The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Airlines slapped with precedent-setting fines for tarmac delay

Continental Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines have been fined $100,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation for their roles in causing the passengers on board Continental Express flight 2816 to remain on the aircraft at Rochester (Minn.) International Airport for an unreasonable period of time on Aug. 8, 2009.

Continental also provided a refund to each passenger and offered additional compensation to acknowledge his or her time and discomfort. In addition, the department assessed a civil penalty of $75,000 against Mesaba Airlines, which provided ground handling for the flight, for its role in the incident.

These precedent-setting enforcement actions are the first enforcement orders punishing carriers for extended tarmac delays, as well as the first time a carrier acting as a ground handler for another airline has been punished for failing to properly help passengers leave an aircraft during an unreasonably long tarmac delay.

“I hope that this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will also use what we have learned from this investigation to strengthen protections for airline passengers subjected to long tarmac delays.”

The Aviation Enforcement Office’s investigation found that all three carriers violated the law that prohibits unfair and deceptive practices in air transportation for their respective roles in the incident, in which a Continental Express flight from Houston to Minneapolis/St. Paul operated by ExpressJet was diverted to Rochester due to bad weather in Minneapolis.
 
The aircraft reached Rochester about 12:30 a.m. and the passengers were stranded aboard the aircraft until approximately 6:15 a.m. when they were finally deplaned into the terminal.

In November 2008, the department proposed a rule to enhance airline passenger protections, including a provision that would require airlines to adopt contingency plans for lengthy tarmac delays and incorporate them in their contracts of carriage.  A final rule is expected by the end of this calendar year.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were the best and worst consumer experiences you had this week?

Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.

Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:

My best consumer experience: Ordering a birthday present through my new blog ad

My daughter’s birthday is coming up, so I worked hard to figure out how to post ads in the right hand column of my blog. I was successful before the deadline to mail the package.

It worked out well. My daughter sent gift ideas from REI, and I had just been approved as an affiliate for REI.

My worst consumer experience: Low-quality customer service from American Airlines

When I was traveling recently, American Airlines didn’t do a good job at Miami International Airport of managing their lines of customers.

There were two agents at the desk and three lines. In the center line, a large group of about a dozen people were slowing down the progress of the line to the left, the line I was in. The line to the right moved along steadily, even serving customers who had just walked up.

The agent said in a nonchalant voice that we could go across the room where other agent’s didn’t have any lines. I looked over my shoulder, and the lines there looked about the same length. People standing behind me went up to the agent to ask her what she’d said because they couldn’t hear her.

Finally, after waiting 15 minutes, I left to stand in another line. I complained to an agent who was directing passengers around the area. She apologized and helped me check in. She said it was noon and staffing was low. New staff would be coming shortly to help passengers, she added.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were the best and worst consumer experiences you had this week?

Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.

Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:

My best consumer experience: Receiving a Priceline coupon

Recently I wrote about trying to find a less expensive airline ticket. I searched the Internet for cheaper fares and coupons.

Disappointed, I gave up and ordered my ticket from Priceline.

As I was checking out, I was offered a coupon for 15 percent of the airline ticket if I joined Priceline’s Great Fun club. I signed up. The first month was free, and if you canceled your membership before the end of the month, you wouldn’t be charged the monthly fee for the club.

I’m happy to say that I finally received my coupon for $35.70.

I didn’t receive the e-mail I was to get containing the form to fill out. I had to call to obtain it.

Then I forgot to include my itinerary so I had to send the information in again. It’s a good thing I’d kept a copy of the original mailing.

My worst consumer experience: Eating airline food

The traffic was heavy when a friend drove me to the airport for a trip. I didn’t have time to buy lunch to eat on the plane, a traveling technique I’ve been using for a couple of years now. I arrived at the gate just as the plane was boarding.

I was stuck with the food I’d brought with me – organic almonds and hazel nuts – and airline food. Since I don’t eat sugar anymore or many carbohydrates, I bought the two items that I thought wouldn’t contain sugar – potato chips and mixed nuts.

When I arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, I had about a half hour to make my connecting flight. I was one of the last people to board the plane. I didn’t have time to buy dinner.

Since the flight was less than three hours, American Airlines only had snacks, no sandwiches. I bought Tostitos and salsa, which I ate with organic nuts.

I'd like to see the airlines would do something about the food they serve. It keeps deteriorating in quality and offerings.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What flight attendants can do to make me happy

The Consumerist recently had an article on “10 Easy Ways to Keep Your Flight Attendant Happy.”

Interesting topic, but not the one about flight attendants that intrigues me.

With the significant problems in airline industry it seems as though the attitude from flight attendants is that consumers are the enemy.

Here are six things I’d like flight attendants to do on a flight:

1. Answer the light within a reasonable time after I push it. It seems to take a half an hour or more to get a drink or headphones these days if you missed the attendants when they went by your seat.

