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REPORT: NO EXCESSIVE TARMAC DELAYS IN OCTOBER
(source: CNN.com)
The new airline tarmac delay rule seems to be working. October was completely free of tarmac delays lasting more than three hours, according to the latest Department of Transportation air travel report released Tuesday.
In October 2009, 11 flights experienced such delays. There have been 12 such delays this year from May to October, compared to 546 during the same period in 2009.
A new aviation consumer rule went into effect April 29 threatening hefty fines for airlines that keep passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours.
The rate of canceled flights in October was in line with last year, dropping from 0.99 percent of scheduled domestic flights last October to 0.97 percent in 2010.
October 2010 marks the first month free of delays of more than three hours since the transportation department started collecting more tarmac delay data from reporting airlines in October 2008, the department said.
"We appreciate the effort the airlines are putting into making this new rule work effectively for the benefit of their passengers," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
On-time performance in October was nearly 83.77 percent, above the average of 80.72 percent for October in the past 15 years, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
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FINNAIR STRIKE CONTINUES
(source: Finnair)
The Finnish Cabin Crew Union (SLSY) began strike on Tuesday, November 30, 2010. Finnair's flight traffic is seriously affected.
Today, Finnair is able to operate 35% of their flights and carry 48% of their passengers.
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BETTER ODDS OF GETTING YOUR BAGS
(source: Wall Street Journal)
You may be paying more for airline baggage service, but—finally—you're actually getting better service.
So far this year, the rate at which airlines lose luggage has improved by a whopping 38% compared with two years ago. Alaska Airlines is even offering a 20-minute baggage-delivery guarantee.
The problem of lost luggage, of course, is far from solved. Even with the improvement, more than 1.5 million bags didn't show up on carousels as scheduled on domestic flights through September this year, according to the Department of Transportation. That's 900,000 fewer than in the same period of 2008, the year airlines started charging fees for checked baggage. Go back three years and the improvement is even more dramatic. This year, half as many bags have been "mishandled" as in the same period of 2007.
A large part of the change, airlines admit, simply comes from passengers checking fewer bags to avoid fees and from airlines trimming their flight schedules to save money. Flights have run on-time more often—a key factor in baggage handling, since late-arriving bags, like late-arriving passengers, are likely to miss connections. Also, federal spending, due to security concerns, on baggage scanners that automatically check bags on conveyor belts so Transportation Security Administration officers don't have to manually open them has also sped up luggage handling and reduced errors.
But another major factor, accounting for perhaps half of the industry's improvement, airline executives say, is the investment airlines have made in new equipment and technology, from hand-held scanners that beep when bags are being loaded onto the wrong flight to repair stations to get baggage tugs and carts fixed quicker.
Carriers have ramped up their use of bar-code scanners, for example, to track bags along their journey and alert handlers when bags are being loaded onto the wrong airplane. That's something many other industries—from cargo shippers to grocery stores—have been doing for years. And in some cases, airlines have taken simple steps like reducing the drop points at big airports where airlines leave connecting bags for other carriers to pick up, cutting the time bags sit.
The catch-up by airlines has been significant. Most airlines have done away with paper handed to baggage handlers that used to tell them where bags go. Now scanners and wireless devices update immediately when gates or departure times change for flights. "They used to have to come to the break room to get a new piece of paper," said Scott Dolan, senior vice president of airport operations at United Airlines. "A lot of it is simplifying the process."
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AMERICAN AIRLINES SUSPENDS PORT-AU-PRINCE SERVICE ON PROTESTS
(Source: USA Today)
American Airlines has suspended service to and from Port-au-Prince. The move came after protests erupted in the Haitian capital on a dispute over the country's elections.
The Associated Press writes "an airline spokeswoman says airport employees were unable to get to work Wednesday because of the demonstrations." AA's Martha Pantin tells the news agency the carrier hopes to resume Port-au-Prince flights soon.
AP notes AA is Port-au-Prince's "main international carrier," adding "the cancellations affect flights between the capital and Miami, Fort Lauderdale and New York as well as an American Eagle flight to San Juan via Santo Domingo."
Spirit and Delta are the other U.S. carriers flying to Port-au-Prince.
Spirit, which flies there from Fort Lauderdale, canceled today's flight on the route but lists tomorrow's flight as "on time," according to the airline's website. Delta's website also listed its Thursday flight from JFK to Port-au-Prince as "on-time."
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THE LONDON NYC
151 W 54th Street
New York City
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THE LAWYERS' TRAVEL SERVICE PREFERRED HOTEL PARTNERS PROGRAM
THE ROYAL HORSEGUARDS
2 Whitehall Court
London
Gracing the banks of the River Thames, The Royal Horseguards began life as the National Liberal Club, offering its members a sanctuary from the rough-and-tumble of Westminster politics. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, whose architectural legacy in London includes the Natural History Museum, it played host to some of Britain's greatest writers, thinkers and political leaders: the foundation stone in the hotel's cellars was laid by William Gladstone, one of five Club members who went on to serve as Prime Minister.
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THE LAWYERS' TRAVEL SERVICE PREFERRED HOTEL PARTNERS PROGRAM
ST. REGIS WASHINGTON, D.C.
923 16th & K Streets
Washington, D.C.
Best Benefits for Meeting Planners at the St. Regis Washington, D.C.
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* All rates are subject to availability.
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