While crisis-hit Jet Airways is cancelling flight operations on many routes, airfares are expected to go up. The airline is now operating a reduced number of flights. The crisis has even worsened as the airline has failed to get any investor onboard to capitalise it to meet the operational expenses. Several international flights have been cancelled, as the airline failed to pay various charges. The airline has suspended international operations till Monday afternoon.
Besides Jet Airways crisis, the directive for the grounding of B737 Max aircraft has resulted in 15 per cent impact on the industry capacity, according to an IANS report. The additional demand due to the cancellation of Jet Airways flights and grounding of B737 Max aircraft is likely to propel the airfare upward.
The fares are expected to remain high in the near term, the report said. On the other hand, the capacity to cater to the customers has gone down.
The shortage of flights has definitely resulted in passenger inconvenience. If the capacity is not increased before the peak summer travel season, the situation may further worsen. Jet Airways reportedly has stopped forward bookings for some of its international sectors.
Watch this Zee Business video here:
However, IndiGo and SpiceJet will add aircraft to their fleets over the next few months. SpiceJet will induct 16 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft on dry lease to minimise passenger inconvenience, the airline said. The airline has applied to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a no-objection certificate (NOC) to import the aircraft. The aircraft are expected to join the SpiceJet fleet in the next ten days, which is subject to regulatory approvals.
My son is getting his PhD next month and I would like to fly my parents in from across the country for his graduation, but I have some concerns about the flights. My dad is 82 and has trouble walking long distances and uses an oxygen tank for his COPD. What airport or airline services are available to help elderly passengers?
— Proud Mother
Dear Proud,
Flying across the country can be exhausting for anyone, but for seniors with health issues or physical limitations it can be extremely challenging. Here are a few flying tips and a number of resources that can help.
Booking: When you go to book your parent’s flight, this is the time to make special requests that can help make the trip easier for your parents. You’ll likely need to make these requests over the phone.
For example, you may want to book preferred aisle seats in the front of the plane for easier access or bulkhead seats that provide extra leg room, and you should probably request a wheelchair or two with attendant(s) to maneuver your parents through the airports they will be departing from and arriving to, and if there’s a connecting flight in between.
If your parents don’t want a wheelchair, but want some help, ask about electric carts.
You also need to check with the airline regarding their policy for oxygen units for your dad. While the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits the use of personal oxygen tanks during flights because they contain compressed gas or liquid oxygen, they do permit certain portable oxygen concentrators.
Getting to the airport: If your parents need help getting to the airport there are various senior transportation options, depending on your parent’s location. To find out what’s available in their area visit RidesInsight.org.
Airport assistance: If your parents are flying on their own, most airports allow elderly fliers to be escorted to and from the gate by a non-traveling companion as long as they get a gate/escort pass, which he or she can get at the airline check-in counter by showing a government-issued photo ID.
But if no one is available to help your parents, find out if the airline can assist them when you call to book their flight. Some airlines offer special check-in and escort assistance to passengers that request it.
Or, consider hiring an independent company like Royal Airport Concierge Services, which will meet your parents at the curb, check their bags, expedite all check-in and security processes and escort them to a VIP lounge and the aircraft gate when they are ready to board. Costs typically range between $200 and $400.
If you parents need even more help, there are also a number of traveling companion services you can call on like FlyingCompanions.com and FirstLightHomeCare.com. These services will do everything including making the travel arrangements, accompanying your parents on the trip, and facilitating their needs along the way. Fees for these services will vary depending on what’s needed and travel costs.
Security and boarding: To help you parents get through security screening a little easier, the Transportation Security Administration offers special expedited screening to passengers 75 and older, as well as those with disabilities and medical conditions. This allows them to move through security without removing their shoes or jacket, and some airports may have a special line. Call TSA Cares at 855-787-2227 or visit https://www.TSA.gov/travel/special-procedures to learn more.
When it’s time to board, your parents can also take advantage of the airlines pre-boarding option for elderly passengers who need some extra time to get on the plane and get settled. And for getting off the plane, they can wait for the other passengers to disembark so attendants can assist them with carryons and escort them from the plane.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is seen in Los Angeles on July 30, 2015. (Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is seen in Los Angeles on July 30, 2015. (Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard took to the stage at a Hawthorne community center Saturday to mobilize more veterans against a $69-million deal to let United Airlines put its name on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — and to pitch a compromise.
“Removing ‘Los Angeles’ and replacing it with a corporate sponsor’s name is an insult to the veterans the Coliseum was built to honor,” Hahn told more than 100 people in the Hawthorne Memorial Center auditorium. “The Coliseum is hallowed ground. It should not be a marquee for sale.”
The appearance by Hahn and Rep. Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who is vying for the 2020 presidential nomination, came two weeks after United Airlines threatened to back out of the agreement with USC that has outraged critics including veterans groups and political leaders.
