Winging It

You may have seen a story in print today about the Airline Quality Rating, an annual recounting of satistics about the airlines that are kept by the federal government. If you missed it you can find it here.

This yearly exercise has its fans, because it is a good roundup of data and it's an easy way for the media to report on the airlines. But Mike Boyd, a longtime aviation consultant in Evergreen, Colo., is not among them. Read what he has to say, in great detail, here

AAA is known first for its roadside assistance when your car breaks down. But the regional Mid-Atlantic chapter of the national organization also does research on issues of importance to motorists, not to mention offering a steady stream of advice about safe and happy driving. Since most travel, business or otherwise, is actually by road, we need to put more emphasis on it in this space. We thought you might want to see some results of the AAA Mid-Atlantic's recent poll on what Pennsylvania motorists' biggest concerns are. The first link is for the AAA Mid-Atlantic Website.The second link is a news release on the survey. The Inquirer's story published Wednesday can be foynd here .

The Federal Aviation Administration is in the midst of deciding whether to raise, from 60 to 65, the age at which commercial airline pilots must retire. The thinking behind the proposed change is that pilots are healthier and live longer today than they did in 1959, when the restriction was adopted. The FAA's deliberative process is expected to take until the end of the year. But that's not fast enough for a group of fliers who have formed the Senior Pilots Coalition. Three US Airways pilots affected by the retirement rule filed suit in federal court last week, demanding an immediate end to it. Read the Associated Press story on the pilots efforts here . And tell us what you think of the age-60 rule in a comment.

Remember the Feb. 14 snow-and-ice storm? JetBlue Airways got most of the media coverage of its service breakdown. But matters were pretty messy at PHL too, as anyone caught in it can attest. You can see what federal data on airline operations show in today's print story.

The vast majority of airline passengers won't care why the Federal Communications did it, but the agency had the good sense to decide to keep a rule in place prohibiting cell phone use during flights. The FCC said the reason was technical, but a ton of travelers -- including frequent business travelers, flight attendants and vacationers -- had sent comments opposing the change. Even if the FCC had said OK, the Federal Aviation Administration still could have prevented phone use after the aircraft door is closed. The reason for keeping the ban is that no one is sure that cell phoness won't interfere with navigational equipment during key times of a flight. There are even questions whether other electroinic devices, such as PDAs and laptops, which are now allowed over 10,000 feet, could cause the same kind of interferece, a subject that needs considerably more study.

Now you know what we think. Tell us your opinion of the FCC decision. Learn a little more about the ruling here

Because you have found your way to this blog, chances are good you use the Internet regularly to search for air fares, hotels and rental cars, and you probably book your own travel online as well. Travel Websites have some of the highest traffic of any on the Internet .But we're curious whether you also use travel agents, the kind of folks who once were ubiquitous but have faded from public view in many places, their work apparently taken over by you, the consumer.

We're curious because of some suprising figures released this week by Topaz International, an Oregon firm that audits what larger companies are spending with the airlines on business travel. Corporate travel agents, according to Topaz, save their clients money -- lots of it -- compared with what's travelers can find on the Internet. This is the sixth year in a row Topaz has made the same comparative study and the results have been the same each time. In 2006,.the average agency fare was $508 and the lowest available Internet fare for the same itinerary was $583, a difference of 15 percent. Most of the firm's clients are big companies to which the airlines give volume discounts. But some were mid-sized, spending $20 million or less a year with the airlines, and even those businesses saved more than 8 percent per ticket. (The Topaz news release with more data can be found here.

The data from Topaz dovetails with what to us is an even more surprising fact about the way people buy airline tickets these days. According to the American Society of Travel Agents, 51 percent are still sold by agents, ranging from giant companies like American Express to individuals who work from home. That number fell over the last decade from about 80 percent, as the Internet grew and airlines stopped giving agents commissions. But one reason half of the tickets are still issued by agents is in what Topaz found: Not all the bargains -- and even less of the service agents offer -- are online.

