Recently, Delta Air Lines announced their game plan to expand at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) after their slot swap with US Airways. Delta, being the world’s second largest airline, has plenty that they can bring to the New York area and [...]]]>

There are going to be a lot more Delta widgets seen at LGA soon.

Recently, Delta Air Lines announced their game plan to expand at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) after their slot swap with US Airways. Delta, being the world’s second largest airline, has plenty that they can bring to the New York area and grow LGA into a major hub for business travelers.

If you scroll through the new Delta LGA flights, you will see a lot of smaller aircraft: the Embraer ERJ-145, E-170, E-175, Bombardier CRJ-700, CRJ-900 and the CRJ-200. With an airport that is already so crowded, it was a little surprising seeing so many small aircraft.

Just because a new route starts as a smaller aircraft, doesn’t mean that Delta can’t upgrade to a larger aircraft later. Still, it seems like some of the routes might be able to handle larger aircraft, why did Delta go this route?

“It’s purely a function of having the right aircraft for the right market,” Morgan Durrant, Delta Spokesperson explained to AirlineReporter.com. “LaGuardia is arguably the most restricted airfield in the world but that doesn’t preclude the market demand for both capacity and frequency. Utilizing regional aircraft in some markets allows us to achieve both in a way that’s good for customers and good for business.”

At least Delta is operating jets; US Airways Express (aka Piedmont) flew quite a few turbo-props in LGA. For the airline nerd (that many of us probably are), turbo-props are fun to fly in, but I know that most travelers do not share our passion for aviation and most prefer the comfort of a jet. And remember, that not all regional jets are created equally. Many of Delta’s jets that have more the 50  seats contain amenities found on larger aircraft.

“Delta Connection aircraft larger than 50 seats will have a two-cabin configuration and Gogo Wi-Fi,” Durrant stated.

Delta has more connections and are arguably using better aircraft, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they are able to become quite successful out of LGA. I also wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing larger planes operating in Delta colors in the future out of LaGuardia as well.

Two view points you have to read about this topic are: Brett Snyder looking at the winners and losers of this deal and Dan Webb looking at the new destinations.

Photo by: Jerome Vorus

Airbus was originally founded in 1970 as a consortium of aerospace manufactures to better compete with Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed. Their first aircraft was the A300, which first flight [...]]]>

HI-RES PIC (click for larger): The 7000th Airbus aircraft, an A321 for US Airways, takes off. Check the German flag on the tail. Photo from Airbus.

Airbus was originally founded in 1970 as a consortium of aerospace manufactures to better compete with Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed. Their first aircraft was the A300, which first flight on October 28, 1972 and since then, the manufacture has created many successful aircraft that have flown millions of passengers around the world. A big milestone was reached by the company on December 12th; Airbus delivered its 7000th plane. The special aircraft was an A321 that was delivered to US Airways.

“It’s particularly fitting that our 7,000th aircraft is an A321 going to US Airways. The airline not only operates the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world; with over 220 A320 Family aircraft flying in US Airways colours today,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. “This milestone is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of Airbus teams around the world. We have improved efficiencies company-wide and this has enabled us to deliver record numbers of latest generation aircraft at continually increasing rates, with an environmental footprint ever decreasing.”

It was only two short years ago that Airbus delivered their 6000th aircraft, which was an A380 for Emirates in January 2010.

As of November, 2011, Airbus has received a total of 11,438 orders, with 816 for the A300/A310 family, 8251 for the A320 family, 2128 for the A330/A340/A350 family and 243 for the A380.

A big congrats to Airbus on their 7000th delivery, let’s see how long it takes to make the 8000 mark.

One of my more “avgeeky” hobbies is looking at the Form 41 data; specifically the T100. The T100D Segment, which I’m going to be looking at today, gives us data [...]]]> This a guest blog from Vinay Bhaskara looking how airline and train transportation has changed over time on the east coast. This is his story:

One of my more “avgeeky” hobbies is looking at the Form 41 data; specifically the T100. The T100D Segment, which I’m going to be looking at today, gives us data about every domestic flight operated by all carriers, both US owned, and international.

Now the T100 database at the DOT goes back to 1990, so I decided to take a look at how a specific route looked like in 1990, and then in 2009 (the second to last full year of data available). After a few moments of debate, I decided on New York La Guardia to Washington Reagan – one component of the venerable Northeast Shuttle.

