In yet another round of travel issues with American Airlines this year (you may recall the issues with their MD-80 fleet), the world’s largest airline had to delay and cancel flights at New York’s JFK Airport due to malfunctioning software that controls the baggage sorting conveyor belt.
About 30 flights — of the 69 scheduled to depart from the airport Wednesday — have been delayed as of mid-afternoon by an hour to 90 minutes. The airline’s employees are sorting bags by hand and delivering them to the gates.
The airline is informing passengers that they can choose to fly without their bags and that it will deliver the delayed luggage "once the issue is resolved."
"We have brought in internal engineers and technicians from the system developer to conduct diagnostics," the Fort Worth-based carrier said in a statement. "We regret the inconvenience and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work through this issue. Though it is not our normal policy, we will be waiving first and second checked bag fees today."
This is what you’ll see today in American’s terminal at JFK:
American did say that it would waive the fees it charges to check a first and second bag on Wednesday. Perhaps now is time to consider saying goodbye to baggage claims and ship those bags direct to your destination.
Frank Luntz is a road warrior with a serious flying resume (He is a 1K member on United, Executive Platinum on American, Platinum on Continental, Gold on Delta, and Gold on US Airways). I read his article at www.businessweek.com and I found the information useful enough to pass on.
His 5 tips in no particular order (with my comments):
- Know your airport. (I just make sure to get to the airport with at least an hour before the flight is scheduled for take-off if you have no check-in baggage. Even if the security line takes 20-25 minutes, you still have time make it to the gate.)
Big airports are as different as the cities they’re in. Las Vegas is by far the worst, with long security lines that often take 45 minutes, particularly at the newly expanded D Gates (serving American, United (UAUA), and Delta (DAL)). New York’s JFK is the toughest airport to navigate if you’re switching carriers because there are nine separate terminals.
Also, most airports let you check in and check luggage up to 30 minutes before takeoff. But don’t show up a mere half-hour early in Vegas or at LAX in Los Angeles. You’ll miss the 45-minute cutoff, and you won’t get a boarding pass. Denver and Miami also have a 45-minute pre-flight deadline to check luggage but require only 30 minutes if you just need a boarding pass.
- The shortest airport security line is not necessarily the fastest. (This is a good one - I use this subconsciously all the time. I spot the business travelers by their suits and laptop bags.)
Look at the type of people waiting in a line, not the number. A dozen businesspeople will move through security much faster than two families with young children or a tour group of senior citizens. Just remember this equation: One baby carriage equals four typical passengers.
Another tip for moving through security: Aim for the far left or far right scanner lanes. Most people just walk straight ahead and end up waiting longer as a result.
- Early boarding is not desirable. (I am not a fan of this tip - getting your carry-on into the overhead is CRITICAL to avoid having to check it in.)
On crowded flights, the big planes can take 40 minutes to fully board, forcing you to spend all that extra time in a cramped seat. Unless you’re afraid there won’t be room in the overhead bins for your carry-on, wait.
- Planes sometimes close the door to passengers before the posted departure time. (Remember - airlines CAN and will do this because flights are considered delayed if they are at the gate past their scheduled departure time. They can sit on the tarmac for 20 minutes after the scheduled departure time and not communicate the flight as “delayed”.)
Many carriers would rather have a flight pull away 10 minutes early and leave a customer or two behind than arrive at its destination 10 minutes late. Personally, I have missed more flights this way than for all other reasons combined. The worst offender: US Airways
- Frequent fliers get no preference when flights are canceled. (Call up your travel agency AS soon as you think your flight may be canceled. Your travel agent can hold a seat on another flight without making the reservation and release the hold if your original flight takes off.)
If you are a frequent flier with a particular airline, you’re supposed to have an advantage in getting on that carrier’s next flight. But it’s first come, first served, baby. The person who gets to any gate agent for the airline first, anywhere in the airport, snags the first empty seats. So if you’re standing in a long line at your assigned gate waiting for rebooking, look for an agent at an empty gate.
Here’s hoping travel in 2008 turns out better than 2007 for all road warriors and their families..
First of all, let’s agreed we spend more than enough time sitting in traffic. Thankfully, as a road warrior, I probably spend less time commuting (but more time in a hotel) than someone who may drive to work everyday. Still…
USAToday.com says:
Business travelers who rent autos often waste an average of 1½ hours per trip stuck in traffic, getting lost and waiting to pay tolls, according to the survey, which Avis (CAR) is releasing this week at the National Business Travel Association’s annual convention in Boston.
More than 80% of 6,300 Avis customers who responded to the survey say they spend an average of 44 minutes stuck in traffic during a three-day business trip. At least half of those who responded say another half an hour is wasted getting lost, and 12 minutes go down the drain while in line to pay tolls.
You can follow some common sense guidelines to minimize traffic delays such as working well past rush hour or booking hotels as close as possible to your client destination.
If you happen to work in NYC, avoiding traffic might be a little difficult especially when traveling to / from Newark or JFK airport, but Travel Zoo now offers you another alternative…HELICOPTER transfers to and from the airports in just 8 minutes.
If you have the cash to spare here are the routes:
- $99 – Downtown Manhattan Heliport (JRB) to/from JFK
- $99 – Downtown Manhattan Heliport (JRB) to/from Newark
- $99 – East 34th Street/Midtown Heliport (TSS) to/from JFK
- $99 – East 34th Street/Midtown Heliport (TSS) to/from Newark
Go ahead, be a celebrity, but make sure you can expense it first!
I decided to get an early start this Monday morning because I was itching to get through security, pick up something to drink, and chill out for a bit before my flight began to board.
I hopped out of my taxi at 4:20am and, surprise, nothing was open…including security. That’s right – security doesn’t open until 4:30am so don’t bother coming any earlier unless you enjoy standing in line.
I did happen to be one of the first people through security (@4:35am) and then I tried to get an orange juice at the Starbucks closest to my my gate (Gate 22 in Terminal C). As I stood at the empty cashier line, the single worker, unpacking coffee cups, told me they only opened at 5am. Awesome.
No wonder the security line is so long in on Monday mornings.
Benefits to getting to Ohare early? Having the entire moving walkway and escalators all to yourself!
On a happier note, I think someone at Ohare may have overheard my idea to sell power strips at the airports. I saw, what I could only call, a laptop bar, as I exited security. It was long counter, attached to the wall of a gate, with stools and power outlets. I hope they install them in all the gates. That way I can add, “locking down your spot at the laptop bar” as another benefit to beating security out of bed.
UPDATE: The Starbucks located in the B terminal right before the escalators to the C terminal appears to be open at 4:30am.
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