Perhaps we're hitting our stride with this blog. The day has been very busy with other work and we just checked in to see if anyone had commented on yesterday's post about travel agents vs. the Web. For a journalist nothing is more pleasing than to know someone is reading his stuff, and for this post, I know you did. Thanks for the interest and please keep the comments coming. We will do some more reporting on the topic in coming days or weeks.

Amtrak last week added food-cart service to four more of its Acela Express trains that run between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Ten Acelas, all of them leaving one of the end points between 1 p.m. and 4 a.m., now have the rolling carts on them, allowing you to buy a snack or a drink without ever leaving your seat. Regular cafe service is still available, and first-class passengers get meals served at their seats (you can't call the meals "free" -- you paid for it in your very pricey ticket.)

We have found rolling cart service on European trains convenient and appealing, although it's been a few years since we rode trains extensively there, so we hope it's still being offered. (If not, let us know.). In fact, the service in Germany and Switzerland was so handy, we kept buying something every time the cart came by, consuming more coffee and snacks than we should have!

In case you missed this news story last week:

France Breaks Rail Train Speed Record
The Associated Press
ABOARD TRAIN V150, France - A high-speed French train with a souped-up engine and wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, surpassing 354.1 mph.

The black and chrome train with three double-decker cars, named the V150, bettered the previous record of 320.2 mph but fell just short of the ultimate record set by Japan's magnetically levitated train, which sped to 361 mph in 2003.

American Airlines has added another weapon in its marketing arsenal: a Website desgined for female travelers. The site, Women Travelers Connected has practical advice, similar to what many other sites have, on issues such as safety and security, and travel offers for women and female groups. Wyndham Hotels, which pioneered the concept of catering to the needs and wants of female business travelers a dozen years ago, is a marketing partner.

Perhaps this is the beginning of a great trend for airlines. When Wyndham and other lodging companies woke up in the 1990s to women's interests, hotel security improved, guest rooms got more comfortable, bedding was upgraded and bathrooms in particular got better with more lighting, more counter space and much nicer soap, shampoo and other amenities. Will other airlines follow American's lead? As always, please tell us what you think.

Airline passengers who've been stuck for hours on airplanes that don't move in bad weather got a hearing today in Washington before the Senate Commerce Committee as the panel took testimony on a proposed passengers bill of rights. The legislation would allow airlines to hold passengers no more than three hours on a plane that has left the gate but not taken off, and provide adequate food, water and bathroom facilities during long delays. The effort to force carriers to provide better service grew out of the experience of customers on American Airlines flights in Texas in December, who formed the Coaltiion for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights and started a blog about it. The effort gained ground after the JetBlue debacle at JFK in New York on Feb. 14. And it probably gained a few adherents among US Airways passengers who were stranded close to eight hours at PHL on March 16.

This issue has great appeal to the legions of fliers who've been abused by airlines. Two national consumer groups joined the Coalition this week, agreeing that nothing short of new federal rules will make airlines behave better. The airlines have a different view, of course, as do some other groups that represent the interests of travelers. The views of one of them, the Business Travel Coalition, can be found here .

Overheard today walking down Market Street in Center City, one young woman to her friend: "I wish it would get warm." Don't we all! The heavy, chilly rain across the region has hurt airline schedules all day at PHL, although operations began improving after 3 p.m., according to flightstats.com. The FAA had the airport under a ground delay, meaning the majority of arrivals and departures were running from a few mnutes to three or four hours late. The forecast for tomorrow calls for sun and wind, with a return to more chilly weather -- and a chance for the proverbial "wintry mix" of rain and snow Sunday and Monday. Stay warm.

Don't get excited yet. A reader alerted us to a story in a trade journal, Flight International, in which Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, a low-fare, no-frills Irish airline, said he plans to start transatlantic service in perhaps three or four years -- with fares starting at $12. O'Leary mentioned several U.S. airports, including Baltimore, that it might serve from numerous airports in Europe. PHL officials say Ryanair hasn't contacted them, nor have they made overtures to the airline, about bringing the service here. Read the Flight International story here . Ryanair, by the way, has a reputation as the least-frilly of all no-frills airlines, but it has fans because it truly is a low-fare carrier.

