Onboard Archive

0

Times Contributor Blames the FAA for Making Devices Dangerous

By
Admin
– January 2, 2013Posted in: Flight Wisdom

We respect Nick Bilton and his writing. We even bought and read his book. His writing on the issues of the ban on portable electronics on airplanes have always made sense to us…till now. We believe his frustration, frustration we share, by the way, at the Federal Aviation Authority is warranted. But the tone seems odd for the Newspaper of Record. The Head of the F.C.C, members of Congress, and the public have demanded explanations. And it isn’t because we can’t keep our devices off…although some people clearly can’t, people like Alec Baldwin, for example. We demand explanations because there is no explanation. Is it electromagnetic interference? Once the plane is at height, these devices are permitted. Like many things in this world, the public will accept an explanation that makes sense? Most of us are not experts, by any means, but we rely on expert opinions, and none are forthcoming. Is it safety? Bilton uses the exact argument we do. A Kindle is substantially lighter than a hardcover. What would you rather get hit with?  If it is a matter of attention…people should be required to put all reading material away, and not enjoy any in flight entertainment, provided [...]

The post Times Contributor Blames the FAA for Making Devices Dangerous appeared first on Flight Wisdom.

Tags: , , , , ,
0

FAA Seeking Public Comment on Portable Electronics

By
Admin
– August 28, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

The FAA announced that they are forming a working group to study current policies related to portable electronic devices(PED). The group will review the FAA’s policies on devices and the procedures for determining whether they can be used during various phases of the flight. This doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use your cell phone in flight. Voice communication will not be part of the working groups mission. The FAA is seeking public comments for the next 60 days. So, basically, the questions in a nutshell: Should electronic device use be restricted during certain parts of the flight(Takeoff/Landing/Safety Briefing) to prevent passenger distraction? Can a standard of certification be established that can be adopted by the device manufacturers, as opposed to the responsibility being with the air carrier/FAA? Should new aircraft be built to tolerate specific types of device emissions? How can aircraft operators, aircraft manufacturers, and device manufacturers share information and data to facilitate authorization of device use, such as already conducted testing on such devices? Don’t start powering up your cell phone yet. After the public comments, the working group will meet to discuss the matter for six months. So, assuming that regulations change, don’t expect to see [...]

The post FAA Seeking Public Comment on Portable Electronics appeared first on Flight Wisdom.

Tags: , , ,
0

United Loses Children

By
Admin
– August 19, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

In June of 2009, we reported on how Continental Airlines had lost a young girl who was travelling under its unaccompanied minor program. Another similar situation has arisen with United Airlines, which merged with Continental, to the point that there is a petition on change.org, asking United to either redesign or discontinue its Unaccompanied Minors program. At the end of June, United was flying a ten year old girl from San Francisco to Traverse City, Michigan via Chicago for a summer camp program. Her parents received a call from the camp that the girl was not on the flight and the United representative in Traverse City had no explanation. So, after a twenty minute hold with United, a representative initially insisted that the parents were mistaken, and the girl had arrived. This prompted another ten minute hold where it was discovered she had somehow missed the connection. When asked to confirm where their daughter was, and being told that wasn’t possible, it prompted another forty minute hold. The two parents split up, and the other called the United Premier line, and found out that the unaccompanied minor service in Chicago had apparently forgotten to show up. They had also forgotten [...]

The post United Loses Children appeared first on Flight Wisdom.

Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Airline Food Gets Even Worse With Addition Of Sewing Needles

By
The Infrequent Flier
– July 17, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

 

Airline food [ Cathay Pacific ]

food has a deservedly bad reputation, though as meals are decreasingly available, some travelers may be pining for the old lump of mystery meat in bland sauce. Passengers on Delta flights out of Amsterdam are to be forgiven for wishing that Delta had eliminated meal service prior to their flights. Two passengers, on two different flights, who bit into their turkey sandwiches were met with a sharp retort- a sewing needle embedded in the sandwich. Upon learning of these two incidents, Delta prudently stopped serving the sandwiches on all flights leaving Amsterdam. Further inspection found an additional two needles.

The FBI is investing how the sandwiches, made by Gate Gourmet, came to include this decidedly unconventional ingredient. The , which never turns down the opportunity to appear useful and busy announced that it will “closely monitor the review”

The Transportation Security Administration says it notified all U.S. airlines with flights from Schiphol to the United States of the findings.

“TSA continues to closely monitor the review of the incidents as well as the security protocols being conducted by the air carrier and the airport authority,” spokesman David Castelveter said.

