Search Results for: blog putting the friendly back in the friendly skies

Mom-Friendly Airline Takes Flight

“Friendly” and “airline;” you don’t really see those two in the same sentence these days. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw “friendly” and “airline” in the same paragraph. If you’ve taken to the skies in a commercial airliner with kids in the last decade or so, then you know flying can be anything but friendly. A true sign of this is can be seen by looking at the evolution of United Airlines’ slogans. The carrier’s catchy tag line “Fly the Friendly Skies” debuted in 1965. The airlines stuck with the slogan until 1996. Today United’s slogan … Continue reading →

In Pursuit of Safe Skies

Not for nothing, but human beings were not designed to work all night long. Of course, this doesn’t excuse the air traffic controllers who have been making headlines for sleeping on the job during their overnight shifts. One of my first jobs out of college required me to clock into work at midnight. I produced and anchored a morning show for a small CBS news affiliate in Wisconsin, and would typically end my workday at 9:30 a.m. To put it mildly; the hours sucked. I would sleep from noon until 6 or 7 p.m., eat dinner, take a shower and … Continue reading →

Flying the Sleepy Skies

I first heard about the dozing pilots about 6 weeks ago while I was home in Hawaii visiting my parents. Back then the National Transportation Safety Board had just begun investigating a claim that two pilots from Mesa’s go! Airlines had fallen asleep while flying passengers from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii. According to news reports, the pilots overshot the Hilo airport by 15 miles and were headed out to sea before they woke up, turned the plane around and landed safely. But there was no official confirmation from the airlines and others close to the company went out of their … Continue reading →

Insults Flying In The Not-So Friendly Skies

If you are enrolled in a frequent flyer program with one of the country’s largest air carriers then you may have received an email asking for your help to convince Congress that private aircraft owners should pay more to help modernize an outdated air traffic control system. I happen to be enrolled in several frequent flyer programs and have already received a note encouraging me to pen a letter to my congressional representative and demand that private aircraft owners dig deep to help pay for a new air traffic control system. If you haven’t received an email from a major … Continue reading →

Are Airlines Becoming More Family Friendly?

Well, at least one is trying to be. Southwest Airlines recently announced that it is experimenting with innovative ways to board and seat traveling families. The company calls it their “Family Boarding and Seating Plan” and has been testing out a few different ways to conduct boarding for those people single passengers glare at in the gate area. According to Southwest officials, most of the testing has been done on flights departing from San Antonio, Texas. Some of the boarding and seating options being tested by the airline include: having designated rows for family seating, having families board with no … Continue reading →

Putting The “Friendly” Back In The “Friendly Skies”

I’ve flown in business class several times, though none of the trips were business related. They were all overseas flights and I don’t remember a single time when I was not surrounded by suits. Which is not to say I was surrounded by a single gender, it’s just that the passengers I was sharing cabin space with were serious travelers and flying for a reason besides visiting their Aunt Sue in Lisbon. They are the individuals I thought of when I received a letter from United (I’m a part of their frequent flier program) announcing that they recently revamped their … Continue reading →

Sleep-Deprived Air Traffic Controllers: What You Didn’t Know

There’s been a lot of talk about the new government imposed changes to air traffic controllers’ schedules. I touched on the some of them in a previous post, but failed to go in-depth regarding the fact that controllers can no longer switch schedules “in order for the convenience of them if they are not well-rested.” That’s according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. During his recent press conference LaHood also mentioned that he would not allow controllers to take naps on the job, despite ongoing input by sleep experts that doing so would benefit overnight workers. Experts from the FAA and … Continue reading →

Airlines Turns Tables On Under-Dressed Passenger and Major Fallout Ensues

In a previous blog I discussed the state of airline passengers’ attire following the highly publicized incident involving college student Kyla Ebbert. Since my blog posted (shortly after Ebbert appeared on NBC’s “Today” show wearing the same controversial outfit she did on the Southwest flight in question) the college co-ed has made the rounds on various other talk shows, including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and Fox News. During those interviews Ebbert complained that she had yet to receive an apology from the airline and specifically from the customer-service representative who told her earlier this summer that she’d have to “cover … Continue reading →

Airlines and Dress Codes: Woman Is Threatened For Wearing Skimpy Outfit

What do you usually wear on an airplane? If your typical plane attire includes a mini skirt and tight fitting shirt you may want to bring along an extra outfit just in case. At least if you are flying Southwest Airlines. The air carrier is currently embroiled in a nasty PR war with a 23-year-old woman who boarded a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Arizona in attire one flight attendant considered “too revealing.” Two months ago Kyla Ebbert was escorted off her flight from San Diego when an airline employee became disgusted with her outfit. Ebbert says she was wearing … Continue reading →

Benadryl Flight Attendant Saga—The Untold Story

This blog is a continuation in a series I have written regarding air travel and families. Most recently I covered the incident involving a mother and her chatty tot who got booted from a flight after an irritated flight attendant couldn’t convince the mom to quiet the child with some Benadryl. The flight attendant’s employer banned her from publicly speaking about the incident until a full investigation is complete. However, in the days since the much publicized booting, various flight attendants who have no connection to the case have come forward to shed light on the issues flight attendants face … Continue reading →