See my comment above about Expedia vs. Travelocity regarding blocking itinerary histories and attempts to verify them, @Scott. My airline of choice is Southwest and you can only book directly with them. But they don't go many of the places I need to go.
I took four long trips in 2014 driving, to avoid airline hassles, hidden fees, lost luggage risks, limited baggage and inadequate legroom.
To continue with the absurd AA experience from my earlier post:
A gate agent in CC tried to help my wife get her unused tickets refunded, but corporate had put a lock on such itinerary records, so he couldn't do anything but be embarrassed for how outrageously his company was behaving in this case (and presumably many others). The reason for the lock (or closure)? Because she hadn't arrived at the airport to check in for the canceled flights. Never mind that she did respond to AA's emailed opportunity to check in on-line (which is where she learned of the cancellations). And, unrelated but also indicative of how messed up their computer systems are, when she got home there was a phone message telling her what day-late flight they had reticketed her for because of the 5-hour delay in her Chicago to Dallas flight on the way to CC. Of course, their own reticketing agent had booked her a different flight (that didn't require overnighting on her way to CC) long before the "rebooking" that
@PSBJ, I understand weather and mechanical breakdowns. What I do not agree with is the rescheduling policy of AA that disallows refunds for those who are not able or willing to spend two days in an airport or motel at their own expense when there are alternatives, not being accessible by phone to deal with problems, and then not allowing a refund due to strict 24 hour rescheduling deadlines which itself is weather and communication deficiency, not customer, dependent. My boycott stands.
Although this was a conveyer belt failure (allegedly), my wife was just given another expensive run around by American Airline.
On a recent round trip flight from Kalamazoo to Corpus Christi, she was shuffled several different times on the Chicago to Dallas segment in good weather. The original plane type was changed which required different seating assignments at the gate. After boarding that plane, a mechanical problem forced another switch, then a 5 hour delay waiting for a plane inbound from London, so she switched to another AA flight to make her connections out of Dallas to Corpus Christi. Luggage was 24 hours late getting to CC airport and another 8 hours to get it delivered to her destination.
On the return trip a few days later, flights into Dallas were being cancelled due to weather. But AA only allows rescheduling flights they cancel for 24 hours and there weren't any flights being booked for 48 hours. After 2-1/2 hours on the phone on hold with Travelocity, she wa
Flying occasionally out of the midwest (strange terminology - should be midcentral), it has been a long time since I was on an airliner with empty seats. Perhaps that's because I fly OUT of the middle of the country (KXNA, KTUL), mostly to the east coast (KEWR, KRIC). On the other hand, you can judge the number of no-shows by the ability of an airline to accommodate a dozen standby passengers on some of these flights.
I understand. Either the CEO's of these airlines always fly first class, or they are 5'0" midgets sitting in steerage. Best economy class seating I've seen in recent years was on an Emirates 777 and that wasn't all that great.
I have to agree that Southwest is my airline of choice - WHEN I must fly. But SW is also crowding seats another inch or two to stuff another row in. Other than leg room, they are the best I've flown for domestic flights.
I don't mind the TSA hassle. What I can't (and won't) tolerate is the decreasing legroom. I am 6'4" tall with long legs. I can sit in a United 757 seat in steerage with my butt against the seatback and my knees touching the seatframe in front of me. I get bruised kneecaps from people in front of me trying to recline the seatback. I have given up flying domestically which hasn't cost the airlines much - perhaps 10 ticket prices a year.
Fortunately, I'm retired and time is less of a factor than a few years ago. I refuse to fly within the domestic U.S. these days, and prefer to drive. I have more legroom, effectively unlimited baggage storage, discretionary restroom choice, choice of seatmate, and few if any weather delays. I wonder how much revenue the airlines are losing from people who have just given up flying? I now avoid flying whenever possible.
I don't think any conclusions can be drawn here. Masks are in the overhead compartments which can be sheared open in a crash. Elastic straps holding the masks are rather flimsy and masks could be scattered about the cabin area. Fingerprints would be difficult to obtain from many fibrous surfaces, and in any case, both fingerprint residue (lipids, salts and amino acids) and DNA are biodegradable and/or water soluble over time. On the other hand, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, either.
