STUPID AIRPORT SECURITY

It's looking up though. Southwest does it by flying profitable routes and uses enough planes so that people can almost use it like a bus service for shorter hauls like between Albuquerque and PHoenix. (It also has a superior on time rating and has a superb safety record.)

I used to prefer to fly American, Ameriwest, Delta, or United because I could get an assigned seat and could arrive at the airport just minutes before departure. After 9/11 though, when security was tightened and I had to get to the airport much earlier, I switched more to Southwest and its better schedules and lower fares.

I read recently that Southwest may go to assigned seats soon though. I have mixed emotions about that. Why fix something that has worked very well up to now?

Airlines finally making money
Tightfisted tactics, higher fares pay off amid rising fuel costs
By Meredith Cohn
Sun reporter
Originally published July 28, 2006
Airline passengers might not enjoy paying higher fares to be crammed into full airplanes with little more than a bag of peanuts for sustenance, but that cash seems to be helping the nation's carriers finally put the brakes on their multibillion-dollar, multiyear slide.

In the past week and a half, eight airlines have reported that they finally made money in the second quarter after years of losses, earned more than last year or, in the cases of Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways - Baltimore's No. 1 and 2 carriers, respectively - had their best three months ever.

And it's not just the discounters: United Airlines, which hadn't reported a profit in six years, and US Airways, which had filed for bankruptcy twice since 2002, both made money.

Airline officials and experts still warn that spiking fuel bills and the economy's uncertain direction leave the industry on less than stable ground, and they cautioned that the second quarter usually is the industry's strongest. But the fare increases and years of cost-cutting contributed to the kind of quarter the industry hasn't seen since 2000.
MORE HERE

Speaking of oil prices and the airline industry:

Rising oil prices are squeezing travel and tourism





(I just found the article interesting, no particular comment)

The thing is though that 9/11 did hurt the airline industry, but it was wobbly well before 9/11. And all those airlines were going belly up well before oil prices started spiking to their all time record highs.

And now with oild prices at their all time record highs, airlines are beginning to report profits and planes are packed with passengers to the extent I've never seen before.

To put things in perspective, we drove like crazy when we were making $1.50/hour and gasoline was 25 cents a gallon. An airline ticket was out of reach for most of us.

Even at $2.80/gallone, gasoline isn't proportionately more expensive today than it was then, and most people can afford to fly now and then. My husband and I are by no means wealthy, at least by U.S. standardss, but we aren't flying any less. We just work harder at scrounging up the bargain fares.

revel :
i too find these kinds of articles interesting - don't always know what to do with them , but i think it shows that even so called "experts" have trouble forecasting future events (and price levels).
i read the book about south-west airlines - a kind of management study , really - and found it interesting .
when fuel prices escalated south-west pilots were asked to make suggestions on how to achieve fuel-savings . they quickly determined that slowing down just a bit , shutting off engines immediately after arriving at the terminal and taking better advantage of prevailing jet-streams resulted in suffient savings to offset the initial fuel-price increase .
interesting imo , what can be done without any real sacrifice in operating effectiveness
hbg.
hbg

The line in the following that caught my eye was the one where it is really silly to prohibit airline pilots from taking their toothpaste and contact lens cleaner on board considering that they are in full control of large airplanes loaded with thousands of litres of highly flammable and explosive fuel.

And I say to myself: Self, that definitely does fall under the umbrella of stupid airport security. (And then my other self is still happy they're doing so much to keep us safe.)

Airlines in backlash over security rules SOURCE

If the airline industry can find ways to save fuel, surely if other industries and lay persons put their mind to it, we can too?

In urban areas it's a lot easier to save fuel supply but when you live in country areas, you really have no choice but to use you own car rather than car pooling or riding bicycles... Also it is just too expensive to have those cars that run on alternative fuels. So in practical matters I am not sure what we can really do, though I confess I am really not well read on the subject. I was encouraged though about the prediction that before oil supply runs too low the chances are there will be alternative energy sources. I hope that is one prediction that runs true for a whole host of reasons.

I am kind of ignorant on this subject so I can't really expand too much more, but it is interesting to me considering how important it is in this day and time. It seems everything from the economy to security and wars is in some way or another is affected by oil. Besides I am kind of straying from the topic, sorry.

The other thing in that article that caught my eye was "A week after Britain said it had foiled a terrorist plot. . ." SAID it had foiled? Wouldn't you normally write that, "A week after Britian had foiled. . . "?

Watch for that writer to be a participant in the conspiracy theories certain to come soon. . . .

I think that was is reported above is just a minor anecdotical point ... at least in Britain.

The major discussion is about the passneger's situation before starting a flight (and their luggage) as well as the terrorists have gained one of their aims: disrupted the economic life (of Britain) severely.

Well, their is until now no evidence of that i HAD foiled - or did I (and the media) miss a court's decission of which you already know?

Source

Well I'm 100% with the anti-terror police in Britain on this one. I don't often take my country to task without pointing out the good. But the leftist mainstream media in the USA has been so careless and irresponsible about what they report, they might as well be the promo and communications network for al-Qaida and all other terrorist groups. They sure as heck aren't on the side of the USA or democracy, freedom, and security of anybody anywhere. I can't find any good side to that.

