FlyersRights Needs Your Help! 9-29-11

Click here to contribute to FlyersRights.org! www.flyersrights.org Houston, We Had a Web Problem As so many of you know, we had a fatal problem with the Flyers Rights Education Fund links in yesterday's mailing. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and regret that the internet gremlins picked yesterdays message to attack us. The links are now working! Please, all of you who so graciously tried to donate to Flyers Rights Education Fund yesterday, try the link above or any of those in the message below! Those of you who use your bank's Bill Pay feature can also send one time, or, better yet, recurring donations to us. You'll have automatic documentation for your tax write-off, and every dollar will go to FlyersRights because we won't have to pay the PayPal administrative fee. Here's the info: FlyersRights Education Fund 159 Silverado Springs Drive Napa, Ca 94558 (707) 337-0328 We will, of course, also send you a thank you letter. Again, we sincerely apologize for the error and thank you all for your support! Every now and again, we ask you for financial help because unusual financial situations have arisen. Your generosity has been very helpful in keeping us afloat. The fact is, though, that Kate and her family have carried us through crisis after crisis when your help was simply not enough. That has actually been the case more often than not, and they have poured tens of thousands of dollars into FlyersRights. The problem, loyal FlyersRights supporters, is that Kate and Tim will not be able to do that anymore. They have sacrificed so deeply for our airline passenger rights that they are now facing loss of their home. They have chosen to go public with this tragedy because they are now immersed in the indescribable nightmare facing so many hardworking Americans. The banks won't even talk to people in trouble until those people have defaulted on their loans, shattered hard-earned credit ratings, and placed themselves in absolutely desperate circumstances. Kate and Tim have done that, and still Bank of America is subjecting them to the same bureaucratic runaround millions of Americans have had to deal with over the last few years. Take a few minutes to read the AOL story: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2011/09/08/mortgage-mod-hell-trapped-between-lenders-collectors/ Make no mistake. This problem is not diverting Kate from her focus and passion of the last four years. The injustice of the loan system in no way diminishes her commitment to our cause. A while back, San Francisco Chronicle writer George Raine published "One Woman's Fight or Flight Response," an article that explains exactly why FlyersRights exists and vividly illustrates the determination and tenacity Kate has brought to this fight, and shares insights that help you understand her devotion to the cause of airline passenger rights . http://www.aolnews.com/2009/12/22/once-stranded-passenger-fighting-for-fliers-rights/ We need your help, and we need it now. The usual quarterly "perfect storm" of expenses will hit shortly, but more than that, we need to remove all financial burden from Kate and Tim's lives. Kate is the founder, driving force, and inspiration for FlyersRights, and we owe her everything we can give. In this time of crisis, we have a new donation vehicle. The Flyers Rights Education Fund is our 501(c)3 arm, providing the education and passenger support activities that are such a big part of what we do for our 33,000 members. By donating to the Flyers Rights Education Fund, you not only assure those services' continuation, but you receive a write-off for your next tax return! The more you donate, the more you can write off. You can also send checks to either FlyersRights.org or Flyers Rights Education Fund at 159 Silverado Springs Drive Napa, CA 94558 In 2007, Kate and a group of FlyersRights volunteers brought the issue of airline passenger rights into the national spotlight with an event they called the Strand-In. On the National Mall in Washington, DC, they constructed an aircraft cabin and invited the press and members of Congress to experience a tarmac stranding. Remember, Kate has been your very public voice for over four years. Here's a sampler of her appearances: Kate Hanni Media Sampler Keep Kate in the public eye with contributions to FlyersRights or the Flyers Rights Education Fund. Here's another great appearance, this time on Geraldo's show: Kate Hanni - Geraldo.wmv Help Kate make appearances on national news shows with contributions toFlyersRights or the Flyers Rights Education Fund. She stands with our Congressional champions, such as Rep. Mike Thompson, to advance our cause. In this video, she publicizes the research and reporting we do to produce our annual Airline Report Card: Kate_Hanni_flyers_rights_report_card_2011-02-15v2.mov Assure that Kate is walking the halls of Congress for us with contributions toFlyersRights or the Flyers Rights Education Fund. Beyond her hundreds of TV appearances, Kate talks to countless radio and print media reporters every week, with a body of interviews now numbering over 4,000. Here's a sampler of recent interviews: Canada.com http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/31/BUIFR9TN22.DTL USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/story/2011-09-19/Airlines-see-revenue-increase-from-fees/50469608/1 Huffington Post Blog Spot http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-hanni/the-big-flaw-in-airport-s_b_968916.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-hanni/spirit-airlines-hits-new-_b_961280.html SmartMoney.com How to Get More Respect on an Airline Friends, Kate has been there for us, and now we need to be there for her. Your generous donations, either to FlyersRights.org (non-tax-deductible) or to theFlyers Rights Education Fund (tax-deductible), will lift this financial burden from Kate and her family and help us return the dedication she has shown to us over the last four years. Please, do what you can, and do it now. Monthly subscriptions are a great help to us, because they provide predictable income, but your one-time donation will be a wonderful contribution to this effort. Finally, to the hundreds of you who responded to our urgent call to action on the DOT's ancillary baggage fee Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, THANK YOU. We are, by far, the largest responding group on this issue, and the DOT will hear us.

