Complaint resolution service publishes case studies, recall information and consumer news.

As airlines try wringing every last nickel from passengers, word comes out now that JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) will begin charging for blankets and pillows.

The airline that prided itself on comfy seats, television for each passenger and a glib, flippant employee style of service announced that the move would allow passengers to take home a blanket and pillow set plus receive a $5 coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond, an online retailer our reviewer panned for being “amateurish” with shipping costs starting at $5.95 and a limited selection.

Oops.

We don’t have the answers on how airlines can stay solvent given current economic pressures, but we’re willing to bet that if passengers are turning up their nose at a $7 sandwich that a $7 pillow is not an effective way to cut costs.  Doing away with the blankets seems a sound idea.  Maybe JetBlue, which flies relatively short legs — all under 6 hours — can ignore settling consumers in for a long nap.

Posted under Travel

Passports for visiting Canada and Mexico, fees for checking luggage, fees for peanuts! What else will the travel industry and government throw at us? Your best defense against a stressful travel experience is preparation and patience. There are new government time-saving tips for summer travel for recent changes to ID requirements, baggage restrictions and security checkpoint procedures.

The good folks at the FCIC, you know them as sending out information from ‘Pueblo, Colorado’ have put together a wonderful resource that address all these issues. You can read Summer Travel Tips
at their site and even send the information to a friend.

The federal government takes much well deserved criticism for inefficiency. This agency, however, consistently gets the job done.

Posted under Travel

As a peak travel time begins again, some consumers may have forgotten about the “311″ rule regarding liquids in carry-on luggage in an airport.  Infrequent travelers may especially need a reminder about the rules.    Time has traveled fast — this year’s college freshman class was in elementary school when the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. changed US air travel rules  Those rules  were changed again after a man was arrested while attempting to ignite an explosive concealed in his shoes.

The 311 rule is illustrated below.  If you plan to travel by air this summer, you need to know and follow this rule.  If you do not, you will be stopped at security and you will lose your items there.  Everything in a liquid or gel form counts, even when sealed.

The rule says that you may have 1 quart-sized zippered bag.  That bag can include up to 3 ounces per bottle of as many liquids as fit.    3 ounces, 1 bag, 1 person.  That’s it.  And just like personal computers, that bag has to be removed from your carry-on luggage and placed on the conveyor belt to be X-rayed.

A can of soda or bottle of water won’t be allowed.  Even a to-go cup from a restaurant inside the airport won’t be allowed.  Worse, expensive cosmetics or a perhaps a bottle of wine intended as a gift won’t be allowed through either.  And the TSA employee who stops you from entering the secure area can’t do anything more than sweep those bottles of liquids into the nearest trash can.

Remember this rule applies to carry-on luggage only, but also remember that it is not optional or subject to negotiation.   You’ll be stopped, and you will lose your belongings.  Just remember 311, remember the bag and take the bag out of  your luggage.

Security lines are already reported to be long this summer as airlines attempt to reduce flights to cope with rising fuel costs.  We observed multiple consumers in Chicago and Washington this week not only lose items to the 311 Rule, but also undergo close examination of their identification.  Along with that zippered, clear bag, don’t forget your drivers license, passport or other id.

You won’t be leaving home without them.

Posted under Travel

One year after testing whole body imaging at New York’s Staten Island Ferry and weeks after a pilot program in the busy Phoenix airport, the US Transportation Security Administration is ready to start getting a closer look at consumers traveling.

For consumers who have been “patted down” or “frisked” while traveling, the new machine may seem like an alternative to an undignified position some travelers undergo because of their undergarments, medical devices or similarly benign issues. We wholeheartedly endorse national security and understand the need for stringent measures, but more than one consumer has shared with us that being frisked in the middle of a crowded public facility is unpleasant at best and often embarrassing.

Hand-held metal detectors are often used in such cases, but a nervous twitch can cause the machine to come in contact with a traveler’s ’s body. And while many consumers seem resigned to shuck off their shoes and travel through the airport in stockinged or (heaven help us) bare feet, removing jackets, belts and other clothing is often time-consuming at best.

“I like belts with big buckles,” one consumer recently told me. “I can’t wear them to the airport though because I have to take off my coat, my shoes, my belt and put my computer in a tray. I used to be able to just undo the buckle and show them the back, but now I have to take it off, and it’s not worth the hassle.”

