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Maybe US Airways does have a liquor problem…
Maybe New Mexico’s recent restrictions on US Airways’ serving liquor on flights to and from the state had something to do with company CEO Doug Parker. The executive has apparently been busted for driving under the influence, perhaps after downing one too many mini-bottles from the drink cart. Maybe he should have had a cup of the God-awful “Ma Parker’s roast” coffee that his airline served instead. (Then again, that swill will drive anyone to drink.)

Delta looks the other way
What does Delta owe you if you PROVE that one of their baggage handlers stole a camera out of your suitcase? Nothing! The Consumerist has the story of a sleuthing passenger who tracked down his stolen camera on eBay, got the seller (a Delta employee) arrested (and fired!), and even got his camera back. But he didn’t get an apology voucher from Delta. The airline argues that they’re even. He got his camera back, and they got him from point A to point B, and so he’s due nothing. No mention of the fact that their own staff ripped him off, causing him countless hours of hassle and endless frustration. Jeez, throw the guy a bone! Apologize and give him a coupon!

Oh sure, blame the volcano
Flashback to 1982: A British Airways 747 loses power in all four of its engines, and starts going down. Miraculously, it doesn’t crash and everyone survives. The culprit: volcano ash. It’s a fascinating tale, and a good way to start the weekend. (via David Rowell)

Pilots packing heat: Captain Bernard Goetz wishes you a pleasant flight
The U.S. State Department and Homeland Security are trying to get more countries to allow American pilots to carry guns when they fly internationally. ( “Who’s Bernard Goetz?” See here.)

Reminder: Travvies Nominations close Monday morning, bright and early
Just a short reminder that nominations for the Travvies — the awards for the best travel blogs — end Monday. Then the nominations will be sent off to the judges, who will pick the finalists. Public voting starts just over a week later. Thanks to everyone for all the great nominations so far! Click here for the nomination start page, or click on the award categories in the sidebar.

After updating yesterday’s post regarding British Airways’ absurdly expensive surcharges for checking a second piece of luggage, one item in the fine print stuck with me. It was the exemption:

“World Traveller customers travelling / connecting to or from the US, Canada, Caribbean, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico will continue to be allowed two checked bags in line with the local government regulations.” (emphasis added)

I did a search for the American regulations, so I checked the rules at the FAA, FTC, and TSA. I couldn’t find anything mandating the inalienable right to two suitcases on flights to or from the United States.

After all, Spirit Airlines just instituted a rule that a second suitcase would cost you $10 extra. So I don’t think there’s anything on the books here in the U.S.

So what is going on? I suspect that British Airways is using the guise of government regulation to create this exemption, given the amount of competition on routes to the United States. Once word gets out, passengers who travel with two bags would be loath to book with BA if Virgin, American, or United will happily take two bags.

In fact, this may largely be the “Virgin exception.” Virgin Atlantic flies to the US and the Caribbean, while Virgin Nigeria flies to Nigeria (obviously). Virgin still permits two free checked bags. To Brazil and Mexico, maybe there’s another carrier that BA is really trying to hold off.

In any case, I call BS on the “local government regulations” line. Corrections are welcome.

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Just three days ago, we learned that Spirit Airlines would start charging $10 each way if a passenger wanted to check a second bag. But that’s peanuts. British Airways will be charging £120 — the equivalent of $235 — for an extra bag. Each way.

British Airways announced this change at the very beginning of the new year, probably (correctly) assuming that reporters were on holiday and not paying attention. But with the effective date of the new policy (February 13) creeping up, the media (and yes, this blog) have now woken up to the change.

I’m in favor of traveling light, of course, and I strongly prefer to travel with carry-ons only, but sometimes that just isn’t possible, especially nowadays, when a fourth ounce of shampoo is perceived as a threat to Western Civilization.

But British Airways’ “New Simpler Baggage Policy” (love that marketing spin!) is outrageously expensive. For travelers in economy, you’ll only be allowed one checked bag without a surcharge, even on long-haul flights. A second bag, limited in weight to 23kg (51lbs), costs £120 for long flights or £60 for shorter trips.