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Profiling Gone Wrong 9-20-2011

Changing Tone of TSA FlyersRights Helps with EU Claim What Kate's Saying Correction Profiling Gone Wrong By now, many of you have seen the story of Shoshana Hebshi, a Jewish-Arab American, who was taken off a flight at Detroit's Metro Airport on 9/11. The link is her blog post about the incident, and most news outlets reported it as well, including MSNBC. In short, a nervous 9/11 traveler on board reported her seatmates, not her, as suspiciousbecause of frequent lavatory trips during the flight. On landing, the aircraft was parked in a remote spot and armed authorities boarded, removing the two men in question and Shoshana, who had nothing to do with either of the men. She was cuffed, questioned, strip searched, and detained for four hours. Every passenger on the flight was questioned. We're not going to address the obvious outrage of this incident. Instead, let's talk about its implications. How could this have happened? If, as the TSA insists, their checkpoint procedures are effective, then why did an airport's security apparatus and the FBI react so forcefully? If they are not (and they're not), then it is time to change the procedures, now! FlyersRights advocates finding the bombers, not the bombs. The time to do that is not at the end of a flight, but before the aircraft leaves the ground. Profiling that identifies potential bombers-profiling that has nothing to do with ethnicity-must be a part of the defense, not a random, knee-jerk reaction to unsubstantiated allegations. The unfortunate victims on this flight were guilty of nothing more than Flying While Brown. Since 9/11, ignorance and misguided paranoia have combined to inspire senseless hate crimes all over America against people who wish only the same peace and safety all Americans desire. This was not a hate crime, but another manifestation of the unreasoned fear that has infected this country since that fateful day. Shoshana's ordeal illustrates the fundamental failing of current air travel security measures-they rely on procedures that trample the Constitution. Unlimited power is routinely bestowed on people of limited capability. This incident was triggered, not by the TSA, but by local airport security personnel. An entire airplane load of people was needlessly detained, and three innocent people were subjected to unconscionable indignities and humiliation. If any of us are swept up by these people with unlimited power, there is nothing we can do. We have no protection whatsoever from the same jail cell and strip search that Shoshana endured. Do you think "it can't happen to me?" According to the MSNBC article, there were 50 similar incidents across the country on 9/11/11. We can only fix this problem by implementing real security and eliminating Security Theater. Read on. Changing Tone of TSA FlyersRights has been in the forefront of protest against the current security measures implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Of course we want secure air travel, but we demand measures that are effective, safe, constitutional, and consistently applied. Current procedures miss the mark 6 Year Old Girl Groped By TSA But the tone at TSA is changing, if slowly and in halting steps. Last week, they announced that child screening procedures will change "soon." Another word to describe this would be "mostly." Children under 13 will not be routinely required to remove their shoes, and will not be subjected to intrusive pat downs that touch private areas of their bodies. However, DHS Secretary Napolitano said that some children will still need to remove their shoes to keep the process somewhat random. Pat downs will be replaced by marching the kids through metal detectors or body scanners several times "to capture a clear picture" and by using more trace detection tools. No mention is made of "mostly" with regard to pat down replacement, and FlyersRights sincerely hopes that TSA will not randomly touch our children in areas we all teach them to never, ever let anyone touch them. Each intrusive child groping is a victory for the terrorists. As Kate told CheapFlights.com, better late than never. Beyond this change, we've already reported on changes such as the coming "Trusted Traveler" programs and a pilot program to find the bombers, not the bombs. In addition, in spite of EPIC attempts to stop further body scanner deployments, TSA is procuring another 300 of the Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines. However, these machines use millimeter wave technology, not the much more dangerous X-Ray technology of Rapiscan's machines. TSA is also installing new software on the millimeter wave machines (but possibly not the X-Ray machines) that eliminates what they delicately call "passenger-specific images" (meaning electronic strip search) with a cartoon-like image. FlyersRights supports TSA efforts to return some sanity to our air travel experience; however, these programs are either pilots or have extended roll-out schedules. We have a number of questions. If a new procedure is a good idea, why not just do it? Why are extended roll-out schedules necessary? A year ago, TSA insisted the X-Ray machines were far and away the best AIT technology, yet their new machines will be millimeter wave, despite evidence that the whole body scanner idea is ineffective. If X-Ray machines are not absolutely necessary, why not replace them with millimeter wave machines sporting the cartoon images? The video above and Shoshana Hebshi's nightmare vividly illustrate the need for change, and FlyersRights will remain in the forefront of the fight for that change. FlyersRights Helps with EU Claim FlyersRights member Ruth S. and her husband had a bad air travel experience during their recent trip to Europe. For two consecutive days, their flight from Amsterdam to Delta was cancelled. Unfamiliar with European Union (EU) airline passenger protections, Ruth turned to our Hotline (877-359-6776)-always a good idea. Our Hotline staff explained that under EU rules, passengers are entitled to compensation for cancelled flights. See article 7 of the document. They also included pointers on how to file complaints with the EU, either on their own or through euclaim.com, which takes a percentage of the claim and handles the paperwork. Ruth and her husband were awarded four payments from Delta. Unfortunately, the next step in this process is to extract the payments from the U.S. Airline, which may not be easy. U.S. airlines are frequently less than cooperative in this regard. Our Hotline folks advised Ruth to get in touch with our very responsive contact at Delta, their Director of Customer Service. We'll follow through on this matter until Ruth and her husband's problem is resolved. What Kate's Saying This week we're introducing a new feature to our newsletter. What Kate's Saying will provide you a summary of Kate's weekly interviews and media appearances, just to keep you up to date on how she's representing us in the most public of forums. CNN-Power to the Passengers http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/08/23/exp.nn.passenger.rights.hln?iref=videosearch Canada.com Will new consumer protections improve U.S. air travel? USA Today Mica 'willing to compromise' on FAA extension Baruch College Privacy comes first For the very latest in airline passenger rights news, Facebook users can "like" theFlyersRights Fan Page. Also, please check in on our Flyers Rights Education Fund Cause Page. Twitter fans can also follow us on Twitter Correction We need to correct a comment we made two weeks ago in our story on Craigslist airline vouchers. In the article, we noted that our members missed their connecting flight, then asked Delta "why their luggage was transported, unaccompanied, to Las Vegas," implying a problem with that. FlyersRights member Duane W. asked for a pointer to the specific TSA rule prohibiting shipment of bags without their accompanying passengers. Good question, Duane. In short, your editor violated an old editors' maxim: "The one thing you know is absolutely, positively true...is not." Unable to find such a reference, we asked the TSA the question. They told us, in a response written in class bureaucrat-ese, that they're not going to say what the exact rule is, but it doesn't matter, because all bags are screened anyway. We have already apologized to Delta's Director of Customer Service, and regret the erroneous inference. Delta fully complied with all federal regulations.

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Spirit Airlines Hits a New Low 9-14-11

Spirit Airlines, continuously the yardstick of how little an airline cares about their passengers, has, once again, astonished us. Just as it seemed all extra fee ideas had been exhausted, Spirit goes beyond. Effective November 1, Spirit is going to charge five bucks to print a boarding pass at the airport.

