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Frequent-flyer Flexibility on Alaska Air

This could start well a trend, one that will directly benefit flyers in search of flexibility. CheapFlights.com reports that Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can now redeem their miles for one-way passage anywhere Alaska Airlines and partner Horizon Air fly.

The move marks the first of its kind by a major United States carrier, affording flyers some attractive alternatives never open before. The new deal allows flyers to book one-way travel for half the mileage of round-trip awards. Case in point: fly intra-Alaska, say from Anchorage (ANC) down to Juneau (JNU) for 7,500 miles. On the wider-ranging Alaska route structure, fly to a US or Canadian destination for 10,000 miles on a Saver Award, and 20,000 miles on a Peak Award.

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Author asks, Can We Trust jetBlue?

"What you do has far greater impact than anything you say. You just can't talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into, and jetBlue just behaved themselves into a doozy," says leadership authority, Stephen M. R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust. "The truth is you can behave yourself out of problems and that is just what jetBlue's CEO, David Neeleman, is doing."

JetBlue has earned the benefit-of-the-doubt on issues of customer service based on their track record and credibility. "I am aware of at least one occasion where Neeleman personally drove to the New York Kennedy airport and checked passengers in on his own laptop," Covey said. "Interestingly, jetBlue is being held to a higher standard because of their reputation and outstanding customer service record." BusinessWeek reported jetBlue's average delay between February 13 and 15 was 230 minutes based on FlightStats, a travel data company, while Delta Air Lines' average was 205 minutes and American Airlines' was at 202."

Alaska Air Opposes Passenger Rights Bill

Officials at Alaska Airlines said they'll oppose any effort by the federal government to institute a national "Airline Passenger Bill of Rights," saying that the airline already has a "strong commitment in place" to take care of its passengers.

In the wake of reports of JetBlue passengers reportedly stuck on planes for more than 10 hours after a storm hit the East Coast last month, Congress is considering adopting a national Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.

But officials at the subsidiary of Seattle-based Alaska Air Group Inc. said no national mandate is needed and they'll join with the Air Transport Association and other airlines to oppose the "bill of rights" for passengers.

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What's New with Europe's Low-fare Airlines?

Travelers to Europe are often unaware of the many point-to-point bargain airlines that serve almost all major cities and many smaller cities. These airlines offer one-way tickets without the price penalties imposed by the major carriers. And, for North Americans going to Europe without a definite return date, only Aer Lingus offers low one-way fares from New York to Dublin. But, these low fare airlines, like Southwest, must be booked directly on company web sites. You will not learn about these low fares from your travel agent or online virtual travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity. Here's a good introduction to Europe's low fare airlines by SmarterTravel.com
-- Editor, PassengerNews.com

It's no secret that flying Europe's no-frills, low-fare airlines is a popular -- and cheap -- way to get around the Continent (and not just for the student crowd, either). The demand is such that more than 45 carriers have sprouted up to serve Europe. With the peak summer travel season just around the corner, now's a good time for a refresher on Europe's most popular low-fare carriers, and a look at what's new with each.

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Passengers Tired of Airlines' Waiting Game

Joel Connelly, a columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has grown tired of the empty promises from the airlines. But, he does have some good words for jetBlue.

"The come-on from United Airlines arrives in the mail each month, currently offering up to 26,000 bonus miles, plus the promise to waive the first year's annual fee, if I'll just sign up for its Visa card," Connelly writes.

"The airline can wait until hell freezes over, and then try me again," he says. "If it ever wants me back in the 'Friendly Skies,' United will have to restore the quality of its in-flight service and follow the example of JetBlue in offering a passenger bill of rights."

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Stranded Airline Passenger Is On Crusade

To understand the defining moment behind Kate Hanni's crusade for hapless airline passengers, you have to go back further than Dec. 29. That was the date when Hanni and her family left the San Francisco airport bound for Dallas and were stranded on the tarmac for more than nine hours, along with hundreds of other American Airlines passengers, because of violent thunderstorms sweeping across Texas.

Being stuck on a plane with little food, even less communication from the flight crew, overflowing toilets and anxious mothers using T-shirts as makeshift diapers for their infants made Hanni feel like a victim. And she'd felt that way before, nine months earlier.

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Canceled Flights Test JetBlue Vow to Customers

NEW YORK -- JetBlue canceled 68 flights because of snow Monday, testing the airline's pledge to compensate customers for more than 1,000 canceled flights during the Valentine's Day storm two weeks earlier.

However, the beleaguered carrier wasn't alone this time. Carriers such as Delta Air Lines and American Airlines also grounded flights to and from the Northeast.

JetBlue's cancellations at John F. Kennedy International Airport affected flights to or from Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Maine; and Chicago.

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Delta Expands SkyMiles Buy and Transfer

Delta Air Lines has expanded its Buy and Transfer Miles programs, enabling customers from around the world to purchase, gift and transfer miles online at delta.com.

Through a partnership with Points International, the Buy Miles program provides customers worldwide with opportunities to purchase miles for themselves or family and friends for as little as $30. The Transfer Miles program allows customers to transfer miles directly from one SkyMiles account to the account of another SkyMiles member. Both programs require a minimum of 1,000 miles per transaction.

Passenger Airline Employment Down 1.1 Percent

Washington, DC -- U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 1.1 percent fewer workers in December 2006 than in December 2005, the smallest decrease in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year since January 2005, according to a press release issued today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).