 From the moment you book your plane ticket (want to select your seat in advance? That’ll be $10, please) to the day you roll up to the check-in counter and shell out $50 for your checked bags, the airlines leave no fee unturned. And this past weekend, most major U.S. airlines found yet another way to line their pockets at the expense of the flying public.
On Friday, Congress failed to pass legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. As of Saturday, FAA-funded construction projects have been put on hold, all non-essential employees have been furloughed and — most importantly for fliers — the agency has lost the ability to collect various taxes that normally go along with the purchase of a plane ticket.
Hurray! Cheaper airfare for everyone, right?
Well, no. Instead of passing the tax savings on to travelers, most major airlines are raising their fares to offset the cost of the taxes — and pocketing the difference. The Associated Press reports that American, United, Continental, Delta, US Airways, Southwest, AirTran and JetBlue have all increased their fares, typically by about 7.5 percent.
According to an earlier AP report, “Passengers who bought tickets before this weekend but travel during the FAA shutdown could be entitled to a refund of the taxes that they paid, said Treasury Department spokeswoman Sandra Salstrom. She said it’s unclear whether the government can keep taxes for travel at a time when it doesn’t have authority to collect the money.”
Editor’s Note: On August 5, the IRS announced that passengers will not be getting refunds for taxes paid during the FAA shutdown after all. You can read the IRS statement here.
There are a few airlines out there that are giving travelers a break, including Virgin America, Frontier, Alaska and Spirit. Yes, that’s the same Spirit we wrote about a couple of weeks ago as one of the ugliest airlines in the industry. But hey, we can give credit where it’s due. It’s nice to see Spirit making the customer-friendly choice for once.
As for the big guys, shame on them. Really, it’s no wonder we hate the airlines.
– written by Sarah Schlichter
Does a woman with stage IV breast cancer hoping to die in her Korean homeland belong on the no-fly list? Earlier this week, Seattle-based Northwest Cable News reported that Korean Air had barred Crystal Kim from flying out of Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport over the weekend — even though Kim presented clearance from doctors and was traveling with her daughter. Ms. Kim has rebooked with Delta and is hoping to make the flight today.
Editor’s Note, May 13, 2011, 11:35 a.m.: MSNBC reports that the Kims did indeed fly yesterday, and that Delta upgraded them to first class.
Korean Air technically has the right, as do all air carriers, to deny passengers if they’re determined to be too sick to fly. The airline said it feared Crystal could die onboard and traumatize other passengers.
Here’s the video report from Northwest Cable News:
While Ms. Kim’s sad story may have something of a positive outcome, you may or may not be surprised at who — and what — else has issues getting airborne:
- Bulldogs: Delta announced in February that it would no longer carry American, English and French bulldogs. As the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported, it seems that a disproportionate number of these flat-snouted, respiratory-issue-prone canines were dying in flight.
- Pregnant Women: Not all policies are the same, but most airlines restrict women in late-stage pregnancy from flying without a note from a doctor, a special examination from an obstetrician, clearance from an airline’s special assistance team or all of the above. There’s often a distinction between flying on domestic and international flights, so check individual policies.
- The Contagious or Comatose: While Ms. Kim’s disease was obviously not contagious, there are other ill passengers airlines can bar from flying. Those carrying a contagious disease or other infections — flashing back to 2009, H1N1, for instance — should always check carrier rules before boarding. Not surprisingly, an airline can also bar a passenger from boarding if he or she is comatose; passengers must be able to follow emergency procedures.
– written by Dan Askin
 Is there something in the air? In this instance, the answer is yes. In the past few days, we’ve noticed a spate of reports regarding air travel that have left us overjoyed, irked or just plain exasperated. Let’s start with the exasperating one first and work our way down to a little good news.
Something’s not kosher here.
EasyJet, a budget airline based in the United Kingdom, has apologized to passengers bound for Israel after it mistakenly loaded a pile of pork products onto the aircraft. According to the Jewish Chronicle, passengers were offered “ham melts and bacon baguettes” during the flight, which originated in London. Other news outlets added that the airline normally serves kosher and vegetarian sandwiches on flights to Israel.
You wanted to go where?
An 80-year-old wheelchair-bound woman was inadvertently allowed to board a flight bound for Charlotte, N.C., when her destination was actually Dulles International outside of Washington D.C. The CNN report says the woman “allegedly received someone else’s boarding pass from a Delta Air Lines employee,” and then somehow made it through security and into the air with the mismatched ticket. The woman, who’s from Ethiopia and speaks no English, was reunited with her family on Sunday evening, hours after she arrived at the wrong destination. The airline and the TSA are investigating.
