Your Aviation Weekend Reads for June 4, 2016
United Airlines President and CEO Oscar Munoz revealed his carrier’s plan to introduce what he called a “culture of caring” via its new Polaris international business class product, according to my story in AirwaysNews.com. At an event in New York City’s historic Gotham Hall, Munoz noted that an upgraded experience on United has been missing for far too long. “But there’s a new spirit at United,” he stated. “We still have a lot of work to do, but I can feel a new energy.” United worked with a set of partners to create what it calls a transformative international business class experience.
I know you all must be tired of reading about the latest issues of the Transportation Security Administration. I was going to skip the topic altogether this week until I saw this Skift article on the “innovative” screening checkpoint line Delta Air Lines has installed at two of its 28 lanes at its Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport hub. But the problem is, while welcome, these lanes are not innovative. They have actually been in operation at airports across the globe for years, as most international travelers can tell you. The technology allows up to five passengers onto the conveyer belt, which is automated, using a parallel belt to feed empty bins back to the head of the checkpoints. Here’s hoping that the lanes become so popular that other airports will take advantage of this “innovative” technology.
And it can’t come soon enough, since American Airlines claims that checkpoint delays have caused than 70,000 passengers and their 40,000 checked bags to miss their flights so far in 2016 reports Reuters. Senior Vice President for Customer Experience Kerry Philipovitch quoted these statistics before the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security. “We have never seen TSA wait times that affect airlines and passengers throughout the United States like we’ve seen in recent months,” Philipovitch said in a statement. “Without immediate leadership and innovation, the 231 million Americans that board a plane this summer will be frustrated and angry.”
One of the big surprises at the United Airline Polaris event was that the carrier did not reveal plans to offer a premium economy product, unlike competitors Delta and American. But the carrier is still planning to offer basic economy air fares later this year so it can compete against Delta, American and low-cost carrier competitors in its major markets, reports Skift. Jim Compton, United’s chief revenue officer, explained that the airline wants to ensure that both customers and travel agents understand the fares and that systems are in place to execute them. The fares are non-refundable, don’t allow for any changes and doesn’t allow for seat choice.
Calgary-based low-cost carrier WestJet began flying direct to London Gatwick Airport on May 6, and if you’re expecting to eat a hot meal for free on the 9.5-hour flight, think again. The carrier noted that its passengers don’t want to pay for thing they don’t need or want, including expensive meals, reports CBC News. Despite the implementation of fees for myriad onboard amenities, most of the world’s airlines still offer a free hot meal in coach on their long-haul flights.
In the May 20 edition of Aviation Weekend Reads, I wrote about why BlackJet — claiming to be Uber for private jets — failed despite having a strong group of investors, including Uber’s co-founder. Dan Ruch is the founder and CEO of Rocketrip, which wants to help companies save money by paying their employees to find ways to travel on the cheap. In a piece for Fortune magazine, Ruch writes that the need for on-demand air travel simply isn’t as widespread as it is for ground transportation, which is why we haven’t seen an Uber for air travel. “There is a small segment of corporate travelers who require day-of flight options, but they’re already well-served by the bevy of new private jet rental services, not to mention abundant commercial options,” he continued.
We’ll end the week with a little humor. During a family trip to Tokyo in November, we were all amused by some of the interesting signs we saw in the airport. Budget Travel magazine has compiled this funny slideshow of 19 travel signs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m the Air Travel Expert for About.com. You can follow my travel-related magazines on Flipboard: Best of About Travel, a joint curation venture with my fellow About Travel Experts; and Travel-Go! There’s Nothing Stopping You, all about the passenger experience on the ground and in the air. Click here to subscribe to my weekly aviation newsletter. Finally, you can see my travel-related boards on Pinterest and follow me on Twitter at @AvQueenBenet, on Instagram at aviationqueen and on Snapchat at AvQueenBenet.
