Gulliver

IT'S only a few days old, but May hasn't been very good to Spirit Airlines. The discount carrier's business model centres on offering dirt-cheap base fares combined with sometimes hefty fees for things like baggage and "passenger usage". It also has a strict no-refund policy—something that got it into trouble on Thursday, when Ben Baldanza, the CEO, released a statement explaining why the company wasn't refunding the ticket of Jerry Meekins, a veteran whose doctor had advised him that his terminal cancer made it impossible for him to fly. "We feel very badly for Mr Meekins, however, this is a country and society where we kind of play by the rules," Mr Baldanza told Fox News.

Continue reading "The words "dying veteran" should have tipped him off" »

SEVERAL items in this week's Economist relate to the bright-eyed world of business travel. I would draw your attention to a piece in the United States section about Reagan National airport in Washington, DC, where a change to the "perimeter rule" has increased the number of long-distance flights that can use the airport. You could read our report on the latest shenanigans disrupting immigration at Heathrow airport. And finally we have news of alterations to London's Tube map, which for the first time now shows stations that carry the name of a corporate sponsor.

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TWO YEARS AGO, as Jetstar flight JQ57 came in to land in Singapore, the captain's mobile phone started beeping with incoming text messages. The plane was a bit over 2,000 feet (610 m) off the ground, and the first officer (who was at the controls) and the captain both became distracted. Neither of them went through the landing checklist, and they failed to deploy and lock the landing gear in time. 

The pilots eventually aborted the landing, pulled up, turned around, and landed safely.

Continue reading "Pilots, leave that mobile phone at home" »

WHAT on earth is happening at Heathrow? Twelve weeks before the Olympics begin—and bring with them a further surge through the arrivals halls—it seems Britain's border agency, UKBA, is struggling to cope with the number of passengers landing at peak times at Britain's biggest airport. People are regularly waiting up to two hours to pass through immigration. And on Saturday BAA, which owns Heathrow (but is not responsible for immigration), duly resorted to handing out leaflets apologising for the situation and suggesting that passengers complain to the Home Office.

Marc Owen, the director of UKBA operations at Heathrow, was none too impressed by this tactic.

Continue reading "Barriers to entry" »

PASSENGERS are getting better at taking their mobile phones with them when they get off aeroplanes. But now they leave their iPads instead. A recent article on the Wall Street Journal's website examines the new trend, attributed in part to the iPads' thinness, which means they are often put—and thus forgotten—in seat-back pockets. Matching iPads to owners can be particularly tricky, since the tablets mostly look alike and password protection makes it difficult for airlines to access the owners' details. Moreover it seems pessimistic passengers often fail to file lost-item claims, which does little to improve their chances of a reunion.

Continue reading "Don't leave the plane without it" »

THE annual Skytrax airport awards seem to exist to laud Far Eastern operations. The winner of this year's “world’s best airport” gong was Incheon airport in Seoul, followed by Singapore Changi and Hong Kong. The same three airports have held the top three slots, in various orders, for six years now.

Skytrax, a research company, derives its awards from surveys of millions of passengers. They declared that Singapore was the best airport for transfer passengers and leisure amenities, and that Hong Kong was best for dining and cleanliness. Amsterdam Schiphol claimed fourth place overall, overtaking Munich as the best European facility, and Beijing Capital rounded out the top five.

Continue reading "Incheon's triumph" »

THERE was much confusion on Friday when it emerged that US Airways had agreed to a series of deals with the unions that represent most of the workers at bankrupt American Airlines (AA). The first thing to know is that this doesn't mean that the two airlines are merging—it's a step towards a merger, but a deal is far from certain. AA, for its part, has said that it wants to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline. But industry analysts have long discounted that as an unrealistic goal—as separate airlines, US Airways and American would probably find it increasingly difficult to compete with the combined United-Continental (now United) and Delta-Northwest (now Delta) juggernauts.

Continue reading "US Airways makes a deal with AA's unions" »