In an interview, Hahn said that a compromise she suggested, in which the field was renamed but the stadium retained its historic title, was gaining traction “in ongoing discussions among members of the Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission,” which oversees the structure.
At United, our aircraft routers, with support of Tech Ops and network teams were able to protect our customers’ original itineraries by using other aircraft to cover almost all of the MAX flights, including creative solutions like flying 777s and 787s on several MAX routes. That costs us money in the short term, since we obviously can’t sell all of those extra last-minute seats, but it was the right thing to do to take care of our customers.
Unfortunately for Collins, unknown to him at the time, the window in his hotel room wasn’t made of privacy glass. Thus, he was visible, in all his naked glory, to people standing in one of the terminals at the Denver airport.
“It’s very exciting,” Jeffrey Hoffman, an aerospace engineering professor at MIT, said of the successful test. But, he added, “they’re basically trying something that’s very new, pushing materials to extreme limits, and there’s a lot of unknowns in there.”
When you think about it, it’s pretty cool how fast we can get to other places around the world. So hey, here’s a big shout-out to all those rocket scientists and test pilots who made it possible — so many decades ago.
Yeah, decades ago. The big breakthroughs in jet engines happened over the second half of the 20th century, and quite a few decades have passed since we’ve seen any major upgrades. What gives?
There’s been some science hangups that have been keeping engines from getting faster, but maybe not for much longer. A group of scientists just successfully completed an engine test that, if applied to an actual passenger jet, could make the trip from New York City to London take under an hour.
Jet travel then and now
Jet air travel is nothing new, not by any stretch of the imagination. Let’s look at the highlights, so get ready for a brief history lesson.
Work on jet engines really got going in the late 1930s. About a decade later in 1947, test pilot Chuck Yeager achieved supersonic speed and broke the sound barrier over California. He became the fastest man alive when he passed Mach 1, or about 750 miles per hour.
Jets became common throughout the world, both for military and commercial flights. Then, the next big milestone came in 1976 with the debut of the Concorde.
Introduced into Great Britain and France passenger service, it had a cruising speed of about 1,350 miles per hour, or twice the speed of sound. It could make the trip from London to New York in about 3-and-a-half hours. Not too shabby.
Long story short, the planes got old, and maintenance costs kept rising while passenger numbers dwindled. The Concorde, along with commercial supersonic flights, ended in 2003.
BONUS: ARE ROBOTS TAKING OVER PILOTS’ JOBS?
Forget supersonic travel, it’s time for hypersonic
Just about everyone wants to get to their destination faster, and there have been a few pushes over the past few years to bring back supersonic passenger service. But forget supersonic, the future is about hypersonic speed.
Researchers at Reaction Engines in the United Kingdom have been working on new technology to get over the big hurdle that’s been keeping traditional jet engines from getting any faster than Mach 3. And that’s the fact that a lot of jet engines have the pesky habit of melting once they hit 2,500 miles per hour. You know, nothing major.
For their experimental Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), they managed to build a pre-cooler that simulated the speed of Mach 3.3, or just over 2,500 miles per hour – and hey, nothing melted! Take a look at a video about their SABRE technology:
What does it all mean? Reaction Engines said their SABRE engines are capable of Mach 5.4 (4,143 mph) in air-breathing mode. And that means you could get from New York to London in about 50 minutes or so. How cool would it be to cross the Atlantic faster than it takes you to get through a TSA checkpoint?
Future of the SABRE engine
The test was conducted at a facility in Colorado, and they’re planning more. But their work isn’t just about getting passengers from point A to point B on Earth. They’ve got big plans for space, too.
I mentioned that the SABRE could potentially hit Mach 5.4 in air-breathing mode. Put it in rocket mode for space flight, and you’re looking at Mach 25. That’s over 19,000 miles per hour.
Now for the bad news: Testing and development can take a long time. A really long time.
Although this is a promising breakthrough that could one day mean a quick trip across the pond, it won’t be happening anytime soon. Even Reaction Engines says this technology is decades away from use in passenger jets.
So if you were hoping to get to London in the time it takes you to watch one episode of “Game of Thrones,” it’s just not happening. But that’s good news if you’re behind, because you’ll be able to watch almost an entire season during your seven-hour flight. There’s always a silver lining, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
Creepy facial recognition technology coming to an airport near you
You’ve probably heard how scary China’s mass surveillance program is, but what if I told you some of those surveillance techniques were making their way to America?
It’s been another big week for air travel news in Europe.