2. Be polite. I’m a consumer who paid money for a ticket. I deserve to be treated with respect. If you’re mad at the airlines about your pay or schedule, don’t take it out on the passengers.

3. Serve drinks more often. People get dehydrated on airplanes. That’s why drinks are served. It’s a health issue.

4. Don’t wear tons of fragrance. It affects my breathing.

5. Check with the passengers to see how we’re doing occasionally rather than rushing through your duties so you can spend as much time as possible in the back of the airplane reading a book or knitting.

6. Read the safety script as it’s written, don’t substitute your own incorrect grammar.

That’s what I need on a flight. I don’t think it’s too much to ask. These days on airplane flights there’s such a minimal amount of customer service, it’s almost as though there aren’t any flight attendants and the customers take care of themselves.

Here’s the list of what flight attendants want passengers to do, from The Consumerist article.

10. Smile.

9. Don't hog the overhead compartment.

8. Keep the aisle clear.

7. Keep the demands reasonable.

6. Listen to the safety briefing.

5. Take your headphones off when ordering.

4. Be nice.

3. Appreciate what's left of the food.

2. Deal with dirty diapers yourself.

1. No touching.

Flickr photo

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Safe and dangerous airports

Which are the safest and which are the most dangerous airports?

In a Feb. 23, 2007 article entitled “America’s Most Dangerous Airports,” Forbes.com editors analyzed data for 452 airports and examined the size of the facility, numbers of takeoffs and landings, and severity of the incidents as categorized by the Federal Aviation Agency.

Since 2001, 108 travelers have died in ground collisions involving commercial airlines, the article reports. Many of the deaths occurred at highly congested airports.

Analysts blame congestion, weather, poor runway design, and pilot error. Many say the problem is only getting worse.

Topping the list of the nation's most dangerous airports are smaller fields relieving bigger congested hubs.

Here‘s the Forbes list of most dangerous U.S. airports:

1. North Las Vegas – 63 incidents, five serious
2. Charlotte Douglas International – 15 incidents, one serious
3. Long Beach, Calif. – 78 incidents, none serious
4. Phoenix Sky Harbor International – 49 incidents, three serious
5. Los Angeles International – 95 incidents, eight serious
6. Boston-Logan International – 53 incidents, two serious
7. Newark International – 36 incidents, three serious
8. Chicago-O’Hare International – 68 incidents, eight serious
9. Philadelphia International – 36 incidents, two serious
10. Daytona Beach – 15 incidents, four serious
11. Chicago Midway International – 14 incidents, one serious
12. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International – 14 incidents, four serious (no deaths)

City-Data.com provides this list of the 10 best airports in America:

1. Dallas/Fort Worth International
2. Kansas City International
3. Orlando International
4. Denver International
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul International
6. Atlanta Hartsfield
7. Seattle/Tacoma International
8. Houston Bush
9. Washington Reagan, Wash., D.C.
10. Pittsburgh International

CNN offers this list of the “World’s Worse Airports:”

1. Baghdad International
2. Indira Gandhi International
3. Lukla Airport, Nepal
4. Leopold Sedar Senghor International, Senegal
5. Los Angles International
6. London Heathrow, U.K.
7. Charles de Gaulle International, Paris

Here’s CNN’s take on the best airports in the world:

1. Hong Kong International
2. Changi International, Singapore
   
3. Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
4. Kuala Lumpur International, Malaysia
5. Munich Airport, Germany

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Which airlines are the safest?

Baby boomers enjoy traveling, so it's important for boomers to consider airline safety.

The airline industry contends flying on a large commercial aircraft is one of the safest forms of transportation.

Consumer groups argue more needs to be done to make air travel safer.

There were 0.2 fatal accidents per 1 million departures in the United States in 2008, compared to 1.4 per 1 million departures in 1989, reports LiveScience.com. A review of the statistics between these years shows an improving trend overall.

The following list shows the five safest airlines in America based on number of accidents per 1 million takeoffs, according to data gathered from the Federal Aviation Administration, MTSM, and the U.S. Department of Transportation and reported on Injury.com.

These numbers are the yearly average from Jan. 1, 2002 to Jan. 1, 2007:

1. US Airways (.89 accidents)

2. Southwest Airlines (2.59 accidents)

3. America West Airlines (2.96 accidents)

4. Continental Airlines (3.17 accidents)

5. Alaska Airlines (3.32 accidents)

Methods vary for comparing air travel to other forms of transportation. Some show cars are safer than airplanes. Others show the opposite.

For information on airline accidents, see the “10 Worst Accidents in North America” on Aviation Safety Network.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides a list of countries whose air carriers can’t initiate new service and are restricted to current levels of any existing service to the United States while corrective actions are underway.

The European Union maintains a list of airlines that are banned from serving countries in Europe.

