Northwest shareholders OK Delta merger

Northwest Airlines shareholders have given their stamp of approval in the company’s proposed merger with Delta Air Lines.

The AP says Delta shareholders are voting later today.

Then, the Department of Justice also has to give its OK, too. If approved, the companies expect the deal to be completed by the end of the year.

So … combine one crappy airline with another crappy one, and what do you have?

Yep, thought so.

Even so, I’m flying via Northwest in January. Or is that Delta? Of if they find out who I am, I may be walking after they mysteriously cancel my flight.

Let’s go camping – at the airport

Flight canceled and all the seats taken? No problem, says Mini Motel founder Frank Giotto. Just blow up the mattress and pitch a Mini Motel, a red, one-person tent. This story from Canada’s Globe and Mail made me chuckle, especially the tips for sleeping in an airport. An excerpt (full text) from the story:

Uh, there’s no camping here,” says a flight attendent, struggling to hide her laughter as she walks past me.

I’m not sure she’s right. And I’m not exactly roasting marshmallows. But given that I’ve just set up a tent in the middle of Pearson International Airport – Canada’s busiest – I suppose I’m fair game for jokes, disdainful looks and confused shrugs. I’m surprised, in fact, that I haven’t been tasered yet.

Still, my face reddens and my cheeks go hot. Apparently I’m not as immune to embarrassment as Frank Giotto. He’s the man behind the new Mini Motel I’m bunking down in – developed after he was stranded at an airport in Germany.

“After an all-night stay, I was watching people hang around the lobby, sleeping on the chairs and on the floor… and I said, ‘You know, there’s got to be something better than this,’ ” he recalls. “I needed a place to stretch out.”

Some of the tips from the story about things to bring if you will be facing a long airport layover:

• A cheap inflatable pool raft – they fold up nicely and make the hard floor a lot more comfortable

• An alarm clock or a pen and Post-it pad. If you are travelling solo, write a “Wake me at 5 a.m.” note and stick a few on and around you. It works. People will wake you.

• Disinfectant wipes to make your “bed” for the night a little less germ- and grease-covered.

Sticky notes? Seriously?

Delta to offer Wifi on planes

It’s about time the airlines are getting with the tech times! But, with all the extra money passengers are going to be spending on securing extra leg room, checking luggage and buying in-flight pillows, they sure are going to be broke when they land. An excerpt (full text) from InformationWeek.com:

The pie-in-the-sky dream of having Internet access while on a plane just moved one step closer to reality. Delta Airlines announced that by mid-2009, it will offer Wi-Fi-based Internet access on all of its domestic U.S. flights. I bet flight attendants never imagined they’d need IT training.

First, the facts and figures. By next summer, Delta says all of its U.S. flights will provide Wi-Fi Internet access to passengers. The Internet will come via AirCell’s ground-to-air technology, which beams wireless signals up to planes and receives whatever the planes send back. This means anyone on the plane with a Wi-Fi radio-equipped device will be able to use it to access the Internet. That includes smartphones, PDAs, MIDs, and laptops. For flights less than three hours, the cost will be $10. For flights over three hours, the cost will be $13.

Airline charges for pillow, blanket

First, the luggage and now the pillows … I’m waiting for the day when I have to pay extra to get an oxygen mask in case of emergencies. But in reality, I bet this is a lot more sanitary than the random used pillow. An excerpt (full text) from the New York Times:

JetBlue Airways said Monday that it would sell a pillow and blanket set for $7 on flights of two hours or more. The set, which passengers can take home, includes a 10-by-12 inch pillow and a fleece blanket, which fit into a carrying case.

The kits also come with a $5 coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond.

Your thoughts on airport runway plans

If you haven’t heard by now, the Tupelo Regional Airport wants to lengthen its main runway from its current 6,500 feet to 8,000 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration has given its OK to lengthen it to 7,500, but TRA officials want that extra 500 feet. The reasoning is that it will better accomodate potential cargo and freight aircraft, as well as attract other commercial air carriers and/or charter companies. It’s a matter of economic development not just for Tupelo, but for Northeast Mississippi.

