Qatar, Emirates and Cathay Pacific, have been my three favourite airlines for a while now (although I have some misgivings regarding Qatar following revelations last year of their employment practices). Nonetheless, these carriers bring back the pleasure of airline travel providing me with reminders that air flights do not have to be a barren bus like experiences! Today’s flight (my 994th ever) was the epitome of how phenomenal Emirates are. Booking: 9 out of 10 I actually booked my ticket through Qantas. Despite being the same seat on the same plane, Qantas were selling it…
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Ranking US airlines by complaints
US airlines get about 10, 000 complaints a year reported to the US Department of Transport. The number of complaints rose until 2012, when they fell slightly. Last year, 643 million passengers were carried by US airlines, so the number of complaints in that perspective does not seem to me to be that high. Of course few of us take our frustration with an airline to the appropriate authorities, preferring to whine about it ourselves or post our experiences on Facebook! The report “Unfriendly Skies”, an analysis of five years of airline complaints by…
Mexicana Exits (at last)
The privately-operated Mexicana flew from 1921 to 2010 making it one of the oldest airlines in the world. It kept company with Australia’s Qantas, Colombia’s Avianca and KLM of the Netherlands. The airline was grounded before it made its 90th birthday, just months after joining the One World alliance. The grounding stranded passengers in 16 countries and impacted 8,500 employees. Mexico’s Federal Judiciary Council ordered an end to efforts to revive moribund airline through bankruptcy proceedings, saying no credible new investor had expressed interest in the carrier. The decision means an administrator will be appointed…
Spirit most complained about US airline
I have never had the delight of flying Spirit Airlines in the USA. The one time, I turned up for a Spirit flight, they cancelled it! In the mould of Ryanair, Spirit combines low fares and profitability and customer complaints. Over the last five years, Spirit has consistently received three times more complaints than any other airline and the number of complaints against the airline kept rising in that period. In a report compiled by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund based on Department of Transport statistics, Spirit managed to increase its customer complaints from 6.7 per…
No Dangerous Goods on MH370
Quashing another rumour, Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said at yesterday’s Media Conference that no hazardous goods were loaded onto the missing flight. Jauhari said that the 777’s cargo was checked and scanned according to standard procedures: “We examined the cargo manifest, it contains no hazardous goods”.
Good bye DC10
On 24 February, 2014 a Biman Bangledesh DC10 flew its last commercial passenger flight from Dakka, Bangledesh to Birmingham, England. The plane was retired from regular Biman service in December, 2013 as a result of the airline taking a new 777: E9 S2-AHM (msn 40120). The new plane is named “Akashprodip” and replaces the retired DC-10 for long-range flights to destinations such as Frankfurt, Rome, London and Birmingham. The aircraft’s last flight – which was without passengers – took off from Birmingham and flew back to Dhaka to be scrapped and its parts to be sold. The…
Airport Celebrates with Teddy bears
Last December marked the 110th year since humanity began flying and commercial flight began 100 years ago last January. On March 27, Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand cerebrates its century. It was officially opened in 1914 as a Royal Thai Air Force base, although it had been in use earlier than that date. Commercial flights started in 1924 and continued until 2006 when Bangkok’s second airport opened. The airport is now a hub for low cost Thai carriers. Last week passengers were treated to gifts of teddy bears riding on the luggage carousels. Check out the…
Qatar’s Staff Criticisms – 3 questions
Is it acceptable to have your employer grant permission “in case you wish to change your marital status and get married“? This employee rule made the news, this week, in an article The truth about the luxury of Qatar Airways published last week in a Swedish tabloid: Expressen. The article is blisteringly critical of the airline. Qatar Airways has been voted world!s best airline for two years in a row. They pick up awards for business class, their service and their lounges. On top of that, the airline had been involved in massive expansion going from four to 120…
Airport Life Travel app
Last year, I travelled to 59 airports in 15 countries! One day, stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina I called a friend for advice on where to get some good food. There have been many airports where I have wandered aimlessly from terminal to terminal looking for decent food. What I should have been doing is developing an app to help the millions of passengers annually who do the same thing. Dan Stratman, an airline Captain with 23 years of experience has done just that declaring: “I’m all too aware of how frustrating air travel has become. I wanted…
Tomorrow I am heading to Bangkok on my 950th flight!
Tomorrow will be my 950th flight ever! I am zipping up from Sydney to Bangkok with Qantas on one of their A330s. Although to be honest, the 330 is one of my least favourite of the Airbus family (along with the 320). This will be my 17th time at Bangkok airport. My Bangkok plans include the Amphawa Floating market, south of Bangkok. Thailand’s rivers and canals were used by farmers to transporting their produce by boat to the cities where they traded. Today’s floating markets are not quite the same but still a vibrant fun experience. Also off…
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