The La Guardia to Reagan route is still one of the most traversed air routes in North America, comprising 423,483 passengers last year. There are only two airlines on the route; US Airways, and Delta. In 1990, it was the legendary Pan Am who flew the route in lieu of Delta. That being said, here are some of the stats I found most interesting:

* Capacity on the route fell by 49% and passengers dropped 50%. So in 19 years, the airlines have halved their capacity on the route, and half as many passengers are flying the route.

* Despite the precipitous drop in capacity and demand, the average number of daily flights only dropped from 31 to 24.

* This corresponds with the average aircraft size falling from 159 seats in 1990, to 103 seats in 2009. Of course this probably has a lot to do with the fact that Delta is running E175s every hour, but still.

* Delta had a load factor of 40% last year. I hope they have lots of high yielding passengers, because they sure as heck aren’t filling many seats.

The following chart shows how the capacity and passengers carried stacked up for each airline:

The next two charts show the corresponding market shares of the different airlines. Isn’t it surprising that Delta (who replaced Pan Am on the route in 1991) lost so much market share?

Why are the passenger numbers dropping so much? In a word: time. The time it takes to fly between New York and DC has grown so much, that flying has become far less attractive, especially when compared to other options like the Acela Express.

Still skeptical?

Let’s take our average businessman, and say that he lives 20 minutes away from both Penn Station and La Guardia (I’m not sure there is such a point, but work with me here). So we start with that. Then, the Acela Express takes an average of 3 hours to reach its destination, and bam, you’re in downtown DC at Union Station.

The flight on the other hand is much more complex. After arriving at the airport, you usually have to budget time for security. I’d estimate it to be 15 minutes at the Marine Air Terminal (Delta Shuttle) during peak times, and 40 minutes at US Airways’ terminal during the same time period. So let’s assume that it takes around 30 minutes for security. Then, you want to be at the gate around 25 minutes before your flight; which brings you to a total of 75 minutes before you even board the flights. Now, the average ramp to ramp time, which is how long it takes for the plane to go from gate to gate was 73 minutes last year. Once you arrive at the airport, we can figure around 10 minutes for disembarking and going to the taxi stand/limo pickup. From Reagan National, it usually takes around 25 minutes to get to downtown DC by car. So let’s tally up the total travel time for each method.

Acela Express
Drive to Penn Station- 20 minutes
Train Travel Time- 180 minutes
Total Travel Time- 200 minutes

US Airways and Delta Shuttles
Drive to La Guardia- 20 minutes
Security at Airport- 30 minutes
Time at Gate Prior to Departure- 25 minutes
Plane Travel Time- 73 minutes
Time to Get out of Reagan Airport- 10 minutes
Drive to Downtown DC- 25 minutes
Total Travel Time- 183 minutes

Plus, the service on the Acela Express is much better. Acela Express- Spacious seats, in-seat power, WiFi, a newspaper, and gourmet meals. US Airways/Delta Shuttle- Cramped cabin, snack boxes, free drinks, and a newspaper. You decide….. Which one would/do you choose?

Vinay Bhaskara is an aviation analyst and history buff based in the United States (New Jersey). In addition to his analyst’s position at Aspire Aviation, he also writes for the Bangalore Aviation blog, and does a podcast on Asian aviation with Innovation Analysis Group (IAG). He can be reached at @TheABVinay on Twitter, as well as at vinay@bangaloreaviation.com, on Facebook , and via Linkedin.

By guest columnist Andrew Vane

Although not as flashy or grandiose as some more colorful liveries, US Airways is still transitioning to brightening their fleet from the blue top/grey bottom to a bright white top and blue bottom (with blue tail).  The flag icon takes center [...]]]>

US Airways Airbus A320. Photo by Andrew Vane

By guest columnist Andrew Vane

Although not as flashy or grandiose as some more colorful liveries, US Airways is still transitioning to brightening their fleet from the blue top/grey bottom to a bright white top and blue bottom (with blue tail).  The flag icon takes center stage on the tail with a bit of wispy lines drifting back along the fuselage.  Gone are the red Air Wisconsin and teal America West colors in favor of a red white and blue themed livery consistent with the airline name.

In addition to the standard livery, US Airways has introduced some retro-themed liveries in former merger/acquisitions PSA Airlines, Piedmont Airlines and Allegheny Air as well as NFL teams from its hubs (Charlotte, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia).

