Delta Orders 100 New Boeing 737-900ER Aircraft

The New Delta 737-900ER

Delta Airlines announced on August 25, 2011 that it had ordered 100 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft from Chicago Based Boeing Corporation. These aircraft will be for delivery between 2013 and 2018. These aircraft will replace older planes in the Delta fleet.

The order will enable Delta to add 100 fuel-efficient, state-of-the-art 180 seat aircraft to its world wide fleet, replacing on a capacity-neutral basis older technology aircraft that will be retired from the fleet. The new Boeing 737’s will have a range of 3,200 nautical miles and will be able to operate on any domestic route offered by Delta.

The new 737-900ER will be Delta’s first aircraft to feature Boeing’s new “Sky Interior,” which offers expanded carry-on luggage space, a roomier, more airy cabin and an LED lighting system that provides different color schemes, such as a soft blue sky and a relaxing pallet of sunset colors throughout the aircraft.

SDX Express beats the Deuce Bus on The Las Vegas Strip!

SDX Express Bus On Las Vegas Blvd

The SDX Express is the latest in public transportation in the City of Las Vegas. This Express bus, that really looks and acts more like a train is a great addition to the Vegas scene.

So what is the SDX Express anyway? Well, the SDX Express is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route that provides convenient, limited stops and frequent service on Las Vegas Boulevard in the Resort Corridor between the South Strip Transfer Terminal (SSTT) to the South and the Clark County Government Center/Las Vegas Premium Outlets/Symphony Park area to the North.

So this new term BRT or Bus Rapid Transit, what is it? Well Bus Rapid Transit combines the quality of rail transit with the flexibility of a regular bus service. BRT provides enhanced rapid transit service by using bus only traffic lanes, limited stops, off-board fare collection and level boarding stations. That means that you cannot pay your fare on the bus. You must purchase your ticket at the stop/station. These stations have automated  fare vending machines. This makes boarding faster as people can board without having to pay a fare at the entrance of the bus. This is the way transit trains work. You can board more passengers in a shorter amount of time.

This new service is a great way to get up and down the Las Vegas Strip quickly. But remember, this is a limited stop service. So you have to plan your route in advance so you know where you can get on and get off.

I tried the SDX Express service this past April and I was really impressed. The boarding moved much faster then the Deuce Bus due to the fact that you just get on and hold up your fare card to the “Conductor” at the door. That’s right, there is a conductor on this bus, just like on a train. The motorman is in an enclosed cabin and this person drives the ACE.

The prices are the same as the Deuce Bus, $6 for 2 hours pass, $8 for a 24 hour pass, or $20 for a 3 day pass. And you can use your fare card on the Deuce Bus or the SDX Express. So the next time you are in Las Vegas, give the SDX Express a try!

Below is the route map of the SDX Express.

sdx

 

My Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of The Seas

Alan & Lil on The Tender with the Mariner in the background

This is my second time on The Mariner of The Seas and my 87th cruise over all. With all these cruises under my belt, I feel that I have a good Idea of what makes a great cruise vacation.

My wife and I departed on July 12, 2009 from the Port of Los Angeles on Royal Caribbean’s  Mariner of The Seas. We were very excited to be on the Mariner again and were looking forward to a great vacation at sea. We sailed away from the dock at 5:45 PM and headed south from LA to Mexico in the crystal blue Pacific Ocean.

We Unpacked and settled into our stateroom.  We headed to the dinning room at 555PM, as we had first seating dinning. Royal Caribbean has instituted a “As You Like it Dinning” as an option for people that don’t like  early or late set dinning times. This option gives you the choice to come to the main dinning room at anytime between 6PM and 8:30PM and you are seated as if you were at a restaurant. I personally like the fixed seating at the same table, waiters and people at my table all week. We were seated at a table for 6 with two other couples. One couple was from the Chicago area and was also in the cabin next to us we discovered. The other couple was from Big Bear California. Really very nice people and we had a great conversation at dinner. But that’s what dinner on a cruise ship is really all about. Meeting new people, great food and great conversation. The food was excellent, which was nice to see that Royal Caribbean had not cutback on the quality of the food during these trying economic times.

