Travel
Flightstats
Posted by Noid on January 30, 2008 in Travel
I have been using this great tool for about 6 months now and its called Flightstats. It allows you to see the status of any flight, or any airport. Now it does all the cool stuff like show you a nice map with red/green/yellow indicators over the airports, email you flight updates in real time and show security line wait times, but what is really nice is the historical data on flight routes you can peruse. When I need to go to DC, for example, I can look at every carrier to BWI, Dulles or Reagan and see which route, by which carrier and at which time is usually on time. Ah…being on time…the little things in life (or the consulting life 
) that give us joy. One other great feature is their Airport Chatter where other road warriors like yourselves can post what’s happening at your local airport so the rest of us can benefit. It may be a head’s up on only 4 security scanners running or even that parking lot A is full.
LAX Security Line = Awful
Posted by Noid on January 15, 2008 in Travel
I don’t know whose job it is to manage security lines at airports, but whoever it is at LAX needs to be fired. This airport is one of the worst for security lines I have ever been in and I have been in a lot. It amazes me the differences in security lines across the country. Aren’t they all managed by TSA? Why are some so long and some so short?
For whatever reason, Southwest’s terminal seems to be worse than the others. The picture above is a the actually security line going out the door and down the street over 100 yards! What you don’t see is the snake inside, the stairs to another snake and then the detectors. Always leave some extra time for LAX security.
Not to mention the airlines employees get a special line and can skip ahead of anyone. Look, they may be working, but I am too and I don’t get to skip lines.
Most On Time Airlines
Posted by Noid on January 2, 2008 in Travel
Forbestraveler.com just released an article with on-time ratings of airlines. If you read my post on Southwest you know how I am a big believer in their efficiency and model. Well, consequently they are rated the number one on time airline amongst the national carriers. Their strategy is simple, buck conventional wisdom. Do not fly to massive hubs and connect people there and use smaller, less congested airports!
Among the big U.S. carriers, Southwest recorded 80.4% annual on-time arrivals, making it the most punctual of the major fliers (and third behind Hawaiian and Aloha). It also holds the highest percentage of on-time arrivals (82.1%) since the DOT began tracking this information in 1987, making it the most on-time U.S. carrier overall.
Chicago Flying
Posted by Noid on December 28, 2007 in Travel
O’hare has long dominated the airways above Chicago. It bounces back and forth with Atlanta Hartsfield for our nation’s busiest airport, and if you have ever been to O’hare, you know what I am talking about. In many ways, the centrally located city is perfect for the hubs of major airlines like United, however this particular city does get quite a bit of weather.
The main problem with O’hare is that is just packed too tight. There is no room for error. The Mayor is fighting the neighbors for more run ways because without them O’hares growth projections will just not add up. This week (a holiday week) United canceled 5% of their flights due to O’hare. Flights were still being canceled up to three days later.
O’hare is just become the russian roulette of travelers, and it is far too risky to fly in or through O’hare if you can avoid it. Alternatively, Midway airport in Chicago got through most delays and caught up to delayed traffic within the same day. I personally had a relative fly into Midway from the Northeast (which was hammered with weather right before Christmas) and only sustained a 45 min delay. So next time you fly, fly to the less popular airport!
Holiday Cheer — At the Airport?!?
Posted by Trippp on December 28, 2007 in Travel
Like so many consultants, I spend a good 2-5 hours in the airports each week. Tack on the holiday rush, holiday weather, crabby kids all around you, delays…well, you get the picture, it can really bring a person to their knees. For example last week when pushing out from the gate, the ground was so icy, that it took an extra hour to get enough trucks around and people to pack sand under the tires of the trucks just to get us away from the gate. I mean, it’s an airport, you would think that they would have heated areas so that the gate area would stay ice free. Little things like that can push you over the edge if you let them. But don’t you let them!