there is just an interesting report on air travel on CNN. It's Sun 7/8 10pm PST.
just thought to let you know

xl

Yes, I marked that report off on my mental calendar. The presentation seemed a lot more supportive of the airlines than others have been in the past (such as MSNBC's "Plane Truth").

However, it certainly did give the viewers an appreciation for the sheer complexity of the whole air travel system. I've had the opportunity to tour UA's HQ and sit and chat with some of their folks, and it never ceases to amaze me how everything just seems to come together. I mean, there are so many logistical pieces in the puzzle, from crew scheduling, to airplane allocation, to food catering, to gate assignements, to FAA regulations, to airport demands, and so on and so forth. And yet, all that seems to materialize into UA842 or AA1147... amazing!

Obviously, that doesn't exonerate the airlines from the slew of problems/delays/cancellations -- nonetheless, it will hopefully make you think twice before letting all hell break loose on a GA or CSR...

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"What do you mean you didn't get miles for that?!"

This was an interesting behind the scenes look at the various issues at play in trying to sort out the mess. As a side note, I suspect the "average" day may have been the same day I was flying into LGA, buffeted by high winds, long delays, and an aborted landing. As we circled around Manhatten and across Brooklyn for our re- approach, I was visualizing the ATC screens and wondering about the traffic routes into the three NYC airports. We flew past both EWR and JFK and could watch the approaches and take-offs from both of them.

Also found it interesting that Bush was flying into EWR and that required all traffic to be cleared for a time. Funny, when that happened with Clinton during his first month in office, the media had a field day complaining about the delays it caused to flights. Narry a complaint about Bush do the same thing, though.

I thought the MSNBC Plane Truth piece was on the mark, pointing out the good and the poor through specific examples. I love the hidden camera shorts and it is what we see everyday from GA's and FA's. It seems we either get feast or famine, and when we get famine it sure makes for a long day. I expect to be treated with respect, not with patronization. It is obvious that the 'voluntary' measures 'adopted' by the airlines are not doing anything for the air traveler and it is time to put the legislation in stone and then we can all move on. As an oligopoly, the airline industry does warrant more government 'supervision' than other industries. This would be similar to the way that the auto industry is monitored in our country.

Until the FAA gets their act together and actually utilizes technology that is not 20 or 30 years old, the airlines will continue to rack and stack flights at the hubs that give us the 'pleasure' of sitting on the ground for hours at a time.

Shareholder,
IMO there is a difference between Bush's first Presidential and probably rare trip to NYC and the frequent trips both Clintons made. The media made more out of the fact that Bush finally showed up in NYC, while Pres. Clinton and candidate Hillary were commuting back and forth weekly.
I suspect Bush's rare "visits" will have less of an impact within or above NYC.

There is going to be a special on commercail jets on the History Channel tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern. Looks very interesting from the promo - "Billion-dollar deals ride on cutting-edge designs."