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Daily Archives: September 19, 2012

American Airlines sends thousands of layoff notices

September 19, 2012 admin No comments

Mary Altaffer / AP

American Airlines has told over 11,000 workers they could lose their jobs as part of its reorganization.

American Airlines has told over 11,000 workers they could lose their jobs as part of its reorganization in bankruptcy.

However, the U.S. airline, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November, said it expects that fewer than 40 percent of those it sent notices to, or 4,400 people, will actually be laid off in November and December.

The job cut notifications come as a result of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires workers to be told about major layoffs or plant closures 60 days in advance.

Jamie Horwitz, a spokesman for the Transport Workers Union, a representative for workers that received WARN Act notices said the layoff notices “will look worse than the actual layoffs.”

Horwitz said about 800 employees had agreed to leave American voluntarily, a move that will further reduce the number of expected layoffs. American said in February it planned to cut up to 14,000 jobs as part of a plan to slim down its operations in bankruptcy.

American also said it is cutting flights by one to two percent for the rest of September and October.
The cuts are partly due to an increase in pilot sick days and greater maintenance reports by flight crews led to flight cancellations and delays, Hicks said. American operates about 1,700 flights a day.

According to flight tracking service FlightAware.com, over the past two weeks American Airlines has canceled more flights than any other major U.S. airline.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Flight cancellations surge at American Airlines

September 19, 2012 admin No comments

Flight cancellations have spiked at American Airlines, which is fighting with unhappy pilots.

The Wall Street Journal's veteran travel reporter, Scott McCartney, on Tuesday told travelers to avoid the carrier because "American's operation is in shambles."

McCartney said American Airlines is too unreliable because of trouble with the pilots union.

Read the original report on NBCDFW.com.

Denny Kelly, an aviation expert and former pilot, said he agreed that travelers should avoid the Fort Worth-based airline.

"If you're going to fly a trip from Dallas to someplace and you have a choice, and you have to be there on time or within a reasonable amount of time ... why take a chance on American?" he said. "Why take a chance on [if] a flight's going to be delayed or canceled? Go on somebody else that doesn't have that problem."

But that could be easier said than done when flying in or out of North Texas.

"The problem is, at DFW, 75 percent of the flights are American, so what do you do?" Kelly said.

American said on Monday that it would reduce the number of flights at least partly because of staffing shortages.

American spokesman Bruce Hicks said the airline was cutting its schedule for the rest of September and October by 1 to 2 percent because of "a number of factors." Among them is an increase in pilots calling in sick and maintenance reports filed by flight crews.

The airline has struggled over the past few days with a large number of pilots calling in sick and a higher-than-usual number of requests for aircraft maintenance.

An American Airlines representative told NBC 5 on Tuesday that it is aware of the higher sick levels and maintenance requests. The company said the airline is being proactive and is taking steps now to prevent more problems in the future.

American canceled more flights on Sunday and Monday than any other airline.

On Tuesday, only 53 percent of American's flights arrived on time.

"I would say it's about a D-minus," Kelly said.

Tuesday's on-time number was higher than Monday's 39 percent and Sunday's 48 percent.

Kelly said the situation is ultimately the fault of the airline's management because of how it has mistreated the pilots.

"The pilots are the ones that are involved in this job action, if you will," he said. "And, of course, it's not organized, they say. But that's exactly what it is. And the bottom line is, if a pilot follows every rule in the FARs — the federal regulations — the contract, the company regulations, they'll shut the airline down, and that's exactly what they're doing."

The cancellations came a few days after American imposed new cost-cutting terms on its pilots, including outsourcing more flying jobs to other airlines and terminating one of the pilots' retirement programs in November. Pilots rejected more-generous terms in the last contract offer from American, which has been under bankruptcy protection since November.

Last week, the union sent out ballots for a strike-authorization vote, although federal officials have not cleared the way for a legal strike at the nation's third-biggest airline.

