On Ryanair’s hell on near earth, mobiles on board

Oh dear! The end is near. Last April I wrote a post on the European Comission clearing the way for mobile phone calls on air (On flying misery, and the death of the last mobile-free remnant). Well, serious airlines like Air France-KLM, TAP and BMI have been running trials on the idea, but the FT reports [...]

On the leaders we deserve and the end of the Alitalia saga

Back in June, right when il corrotto Berlusconi won the now seemingly annual Italian elections on a cocktail of populism and general amnesia, I warned of one of his very electoral promises (keeping Alitalia Italian and afloat) was nothing but cheap talk.
Well, as we are used to by now, the electoral promises of the politician [...]

On air miles working against frequent flyers

Apparently, in case of overbooking or flight cancellations, and completely opposite to what common sense might suggest, frequent flyers are left behind instead of the odd leisure flyer.
So you think that because you are loyal to XYZ Airways for your business and leisure flights they will be loyal to you? You feel special because [...]

On selfishness, bankruptcies and airlines

Here we go again Hobbes, a new example of double standards and lose-lose situation. This time around is the greed of a few –namely pilots- that is putting the livelihood of the many at risk. A dispute over seniority was holding back a possible merger between Northwest and Delta Air Lines.
With oil prices at more [...]

On everlasting bad news on the air industry

Well, well, well, it seems that our friends at Delta and Northwest airlines finally got it right and their pilots decided to drop their selfishness –don’t ask a NWA pilot, still not convinced- and agree on who will be who within the new married airline (apparently forming the world’s largest airline in terms of traffic).
The [...]

On flying misery, and the death of the last mobile-free remnant

After so much talking about authorising mobile phone use on board, it seems that under new rules, the European Commission has cleared the way for an air nightmare.
Last time I was meddling about with my BlackBerry on board (all connections off, as any rule abiding citizen would do), an Iberia air hostess made me feel [...]

On Alitalia’s trade union lack of realism and long-term vision

Hobbes,
I don’t know if I am the only one seeing a pattern here, but it seems that Italy, and the air and banking industries keep topping up the ranking of self-interested/head-buried-in-the sand headlines.
Combining a few of them together, and after over a year on the papers, we’ve got the Alitalia saga. Reportedly, a grotesquely malfunctioning [...]

On teething problems and political deadlines for Terminal 5

Well, well, well, another day, another fiasco.
T4 in Barajas in Madrid was also acclaimed by designers and even was worth the 2006 Stirling Prize for its designers: Richard Rogers Partnership. It was inaugurated on February 5, 2006 and if I recall well, that very Easter we had to spend 3h waiting for our luggage after [...]

Using credit cards abroad, another financial rip-off

Hobbes, let me comment you on one of those thinks that not everybody knows but should be of public domain. The other day I received my last credit card statement and it came along with an ‘Important information’ leaflet.
The usual suspects were there, fees are up, and conditions get more and more draconian and authoritarian [...]