I love Google News and use it a lot. You can create customized news pages based on your interests. For aviation enthusiasts, I've created a Google News page you might like:
Google Aviation News from Thirty Thousand FeetGive it a click and have a look. Also, at the Thirty Thousand Feet Aviation News page you'll find specialized new sources for commercial, military, and general aviation.
When airline passengers get trapped on the ground, in the aircraft, for hours and hours, things can get ugly. Especially after the toilets fill up and the food and water runs out. When that happens, like it did recently with JetBlue Airways, people take action.
The Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights blog is one place where the action is underway. The Coalition states it's intention like this:
We are commited [sic] to solutions for promoting airline passenger policies that forward first and foremost the safety of all passengers while not imposing unrealistic economic burdens that adversely affect airline profitability or create exhorbitant [sic] ticket price increases.You can sign an online petition to U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson showing support for an Airline Passenger Bill Of Rights, and you'll find a link to the Coalition for Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights Google Group. There you can you share your experiences and comment on those of others.
Airline passengers fed up with being treated by the airlines as "obstacles" are given a place to vent anger and frustration while exploring the means to enact changes in airline policies.Similar to a Passenger Bill of Rights, the Air Transport Association of America has the Customers First 12 Point Customer Service Commitment where
ATA members are committed to providing the highest possible level of service to our customers. Each participating airline has published a Customer Service Plan, which is available on their Web site. Copies of those plans have been provided to Congress and the Department of Transportation.The 12 points are spelled out in more detail at the ATA site, but briefly they are:
1. Offer the lowest fare availableThese points are general in nature and the individual airline members define their own policies. The Coalition's Proposed Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights are much more specific:
2. Notify customers of known delays, cancellations and diversions
3. On-time baggage delivery
4. Support an increase in the baggage liability limit
5. Allow reservations to be held or canceled
6. Provide prompt ticket refunds
7. Properly accommodate disabled and special-needs passengers
8. Meet customers' essential needs during long on-aircraft delays
9. Handle "bumped" passengers with fairness and consistency
10. Disclose travel itinerary, cancellation policies, frequent flyer rules and aircraft configuration
11. Ensure good customer service from code-share partners
12. Be more responsive to customer complaints
All American air carriers shall abide by the following standards to ensure the safety, security and comfort of their passengers:You'll find other information and links at the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights site. Now is one of those times to get personally involved.
Establish procedures to respond to all passenger complaints within 24 hours and with appropriate resolution within 2 weeks.
Notify passengers within ten minutes of a delay of known diversions, delays and cancellations via airport overhead announcement, on aircraft announcement, and posting on airport television monitors.
Establish procedures for returning passengers to terminal gate when delays occur so that no plane sits on the tarmac for longer than three hours without connecting to a gate.
Provide for the essential needs of passengers during air- or ground-based delays of longer than 3 hours, including food, water, sanitary facilities, and access to medical attention.
Provide for the needs of disabled, elderly and special needs passengers by establishing procedures for assisting with the moving and retrieving of baggage, and the moving of passengers from one area of airport to another at all times by airline personnel.
Publish and update monthly on the company’s public web site a list of chronically delayed flights, meaning those flight delayed thirty minutes or more, at least forty percent of the time, during a single month.
Compensate “bumped” passengers or passengers delayed due to flight cancellations or postponements of over 12 hours by refund of 150% of ticket price.
The formal implementation of a Passenger Review Committee, made up of non-airline executives and employees but rather passengers and consumers – that would have the formal ability to review and investigate complaints.
Make lowest fare information, schedules and itineraries, cancellation policies and frequent flyer program requirements available in an easily accessed location and updated in real-time.
Ensure that baggage is handled without delay or injury; if baggage is lost or misplaced, the airline shall notify customer of baggage status within 12 hours and provide compensation equal to current market value of baggage and its contents.
Require that these rights apply equally to all airline code-share partners including international partners.
