The Cranky Flier » Government Regulation

The Winners of the Six Word Contest

CF — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:00:22 +0000

I know, you’ve been waiting to hear who won the contest to best celebrate the TSA’s liquid ban 2 years after its creation, right? Well, thanks to an excellent response that saw more than 500 submissions, it took some time to sift through everything. But, we’ve figured it all out. So without further ado . . .

Grand Prize (and winner of the iPod Nano)

“2 Years, 3 Ounces, Million headaches” - submitted by Ember D. of New York, NY

Runners-Up (in no particular order and winners of a BottleWise Duo™ wine travel bag)

“Celebrating 100,000,000 bottles abandoned at security” - submitted by Dara M. of New York, NY

“Ironically, wet blankets enforce liquids ban” - submitted by David A. of Tulsa, OK

“Lady Liberty weeps 3 ounce tears” - submitted by Jeff C. of Woodbridge, VA

There was one entry that I have to give honorary mention to . . .

“Security has dry sense of humor”

Since this was submitted by The Global Traveller in New Zealand, he wasn’t eligible for the prizes. Still, we loved this one, so I had to give it a shout out.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. Post some of your favorite entries in the comments section below and let’s see how you think we did.

This Week on BNET (August 18 - 22)

CF — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:41:15 +0000

Southwest Filing Fares in ATPCO Once Again
You may not know ATPCO, but I’m guessing that airlines all over the US are happy to see Southwest back in the system again. Why does it matter?

Jake Brace Leaves United
The oft-vilified United CFO Jake Brace has announced his retirement, but is it too late? Should this have happened sooner?

PETA’s Unique Advertising Proposal for Dallas/Ft Worth
DFW received an interesting request from PETA to put some offensive advertising on bathroom stalls. Are airports so short on money that this might become reality?

AirTran Announces New Routes
AirTran will serve Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) and Columbus (Ohio) this fall. Why am I bothering to write about this? New city announcements are rare these days.

TSA Damages Airplanes, Blames American Eagle?!
A TSA agent stepped on sensors on 9 different planes during safety checks. Instead of owning up to it, they’re turning it around on American Eagle. Yikes.

This Week on BNET (August 11 - 15)

CF — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:17:33 +0000

How Important is Aircraft Type?
Do people really care what type of plane they’re flying on? A report from Boeing says that they do, but I’m not entirely convinced on this one.

Air Canada’s Olympic Ads Work, United’s Don’t
United and Air Canada have both put out ads as official Olympic sponsors. While Air Canada’s work for me, United’s do not.

Northwest’s Smart WorldPerks Marketing
There are plenty of reasons not to like airline marketing, but I received an email from Northwest after my latest booking that was very smart on their part.

United and American Make Opposite Fleet Moves
United is likely to cancel its narrowbody commitments while American is ramping up. Why are the two airlines taking such different tacts?

American and British Airways Apply for Antitrust Immunity
Now that open skies between the US and Europe has opened up Heathrow, American and British Airways and looking to catch up to the other alliances.

You Have Less Than 24 Hours to Enter the Contest

CF — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:00:03 +0000

I know you’ve been putting off entering the contest to celebrate the 2 years anniversary of the TSA liquid ban until you had the best idea possible, but you’re running out of time. The contest ends 24 hours from when I write this, at 9p Pacific Time on August 15, so you better enter now.

Remember, all you need is six little words to describe your thoughts on the liquid ban, and you could win an iPod Nano or a BottleWise Duo wine travel bag. (Seriously, if you’re a wine drinker, you’ll like the Duo.)

To enter, do NOT write in the comments section here. (Anything written in the comments section here won’t count.) Go to this page for full details and write your best effort in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Happy writing!

Enter to Win an iPod Nano with a Six Word Summary on the TSA Liquid Ban

CF — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:00:50 +0000

Raise your hand if you’re ready to enter Cranky’s first contest. Ok, put your hands down now. I can’t see them anyway. (By the way, if you’re a new Cranky visitor, welcome! Please throw some comments out there, and sign yourself up for my daily email.)

I’m very happy to be teaming up with BottleWise to celebrate (curse?) the upcoming 2nd anniversary of the TSA liquid ban. We might as well try to have some fun with it, despite how much we hate it.

You want details? I got details. You have from right now until 9p Pacific Time on August 15 to come up with your best six word summary about the liquid ban. Just come up with your best entry (actually, as many entries as you’d like, but you can only win one prize) and enter it in the comments section below. Once the contest is over, we’ll pick the winners and let you know right here on the blog. The big winner will get a 4GB iPod Nano® while the three runners-up will each get a BottleWise Duo™ wine travel bag.