Delta is, understandably, taking the issue quite seriously

“Delta requires all its in-flight caterers to adhere to strict criteria in order to offer our customers the very best onboard meals,” Baur told CNN in a statement. “The safety and security of our passengers and crew is Delta’s number one priority.”

Though other airlines use the services of the same caterer, no other reports of needles have been received.

The post Airline Food Gets Even Worse With Addition Of Sewing Needles appeared first on Flight Wisdom.

Tags: , , , ,
0

Solving the Oversized Carryon Bag Problem

By
Admin
– July 12, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

Wizz Air Airbus A320-233 HA-LPF

One of the side effects of increased checked bag charges is that more people are trying to cram all of their items into their carry-ons.

Spirit Air tried to address this by charging for carry-on bags, but we like a new program by Wizz Air. Passengers who try to sneak bags past onto the plane will be charged.

If their bags are bigger than carry-on size, they will pay approximately $12. As a consolidation prize, they get priority boarding, which would give them first access to the overhead bins. It seems like a better move than some alternatives.

The problem is, this does not address the problem, in the sense exactly. Those who follow the rules will find themselves squeezed out of the overhead. And that isn’t exactly fair either.

Related articles

The post Solving the Oversized Carryon Bag Problem appeared first on Flight Wisdom.

Tags: , ,
0

Rethinking Electronics in Flight or What’s Airplane Mode?

By
Admin
– January 27, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

Interior of Virgin America A320

A few weeks ago, we commented on the ban on portable electronics. The truth is, in terms of the FAA’s stated rationale, there is little evidence presented that indicates the majority of electronics have any effect on aircraft systems.

But, the other reason, the one not covered by the regulation, is the one that is more of a concern to us, after doing some passenger watching on a recent flight. Flight attendants, who deal with these issues every day, are concerned with the attention of the passengers on during takeoff and landing, when the majority of flight related issues seem to arise.

That would explain why, perhaps, to follow that line of reasoning, headphones should be forbidden during takeoff and landing, as they would interfere with hearing inflight instructions.  It may also explain forbidding gaming and mobile devices, to ensure one’s attention is on the situation at hand. However, people read, close their eyes and nap, and on many airlines, engage the built-in IFE.

We knew all this before, however, it became very evident while thinking about it on recent flights. There were three passengers across from us who kept asking, “They want us to turn off our cell phones?”, despite multiple announcements on the PA about this. Then one of them with an iPhone discovered the airplane mode setting in wonder and thought activating that was acceptable.

A particular pet peeve of ours, which we believe has potential to be truly dangerous, passengers getting up when the fasten seatbelt sign is on, indicating it is unsafe to get up. The flight attendants on this, and many flights we have been on, have largely ignored this. We were impressed when on a European flight not long ago, the came onto the PA to gently remind people the Fasten Seatbelt sign was on.

So, maybe to rethink these situation. The problem is that we cannot enforce the current rules, be it with Alec Baldwin or with other passengers. Maybe we have to address it from that perspective.

Is the cell phone ban in place not because it is necessary, but because people can’t be trusted to act responsibly? Should the Flight Attendant be policing our behavior onboard and to what degree? If people cannot follow the simple instructions of seat back up, stay in seat when light is on, and turn off your electronics, what hope do we have?

Related articles

Rethinking Electronics in Flight or What’s Airplane Mode? is a post from Flight Wisdom – News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel Experience. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: , , , ,
0

God No Longer On Board Alaska Airlines

By
Infrequent Flier
– January 25, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

Having never flown href="http://blog.flightwisdom.com/tag/alaska-airlines/" class="st_tag internal_tag" rel="tag" title="Posts tagged with Alaska Airlines">Alaska Airlines, it was news to us that for 30 years, together with their meals, the airline has distributed prayer cards featuring serene color pictures and verses from the Book of Psalms.  Now we’ll never have a chance to get

class="mceTemp"> class="wp-caption alignright zemanta-img"> class="wp-caption-dt"> href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3AAlaska-737-4QB-YVR.jpg"> class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Ri..." src="http://blog.flightwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/300px-Alaska-737-4QB-YVR1.jpg" alt="Vancouver International Airport (YVR/CYVR), Ri..." width="300" height="189" />

one, as the href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/alaska-airlines-retiring-_0_n_1231779.html" >airline announced that it will stop distributing the cards as of February 1.  The airline introduced the cards as a marketing gimmick, copying them form a rival airline. Perhaps they were particularly necessary in Alaska, the state with href="http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdav/Capstone.shtml" >the highest rate of airplane accidents in the nation.

An airline spokesperson said changes in customer feedback about the cards led to their retirement

Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the decision was made after hearing from customers who preferred not to mix religion with transportation. The decision reflects respect for the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of Alaska Airlines’ customers and employees, the company said in announcing the change.

