Should Continental Continue to Host Events for Its Best Fliers?
Continental just finished up its annual FlyerTalk event. It’s not cheap, but should they continue to spend this money on their best customers?

V Australia’s Decision on Which Business Class Seat to Use
You would have thought that V Australia would choose the seat Virgin Atlantic pioneered, but they didn’t, and there had to be good reason.

US Airways’ Strong December On-Time Performance
December was a miserable month for just about everyone thanks to awful weather, but US Airways ended up outperforming.

AirTran Adds Flights in Milwaukee
Midwest keeps shrinking but AirTran is jumping in to pick up the slack. The airline announced a slew of new flights.

LAX and United Agree to Free Up Gates
United and LAX have finally settled their long running dispute over gates and more. This can only improve things for passengers at the airport.

Finding Good Usage Numbers for Onboard Wireless Internet
Airlines are cautiously rolling out tests of onboard wireless, but when will we see reliable usage numbers so they can make decisions? Soon.

Is Southwest’s SI Swimsuit Model Airplane Backfiring?
If you see a half-naked woman on a Southwest airplane, it’s not an illusion. It’s an SI swimsuit model, but was it a good idea?

Virgin America Should Be Considered “American” for Now
Alaska is questioning Virgin America’s “American-ness” but I find myself defending the airline. This is just an attempt to push them out of business.

Spirit has been pretty quiet lately, and that should scare all of us. This is an airline that thrives on getting itself free PR, and it usually does a very good job with it. But maybe their old tricks just aren’t working anymore. So what do they do? Step it up a notch. The airline has now decided to sell ads on flight attendant aprons. Free PR + extra revenue = Awesome.

You know that this means, don’t you? It’s time to step up the Cranky in-cabin ad program that I wanted to launch on Skybus.

Spirit already sells ads on its aircraft interiors, so this is a next somewhat-logical step for the airline that has made it clear nothing is sacred. I’m waiting to see Spirit’s chief Ben Baldanza sell advertising on his forehead. Something tells me if he could, he would.

The flight attendants are balking at having ads all over their bodies because they think it will diminish their standing as being there “primarily for our safety” as we hear every time we get on a plane. But this in no way hinders their ability to get things done. If this is really on aprons as reported, they won’t even be wearing them unless they’re doing an inflight service. And trust me, if there’s a situation that requires flight attendants to actually perform out-of-the-ordinary safety duties, people will still look right at them for help.

So, I just don’t see it as such a big deal for Spirit. They’ve made it quite clear what they want to do, and this completely fits with their image. Now if I can only get a discount for my grand plan . . . .

[Original photos from superbomba via Flickr and Wikipedia]

To be honest, I’m really surprised that it took this long for an airline to do this, but if anyone was going to take the plunge, it’s Spirit. The airline has decided that it’s time to plaster aircraft interiors with advertising. Welcome to the subway in the sky.

From what I can gather, Spirit will now sell ads on overhead bins, seat backs, tray tables, the area above the windows, bulkheads, napkins, cups, menus, boarding passes, soap dispensers, and yes, even trash bags. And if you can suggest another place to put it, I have no doubt that they will.

The benefit to passengers is clear. More ad revenue means that the airline can make money on lower fares (though check out today’s post on BNET for a little more on their profitability). As long as you’re willing to endure ads everywhere, this can benefit you. And really, Spirit is the right airline to do this.

But what about for advertisers? It cracks me up the way Spirit sells onboard advertising in the press release. “Why pay for a five-second gaze time on a billboard when you have more than 2,000 times the viewing exposure aboard a three-hour flight?” Yes! I’m in. I think it’s time to revisit my original Skybus plan . . .

American Preparing to Expand International 757 Flying
American is putting a true premium cabin on 18 757s so it can start doing more long haul international. What new routes might we see?

United Stock Tanks on False Bankruptcy Rumors
It was a seemingly small mistake. A 2002 bankruptcy article on United was republished as current, and then all hell broke loose.

Singapore Airlines Actually Reducing Fuel Surcharges
Singapore Airlines has made a move to lower fuel surcharges. It’s surprising, but is it an important move?

Advertising on Bald Heads
One airline has decided to offer cash to those who would advertise the airline on the back of their heads. Is this ridiculous or brilliant?

Aircraft Interiors Expo’s Focus on Weight
There was one consistent message throughout the Interior Expo, and it was all about weight. Why does it matter and will it change any time soon?

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.