One Small Step -- July 13, 2016

Website    News    Legislation    Help! I'm Stranded    Media    Contact One Small Step July 13 , 2016 Pretty good news for passenger rights. An FAA funding bill has finally passed through Congress. However, it's not exactly a long-term funding bill, it's an extension through September 30, 2017 and known as H.R. 636, the "FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016."  Conspicuously absent however are items from our FlyersRights  Passenger Bill of Rights 2.0. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate plans to send the bill to the president's desk this week. Key provisions: * The Families Flying Together Act, H.R. 3334, requires airlines to ensure that children younger than 13 years of age are seated adjacent to an adult or older child traveling with them. This should be obvious, but it was a big money-maker for airlines. What happens if oxygen masks drop, or in an emergency evacuation? Parents need to be next to their child. * Forces airlines to refund bag fees automatically if luggage is delayed 12 hours after a domestic flight or 15 hours after an international flight. Airlines took in $3.8 billion in bag fees last year.  * No transferring of US air-traffic control to a private corporation, which was a highly sought after plan of the House Transportation Committee and most major airlines.  * Double the authorization for TSA's teams patrolling beyond airport checkpoints, such as arrival halls or baggage claims, often with bomb-sniffing dogs to discourage attacks like those in Brussels and Istanbul.   * Toughen eligibility standards for airport workers who have access to secure areas and conduct more random screening of workers for their credentials and possible weapons. The goal is to prevent workers from smuggling guns or a bomb onto a plane, as what happened in the downing of a Russian Metrojet in Egypt in October. * Keep Precheck lines open during peak travel times. Authorize TSA to explore different options to sign up travelers for Precheck. Not A Great Week For Delta  pic: Soprano In The Air D E L T A = Don't Ever Land There Again Last Thursday a Delta pilot landed an Airbus with 130 passengers on board at the wrong airport, arriving at Ellsworth military base where armed soldiers boarded the plane.  Yes, a civilian aircraft landed with no radio contact at a nuclear equipped base. With all the technology we have and pilots still can't land at the right airport?  The flight was bound for Rapid City Regional Airport, which is just 10 miles away. But hey, they still had the right state and right country, that counts for something! Carbon Monoxide Diverts Plane To Tulsa A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Denver was diverted to Tulsa over the weekend after a number of passengers on board fell ill. At about 3 p.m., a flight attendant and several other passengers-a total of nine people-reported feeling nauseous.  At that point, crew operating Flight 1817 decided to divert the plane to Tulsa, Oklahoma. After landing there, the plane was met by Tulsa emergency services, who found that 12 passengers had elevated levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.  Passengers suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning (symptoms include dizziness, nausea, and headaches) were taken outside to breathe in fresh air, at which point their levels returned to normal. One passenger was sent to the hospital for reasons unrelated to the carbon monoxide levels,  according to ABC News. A Pittsburgh-Bound Delta Flight Forced Back To Paris After 'Blowout' Engine Failure  Shortly after a Delta Airlines flight took off from Paris on Monday to make a nonstop flight to Pittsburgh, passengers heard a loud pop and began to smell smoke. A few moments later, they were informed by the flight crew that the plane, a Boeing 757-200, had lost power in one of its two engines and would have to return to make an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The plane landed safely and emergency crews were waiting on the ground. Unfortunately passengers reported that Delta did a poor job of providing them with onward travel, overnight accommodations and food vouchers. Your Letters! (In response to last week's newsletter, Get EUsed To It) Dear FlyersRights,  You may be interested in Atlantic City International airport. They have just enlarged, expanded to 10 gates. They already have a landing strip, 'space shuttle' ready, built in conjunction with the former air base NAFAC. Under two hours to Manhattan by bus, and 45 minutes to Philadelphia, it is ripe for a WOW air, or Ryanair to bring flights in from the EU. Also gamblers can stay a night or two in a Casino Hotel. The situation looks perfect to be a new feeder airport (think Stansted or Luton). So far not much going on. It could certainly help the Atlantic City economy. JH Dear FlyersRights, After a flight from Florida to Norway (on Norwegian Air International), I have learned that I hate flying. In my perspective, as a kid (11 years old), you do not want to sit next to random people, have no blankets, or have nothing to eat for seven hours. Do the airlines know this? Most likely, so they just make you spend a lot of money for little things like these. Most parents might think their kids don't really care where they sit if they get to watch movies on the small screen in front of them. But it that really true? No, or course not. Kids do care where they sit, because nobody likes sitting next to two strangers, do they? In my opinion, airlines should try their own seats to see if they are O.K. for a long while, instead of just testing out first class. Speaking of airlines, can we talk about the food? Sure, hard pretzels and dry peanuts were at least something, but where did they go? Now it's buy a big meal or add hunger to the list of bad airplane conditions. Sometimes the plane seats are so bad I feel like I should just stand up, and when you finally get off the plane, I feel like I could do  cartwheels around the whole airport.  So, parents, if you're wondering if you should just buy two first class tickets for yourself and make your kids sit in the crummy seats, think about how you would feel if you where sitting in the 'sad seats' in the back. SG Read & Sign our Petitions! Getting on a Plane?  Put This Number in Your Phone: 1 (877) Flyers6   1 (877) 359-3776 The FlyersRights HOTLINE! We publish w eekly newsletters.  There's no charge to receive any of them:   FlyersRights relies on donations only- All you have to do is click below: Follow FlyersRights on Twitter!