Britain didn't accuse the "leftish media" but the FBI.

That too. But whatever the local FBI is leaking wouldn't be common knowledge without the aid of a media who really doesn't care who gets hurt by what they publish. However, I think any person who intentionally leaks classified information, especially information critical to national security, should be subject to immediate prosecution for treason and subject to the full penalty of law for that.

According to my "sources" (= media and Members of Parliament) only that.

But you might know more here as well as you knew a couple of responses before.

I assume that you don't include Cheney in that, Foxy.

Plus the whole Bush administration.

The Leak None Dared Call Treason

I would suggest that those who wish to participate in a Bush bashing thread participate on any of the two or three dozen active threads devoted to that purpose. I will not intentionally take the bait for that or the bait for those who have no interest in discussing the topic but just want to play gotcha here.

You brought in the partisan comments with this and the administration did do this

You have strange ideas on what is partisan, Revel. But this isn't the thread to discuss that either.

Mutiny as passengers refuse to fly until Asians are removed
Passengers refuse to allow holiday jet to take off until two Asian men are thrown off plane

CHRISTOPHER LEAKE and ANDREW CHAPMAN / UK Daily Mail | August 20 2006

British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.

The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic.

Passengers told cabin crew they feared for their safety and demanded police action. Some stormed off the Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 minutes before it was due to leave the Costa del Sol at 3am. Others waiting for Flight ZB 613 in the departure lounge refused to board it.

The incident fuels the row over airport security following the arrest of more than 20 people allegedly planning the suicide-bombing of transatlantic jets from the UK to America. It comes amid growing demands for passenger-profiling and selective security checks.

It also raised fears that more travellers will take the law into their own hands - effectively conducting their own 'passenger profiles'.

The passenger revolt came as Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was accused of using the terror crisis to make money. Government sources say he boasted to an official at the Transport Department: "Every time I appear on TV, I get a spike in sales."

The Tories said the Government's failure to reassure travellers had led the Malaga passengers to 'behave irrationally' and 'hand a victory to terrorists'.

Websites used by pilots and cabin crew were yesterday reporting further incidents. In one, two British women with young children on another flight from Spain complained about flying with a bearded Muslim even though he had been security-checked twice before boarding.

The trouble in Malaga flared last Wednesday as two British citizens in their 20s waited in the departure lounge to board the pre-dawn flight and were heard talking what passengers took to be Arabic. Worries spread after a female passenger said she had heard something that alarmed her.

Passengers noticed that, despite the heat, the pair were wearing leather jackets and thick jumpers and were regularly checking their watches.

Initially, six passengers refused to board the flight. On board the aircraft, word reached one family. To the astonishment of cabin crew, they stood up and walked off, followed quickly by others.

The Monarch pilot - a highly experienced captain - accompanied by armed Civil Guard police and airport security staff, approached the two men and took their passports.

Half an hour later, police returned and escorted the two Asian passengers off the jet.

'There was no fuss or panic'

Soon afterwards, the aircraft was cleared while police did a thorough security sweep. Nothing was found and the plane took off - three hours late and without the two men on board.

Monarch arranged for them to spend the rest of the night in an airport hotel and flew them back to Manchester later on Wednesday.

College lecturer Jo Schofield, her husband Heath and daughters Emily, 15, and Isabel, 12, were caught up in the passenger mutiny.

Mrs Schofield, 38, said: "The plane was not yet full and it became apparent that people were refusing to board. In the gate waiting area, people had been talking about these two, who looked really suspicious with their heavy clothing, scruffy, rough, appearance and long hair.

"Some of the older children, who had seen the terror alert on television, were starting to mutter things like, 'Those two look like they're bombers.'

"Then a family stood up and walked off the aircraft. They were joined by others, about eight in all. We learned later that six or seven people had refused to get on the plane.

"There was no fuss or panic. People just calmly and quietly got off the plane. There were no racist taunts or any remarks directed at the men.

"It was an eerie scene, very quiet. The children were starting to ask what was going on. We tried to play it down."

Mr Schofield, 40, an area sales manager, said: "When the men were taken off they didn't argue or say a word. They just picked up their coats and obeyed the police. They seemed resigned to the fact they were under suspicion.

"The captain and crew were very apologetic when we were asked to evacuate the plane for the security search. But there was no dissent.

"While we were waiting, everyone agreed the men looked dodgy. Some passengers were very panicky and in tears. There was a lot of talking about terrorists."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory Homeland Security spokesman, said last night: "This is a victory for terrorists. These people on the flight have been terrorised into behaving irrationally.

"For those unfortunate two men to be victimised because of the colour of their skin is just nonsense."

Monarch said last night: "The captain was concerned about the security surrounding the two gentlemen on the aircraft and the decision was taken to remove them from the flight for further security checks.

"The two passengers offloaded from the flight were later cleared by airport security and rebooked to travel back to Manchester on a later flight."

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: "These men had aroused suspicion because of their appearance and the fact that they were speaking in a foreign language thought to be an Arabic language, and the pilot was refusing to take off until they were escorted off the plane."