British Airways is seemingly doing everything it can to tarnish its own image in the eyes of consumers. They won’t let you make seating reservations unless you’re on a full-fare ticket — even discounted business class travelers can’t get a seat assignment. They jerked their customers around during the recently threatened strike — flights are on! cancelled! back on! — throwing thousands of travel plans into disarray. And now this. At this rate, upright “seating” may soon be a reality after all.

British Airways has an increasing disdain for their customers. With that kind of attitude, why fly with them?

Unless you want to pack an extra suitcase full of money.

(Update: British Airways will NOT be charging this fee on EVERY flight. “World Traveller customers travelling / connecting to or from the US, Canada, Caribbean, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico will continue to be allowed two checked bags in line with the local government regulations.” Lucky for those traveling to/from/through those countries. But muddled rules are a recipe for inconsistent enforcement. If you’re flying BA, better print the rules before you head to the airport…)

(Thanks Hamish!)

Related:
- British Airways limits advance seat selection even further
- Pack light: Spirit Airlines charging fees for 2nd checked bag

British Airways has reached a tentative agreement with its staff after all, and the strike, set to begin tomorrow, is canceled.

However, many of their flights remain canceled. “Unfortunately, the decision has come too late to prevent disruption to the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers tomorrow and Wednesday,” the airline said in a statement.

Don’t assume that your flight will operate. Check the BA website for updates and flight status.

Update, late 1/29/07: Okay, now all flights are supposedly back on, after all. “British Airways will endeavour to reinstate as many flights as possible for Tuesday 30 January and Wednesday 31 January 2007.” They’re on, they’re off, they’re on again. Make up your minds! Best to check with the airline to see if you’re really getting airborne tomorrow.

In a dispute over pay and sick leave, members of the Transport and General Workers union, representing British Airways cabin crew employees, are going on strike for two calendar days later this week. If you’re traveling on British Airways later this week, you will likely be affected.

The airline has pre-emptively cancelled 1,300 flights on January 30 and 31, but the ripple effects will last for days. For example, flights from Tokyo back to London are cancelled on February 2 and 3 as well. The list of cities with cancellations stretching as late as February 5 is long, so be sure to check if your flight is operating. Full details of post-January 31 flight cancellations are here. (note that this link is likely temporary, and may go dead soon)

A few minor exceptions remain, such as flights between Manchester and New York, which remain scheduled as normal. Also, if you’re flying on a BA codeshare operated by another airline, or if you’re only flying BA Connect, you shouldn’t be affected. Again, check the schedule.

If you want to re-book, re-route, or outright cancel your affected flights, BA is letting you do so without penalty. Start with the company that sold you the tickets, but don’t pay any fees if your flight isn’t operating.

Strikes could turn into a regular feature of travel on BA. The union has threatened further walkouts on February 5, 6, and 7, and February 12,13, and 14.

British Airways is updating flight cancellation information on its homepage.

UPDATE: Strike is called off, but flights are still canceled. See here.

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Traveling from (or through) Britain? If you’re departing on or after February 1, 2007, and you’ve already got your tickets, you need to check with your airline to make sure you don’t owe more money.

The reason is the increase in the Air Passenger Duty, announced in December, with monies intended to go toward projects that reduce global warming. (See here for a backgrounder, including some speculation on how the increased taxes might boost traffic at Frankfurt, Paris, or Amsterdam.)

For tickets purchased before the tax went into effect, you’re not exempted. British Airways is covering the tax for its customers, but (unsurprisingly) easyJet and Ryanair aren’t. And making matters worse, it’s YOUR responsibility to find a way to pay the taxes before your flight. If you don’t pay, you don’t fly.

How much can you expect to pay as a supplement?

Air passenger duty will rise from £5 to £10 for economy-seat passengers taking domestic and European short-haul flights, and from £20 to £40 for economy-seat travellers on long-haul flights. Business and first-class passengers will face bills of £40 for short-haul flights and £80 for long-haul.

Check your airline’s website as soon as possible. Expect plenty of angry flyers, and plenty of mayhem at British airports in February.

