RE: Mobile Phones

Of course. I would never advocate doing anything which the airline said was dangerous.

I was just trying to find out why the airlines did not want to implement the technology which would solve the problem.

RE: Charter Airlines

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-06-02 AT 11:17 PM (GMT)]The more up-market tour operators actually use scheduled carriers – eg. Hayes & Jarvis.

It’s a question I often ask myself though. Usually, after 10 hours travelling toilet class in a 747, I try to figure out the economics involved.

Consider:

Configuration 1 is 30 rows at 10 abreast. This means 300 seats. At a notional £100 a seat, this gives revenue of £30,000.

Configuration 2 is 25 rows at 8 abreast. This means 200 seats. To achieve the same revenue as configuration 1, average price would need to be raised to £150.

Config 2. gives each passenger approx. 9% extra legroom and a little less extra elbow room. They pay 50% extra ticket price for this.

So the first point is that it is uneconomic to pay a “small premium” for a little extra comfort. The second point is that even a “nice” improvement costs each passenger an extra 50%. Of course, there are now less seats. This means that airline revenues are now more sensitive to load factors than they used to be. To counterract this effect, the 50% rise might need to be increased a little.

On the other side of the coin however, I am really disappointed in BA. I am travelling LHR-MEL in a few weeks. I paid GBP 750 for an economy ticket. I tried to get in “World Traveller Plus”, but the cost was nearly GBP 4,000. This is a rise of 433%!!!

Also, it would be marginally cheaper to fly full business class on Air France, KLM or Lufthansa than to fork out for BA.

My conclusion: Airlines are scared that they will loose premium customers if they make an “improved economy” too affordable. True, perhaps. But you will also gain passengers from other airlines in my opinion.

Sorry – I know that I failed to consider the charter airline issue here!

RE: ONEWORLD (PLAYING FAIR??)

Is it actually Iberia?

I am surprised that a foreign airline is allowed to operate in the US. Maybe it is a franchise carrier – like Comair/BA in South Africa.

RE: Any other wrong “fact” Geforce?

I tend to think that the reason for the large USSR losses in WW2 was a combination of scorched earth policies and, mainly, the numerous and muderous purges of their officer and ritual execution of soldiers.

No doubts they did however fight with vigour and were instrumental in the end.

RE: Alitalia

Well, I only flew with them once. It wasn’t a bad flight, but it scared me a little, which is why I have probably subconciously avoided them since.

It was in the 80’s and we had just left Rome airport in an A300 to Heathrow. The airport bomb exploded in the same deprture lounge we had been in, about 40 minutes after we departed. The really scary bit was that we were delayed for ages, but suddenly the delay was reduced. When I heard the news back in the UK, my face went white!

RE: Did Bush upset anyone else?

Well, to stray a little off point…

There was a reference to the CIA chap at the fort revolt being rescued by the Marines. Is this the same fort revolt where the US committed an absolute atrocity?

You remember – release the prisoners, return their weapons and then mow them all down for trying to “escape”? And then praise the “patriotism” of the perpetrators…

And the US wonders why half of the world hates them!

RE: Airliner crash

China Airlines had appointed Lufthansa to consult on safety issues, focussing on maintainance I believe.

This leads me to think the aircraft would have been in reasonably good condition.