After dinner it was off to the Savoy Theater for the welcome aboard show. We met our Cruise

The Parade on the Mariner of The Seas

Director Abe who gave us a rundown of what to expect during the upcoming week. Then we were entertained by a juggler and a comic, who were both very good. The evening ended with a great “Welcome Parade” on the Royal Promenade. So for the first day, things looked pretty good.

Since we had travelled with Royal Caribbean on more than 24 cruises, we are considered Diamond Plus members in their Loyalty program, which is the top tier of the program. Along with being in the top tier brings some perks, such as a special on board coupon book. Now it’s been 18 months since our last Royal Caribbean cruise and we were expecting the same perks in the coupon book we received in February of 2008. Well they have decided to change the coupon book and take away a lot of the “Perks” that they gave to their best customers. This did not make much sense to me. Why would you take away perks to your best customers. Things such as a free 8” X 10” photo is now gone and replaced by a 20% off coupon on a special type of 8” x 10” photo. Gone also is a free 30 minutes of internet usage, replaced by a $10 off coupon for internet usage. At a ridiculous $0.55 per minute (OUCH!) you will use that $10 credit up real quick, as the internet connection on this ship is so slow, you could finish the novel War and Peace before you could send your email.

Gone is the “Ship Shape” program. This program got people involved in the fitness activities aboard the ship. You would earn Ship Shape dollars for participating in the activities and you would then be able to redeem them for “Ship Shape” gifts at the end of the cruise. A really great program that I really was sorry to see it eliminated as I was on the ship that they started the ship shape program back in the 1980’s. I guess the one thing that Royal Caribbean eliminated that I was really sad to see go was the Mint and Saying on the Pillow at night. Did I eat the mint every night, no, but It was like a warm fuzzy that I had come to expect on Royal Caribbean ever since we sailed on our first cruise on the Song of Norway in 1978.

To be continued……..

United Airlines Needs Customer Service Lessons

United Terminal at O'Hare

This has got to be the height of how not to treat a customer. My daughters Mother-in-law purchased 2 round trip tickets for my daughter and her husband for their honeymoon. They were headed to Rome, Italy from Chicago. The best fare and connections were through Toronto on Air Canada. The entire itinerary was on Air Canada except for the first leg of the trip which was from Chicago to Toronto. This leg was a code share flight with United Airlines. That means that United Airlines operated the flight, but the ticket showed an Air Canada flight number but also said “Flight Operated by United Airlines.”

The tickets were purchased about 4 months ago. During that time, United Airlines had a major schedule change and canceled a large number of flights. One of those flights  was the Air Canada code share flight that my kids were on. Now you would think that United would have let us know that the flight was canceled. That would have been the proper thing to do, but remember, this is United, an Airline that does not know what the words “Customer Service” means.

So let’s jump ahead to the night before the flight. I ask my daughter what the flight number was so I can check the times and maybe even get them checked in and get a boarding pass. She gives me her itinerary and I proceeded to look up her flights, but I could not find her first flight number. So I checked all the flight from Chicago to Toronto and I found that her flight did not exist anymore. So I tried to check her in on the United website. But it was not able to check them in as the website said that they did not have a flight from Chicago to Toronto. Now I am really worried. So we call Air Canada. They tell me that they have rebooked them on a United flight to Toronto at 110PM. So I felt a little better, but I still didn’t trust United. So I  called United Airlines Reservations. By the time we got to a real person I was very nervous. I gave the United reservation agent the reservation number and I was told the flight was an Air Canada flight. I told the agent, “No it is your flight, because it is a 737 aircraft and Air Canada does not have any 737’s. The agents argued with me for a few minutes, but then agreed with me that it was a United flight. I hung up, but I still was not feeling very good about this, as it was still not showing the flight correctly in the United reservation system.

The No Customer Service Gate Check In

Fast forward to the next day. My kids arrive at O’Hare Airport at 11AM for the 1;10PM Flight. They get in the International check in line and they wait, and wait and wait. After 50 minutes in line, they get to the kiosk and try to check in. But my fears come true and it will not let them check in. It says on the screen “Cannot complete check in, Please see agent.” So they turn around and grab an agent and she tells them they have to go and stand in yet another line to see an agent. They have now been at the airport for 1 hour trying to check in. The next line has at least 40 people in it and only one agent working the line. It takes them 40 minutes to get to the agent. Once they get to the agent, they are told  by the agent “You are too late, I cannot check you in, there is only 20 minutes before flight time. Go to Air Canada, it’s their ticket.” Can you believe that! And she was rude on top of it. They told her that they have been waiting almost 2 hours in LINE! There was no response from the agent. So they gathered up their luggage and  walked from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, which is a long haul.