“Some customers were comforted by the cards and some didn’t feel religion was appropriate on the plane and preferred not to receive one,” she said.

…

For a long time, Alaska Airlines got more positive comments than negatives ones. But lately, opinion has shifted.

Egan said the decision was made out of respect for all of their customers.

“After carefully considering all sides, it was agreed that eliminating the cards was the right thing to do,” Egan said.

The airline sent an email to its frequent flyers on Wednesday explaining the change that will take effect Feb. 1.

“Religious beliefs are deeply personal and sharing them with others is an individual choice,” said the email signed by both airline CEO Bill Ayer and President Brad Tilden.

The email said some of its customers enjoyed the cards but others were offended by them.

“It is important that everyone know that this decision does not change our core values nor our care for our customers,” the email said.

And, like that, another quirky airline tradition ends.  What other quirky airline handouts are out there that we don’t know about?

class="zemanta-pixie"> class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=77abc223-4655-4f2c-aa6c-16ebaf14da63" alt="" />

href="http://blog.flightwisdom.com/2012/01/25/god-no-longer-on-board-alaska-airlines/">God No Longer On Board Alaska Airlines is a post from href="http://blog.flightwisdom.com">Flight Wisdom – News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel Experience. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: , , , ,
0

Heavy Turbulence Sends 5 American Airlines Crew To Hospital

By
Infrequent Flier
– January 23, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

All was normal aboard Flight 980 from Brazil to Miami.  Then, two hours into the eight hour flight, with food service underway, the plane suddenly lurched violently. The unexpected turbulencesent a food cart flying, damaging

American Airlines MD-80 flight 577.

the ceiling and landing on and injuring a .  In all, six members of the flight crew were injured and were treated by an emergency room physician who happened to be on board. When the plane finally arrived in Miami six hours later, five of the injured crew were transported to local hospitals for further treatment. Miraculously, none of the 136 passengers aboard reported injuries.

Related articles

Heavy Turbulence Sends 5 American Airlines Crew To Hospital is a post from Flight Wisdom – News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel Experience. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: , , , , ,
0

Terror At 35,000 Feet- Pre-Recorded Message Tells Frightened Passengers They’re About To Crash- In Error!

By
Infrequent Flier
– January 18, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom
Boeing 747-400 takes off from London Heathrow ...

At 3am last night on Flight 206 from Miami to London’s Heathrow Airport, we imagine most passengers were comfortably sleeping.  That changed in a hurry when flight crew inadvertently twice triggered a recorded message declaring that the plane could be about to crash. Passengers began crying and screaming, and were still on edge even after a third announcement informed them that the first two had been in error.

Another passenger said: “When we landed they were handing out letters apologising, but it was the worst experience of my life. I don’t think BA should get away with this.”

A BA spokesman said of the scare on flight BA 0206 on Friday: “The cabin crew cancelled the announcement immediately and sought to reassure customers that the flight was operating normally. We apologise to customers for causing them undue concern.”

We’ve never flown a plane, but we’re sure some of our readers have. Is it really that simple to accidentally trigger such a message?  If so, it seems like a pretty poor design. We’re sure that for the passengers of BA 0206, this is not a flight they’ll forget anytime soon.

Related articles

Terror At 35,000 Feet- Pre-Recorded Message Tells Frightened Passengers They’re About To Crash- In Error! is a post from Flight Wisdom – News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel Experience. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: , , ,
0

Fed Up, Man Seizes Opportunity In Spirit Carry-On Fees

By
Infrequent Flier
– January 16, 2012Posted in: Flight Wisdom

Image of Carry On Free BagWhile most airlines have been adding new fees, no American carrier has been more aggressive about doing so than Spirit Airways.  Spirit ‘s strategy has been to tease outrageously low fares with obnoxious and vulgar advertisements, but  charge exorbitant fees for normal services.  Perhaps the most egregious of these is their charge for carry on baggage, which can range from $20 to $45, depending on when paid.

Many passengers see red from these fess, but Brent Hopkins sees opportunity.  Hopkins started CarryOnFree.com, a business that sells a specially-designed 16″ x 14″ x 12″ bag in 5 styles for $54.99.  The bag’s size is the maximum allowed on Spirit as a “personal item” and allows passengers to pack a reasonable amount while avoiding Spirit’s fee.  So far, no other airline has followed suit, and we hope none does, but if you find yourself flying Spirit, you may want to try this .

Have you tried CarryOnFree?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Related articles

Fed Up, Man Seizes Opportunity In Spirit Carry-On Fees is a post from Flight Wisdom – News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel Experience. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: , , , ,
Older Entries