Well, we knew this was coming.
USA Today is warning travelers that the sudden rise in oil prices and increased overall demand for fewer seats will most likely lead to higher fares for both business and leisure travelers. It quotes airfare expert Tom Parsons as saying, “The higher the fuel goes, the more you’re going to have to pay. We could see another round of fare hikes very soon.” He says if you see a good sale for a summer fare, jump on it.
And, finally, some good news.
If you’re worried about whether you’re going to arrive safely once you set foot onboard a jet, an AOL Travel dispatch on a recent International Air Transport Association report should help put your mind at ease. “Airlines flying Western-built jets globally had the best safety performance in 2010 in the history of aviation, with only one crash per every 1.6 million flights,” it says, adding that “2.4 billion people flew safely in 2010 on 36.8 million flights, 28.4 million on jets and 8.4 million on turboprops.” There were 17 major crashes last year, compared with 19 in 2009; however, when Eastern-built jets are included, the overall number rises to 94 accidents — compared with 90 the previous year.
– written by John Deiner
 Delta Air Lines evidently doesn’t want you to know about a certain travel jacket that transforms passengers into walking carry-on bags. The airline refused to print an ad featuring the 24-pocket fleece jacket by SCOTTEVEST/SeV Travel Clothing, which had been submitted for Delta’s in-flight magazine, Sky.
The ad, pictured here, shows an X-ray view of a travel jacket that has various items — passport, iPad, iPod, pen — stuffed into a multitude of pockets. Note the headline: “The Most Stylish Way to Beat the System, SCOTTEVEST Travel Clothing Has Specialized Pockets to Help You Stay Organized & Avoid Extra Baggage Fees.”
According to SCOTTEVEST C.E.O. and founder Scott Jordan, who’s been posting video commentary on this issue on his YouTube channel, Delta claims to have rejected the ad for two reasons. First, the “How to Beat the System” headline coupled with the image of an X-ray jacket implies that the “system” travelers are beating is the airport security system. Second, Jordan says the airline deemed the ad misleading because the jacket doesn’t actually help anyone save money on baggage fees, as each Delta passenger is entitled to one free carry-on bag.
Scott Jordan begs to differ. He argues that passengers can pack in their travel jackets what they would have otherwise stowed in checked bags, consequently saving them an extra piece of luggage in some cases. And, of course, this jacket is not designed to thwart airport security, says Jordan. Check out his response:
According to Tnooz, a Delta spokesperson released this statement: “Our discrepancy with this particular vendor was strictly based on creative standards. Delta and MSP Communications, publishers of SKY magazine, reserve the right to decline advertisements which do not appropriately represent Delta Air Lines or the travel industry.”
Whether or not Delta truly rejected the ad because of “creative standards,” the airline has gotten caught up in a blaze of bad publicity, fueled — in part — by Jordan’s clever promotional tactics. (SCOTTEVEST is the same company that paid for travel writer Rolf Potts to trek around the world with no bags and just an 18-pocket jacket, as we previously reported in our blog).
Ultimately, Scott Jordan — just like Delta — is making money from this modern epidemic of airline baggage fees. If we didn’t have to pay 50 bucks to check a bag, we probably wouldn’t need a 24-pocket travel jacket that sells for $140. Is Scott Jordan looking out for the little guy, or is he simply a shrewd C.E.O. taking advantage of public opinion to sell his product?
–written by Caroline Costello
 Now travelers can book a flight on the same social networking site where they update their status, connect with friends and post photos of their pets’ silly antics.
As of Thursday, Delta is the first airline to allow passengers to book flights directly on Facebook. Fliers can purchase tickets through Delta Ticket Window, a tab on Delta’s Facebook page, without clicking away from the popular social networking site.
In a press release posted on the Delta Web site, the airline boasts, “Delta’s Ticket Window allows any of Facebook’s 500 million users to complete a full travel booking using a dedicated ‘tab’ at facebook.com/delta without navigating to delta.com.”
While I’m certainly impressed by Delta’s trendiness and technical prowess, I must admit I’m a bit underwhelmed by this new development — and it looks like I’m not the only one. Facebook user Scott Hilton commented on Delta’s Facebook page, “Cool, now [I] can book a flight that won’t get in on time from here!”
Of course, Delta is arguably no less reliable than any other airline. But does the option to book flights on Facebook really improve our overall air travel experience? When fliers have to put up with an overkill of inconveniences from sky-high baggage fees to shoddy customer service, and flight attendants are pulling the emergency chute and jumping off planes, just how significant is the ability to buy a flight without navigating away from Facebook? Tell us what you think!
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