Aviation Industry in a Sorry State, Says Former American CEO
Delta-Northwest Merger May Harm Regional Airlines
New Scanners Offer ‘Graphic Images’ of Passengers
1,000 Zimbabweans Flee Turmoil Each Day
Facebook Warms Up to Travelers
AVIATION INDUSTRY IN A SORRY STATE, SAYS FORMER AMERICAN CEO – The New York Times
Since Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the aviation system in America has worsened, according to Bob Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines, in an op-ed. Airlines are not up to par in any category, such as fleet age, service quality and international reputation. Crandall believes a consolidation will not solve the plethora of problems the carriers face. More than likely, other merger proposals will follow the footsteps of Delta and Northwest, but mergers won’t cause carriers to lower fuel prices. Only extremely high costs related to consolidation will ensue, and airline employees will be angry about the merger. Even though the aviation system theoretically could be operated by one carrier, passengers obviously benefit from multiple carriers, wrote Crandall.
Link: The New York Times
Related Links: Bob Crandall Talks Airline Cost-Cutting With Peter Greenberg
DELTA-NORTHWEST MERGER MAY HARM REGIONAL AIRLINES - Airline Industry Information
If you enjoy flying standby or not having to book your flights light years in advance, you may be displeased with the proposed Delta-Northwest merger. Analysts agree that this merger could result in consolidating hubs and eliminating overlapping routes. Whether regional airline partners will be affected remains nebulous, but JP Morgan’s Jamie Baker wrote, “We continue to believe that longer-term consolidation poses a threat to regional airlines.” According to Baker, “regionals exist to feed hubs,” so if hubs are consolidated, regionals will buckle. Regional partners that have contracts with one or both carriers are Republic Airways, Pinnacle Airlines, Mesa Air Group, SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet. Analyst Mike Boyd said SkyWest and Republic most likely will stick around because they have invested in larger regional jets, but the 50-seaters “are fast becoming litters of kittens—cute but nobody wants them.”
Link: Airline Industry Information
NEW SCANNERS AT JFK AND LAX OFFER “GRAPHIC IMAGES” OF PASSENGERS - Information Week
On Friday, the TSA began testing the latest technological advancement for improving security, a more powerful millimeter wave scanning technology that can see right through your clothes. Apparently, 90 percent of passengers selected to undergo a secondary security screening choose the body scan over the pat down, so the TSA is working to make sure that 100 percent of scans are successful at detecting concealed weapons. Concerns are now surfacing in regard to whether or not the TSA would be able to keep the whole body images private, and rightly so: The scans, set up to be tested at LAX and JFK airports, have been called “strikingly graphic images of passengers’ bodies,” by Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Link: Information Week
1,000 ZIMBABWEANS PER DAY FLEE VIOLENT TURMOIL - International Herald Tribune
Loyalists to President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe have been swarming the countryside—with chunks of wood in hand—demanding people to show party identification cards, and hunting down those who oppose the party. At least 1,000 people per day are fleeing from Zimbabwe to South Africa, and the mass exodus has been dubbed by South Africa’s largest daily newspaper as “Mugabe’s Tsunami.” Illegal border jumpers find it simple to escape into “one of Africa’s most developed countries from one of its most terrible” because they are only separated by some coils of razor wire and a shallow river. In the past, usually men escaped and searched for jobs driving cabs or working on construction sites, but women and children currently are fleeing to get food. For those who make it over the border, they are greeted with the kindness of fellow Zimbabweans whom usually are strangers.
Link: International Herald-Tribune
FACEBOOK WARMS UP TO TRAVELERS – Budget Travel
With 46 million users, Facebook is the site de la site for social networking, and it has proven useful for those who fancy travel, as well. Since last May, the Web site has allowed partners to create applications for the site. For example, Trips, created by SideStep, lets users create a Trip; then the users’ friends can post comments, recommend itineraries, upload photos, and more. Users also can create plots on a map of where they have visited and where they plan on traveling. Some blogs, like travelblog.org and travelpod.com, allow users to incorporate blogs into their Facebook account. Once on Facebook, all users have to do is click on Applications and peruse the ones available. Keep in mind that not all application quality is created equal, so be sure to read the reviews first.
Link: Budget Travel
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