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So many posts that “got away” in the last week of limited posting… Here goes, taking a crack at the backlog!

U.S. exports miserable regional jet experience to China
This won’t bring balance to the trade deficit, but American regional jet powerhouse Mesa Airlines is starting an airline in China. (Mesa must be feeling confident, after starting up the all-Canadair “go!” inter-island airline in Hawaii.) Like its American operations as a contractor to the major airlines, the Chinese subsidiary will feed larger airlines with traffic from smaller cities, using 50-seat regional jets. Maybe they’ll have better on-time arrivals and baggage handling than they do in the U.S. Mesa’s performance (not to mention in-flight non-comfort) stinks, so the bar isn’t set very high.

Early start: British Airways’ summer business class fare sale
It’s only January, and British Airways is already discounting summer airfares between the U.S. and Europe… in business class. The roundtrip fare is okay, not great (starting at around $2500 roundtrip, including taxes). Travel between July 1 and September 2, 2007. See here.

Free taxi rides in New York City
But don’t get your hopes up. There are a grand total of five free cabs in New York. They’re easily identifiable, though: They’re decorated in (fake) cowhide to promote a bull-riding event. Good luck wrangling one.

New life for Connexion inflight internet?
Connexion by Boeing, the short-lived but generally well-liked global inflight internet service, might get a second lease on life. Lufthansa leads a consortium of airlines and tech companies trying to bring the service back up. Here’s hoping they get it going!

Hammertime! Blunt instruments defend your personal information
New U.S. passports will include RFID chips that contains your personal information, in addition to the printed/scannable inside page. The problem: The RFID chip can potentially be read by identity thieves using a scanner. So what’s the best way to disable the RFID without otherwise mangling your passport? A hammer.

Spell-check is your friend
If you’re traveling across two oceans to visit your girlfriend in Sydney, Australia, be sure you spell “Sydney” correctly. You don’t want to end up on a flight to Sidney, Montana.

“He had a bad night last night.” His morning won’t be any better.
Passenger gets drunk and unruly, and slaps a fellow passenger. Turns out the recipient of the slap is a federal air marshal. Jackpot!

Trip insurance, eBay style
If you got dumped right before a trip — a trip you planned as a romantic setting during which you would propose to your love — but you had already prepaid the travel, what would you do? If you’re Adam Croot, you go on the trip, but you auction off your ex’s share of the trip on eBay, in hopes of finding a new traveling companion.

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Upgraded: French-sounding names
All-business class startup airline Elysair, who will fly from Newark to Paris-Orly, decided at the last minute to change its name to “L’Avion.” (”The airplane” in French.) Why the change? It sounded more French. I guess this explains why, as recently as last week, their website was so… comment dit-on… crappy. Service, in the same vein as Maxjet, Eos, and Silverjet, allegedly begins December 27, but the newly-minted website isn’t ready to accept reservations yet…

Downgraded: British Airways
The apparent murder of a former Russian spy with polonium 210 has been big news. (FYI, though fingers are pointing toward Russia, the element isn’t necessarily weaponized. While small amounts are found in cigarettes, you can, in fact, buy some for $69 on the internet.) On top of it all, three British Airways planes have tested positive for the radioactive element. Affected: 221 flights, carrying 33,000 passengers and coming into contact with 3,000 airline employees on the ground or in the air. British health authorities say there’s no health risk, but I sure wouldn’t be thrilled to find my flight on the list. Click here to see if you flew on one of the flights, from the BA site.
UPDATE: BA has pulled the flight information from its website, stating that there was no health risk, so presumably there’s no longer a need to let people know if they were among the 30,000. Tsk tsk. No worries: The Seattle Times has the list.

Downgraded: Kids on Alaska Airlines
As of November 1, Alaska Airlines has stopped selling children’s fares at a 33% discount.

Upgraded: Competition between Chicago and New York
Delta is increasing service between New York area airports and Chicago, in a big way, including a “shuttle-style” service from LaGuardia. This comes as jetBlue starts up JFK-O’Hare service in the new year. That means American, United, Delta, jetBlue, and ATA all fly between the two cities. Viva competition!