Why six words? Legend has it Ernest Hemingway responded to a challenge to write a six-word story with what he said was his best work: “For sale: baby shoes. Never used.” Here’s my best shot so far, though sadly I can’t pick myself as the winner.

“Ziplocs make for neglected toiletry bags”

Now it’s your turn.

¡Buena suerte! (That’s “good luck” for those who are Spanish-ly challenged.) Leave your responses in the comments section below.

Terms and Conditions

Contest open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., 21 years or older at time of entry. There is no purchase necessary to enter or to win, nor is there any cost to register. This is an online-only contest. The Contestant is deemed to be the holder of the established email account associated with the entry. BottleWise LLC and The Cranky Flier reserve the right to reject and disqualify any submissions which, in their sole discretion, are deemed to be offensive or in any way inappropriate. BottleWise LLC and the Cranky Flier assume no responsibility for entries unable to be processed for any technical reason. Contest closes Aug. 15, 2008, at 9:00 p.m. Pacific.

For a complete description of contest Rules, Terms and Conditions click here.

Edited 8/5 @ 254p to remove the “s” from Buena Suerte. Fat fingers, apparently . . . (and no, the irony is not lost on me).

This Week on BNET (July 7 - 11)

CF — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:21:45 +0000

DOT Rejects Blanket Dormancy Waiver
The DOT has decided to deny the request by seven airlines to allow them to suspend international routes without losing the rights. This could get interesting.

Ramping Up Alternative Propulsion Systems
With fuel prices climbing, engine manufacturers are looking for new ways to reduce fuel burn. At least one concept is almost ready to fly.

Virgin America Appeals DOT Decision with a Vengeance
Unhappy with the DOT’s decision to require public submission of Virgin America’s data, the airline has decided to appeal with fists flying.

Allegiant Leaves Green Bay for Appleton
Allegiant really does practice what it preaches. Green Bay started charging more, so Allegiant packed up and moved 33 miles down the road to Appleton.

The Airlines Attack Oil Speculators
The ATA has gathered US airlines to fight oil speculation. Will it help or just end up making things worse?

You Can Now Fly Between Mainland China and Taiwan

CF — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:35:40 +0000

I figured I’d go for two Asia stories in a row, especially after I saw this one in the news yesterday. It looks like Mainland China and Taiwan have finally come to an agreement to allow flights between the two countries. This is long overdue, to say the least.

I’m guessing that many of you don’t know the deal here, so let me explain. It’s no surprise, of course, that Mainland China and Taiwan aren’t exactly the best of friends. I won’t get into the politics, but you can read here if you want more info.

But when it comes to aviation politics, all I can do is shake my head. Let me try to explain how messy things have been here. In the past, you may have seen planes from Swissair Asia, KLM Asia, etc. Believe it or not, Mainland China previously wouldn’t allow any airline to fly to the Mainland if it also flew to Taiwan. So, airlines were forced to set up subsidiaries and paint their planes with new titles just to serve both. That rule hasn’t existed for a few years, but I think it gives you a good idea of how bad things have been.

Of course, just because the governments don’t get along doesn’t mean that the people don’t want to go see relatives and friends living on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. With limited exception, the only way to get between the two today is to connect through Hong Kong. As you can see, that’s not exactly a straight line. In fact, it adds a 4 to 5 hours to a flight.

As you can imagine, business was good for the Hong Kong-based airlines. I seem to recall that the traffic between Taiwan and China alone was able to make Dragonair a success in the early days. (Anyway have more info on that?) But, it’s not exactly ideal from a passenger perspective.

So, in order to help save the environment, we now have an agreement to allow charter flights between many cities on both Taiwan and Mainland China. Ok, this has nothing to do with the environment at all (I mean, it’s China, come on), but it’ll be very good for business.

To start, there will only be 18 flights each weekend for now, but the agreement says that regular scheduled flights will begin as soon as possible. Chinese airlines on both sides are all, as you might expect, anxiously awaiting the ability to ramp up and start serving this market. It’s about time.

Homeland Security Makes Traveling Harder . . . Again

CF — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:28:31 +0000

Nothing like some misguided Homeland Security policy to make you feel all warm and cozy. This time, we’ve got two policies, one that will impact foreign visitors and the other that could theoretically impact anyone.

First, let’s start with the rule that will affect non-US citizens. There are 27 countries that participate in the visa waiver program which allows people to visit the US without a visa. When they travel now, they can just grab their passports, hop on the plane, and fill out immigration forms enroute. That will change by January 12 when anyone traveling on a visa waiver will have to register electronically at least three days prior to traveling. There will, fortunately, be exemptions for people who book at the last minute, but what about people who forget? Will they be turned away?