Get EUsed To It -- July 6, 2016

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Get EUsed To It July 6 , 2016 Like Whack-a mole: you clobber one rival, and another pops up. Norwegian Air\s bid to fly new American routes is under fire from US unions In the space of a week, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) halted expansion plans by Norwegian Air at the same time that WOW air, Iceland's low-cost carrier, celebrated new flights to the US! Labor unions heralded DOT's rebuke against Norwegian Air, but have been silent on Wow Air - seemingly caught off guard by the plucky airline. Pushing the envelope Norwegian Air continues to push for more long-haul routes despite fierce opposition from an alliance of the biggest US carriers, airline labor unions and politicians - including Hillary Clinton. Norwegian applied for its latest US permit over two years ago, seeking approval for new routes between the US and Asia, Africa and South America. Currently the airline is permitted to fly between the US and Europe. The DOT's decision won't affect those routes, which it flies with a license granted by Norwegian regulators. However, the DOT dealt a blow to its expansion plans when it turned down the airline's request for temporary permit to operate the new flights.  It had been expected the permit would be granted, following an earlier approval in April allowing the airline to fly between Cork and Boston. US regulators said they needed more time to review Norwegian's  'complex' application, which had received support from British aviation authorities and London's  Gatwick airport,  saying Norwegian employs 800 workers in that country. U.S. airports such as Orlando and Oakland, which are scheduled to receive new Norwegian routes this year, also supported the application. Cracks In The Armor Americans have benefited somewhat from US's low-cost airlines within their own country, but so much not across the Atlantic. Critics have said Norwegian is trying to circumvent some labor and tax rules with the overseas bases to lower its costs - charges that Norwegian rejects. These arguments going back and forth about which airline gets what subsidy are just the latest chapter in a dismal tale. For all the talk of "open skies", the aviation industry is and always has been riddled with protectionism and patronage, bail-outs and handouts.  Once it was the American railways complaining about unfair competition from the young airline industry. Now it is the airlines moaning about unfair competition from foreign carriers. All the while the interests of the consumers and taxpayers gets forgotten. Ryanair will start feeding passengers to Norwegian Air Shuttle from airports including Dublin, Cork and Belfast according to chief executive Michael O'Leary. Why Big US Carriers Should Be Terrified We haven't mentioned Ryanair, the most successful airline in recent years. Speculation is that it has agreed to do a partnership to feed with Norwegian, an airline that is doing trans-Atlantic from airports in Ryanair's own home country of Ireland, and which has integrated its booking systems with Ryanair. This is why big US carriers should be terrified, Ryanair is getting into long-haul by proxy. FlyersRights' Comments To The DOT Answer of FlyersRights.org re. the application of Norwegian Air International  for an Exemption and Foreign Air Carrier Permit - click to enlarge. NAI will inject competition into new markets, driving fares lower for consumers and increasing service to underserved communities. Approval of NAI's application would produce innovative, pro-competitive, proconsumer, and pro-growth public interest benefits in the highly concentrated transatlantic market. Notwithstanding a vocal minority of opponents, Flyer's Rights, on behalf of all airline passengers, and key aviation stakeholders including consumers, airports, mid-size communities, tourism destinations, travel distributors, travel agents, cargo airlines and their customers, other commercial airlines, plane manufacturers and their suppliers, managed-travel operations, and American job seekers - fully supports NAI. Get Quoted In The New York Times!  Dear Readers: The New York Times is writing an article on the tiny lavatories that have been configured to squeeze in more seats of the new 737-900 aircraft. Flight attendants have expressed concern about safety issues issues related to the lack of space.  The paper wants to hear from 'passengers-of-size' regarding how difficult it is to use these lavatories. Are you a traveler who has had difficulty with these smaller restrooms, who would be willing to be interviewed?  Questions are about the problems of getting into the restroom and opinion of the new design.  Are larger passengers forced to use the toilet at the airport before getting onto their flight? What airline did you fly, and did you complain to anyone about the new design? The interview would take about  15 minutes over the phone. Email: kendallc@FlyersRights.org to participate! Read & Sign our Petitions! Getting on a Plane?  Put This Number in Your Phone: 1 (877) Flyers6   1 (877) 359-3776 The FlyersRights HOTLINE! We publish w eekly newsletters.  There's no charge to receive any of them:   FlyersRights relies solely on your donations.  All you have to do is click below: Follow FlyersRights on Twitter!