Whole body imaging is supposed to replace the need for a pat-down although other measures will still be in force. Many travel and privacy advocates say a whole body image invades a consumer’s privacy, but federal officials counter with a statistic that 90% of travelers subjected to the process in Phoenix preferred it to a “pat down” or similar measures.

The TSA also says that they will not maintain or store records of any captured images, but that doesn’t address the point that the consumer is, well, exposed, for a time to strangers.

The image on the left is representative of what the TSA says its officers will see. With paperless bordering passes and other biometrics processes quickly being tested throughout the nation, we want to believe that this image isn’t stored, but we also wanted to believe that doctors wouldn’t read a celebrity’s medical file and IRS employees wouldn’t snoop through the taxes of the rich and famous.

Without more explanation of what safeguards are in place to protect a consumer’s privacy, whole body imaging is a promising idea we can’t yet support. Once we learn that images will never be associated with personally identifyig information and that no mechanism exists to save the image, we would be more willing to endorse and embrace this idea.

There clearly isn’t enough time for that public reassurance, however, because the government has announced that travelers moving through Los Angeles’ LAX or New York’s JFK airports will soon be subjected to whole body imaging or being frisked if they set off a detector.

Apparently willing to base taxpayer dollars and consumer acceptance on a limited one airport test, the TSA has also reportedly ordered 30 more machines for use in other airports this year.

Posted under Travel

The nation’s largest airlines recorded a rate of on-time flights this past March that was higher than in February but down from the rate posted in March 2006, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The 20 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 73.3 percent in March, down from March 2006’s 76.1 but an improvement over February 2007’s 67.3 percent.

Special jeers for U.S. Airways. According to the government agency, the airline had by far the lowest on-time rate at 55.5% (JetBlue was next with 63% — that’s a huge difference). Even more astonishing was the performance of several US Airways flight. The survey found that one flight between Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport to New York — a flight with direct competition from Delta’s “shuttle” was late 100% of the time. That’s right, every single flight. Here are the worst five flights and the top 3 overall performing airlines:

Most Frequently Delayed Flights

1. US Airways flight 2188 from Washington Reagan to New York LaGuardia – late 100%  of the time
2. ExpressJet Airlines flight 2575 from Newark, NJ to Pittsburgh – late 96.15 percent of the time
3. Comair flight 5274 from Boston to New York JFK – late 96.00 percent of the time
4. US Airways flight 836 from Boston to Philadelphia – late 95.00 percent of the time
5. US Airways flight 834 Charlotte, NC to Buffalo, NY – late 92.86 percent of the time

Highest On-Time Arrival Rates

1. Hawaiian Airlines – 93.9 percent
2. Aloha Airlines – 93.2 percent
3. Frontier Airlines – 84.8 percent

Posted under Travel

With the Labor Day weekend approaching, many people will be flying the friendly skies. But before you head off to the airport, please be aware that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has changed security screening
procedures at all U.S. airports, banning liquids and gels at security checkpoints and aboard flights.

You will not be permitted to bring any liquids or gels past the screening checkpoint or on board, with a few exceptions. In addition, the TSA is now requiring that all passengers are to remove their shoes so they may be X-rayed with their carry-on bags. This is no longer optional, as it has been for years.

Find out the latest security procedures at:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/new-procedures.shtm

Get the full list of permitted and prohibited items at:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Posted under Travel

A federal judge in New York has blocked a threatened strike by Northwest Airlines flight attendants that could have resulted in some flights being delayed or even canceled. With just hours to go before the flight attendants’ Friday deadline, the court prohibited them from implementing any organized work stoppages.

“As summer vacation seasons winds down, this is very welcome news,” said Consumer Help Web president Joan Bounacos. “Northwest did a great job weathering their mechanic’s strike in 2005, but this could have ruined many people’s vacations.”

Commenting on Judge Victor Marrero’s decision, Doug Steenland, Northwest’s president and chief executive officer, said, “We remain committed to negotiating a consensual agreement with our flight attendants and hope to accomplish that goal in the near future.”

The Labor Day Holiday weekend starts next Friday.

Posted under Travel

A live test of e-Passports, that contain contactless chips with biographic and biometric information and the readers that are capable of reading these e-Passports, begins January 15, 2006 at Terminal G at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). This test is a collaborative effort between the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore that will run through April 15, 2006.

“This test provides an important opportunity to work with our international partners to further the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to put in place an e-Passport reader solution by the fall of this year,” said Jim Williams, director of US VISIT, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program.