The Air Canada Agent they finally checked in with could not have been nicer to my Daughter and Son In Law. She could not believe that United treated them so poorly. She apologized and booked them on an Air Canada flight at 2PM and up graded them to First Class. This is the sign of a Class Airline. United can learn a lot about customer service from the Ticket Agent at Air Canada. Because if you don’t treat your customers with respect, then you won’t have any customers. And if you don’t have any customers, you won’t have an airline. Just some food for thought United!

The Deuce Bus Las Vegas – Update

 

Alan on The Deuce Bus

I was in Las Vegas from May 3 thru May 8 and I want to bring you up to date on the changes to the Deuce Bus. 

 

As you may or may not know, the Deuce Bus is the public transportation bus that travels up the Las Vegas strip from the south end to Downtown Las Vegas on the North. The buses are Double Decker and run 24/7. I personally love to ride the Deuce Bus when I am in Las Vegas. The buses are new, clean and very comfortable. The drivers are very friendly and helpful. 

Now for the changes. The Deuce Bus has raised their fares. The one way ride ticket is now $3 (up from $2) while the 24 hours unlimited ride pass is now $7 (up from $5). Since they raised the fares, they have instituted a 3 day pass for $15. This pass is only available from the ticket vending machines. These machines are available at both the north downtown terminal and the south end terminal, plus at the MGM stop northbound. There are also 2 other machines along the route, but I cannot remember where exactly they are.

 

The Deuce Bus at the MGM stop

If you have an iPhone, use the GPS maps and you can route your trip on the Deuce Bus and get departure and arrival times. It really helped me get between the Monte Carlo Hotel and the Rio Hotel.

 

I have included some new photos of the Deuce Bus. Next time you are in Vegas, take the Deuce Bus and relax. Oh, and try to get the front seats on the second floor. It is the greatest way to see the Strip!

Also, if you are looking for show tickets at up to 50% off. Try Tix4Tonight, here is the link to the blog post I wrote about my experience with the service. https://thetraveldoctor.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/tix4tonight-in-las-vegas-save-big-bucks/

The Great Front Seats on The Deuce Bus

Ryanair To Consider “Pay To Pee”

 

Ryanair on Take Off

Ok, this is the most ridiculous thing I have every heard. Ryanair, an Irish discount airline is considering a new way to make money. They already charge for everything extra on their flights, but now they want you to pay to pee! That’s right, you have to go, you have to pay! I never thought that anyone would have the nerve to charge you to go to the toilet on an airplane! 

So there you are at 35,000 feet and you have to go and you don’t have any change? What do you do? Do you wet your pants? Do you walk down the aisle and ask everyone for spare change so you can GO? 

Here is a quote from a Ryanair official. “One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future,” This is just crazy! 

So if you are thinking of flying Ryanair in Europe, be sure to take some spare change. You never know when you may have to GO!

A Tale of Two American Airline’s Cities

 

New American Terminal at Miami Airport

I am writing this on my way home from a conference in Miami FL. I am sitting in seat 28C on an American Airlines 757. I don’t know why, but American can’t seem to give me two problem free flights in a row. 

Let’s start on Saturday morning at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. I had a 9AM flight to Miami. I arrived at O’Hare at 7:20AM. I walked up to the self-service kiosk, checked my bag (for $15 –Ouch!) and was on my way to the gate. The American employees we very helpful and very pleasant.

I made it through security. Let me tell you, that is always an experience. I was behind a family of 3. They had 3 suitcases, 3 carry-on bags, a stroller and various stuff in their pockets. Well, it took them 10 minutes to get every thing on the belt and get it into the scanner. Then of course they could not get through the metal detector. They must have gone through that detector 10 times until they stopped beeping. It was a comedy of errors. I had to laugh or I would have started to cry. They need to bring the “Family Lane” to O’Hare so that people that travel a lot and know how to go through security can avoid these situations.