I suppose the good news is that you only have to register once every two years, but that means the US will be keeping more info about you electronically. The more changes we make, the more we discourage people from visiting. Is it really not enough to have paperwork filled out on the flight? I mean, it’s a great option to offer the ability to register online beforehand for those who prefer, but making it mandatory just adds one more hurdle for foreign visitors to deal with as they plan their trips.

And now, let’s turn to the other news. Beginning June 21, you will be required to show a photo ID when you travel. Wait, didn’t you have to do that before? Nope, you didn’t. If you didn’t want to use a photo ID, you could still travel but you had to go through more rigorous screening. As you can imagine, this didn’t happen that often, but it did happen.

The rule says that exceptions will be made for people who have lost their ID, but really, who is to make the determination that it’s specifically been lost and you’re not just trying to avoid showing ID? The officer? Yikes. Here’s what the TSA has to say on the subject. I have to disagree with them. Why do we need to know exactly who is traveling? Anyone who willing travels without an ID is going to face such increased scrutiny that they would be idiots to try and do something sinister that way. Anyone really trying to cause trouble would just get a fake ID of some sort in order to blend it.

As fare as I’m concerned, as long as ID-less passengers don’t have anything dangerous on them, they should be allowed to fly. What do you think?

Random Bits of Info: Fighting, Grounding, Delaying, and Dying Edition

CF — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:51:11 +0000

We’ve got a lot going on today, so without further ~~adieu~~ ado, let’s get started.

Southwest and the FAA Fighting - If you haven’t heard, there’s been a steel cage match in Washington lately. In one corner, we have Rep Oberstar breathing fire and brimstone. In another corner, we have the FAA trying to pick up the pieces, and in a third corner we have Southwest claiming ignorance. In the fourth corner? Um, uh, Congressional pages? I don’t know. Let’s just say it’s a triangular cage.

The hearings have been interesting, and if you’d like a play-by-play, I’d recommend reading Evan Sparks’s Aviation Policy Blog. In short, the FAA came out looking absolutely terrible for really not adequately overseeing Southwest’s maintenance operation. The FAA effectively allowed Southwest to violate the rules despite the attempts of some lower level FAA people to do things properly. What a mess. Neither the FAA nor Southwest looked good here, though the FAA definitely took the brunt of it.

In a post yesterday, Evan Sparks argues that independent oversight might be necessary for now. I tend to think I agree.

American Grounded Again - Remember how I said the FAA looked terrible? Well they’re trying to make up for it by flexing their muscles ineffectively. Once again, we have grounded airplanes that may not really need to be grounded, and this time it’s unbelievably the same American MD-80s that were grounded before. Apparently, AA didn’t do it right, and now cancellations are rising. If you’re flying AA today, start crying now.

787 Delayed Again - Bet you can’t wait to get onboard one of those fancy new 787s, huh? Chill. It’s not going to happen any time soon. Boeing, doing its best Airbus impression, delayed the plane again this morning. Now the first flight won’t even be until the fourth quarter of this year. And you wonder why they didn’t start crowing when Airbus faced A380 delays? Now you know. Bleh. Check out FlightBlogger for ongoing coverage.

Oasis Hong Kong Is Dead - I know, I know. You guys love Asian news, and I rarely talk about it. Well, here’s a little bit of bad news for those who had tickets on Oasis Hong Kong. The airline is toast. Man, you wanna talk about going down in a blaze of glory? According to JetPhotos.net Daily Aviation News, the airline has been burning through $128,000 per FLIGHT! Now that’s impressive.

Flights were between Hong Kong and both London/Gatwick and Vancouver. I say “were” because all flights are done. IIRC, these guys were owned by some crazy rich couple that is now likely a lot less rich. At least they got out now. If you had tickets, Cathay is helping.

There’s your fun-filled update for today. You might want to start the day with a little scotch to numb the pain.

Southwest Checks for Cracks

CF — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:04:42 +0000

I’m not going to spend too much time talking about what happened today, because it’s been covered by just about everyone. (I should say overdramatized by just about everyone.) In short, Southwest had to take 38 planes out of service to perform a 90 minute check to see if there were any fuselage cracks. They canceled a fair number of flights today (Wednesday), but they should be back to normal tomorrow.

The reason I’m not going to spend much time on this is because I just don’t know much about what’s going on. Southwest says that there was an “ambiguity” related to the required checks that they discovered last night when they were going over maintenance records. So, they decided to be conservative and pull the planes out immediately.

What was this ambiguity? If they self-reported the problem to the FAA a year ago, shouldn’t those ambiguities have been discovered then and not a year later? I said before that we need to wait before condemning Southwest as being unsafe. I still stand by that, because there’s a lot that we don’t know, but this “reinspection” of aircraft certainly does not help their cause in my eyes. I still tend to think that the FAA is going to come out worst of all here, but Southwest isn’t going to come out smelling like roses by a longshot.