Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Bailing Out on Spirit

It looks like the airline that brought us all these crass commercials and promotions is losing a top investor, the chairman of the board and a director who are selling out of Spirit Airlines and investing in Frontier Airlines. 

Known for its condescending attitude towards its travelers, and sky high service fees, Spirit Airlines managed to cross the line few times with splashy promotions such as "Many Islands Low fares" AKA "M.I.L.F." and "Check out the oil on our beaches" with suggestive photos.

Friday, July 26, 2013

That Plane is Smoking Hot

Advanced design, sleek, ultra-modern, fuel efficient, singed wires?  Overheated emergency beacons?What else could go wrong with the "dreamliner"?

After being grounded many months for battery-related issues, wiring is the new problem for many airlines flying the 787's.  Qatar Airways grounded a plane last Sunday due to smoke at Doha Airport.
Many other recent incidents led to several delays, more groundings and emergency landings.

Boeing should perform a top to bottom comprehensive safety re-evaluation on the state of the art aircraft before we see smoke coming out of the ears of airline CEO's who are beginning to lose patience with this aircraft.
www.premieretravel.com


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

British Airways Tagged by DOT

British Airways agreed to pay a penalty for deceptive practices on its website.  Passengers who tried to prepay baggage fees at a discount received a "system not responding" message.  The impacted passengers had purchased their tickets through travel agents and third parties.  British Airways was charged with unfair and deceptive practices and agreed to pay a fine of $40,000 and refrain from repeat practices. www.premieretravel.com

Sunday, July 21, 2013

TSA Expands TSA Pre✓™

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced plans to expand eligibility and use of theTSA Pre✓™ program which will allow U.S. citizens the opportunity to apply for expedited screening without a passport.
When available, the application will be a two-step process:
This is a step in the right direction for TSA that should help travelers an screening expedited process.
  1. Fill out an online application.
  2. Verify identity and provide fingerprints at a TSA Pre✓™ enrollment center.

Applicants may pay the anticipated $85 enrollment fee online, or at an enrollment center. There is a five-year term of eligibility, after which members will need to re-apply. TSA expects the vetting process to take approximately 2-3 weeks. A U.S. passport is not required to enroll. The first two enrollment locations, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Indianapolis International Airport (IND), will open in fall 2013 with plans to expand to additional enrollment sites nationwide.

Applicants receive a confirmation letter via U.S. mail. Approved applicants are issued a ‘Known Traveler Number’ to be used when booking travel. Passengers enter their Known Traveler Number (KTN) in the ‘Known Traveler Field’ when booking their travel reservations. Passengers may also enter their KTN to their frequent flyer airline profiles, where it is stored for future reservations.

Current TSA Pre✓™ participants, including those eligible via a CBP Trusted Traveler Program such as Global Entry, will continue to receive TSA Pre✓™ eligibility. Participants who opted-in through their airline frequent flyer program may want to consider applying for TSA Pre✓™, as they are more likely to be selected for TSA Pre✓™ expedited screening more often if they are vetted via the TSA Pre✓™ application process.