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Get EUsed To It July 6 , 2016 Like Whack-a mole: you clobber one rival, and another pops up. Norwegian Air\s bid to fly new American routes is under fire from US unions In the space of a week, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) halted expansion plans by Norwegian Air at the same time that WOW air, Iceland's low-cost carrier, celebrated new flights to the US! Labor unions heralded DOT's rebuke against Norwegian Air, but have been silent on Wow Air - seemingly caught off guard by the plucky airline. Pushing the envelope Norwegian Air continues to push for more long-haul routes despite fierce opposition from an alliance of the biggest US carriers, airline labor unions and politicians - including Hillary Clinton. Norwegian applied for its latest US permit over two years ago, seeking approval for new routes between the US and Asia, Africa and South America. Currently the airline is permitted to fly between the US and Europe. The DOT's decision won't affect those routes, which it flies with a license granted by Norwegian regulators. However, the DOT dealt a blow to its expansion plans when it turned down the airline's request for temporary permit to operate the new flights.  It had been expected the permit would be granted, following an earlier approval in April allowing the airline to fly between Cork and Boston. US regulators said they needed more time to review Norwegian's  'complex' application, which had received support from British aviation authorities and London's  Gatwick airport,  saying Norwegian employs 800 workers in that country. U.S. airports such as Orlando and Oakland, which are scheduled to receive new Norwegian routes this year, also supported the application. Cracks In The Armor Americans have benefited somewhat from US's low-cost airlines within their own country, but so much not across the Atlantic. Critics have said Norwegian is trying to circumvent some labor and tax rules with the overseas bases to lower its costs - charges that Norwegian rejects. These arguments going back and forth about which airline gets what subsidy are just the latest chapter in a dismal tale. For all the talk of "open skies", the aviation industry is and always has been riddled with protectionism and patronage, bail-outs and handouts.  Once it was the American railways complaining about unfair competition from the young airline industry. Now it is the airlines moaning about unfair competition from foreign carriers. All the while the interests of the consumers and taxpayers gets forgotten. Ryanair will start feeding passengers to Norwegian Air Shuttle from airports including Dublin, Cork and Belfast according to chief executive Michael O'Leary. Why Big US Carriers Should Be Terrified We haven't mentioned Ryanair, the most successful airline in recent years. Speculation is that it has agreed to do a partnership to feed with Norwegian, an airline that is doing trans-Atlantic from airports in Ryanair's own home country of Ireland, and which has integrated its booking systems with Ryanair. This is why big US carriers should be terrified, Ryanair is getting into long-haul by proxy. FlyersRights' Comments To The DOT Answer of FlyersRights.org re. the application of Norwegian Air International  for an Exemption and Foreign Air Carrier Permit - click to enlarge. NAI will inject competition into new markets, driving fares lower for consumers and increasing service to underserved communities. Approval of NAI's application would produce innovative, pro-competitive, proconsumer, and pro-growth public interest benefits in the highly concentrated transatlantic market. Notwithstanding a vocal minority of opponents, Flyer's Rights, on behalf of all airline passengers, and key aviation stakeholders including consumers, airports, mid-size communities, tourism destinations, travel distributors, travel agents, cargo airlines and their customers, other commercial airlines, plane manufacturers and their suppliers, managed-travel operations, and American job seekers - fully supports NAI. Get Quoted In The New York Times!  Dear Readers: The New York Times is writing an article on the tiny lavatories that have been configured to squeeze in more seats of the new 737-900 aircraft. Flight attendants have expressed concern about safety issues issues related to the lack of space.  The paper wants to hear from 'passengers-of-size' regarding how difficult it is to use these lavatories. Are you a traveler who has had difficulty with these smaller restrooms, who would be willing to be interviewed?  Questions are about the problems of getting into the restroom and opinion of the new design.  Are larger passengers forced to use the toilet at the airport before getting onto their flight? What airline did you fly, and did you complain to anyone about the new design? The interview would take about  15 minutes over the phone. Email: kendallc@FlyersRights.org to participate! Read & Sign our Petitions! Getting on a Plane?  Put This Number in Your Phone: 1 (877) Flyers6   1 (877) 359-3776 The FlyersRights HOTLINE! We publish w eekly newsletters.  There's no charge to receive any of them:   FlyersRights relies solely on your donations.  All you have to do is click below: Follow FlyersRights on Twitter!

