Those of you who came by the site this weekend may have noticed a new look on Cranky. I tried to do it on Friday night when traffic was lower so that if it blew up in my face, I wouldn’t anger too many people. Fortunately within an hour of it launching, it was in good shape.

It’s a pretty subtle change, but I think it’s a good one. I’m hoping that you’ll take a look around and let me know what you like and what you don’t. Here are some of the bigger changes:

• The new look is cleaner overall with less clutter and clearer distinctions between areas. It’s also now grown beyond its previous 800 pixel width to about 950 pixels.




• I’ve taken a lot out of the sidebar and put key links into a navigation bar at the top to make it easier to find what you need




• The post area is now 20 pixels wider and it’s been slightly tweaked to make it easier to read




• Post categories have been moved from the bottom to the top of the post to make it easier to find related pieces




• The comment areas should be easier to read and use of avatars is encouraged




• I’ve added a directory which will grow to include all sorts of travel resources. Right now, it only has airlines, but I will add more soon. Click here to see how to get your site listed.




• I’ve added a second sidebar to accommodate more prominent advertising. I’m trying not to interfere with the content itself, but, honestly, I did want to at least make the ad positions more attractive to advertisers. If you are interested in advertising yourself, I now have more options available than before. Look here for more details.

I hope you like the changes. As I said, hit the comments below with your thoughts.

Video Presentations from PhoCusWright
I know I said I was done with PhoCusWright posts, but I guess I lied. This is just a quick one to point you to actual videos of the Travel Innovation Summit presentations.

Premium Travel Falls Off a Cliff
Bad news from IATA as premium travel sales have fallen significantly. It’s once again time for the airlines to start getting anxious about demand.

Allegiant Bares All in Investor Presentations
Allegiant filed a bunch of investor day presentations with the SEC. It’s definitely worth flipping through to see what they’ve been up to.

Virgin America Says Profitability “Could” Be Pushed to 2011
Virgin America CEO David Cush said that the economy may push profitability to 2011. You would have thought that plunging oil prices would have helped, but I guess not. They’ve also said they won’t grow for a couple more years.

Delta’s Revenue Forecast Shrinks for the Fourth Quarter
Let’s dig in to Delta’s announcement that it has now slashed fourth quarter unit revenue projections. It’s not a good sign, needless to say.

What Made US Airways Reinstate Their Mileage Minimum and Bonuses for Elites?
Lots of airlines have backed away from frequent flier program changes lately, but US Airways waited the longest before making the switch. Are customers finally voting with their wallets?

Minimal Thanksgiving Delays, but Don’t be Lulled Into Complacency
Thanksgiving delays have been sparse so far. That means this is the right time to work on air traffic control reform before things get worse again.

Branson Builds the First Commercial Airport in the US Without Government Money
Branson Airport is rising on the mountaintops of the Ozarks. What’s so special? It’s the first commercial US airport that will operate without federal funds.

More on the Benefits of Building an Airport Without Government Money
Following up on my earlier post, let’s explore the possibilities of privately financing an airport. Could it actually work?

I’m happily recovering from yesterday’s turkey-induced stupor, so there’ll be no writing for me today. Instead, let’s take a look at some fun-filled airplane porn! This time, we head across the Atlantic to check out Air France’s new A320 retrojet.

I believe that’s one of the biggest registrations I’ve seen painted on a modern airplane. Still, it looks pretty good to me. This shot comes courtesy of Guillaume Besnard. Click to see more of his photos. I’ll be back on Monday as usual.

Greetings, turkey lovers. It’s Thanksgiving here in the US, and this year is a different one for me. My wife and I decided we’d had enough traveling this year, so we’re not moving . . . unless our Tur-Duc-Hen (a new effort this year) explodes and we have to run. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t be the weekend of opportunity for those of you who take to the air. Once again, I have my friend Robert’s ode to a Thanksgiving tradition. Good luck to you all!

Dear traveler,

It has been a wild ride these days in so many ways, and we are all well due for a moment of reflection upon the True Meaning of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is not a time to give thanks.

Thanksgiving is a time to get bumped.

Little is sedate lately in the world of airline travel. First we had the relentless oil price rise which ended some long storied airlines and threatened to ground more and more of us. Then there was the fast and furious fee float, with frequent fees to pay fees and one lone fee free fleet. Then came the dizzying drop in most everything, taking oil prices down with it. Now, we tired and cranky fliers anxiously wait to see where all this uncertainty is headed–up, or down? Big changes, or small?

We have never needed Thanksgiving more than we do now. For while there is so much uncertainty in everything around us, one principle remains crystal clear: a mass migration is solidly strapped to the Thanksgiving calendar, and great opportunities flow forth for those who keep the faith. This year, the migration may be a touch less mass–our wallets are slimmer, and some will succumb to the heretical idea of just staying home. But the airlines have more than made up for this by trimming their flights. Fewer flights and smaller planes point to a smoother yet more packed Thanksgiving; this is a perfect recipe for bump prizes to start leaking, then flowing, and then gushing from gate podiums.

I continue my sad little slide into Thanksgiving mediocrity. Two mere nonstop flights means that I have squandered my chance to regain some Thanksgiving glory. For lately I have scored only at less predictable times of year–New Years, Spring Break, and the like. I suppose I can hope for a little LUV voucher, but deep down I know that the better bumps go to those who squeeze the most hops into their Thanksgiving travels. And the very best bumps go to those who sweep through the US Airways Hub of Riches at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. For at US Airways, the memories are short: those who watch the dollars flow in quickly forget the riches that gush right back out into the arms of those lying in wait. For the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is an illusion; but the stacks of vouchers that line every terminal are real, and they eagerly await your taking.

May your Thanksgiving be the most bountiful yet,

..robert

Links to The True Meaning of Thanksgiving, years past:

http://www.rstack.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.html

Picture this. You’re sitting on an airplane in the middle of Africa descending for landing into the city you live. Next thing you know, the plane is lying on the ground, snapped in half, and you don’t quite know what the heck is going on. You stumble out of the airplane where mass chaos ensues. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Absolutely.

So what’s the “brighter side” here? Well, besides that fact that you’re still alive, you also just happened to crash into your front yard. Sweet, no need for a cab to take you home!

Nate Miller had this happen to him when a TAAG Angola 737-200 crashed last June in, well, Angola. A friend of mine who does a lot of good work in Africa met him and forwarded me the story. I was a little skeptical, but you can look through Nate’s photostream on Flickr and see some pretty amazing pictures.

I suppose it sounds plausible enough, but for some reason, I still have trouble fully believing it. Either way, it makes for a great story.