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Here are more resources to help you evaluate airline safety:

“Accident and Incident Data” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From the Past 10 Years” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From More Than 10 Years Ago” -- Federal Aviation Administration

“Safest Airlines and Planes” – Frommer’s

“The Worst Airlines in the World” – HotelClub Travel Blog

“How Safe Are America’s Airlines?” – msnbc.com

“Airlines Record Safest Two Years” – eTN

My next post will be on "Safe and Dangerous Airports."

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Journalist

Comparing Airline Performance

As a boomer consumer, what’s your favorite airline? Why do you like it? Is it usually on time? Does it always handle your luggage correctly? Is the staff friendly?

Here is information from “Air Travel Consumer Report February 2009” comparing the performance of different airlines for January to December 2008.

Nineteen airlines are required to report information to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

The department’s Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings compiles reports from this information. The comparisons below are from this data:

Flight delays – Percentage of on-time arrivals

Three highest

1. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 90%
2. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES – 80.5%
3. US AIRWAYS – 80.1%

Three lowest

17. UNITED AIRLINES – 71.6%
18. COMAIR – 69.9%
19. AMERICAN AIRLINES – 69.8%

Mishandled baggage – Reports per 1,000

Lowest rates of mishandled baggage

1. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS – 2.87
2. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 2.97
3. JETBLUE AIRWAYS – 3.47 

Highest rates of mishandled baggage

17. COMAIR – 8.32 
18. ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES – 9.82 
19. AMERICAN EAGLE AIRLINES – 9.89

Oversales – Involuntary denied boardings per 10,000 passengers

Fewest denied boardings

1. JETBLUE AIRWAYS – 0.01 
2. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES – 0.07
3. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS – 0.34

Most denied boardings

16. AMERICAN EAGLE AIRLINES – 2.44
17. COMAIR – 3.41
18. ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES – 3.89

Consumer Complaints – Complaints per 100,000 enplanements

Fewest complaints

1. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES – 0.25
2. EXPRESSJET AIRLINES – 0.42
3. ALASKA AIRLINES – 0.45

Most complaints

17. DELTA AIR LINES – 1.80
18. UNITED AIRLINES – 1.85
19. US AIRWAYS – 2.01

How did your favorite airline rank in these listings? If you didn’t see it, check the report for details.

In October, the bureau began gathering data on tarmac delays. I didn’t include information on this because statistics for 2008 aren’t available.

For information on tarmac delays for February 2009, see this news release from the bureau.

FlyersRights.org, an air passengers' rights group, doesn’t think the bureau statistics on tarmac delays are accurate. 

In a report, the “2008 Real Air Travel Consumer Report Card,” the group said there were more than 1,200 tarmac strandings – in which passengers are locked in planes on the runways – in 2008.

The report card is based on government statistics, press reports, airline website data, FlyersRights hotline reports, and eye witness accounts provided by the group’s coalition members for the period from January 2008 through December 2008. (Click on 2008 Report Card on the left side of the Web page under “Events” to find the pdf report.)

In the FlyersRights’s report, Delta, JetBlue, American, US Airways, and Comair received the grade of "F" for tarmac delays of four-plus hours.

United Airlines and Atlantic Southeast got a "C." Alaska, Northwest, Frontier, Hawaiian, and Southwest received an "A."

My next posts will be on “Which Airlines Are the Safest?” and “Safe and Dangerous Airports.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Was airline performance better or worse in 2008?

How were your experiences with airline travel during 2008 as a boomer consumer?

Were more of your flights late or canceled? Was your luggage lost more times? Was the food – what little there is these days – worse?

A report from a federal agency shows that 19 airlines reporting data on performance improved in most areas during 2008 when compared to 2007.

On-time performance

The on-time performance of the nation’s largest airlines improved in 2008 compared to the previous year, according to the "Air Travel Consumer Report" prepared by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 76 percent for January through December 2008, up from 2007’s 73.4 percent rate, according to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of the department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

Mishandled baggage

For all of last year, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 5.26 per 1,000 passengers, an improvement over 2007’s rate of 7.05.

Bumping

In 2008, the 19 U.S. carriers had a bumping rate of 1.10 per 10,000 passengers, down from the 1.12 rate for 2007.

Complaints about airline service

For all of last year, the department received 10,643 air service complaints, 19.2 percent fewer than the 13,180 complaints filed in 2007.

Complaints about treatment of disabled passengers

For all of last year, the department received 474 disability-related complaints, down 2.9 percent from the total of 488 received in 2007.

Complaints about discrimination

For all of last year, the department received 115 discrimination complaints, up 16.2 percent from the total of 99 filed in 2007.

If you’ve had a problem with an airline, you can file a complaint in writing with the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20590; by voice mail at 202-366-2220 or by TTY at 202-366-0511; or on the Web at airconsumer.dot.gov.