So I made it through security, finally! I proceed to the gate and waited to board. The boarding process went smooth, even with a full plane and we were off to Miami on time! Wow, what a great flight. I really enjoyed it, all the on board entertainment worked very well, and the seat reclined too, as little as it reclines, it’s still nice when it works. We arrived at Miami 10 minutes early and I was a happy customer. Now remember, I check my bag. I guess that was a mistake. I waited almost 40 minutes for my bag and my bag was one of the first ones to come around the belt. I guess this should have been my first clue that American at the Miami Airport has some major operational problems. I took my bag and I was off to the Hyatt Regency Miami in a cab. I actually got a cab driver that knew where he was going and got me to the hotel in record time.

It was a great weekend conference. I had hundreds of people at my workshop and panel. It was a really wonderful experience.

So it is now 5:30AM on Monday and I am on my way to the Miami Airport for my return flight home. I arrive at the American Airlines terminal and proceed to the self-service check-in. As easy as it was at O’Hare on Saturday, it was that very difficult in Miami. I had already checked in on my computer at the hotel and I had my boarding pass. So I followed the directions on the self check-in machine and I touched “Bag Check Only.” I am good at following directions. It then told me to scan my boarding pass or put in my record locator number. Well, my boarding pass would not scan, so I entered my record locator number. It took it a while but it found me. It asked me how many bags I wanted to check and I pressed 1. It then asked me for my credit card. I inserted my Amex, it didn’t like that one, it said, “Enter another Credit Card” so I entered my Visa. I guess it liked that magnetic strip, and it charged my credit card. It then told me to go to the “Checked Baggage Only” line. And then it printed another boarding pass for me. Why I don’t know. So there are signs all over that state “Look For The Baggage Only Check-in Line.” That’s great, I am looking all over the place for this Baggage line and I can’t find it. I ask one of the AA employees, where is this Baggage Only line for self-serve? She informs me that I should just get in any line, we don’t have a Baggage Only line. Now mind you, I am standing in front of this sign that is telling people to look for this Baggage Only line and this employee is telling me they don’t have a Baggage Only line. So I get in line and I wait 20 minutes to hand my bag to an agent and it is 6AM! Once I get to the agent, she could not print out my luggage tracking tag that I had already put in all the info in the check-in kiosk. Unlike the Chicago Check-in kiosk where your luggage tags are printed out at the front of the bank of kiosks. So it took 30 minutes for me to check in at a very disorganized Miami Check-in area for American. Then you have to lug your bag over to this area where another employee takes your bag. And this is out of the way. They really have to figure this baggage thing out in Miami.

Now it’s off to the security. I figured, 630AM on a Monday morning, how bad could it be. I came around the corner and noticed that the line was not that long. So that was a good sign. Little did I know that the TSA agent that was checking ID’s thought he was Columbo and was interrogating every passenger that had to pass through his post. This short line that should have been no more than 5 minutes turned into another 20-minute ordeal.

Once I got through security, and yes I was behind another family that had at least 120 pieces of stuff to put thought the belt. How do I get so lucky! All I want to do is check in, go through security and get on my airplane. Is that too much to ask?

I now hike to the new gate area at the Miami Airport. American has opened part of their new terminal. It is really very nice, but the hike to the last gate, well, it’s a REAL hike. And there are no moving sidewalks like some other new airports with long walks have. But I make it to the gate with about 35 minutes to spare. I find a nice spot to settle in to wait for boarding. Now I understand how AA wants to board. You have a group and you are to board by group. Well, it kind of didn’t happen, as the agents lost control of the entire boarding process, which in turn backed everything up. It was like watching a keystone cop movie. Instead of having each group board, they boarded the early boards and then they called group 1, then 2 minutes later they called group 1, 2 and 3. And this is on a FULL 757! On the plane, there was not enough space for the deluge of carryon bags that the $15 bag charge has caused. People standing in the aisles shoving these bags that should have never gotten past the gate agent, trying to cram them into the overhead bins. Well, we did leave 8 minutes late, because no one that was in the aisle would sit down. What a nut house!