Problem is, ANY lengthening of the runway means that West Jackson Street Extended has to be closed and re-routed. It could mean a tunnel (unlikely with the costs and potential hazards) or, more likely, moved altogether. But where would it move. That depends on how much the runway will be lengthened and where officials can decide on where best to put it.

There is concern that closing Jackson Extended will cut off a major east-west artery through Tupelo.

Public meetings have been held, and one is tonight at the Tupelo Furniture Market in Building 5 at 6 p.m.

What are your thoughts about the project, and what is your “solution” to this controversy?

NWA cuts capacity, raises fares

Northwest Airlines Corp. said late today that it plans to cut capacity by 8.5 percent to 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter in response to “extraordinary fuel costs.”

Doug Steenland, Northwest’s CEO, in a statement (full text), said the cuts will allow NWA “to better match our capacity to customer demand as airfares, by necessity, must increase.” The cuts include reductions previously announced in April.

“No domestic station closures are planned as a result of these capacity reductions,” Steenland said. “Instead, we will pare unprofitable flying while maintaining the scope and presence of our network.”

Northwest flies out of Tupelo using Mesaba Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWA. The airline said it has “not yet finalized” how many jobs will be affected by the cuts.

American cuts jobs, charges for luggage

Charging for checking a bag? Now that’s drastic. From Bloomberg (full story):

AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, will slash U.S. capacity as much as 12 percent, retire as many as 85 jets and cut jobs to blunt surging fuel prices and slowing demand.

AMR fell the most since September in New York trading. The reduction in domestic seating is more than twice what American had announced in April, and is the third cut in 2008. AMR also will add a $15 fee for the first checked bag.

American’s retrenchment went beyond steps taken by its peers, and comes as analysts predict possible bankruptcies among the biggest airlines amid an 84 percent jump in jet fuel in the past year. AMR said it would eliminate an undetermined number of jobs at both American Airlines and regional unit American Eagle.

American flies out of Memphis.

Is airlines’ passenger compensation plan enough?

The government on Wednesday unveiled new rules for airlines in regards to paying bumped passengers – those “inconvenienced” can get up to $400 if their flights are rescheduled to arrive within two hours of their original schedule or within four hours for international flights.

But if travelers miss that time frame, airlines would have to pay up to $800.

The old rules – in place for 30 years – limited the amounts to $200 and $400, respectively.

Sounds good on the surface, but my biggest complaint isn’t being bumped – it’s the delays and cancellations. How about a plan for that instead?

Latest study – airlines basically suck

Oh, don’t get me started. But here’s the latest news from the annual Air Quality Rating survey that was released today. Don’t take my word for it; here’s what they say:

The annual Air Quality Rating survey released Monday found that overall the industry did a poor job last year. There were more lost bags, more bumped passengers, more consumer complaints and fewer on-time flights than in the previous year.
The rate of consumer complaints was up 60 percent. US Airways had the most complaints last year. Southwest had the fewest.
All these problems are making travelers grumpy, the annual survey said.

Oh, really? Hadn’t noticed…

But wait, there’s more:

The industry posted declines last year in every area of the Airline Quality Rating, amid rising fuel prices, safety problems and bankruptcy filings that shut down three carriers last week alone.

On-time arrivals dropped for the fifth straight year, with more than one-quarter of all flights late, according to the survey. The rates of passengers bumped from overbooked flights and bags lost, stolen or damaged also jumped in 2007.

Need we say more?

Plane OK after brief scare

From DJ’s 9-to-5:

A Northwest flight carrying some 40 passengers landed safely at Tupelo Regional Airport on Thursday afternoon, after reports that it had a possible tire malfunction that could have affected its landing.

While details are sketchy at the moment, emergency response teams were sent to the airport; however, they were called back after the plane landed safely.

At least three other jets were sitting on the holding ramp at Tupelo Regional, having been diverted from Memphis because of bad weather, an airport official said.