Exactly five years ago today, I published the first post of The Cranky Flier. Actually, back then I wasn’t on any sort of schedule so I put five posts live. I guess I 
had a lot more to say. Want to know how much times have changed since then?
- One post was on Delta’s ill-fated effort to build a regional jet hub to Mexico from LA.
- Another post was about getting a snail mail anniversary card from Southwest for my time in the program. (Snail mail? What’s that?)
- A third post was about the Mini car ad promoting a $39 drive cost from LA to San Francisco. I’m guessing it’s not that cheap anymore, but I haven’t done the math.
- A fourth one discussed the hot market for airlines trying to get China rights. (That’s not a problem today.)
Yep, times have changed, but one thing hasn’t. As I said in my very first post, “I have a lot of seemingly useless knowledge about the airline industry that somehow comes in handy sometimes. I’m always getting emails and phone calls from friends asking for advice on buying tickets, getting to the airport, etc. Now I’ve decided to move these conversations to a public forum so others can benefit.” Since then, it’s been a great ride.
I’ve published 1,641 posts since that day, and there have been more than 23,000 comments (not including spam). There have been more than 4.5 million page views from over a million unique visitors in 226 countries from Christmas Island to Niger, French Guiana, you name it. On top of that, there are nearly 7,000 subscribers. (If you want Cranky in your inbox for free, go here.)
Simply put, it’s pretty awesome, and I have you all to thank. Sure, I can write this stuff, but if nobody is commenting, then it’s no fun at all. Where else could you get more than 300 comments on an airline that doesn’t exist and probably never will?
I’m spending the rest of this week like Oprah. No, I’m not giving out cars or anything like that, but I’m giving other stuff away to thank you for coming to the site and for participating. I’ve contacted a handful of airlines to see if they’d be interested in contributing to the celebration, and a few have agreed to contribute some trinkets to the cause. I’ve also dug into my memorabilia stash and decided to give away a few small things. Stay tuned this week for more info on that.
And as I said up top, if you’re in Southern California, mark this Saturday on your calendar. I think it’s time for a Cranky get together, and what better place to do it than at the In ‘n Out at LAX? I’ll be there from 11a to 1p, and my friend Johnny Jet will be joining me. So if you’d like to come by and do some good old-fashioned spotting, swing by and say hello.
Thanks for five excellent years so far. What are some of your favorites posts? Images? What would you like to see more of in the next five years?
Congrats!
I don’t know how I’d start my day without some CrankyFlyer!
You know, its so weird to go flip through those old entries.. No comments on many of them..
Brett – I’ve been reading since nearly the beginning, and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all the work you put into this blog. Keep up the good work, and congrats on five great years!
I haven’t been reading as long as Andy, but ditto on the rest of the post.
Congratulations, Cranky!!! I had the privilege of reading your blogs starting in ’06 (Fall) or 07′ (Spring) when I was a junior at CSULA’s Aviation Admin program. All those RESEARCHING during class time paid off =] I even advertised and encouraged my friends and professor to check out the site, telling them, this blogger has a great sense of humor, good writing skills, AND provide sensible information in aviation. I still remember saying to them, hey, this Cranky guy started his blog site not too many months ago. Anyway, thanks, and please keep jetting across the net. You’re great! -Eric
HB Cranky! Keep it up you are doing a great job.
What’s your favorite aviation film if you have one. As for me it’s Red Eye STARRING Rachel Mcadams & the most obvious one of all, AIRPLANE!
Without a doubt, it’s Airplane! How can you not love that movie?
My year isn’t complete without the “Airlines we lost.” post.
Ah yes, those are a lot of fun, but there just haven’t been that many good ones this year. *sigh*
Happy five years of being Cranky
Well done on the first five years. Looking forward to many more years of the cranky insight. Great work and congratulations!
Way to go cranky. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate your posts. Thanks!
Brett- Happy 5 years ! Always enjoy your posts and the (sometimes) whacky comments. Wish I could make it to In-N-Out for some spotting and maybe a double double and neo shake. Unfortunately, won’t be able to make it. Enjoy!
