Chicago Loses Asia, New York Loses Europe, and Philly Goes Boutique in American Network Changes

I spent most of this week at the Boyd Conference (properly known as the International Aviation Forecast Summit). While I have plenty of posts to compile from that, it's something that wasn't announced at | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

A Delta 737-800 Brings Me Home From the Carolinas (Trip Report)

After a week bouncing around the Carolinas, it was time to come home. As is always the case when we return from visiting the in-laws in North Carolina, we had the choice of a | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

On-Time Performance Has Suffered This Summer, But Some Aircraft Fared Better Than Others

Thanks to a mess of bad weather in the eastern half of the country, it has been a rough summer for airline operations. I swear it's been so bad lately that any day I | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: Sabre Warms to NDC, OneJet and WOW Air Face Trouble

This week's featured link: Sabre Agrees to Pilot New Technologies With American Airlines and Other Travel Giants - Skift Distribution-giant Sabre spent a long, long time fighting against the use of NDC to modernize airline distribution, but | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

If You Think Fares Are Confusing for Travelers, What About the Poor Pricing Analyst?

When I first came out of college in 1999, I started work as an analyst in pricing & tariffs for America West Airlines. I realize I sound like an old man when I say | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

The Grave Threat Posed by Aircraft Thieves (or Not)

When I first heard that a non-pilot had stolen a Horizon Air Dash-8 Q400 and flew around Seattle for an hour, I couldn't help but be impressed. How could someone who doesn't have a license | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Tokyo Hub? Who Needs a Tokyo Hub?

For many years, Delta seemed like an airline in search of an Asia strategy while its competitors pushed forward definitively. Now that the Korean Air joint venture is in place, however, the combined Delta/Korean | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Dorkfest is Only a Month Away on September 22

Just in case you needed a reminder, Dorkfest is coming in just over a month on September 22 from 11am to 1pm (though I can't remember ever leaving that early). Be there or be square. What | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Flying Southwest Across the Country to Charleston (Trip Report)

We had a wedding to attend just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and when I looked at flights, I realized something obvious: flying to Charleston on a Friday during the summer is not cheap. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Southwest Struggles With Denied Boardings, But Others Are Worse

Yesterday I wrote about the denied boarding trends at Alaska, American, Delta, and United. Today, I'm going to start with Southwest and work my way through the rest of the branded airlines that report | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Denied Boardings Have Plunged For Most Airlines But Not American (And That’s Not Bad)

Everyone remembers what happened on April 9, 2017. Ok, you might not recall the exact date, but that was the day that the Chicago airport police forcibly dragged Dr. Dao off a United Express | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: The Dulles-Miami Shuffle, Flip-Flopping in Georgia, Via Air’s Not-So-Stellar Record

This week's featured link: United adding Miami-Washington Dulles flights as American drops route - USA Today As someone who lives close to Dulles said to me, "Am I the only one shocked to find out they didn’t | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

An Amazing Bag Check Process Followed By an OK Experience on Alaska (Trip Report)

You've heard about the flight up to Seattle before our Alaska cruise; now it's time to talk about the trip home. A couple days into the cruise, I was greeted by a very welcome | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

American’s Current Strategy Has a Familiar Refrain: Follow Delta’s Lead

Second quarter earnings reports have come and gone, and there were two particularly interesting pieces of news coming from American. First, American announced it will begin allowing Basic Economy travelers to bring regular carry-ons | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Following Pittsburgh’s Aviation Roller Coaster Ride Through Its London Flight

British Airways has decided to return to Pittsburgh starting April 2, 2019 with a four-times weekly flight to London's Heathrow Airport on a 787. This flight alone seems like a natural extension of BA's | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: The Island Hopper, Old Airline Maps, Operation Pineapple Tops

This week's featured link: Watch the new Big Metal Bird: Island Hopper - United Hub This one has always been on the bucket list - flying the famed island hopper that goes between Guam and Honolulu. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Delta Spins Its Test to Stop Supporting Group Travel Within the US

If you've never arranged a trip for a large number of people, then you've been missing out on the pain and suffering that comes with booking groups with airlines. Airlines have created special rules | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

China Airlines Tries to Jump Start Ontario Service With a Smaller Airplane

Until recently, China Airlines flew two relatively successful flights from Los Angeles to Taipei every day. But on March 25, the airline took the risky step of moving one of those flights to Ontario, | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Who the F*&@ is AURA?