This week JetBlue confirmed its long-rumored plans to expand into the European air travel market with the announcement of its first transatlantic routes, which will run from both Boston and New York – JFK to London starting in 2021. JetBlue said that it plans multiple daily flights on the two routes, and that it is still evaluating exactly which London airport to fly into. The carrier will operate the flights on Airbus A321 long-range aircraft, which will offer a “reimagined” version of its premium Mint product designed for transatlantic flights, as well as a transatlantic update of its core cabin product offering.
Also in Europe, this week marked the official launch of Air Italy’s new San Francisco – Milan service, just one week after the airline launched its new service between Milan and Los Angeles. The new flights out of San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday on Air Italy’s new Airbus 330-200 aircraft, offering 24 seats in the airline’s newly revamped Business class and 228 in Economy. From Milan, domestic connections will be available to destinations in central and southern Italy, including Rome, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Cagliari and Olbia.
Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit
Finally, this week American Airlines announced it will cancel a number of flights through June due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft after the tragic crash of one that had been operating Ethiopian Airlines flight. The move will amount to the cancellation of approximately 90 flights per day, American said. The airline’s customer reservations team will contact affected customers directly via email or phone, and, if a flight is canceled and a customer chooses not to be rebooked, they can request a full refund at aa.com/refunds.
After a lengthy flight delay on United Airlines, Joseph Baloun made a huge compensation request. He calculated that United Airlines owed him $10,000 in future travel credit for his unpleasant 16-hour delay.
But does United Airlines owe him anything at all?
If you’ve ever wondered what you can and can’t expect in compensation after an extended flight delay, then this article is for you.
A flight delay and a $10,000 compensation request
Baloun was on his way to Hawaii to celebrate his parents’ 20th wedding anniversary when his troubles began. When he arrived at the airport, he received an alert: The aircraft scheduled to transport him from Chicago to Honolulu was having “engine issues.”
“We were strung along all day by United from the original flight departure time of 10 a.m.,” Baloun lamented. “We didn’t finally take off until close to 2 a.m. — a 16-hour flight delay. This delay caused considerable challenges as the rest of our family left around 10 a.m. on another flight.”
Once Baloun finally made it to Hawaii, he began to wonder what United Airlines owed him for his inconvenience. After all, he reasoned, the lengthy flight delay caused him to miss one night of his vacation. It also forced him to cancel a planned tour of Pearl Harbor.
So Baloun set out to apply for the flight delay compensation for which he assumed he qualified. He composed his request and sent it off to United Airlines.
His aggravation about the flight delay only intensified when he received a response from customer service. The representative offered him a choice of compensation for his trouble: $250 in travel vouchers or 10,000 miles.
“I wrote back and shared the true impact this flight delay had on our vacation plans,” Baloun recalled. “United Airlines reconsidered and then offered me $450 in vouchers or 20,000 miles.”
Baloun then made one giant leap into the flight delay compensation stratosphere in his counter suggestion. He then asked for a $10,000 future travel credit with United Airlines.
Not surprisingly, United Airlines declined his offer.
So what does an airline owe you after a domestic flight delay?
Next, Baloun reached out to the Elliott Advocacy team for advice. He explained his reasoning for that extra-large flight delay compensation request.
“I asked for the $10,000 travel voucher given the excess delay and inconvenience to my entire family,” Baloun told me. “A day loss was huge given the investment we made in this vacation. We would love your expertise and thoughts on the latest offer.”
Baloun’s question is not unusual. Our advocacy team typically fields several of these “How much am I owed for my flight delay?” requests every day. And every time, we must break the same bad news about the state of required flight delay compensation in the U.S.
As disheartening as it may be, the answer is: If you’re flying domestically, the airline likely owes you nothing.
There are no federal laws that compel airlines to provide compensation after a domestic flight delay in the United States.
The bottom line is that it’s really up to your airline as to what it will offer you during a flight delay. Unlike in Europe, where passengers enjoy protections against cancellations and delays, domestic fliers in the United States aren’t so lucky.
To find out how your preferred airline chooses to handle delays, check its contract of carriage. While many airlines indicate that hotel vouchers may be provided for an overnight delay or cancellation, these aren’t guaranteed. And if the delay is due to the weather or the somewhat dubious “extenuating circumstances,” you won’t even qualify for that.
But no airline in the United States has spontaneously adopted a policy that offers cash compensation for flight delays.
What are your options during a U.S. domestic flight delay?
It comes down to this: During an extended flight delay on a domestic flight in the United States, a passenger has two choices:
You can choose to endure the delay. During that delay, you may (politely) ask airline employees if meal vouchers will be provided. If the delay is extended into the night, you can request a hotel voucher. Depending on the reason for the delay, the airline may offer its passengers accommodations. But this varies by airline and even by airport location within the same airline.
A look at the United Airlines contract of carriage includes vague language that it will provide lodging in some circumstances … except “When such interruption is due to circumstances outside UA’s control.” And the interpretation of what is outside of United Airlines’ control is left up to the airline.