But don’t let the name fool you, US Airways also has flights direct from its Philadelphia and Charlotte hubs for points South to Central America and the Caribbean, and East to Europe with one direct to Tel Aviv (from Philly).

What are your thoughts? Too bland and in need of rebranding or the new normal?

US Airways retro liveries:
* PSA
* Piedmont
* Allegheny

US Airways NFL liveries:
* Philadelphia Eagles
* Pittsburgh Steelers
* Carolina Panthers
* Phoenix Cardinals

Recently I flew from Seattle (SEA) to Tucson (TUS) with a stop in Phoenix (PHX) on US Airways. The first leg was on an Airbus A320 and then a very short layover before heading down to TUS on a CRJ-900 regional [...]]]>

US Airways CRJ-900, operated by Mesa Airlines. This is one slick looking plane.

Recently I flew from Seattle (SEA) to Tucson (TUS) with a stop in Phoenix (PHX) on US Airways. The first leg was on an Airbus A320 and then a very short layover before heading down to TUS on a CRJ-900 regional jet. Since my flight out of SEA was at 5:15am and I woke up at 2:30am to catch the flight, I slept the whole way down to PHX. That makes for a pretty poor review, so I decided to share the shorter of the two flights: PHX to TUS on US Airways Express (operated by Mesa Air). The flight is very short, only 23 minutes, meaning no beverage service and very little time to even turn on your electronics.

This was my first flight on a CRJ-900. Being based on the west coast, we really didn’t see many regional jets until recently. Even now, we don’t see nearly as many regional jets as folks over on the east coast. Not too long ago, I flew a CRJ-700 for the first time and had mix feelings about the aircraft.

First off, the gate agent was probably the best I have ever experienced. It seems that so many gate agents are hardened by annoying and demanding customers that you don’t see too many who are genuinely friendly. She was welcoming everyone by last name, “Welcome Mr. Brown, how are you today?” – and then actually interacted with each passenger as they boarded.

When getting on the aircraft I could help but notice there were America West emblems on the seats and the bulkhead. (I forgot my camera, so the photos are from my iPhone). Most people probably didn’t notice, but as an airline nerd, this was very odd. US Airways and America West merged in 2005, giving over five years to re-brand the regional fleet. I am big on airlines having consistent branding and although fun to see the old America West logo, it does no good having passengers stare at that logo during their flight. I contacted US Airways via phone and email, but as of posing this story, I have not received a reply.  I assume this must have to do with Mesa Air (which operated the flight) filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2010.

The next issue were the windows. On the CRJ aircraft, they are widely spaced out meaning that many of them are in odd positions. For most of us in the front, we really didn’t have a window. I had one blocked by the seat in front of me and one behind my shoulders. Sure, most aircraft have a dead spot in a row or two, but most seats on the CRJs have this issue. Just like flying on the CRJ-700, my neck was sore by the time we left the gate from looking out the window. I understand that the windows need to be spaced out for structural integrity and it is up to the airline to figure out seat spacing, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

The flight was only going to be 23 minutes so what did it matter, right? Well, the flight itself did only take about 23 minutes, but it took us over 40 minutes to take off after leaving the gate. It is difficult when you have in your mind that you will only have to sit on the plane for 23 minutes and it ends up being over an hour. Especially when you can’t be on your phone or laptop during that whole time on the ground.

This must be a common occurrence for this flight, since it was scheduled to leave at 9:56am and arrive at 10:55am. When you consider it only takes two hours to drive between the airports, if you need to rent a car in Tucson, it might be better just to rent the car in Phoenix and drive. I can’t believe I am saying that, since I would normally take any opportunity to fly when I can, but sitting in a plane not being able to see out the window for so long on the ground, with people from Arizona who think 75deg is cold (I was sweating the entire time) is just frustrating.

Most times on smaller aircraft I feel more connected to the flying experience, but this time I felt disconnected. It could have been the heat, the large guy sitting next to me or the odd yellow interior lighting of the airplane (lack of sleep might have been a factor as well). All I know is having a real window can make a huge difference and I will be double checking my seat placement before I fly on another CRJ.

Image: Willamor Media

Back in 2007 the state of New Mexico pulled US Airways liquor license due to an incident involving a drunk passenger in 2006. This passenger had a lot to drink on the flight and ended up killing six people including himself. Of course, this is [...]]]>

US Airways Airbus A320 Tail. Image from US Airways.

