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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 12:08:55 PM
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ljmac
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While there is no doubt there is currently special pressure on the airline business, this industry has traditionally been a volitile one. My father worked in the airline and air cargo business and changed jobs many times during his career which started in the 60s.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 12:23:38 PM
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kernsfamily
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quote:
ORIGINAL: cow451
quote:
ORIGINAL: ekserekseez
You're right about high speed rail. I travel in Europe a lot because we own homes there, so I fly into Rome or Paris or London, then travel exclusively by rail within Europe. The high-speed EuroStar is super fast and comfortable. European rail has everything from very luxurious first class to inexpensive, but still clean and safe, economy class.
The question is, could the US develop a high-speed rail system to take the pressure of the airlines, but do it with private money, without using tax funds, and without it being a huge federal subvention?
I doubt it, but we can hope.
Europe has some very forward-thinking ideas (compared to the US). It would take many years to develop a rail system and Americans aren't very patient.
not to mention....Europe has some VERY VERY high tax rates for all of it's citizens...and on EVERYTHING..... to pay for all of those "forward thinking" ideas....
not many americans want to see the US turn into a socialist country.....we like our capitalism, free markets and free enterprise....
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 12:29:33 PM
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kernsfamily
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Marcus.
I don't know if you keep up with the airline industry but there have been several failures recently. Fuel prices and not passing the increased operating costs on to the customers have forced these airlines into liquidation.
Here is the most current list I have run across. Some of these may be new to you because they were subcontractors to major airlines or charter outfits.
- Aloha
- Big Sky (Northwest Airlines regional partner)
- Champion (Charter out of Minneapolis)
- Skybus (new low cost)
- Skyway (Midwest Airlines regional partner)
- ATA
- Kitty Hawk
Also Sun Country Airlines is furloughing 30% of its pilots.
all of that is simply corporate "darwinism"....the "survival of the fittest"....most of those airlines were "on the verge" or straddling hard times just a year or so ago when the economy wasn't so bad.....now, that the cycle has turned, and times have changed for now, the weakest of the companies will fall away.....and, as someone mentioned, others will take it's place.....it's happened before (Eastern Air, Pan Am, Braniff, etc..etc...).....and, will continue again (Southwest, JetBlue, etc..etc...)....
no matter how bad, or even good, the economy is, companies will always fail for a multitude of reasons.....but, in "not so good times", it makes it even easier for a weak company to fail.....
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Proud dad of 3 great girls....Erin, Emilie and Elise
Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 1:05:50 PM
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ekserekseez
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kernsfamily:
As someone who lives entirely on inherited wealth, I agree with you one zillion percent about avoiding the pitfalls of socialism that have undermined Europe for the last century.
That being aside, Europe does have some excellent ideas to offer (as well as food, wine, art, music, and tourism!). Transportation is an example of a good European idea. Funding such transportation with tax money, as you point out, is not one.
If a smart group of investors with LOTS of cash got together and built a few high-profile legs of a high-speed rail system in the US, especially on the East and West Coasts and a couple of points mid-continent (maybe Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City, to start?), they would give the airlines a run for their money.
And of course, competition from another industry would only BENEFIT the failing airline industry.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 1:36:13 PM
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Marcus.
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Eastern was destroyed by its CEO.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 3:37:12 PM
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kernsfamily
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quote:
If a smart group of investors with LOTS of cash got together and built a few high-profile legs of a high-speed rail system in the US, especially on the East and West Coasts and a couple of points mid-continent (maybe Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City, to start?), they would give the airlines a run for their money.
the other reason why rail works so much better in Europe than it would here is population density. So many more people living in a much smaller area.....the entire country of France has 109 people per KM....Germany has 229....very few places in America come even CLOSE to numbers like that (except in our older, larger cities)....
most states in the country have half the density....or less than that....
plus...can you imagine the complexities of gaining the "right of ways" for a high speed train, like the ones they use in japan? Just doing that would take decades.
