Last month, Delta Airlines (DAL) accidentally posted prices of $20 to $90 for a variety of round-trip flights that otherwise cost hundreds of dollars. A New York to LA flight that normally sells for over $400 was priced at just $47, for example. A few lucky buyers got a huge bargain as Delta agreed to honor the mistakenly priced tickets. In September United (UAL) had a similar issue and the same kinds of glitches regularly show up on other airline sites as well as any of the myriad of Internet retailers that use automated pricing software.

There are web sites that monitor airfares and you can set alerts on routes you’re interested in. You have to jump VERY quickly as the fares disappear quickly. One good one is Airfare Watchdog.

Related: Airfare Reality Check: Are Five Major Airlines Really Better than Four?

An even better but harder to monitor place to find mistake fares is in discussion forums. For example, the flyertalk web site has a discussion forum dedicated to people who rack up huge amounts of frequent flyer miles. Members there look for cheap flights to qualify for the next rewards level and often post mistake fares.

On Twitter @theflightdea is just one of many accounts devoted to posting super low airfare prices.

Related: Top U.S. Airports to Be Stranded In During a Flight Delay

It’s not just airlines that make mistakes. You can find weird prices on all sorts of items. Some sites are devoted to finding both purposeful and accidental bargains like slickdeals.com. Again, searching the forums may provide the earliest tip off. People often post with “Possible PM” in their subject line (aka possible price mistake). Other sites with forums are Fat Wallet and Deal News. 

Related: Grounded Flights Stress Travelers but Not the Economy: Jeff Macke

There is some debate about the morality of buying and using mistake fares. Airlines don’t make huge profits and money lost on mistake fares may simply force higher fares overall. And some consider it stealing. So go ahead and burn the midnight oil searching for those mistaken fares — but you may hate yourself the next morning.

Delta, Alaska Air Group, Southwest and United all report earnings next week.

Don’t forget to follow The Daily Ticker on Facebook and Twitter (@DailyTicker)!

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• Delta Airlines

By Genevieve Shaw Brown
@gsbrownabc
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A Delta Connection flight attendant has been arrested at Kentucky’s Blue Grass Airport and charged with being under the influence while serving as a crew member on a flight.

Bray plead not guilty to the charge in Fayette County Court Wednesday.

Police told ABC affiliate WKYT her blood-alcohol was three times the legal limit.

According to court documents obtained by WKYT, Delta Airlines called for medical assistance for a report of a sick person at the airport on Tuesday. It’s not clear whether the sick person was Bray, but the officer who responded suspected Bray was under the influence of alcohol. At the request of a Delta manager, the officer performed a breathalyzer test.

Bray was taken to the Fayette County Detention Center. While in booking, officers found prescription narcotics throughout Bray’s property that were not in the original container.

Delta Airlines did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Update: Delta Airlines sent the following statement to ABC News:

“Delta is aware of reports of the arrest of a Chautauqua Airlines flight attendant for alleged public intoxication prior to the departure of Delta Connection flight 6095 from Lexington to Detroit late Tuesday afternoon. Delta will support any investigation by law enforcement in concert with Republic Airways Holdings, parent company of Chautauqua. Delta expects consummate professionalism from all parties who are entrusted with the care of transport of our customers, no matter which carrier may be operating their flight. ”

 

 

• 

I can board at JFK and within hours be at a villa by the sea or some beautiful location in Spain sipping my chilled glass of vino.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 16, 2014

El Sol Villas – Conde Nast Award winning Villa Rental Specialist and the leader in luxury villa bookings for Spain – announced that for the next 2 months of 2014 they will be featuring, on their website, all of their holiday villas in the Costa del Sol and Andalucia regions of Spain to coincide with Delta Airlines’ confirmation of its seasonal JFK-Malaga nonstop services commencing this June.

El Sol Villas offers a wealth of properties to anyone considering a vacation in Spain in 2014, however with Delta’s confirmation of its successful service it becomes child’s play to board in the USA and arrive fresh in Malaga ready for arrival at your dream destination within hours. No connections or hassles. Perfect for families or large groups of friends looking for the atmosphere and flavor of another country while minimizing the travel time.

“Delta’s announcement just makes Spain so accessible and attractive to our US clients,” said Mary Vaira, CEO of El Sol Villas. “This way, I can board at JFK and within hours be at a villa by the sea or some beautiful location in Spain sipping my chilled glass of vino.”

El Sol features a number of luxury villas throughout the Costa del Sol and Andalucia. Our villas accommodate small and larger groups of up to 24 people. This area has the best golf on the continent including the famous Valderrama, home of the Ryder cup in 1997. Additionally the Costa del Sol, an international resort area, is protected on its northern side by the coastal mountains and enjoys an idyllic microclimate.

About El Sol Villas

El Sol Villas is a woman owned and operated company located in Wayne, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. El Sol has been the recommended villa agent for Spain by Conde Nast Travel Magazine for the last eight years running.

