Delta Bumps Up Los Angeles – Las Vegas Flying Again
First they were cutting back, now they’re growing. What’s going on here?

Airlines Respond to H1N1 Influenza A Differently
Reactions around the world to the “swine” flu have been very different depending upon the region. See what everyone is up to.

Continental Shows Weak Numbers, Easter Benefit
Continental’s April numbers looked better than March, but remember the Easter shift before getting too excited.

Frontier Shows April Traffic and Revenue Weakness
April wasn’t a great month for Frontier. It’s hard to draw conclusions just based on this month, but I’ll certainly be paying more attention as we move into the summer peak.

SkyWest Starts At-Risk CRJ Flying for United
Looks like SkyWest is doing what it has to do to place CRJs back into service. And now that means prorate flying.

April 2009 Airline Traffic Numbers
Traffic numbers are out for April and they weren’t too bad.

There’s some good news from United in their ongoing multi-year effort to put their new flat bed business class seat on their airplanes. As of now, every flying 767 that is configured for international service has the new seats. First Class travelers have also seen the end of the crappy 767 seat. There are First Class suites throughout as well.

So let’s think about this from a passenger perspective. What plane do you want to fly in each class of service if you’re on United?

Economy Minus

1. 767 – Coach seats at least have looping in-seat video, and the 2-3-2 configuration means you have a better shot of avoiding a middle than on other planes. You also have a better shot at getting pushed up to Economy Plus since 47% of seats in coach are in that cabin on this plane.




2. 777 – You’ll get the same looping in-seat video for now, but look for this plane to leapfrog the 767 with AVOD once the refurbs begin. The 2-5-2 config means a middle seat is more likely. Still, with 42% of seats in coach in Economy Plus, your upgrade chances are pretty good. (That number rises to 48% after the refurb.)




3. 747 – Avoid this plane at all costs. Not only are there no in-seat entertainment options, but the 3-4-3 configuration makes for an uncomfortable ride for couples. Only 33% of coach seats pre-refurb and 22% of coach seats on refurbed aircraft are Economy Plus on this plane, so upgrades are less likely.

Economy Plus

1. 767 – Not much differentiates this plane from the 777 here except that you have the 2-3-2 configuration. Remember, once the 777 gets AVOD, it will leapfrog this plane.




2. 777 – It’s basically a tie with the 767 except for the configuration.




3. 747 – Again, avoid at all costs if you need entertainment. No in-seat entertainment to speak of.

Business

1. 767 – If you’re on a 767, you will have the new business class seats




2. 747 – More than half the 747s have the new business class seats, but even if you don’t get one, at least you can be on the upper deck




3. 777 – Not a single airplane has the new business class seats, so you should avoid this one

First

1. 767 – This cellar-dweller leaps to the front now that the newly-renovated suites have been installed




2. 747 – More than half the 747s have the refurbed suites, but even if they don’t, you’re still in the nose of the airplane and that’s excellent




3. 777 – Not as big of a gap as in business, the the First suites may be a little tired on some of these planes

Of course, if you’re on a 777 or 767 domestically, you’ll need to see if it’s even an internationally-configured one. Most of the time, it’s not and you’ll just be on a regular domestic-style configuration.

Hey, remember Air Azul? Yeah, they’re gone already. They never even got off the ground, but fear not Azul-lovers. It appears that the airline is still lurking in the planning stages and will reemerge soon under the name JetAmerica. And if this is what I think it is, then it may very well be the reincarnation of Skybus. As you can imagine, I don’t have very high prospects for this venture.

Here’s the story. The name Air Azul was trashed and the websites completely disappeared in the last couple weeks. Ben over at USA Today rounded up stories about the end of the idea at the time. But just because Air Azul died doesn’t mean it’s gone for good.

Well, the name actually is gone for good, probably (I would guess) thanks to some unhappiness from the JetBlue crew. I wouldn’t want another blue-related name around town if I were them either. Now, BusinessRockford.com is reporting that the new name will be JetAmerica and bookings will start on May 11.

Now you guys know how I feel about resurrecting old airline names. (The original JetAmerica was based in Long Beach in the 1980s before being swallowed up by Alaska.) But most people probably don’t remember the original in this case anyway. There’s something more significant at work here regarding the name. Jaunted has been covering the original Skybus founder John Weikle’s efforts to start a new airline for over a year. The name of that airline? JetAmerica.

You remember this one. It was supposed to be Skybus but out of Charleston, West Virginia. While I haven’t seen any confirmation of Weikle’s involvement in this one, the use of the name tells me that he will be involved with this bad boy somehow. Want another clue? Nine seats on each flight will be sold for $9. How very Skybussy.

