Remember 2002? It was the year after the horrific events of 9/11. The airline industry had taken a figurative nosedive. The United States was about to go to war. The economy was in the toilet. One of the only bright spots was a growing low-fare carrier called JetBlue.
From the monthly archives:
February 2007
Most of the versions of the almost-certain-to-be-passed Passenger Bill of Rights that I’ve seen don’t address the airports’ responsibility when there’s a lengthy delay. Makes you wonder if the nation’s airports are getting away with something.
Feb. 15 will go down in the history of travel blogging as a momentous day. It was our long-awaited “Rathergate” moment — a time when travel bloggers finally realized the power of their medium. Nothing will ever be the same.
JetBlue’s corporate DNA has always been a 99 percent match with Southwest — the plucky low-fare carrier that zigs when everyone else zags. But now, in an Invaders-Of-The-Body-Snatchers-like turn, JetBlue seems to have become infected by an alien virus and is turning into a legacy carrier in front of our eyes.
A series of powerful winter storms has shut down some of America’s busiest airports recently. But commentator Christopher Elliott thinks airlines are being a little too quick to take a snow day.
Listen to the commentary.
ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
Travel tips, news and information
February 14, 2007
Love is in the air. Happy Valentine’s Day! I can’t resist a love theme in today’s newsletter, from giving you the lowdown on those amorous astronauts to an archive full of columns about love, romance, and everything that goes with it on the road. There’s a new Troubleshooter [...]
Before you pick up that phone to call a travel company or click on that Web site, you might want to check on its financial health. Why? If the company declares bankruptcy before your trip starts, you could miss your trip and possibly even lose your cash.
I envy business travelers for whom a business trip is a business trip, and a vacation is a vacation. As someone who edits a travel site, my business trips are business trips, and my vacations are — business trips.
How does 11 days in the Florida Keys sound to you? Pretty good, right? Not if you’re [...]
After she cashes in 100,000 hard-earned award points for a vacation in Mexico, Rachel Cohen-Mazouz learns that her airline has been grounded by aviation officials. If she cancels her getaway, can she get her miles back? Her bank says “No,” but her airline still isn’t flying. Who’s right?
“Has anyone mentioned anything about that incident yet?” I asked the woman behind the Kennedy Space Center information counter.
No one was surprised when Spirit Airlines announced that as of this weekend, the discount carrier would begin charging $10 for a second checked bag. That’s the kind of thing that discount carriers do, after all. But that Big Air would follow so soon … who would have predicted that?
Car rental insiders know that in a business with razor-thin margins, the only way to make anything resembling a profit is to persuade customers to buy “extras” like upgrades or optional insurance.
ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
Travel tips, news and information
February 7, 2007
Who’s afraid of passenger rights? You aren’t. I’m not. But they are. And you know who I’m talking about. This week, the effort to pass meaningful passenger rights legislation got interesting, as the opposition came out and supporters dug in. I’ve got full coverage on my blog. And [...]
Here’s the latest on that passenger rights bill I’ve been obsessing about in this blog: I’m told that the idea is still very much alive. It’s apparently being attached to the FAA reauthorization bill, where it stands a better-than-average chance of making it all the way into law.
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