From a March of Dimes Corporate Relations person, I received this notification:
The March of Dimes Foundation is currently holding an online auction that began on February 12th and runs through the 22nd. Continental Airlines has offered an exclusive package that includes: round trip, first-class transportation, dinner for two with executives from Continental and Boeing, a night at the Renaissance in Seattle, a tour of the Boeing plant and two seats aboard the Ferry Flight of their newest 777. All proceeds from the winning bid will go directly to the March of Dimes Foundation. Further details are provided at www.marchofdimes.com/flight.The link will take you to an eBay auction page where you can learn more.
Time for another roundup of aviation podcasts I fancy.
But first, you're not one of those people who think you need an iPod to listen to a podcast, right? Look, it's really simple: podcasts (or netcasts, as I like to call them) are simply audio files you can listen to with your computer. That means your PC, your Mac, your mp3 player, your PDA, and yes, your iPod. Probably also your smartphone too.
So with that behind us, let's begin with the Thirty Thousand Feet list of great aviation podcasts:
Uncontrolled Airspace
"News & conversation about the world of General Aviation flying." This comes out about every two weeks and is a must listen for general aviation pilots and enthusiasts. I'm not a GA pilot, and they use a lot of GA lingo, but if you listen long enough you'll start to catch on and learn a few things.
You know that term "hanger flying"? That's what this is. Three guys who have the gift of the gab, but the credentials to back it up. If our grandmothers sat round and talked about knitting for an hour, it would be like this podcast. No shortage of opinions here! In fact, they got some recent listener feedback asking them to tone down their personal opinions, and they said they would. I think that's a mistake. I can get "facts" a lot of other places. Opinions make you think.
Among the three, you've got the senior editor of Kitplanes magazine and a freelance photographer, a flyer since 1989, and the managing editor of Aviation Safety Magazine and contributing editor to AvWeb. Not too shabby.
PodAsia
This is a podcast for business and leisure travelers. Host Matthew Holden has one of those jobs where he flies to a different worldwide destination each week. Usually he's in Asia, but not always. Matthew is a character - always something going on - and since he's podcasting about his travels, you'll find some aviation content.
But mostly it's fascinating to listed to his "sound-scene tours" of local attractions or airports or just the locals. He'll work in some travel tips or road warrior gear comments that are helpful. If you have an air travel destination that he's visited, you'll really want to catch his podcast on that one.
Matthew recently had an operation that took him out of service for a bit, but hopefully he'll return soon to his weekly podcast schedule. Next time I'm in Singapore I want to buy him a drink. Except he'll probably be in some other country.
Fly With Me
Joe is an airline captain and he takes his recorder with him on his flights. You'll hear great stories from other pilots and crew, with insight you won't get elsewhere. His schedule isn't always regular - he's a busy guy! Hopefully he can keep the podcasts coming and isn't fading on us!
Joe's recent episode on the A-10 friendly fire incident currently in the news was a departure from his adventures as a major airline pilot, but it turns out he was an A-10 pilot in a previous life. His views on this subject are well worth a listen.
Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase!
Ahh, Betty! She's a flight attendant for a major airline, and like Joe, she takes her recorder with her. Most shows follow a theme with stories from (or about!) other flight attendants and crew. They're funny or thought provoking or just plane fun.
The thing about Betty is that she's a first class sweetheart. She's kind and thoughtful and the sort of person you'd love to know in real life. If every flight attendant you encounter was like her, well, life would be good. She's actually got some sort of book or movie deal going on (I can't remember which) based on her podcast, so wish her the best of luck!
Aero-News.net
This is a daily podcast with aviation news. It runs about 20 minutes and covers General Aviation mostly, with some Commercial and Military aviation news. There is also a daily special report, usually an interview with someone in the industry. This is a great listen on the way into work each day.
TravelCommons.com
This is a podcast for the business traveler, but unlike PodAsia it focuses more on the journey than the destination. It's all about airports, security, the flights, the hotels, and all that entails. Host Mark Peacock usually records these things in the hotel on the road, typically in the U.S. The travel technology component of his netcasts is great and he's got a dry sense of humor that makes the listening very enjoyable.