From the article, it sounds like some of Air Azul’s previously-announced routes will be flown (Rockford to Baltimore and New York, for example), but I have to wonder how long it is before we see Charleston back in the mix. At least one report says that all aircraft will be based in Toledo, though that statement was retracted by JetAmerica just as fast as it was announced. Oh boy.

Something tells me that the chance of this working is very, very slim. And that’s being kind. Let’s hope that it at least lasts longer than, well, Air Azul did . . . .

You know that scene in American Pie where Jim wakes up after losing his virginity to the girl from band camp and exclaims giddily, “I was used. Cool!”? Well, that’s sort of how I felt yesterday morning when I woke up to see USA Today’s interview with JetBlue CEO Dave Barger admitting that his talking to me about the Long Beach situation was not inadvertent. In this case, being used is a good thing, and I’d say other airlines should be taking notes. Let me explain.

The interview (which was very complimentary toward my blog – thanks, Dave) shows that JetBlue takes blogs and other new media outlets very seriously.

My sense is that really – not just in America – but the world there’s what’s known as mainstream media. But, new social media, it’s there. It’s real-time.

I think when there was a challenge to the blog – not my comment, but somebody else’s regarding (blog author Snyder’s credibility as) a “professional” – I think that’s a very, very harsh comment. I mean it’s (The Cranky Flier) real.

And you know what? That’s smart. Look what it’s done for them in Long Beach. They have put the issue of terminal improvements back on the front burner. But this isn’t about just saying something to a blogger and hoping it gets picked up. There’s a lot more to it than that.

I have had a good relationship with JetBlue’s PR team ever since I reached out to them with a question when I was just a fledgling blogger a couple years back. They’ve always been quick to respond with helpful information, something that isn’t always easy to find from other airlines. For JetBlue, it’s even bigger than just responding to blogs. They’ve extended their influence to a much broader area by responding quickly with Twitter to anyone out there who needs information. And responding quickly helps them to shape the story.

Now this doesn’t mean that everything I write about them is rosy. Far from it. I went through my past posts and I’ve actually given them two Cranky Jackass awards (one, two) and almost given them a third. And let’s not get started on the whole “controllable irregularities” issue or the early customer bill of rights stuff. But their willingness to engage quickly undoubtedly helps them to avoid some of the bad press that might otherwise come their way.

For example, when I flew them last weekend up to the Bay Area (trip report coming eventually), I sent a couple tweets about the TVs not working. I received a direct message back quickly asking about it and requesting that I follow up with them if I haven’t received any compensation for the problem. It’s a brilliant use of new media to further their cause. Not only have they placated me as a traveler, but they’ve turned a potential ugly piece of my trip report into a positive outcome.

Of course, they aren’t the only ones to do this. Southwest does an excellent job as well. They were probably the first to understand the importance of quick response in a world where there are no old media-style deadlines. Things get published to the rest of the internet as soon as they’re ready to go. The sooner you can give good information, the better chance you have to shape the discussion.

More and more airlines are starting to involve themselves with new media, but I’m not convinced that many of them know what they’re doing. I don’t need a bunch of tweets about a new fare sale to Zimbabwe, but I do need fast answers to questions and good access to the people who have those answers.

For all those airlines who still don’t think embracing new media is a good thing, well, there’s not much I can say to you except you should pull your heads out of your asses. But for those who are still trying to figure out the right way to embrace new media, let me offer some tips.

• Respond quickly – There are no deadlines in the world of new media. If someone sends you a note with a question, respond as fast as you can because that post will go up whether they have your comment or not. Even if you don’t have the info, write back to say you’re looking for it and they will likely wait. Of course, you can’t respond to everyone out there so . . . .




• Find the influencers – There are a million blogs out there and a lot of them are terrible. So you need to figure out which ones are actually influencers and focus on them. Influencers are those that are well-respected and have the ability to touch a lot of people. You’ll want to be most responsive to those you see as influencers. And remember, the list will change over time. But even beyond the influencers, there’s more you can do . . . .




• Use Twitter for good – I fully admit that I hate Twitter. I just can’t figure out how to use it to my liking, but customer service businesses that can benefit from offering real-time solutions to problems should be all over this tool. JetBlue and Southwest may have been early adopters, but others are catching on. Even United has started to use this to help people, and they’re slowly finding their groove. This is a great way to reach beyond the influencers to have a much broader impact, yet in a targeted way.




• Be more proactive – Some airlines are decent at responding to questions, but they aren’t good at reaching out on their own. I just received a note earlier this week asking if I would like to talk to an Emirates VP about their onboard mobile phone program. Of course I did, and now I’m writing up the interview for next week. (It’s actually very interesting.)