Mary Peters, the U.S. secretary of transporation, was in China this week to talk about loosening the limits on air service to one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Here's a link to the AP story from Beijing. The story doesn't include the name of US Airways, which as you may have read here, intends to apply for the right to fly nonstop between Philadelphia and Shanghai, starting next year. Today's development means the odds of US Airways getting a China route may have grown a little. But don't make plans just yet. American, Continental and Delta also would love to go nonstop from one of their hubs to China.

You may want to do what a Road Warrior who called me at home today (he's my brother-in-law so it was OK) did with his plans to spend a week doing business in South Jersey. His flight from DFW was canceled, and he put off the whole trip until next week. The heavy rain means delays at PHL are averaging an hour and a half, about 50 to 60 percent of flights are on time, and there are a handful of cancelations by a variety of airlines. Southwest is keeping more of its schedule intact than any other PHL major carrier. Check the phl.org Website if you're flying. Take care out there.

Read the latest on what US Airways CEO Doug Parker made last year, and what some representatives of the airline's employees say about it here

American is the first major airline to report first-quarter earnings. If you want to see how the winter weather treated the carrier, and how it overcame it, go here. Watch for other airlines, starting with Southwest tomorrow, to report how they did financially in what is usually the weakest quarter for revenue for the industry.

To no one's surprise, Southwest Airlines reported its 64th consecutive profitable quarter today. Read the news story by the AP here. Wall Street analysts who follow the industry are concerned that what's now the largest U.S. airline in passengers flown is facing cost pressures, from fuel and labor, at a time when the economy is sluggish and customers are resisting higher fares. Some analysts are downright unhappy and downgrading its stock, The runup in fares that many business travelers experienced in early 2006 ran into resistance in the second half of the year, and that resistance continued into the first quarter..Lousy weather in the Northeast and Midwest didn't help either.

More interesting, and pertinent to the lives of frequent travelers, was what Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said during a question-and-answer session with the analysts and reporters. He's also concerned about costs. But he's confident Southwest will find ways -- as it has for its 36 years in business -- to get more productivity out of employees while still keeping customers happy. The airline is considering adding wireless internet acess to its planes, along with some type of entertainment system, but not for a couple of years probably. As you may have heard, it's also studying whether to offer reserved seats, a radical departure from its unreserved practice now, and is looking at international service (think Mexico or Canada). "We have an array of things that aren't ready for prime time," Kelly said.

But Kelly indicated that Southwest isn't thinking of charging for services such as talking to a live human being on the phone, checking bags or otherwise nickel-and-dimeing customers, What he's most determined to do is continue to be different than other airlines. Southwest will still have its own style of service, and it will continue to focus on keeping fares low and service frequent on the routes heavily used by business travelers. Despite last year's fare increases, and the nasty weather that spoiled some vacations this year, "those Road Warriors just seem to plow on through," Kely said.

You can hear replays of Southwest's, American's and Continental's earnings conference call on their Website (links in the right-hand column of this homepage), as you can with most carriers these days, on a quarterly basis.

Are you among the legions who never got to fly the supersonic Concorde but wished you had the money to do it while it was still around? The next best thing may be to vacation in Barbados and see one of the birds on display. Read a news release on the Caribbean nation's newest attraction (including entrance fees) here

Another Congressional hearing today, this time in the House, on the passenger bill of rights legislation. As you will recall, the proposed regulations stemmed from the stranding of passengers on major airlines' planes during snowstorms over the winter. Opinions vary whether using federal law is the best way to make carriers behave better. Today it was the turn of the American Society of Travel Agents to weigh in, and they are in favor. Read the testimony it presented to a House committee here