I might just have to hop on a morning flight to LAX. In-N-Out and airplanes? That’s quite a compelling argument.
Congratulations!!
Your artwork suggests an idea. Why not start an airline? Heck, everyone else has. On the other hand, where are nearly all of them? Gone; and most left the scene with much lighter wallets. Maybe turning billions into millions isn’t a good idea after all, but at least you have a cool livery. Congratulations.
I’d definitely prefer not to start an airline, because I don’t have a fortune to squander. That being said, I’m sure being in a startup environment would be awesome . . . until the money disappears and the airplanes make their way to the desert.
Come to think of it, instead of starting a new airline from scratch, there may be some folks in Dallas and / or Indianapolis who might be willing to unload an airline or two – cheap (maybe not cheap enough for you or anyone else to make money, but cheap). LOL!!!
Again, all the best and in your current endeavors. I’m almost certain you’re doing far better than you would if you took my silly and rather poor attempt at humor seriously.
Brett-As others have said, congrats on five awesome years and thanks for being a part of my morning routine that often makes me smile. My favorite parts of the Cranky Flier “experience” are the trip reports, the way you use humor in your writing, your honest analysis and the occasions when you make me feel better about my own airline geekiness by talking about your childhood aviation adventures!
Stay Cranky!
Woo hoo! Who’s getting a Double Double??
“What are some of your favorites posts?”
The ones with the phrase “airplane porn” in them.
Congratulations, Brett.
I wasn’t a reader when you wrote about Family Airlines, but I was curious when you mentioned them in this post. Have you checked out their website lately? They are now Avatar Airlines.
Yep, and if you dig into the comments you’ll see why they changed to Avatar (some potential investor wanted it). As DB says, this airline still isn’t going anywhere.
Still aren’t going anywhere…
Congratulations on five successful years, Brett. Your analysis, humor and insights have become a cherished part of my morning routine. Wishing you continued success over the next five years.
Congrats Brett! Your ability to not react quickly, but slow down and take time to absorb and think things through has been a big influence on me. I have very much enjoyed reading your blog and your sense of humor. Until we meet again…
David
This is my favorite post of the day. Congrats and thank you.
Well done!
Dear Brett, Here’s to you for five years of continous and relentless aviation reporting. You’ve established the “Cranky Flier” as a landmark in the beat of aviation, well-noted and frequently read from me and my folks. Your analysis is always in-depth, fact-checked, profound, and often humorous, which makes it even more enjoyable to read. Thanks for always choosing accuracy over time-to-market. And all the best for the next five years, and many more to come!
Cranky, I love the livery.
Thanks, though it seems a little to Eurowhite for me. I’m just not good enough at photoshopping to do any better!
Well its Eurowhite so that when you start your airline, and squander your fortune, you can get a discount from the lessors when they have to place it with another airline….
Congratulations! I love your blog. You know you’ve hit the big time when you get to chat on You Tube with Air New Zealand’s Rico!
Congrats, Brett!
Looking forward to the 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th anniversaries, too.
JM
Congrats Brett,
Would head along to the meet-up, but being in Dublin might pose somewhat of a problem!!
David
Something tells me I should bring the meet-up to Dublin instead. That might be more fun.
Congrats Brett. Great blog! Wish I could be at your gathering (both to meet you and other Cranky-geeks) and to get an In ‘n Out fix, but it’s a bit much of a trip.
Maybe you should send Double-Double care packages? :)
You laugh, but I was on the receiving end of something like that my senior year in high school. My family moved from SoCal to Phoenix right before my senior year. We had no In ‘n Out in Phoenix then. My dad still would go back and forth to SoCal for work, so on the way back, he’d stop at In ‘n Out, pick up a Double Double (animal style, no tomatoes) and hop right on his flight back to Phoenix. It was lukewarm by the time we picked him up, but it still hit the spot.
I had a friend who was working on testing the 747-8f do this. They were lukewarm too..