Participants include citizens of Australia and New Zealand who have been issued the new e-Passports, Singapore Airlines crew and officials holding trial e-Passports and U.S. diplomatic and official e-Passport holders.

The test will assess the operational impact of using new equipment and software to read and verify the information embedded in the e Passports. Participants will present their e-Passports when arriving in the United States at SFO, at Changi Airport in Singapore or at Sydney Airport in Australia.

The e-Passport contains the holder’s biographic information and a biometric identifier, in this case a digital photograph, embedded in a contactless chip set in the passport. The inspection process for those participating does not change.

The e-Passports being tested are enabled with a security feature known as Basic Access Control (BAC), which helps prevent the unauthorized reading, or “skimming,” of information from e Passports.

This is the second live test conducted between the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The goal of the live test is to gather information that can support countries around the world in their development and implementation of e-Passports that comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. It will also provide valuable information on the capability of the reader technology.

“The results of the previous test, held at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney Airport, indicated that further testing would be beneficial to our development of a fully operational system,” Williams said. “So we will conduct further testing to allow for the evaluation of new technologies.”

Biometrics included in a contactless chip provides a further means by which the identity of visitors may be verified, thus preventing entry by imposters and the use of fraudulent documents. Biometrics provide border officials with a critical tool in making admissibility decisions, thus enhancing homeland security.

Posted under Travel

Officials at Independence Air scrambled over the holiday weekend and into the New Year, fielding calls from concerned travelers who were startled to find that the struggling carrier’s long rumored bankruptcy was imminent.

“While we’ve been clear in reminding everyone that this was a possibility, we remained optimistic that there would be a way to avoid reaching this juncture. To date there has not been a firm offer put forward that meets the financial criteria necessary to continue operations as is. Therefore, we are voluntarily discontinuing scheduled service as of Thursday evening,” said Indpendence Air Chairman Kerry Skeen.

The company is frantically trying to rebook travelers, either to come home earlier or on other carriers. According to a 2002 “guidance” statement issued by the Department of Transpation, “passengers holding valid paper or electronic tickets from insolvent or bankrupt carriers for a particular route are entitled at minimum to transportation on a space-available basis on any airline currently serving that route. Airlines may recover costs of providing the transportation such as the direct cost of rewriting a ticket and meal costs.”

Independence, which was formed from what was once known as Atlantic Coast Airways, had been a United regional partner in its former incarnation. In past years (and event past weeks), the airline has spurned offers from United and Mesa Airlines among others to be acquired. Industry experts anticipate that most of the airline will be liquidated although some portion of the airline may exist in bankruptcy protection with minimal assets and eventually become a minor regional carrier again?

The bad news for consumers: Areas heavily served by Independence, especially at its home hub of Washington Dulles (IAD) , will likely suffer price increases due to the reduced competition.

Posted under Travel

Beginning December 22, airline travelers can expect to see more random screenings, fewer prohibited items and a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce more dedicated to detecting and defeating more serious threats, such as explosives. These changes are part of an update to security procedures announced today by Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley, to address the ever-evolving threat to commercial aviation.

The specific changes include more additional screenings of passengers and their bags using a variety of methods selected at random. Passengers will also once again be able to carry small tools and scissors on-board aircraft. These changes will allow TSA to focus resources on more serious threats.

“It is paramount to the security of our aviation system that terrorists not be able to know with certainty what screening procedures they will encounter at airports around the nation,” said Kip Hawley, Assistant Secretary. “By incorporating unpredictability into our procedures and eliminating low-threat items, we can better focus our efforts on stopping individuals that wish to do us harm.”

Passengers will continue to walk through a metal detector and have their carry-on and checked baggage screened. However, these measures may now include a brief additional search of their person or their property. Examples of this additional screening include: explosive screening of shoes, hand-wanding of passengers, enhanced pat down searches and inspections of carry-on bags. These searches will be generated at random and will take only about a minute to complete. They will allow Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to better screen passengers for explosives and other threats to the aviation system.

Beginning December 22, scissors with a cutting edge of four inches or less and tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers smaller than seven inches will be permitted on board.

Scissors longer than four inches and tools such as crowbars, drills, hammers, and saws will continue to be prohibited from carry-on bags. Lighters will continue to be banned from the cabin of aircraft and in checked baggage.

In addition to these changes, the agency’s 43,000 Transportation Security Screeners have been re-classified as Transportation Security Officers (TSOs).

Posted under Safety, Travel