So you’re new to the blog? Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. Cranky Flier has been one of the most respected airline industry blogs since it started in 2006. That’s a lot of posts over a lot of years, so I’ve put this page together to help you find your way around.
About Brett Snyder
First, who am I? My name is Brett Snyder, and I am the only person who writes on this blog except for the very occasional (and well-marked) guest post. I’ve worked for several airlines, and you can read my full bio to find out more.
This is an opinion blog, and despite the name, it’s not a place where I whine about how bad airlines are. My industry background means I understand why airlines do the things they do (sometimes), and I try to explain the rationale. I don’t think the airlines are always right (far from it), but if you’re looking for a place where so-called consumer advocates complain about how airlines are evil and everything sucks… keep looking.
I take transparency very seriously, so I publish a full code of ethics which you might want to read through.
Posting Schedule
I’m not trying to break news here. This an opinion blog about the airline industry, so I find that regularly scheduled content suits my needs well. Though the schedule isn’t guaranteed, I try to keep a schedule pretty closely. Posts go live at 3:45am Pacific Time as follows, except where noted:
- Monday – Regular post
- Tuesday – Regular post
- Wednesday – Announcements or non-airline posts (infrequent)
- Thursday – Regular post
- Friday – Cranky Weekly Review presented by Oakland International Airport
Commenting on the Blog
I should note that I’m particularly proud that the comment sections on each post tend to be full of thoughtful and interesting discussion. I take pride in the fact that it’s not riddled with spam and anger, so please dive in and help keep it that way.
Regular Series
Though many of the posts here are just me talking about a variety of industry-related topics, there are some regular series that pop up. Below, you’ll see each of them with a link so you can get caught up.
- Across the Aisle interviews – I’ve had the good fortune of interviewing executives from the around the industry and around the globe. In this format, I publish the transcript for everyone to see.
- Airlines We Lost – At the end of each year, I put together a post of all the airlines that failed during that year. You can read all the archives for a trip down memory lane.
- Airplane Porn – Admittedly I haven’t done one of these in a long time, but if there’s an interesting photo or new livery, I’d post it under this category.
- April Fools – Since 2013, I’ve posted an April Fools joke that’s as realistic as possible to fool people. It usually works, and at least someone gets mad in the comments.
- Ask Cranky – I get a lot of questions from readers, and I try to answer them all. The ones that I post on the blog will go under this category.
- Cranky Jackass – When an airline does something really stupid, I call them out by awarding the Cranky Jackass award.
- 72 Hours With – On rare occasion, I’ll go spend 72 hours with an airline. So far I’ve done this with United, Korean, and Hawaiian and the result is a multi-post series with fascinating content.
- Tales From the Field – I support this blog without much direct revenue by running Cranky Concierge air travel assistance. Sometimes when we have an interesting situation, I’ll bring it over and tell the story here.
- Trip Reports – Every time I fly, I post a trip report about the experience. These are generally well-read.
- Who the F*&@ is – There are all kinds of new airlines popping up, and I profile some of them here.
- Worst Airline Ever – Within a month of the blog starting, I named Alitalia the worst airline ever for being an incompetent business. Aerolineas Argentinas, Air India, and Mexicana have all taken a run, but it always comes back to my favorite Italian whipping boy.
Contact Me
If you don’t want to comment on the blog but want to reach me, that’s easy. I’m at cf@crankyflier.com or you can send comments via the tips page.
Thanks for reading the blog. I’m glad you’re here.
2 comments on “Getting Started With Cranky Flier”
I am new to the link. I am not complaining but wanted to share. I hope this is the correct pace to do it.
I was in China, on Hainan Island & wanted to return to the US. I was shopping for a reasonable economy price for a return flight. There are a lot of smaller airlines in China. They all connect with larger carriers & can give you a better price. I booked a flight on one of them, their name is not required to get this message shared. This is just a warning for travelers, so they will be aware of the lack of connecting services that may not be a part of a flight. I should have known that my journey would be complicated when I received an update to my schedule. The time of the flight from the hub to the US was changed from 1:05 minutes to 11 hours, w/o any options.
I flew from Hainan to one of the airlines southern hubs. Not only did I have an 11 our wait, but I had to claim my luggage on arrival. I had enough time to go into the city that the airport was adjacent/near to. There was no options to store my luggage at the airport. I couldn’t take them to town w/ me. I had 2 large suitcases, a carry-on & my computer. I realized my ticket had been for only this flight. I would have to get my next boarding pass when the other airlines counters opened. Hours later. The entranc to the international section of the airport was closed & guaded my the army. They claimed not to know when they might open. I was able to get a little information from the Kiosk w/ helpers to try to get you any news, etc. They had no ide, but called & I was given a time that was 8 hours from the current time. Not many inernational flights from that carrier or from the domestic area of the terminal, I had to guess.
That area was finally opened about 1 hour before my flight. It took me the entire hour to get my luggage checked in after getting my boarding pass. I was lucky to find a woman w/ a little English to tell me the carrier had no work agreement w/ baggage handlers to allow my bags to be checked through to LA. I guess the same must have been the case w/ ticketing?
I don’t fly more than 1 or 2 times a year, but that was the worst series of poor operations I have ever experienced w/ any airline. I have flown on DC-3s on a couple of short flights & many sizes & types of smaller airplanes w/ smaller airlines. They were all in the US & I am thankful for that. Flier beware. An economy price may be a warning to cause you to try togetmore answers ahead of the flight. Good luck in China. You may not be able to get someone w/ much English to even get any answers.
I hope this was a rare occurnce, but flier beware. I hope this never happens to anyone else.
Let me know if there is a better pace to vent & warn. I hope to forget this flight. So far, I have not.
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