of my name). I started in slot #6, which struck me as distinctly possible.

Soon I was at #7, then #11. Then, suddenly and inexplicably, I plunged to #24. An entire bus of passengers with “status” (in the frequent flier program) must have arrived. When I saw my fortunes rise only marginally to #22 I knew it was time to pony up for the wi-fi and settle in a few gates down.

Stand-by, it’s not just a function of being early. It’s a function of being big.

– Tyler Colman, a.k.a. Dr. Vino

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American Airlines has launched a website aimed at women. Is this a step in the right direction, or a marketer gone amok?

Granted, I’m a man, and I’m not in marketing, but I think the site is awful. For starters, I’m skeptical of a gender-specific airline booking site to begin with. How gendered is a plane ticket? After all, this is American Airlines, a traditional international airline, and not Hooters Air or its women-oriented equivalent. (Chippendales Air? “Chicks dig planes!” Umm, no.)

But I could understand it more if American were pitching itself as an airline that actually catered to women’s needs more than other airlines did. But what are women’s needs, when it comes to air travel, and how could American really cater to those needs any better than their competition?

More after the jump…
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