So is Emirates using me in some way to get a conversation going in the US about mobile phones onboard? I don’t doubt it. Did JetBlue use me to get things moving again in Long Beach? Probably. But that’s smart. Both airlines have opted to provide excellent access and interesting content, a blogger’s dream. This won’t always work out well. I might disagree completely and absolutely thrash something that comes out. But when airlines are willing to engage even after receiving bad press, it makes the relationship even more powerful for the future. An airline that cuts someone off for writing something bad will be hurting itself more than anything else.

Companies work to manage the media all the time, and now they need to start managing new media as well. JetBlue has shown that engaging the right new media outlets can have some major positive benefits. Hopefully other airlines will start to realize that they can do the same.

And when the rest of you guys do figure it out, you know where to find me.

It seems like a simple request. All we want as customers is for an airline to take as much responsibility for our bags as FedEx would. We want to see our bags scanned everywhere so we can see where they are, and if they do get lost, we want to know when we will see them again. Like I said, simple . . . . Right.

I had the chance to sit down with US Airways’ Managing Director of Customer Strategy Tim Lindeman and Director of Customer Strategy, Melody Anderson (yes, the customer strategy group needs a lot of “directing”) to talk about what US Airways is doing in the world of baggage. You might be surprised to know that it’s pretty cool.

When you check your bag, the tag is scanned into the system and the bag is on its way. As of last November, your bag will now be scanned every time it gets on and off an airplane. So far, this is only implemented at domestic stations handled by mainline, but international stations should have scanners soon. Express stations don’t have them planeside yet but they have them in the baggage offices.

What happens if your bag doesn’t follow you onboard? They’re currently working on notification capability. If your bag doesn’t make it on your flight, they will eventually be able to send you a text message letting you now. That way you’d skip the annoying part of waiting at the carousel for an hour before proceeding to the baggage service office (BSO). I suggested that they offer a notification that your bag IS on the plane as well – just for piece of mind – and they like that idea as well (maybe for a fee).

Once your lost bag arrives in a BSO, it’s scanned so that they know where it is. When you get to the BSO, it may already be there waiting for you if it made it on an earlier flight. They’ll scan your bag claim tag and immediately be able to let you know where it is (or where it was last seen).

I think we all know that reuniting with a lost bag isn’t always that easy. If a bag is left somewhere at the end of the day, the agents will open it up and choose a couple of unique items to enter into the claim. Now, with their new NetTracer system, someone will be able to search for those unique items and find their bag that way instead of saying “black rollerbag” like every other customer.

What is this NetTracer system? In December, US Airways switched over from the old legacy WorldTracer system to the new, web-based NetTracer system for bag tracking purposes. The system actually came from the king of lost bags, The Owens Group. You may not know them, but they’re the ones that have the famed Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, the last place bags go after airlines have given up finding the owner.

Apparently they decided to kill their own business by helping airlines stop losing so many bags. So far, airlines including AirTran and Spirit have adopted the system, but I believe US Airways is the first legacy carrier to do so. What’s so special about it? Search.

The old system required looking through categories to try to match bags, but now you can simply search for your bag like you’d search on Google. You can type in info about your bag or info about the contents and that means there’s a better chance of finding your bag. It’s also a lot easier to teach to new agents since it’s web-based, and it’s more accurate since all the scanners automatically work with the system. Not more typing in wrong numbers.

My first question was . . . doesn’t scanning each bag manually take a lot of time? The answer is surprisingly no. They said that during all their tests, it didn’t appreciably increase the amount of time required to handle bags. There are also a lot of benefits from this system that speed things up. For example, those loading the bags will eventually be able to automatically have weight and balance calculated and sent to the aircraft so they don’t have to run up and down stairs. Recently (assuming the planned release happened in April), they added some even more helpful improvements.

On widebody aircraft, bags aren’t just thrown in the holds down below but rather put in containers first and those containers are loaded on the airplane. If someone doesn’t get on the plane and the airline has to pull that person’s bag, it can be very time-consuming. Now, the bags and containers will all be scanned, so when someone’s bag needs to be pulled off, it can easily be located instantly.

US Airways will also get a real-time baggage matrix that will show how many bags still need to be loaded on airplanes waiting to depart and from which flights they’re coming. That way they can easily pay attention to those airplanes that have a lot of bags on tight connections to help get them on the plane before it departs.

Apparently United and Northwest do scan their bags as well, and others, like Continental are working on it. I’m not, however, sure how far their plans will take them. In the end, this is a great thing for customers. Bags will be more easily tracked, and when they’re separated from the customer, it will be easier to give accurate estimates of when the bags will arrive. There should be no more “well, it’s probably on the next flight” types of conversations.

Ultimately, they admitted that with these new systems, there’s a lot that they can do. So this is just the start, and it should result in good news for customers.