Although next time I’m just going to suggest that he fly us down to LA on the company jet… At least this way he’ll have some good In ‘n Out when he gets fired…
Congrats Brett, from a fan of 2+ years in LIS.
Now that’s a country I need to visit one of these days.
Yes
Yes you do.
Brett,
Congrats on your accomplishment! And, thanks for a great ride, my seatbelt is fastened low and tight across my lap for the rest of the trip. I know it will be a great one!
Best,
Kristy
Brett,
As a reader and customer…congrats!!! Keep up the great work. Happy Anniversary!
Jeff
Congratulations. I enjoy your blog. I’ve also found your other services worth the money (trip monitoring and FF awards).
Thank you
Rich (Scottsdale)
Congrats Cranky! would love to go plane spotting with ya, but I’ll be up at Stanford for a friend’s wedding. Congrats again!
Congratulations Mr. Cranky – you’re doing a super job, reporting such interesting stories. I certainly enjoy reading them, and sure miss my career in the industry.
Let us know when you come to Houston!
Thank you everyone for the kind words in the comments section. Please keep reading and keep commenting!
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Crankyflier is one of the few websites I go to every day. I always appreciate your analysis and the discussions that follow, and they’ve unquestionably strengthened my arsenal in the battle for air service as a small regional airport. Best articles – “Alitalia, the Worst Airline Ever” and “Alitalia, Still the Worst Airline Ever.” I still chuckle over those. Best new invention – the Cranky Jackass Award. Best movie…Airport, not Airplane. C’mon, it’s got Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, and Jacqueline Bisset! Thanks, Brett. Keep up the great work.
Those Alitalia posts are some of my favorites too, but Alitalia has become downright boring. I’m very close to picking a new worst airline if they don’t do something dumb soon!
Congrats on 5! Keep it going!!
I think I can make it out on Saturday. What’s the best way to get from the terminal to the In-N-Out?
Awesome! The best way to get to In ‘n Out is to take the Parking Spot shuttle to the Sepulveda (not Century) lot. In ‘n Out is right next door.
Your site takes alot of work, I unofficially ran a travel site on AOL for many years. “Air Travel Advice”. Why? I enjoyed it and enjoyed the people who became attracted to it. In the end, these people educated me in the process. I love your slant on reporting aviation issues because let’s get realistic, we’ve debated some of these issues ad nauseum. example: TSA. Your choice of reporting is unique. And, you attract a bright, experienced group of travelers and their opinions. It’s always interesting and I always wonder what Cranky has to say, this week. Your efforts are… Read more »
Hey, is there a shuttle from Terminal One? LOL Not a big In-N-Out fan..seeing as I don’t eat beef since 1984ish. Congrats on 5 years, its always readable and fun, its an intoxicating thing being a plane geek…(as I look in the mirror…)
Man, now I feel bad for not commenting more often. Just know that I read every post and really enjoy what you do. Congrats!
Congrats from LateDeparture, Brett, awesome stuff going for 5 great years!
And I do like your style of celebrating at the LAX In ‘n Out burger joint – awesome plane spotting point as I got to experience first hand last week!
[…] I said yesterday, nothing has made this blog more successful than the 23,000+ comments that you guys have left. And […]
Congrats Brett and Crankyflier! I’ve been reading every day too (albeit mostly silently) for over a year. You have a great blog – one of my favorites! I appreciate both your content and your sense of humor. Keep up the good work!
Congrads on the 5 years! Keep up the good work. I read this blog daily because it is so useful and informative. There are too many blog/media outlets that simply report what is published without any analysis, and your analysis are much more useful and spot-on.
Favorites?
The whole Family Airlines thing. That was great….
Keep up the great work, Brett.
Wow, now I feel bad for not commenting more often. Just to let you know, I do read every post and appreciate your effort. Congrats on 5 years!
Yea, so do I. I used to comment a lot, (putting me in the over 100 list) but I really have not commented much lately. Yes, I’m still here; yes, I do read still.