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Proud dad of 3 great girls....Erin, Emilie and Elise
Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 3:51:16 PM
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Peter_Gunn
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I fully expect that soon we'll see the airlines go the way of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The government will have to step in again and save us from ourselves! Just another step toward all-out Socialism.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 3:55:34 PM
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ekserekseez
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You both have points (pop density and impending socialism). The alternative is for flying to once again become the privilege of the wealthy. Prices don't ever stop me from traveling, but I realize this is not the case for most people.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 5:26:17 PM
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kernsfamily
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quote:
The alternative is for flying to once again become the privilege of the wealthy.
in the eyes of MANY people....(even in the past 20 years).....flying has always been a "privilege of the wealthy".....
as for me...if it will take more than a day or so to get to a "destination" for a vacation with the family....it's going to be worth it to fly.....why take 4 "vacation days" out of your vacation JUST to allow for driving somewhere...and driving back? and, all the expenses and time along the way?....when all I want/need to do is GET THERE.
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Proud dad of 3 great girls....Erin, Emilie and Elise
Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/8/2008 8:11:31 PM
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Ps103
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I sure wish I had bought some United Airline stock around 11:30 am today....
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/21/2008 6:35:53 PM
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humbleinspirit
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As fares and fees rise, passengers want service
FORT WORTH, Texas - On a recent rainy day at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a suitcase bound for Colorado Springs, Colo., lay on the ground outside a terminal under a maze of American Airlines conveyor belts that ferry bags to and from nearby planes.
A field representative for the airline who was showing a reporter the long, circuitous route checked bags take put the suitcase on a belt where it was supposed to be. He said it likely fell off a belt or a baggage handler's vehicle. He didn't know how long it had been off its path.
The airlines have been imposing new fees, raising fares, reducing flights and, in some cases, cutting out free snacks in coach. But several big and small airlines alike have struggled relative to the industry in terms of baggage handling, on-time performance and other customer service metrics. An annual University of Michigan survey released in May found customers giving airlines the worst grades since 2001.
With the slow travel season now upon them, airlines face the dual challenges of increasing revenue to cover heavy fuel costs while also improving their product to give air travelers a return on their added investment.
"We realize that in order for us to regain that brand recognition and the customer loyalty that we used to own in the '80s and '90s, we ought to do something very dramatic and different," said Mark Mitchell, American's managing director of customer experience.
Delta Air Lines Inc.'s regional subsidiary Comair had the worst on-time performance in July among airlines surveyed by the Department of Transportation. From January through July, American Airlines' on-time arrival rate was the lowest among U.S. carriers, while UAL Corp.'s United Airlines' was second-lowest. Comair had the highest mishandled baggage rate in July, while the highest number of consumer complaints received by the DOT that month were about Delta. Comair's on-time performance from January through July ranked 17th out of 19 airlines, while Delta's ranked eighth.
The fourth-highest number of consumer complaints received by the DOT in July were about Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, which said in a Sept. 3 memo to employees that they would not be receiving a $50 bonus for the month because the airline's on-time performance did not place in the top three among the 10 largest U.S. carriers.
Executives blame weather, congestion in the Northeast and air traffic control issues for some of the problems, but they also acknowledge company specific problems. They say there have been improvements since the latest DOT figures were released.
Read Full Article
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/22/2008 9:28:59 AM
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kernsfamily
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quote:
ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit
As fares and fees rise, passengers want service
FORT WORTH, Texas - On a recent rainy day at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a suitcase bound for Colorado Springs, Colo., lay on the ground outside a terminal under a maze of American Airlines conveyor belts that ferry bags to and from nearby planes.
A field representative for the airline who was showing a reporter the long, circuitous route checked bags take put the suitcase on a belt where it was supposed to be. He said it likely fell off a belt or a baggage handler's vehicle. He didn't know how long it had been off its path.
A similar article appeared in yesterday's Dallas Morning News....highlighting American's horrible "lost baggage" and "on time" performance....
Unfortunately, for those of us who do live in the DFW area....the monopoly that American has on it's hub here, doesn't give us much choice when choosing an airline. The "default" is usually American, whether you like them or not.
American Airlines tries to turn corner on late arrivals, lost bags
What's wrong with American Airlines?
The carrier, which in the 1980s called itself the On-Time Machine, hasn't earned that label for quite a long time.
American Airlines is adding more minutes to its flight and ground times in an effort to improve its arrival record. The carrier is also trying to improve its baggage handling and customer satisfaction after getting bad marks in performance.