The throng of Spirit charges is astonishing. Take a few minutes to review their Our Optional Fees page. They are actually still charging for carry-on bags, long after the other airlines rejected that as too far over the top. Spirit, apparently, disagrees, and yet they're still booking passengers.

FlyersRights is airline passengers' voice against the proliferation of airline fees. New DOT rules at least require airlines to publish all fees for their optional services, and will mandate publication of all fees and taxes as part of the fare beginning next January. We will work with DOT and our congressional allies to provide more protections for air travelers.

FAA Bill Must Pass 9-13-11

FAA Bill Must Pass Ten Years After 9/11, TSA Doubts Remain Spirit Charges to Print Boarding Pass Beware Multi-Airline Trips Readers Comment on Boarding Plan Invitation to Activism FAA Bill Must Pass After years of fence-straddling, Congress is still unmoved on the FAA Air TransportationModernization and Safety Improvement Act, popularly known as the FAA Reauthorization Bill. The President recently asked Congress to pass yet another extension of the bill-the 22nd such extension. FlyersRights believes that the time for extensions has long past. Congress must pass the FAA Reauthorization Bill this year, and the bill must contain thekey airline passenger protections for which we've fought for so long. We caught a glimpse of the FAA Bill's economic impact last July, when Congress failed to act. Over 4,000 FAA workers were laid off, hundreds of airport construction projects were stopped cold, and tens of thousands of construction workers were suddenly without work. The ripple effect on construction suppliers was not much discussed, but was certainly significant. FAA certification of new aeronautical technologies of all kinds also came to a halt. The true economic impact of commercial aviation on the U.S. economy dwarfs those effects. The Air Transport Association published their estimate of that impact in 2009, producing the following table. Economic Impact of Commercial Aviation on the U.S. Economy (2006-2009) Economic Activity/Output (annual) $1.2-$1.3 trillion Personal Earnings (annual) $370-$4-05 billion Share of GDP 4.9-5.2% Job Impact 9.7-10.5 million For several years, through several sessions, our Congress has been controlling of this massive economic engine with stop-gap extensions. The FAA finds it impossible to make long-range plans, because they literally don't know what the future holds over the next three months. Businesses of all kinds must build in considerations of the uncertainty and doubt generated by lack of a stable, long-term policy. Long-needed airline passenger protections, championed by our allies in both the Senate and House, go unimplemented. We remain the strongest and most consistent consumer voice in this fight, and we will maintain our pressure on Congress to send the bill to the President's desk, and to send it with airline passenger protections intact. We need your help to take this fight on to victory. Ten Years After 9/11, TSA Doubts Remain A decade after this century's "Day of Infamy," FlyersRights still questions our government's efforts to provide real air travel security. Like all other Americans, we want our travel to be safe. However, we demand that security measures imposed upon us be effective, safe, constitutional, and consistently-applied. Are we getting what we need? Chicago Tribune reporter Jon Hilkevitch recently took ahard look at security issues and the government's attempts to address them since 9/11. In his September 6th article, Hilkevitch notes that travel hassles remain, with doubtful assurances of real security. Many Americans (FlyersRights members especially) are dissatisfied and skeptical of what he calls "silly and ineffective security measures designed to obscure glaring weaknesses in a well-funded system that has had 10 years to get it right." We pad, barefoot, through security lines, shove our personal belongings into the maw of an X-ray machine, face the choice of standing in a machine that irradiates us while conducting a strip search or submitting to a groping body search, and then spend more time getting reorganized enough to make it to the gate. Yet we aren't actually contributing to more secure air travel-we're just participating in an endless game of Security Theater. There are signs of progress, as the TSA explores better ways to secure our travel, but pilot programs and research are not enough. FlyersRights will continue to speak for you until sanity returns to air security. Help us by supporting our passenger rights advocacy effortsand our ongoing programs to educate the American public and government agencies on these issues. Spirit Charges to Print Boarding Pass Spirit Airlines, continuously the yardstick of how little an airline cares about their passengers, has, once again, astonished us. Just as it seemed all extra fee ideas had been exhausted, Spirit goes beyond. Effective November 1st, Spirit is going to charge five bucks to print a boarding pass at the airport. The throng of Spirit charges is astonishing. Take a few minutes to review their Our Optional Fees page. They are actually still charging for carry-on bags, long after