NBC 5's Brian Curtis contributed to this report.

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How to navigate airline customer service

September 19, 2012 admin No comments

Last month there was a story about a grieving couple who, after a series of airline-related issues with Delta, ended up missing their brother's funeral. As someone who specializes in urgent airline assistance, it was painful for me to read, because it didn't need to end this way. Several solutions could have been found to help them get to their destination in time for the funeral. So this seems like a good opportunity to offer some helpful tips on what to do if you ever find yourself in a situation where you really need to get somewhere but are stuck on the ground.

Don't get hung up on trying to find bereavement fares
When there's a tragedy, people often ask for bereavement fares to help reduce the cost of flying. But bereavement fares are generally offered by the traditional legacy airlines only (Southwest and other low-cost carriers don't have them), and the truth is that they aren't always a bargain. Sure, they're discounted off the full fare, but you can often find cheaper discounted fares through the usual channels. Even in the case of United — an airline that gives a 5 percent discount off fares instead of filing specific bereavement fares — you might not want to bother. Why? Because the documentation required can be a real hassle.

Double-check your itinerary
This particular couple booked their flights over the phone and received a confirmation number. When they got to the airport, they found out that they had been booked on an earlier flight (which had already departed) and they were no longer able to get seats on the flight they originally wanted. Who was at fault? We have no idea. But it doesn't matter who messed up, because the way to avoid this problem is always the same: double-check that everything is correct when you book. Regardless of how you book, give an email address so you can receive a confirmation in writing. If you forget, you can still go online and look up your booking with the confirmation number you received on the phone, or you can even call back to verify if you have to. I know this sounds tough when you're stressed about the loss of a family member, but it's always important to double-check.

Get to the airport early
In this particular case, it wouldn't have made a difference since the earlier flight was a good six hours beforehand — but the more time you give yourself, the better chance you'll be able to recover from any problems you might run into. In this example, the couple arrived at the airport 2.5 hours early, and that was a good thing. It gave them some time to try to find alternatives once it was established that the flight they wanted was completely full and they wouldn't be able to get on.

Don't waste time
If you find out that your reservation is gone and the airline says it can't get you on the flight you needed, start thinking about the clock. Sure, you can sit there and ask for the supervisor, but if the airplane is full, it's full — the ticket agent can't physically add more seats. While you're waiting, make sure that you are using your time wisely. If you have a smartphone, start looking for other options on sites like Hipmunk.com or other metasearch sites and online travel agents. Or to really maximize your time, call a friend who is in front of a computer to aid your search. If you have no friends, well, you can always call someone at Cranky Concierge, which deals with this kind of thing all the time. While you're waiting for a supervisor, you can even get the agent with your airline involved in trying to help. The point is that once the clock is ticking, you're going to want to take advantage of every second. So don't dwell on the problem, the mistake, or the mix-up — move right to the part where you're finding a solution.

Get creative
According to Delta, this flight was full in all classes of service and there was already a list of standby passengers. So the most obvious alternatives weren't going to work.That's when it's time to start getting creative. Go to a site like Flightstats.com, where you can see all flights leaving from your airport. Once you start thinking about what flights and airlines might be able to get you where you need to go, you can start to string together ideas. For example, this couple needed to go to Detroit, but maybe the United red-eye to Cleveland had room. It's less than three hours from there to drive to Detroit, so that could have possibly worked. Remember: If you really need to be somewhere, you're usually willing to consider a lot more options than under normal circumstances.

Be nice
I'm not suggesting that this couple wasn't nice, because I wasn't there to know one way or the other. But it's still always a good idea to remind people to be nice. Chances are that the person who you're dealing with isn't the person who made the mistake. That means they are an ally — they are someone who could help you get you to your destination, but if you're yelling and screaming, then they aren't likely to be as motivated to go above and beyond. I would guess this couple was nice because according to Delta, the agents tried to find alternatives on other airlines and then gave them a full refund along with a $300 voucher when they couldn't get them on a Delta flight. That didn't get the couple to their destination, but it's still more than Delta had to do.

