-American's loose seat problem was partly due to cost-cutting measures taken by the bankrupt carrier, says this New York Times piece that appeared over the weekend. "The airline, in trying to cut costs during bankruptcy, hired outside maintenance companies this summer for the first time to modify its cabins. And airline documents show that those workers did not understand how to properly install the seats," the article says.
-Airline food is healthier than it used to be, according to a professor nutrition at the City University of New York. Charles Platkin gave the top rating to Virgin America as the airline offers low-calorie options including an arugula salad and a "protein plate" with hummus, the Los Angeles Times reported.
-And since it's Cyber Monday, travel companies and airlines are getting in on the action, offering vacation deals on their websites. The most unusual offer comes from Virgin America. For $49,000, one customer can charter their own Virgin America Airbus A320 to fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas for the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in January. As part of the deal, the customer will be able to fly 136 guests to the show and get passes for the keynotes at CES. The plane will also be decorated with "a unique decal of your design for one month," according to USA Today.
$49K for 136 roundtrip seats seats from SF to Vegas? That's 3X the going rate! You can get $59 one-way flights from SF, San Jose or Oakland to Vegas on more than 20 flights a day! Probably more than that in January! What kind of idiot would pay $49K?
Posted by: NBH | November 28, 2012 at 01:47 PM
But I was told by AMR that outsourcing maintenance won't diminish safety.
Posted by: TiredOfPanderingANDREA | November 28, 2012 at 04:20 PM