Posts Tagged ‘Airlines’

Thanks to reader Van in Anchorage for the heads-up on Delta Air Lines. If you’re traveling on a free ticket with Delta after Aug. 15, the carrier will add a $25 fuel surcharge. Sure, you paid for the tickets to get the freebie, including their fuel surcharges. But that’s not enough–they’re going to sock it to you one more time.

For international tickets, the upcharge will be $50 per ticket. 

There’s always been a special place in my heart for Delta. I pretty much avoid the airline at all costs. Pity the poor, hapless travelers in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. 

At least Delta’s not charging $2 for water like the losers at USAir. Yet. 

These carriers do offer an important benefit: lower fares. For travelers to/from Anchorage, having Delta and USAir flights in the market depresses the air fares for everyone. 

So, let’s all play nice and remember: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, whether you’re talking about geopolitical strategy or a competitive airline environment. That said, one must call a spade a doggone shovel when it comes to this nickel-and-diming strategy by loser airlines like Delta and USAir. 

Delta and Northwest announced they plan to merge their airlines. There is something in this merger for everyone to hate. Planebuzz.com’s Holly Hegeman sez Northwest’s pilots hate it because Delta’s pilots were bribed with a pay raise. Consumers should hate it because it will enable both airlines to trim service and hike fares. Investors should hate it because, instead of adding value, it’s simply perpetuating the losing proposition of the hide-bound legacy carriers. There’s a reason they’re called dinosaurs, after all.

Worse, this merger does nothing to address the systemic problems plaguing the airlines: sky-high fuel prices are here to stay. Labor costs continue to rise as real purchasing power lags in the face of the escalating cost of living. Regulatory nightmares abound, including everybody’s favorite: the TSA. And lately, the FAA has been finding new muscle to try and and get off its knees and enforce its procedures. 

So, here comes Delta and Northwest who attempt to solve the problems the old-fashioned way: form an anti-competitive trust to cram bad service and Shylock fares down the collective throats of millions of hapless travelers. Oh, there are several labor groups (particularly at Northwest) who have some choice words for this ill-fated match. Yep, it’s a marriage, of sorts. Made somewhere far south of here.

American Airlines continues to cancel hundreds of flights each day, effectively stranding tens of thousands of travelers. Because the cancellations involve safety inspections, there is no easy way around this mess–just be sure and check to make sure you’re not flying on any American Airlines flights. IMPORTANT: Some of your Alaska Airlines flights are operated by American Airlines because of “code-share” agreements. You have to go over your itinerary carefully to make sure no American segments are included. If they are–call Alaska Airlines to reschedule. MORE IMPORTANT: Oh, don’t bother calling American Airlines. They are not answering their phones. If you do happen to get through, you’re likely to get bad information from well-meaning people who simply don’t have the up-to-date bad news. Read William Allen’s take on the “AA-holes”. Let us pray.

Got a nice note from the folks at Condor reminding us that they offer nonstop service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to Frankfurt, Germany. We flew Condor last year–they do a great job. You’ll save a full day in either direction between Alaska and Europe–as opposed to traveling via the Lower 48. 

Here’s a brief rundown of their flight dates this summer:

Anchorage-Frankfurt: Tuesdays May 6-Oct. 7 . The return flight from Frankfurt stops in Whitehorse en route to ANC.

Anchorage-Frankfurt: Saturdays May 24-Sept. 27.  Nonstop in both directions.

Anchorage-Frankfurt: Sundays Jun. 1-Sept. 7.  Nonstop in both directions.

Fairbanks-Frankfurt: Thursdays May 22-Oct. 2. The return flight from Frankfurt stops in Whitehorse en route to FAI.

Here’s a big Condor 767 on the ground in Whitehorse. We flew with them to Frankfurt last year.

David Rowell writes: “Frontier Airlines has just filed for Chapter 11, but says it will continue flying its full schedule of flights. It says it needed to do this when its credit card processing company increased the amount of payments that it ‘holds back’ from the airline, messing up the carrier’s tightly stretched cash-flow.” Frontier offers seasonal service between Anchorage and Denver, starting May 5.