ACY, Atlantic City International Airport, located about 50 miles southeast of Center City, is one of several in the Philadelphia area that weary travelers, and the occasional politician, like to talk about as an alternative to PHL. Instead of trying to reconfigure the airspace around Philadelphia and New York as a way to reduce congestion and flight delays, as the FAA hopes to do, why don't airlines just use ACY more? That could, in fact, happen, according to a longtime industry consultant, Michael Boyd, who addressed an Atlantic County Transportation Forum at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey last week. But, Boyd said, it will require major carriers providing more connecting flights to ACY from their hubs. Today, only Delta does that, with three--a-day regional jets to and from Atlanta. Leisure-oriented Spirit Airlines has the only other scheduled service now, to Florida, Las Vegas and the Caribbean, and to its Detroit hub in the summer. Almost a million passengers used ACY last year, compared with almost 32 million at PHL. Less than a third of the travelers using ACY are there just to go to Atlantic City, out of a total of 34 million visitors a year. Here is a link to the ACY Website.

You may have seen a story in print today by Bloomberg News about gasoline prices, including the opinion of some that they could hit $4 a gallon this summer. AAA Mid-Atlantic, the regional motor club, which tracks prices in this region, says don't believe it. AAA spokeswoman Catherine Rossi said in a news release that prices may get to $3 a gallon but that the organization doesn't expect them to reach the average of $3 to $4 a gallon. And if oil refineries can catch up with demand in the next few weeks, "AAA believes motorists will actually see lower gas prices this summer than than they see right now," she said. "Given what we know right now, a $3-$4 average in most areas is unlikely."

Two more major airlines, United and AirTran, reported first-quarter earnings this morning. Use the links to the right to their Websites to see their news releases. If you don't read this kind of corporate information regularly, you may notice that airlines -- in fact, practically all companies --often empasize different figures and facts than the common news story by a newspaper or wire service reporter does. Tomorrow, watch this space for US Airways first-quarter report.

Delta Air Lines's reorganization plan receivved U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval today, paving the way for it to leave Chapter 11 protection. Delta has been more active than any other carrier in the last year or two in adding regional-jet flights that connect its big Atlanta hub to smaller cities. In this region, that means service for Atlantic City International, and a revival of flights at the Trenton/Mercer Couty and Wilmington/New Castle County airports. Those last two had not had scheduled flights for years before Delta Connection flights started. Read the AP story on Delta's reorganization here.

US Airways reported a $66 million first-quarter profit this morning. Of more interest to passengers: The airline announced that it would hire more airport employees and take other steps to improve the US Airways "experience." News releases on the earnings and the customer-service initiative can be found at US Airways.com. Go to "About Us" and then "press room." Click here for our story from Friday's paper.

With thunderstorms moving through the region, some PHL operations are running behind schedule but most flights are on time. Expect the weather to disrupt service at numerous airports in the Northeast and Midwest today.

Following the progress of new airlines that start out small is one of the more enjoyable aspects of this reporter's job. We report in a print story this morning on one that some Philadelphia-area residents may find useful, a new all-business class airline that fles between Newark and London Luton Airport. Silverjet has just one airplane, and it's in a high-risk competitive game, but watch for it to grow. Of particular interest are the business class fares on Silverjet, compared with what a coach ticket to London costs. Learn more about Silverjet here.

More than 100 US Airways pilots showed their displeasure with management yesterday at PHL. Read more here.

Two airlines that serve PHL -- and both happen to base their operationis in Atlanta -- are in the news

AirTran Airways is expanding in many places, adding flighs to its Atlanta hub and elsewhere, and announced this morning that it set a one-day record for the number of newly hired employees who showd up for their first day of orientation -- 152. Some of the new hires will be stationed at PHL. AirTran CEO Joe Leonard promised last June that the little airline that's not so little anymore would hire 2,500 people over the next five years,.The company said it's on pace to do that, having hired.800 since last July 1, and now has a total of 8,537 employees.

The second airline, Delta, made its formal exit from Chapter 11 today. The airline has fewer employees, most of whom took pay cuts; the pilots had their pensions reduced; the previous version of Delta common stock was canceled; and many creditors received 62 to 78 cents on the dollar, better than many reorganizations, for what they were owed. On the other hand, the airline is still flying, employees will get some cash and equity, and it revealed a new logo today. Look at the Delta Website later tonight or tomorrow to see how it updated what it calls its "Widget," the delta-shaped symbol that appears next to the name.