Back in 2007 the state of New Mexico pulled US Airways liquor license due to an incident involving a drunk passenger in 2006. This passenger had a lot to drink on the flight and ended up killing six people including himself. Of course, this is a horrid tragedy and should have never happened, but one that is not the direct fault of the airline.

The FAA decided not to take any action against US Airways, but the state of New Mexico demanded the airline followed their Liquor Control Act and revoked their liquor license. Although the airline probably should have cut off the passenger from having more to drink, it was the passenger’s personal responsibility to make the decision not to drive, not the airline’s. Who knew if someone was to pick him up, he had a layover or was taking a taxi.

US Airways fought New Mexico stating that the state had no authority to stop them from selling alcohol since it was a federal issue. The airline took the state to Federal court and in October 2009, the Federal court sided with the state of New Mexico. US Airways was not satisfied with the outcome and took the case to the federal appeals court. Last Friday, the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with US Airways, reversing the decision the previous federal judge made, stating that judge failed to balance state and federal interests. The court showed that the airline is already regulated by the Federal Aviation Act and the state must follow the 21st Amendment.

Now the case will head back to the district court to be re-tried, hopefully in giving US Airways the right to serve alcohol in all 50 states . Cheers to the 10th Circuit court for overturning New Mexico’s poor decision and US Airways for moving this case forward.

Go Panthers! Or at least go US Airways Airbus A319 Panthers. US Airways also flies Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles liveries representing the cities with US Airways hubs. The football season just started, so a great way to celebrate. Although I enjoy watching football-themed liveries more [...]]]>

US Airways Airbus A319 (N717UW) in Panthers Livery

Go Panthers! Or at least go US Airways Airbus A319 Panthers. US Airways also flies Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles liveries representing the cities with US Airways hubs. The football season just started, so a great way to celebrate. Although I enjoy watching football-themed liveries more than the game itself.

UPDATE: How could I forget the US Airways A319 dressed as a Cardinal?! Thanks @TaylorMcManus for pointing that out!

I really like the Panther livery with the color, but it just looks odd that the panther is not on the tail, instead there is small writing.

Thanks Drew V for sending over this photo!

LARGER VERSION OF PHOTO

Last week I put the challenge out to find photos with lots of airline tails. When I put the photos of a bunch of Qantas Airline’s tails, I only saw nine. [...]]]>

Can you find all 16 US Airways tails in this photo? (there is a bigger version in the links). Photo by Drew V.

Last week I put the challenge out to find photos with lots of airline tails. When I put the photos of a bunch of Qantas Airline’s tails, I only saw nine. However a reader smartly pointed out that there are really ten. Here are the photos I was sent:

* My original Qantas with TEN tails
* 10 Delta Air Lines tails from Daniel
* Aireal shot of 20 Delta tails from Daniel
* Who wants to count all these tails up? from Daniel
* 16 US Airways tails (with markings showing all 16) from Drew V
* 40 FedEx tails sent in from Rowen
* Five Qantas Airlines Boeing 747 tails at LAX by daeguowl
* A whole load of old US Airways Shuttle photos (even though I said Mojave wouldn’t work, but I can break my own rules) by @FlyInsider
* 12 Lufthansa tails from @FlyInsider
* Go ahead and count them in this satellite shot of Mojave forwarded by @BinkyAirways
* I count 15 Northwest Airlines tails, which will soon be going away – from @TerminalWanderer

So who is the winner? That is hard to tell since I am not counting them for all the photos. I will say EVERYONE is a winner for finding such great photos.

UPDATE: I have added a few more photos. It is not too late to send them on in to me, if you want them posted.

US Airways Flight 2495 was departing from Charleston, heading to Charlotte with 31 passengers and 3 crew and was powering up for takeoff. During take off, the pilot decided to abort. It is still not clear why the pilot made this decision.

The CRJ200 was going too [...]]]>

CRJ200 (N246PS) after hitting the concrete barriers

US Airways Flight 2495 was departing from Charleston, heading to Charlotte with 31 passengers and 3 crew and was powering up for takeoff. During take off, the pilot decided to abort. It is still not clear why the pilot made this decision.

The CRJ200 was going too fast and went off the end of the runway and about 150 feet onto a crushable concrete arresting system that stopped the aircraft from going down a steep hillside behind the runway. Normally the FAA requires 1000ft of safety room at the end of the runway, but due to the safety system’s superior stopping abilities, only 403 feet of it is needed.

