Send your bags ahead
July 23, 2008
An airline has lost my luggage only once. It was a family trip — parents, sister and me — and mine was the only bag to slip into the ether. Stupid fates.
I may have stumbled on a way to keep it from happening again. David Landsel, in a recent piece on Aviation.com, reveals that we have finally reached that pivotal point in the evolution of human civilization where it is cheaper to send your luggage through the mail than to entrust its safety to the airline bag jockeys.
My favorite part:
“You’re also far less likely to have your bag ‘mishandled’ — that’s the fun word the Department of Transportation uses — by your airline or the Transportation Security Administration. And if a shipper loses your bags, which is unlikely, at least it will apologize.”
In “Ship Heavy Baggage Instead of Checking It”, Landsel offers some tips on how to enter this brave new world of travel-via-FedEx. Check it out and let us know if you’ve ever tried the technique.
JOE BACCHUS, Web Specialist
Sphere: Related ContentThere’s a seat waiting for you
July 7, 2008
As I puttered up the Jones Falls recently (with my windows up, I assure you), I noticed what is perhaps the least persuasive billboard in the history of all I-83 advertisements. The sign, which looms over the expressway just south of Cold Spring Lane, depicts a roller coaster barreling down a near-vertical drop, with three out of the car’s four front seats occupied by screaming patrons. The fourth seat, however, is open, and presumably, yours for the taking, given the ad’s block letter slogan: “There’s a seat waiting for you.”
Why, might you ask, do I find this ad so flawed? Sure, it entices me to hop a bus to Six Flags and spend my afternoon experiencing the chills and thrills of The Joker’s Jinx. What the billboard does NOT beguile me to do, however, is take an AirTran flight that, if I have inferred anything at all from the advertisement, might feel a little like plummeting to my death on a rickety, metal structure.
Don’t get me wrong: AirTran is my premier airline selection. With 16 nonstop destinations from BWI, AirTran’s convenience and consistently low prices can rarely be beat on a new college grad’s budget. But what genius in its marketing department thought comparing a flight on AirTran to a roller coaster would be a wise decision? It may just be me, but I prefer my flights to feel a little less like Space Mountain and a little more like the Monorail.
ANNE RILEY, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentNo rest for the Martin Mars
June 27, 2008
Retirement continues to be a postponed option for a pair of seaplanes, built in Middle River, that have been fighting forest fires in the Pacific Northwest since a brief stint in World War II.
According to a report by the Canadian Broadcast Corp. on Friday, one of the two remaining Martin Mars “flying tankers” has been hired by the U.S. government to fight wild fires in California. One of the planes was brought in to fight fires in 2007 as well.
The planes, also called “water bombers,” were purchased in 2007 by British Columbia-based Coulson Aircrane for an undisclosed amount. The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum unsuccessfully tried to buy one of the planes and bring it back to Baltimore, where it was built.
The Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Co., precursor to Lockheed Martin Corp., manufactured the seaplanes in the early 1940s where they were originally envisioned as “flying dreadnoughts,” capable of carrying troops and raining down thousands of pounds of bombs on a battlefield. The planes were re-tasked before the end of the war to serve as long-range reconnaissance or cargo transport. Five Martin Mars were built at the Middle River plant.
The planes have a wingspan of 200 feet, are 117 feet long and can hold 7,200 gallons of a fire-suppressing water and foam mix.
The good news though, is that at least one of the planes is getting a bit of respite. Coulson Aircrane owner Wayne Coulson told the CBC that only one of the water bombers is in regular rotation until there is a high enough level of demand to put both in the rotation.
BEN MOOK, Assistant Business Editor
Sphere: Related ContentInternational travelers, take note
June 9, 2008
Who needs customer service? We pump our own gas, scan our items at the grocery store, print our own movie tickets and check our own baggage at the airports.
Now the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is getting in on the game — last weekend marked the launch of a pilot program where international travelers coming back to the States can use a kiosk to record themselves as officially back in the country and declare any items for customs.
The program, overseen by DHS’s Customs and Border Protection division, is available for travelers passing through Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, New York’s John F. Kennedy International and Washington Dulles International airports.
To become a Global Entry member, applicants must provide residential and biographic information, undergo a background check and complete an interview with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. Applications and the five-year, non-refundable $100 member fee can be submitted online through the DHS Web site.
Do people think this will benefit airports by alleviating the long lines that can collect at the re-entry points in airports? The DHS press release announcing the kick-off notes:
“The initiative promotes customer service techniques in officer interactions with the traveling public, and includes joint efforts with the private sector and industry stakeholders to reduce wait times.”
Or do people think this will make these airports less safe? What’s worse when you’re traveling — long lines and dealing with tired customs agents or the thought that somebody could be getting by the agents with something they shouldn’t?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentThe Evolution of Security
March 11, 2008
One of the least-liked federal agencies, the TSA, has been letting travelers air their frustrations on a new blog that’s become quite popular. It’s even allowing comments that rip the agency to shreds.
One poster wrote “I think you seriously need to stop stealing toiletries from people.”
Another wrote “DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and TSA are fundamentally broken. Disband both immediately and return our civil liberties.”
And the TSA says they welcome the feedback.
In fact, it was comments on the blog that led TSA to find out that some local offices had been requiring passengers to remove all electronics from carry-on luggage. When the practice was disbanded, a TSA blogger wrote “Blackberrys, cords and iPods began to flow through checkpoints like the booze was flowing on Bourbon Street Tuesday night (Fat Tuesday of course).”
At least someone’s having some fun with airport hassles.
Critics in the industry wonder whether the blog can really bring about change; only so much can be done in response to feedback, due to politics and the budget.
But hey, at least you know someone’s listening.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentNoVa-based business class airline abruptly grounded
December 24, 2007
MAXjet Airways, an all-business class airline based in Dulles, Va., said today it would file for bankruptcy - leaving jets on the tarmac and stranding passengers on Christmas Eve.
In October, the airline halted flights from London to Washington, D.C., according to the BBJ. Earlier this month, it asked for trading of its stock on the London Alternative Investment Market to be stopped. And today, it cited high fuel prices and the deteriorating credit market for its “drastic measure.”
An airline consultant told the AP that “while business class service can be very profitable to airlines, it’s also a very “thin” market,” [Robert] Mann said. Serving, typically, “40 to 70 seats per flight, depending on the route and aircraft.” Any loss of market share to a competitor can be devastating, particularly to an all business-class carrier like MAXjet that didn’t have revenue from economy passengers — or a robust route system — to fall back on.
Rival business class airlines Eos and Silverjet claimed Monday to be enjoying continued success in the business travel market.
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
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