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Jan. 16 (UPI) — A Delta Airlines flight attendant has pleaded not guilty to charges she was drunk just before her flight was scheduled to leave the Lexington, Ky., airport.

Police said Nancy Bray, 58, was found intoxicated and in possession of prescription drugs “in other than original container” when medical personnel responded to a call that a crew member was sick, WLEX-TV in Lexington reported Wednesday.

Bray was on Delta Connection flight 6095 to Detroit Tuesday night, which is operated by Chautauqua Airlines.

Police said Bray had an alcohol content of 0.258. The legal alcohol limit in Kentucky for commercial airline crew members is 0.04 percent.

She was charged with aircrew member under the influence and possession of a controlled substance not in its original container.

In a statement Delta said it would “support any investigation” of the incident. The company added it “expects consummate professionalism from all parties who are entrusted with the care of transport of our customers, no matter which carrier may be operating their flight.”

Bray bonded out of jail Wednesday night.

ATLANTA —
Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is now home to the first expedited security screening system in the Southeast.

Airport officials, the Transportation Security Administration and Delta Airlines officials opened the expedited screening program Wednesday.

Airport officials say the program will allow participants to wear their shoes and light outerwear during the security screening process. Those who enroll in the program will also be allowed to keep laptops in their cases and leave travel sized liquids and gels in a bag inside their carry-on.

The program is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who complete a pre-enrollment process online and visit an application center to provide basic biographical information. A five-year membership in the program costs $85.

Airport officials say the Atlanta system is one of six being launched nationwide.

SALT LAKE CITY — Delta Airlines plans to expand operations and services at Salt Lake City International Airport in the coming years, top executives told the Salt Lake City Airport Board Wednesday.

Over the next five years, the airline plans to increase its Salt Lake City capacity by 8 percent, up departures by 1 to 2 percent and make the airport an “all 2-class operation” by 2017, according to Delta’s formal presentation.

Delta Airlines President Edward Bastian went before the board to outline the plans.

Newly-minted Salt Lake City Airport Board chairwoman Natalie Gochnour, also the chief economist at the Salt Lake Chamber, suggested the move would only serve to improve the city’s and the state’s business prospects by making Utah that much more accessible and easy to visit.

Already, Salt Lake City’s airport is considered to be one of Delta’s primary hubs and a “gateway” to the Mountain West.

“I was shared data today that shows that we have a level of service that’s much more like a San Diego or a St. Louis and we are a much smaller metropolitan area,” Gochnour said.

According to the Delta plans, the airline intends to introduce new airports to Salt Lake City, including those in Milwaukee and Raleigh Durham. Gochnour said the schematic design for the airport’s rebuild was close to completion, and construction was expected to begin on the project by June — beginning with the new rental car facility.

That would be a later start than a timetable released previously by the Salt Lake City Department of Airports which called for the construction of that structure to begin in 2013 and conclude in 2014.

Gochnour said the formation of the new one-terminal alignment would take place over 10 years, and she didn’t expect anyone to begin using any of the new facilities until 2019.

“We’re going to have a brand new crown jewel of an airport,” Gochnour said. “It’s going to be great for our state.”

Travelers seemed optimistic about the changes.

Peter Vandenboom of Winter Haven, Fla., applauded the plan for the new design, as well as for Delta’s plan to give all flights in and out of Salt Lake City a first-class option.

“I would welcome that because I was just cramped because we booked last-minute tickets,” Vandenboom said. “I sat in the back and usually I like to sit up front.”

Jennifer Lauren evaded a lifetime ban from flying Delta Air Lines, after she was convicted of air rage.

At the final court hearing at Ennis District Court in Co Clare, Ireland, Lauren pleaded guilty to breaching the peace and being intoxicated.

She was fined €2,000 (£1,650).

Unusually, Delta Air Lines was not represented in court and did not request Lauren should be put on the airline blacklist for banned fliers. Ordinarily, a lifetime ban from an airline is routine in cases of air rage.

Delta Air Lines declined to issue a statement on the verdict, stating only that the airline did not tolerate disruptive behaviour.

Acording to the london Evening Standard, while Lauren had a local Shannon lawyer in court, her family also flew in their own legal team from New York, which worked discreetly behind the scenes to ensure the most serious charge was dropped and the least damage was done to the Lauren brand image.

She was smuggled in and out of the back entrance of the court and no information was submitted about her plans to fly back to the US — again an unusual occurrence in such cases.

Along with a vast personal wealth, Lauren’s uncle is worth an estimated $7.7 billion and was named as the richest man in US fashion by Forbes magazine last year. Her father, Jerry Lauren, is the executive vice president of menswear of the Lauren fashion empire.