Those of you who saw that I accidentally published my jumbled notes on AURA last week already knew this topic was coming. AURA, an airline you've probably never heard of, is under development and | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky on the Web: Long Beach Modernization Part Deux

Long Beach Airport Revitalizing a Hollywood Icon - Icons of Infrastructure They say write what you know, right? Well, here's a piece I put together on the next phase of the Long Beach terminal modernization. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: Why Won’t Airlines Fly Here?, European Mergers, Spirit’s Next CEO

This week's featured link: ROBERT PRICE: Struggling airport, growing city: What's up with that? - Bakersfield.com This kind of of conversation has been had throughout smaller cities around the US. Why can't we get more service? | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Republic “Commits” to Up to 200 Embraer Aircraft It’ll Probably Never Fly

This week is the Farnborough Airshow, a biennial orgy of aircraft orders where manufacturers try to flex their muscles and show the world just how much metal (or composites) they can sell. The whole | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Flying What’s Left of Virgin America on Alaska Airlines to Seattle (Trip Report)

Last year, I turned 40. This year, it was my wife's turn. And for her 40th, she wanted to go on an Alaska cruise with me and the kids. After looking at | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky on the Web: Huntsville Scares Birmingham

Frontier Airlines adds another city in Alabama, but what will it mean for BHM? - Birmingham Business Journal (soft paywall) You wouldn't think a couple flights a week to Denver and Orlando from Huntsville would really | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: Ode to the Dash, Fare Weakness, Asiana Crash Response

This week's featured link: Dash 8: The Piedmont Story - YouTube As you know from reading the blog, Piedmont just retired its last Dash 8 from service. It had flown that airplane for more than 30 | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

AURA

https://www.flyaura.com/ we only need .85 of the MIA mkt pricepoint too something diff with Eos - we're only 29 seats ff progr - they've been devalugin big time for ppl we are perfect for, we are the best option -we're perfect | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

JetBlue Supersizes Itself With A220 Order, A321 Upgauge

It wasn't long ago that Airbus finalized its deal to take control of Bombardier's CSeries aircraft program, so to celebrate, the aircraft has been renamed in the Airbus naming convention. Say hello to the | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Fun with Numbers: America’s Most Unreliable Airports

It's so common to come across an article trying to arbitrarily rank airlines or airports one way or another that I generally have little trouble ignoring them all. But when I saw Airways cite | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

LEVEL Goes Short-Haul From Vienna, and I Struggle to Figure Out Why

When IAG launched LEVEL last year as a long-haul, low-cost airline, I understood the niche. But now, LEVEL is growing and not in ways you'd expect. The airline will open its first short-haul | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky on the Web: LaGuardia’s Terminal, I Wish Airlines Would…

LaGuardia Rebuilds to Go Beyond “Third World,” but is it Enough? - Icons of Infrastructure Here's another Icons piece, but this one I didn't write. I was just interviewed about my thoughts on LaGuardia's rebuild. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: More EAS Cuts, Boeing and Embraer Cuddle Up, Hope for Mexico City

This week's featured link: US DOT terminates EAS availability at 21 communities - ch-aviation It's that time again when the Department of Transportation culls the list of essential air service markets. This year, 21 airports are | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

As of Today, the Big Four US Airlines Have No Propellers Operating Under Their Brands

Yesterday, American Eagle flight 4927 landed in Salisbury, Maryland right around dusk. That flight, operated by a Dash 8-300, marks the end of turboprop operations for its owner, Piedmont, and for American Eagle. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