If you want on-time performance data for specific flights, you can call an airline’s reservation number or a travel agent. This information is available on the computerized reservation systems used by these agents.

The Air Travel Consumer Report is available on the department’s Web site at airconsumer.dot.gov.

Reductions in airline delays and other improvements in 2008 are due to flight cutbacks caused by fuel prices and the economic downturn and the decline in passenger traffic, said U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel III in written testimony prepared for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation.

The testimony indicated that it's expected airline performance will decline again when air travel picks up and airports and flights become more crowded.

My next posts will be on “Comparing Airline Performance,” “Which Airlines Are the Safest?” and “Safe and Dangerous Airports.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Are discounts for airline tickets a myth?

This fall, I’ll be visiting my daughter in Miami.

It’s time to sign up for an airline ticket, so I thought I’d spend some time on the Web to see if I could find a way to get a cheap ticket.

I know you need to be a wise consumer and start early to get a good price. The longer you wait the more the price goes up.

I called American Airlines and the cheapest ticket they had for dates and times I wanted to travel was $300. My goal was to beat that price.

I began by checking Expedia.com, Cheapflights.com, Orbitz.com, Cheapoair.com, Cheaptickets.com, and Travelocity.com.

The flights on American were consistently $20 less, which is the $20 booking fee that American charges if you call to make a reservation.

If I’d been willing to take a “red eye,” I could have purchased a ticket for about $30 less.

Next I tried coupons. I started out with coupon sites I’d listed in my post “Opportunities Abound for Baby Boomers to Cut Costs With Internet Coupons” because I knew they were reputable sites.

I tried RetailMeNot.com and Coupons.com. I was hopeful when I saw a 10 percent off coupon for American Airlines on RetailMeNot.com. A reviewer said he’d obtained the discount 18 days ago.

But alas. The promotional code didn’t work when I tried to buy a ticket.

Then I found a note on RetailMeNot.com and another coupon Web site that stated American Airlines and another airlines had requested all coupons for the companies be removed.

Next I did a search for an airline coupon on any site. Some sites merely take you to the Promotions section of airline Web sites.

I didn’t find a coupon and even ran across several coupon sites that were considered “dangerous.”

I checked the rewards program for my credit card, but I haven't accumulated enough points to receive a reduction on my ticket. The Safeway rewards program was closed on the weekend, so I couldn't check my point total.

I tried Priceline.com, Yahoo! Travel, AOL Travel, and a consolidator. Same $280 price.

After several hours on the computer, I decided to give up. I put a ticket on hold for $280 through the American Airlines Web site.

The next day, when I went buy the ticket, I discovered that I’d made a mistake. I’d signed up to go on a Tuesday when Wednesday was the day I wanted.

I had to start over.

I decided to get the ticket through Priceline.com. Although I had to leave an hour earlier, I was still able to get the $280 price.

After I completed the details for buying the ticket, a window popped asking if I’d like a 10 percent discount. I laughed and clicked on it.

Priceline said it would upgrade me to a 15 percent discount if I’d join their Great Fun club. I agreed. Membership is free for the first month and $12 a month after that unless I cancel.

I’m to receive a Cash-Back Claim Form that will be e-mailed to me within 72 hours.

We’ll see how that works, whether the form is sent and the check received.

Have you been able to find discount coupons for airline tickets? If so, let me and my readers know where to locate them.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

High-income earners moving their businesses to resort towns

It’s appealing to many baby boomers these days.

Move your business to Florida, Colorado, Nevada, or Wyoming, resort towns and ski areas that once were seen as places to vacation or build your second home.

The Internet, wireless technology, and the availability of airline flights are making it possible for high-income earners to move from city centers to fabulous vacation spots.

Personal income data released in April by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows tourist towns are becoming more wealthy, the Associated Press reports.

Here are the top 20 high-income counties in the United States, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis:

1. Teton County, Wyo. – $132,728
2. New York – $120,790
3. Loving County, Texas – $99,593
4. Pitkin County, Colo. – $93,465
5. Marin County, Calif. – $91,483
6. Fairfield County, Conn. – $81,576
7. Westchester County, N.Y. – $74,878
8. San Mateo County, Calif. – $71,753
9. Morris County, N.J. – $71,713
10. San Francisco, Calif. – $71,342
11. Somerset County, N.J. – $70,949
12. Alexandria, Va. – $70,632
13. Arlington County, Va. – $68,270
14. Fairfax County, Va. (includes Fairfax City and Falls Church) – $67,909
15. Montgomery County, Md. – $67,525
16. Bergen County, N.J. – $67,125
17. Hunterdon County, N.J. – $66,449
18. Sully County, S.D. – $64,352
19. Blaine, Idaho – $64,207
20. Collier County, Fla. – $63,276

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist