boeing has filled orders from all over the world for various types of aircraft for years and years..the fact that an order was placed has nothing whatever to do with donald trump, nor his political rhetoric..its more a matter of the needs of a particular carrier, such as spicejet,and the pricing or deal they were able to obtain from boeing..I believe the contract was in progress before the trump administration came into office was it not?

(Written on 2017/06/28)(Permalink)

interesting..in todays world with lots of new technology,travellers are looking for a basic ticketed/bag check in and out process (of course dealing with security will probably never be truly expedited)..the only issue to me is often,people actually want to speak with, or deal with a real person, and not a computer or a computer entry (especially if there is a problem of some kind)..many years ago when the kiosks were first introduced.a lot of airline employees worried that would take away airport jobs..it turned out there was a need for an agent or two to assist passengers using the kiosk!(and that was before you could get bag tags there)..my point is, you can speed up services in many ways,(including "the cloud")but the need for actual people is still there,and by the way, airplanes do not dispatch themselves from the gate either,as a real person is required to make sure all is ok ,the door is closed,and the plane is pushed back safely from the gate!!!

(Written on 2017/06/28)(Permalink)

even on the smaller regional jets,the name of the game is money and the number of passengers that can be accommodated..although its great marketing for delta to say they are expanding with more "delta comfort seats", I would be interested in reading consumer/passenger comments about this..we hear a lot about crammed flights on the larger aircraft,but not so much on the regionals,especially the newer aircraft..(the older jets had seats like cardboard and cement,and were so close you could feel the other person breathe!!

(Written on 2017/06/27)(Permalink)

it is unfortunate that mr trump has tried to give the impression on many fronts, that he is "the great jobsmaker",as often it is a slowdown in manufacturing or whatever,or its automation because we are going into the future,not back to the 1950's...I read an article about the possible layoffs at boeing quite some time ago..this is not new...

(Written on 2017/06/23)(Permalink)

john,you are correct..the majority of large corporations have private jets belonging to or leased specifically to a corporation..this allows them to travel at short notice to any location,and have meetings while on board..they generally do not fly commercial at all..

(Written on 2017/06/17)(Permalink)

kyle..are you being sarcastic? most airline employees,ramp or otherwise gladly give safety or other information to whomever with the airline,or even tell someone to contact the tower to tell the captain..most don't expect anything in return as thats a part of their job-to see passengers,crew and ground personnel don't have any safety issues..passenger loyalty is important to most airlines,so a reward of miles to a passenger is not so unusual...

(Written on 2017/06/16)(Permalink)

I saw the pictures on the news about this incident..was this not more of a hot air balloon,rather than the description "blimp"??my thoughts of a blimp are of the good year kind(quite large and requiring a small crew),and in years past, I actually knew a fellow who was the pilot of one..oh well, at least the pilot of whatever it was,survived..!

(Written on 2017/06/16)(Permalink)

according to the article, this is a "test only" situation, and it applies only to those who have the registered "pre flight" check in..it states this process serves as an id check and a boarding pass check..how would this interphase with the boarding pass readers at each gate? this might expedite the security checkpoint, but then it would slow the boarding process at the gate or require two different types of reading machines and two employees to board,until and unless the system is approved,and becomes a requirement for all,not just some registered travelers....

(Written on 2017/06/15)(Permalink)

united seems to be having a "rough patch" on just about everything from aircraft to customer service these days!possibly new management and better oversight might improve what is happening in all areas of their company..when they were continental airlines,you never heard of the incidents that are occurring..in some cases (not frequent) the fuelers "overfuel" the aircraft, just as you might with your car, and the fuel spews out..i have seen that occur..in any case, the safety of the passengers and crew should be the first concern...

(Written on 2017/06/15)(Permalink)

there was a time, a few years back, (before the merger thing) that American airlines had as a slogan"more legroom in coach", and they showed pictures of seats with measurements next to them to prove their point! of course everyone, from the mother with a small child,to the tall business person who cant fly first class have always wanted legroom..one of the irritants in coach used to be the tray tables that were literally in your lap when folded down,and the only saving grace were the armrests that could be pushed up for a bit more room..aircraft have been improved and modernized,but that old legroom issue does not go away! (I remember the many requests for the exit row or the bulkhead for more space,and now the airlines charge for that!)

(Written on 2017/06/15)(Permalink)