Your second choice when you find yourself in an extended delay is to ask the airline to cancel your ticket. Depending on the airline, after a delay of several hours (again, check the contract of carriage for the specific number) you can ask for a cancellation and refund. Then you can find alternative transportation to your destination.
Often passengers contact us after choosing this second option and ask if the original airline should pay for the new flight.
The answer is no.
There are no regulations that compel an airline to pay for your new flight on another airline after a delay or cancellation. So keep that in mind when making alternative flight arrangements. The airline will only reimburse you for the cost of the original flight — not the replacement one.
But what about European delays?
Travelers in Europe are afforded a wide array of protections we don’t enjoy here in the United States.
EC 261 provides monetary compensation for extended flight delays. The regulation determines the cash compensation owed by a formula that considers both the length of the flight and the length of the delay. The top compensation is for a long-haul flight with a delay of 4 hours or more. That will result in a 600-euro reimbursement (Currently $681).
If you are traveling on a European airline from the United States or within the European Union, EC 261 applies.
It’s important to note that if you are flying to Europe on a non-EU carrier, EC 261 does not apply. However, on your return flight, your journey on that same carrier is protected by the regulation.
In addition to flight delay compensation awards, EC 261 also has provisions for food and lodging for affected passengers. So if you have an upcoming flight to, from or within Europe, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with EC 261 before takeoff.
How to increase your chances of receiving flight delay compensation
When you’re stuck in a flight delay situation, it’s easy to forget that you aren’t alone. But hundreds of others are likely suffering through the same discomfort — at the same time. Keeping that basic fact in mind can help you keep things in perspective, which is important when asking for flight delay compensation.
1. Know your passenger rights
The number one thing you can do to increase your chances of receiving any flight delay compensation is to understand your rights. You might want $10,000 for your inconvenience, but what does the airline actually owe you? Understanding your rights versus your wants will help you to adjust your compensation request and increase the chance of a favorable outcome.
Our advocacy team knows from experience that often consumers who approach a company with an outrageous or unreasonable request receive a quick rejection. Or sometimes, their correspondence gets no response at all.
Once you know your rights, you can adjust your request based on established policy. If you’re not owed anything and are simply asking for a goodwill consideration, your email should reflect that understanding. In many cases, airlines will offer future flight vouchers in the hopes of retaining you as a passenger. Those goodwill gestures should not be misconstrued as a settlement for a required compensation. They aren’t.
And regarding EC 261, U.S.-based airline employees aren’t always aware of its application. If you arm yourself with the facts, you’ll lessen the chance of missing out on compensation to which you’re entitled.
2. Make sure to keep your request short and polite
Since most U.S. domestic fliers aren’t entitled to any flight delay compensation, it’s critical to keep your request short and polite. Keep your cool, and never send a letter that announces your intent to never fly the airline again. This threat almost never results in a positive outcome for the passenger.
If you really never intend to fly that airline again, don’t bother sending this type of email — since most flight delay compensation in the U.S. comes in the form of future flight credit. But keep in mind that all airlines experience delays. And no U.S.-based airline has a policy of offering cash awards for your inconvenience after a delay.
A better strategy is to create a request that engenders a feeling of empathy in the reader. Airline customer service executives receive hundreds of complaint letters each week. In fact, if you’ve been delayed on a flight, there are likely other passengers from the same flight who are also complaining. And you want your letter to stand out — in a good way. By keeping your message concise and cordial and ending it with a reasonable request, you will significantly improve your chances of a favorable resolution.
3. Send your compensation request to the right person
While it may feel good to shoot your complaint straight to the top of a company’s leadership, this tactic often serves little purpose. Ironically, sending your email to the CEO of a company likely will delay your complaint about a delay. The more efficient problem solvers will send their letter to the executive customer service branch of the company. Those are the people who are trained to mediate customer complaints.
So start your complaint at the lower level of the airline. You can solve most problems there.
And if you’re looking for company contacts to get you started on a problem-solving mission, no worries. Our research director, John Galbraith, has you covered. He’s hard at work every day here maintaining our ever-growing Elliott Advocacy company contacts database.
The bottom line for this domestic flier
In the end, Baloun was forced to come back down to earth with his flight delay compensation request. United Airlines did not place a $10,000 value on his 16-hour delay. And, unfortunately, based on current U.S. airline regulations and law, its opinion is the only one that matters.
At United, our aircraft routers, with support of Tech Ops and network teams were able to protect our customers’ original itineraries by using other aircraft to cover almost all of the MAX flights, including creative solutions like flying 777s and 787s on several MAX routes. That costs us money in the short term, since we obviously can’t sell all of those extra last-minute seats, but it was the right thing to do to take care of our customers.
