The InterAirPort

HSBC Expands Airport Branding to LAX

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Airport & In-Flight Media Can Ground Consumer Anger

A recent article on MSNBC.com  highlighted the thorny predicament most airlines find themselves today. Revenues are declining, so they’re tacking on fees to help boost their bottom line.

“This is the conundrum airlines face as they head into the busy holiday season: How many previously free services can they force fliers to pay for without risking a revolt?” the article notes. “But for fliers racked by the deep recession, paying for everything from checked luggage to a bag of chips on board can quickly become an aggravating wallet-buster.”

Planes Arriving On Time; Exhausted Posteriors Rejoice

Last Monday, I read a story in the Chicago Tribune – during a layover, no less – that reported airlines made gains in on-time arrivals over the previous month, and even more over the same month the previous year. As someone whose job requires my constant presence in a seat on an airplane, I knew through my own experiences that these numbers would come out this way. Nearly 78% of airline flights arrived on time in July 2009, according to the

U.S. Department of Transportation, and that’s up from 75.7% in July 2008, and up from 76.1% this last June. It’s not really an earth-shattering improvement, but considering how often I am seated in either an airport or airplane, every little bit is appreciated.

 

The bigger point, I think, is how much this has improved over a longer period of time. When I started my company in 2005 and began my sojourn as a frequent flyer, I’d say casually that two-third of the flights I was booked on left or arrived late, or both.

 

So last week’s news means fewer low back kinks and numb posteriors, and that passengers now have more time to soak in my airport advertising, and in a much better mood when they do so.

 

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Airlines Make Gains in On-Time Arrivals