In the end, this whole situation was terrible. This woman missed her only brother's funeral. I would hate to seesomething like this happen to others, so try to remember these steps: stay calm, get help (from the Internet, from an airline agent, from a problem solver like Cranky Concierge or your travel agent), be nice and be creative.

More from Condé Nast Traveler

How to survive traveling solo with your kids

September 19, 2012 admin No comments

Courtesy of Lainie Liberti

Lainie Liberti and her now 13-year-old son, Miro Sevin Siegel, at Machu Picchu.

Even with two parents, traveling with children can be a challenge. There are bags to pack, sleep schedules to maintain, and young minds to occupy during long flights or car rides. With only one adult to field pleas of “Are we there yet?,” those traveling without a co-parent might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of hitting the road. With the following tips from family travel experts, single parents can enjoy exploring the world in the company of their kids.

Courtesy of Talon Walker

Talon Walker and his son, Steven, 11, on their round-the-world adventures.

Listen to your kids
Talon Walker, author of 1Dad1Kid.com, and his 11-year-old son have been on a round-the-world journey for more than a year. Walker advises parents to “include your child in the [travel] planning and decision-making as much as possible. Not only is it a great education, but it’s so much more interesting for them when they’ve been involved in the process.”

Adjust your expectations
A mother of two children under age 3, Keryn Means of WalkingOnTravels.com usually travels with her husband, who helps with diaper changes, feedings and naptime duties. However, a business trip for her previous employer led Means to her first solo trip as a parent: two weeks in China with her then 20-month-old son. After a failed day trip to the island of Macau that left Means and her toddler sweaty and exhausted, Means came to the realization that there are some activities she shouldn’t tackle on her own.

Without another parent along to help navigate a new locale and perform childcare duties, parents may want to consider reasonable expectations for how much can be accomplished in one day — and build in extra time for play and rest.

Courtesy of Keryn Means

Keryn Means and her son, Dek, making the most of their difficult day in Macau.

Make friends on the road
Traveling without a co-parent can get lonely at times. Walker says his son “needs someone besides Dad as his playmate from time to time.” They make friends at local parks, the beach and hostels. Many assume hostels are solely for college-aged backpackers, but they are also an affordable option for families on a one-person income who want to socialize with other travelers. Learn more about hostels at the Hostelling International website.

Lainie Liberti, who has been traveling the world with her now 13-year-old son for three years, makes friends with locals through CouchSurfing.org. “The 'groups' feature on the site allows us to post that we are coming to a particular city, and try to arrange meetups, events and social gatherings," she says. "We've met locals who are seniors, kids and everything in-between and have had some amazing experiences!” Liberti blogs about their adventures at RaisingMiro.com.

Buddy up
Just because you are traveling as a single parent doesn’t mean you need to go it alone. Invite another adult to join your vacation. It could be a grandparent or other family member, a trusted nanny or a fellow single parent with children.

Emma Johnson, a single mom and freelance business writer who blogs at WealthySingleMommy.com, recently took a vacation with her two preschoolers and another single mom’s family. Johnson appreciated splitting vacation costs and having another adult with whom to chat and share good times. Both sets of children had a ball playing together during their travels, too.

Pack light
One thing all of these travel-savvy parents agreed upon? Packing light. With just two adult hands to juggle luggage, it’s best to keep the packing list short. Purchase child-sized suitcases or backpacks and put your kids in charge of toting their own stuff.

Take a break
Even the most patient parent needs a break sometimes. Hiring a local babysitter or making use of your hotel’s kids camp can make the time you do spend together that much sweeter.

Colleen Lanin is the founder/editor of TravelMamas.com, a site for anyone who wants to travel with children … and stay sane! Her book, “The Travel Mamas’ Guide,” will be available November 2012.

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