DerikG

FYI --- Tonight they are going to have an hour long show on airlines "behind the scenes". Looks to me like it could be pretty interesting.



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JRF

I saw the add for this on TV the other note. It looks really good. I suggest anyone who has the time watch it. This may be the icing that gets Congress to do something!

tom911

I just watched the east coast feed of the NBC nightly news, and this may be a sampling of what they are doing. It showed gate agents saying that flights would be on time, when NBC was tracking the incoming flight and already knew the flight would be late (in one case 2 1/2 hours late). Gate agents were just repeating what they saw in the computer, so obviously information was not getting updated in a timely manner by "whoever" is tasked with that duty.

<edited for spelling>



[This message has been edited by tom911 (edited 03-13-2001).]

JRF

It was a good show. It is quite clear now that the airlines lie on purpose. Very sad state of affairs and if my Congress person wants to enact legislation, I would support them even though I am not normally for the G regulating airlines.

The arilines deserve everything that is coming their way!

Ken hAAmer

I also watched and enjoyed it, although I didn't learn anything from their "five pointers." But I was impressed enought with Midwest Express to promise myself a trip with them in the very near future.

I followed their website links to check out the flight trackers, and found an amazing FAA website. Given that Dateline was good enough to tell us about it, I'm posting the link to the Dateline site instead of the direct links.

Scroll down a little ways and look for the inset titled "Check your flight status" and click on the FAA link. You'll find up to the minute updated world wide airport advisories, which may include links to other interesting and useful sites, airports with ground delays, de-icing delays, closures, and other airport information. (For example, Seattle was experienceing weather delays until 55 minutes ago, there is a current volcanic ash warning for airports near Ecuador complete with links to 3-hourly satellite images, Kansas City is currently "experiencing Gate Hold and Taxi delays of less than 15 minutes in length," and so on.)

So the next time an agent in Baltimore tells you there is an ATC delay at ORD, you can double check for yourself.

Tango

Most of the time you can check the arrival board (for your gate) to determine how long your delay is going to be.

Carfield

Well, I think it is a decent show as well. No the usual Dateline show... (I actually find ABC's 20/20 more offensive)...

The baggage part is pretty realistic. Of course, not everyone will face the six days wait, but the dealings at the baggage claim office ring a bell on my ordeals with United bag service last year. The waits... the hassles...

The Dateline website is quite fun. It is nice to know the Maui to Oakland flight opearted by Aloha was always late...
La Guardia also rang the bell. I could not believe that even Southwest had a flight that ran 95% late. United and Alaska also topped a couple lists...

The service comparison is the best. Although comparing Delta's redeye with a Midwest Express's daytime flight is not too fair, it is somewhat true. Look at the seats -- both were MD-80s... Also the infamous summer harvest mix. Now, the meals are so different. Even if it compares a meal DL flight with Midwest Express, it will never be the same (and also the Omaha steak by DL). I believe that MK serves real snacks (sandwiches) or at least chocolate chip cookies on redeye flights... NOt to mention the "coat hanging" and "wine refills" aspect... Midwest gets some nice publicity here.

Now, I have a thought -- will I see this episode of Dateline NBC on my next NBC In Flight by United? It will be a great show to watch from a United's BUF to ORD flight.

Carfield

Dudster

I thought the show was sensationalistic and unbalanced. It did not focus nearly enough on the inadequate ability of the ATC system to cope with growth, the culpability of millions of rude and obnoxious air travellers in contributing to surly employees and barely mentioned the fact that most people are getting exactly what they want: lots of flights and really low fares.

Spiff

Dudster, you're not an airline employee or a major airline stockholder, by any chance are you? You seem a little surly yourself.

2 Many Miles

I think parts might have been overly harsh on the airlines. Using October as the "target" month was a bit harsh. Things at NYC airports have improved drastically since then. Shuttle flights only sit on the runway for 5-10 minutes now instead of the 45-90 that we were sitting on the ground at the end of last year.

As to the airlines giving consumers exactly what they want, I dont' think so. I think consumers would gladly see the frequency of LGA/ORD flights go from 8 flights a day to 7 flights a day if those 7 flights were on time. The problem is that unless ALL the airlines cut back that one flight, NONE of the airlines would see on-time ratings improve. And, as we know, that would be collusion, which is illegal.

AZ_MISMAN

I understood them to state that the flights were at "around the same time". Don't recall hearing that the DL flight was a redeye.

All in all, I enjoyed it. I came away with one opinion... the airlines are doing everything in their power to get re-regulated. I agree with one of the interviewees... if this were a restaraunt, I'd walk out!



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Bob

Tango

Some people would sit in the cargo hold if it would save them $100.00.

PremEx2000

I thought parts of the show were quite good and other parts were of little or no value. As for the good: I thought their discussion of tracking flights from early in the morning to late at night and knowing that the flight would be delayed even though the airline said it would be on time was enlightening. The enlightening aspect was that airlines could easily provide this info to gate agents but don't. As for the five tips, I found them useless as I already knew them. As for the baggage handling segment, I found it to be journalistically unsound. After all, they went to the Newark baggage claim area and sought out people whose bags had been lost. Who knows if they talked to others whose bags had been lost but didn't air their stories because the bags came on the next flight. They certainly didn't talk to the people who got their bags. All in all, it was an interesting show because it was about airlines (a subject I obviously love), but it was a little sensationalized which is par for the course for Dateline. And what's with Stone Phillips?

doc

NBC’s "Dateline" examined Department of Transporation statistics for every month in the year 2000. They found that the best time to fly out of Detroit Metro with the fewest number of delays is early in the morning, from 6 to 7 a.m. or at the end of the day, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. The worst time for flight delays is in the evening from 6 to 8 p.m.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/wdiv/20.../334775_1.html

delacpa

QuickQuestion for you well-informed viewers:

Where was Stone?? (which airport?)