So we finally get settled and the plane gets pushed back, taxied and we took off.  The crew was friendly and efficient, but the audio system had this terrible buzz that it was very hard to watch the video. After about 15 minutes of the buzz, it started to fade, so I was able to watch the “CBS eye on American” video entertainment on the video screen. They showed 3 sitcoms. “How I Met Your Mother” “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “The Big Band Theory.” Now these are prime time family sitcoms right? Well, I guess American doesn’t think so. Get this, they were bleeping out 25% of the dialog. It ruined the video. I was able to read lips at times and the words they were bleeping out were, sex, screwed and full sentences. Folks, these are not programs that are on pay per view, these are prime time network sitcoms. I just don’t get it. Why would they censor these programs? It really ticked me off. I think that American needs to chill out or stop airing video on its aircraft.

 The flight itself was comfortable and the plane was clean. But if you have to fly out of Miami on American, beware! They don’t have their act together like they do at Chicago O’Hare and it could be very frustrating.

American Airlines to buy up to 100 Boeing 787’s

 

787 Dreamliner

American Airlines announced this past week that they plan on purchasing up to 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners at a cost of $15 billion dollars. This purchase could make American the largest operator of the new Boeing aircraft.

 

“This state-of-the-art aircraft will offer many cost and environmental benefits, particularly fuel efficiency and customer friendly attributes and comforts” said Thomas Horton, executive vice president and CFO during the airlines October 15 conference call with financial analysts.

American plans to buy 42 of the 787 Dreamliners for delivery between 2012 and 2018, with an option for 58 more for delivery between 2015 and 2020.

The first 787 flight was scheduled for August of 2007, with deliveries to begin in May of 2008. But due to delays and a strike at Boeing, the first flight is now planned for the fourth quarter of 2008 and initial deliveries slated for the third quarter of 2009.

The new 787-9 is designed to carry up to 290 passengers, with at range of up to 8,500 nautical mailes. The 787-9 is a stretch version of the 787-8 and will use 20% less fuel then current aircraft flying today.

These are some of the airlines that have ordered the 787 Dreamliner. 

1. Qantas – 65 planes
2. All Nippon Airways – 50 planes
3. Air Canada – 37 planes
4. Japan Airlines – 35 planes
5. Etihad Airways – 35 planes
6. LAN Airlines – 26 planes
7. Continental – 25 planes
8. Aeroflot – 22 planes

JetBlue to Increase Service to the Caribbean

 

JetBlue at the Gate

JetBlue announced that it will add service to Nassau Bahamas from Orlando and Fort Lauderdale on February 1, 2009. And St. Maarten will be getting a new Saturday flight from Boston beginning February 14. All service is subject to government approval. So getting to the Caribbean just got a little easer. Check http://www.jetblue.com for reservations and fares.

The Deuce Bus Las Vegas – Revisited….Or do you Call it The Duce?

 

The Deuce on Las Vegas Blvd

 

The Deuce Logo on the side of the Bus

I just returned from my latest trip to Las Vegas and I want to give everyone an update on the great “Deuce Bus” on the Las Vegas Strip. The Duce Bus is the double decker bus that travels up and down the Las Vegas Strip 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is run by CAT, the Citizen Area Transit. The Deuce route begins at the Fremont Street Station downtown and ends at the south end of the strip at the South Strip Transfer Terminal which is on the south side of McCarran International Airport. 

I love this bus. It is easy to use and the buses are brand new! You want to make your way up to the second floor and try to get one of the front seats. This is a great way to see the Las Vegas Strip. The bus makes frequent stops along the strip and you can get to any of the Strip Hotels with the Deuce. The bus also is handicap accessible. So if you have a wheel chair, you can ride the Deuce without a problem.

The one way fare is $2 per ride or save money and buy the 24 hour unlimited ride pass for $5. You can ride all day for $5. The best deal for getting around Las Vegas. You can also use the pass on the other public buses in and around Las Vegas. You will need exact change or you can buy your passes at vending machines along the Deuce Bus route. The machines take cash or credit/debit cards.

UPDATE 5-8-09: There has been a fare increase for the Deuce. The new fare is now $3 one way or $7 for a 24 hour all access unlimited ride pass. They have also added a new pass, a 3 day all access unlimited ride pass for $15. These 3 day passes are only available at the vending machines and not on the bus itself.

I took some great pictures of the Deuce Bus so you can all get a good idea of what this service is all about. So the next time you are in Las Vegas, give the Deuce Bus a try. You will Love it!

 

Second Floor on The Deuce Bus Las Vegas