Leadpile’s Blog

Are you one of those people that has a Blackberrys, iPhone, lap top or other electronic device connected to your hand at all times?  Being fully connected with the internet has become the norm, and if one does not have access for more than one hour at a time… we (yes, WE) all go crazy!!!!! Knowing this craziness, airlines are now testing Wi-Fi availability on their planes.    Various U.S. airlines have been testing this phenomenom for about a year now, however all others are now scrambling to get on board with this. Initially this is going to be free, however once all the kinks are ironed out you can expect this to be hitting your pocket book.  According to MSNBC, “Alaska Airlines is asking those who use the free test service to take a survey, which includes a question about how much they’d be willing to pay. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson says the airline will start testing fee structures once technical testing is complete, perhaps this summer.” So how much would you be willing to pay to have non stop access to the internet? I think the Leadpile crew would be willing to pay a little extra for the convenience, however let’s see what the airlines try to make us pay.

I have heard reports on the news about 8 veteran US Airways pilots being called into safety training.They are being questioned why they are repeatedly asking for extra fuel to keep the planes in the air substantially longer than the planned flight time. The airline has stated that they were just attempting to understand the pilots actions and not punish them.

The airline has stated that the more fuel in the aircraft, the heavier the aircraft, and the more it costs to fly the aircraft. The pilots have stated they want to make sure that they have enough fuel for rerouting or fly around the airport waiting to land in any delays. The pilots ultimately have the last word in how much fuel goes into the plane. 

Safety experts say that there is nothing wrong with airlines holding the line on fuel – to a point. If a pilot feels that adding another 15 to 30 minutes of flying fuel to the flight then let him. It will make the passengers feel safe and the pilot feel safe as well.

This is definitely not giving the airline any good publicity. This seems to make travelers not want to fly their airline, by making them feel less safe. By making passengers think that they are thinking more about the bottom line than their safety.  US Airways needs to find a way to put a positive spin on this to take advantage of the situation, and right now I am not seeing how they can come out of this looking good.