None of the passengers or crew were injured and the runway was re-opened six hours after the incident.

For more information and an additional picture, check out Flight Global

connect | web | twitter | facebook |

I normally keep a nice little collection of stories I consider blogging. Sometimes I get too busy or other stories pop up and I just delete the ones that don’t make it to the blog. Even if these aren’t the most timely, I [...]]]>

What's left of American Airlines Flight 331 that crashed in Jamaica

I normally keep a nice little collection of stories I consider blogging. Sometimes I get too busy or other stories pop up and I just delete the ones that don’t make it to the blog. Even if these aren’t the most timely, I still think they are interesting and wanted to share:

* Amazing Photos of American Airlines Flight 331′s Boeing 737 that crashed in Jamaica (via NYCAviation). Flight Global talks about how the pilot was advised to use a different approach.

* US Department of Transportation finds Virgin America is a US Citizen (via Seattle PI). Some were accusing Virgin America as not following the rules to operate as a US company. As long as they make some changes they are in the clear.

* United Airlines has Unlimited Baggage Plan (via Flight Wisdom). For $249 per year, you and your closest 8 friends, on your same reservation, get to check up to two bags per trip for free. For the frequent traveler, this can be quite the savings. Read more.

* Boeing joins in study of potential biofuel source (via the Seattle PI). Boeing is working with others to find a viable saltwater-based plant for a more environmentally friendly jet fuel.

* Pilot rehired after gun discharged on plane (via Today in the Sky). Pilot’s gun went off during flight, he got fired, he fought it and US Airways hired him back on.

* Inside the Emirates A380 First Class shower (via Gadling). Take a close look at an airborne luxury most will never be able to afford. It might only be a five minute shower, but that can make all the difference on a very long flight.

* U.S. airlines set record for on-time flights in November (via Dallas Morning News). Almost 89% of flights in November were considered on-time. That is great for airlines and for passengers.

* California’s Surplus Chihuahuas Airlifted To New York (via NPR). Too many unwanted dogs were showing up in California and Virgin America flew them over to the east coast where nice homes were waiting for them. Thanks Selena for the tip!

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In 2007 US Airways sued the state of New Mexico because the state pulled the airline’s liquor license. The state chose to do this after a passenger, Dana Papsi, was served too much alcohol on a flight and caused [...]]]>

Drinks on a recent flight on Alaska Airlines that did not fly over New Mexico

In 2007 US Airways sued the state of New Mexico because the state pulled the airline’s liquor license. The state chose to do this after a passenger, Dana Papsi, was served too much alcohol on a flight and caused a car crash that killed five people, plus himself. This means US Airways cannot serve any alcohol on flights that are over New Mexico or grounded in the state. The airline lost the federal suit, meaning New Mexico had to remain alcohol-free.

Kelly O’Donnel, New Mexico’s License Department superintendent stated, “It is a victory, a huge victory, for public safety here in New Mexico and for other states that want to ensure their liquor laws are upheld by everybody who is selling liquor within their borders.”

US Airways argued that the state has no authority to tell the airline how to regulate alcohol, since it is a federal issue. Now that the federal courts have agreed with the state, the airline has nowhere else to go.

Although the passenger involved should have had better personal responsibility, the 21st Amendment provides the right to distribute and sell alcohol, and that comes with responsibility in serving. During the investigation, other passengers stated it was obvious the man who caused the five deaths was intoxicated and the airline still served him two additional drinks.

Should the airline not be allowed to serve alcohol or should they get a fine and be able to continue?

American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and UPS have agreed to use up to 1.5million gallons of synthetic diesel made from plant waste per year. The fuel would be used to fuel their ground service equipment at [...]]]>

Vietnam Airlines Boeing 777 being towed at Frankfurt

American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and UPS have agreed to use up to 1.5million gallons of synthetic diesel made from plant waste per year. The fuel would be used to fuel their ground service equipment at Los Angeles International Airport.

Rentech Inc. will be supplying the alternative fuel starting in 2012, made mostly from urban yard waste and clippings.
Most people only think about aircraft causing much of the pollution in air travel, but there are thousands of support vehicles at each airport that also cause harmful emissions. Rentech is currently in talks with other airlines and airports to increase the fuel’s usage.

US Airways Flight 3203 was on descent to Charleston from Charlotte on Wednesday, when the pilot had to turn around and head back to Charlotte. The Charleston International Airport has been closing at midnight since June 9th and will continue to [...]]]>

US Airways E-Jet, much like the one used on flight 3203. Thanks Dan!