David Neeleman’s New Airline, Moxy, is Not Going to Make Southwest Happy

By now you've likely heard about David Neeleman's new airline, Moxy, which I hope is a temporary name. While full details are sparse, we can already see the ou | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Hawaiian’s A330 Flat Beds From Honolulu to Los Angeles (Trip Report)

I'm back from vacation tomorrow, so here's one last Hawaiian post for you. With only one night in Hawai'i, it was easy to stay on West Coast time. I went to | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

The Incredible Challenge of Improving Airports in Hawai’i

The vacation chugs along. I'm back with regular posts on July 3. For mainland visitors, the airports of Hawai'i probably seem better than they are. The out | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Exploring Hawaiian’s New Maintenance and Cargo Facility in Honolulu

I'm back! Just kidding. I'm still on a blog break. Keep reading about my visit with Hawaiian. Regular posts resume on July 3. Part of the reason I accept | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

The Cranky Flier Interview: Hawaiian CEO Peter Ingram and SVP Revenue Management and Network Brent Overbeek

My vacation is just getting started, so enjoy this week of posts about my visit with Hawaiian. I'm back with regular content on July 3. I mentioned in my tr | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky on the Web: Honolulu’s Modernization Plan Moves Forward, PSA’s American Eagle Meltdown in Charlotte

Honolulu’s Long-Awaited Airport Modernization You already saw my post this week about how difficult it is to deal with the airports in Hawai'i, but Icons | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Hawaiian’s Inaugural From Long Beach on the A321neo (Trip Report)

I'm going on vacation from the blog for the next week and a half, so get ready for a whole lot of Hawaiian. I'll be back with more regular content on July 3. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Across the Aisle from American President Robert Isom on Rising Oil Cost, Limits of Segmentation, and Getting Out in the Field (Part 2)

Welcome back for the second part of my interview with Robert Isom, President of American Airlines, while he was in Los Angeles for a town hall with employees. | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Across the Aisle from American President Robert Isom on His Agenda, Operational Progress, and What It Means to Be the Best (Part 1)

On Friday, I had the chance to spend some time with Robert Isom, President of American Airlines, when he came to Los Angeles for a town hall meeting. I've long | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: Spirit Goes Back to the Caribbean, Cathay Pacific Shuns a Trend, Flying Air Greeland

This week's featured link: Going Global in Orlando! Spirit Airlines Announces Major International Expansion - Spirit Airlines Years ago, Spirit poured its eff | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

United Quietly Tests Selling Economy Plus as Part of the Fare

Just this week, United quietly started filing a handful of fares that include Economy Plus seating in the Newark to Ft Lauderdale market. The fares are pretty | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky Concierge is Hiring for Overnight and Weekend Concierges

I haven't written about it much, but Cranky Concierge has been growing a lot. We're now up to 14 people on the team, but we need at least one or two more. Spe | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

David Neeleman on the A330neo and Doubling TAP’s Presence in the US (Across the Aisle)

I've lined up a handful of interviews here on the blog which you'll see in the next few weeks. Today, I'm starting with David Neeleman. As you know, David has | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Who the F*&@ is Primera?

It's been awhile since I did one of these posts, but the time has come to take a look at Primera, an airline you may be surprised I've ignored for this long. A | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

Cranky on the Web: Billions of Dollars Pour Into LAX, Singapore’s Longest Haul

Los Angeles’ Massive Airport Makeover - Icons of Infrastructure I stopped doing freelance writing a long time ago, but Icons of Infrastructure asked me i | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago

3 Links I Love: Airline CEOs Gather in Sydney, Heathrow Steps Ahead, Elite Airways

This week's featured link: So Long, Sydney: Take-Aways From IATA's Meeting of World's Airline Execs - Stuck at the Airport I've still never been to IATA's ann | Continue reading


@crankyflier.com | 5 years ago