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Get EUsed To It July 6 , 2016 Like Whack-a mole: you clobber one rival, and another pops up. Norwegian Air\s bid to fly new American routes is under fire from US unions In the space of a week, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) halted expansion plans by Norwegian Air at the same time that WOW air, Iceland's low-cost carrier, celebrated new flights to the US! Labor unions heralded DOT's rebuke against Norwegian Air, but have been silent on Wow Air - seemingly caught off guard by the plucky airline. Pushing the envelope Norwegian Air continues to push for more long-haul routes despite fierce opposition from an alliance of the biggest US carriers, airline labor unions and politicians - including Hillary Clinton. Norwegian applied for its latest US permit over two years ago, seeking approval for new routes between the US and Asia, Africa and South America. Currently the airline is permitted to fly between the US and Europe. The DOT's decision won't affect those routes, which it flies with a license granted by Norwegian regulators. However, the DOT dealt a blow to its expansion plans when it turned down the airline's request for temporary permit to operate the new flights.  It had been expected the permit would be granted, following an earlier approval in April allowing the airline to fly between Cork and Boston. US regulators said they needed more time to review Norwegian's  'complex' application, which had received support from British aviation authorities and London's  Gatwick airport,  saying Norwegian employs 800 workers in that country. U.S. airports such as Orlando and Oakland, which are scheduled to receive new Norwegian routes this year, also supported the application. Cracks In The Armor Americans have benefited somewhat from US's low-cost airlines within their own country, but so much not across the Atlantic. Critics have said Norwegian is trying to circumvent some labor and tax rules with the overseas bases to lower its costs - charges that Norwegian rejects. These arguments going back and forth about which airline gets what subsidy are just the latest chapter in a dismal tale. For all the talk of "open skies", the aviation industry is and always has been riddled with protectionism and patronage, bail-outs and handouts.  Once it was the American railways complaining about unfair competition from the young airline industry. Now it is the airlines moaning about unfair competition from foreign carriers. All the while the interests of the consumers and taxpayers gets forgotten. Ryanair will start feeding passengers to Norwegian Air Shuttle from airports including Dublin, Cork and Belfast according to chief executive Michael O'Leary. Why Big US Carriers Should Be Terrified We haven't mentioned Ryanair, the most successful airline in recent years. Speculation is that it has agreed to do a partnership to feed with Norwegian, an airline that is doing trans-Atlantic from airports in Ryanair's own home country of Ireland, and which has integrated its booking systems with Ryanair. This is why big US carriers should be terrified, Ryanair is getting into long-haul by proxy. FlyersRights' Comments To The DOT Answer of FlyersRights.org re. the application of Norwegian Air International  for an Exemption and Foreign Air Carrier Permit - click to enlarge. NAI will inject competition into new markets, driving fares lower for consumers and increasing service to underserved communities. Approval of NAI's application would produce innovative, pro-competitive, proconsumer, and pro-growth public interest benefits in the highly concentrated transatlantic market. Notwithstanding a vocal minority of opponents, Flyer's Rights, on behalf of all airline passengers, and key aviation stakeholders including consumers, airports, mid-size communities, tourism destinations, travel distributors, travel agents, cargo airlines and their customers, other commercial airlines, plane manufacturers and their suppliers, managed-travel operations, and American job seekers - fully supports NAI. Get Quoted In The New York Times!  Dear Readers: The New York Times is writing an article on the tiny lavatories that have been configured to squeeze in more seats of the new 737-900 aircraft. Flight attendants have expressed concern about safety issues issues related to the lack of space.  The paper wants to hear from 'passengers-of-size' regarding how difficult it is to use these lavatories. Are you a traveler who has had difficulty with these smaller restrooms, who would be willing to be interviewed?  Questions are about the problems of getting into the restroom and opinion of the new design.  Are larger passengers forced to use the toilet at the airport before getting onto their flight? What airline did you fly, and did you complain to anyone about the new design? The interview would take about  15 minutes over the phone. Email: kendallc@FlyersRights.org to participate! Read & Sign our Petitions! Getting on a Plane?  Put This Number in Your Phone: 1 (877) Flyers6   1 (877) 359-3776 The FlyersRights HOTLINE! We publish w eekly newsletters.  There's no charge to receive any of them:   FlyersRights relies solely on your donations.  All you have to do is click below: Follow FlyersRights on Twitter!