US Airways Flight 3203 was on descent to Charleston from Charlotte on Wednesday, when the pilot had to turn around and head back to Charlotte. The Charleston International Airport has been closing at midnight since June 9th and will continue to do so until August 9th. From midnight to 6am, the airport has been working on a $30million project to rebuild one of the runways that has had work done on it in the past 40 years.

Trouble started for flight 3203 before it took off, when bad weather came into Charlotte. The flight was scheduled to depart at 10:30 PM, but weather didn’t allow it to depart until 11:43 PM. Carlo Bertolini, spokesman for Republic Airways, the carrier that operated the flight for US Airways  stated,  “We thought we were going to be able to make it in time. In addition, we thought the tower might remain open a little later.” The pilot of the flight and dispatcher for the airline were in communication during the flight and it was thought the flight could make it before the tower shut down operations for the night.

Bertolini says their flight plan showed them making it to Charleston 17 minutes before the airport was closing. But how is that even possible, when the flight left Charlotte at the time where they were expecting to land in Charleston? This seems like there has to be some mis-communication going on between the airline, dispatcher, airports and spokespeople. The flight is about an hour and the plane left about 17 minutes before the airport was scheduled to close. It shouldn’t have been hard to see the flight was going to be late. Maybe the pilot was hoping they would make an exception since they were coming anyhow?

The pilot and the airline took a gamble and lost. Unfortunately 66 unhappy passengers were stuck on an hour flight to nowhere.

The annual survey of frequent fliers conducted by Seatguru.com is out and it doesn’t look so great for some domestic airlines compared to their international counterparts. About 1,600 frequent travelers (most of whom fly 8 or more times per year) were [...]]]>

Airline cabin -- where all the action happens. Pic by The Airline Blog

The annual survey of frequent fliers conducted by Seatguru.com is out and it doesn’t look so great for some domestic airlines compared to their international counterparts. About 1,600 frequent travelers (most of whom fly 8 or more times per year) were asked to rate their airline experiences.

When a domestic airline actually serves a meal, it is rated among the lowest. Meals on United Airlines, US Airways, and American Airlines fared the worst. The best were Singapore, British Airways, Air France, and Continental Airlines (the only U.S. airline to make the top 4).

American, United, and US Airways are seen again on the bottom for comfort in economy class seats, while JetBlue made it to the top of the list.

Unfortunately for American, United, and US Airways they also topped the list for “rudest flight attendants” while Singapore and Southwest Airlines made top marks.

Matthew Daimler, founder of Seatguru.com stated, “Domestic airlines have been making strides in recent years to better compete with international airlines, but it is clear that they still have a ways to go in the eyes of fliers.”

Other interesting results:
* 13% of fliers say they have knowingly transported banned items through secuirty
* When asked which celebrities a person would want to sit next to, 56% said none
* 42% are willing to shell out 10% more for more legroom
* 26% think the front of the plane is the safest, 17% middle, and 6% the back.
* 17% of travelers self-medicate before a flight

Cuts, cuts, cuts. Airlines cutting routes, planes, and people seem to dominate the airline news. However this cut, has a little positive spin to it.

In 2008 US Airways had to let go over 1,300 positions, something no company enjoys. With declining revenues, US Airways had to make additional cuts, but [...]]]>

US Airways tails.

Cuts, cuts, cuts. Airlines cutting routes, planes, and people seem to dominate the airline news. However this cut, has a little positive spin to it.

In 2008 US Airways had to let go over 1,300 positions, something no company enjoys. With declining revenues, US Airways had to make additional cuts, but didn’t want to resort to laying off additional people. Instead, the airline is asking flight attendants to volunteer to take 4 to 16 months off to allow the airline to save some cash.

The airline currently has over 6,600 flight attendants among their 33,000 employees.

I wasn’t able to find anywhere if the employees would be paid, so I contacted the kind folks over at US Airways. They stated that the leave is an “unpaid furlough”, but “flight attendants will be able to keep their flight privleges during the furlough.”

US Airways are not the only ones talking about future job cuts. Air France is looking at 3000 cuts, Delta 2000, American 1600, and on and on.

Part of me wonders how many of these cuts are needed and how many are these just an opprotunity to eliminate people at a time where it is becoming more and more accepted to lay off large numbers of hardworking people.