About Aircomplane.com™
We, in a sense, are you. More than just tired airline travelers, we are tired of the current nature of the airline travel experience. We simply want to be treated with respect, spoken to as adults, have fares, delays, and policies explained to us in clear, concise, adult language, and travel efficiently, economically, and safely.
Our goal with Aircomplane.com™ is to provide a (largely) positive forum and collective voice to let the airlines, and our abused travel brethren, know when WE ARE JUSTIFIABLY NOT HAPPY.
We encourage you to join us as tastefully as your disposition allows (welcomed, but not always expected). We are The Herd Being Heard! Join us. You can reach your Spite Attendants at
info@aircomplane.com
Archive for the ‘On the ground’ Category
Posted in
On the ground by
admin on November 17, 2009
Over the years, many of us have seen the evolution of the business of air travel. What used to be a service industry gave way to the clicks and tricks of “efficiency” and cyber-progress.
The Internet is an interesting corporate litmus test. Its applications for commerce are endless — and so seemingly are short-sighted executions.
Somewhere along the line, many of the airlines thought it would be a good idea to offer flights click-click-click like buying books at Amazon. Wow…talk about moving away from service at warp speed.
Well, the Roaming Gnome and promises of cyber-solutions notwithstanding, don’t overlook the power of the travel agent. If you find one with some buying power and balls, you may have some recourse at the concourse. Remember, you’re often dealing with a Destination Dominatrix, er, gate attendant, so stack the deck in your favor. Some guidelines to consider:
- Select a REAL travel agent. Membership in the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) should be a minimum qualification. Avoid the amateurs who hang a shingle in their club basement so THEY get travel discounts. (If you hear a dog or a parakeet in the background or they ask to place you on hold while they take a call about their blowing league schedule, hang up.)
- Take some time and read some travel agency websites. See what they’re about and how they offer to help if things get sticky. The 10 minutes you spend doing that may prevent two weeks in a Turkish prison. (OK, you’ll also need a lawyer, but a travel agent can help, too.) Everyone gets bumped, overbooked at a hotel, or misses a connection. Think about who you want on the other end of the phone when you need help.
- If you do use a website to book your travel, select one that is in some way affiliated with a travel agent. Keep it HUMAN. We’re reminded about the pretty brilliant income tax preparation commercials now on the airwaves about the beaten-down husband facing his wife’s wrath over using software to do their taxes. The audit letter comes. The wife says “Oh, that’s right. We don’t have people. We used a box. Why don’t we ask the box?” Have people. Consider a humanless travel-booking website the box.
- And if you’re in business and have control over such things, don’t leave booking your company’s travel to Ruthie the Intern, a Google search, and a company credit card. Your people are on the road (and in the air, eventually) to make your company money. THINK about that BEFORE they leave the ground. A corporate travel agency may cost you a few bucks in fees, but losing Rodger-your-lead-closer in La Guardia for a few days will cost you more.
So here’s the bottom line: You have to travel. You will face many if not all of the problems Aircomplane.com was founded to highlight and help you solve. You will encounter confrontations with the airlines. It is you against them. (OK, Aircomplane.com and you against them). Have a travel agent on your side. A truly experienced and qualified agent will speak fluent arrogance and idiocy – two of the languages necessary to communicate with the airlines on your behalf.
Posted in
On the ground by
admin on November 13, 2009
Aircomplane.com realizes that not everyone who is potentially affected by airline news has time to source and read all that is printed about the airline industry. Therefore, we will post relevant articles here as they become known to us. Please feel free to suggest any that you encounter.
Del Quentin Wilber of The Washington Post recently wrote an article on December 13, 2006 on the possibility of a Continental Airlines and United Airlines Merger. You can take a look at Mr. Wilber’s article here: “Continental, United Discussing Merger: More Industry Consolidation Possible.”
(NOTE: Many publications, The Washington Postincluded, offer “Comments” areas following the online versions of their articles. Please take a moment and let your thoughts be known there, too.)
Posted in
On the ground by
admin on November 13, 2009
Thank you for your continued positive comments and feedback. For those of you who haven’t had an opportunity to review some of the links related to the pending airline mergers, please do in the posting below. The SEC and other information may affect you in a number of ways. If anyone feels we overlooked something and we can research and post it for you, please e-mail us or post a comment at the end of this one. We will respond.
Also, thanks to contributors and sponsors who’ve contacted us. Although this is truly a labor of spite, that support keeps us going. Any individuals, businesses, or organizations interested in learning more about sharing in our visibility, check this out.
We’ll be launching our inaugural Aircomplane.com™newsletter shortly. We know everyone gets more e-crap than they know what to do with, so we promise it will be brief, concise, interesting, and relevant. There’s a “Subscribe me” box off to the right.
Special thanks to Bob Sirott and his “One More Thing” program on NBC5 in Chicago. His program this week features not only Aircomplane.com™, but some remarkable lost luggage and (NOT!) “on-time” coverage. Our favorite is the one he describes as mentioned in theWall Street Journal this week regarding American Airlines flight 1914 from Chicago to Newark. It was reported last month to only be on time only 14% of the time — with an average delay of 67 minutes. Watch the video featuring Aircomplane.com here. And if you’re in Chicago, catch Bob Sirott on NBC5!
Posted in
On the ground by
admin on November 13, 2009
As promised, we’ve been trying to narrow down on some of the most direct and helpful weather travel news resources that we can. Here are a few – please feel free to suggest any others that you find helpful:
www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp – Flight Delay Information. Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Our tax dollars at work, and in a good way. Nice job – bookmark this if you travel regularly.
www.weatherbonk.com – Aircomplane.com blogger Rob recommended this to us. It’s intuitive, current, and offers a great deal of information in an appealing format.
www.nws.noaa.gov – National Weather Service. See posting below.
www.weather.com – The Weather Channel. Great website address, great channel.
www.cnn.com – Has invested a great deal of time and space on national travel conditions and weather updates.
Posted in
On the ground by
admin on November 13, 2009
Yes, it all starts here. The airport. Whether you have a complaint about parking, ticketing, baggage check, or WAITING(!!) – talk about it here. (Look, security measures are important, so be realistic about those things the airlines are doing to protect everyone.)
But otherwise, have at it! What do the airlines and your fellow travelers need to know about your, ahem, experience. We may have a contest…