The incident occurred on Monday, when Lauren verbally assaulted and pushed a member of the cabin crew. The defendant allegedly claimed her actions were a result of mixing alcohol and medication. In court, she admitted to being intoxicated to a point that she might have endangered herself or others on board the flight from Barcelona to New York.

Lauren verbally abused an air stewardess shortly after take off. The staff member noticed Lauren crying, who exploded into a furious tirade shortly afterwards.

The air hostess was reportedly told to “get the f**k out of my face” and called various crew members “fat blonde b*****s”.

Lauren was also physically aggressive, pushing an air stewardess who had tried to calm her down.

[ Business]

Delta Airlines is expected to spend $770 million over the next 3 years on a major interior overhaul to most of its planes. The airline announced Wednesday that it will install new seats and bigger bins on 225 of its planes within the U.S.

Delta said Wednesday that each of the new seats on the 225 planes will have electrical power to improve passenger comfort.

More seats will be fitted onto many of those planes including 10 more on its A320 planes, 19 more on its Boeing 757-200s and 6 more on its Airbus A319s.

By using a new seat technology called “slim-line”, more space will be created because the new seats will have smaller and lighter weight frames in both the front and back. The new kitchens, known as galleys, will also take up less space on the Boeing 757s. Also, a fraction of the 737s will have the number of their business-class seats reduced and the number of coach seats increased.

Delta’s spokesman Paul Skirbec said that the legroom on the planes will remain unaltered but the seats on the Airbus planes will be a bit broader.

Delta isn’t the first airline to retrofit its airplanes using slim-line technology, Southwest and American Airlines have already gone this route. Some will argue that the real reason for the overhaul is less about passenger comfort and more about profits. The new slim-line technology will allow more seats to be placed in the cabin. For example, an additional six seats to an economy cabin that previously had 140 seats could increase revenue by 4 percent or more. Also, lighter seats result in greater fuel economy. Southwest, expected to save $10 million a year on its fuel cost with the new design.

So what about comfort? 

“When designers think seat, they think butt, but the widest part of the body is the shoulders,” said Kathleen Robinette, a seasoned designer at the Air Force Research Lab.

In addition, Americans are getting bigger- their waistlines that is. Shrinking down seat size will be good for Delta’s bottom line but will likely result in many passengers feeling cramped and uncomfortable.

Slim-line Seating may not be so comfortable after all

Image via Wikipedia

Delta New Seats: Airline Says Passengers Will Have More Comfort. Really?
10 hours ago

Jan. 9 (UPI) — Delta Airlines is pouring millions into revamping some of its older planes, adding extra seat space, updating lavatories and improving in-flight lighting.

The airline will spend $770 million through 2016 to make improvements to their A319s and A320s and their 25- to 30-year-old 757-200s.

The A319s and A320s will get new, wider seats in coach, increasing rear-room from 17.2 inches to 18 inches. And while that might sound like an inconsequential amount, research conducted by the London Sleep Centre found that quality of sleep improves by 53 percent when seat width is increased from 17 to 18 inches.

Unfortunately, Delta is also making the new seats slimmer, so they can cram more passengers on each plane. The A319s and A320s will also get new overhead bins with larger capacity to boost carry-on space by 60 percent.

Delta will also update the LED lighting in cabins and giving the on-board lavatories a spruceup.

[Time]

Delta Airlines is to add a variety of new features to its narrow-body aircraft. And the main goal of the changes is the implementation of the comfort factor for its valued passengers.

Jan 9 2014, 7:47am CST | by Sumayah Aamir

Image Credit: Delta

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Delta Add New Seats

Several of Delta Airlines’ planes will get refurbished within the next two years. Over $770 million is to be spent on making the interior of the aircraft more customer-friendly. All sorts of inbuilt facilities will be available in the seats that are to be installed on board the aircraft. 

The Boeing 757-200 and 737-800 as well as the Airbus A319 and A320 are specifically to undergo the revamping efforts. Slim-line seats along with flexible headrests and modernized lavatories are just a few of the transformations that will occur at Delta Airlines. Rest and relaxation for the clientele are the ultimate goal of these measures which are being taken.

“We’re continuing to make smart long-term investments in our products and services to meet the expectations of our customers,” said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Chief Revenue Officer. “In just six years, we will have made updated to interiors throughout Delta’s fleet giving customers improved comfort and more options to work or relax and be entertained.”

The original blueprints for this reformation of sorts began about four years ago. The conversion of the seats into contraptions for sleeping purposes was especially seen to. As for the entertainment needs of the guests aboard the planes, they were also taken care of. And facilities to allow them to work while the aircraft is in the air are a fundamental change that has been made. 

Delta Airlines has access to over 165 million travelers on an annual basis. It has been nominated the planet’s favorite airline by Fortune Magazine. And as for its fine services, they span the globe and are virtually ubiquitous. 

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Sumayah Aamir
Sumayah Aamir (Google+) has deep experience in analyzing the latest technology trends.

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