Over the past year, American has ranked last in on-time arrivals among all U.S. carriers that report performance numbers to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It has performed worse than the industry average for 20 straight months.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/DN-american_21bus.ART0.State.Edition1.268cf8a.html
_____________________________
Proud dad of 3 great girls....Erin, Emilie and Elise
Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 9/23/2008 11:43:12 AM
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bzirk
Posts: 2849
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From: Where the deer and antelope play
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quote:
ORIGINAL: crm4souls
Airlines will fail, but the government will continue to keep the airline industry afloat. It's part of our system and the economy. They will bail them out again, if the need arises. One thing is for sure, don't ever buy an airline stock. We never put our money in the airline industry, unless it is to buy a ticket to fly.
I love what Warren Buffet said:
quote:
I'm a member of AA (Airlines Anonymous).
This was after he invested in U.S. Air and took a bath.
Of course I guess he's back in the business now. I think he had it right before.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 10/25/2008 3:19:13 PM
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humbleinspirit
Posts: 17805
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Plane engines found with damaged, missing parts
WASHINGTON – After finding several passenger aircraft engines with damaged and missing parts, safety officials on Thursday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to order inspections of similar engines, particularly those long in service.
The PW2037 engines currently are in use in 725 Boeing 757 jetliners, according to Pratt & Whitney, their manufacturer.
The National Transportation Safety Board, in a letter to the FAA seeking the inspections, cited concerns that pieces of the engine could penetrate fuel tanks, causing a leak and fire.
"Information gathered to date has raised serious concerns that warrant immediate action by the FAA," the safety board wrote Robert Sturgell, the FAA's acting administrator.
The safety board began examining the engines after Delta Air Lines pilots reported hearing a loud bang during a takeoff roll at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Aug. 6. The board said the pilots noticed one engine lost power before they slowed the plane and returned to the parking area. There were no reported injuries to the 166 passengers or six crew members.
An investigation turned up several broken, cracked or missing lugs that hold turbine blades, and damaged blades in the jet's engine, the NTSB letter said. Similar problems were found in an American Airlines jetliner with the same PW2037 engine, according to the board.
The NTSB said it has learned that damaged lugs have been found in four other PW2037 engines, but Pratt & Whitney has not responded to a request for more information on those cases.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 10/25/2008 3:24:59 PM
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humbleinspirit
Posts: 17805
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Airlines say holiday bookings still strong
ATLANTA – Minneapolis business manager Roque Rossetti plans to make his annual trip home to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for Christmas. The 35-year-old said the sagging economy gave him no second thoughts about shelling out $1,200 for the ticket.
"If I wait longer, I'd probably pay more, and I might not end up going," he said. But, he added, "I'm secure. I don't have kids or a wife. My house is paid for."
Several carriers have said that advance bookings show their planes are expected to be as full as or fuller than a year ago over the late fall and winter holidays — largely because they have taken so many seats out of the air, a decision that was made when fuel prices were soaring. In fact, travelers who have not booked flights for the holidays could find it more difficult and expensive than usual to find the flights they want, when they want them.
Because of the capacity cuts, fuller planes do not mean more people will be flying. It also may be tougher for ski resorts and sunny vacation destinations to keep their numbers up, though some are offering promotions to lure holiday travelers who may be hesitant to open their wallets amid an uncertain economy.
"I think the consumer now has a lot of things on their mind — they're concerned about the economy, they're concerned about the election, but I think they have already made the decision about what they are going to do over Thanksgiving and Christmas," said Arne Haak, chief financial officer of discount carrier AirTran Airways.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 10/25/2008 5:43:53 PM
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Peter_Gunn
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quote:
ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit
Plane engines found with damaged, missing parts
That's no surprise considering the fact that many service shops of the large airlines have outsourced their work to places like Mexico. It's a lot cheaper and they'll get it done quick as a wink!
You get what you pay for.
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 10/25/2008 5:45:04 PM
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humbleinspirit
Posts: 17805
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Not good anyway you look at it. 
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RE: Airlines Starting to Fail - 10/25/2008 6:02:44 PM
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Marcus.
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Most are in Asian countries.
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