So, from the looks of a letter that arrived in my in-box last night, most of the airlines’ woes come from but a single source: oil speculators. At least, that’s what American Airlines’ Gerard Arpey and Southwest Airlines’ Gary Kelly — and nine of their fellow CEOs and presidents –…
MLW Air The Dallas Mavericks’ Boeing 767-200 Mark Cuban has a piece of a pretty nifty fleet of planes: a Boeing 767-200, which holds 102 passengers in cushy comfort, and a 757-200, which’ll travel 63 folks willing to suffer with “lavatories so large they have windows.” Both appear to be…
Wacky, wacky Southwest Airlines. Looks like the Dallas-based airline, already responsible for one of the greatest print ads in recent memory, has done gone and rounded up Fort Worth-based comedy quartet Curtis Needs a Ride for this zany travel-tip infomercial regarding airport security do’s and do-not-ever’s. Note to Southwest: I…
A Friend of Unfair Park wonders why we’re talking about those folks getting the boot from a Southwest Airlines flight when there’s a far more interesting story concerning an American Airlines flight from Miami to New York. In short, notes the NYC newsman, there was a “pitched battle between the…
A Friend of Unfair Park sends us this late-afternoon link to a story out of Seattle, about a woman and her unruly brood given the boot from a Southwest Airlines flight from Detroit to the Pacific Northwest. The plane made a pit stop in Phoenix, where Wendy Slaughter says she…
We’re the first, because we’re the best! Coming to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in August: “Baggage Carousel advertising.” Or, as it’s more commonly called, “screw-you money.” AdWeek’s blog is much more sensitive: “More reasons to be annoyed at the airport.” –Robert Wilonsky…
Over on the Web site for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American Airlines’ flight attendants, comes word today that the airlines is furloughing 900 flight attendants. Not surprisingly, American says the furloughs are necessary “due to the reduction in our fleet” and the recent axing of flights…
This morning’s first query for American Airlines’ Tim Wagner, following yesterday’s announcement that the Fort Worth-based carrier is eliminating five American and 37 American Eagle flights out of LaGuardia Airport. Will American take into account New York Governor David Paterson’s plea that American “take into account more than profit and…
A Friend of Unfair Park, by which I mean The Big Bossman, shot me a missive early this morning in which he alerted me to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s revamped Web site. Seems it’s a big deal now, what with the real-time Flight Tracker and search engine that allows you…
Not a scene from DFW’s air traffic control, swear One week ago today, the Government Accountability Office released a report that noted the Federal Aviation Administration’s stepped-up efforts to hire new air traffic controllers, to compensate for “the projected departure of over 15,000 air traffic controllers between 2008 and 2017.”…
On Monday morning, American Airlines announced it had raised fares by $20, across the board. Then, later that day, very patient and helpful Friend of Unfair Park broke the good news right here that, nope, “The fare increase that we initiated Friday night did not stick.” Well, see, though, it…
For those not keeping track of today’s American Airlines chat-chat concerning the airline’s $20 fare hike over the weekend, AA spokesbot Tim Wagner just posted this breaking news in the comments section: We pulled the entire increase this afternoon. The fare increase that we initiated Friday night did not stick…
We get our entry in the now-regular Ask American Airlines Spokesbot Tim Wagner series early this week, as news arrives this morning of AA’s fare increase on all domestic flights. Due to rising fuel costs, Tim tells the Associated Press, the Fort Worth-based carrier is hiking its U.S. ticket prices…
A TSA researcher volunteered to show what the body scanners will do. They’re very slimming. So, yeah, don’t be surprised when, later this month, you’re traveling through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and you’ve gotta first walk through one of those “security devices that reveal intimate body parts.” For the past…
After the jump, the Southwest Airlines ad that appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal. Which brings me to this week’s installment of Ask American Airline Spokesman Tim Wagner: Is that ad brilliant or what? –Robert Wilonsky…
Southwest Airlines is launching these three ads — courtesy Dallas-based ad agency Dieste, Harmel and Partners — on Univision, Telemundo and other Spanish-language networks beginning today. It’s part of “a new ad campaign for the Hispanic Market titled ‘Relax!'” notes the media release this a.m. And no matter the language,…
Saw this morning where an American Airlines flight, from Dallas/Fort Worth International on its way to Fort Myers, Florida, made an emergency landing last night back at DFW “after a window pane broke and was ingested into one of the plane’s engines.” Which sounds bad. Of course, the windows are…
As many Friends know, Tim Wagner is the spokesman for American Airlines. He’s also a frequent contributor to Unfair Park’s comments — especially, oh, when it comes to items concerning American Airlines, which are more and more frequent during these troubled times in the airline industry. To that end, Tim’s…
American Airlines’ decision to charge $15 per checked bag gets a rave review this morning from Claes G. Fornell, a professor of business administration at the University of Michigan: “Seems really, dare I say it, stupid.” Also noted in there: American does not plan to offer refunds if suitcases do…
You know who hates these brilliant ads? The Parents Television Council, duh. Also can’t stand MILF Island, which isn’t even real. After the jump, the entirety of a media release we just received from the Parents Television Council, which showed up to the American Airlines shareholders meeting in Fort Worth…
Look at it this way — at least Flight 48 to Paris wasn’t late. It’s the little things that matter. Editor’s note: Edmund Newton, managing editor of our sister paper in Fort Lauderdale, sends along the following tale: Here’s the question: Is it safe to fly during times when commercial…
No doubt you heard yesterday that Fort Worth-based American Airlines will, beginning May 12, charge $25 for a second checked bag — if, course, yer flying coach. The reason’s obvious: rising fuel costs and the need to cover the tab, one piece of luggage at a time. Well, today Fortune…