There is pretty much an episode a week, and I always look forward to hearing what Mark has to say. If you travel a lot on business, give this one a listen.
The Finer Points
If you are a GA pilot, this one is for you. Jason Miller, a Certified Flight Instructor, brings you a weekly dose of technical tid-bits and how-to information. If you want to learn about ballistic aileron rolls, skywriting, or the aerodynamic effect of flap application, you'll find it here. Jason has just recently ventured into video podcasts, so you'll want to watch those as well.
Those are the main aviation podcasts I listen to. You can find others in the Thirty Thousand Feet Aviation Podcasts section. That page also has the world's largest collection of aviation blogs. (Normally I don't like absolutes, but I cannot find ANY listing nearly as large as mine.)
If you haven't experienced podcasts yet, pick one of these and listen through your PC speakers. You just might become as addicted as I am!
I received a note from the Marketing Manager at Icuiti Corporation. They manufacture Video Eyewear products that can be connected to iPod Video, portable DVD players and even mobilephones ( w/ video out). The viewers see a virtual 44-inch screen viewed 7-feet away. The device can be used for viewing both 2D and stereo 3D video. Icuiti has been an award winner at the Consumer Electronics Show, and have been providing the US military with similar technology for some military device.
So what's the aviation connection? This product:
is a cost-effective way to offer in-flight entertainment on board your executive jets. As they are powered by a small battery pack ( or by the IPod itself for our iWear), no power will be derived from the aircraft. And at 4 ounces, the device is very lightweight and can be stored easily.If you'd like to offer this on your charter jets, or if you have another application in mind, give Icuiti a shout.
The friendly folks at FTD sent this press release along:
Downers Grove, IL - (February 2007) - FTD Group, Inc. (NYSE: FTD), a leading provider of floral and gift products, is announcing its key exclusive Valentine's Day promotional partnerships which go into affect February 1st, 2007.
With savings for their customers in mind, FTD.com has joined forces with United Airlines, US Airways, Priority Club, AAA and others to make buying this Valentine's Day season more memorable for everyone involved. FTD.com customers who purchase flowers and gifts before February 14th, 2007 will earn additional bonus miles, discounts, and gift certificates.
"Frequent travelers are one of our most valuable customer segments", said Bill Van Cleave, FTD.com's Executive Vice President. "As a result, we wanted to offer these important customers the opportunity to enjoy significant savings and earn special rewards for their Valentine's Day purchases on FTD.com."
FTD.com's partners and offers for Valentine's Day include:
§ United Airlines - 20 miles per dollar spent (exclusive)
§ US Airways - 20 miles per dollar spent (exclusive)
§ AAA - 20% off all products plus a Free Bear (exclusive)
§ Priority Club® Rewards (InterContinental Hotels and Resorts®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn®) - 20 points per dollar spent (exclusive)
§ MyPoints.com Redemption - $25 FTD certificate when you redeem 2,500 points (exclusive)
§ Southwest.com - $10 off FTD purchase
§ Benevolink - 20% in charitable earnings (exclusive)
"FTD.com knows its customers, especially the frequent travelers who are always looking for opportunities to earn additional travel rewards for purchases they are going to make anyway," said Randy Petersen, Publisher of InsideFlyer magazine. "This is a great reminder for busy business people to place their Valentine's Day orders early."
Now, customers can reward themselves with additional bonus points when making Valentine's Day purchases for everyone in their life. For more information on FTD, please visit each travel partner's site for links to offers or visit FTD.com.
About FTD Group, Inc.
FTD Group, Inc. is a leading provider of floral-related products and services to consumers and retail florists, as well as other retail locations offering floral products, in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland. The business is supported by the highly recognized FTD and Interflora brands. Both brands are supported by the Mercury Man logo, which is displayed in approximately 50,000 floral shops globally. The consumer businesses operate primarily through the www.FTD.COM Web site in the U.S. and Canada and the www.interflora.co.uk Web site in the U.K. and Ireland and are complemented by the florist businesses, which provide products and services to the independent florist networks.