the other airlines rejected that as too far over the top. Spirit, apparently, disagrees, and yet they're still booking passengers. Are you among those passengers? If so, why? Please let us know atopinion@flyersrights.org, and we'll publish your reasons in a future article. FlyersRights is your voice against the proliferation of airline fees. New DOT rules at least require airlines to publish all fees for their optional services, and will mandate publication of all fees and taxes as part of the fare beginning next January. We will work with DOT and our congressional allies to provide more protections for air travelers. Beware Multi-Airline Trips FlyersRights member Georgiann was recently victimized by a combination of Hurricane Irene and booking a trip that involved two carriers. She used an online travel service to find a good price on a trip and purchased two tickets. The itinerary involved going out on one airline and returning on another. Many of us have taken that option for reasons of price or schedule. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene began its march up the east coast, and Georgiann realized that her trip was just not going to happen. She cancelled the trip with her outbound airline and assumed that the trip was cancelled. Here's the thing. If you book a trip using an airline's site, you will be booking a single itinerary, even if you choose a different airline for your return. On the other hand, If you book via an online travel site, the odds are that you are booking two separate itineraries. Airline 1 and Airline 2 have no connection and do not communicate with each other. So, when Georgiann cancelled the outbound leg, Airline 2 (American) had no idea that she would not show up for the return. See the problem? Georgiann turned to our 24/7 Hotline for help. Dr. Joel Smiler, our Hotline Director, tookownership of her issue and put her in touch with our contact at American Airlines, their Manager, Customer Relations. He provided Georgiann with an e-voucher for one of the tickets, and she was working with him at press time to get credit for the second ticket. The take away is clear-if you use an online travel site to book separate airlines for your out and back, the out and backs are most likely two separate itineraries, and you must deal with them as such. Please help us maintain our free, 24/7 Hotline service for you by contributing to our Flyers Rights Education Fund. Remember, your contributions to the Fund are tax-deductible! Facebookers can also support Flyers Rights Education Fund by signing on to our Cause Page. It provides you with many painless but effective ways to support the cause of airline passenger rights. Readers Comment on Boarding Plan Last week we published Fermilab astrophysicist Jason Steffen's "optimum boarding plan" and asked for your comments. As always, we received a variety of thoughtful and interesting comments. In a nutshell, here's how members felt about the program's chance of working: Doubts about the plan centered on a common set of very real concerns. What about groups and families? Mom and her two kids have adjacent seats-do we force the 5-year-old to board first for her window seat, leaving mom and the 3-year-old at the gate? The plan relies on facts not in evidence-that everyone will be courteous, considerate, and compliant. Our members are experienced air travelers, and many viewed the likely experience as being akin to herding cats. Many frequent flyers view their perks as, at least, some small compensation for their all-too-frequent nightmare. How do they fit into this plan? Some members responded with creative alternatives, such as this from FlyersRights member Nancy N: Start charging for carry-on luggage. Stop charging for checking bags. Compromise: No charge for first 2 checked bags. No charge for briefcases, laptops, ladies' handbags plus 1 other small bag hand-carried on. Option: Charge for use of overhead bins. Compromise: Overhead bins free for coats and 1 small bag. The consensus is that the plan, while academically sound, would probably fail in the real world. Remember, for the very latest in airline passenger rights news, Facebook users can "like" the FlyersRights Fan Page. Also, please check in on our Flyers Rights Education Fund Cause Page. Invitation to Activism We are all activists-all 33,000+ of us. FlyersRights is honored by your support as we speak for you in the halls of government. Perhaps some of you are considering other ways to give back to your communities. Here's a possibility we'd like you to consider. This week is National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. Throughout the country, many cities and counties support adult education schools and literacy programs. Literacy programs, in particular, offer an opportunity for you to make a real difference in the lives of others and in the well-being of your community. Please take a few minutes to watch this video, and then search for adult literacy programs in your area. Most are supported by library systems. For the very latest in airline passenger rights news, Facebook users can "like" theFlyersRights Fan Page. Also, please check in on our Flyers Rights Education Fund Cause Page. Twitter fans can also follow us on Twitter