Upgraded: Fake boarding pass guy’s freedom
The Indiana University graduate student who posted a fake boarding pass generator for Northwest Airlines (to prove a point about how easy it is to create such a pass, and how the boarding pass/id checks at airport security are pointless) is freed.

Upgraded: Shorter waits for toilets onboard China Southern Airlines
Pee first, fly later. The airline is asking passengers to use the bathrooms before takeoff, since each inflight flush burns as much as a liter of fuel. Yikes!

British Airways is making it tougher to pick your seat in advance, if you’re not a loyal or high-paying customer. The airline already has a longstanding reputation for limiting the number of seats that can be reserved at the time of booking. That reputation is about to get worse:

To make more seats available at the time of check-in we are reducing the number of seats that can be pre-assigned. This option will be limited to specific groups of travelers. These include families with young children; First class fliers; Premier, Gold, and Silver Executive Club members; and those holding fully flexible tickets across all cabins. […] Corporate customers holding a contract with British Airways will also be able to select seats at the time of booking.

The airline is portraying the change as a customer-friendly change, as they are increasing the availability of seat selection at the time of online check-in. The plan is supposedly “designed to simplify the process of choosing a seat and give all customers more transparency and control of the seating options available on their flight.”

Reducing choices is certainly “simplification,” but not in a good way.

I suppose the new scheme, by allowing more online check-in, is better than waiting to receive a seat assignment at the airport. But in reality, this means that you’re still at the mercy of the seating supply in the 24 hours before your flight. Thumbs down.

Thanks, Matt!

It seems that every other week yields another report of an improved business class seat. This week, it’s British Airways’ turn.

The carrier is beefing up its ClubWorld offering by widening the lie-flat seats by 5 inches, improving catering and video entertainment, and adding features like standard-plug power ports, electronically-powered privacy screens, and storage units. The seat rollout begins this month and is scheduled to be completed across the fleet in 18 months. The new menu hits the skies in January 2007.

Interestingly, the airline is increasing the number of business class seats on each plane. But since each seat is 25% wider than its predecessor, this presumably means that the business class section will take a bite out of the first and/or economy class sections. (Compare to Singapore Airlines’ new premium cabins, which are even 5 inches wider.)

The website for the new service is pretty, but short on real images. It’s all a virtual tour, so it’s hard to see what the layout will really look like.

While oil is still comparably higher than it was two or three years ago, it has pulled back nearly 20% from its recent highs. Airline fuel surcharges haven’t all fallen to earth by the same measure.

Two notable exceptions are Air France-KLM and El Al. KLM reduced their surcharge by 5 euros each way, while El Al cut theirs by $14 each way. Other airlines have been resistant, and others have even raised their surcharges in the past two weeks, despite the drop in fuel prices.

The entire practice is a sham. If the cost of doing business has increased as a result of fuel expenses, then the change should be reflected in the base fare. Call it a fare hike - which is what it is.

But the airlines like to be able to quote “base fares.” They have been able to game the system by quoting prices with “taxes and fees” extra. And now we see that airlines are illegally colluding to use fuel surcharges to keep prices higher: Two British Airways executives resigned over an investigation into the company’s surcharge practices.

To see anyone actually reducing the surcharge is refreshing and welcome, so hats off to Air France-KLM and El Al. But we can do better. Let’s aim for greater price transparency. Let’s get rid of fuel surcharges.

(image: DrunkatNYU)

British Airways, apparently offended by Delta’s crazy-low business class airfares from New York to London, is matching the fare from Delta’s Atlanta hub. Atlanta to London-Gatwick in BA’s excellent business class is available on select dates for as low as $1271 round trip, including all taxes. (I found this fare on Orbitz with the arbitrary dates January 22 and 31.) The coach fares are similar to Delta’s New York fares, too.

One quirk of BA’s business class (”Club World“) is that half the seats face forward, while half face backward. See the layout here.

(thanks to reader Tom!)
tags: travel | business class | low fares | British Airways