Your Aviation Weekend Reads for June 10, 2016

A week after United Airlines unveiled its new international business class experience, President and CEO Oscar Munoz admitted that because he and his fellow board members were so isolated, the airline “fell behind rivals since its 2010 merger,” according to a report in Skift. He noted that because the board met so infrequently, they weren’t as engaged with front-line employees. He also accepted criticism for the issue, as he served on the board since 2004, first as a board member of Continental Airlines and then of United.

Back on May 6, I did an interview with Marty St. George, executive vice president — commercial & planning for New York-based JetBlue, for AirwaysNews.com. Among the topics we discussed were future expansion in JetBlue’s focus cities, the success of Mint, the carrier’s fleet and its future in long-haul flying. St. George sat down with Skift as part of its new “What Keeps CMOs Up At Night” series, where he chatted about how the carrier works to remain a cool brand and why it doesn’t need influencers.

TWA’s iconic terminal at JFK Airport. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

While JetBlue continues to enjoy its reputation of giving travelers a great passenger experience, I read an interesting LinkedIn post on why many have fallen out of love with air travel. Steve Blakeman, managing director (Global Accounts) at global communications agency OMD, noted how the George Clooney movie “Up In The Air” paints a “realistic (and stark) picture of how aviation for both the business community and vacation seeker has evolved into a truly mundane mode of transport.” He cited things including airline fees, high airport taxi/parking costs, long security checkpoint lines, crowded boarding lines, tight seats, bad or even no food, stale cabin air and rude passengers.

The United States isn’t the only one grappling with long airport security checkpoint lines. Canadian travelers are in danger of facing hour-long security lines unless the government kicks in funding to address airport security needs, warned John Gibson, chairman of the Canadian Airports Council in The Star. While lines aren’t as bad as what’s being experienced in the U.S., lines have steadily grown over the last few years, since funding hasn’t kept pace with the 21 percent increase in passenger growth over the last five years. The issue is that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is funded 100 percent by the Air Travellers Security Charge, created after 9/11. U.S. passengers pay only 30 percent of security costs, while the federal government covers the rest.

A TSA PreCheck enrollment center at Washington Dulles International Airport. Photo courtesy of TSA

Speaking of airport security, Fortune magazine’s Ted Reed writes about why he thinks that the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program, at $85 a year for five years, is one of America’s biggest bargains. He notes that PreCheck has been in the news lately as the TSA continues to grapple with long checkpoint lines. But I would tell Mr. Reed that at $100 a year, Global Entry is an even bigger bargain, which I wrote about for Air Travel About.com. Even if you only travel internationally once a year, Global Entry pays for itself after you breeze by long U.S. Customs and Border Protection lines. And as an added bonus, you automatically get PreCheck with your Global Entry card. What’s not to love there?

I’m one of those regular travelers who will pay for inflight Wi-Fi to get work done and keep in touch while flying. Most of my flying is on Southwest Airlines, and I’ve had my share of issues with its Wi-Fi, provided by Row 44, for $8 a day. The best among U.S. carriers, in my opinion, is JetBlue’s free — and fast — FlyFi, provided by ViaSat. American Airlines has been very vocal about its unhappiness with the product offered by industry leader Gogo, even suing the company over Wi-Fi speed, then dropping the suit. And now, American has split an order to provide Wi-Fi on its fleet between Gogo and ViaSat, reports Skift. ViaSat will be put on the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier’s incoming Boeing 737 MAX jets, while Gogo was chosen for service on another 140 planes, with an option to remove service from as many 550 aircraft, it adds.

Premium economy seating on a British Airways Airbus A380. Photo by Benét J. Wilson

I’ve written a lot about how U.S. carriers are joining global airlines in offering a premium economy product. Even low-cost, long-haul carriers are getting into the game. The Telegraph writes about how Norwegian Air is offering what it called “the cheapest premium transatlantic travel” with a ￡399 ($578) one-way fare from Gatwick to Boston this winter. The carrier’s product includes 46 inches of legroom, premium meals, unlimited beverages, two free checked bags, access to an airport lounge, priority boarding and fast track through security. A quick check on British Airways’ website quoted a fare of nearly $3,000 for premium economy into London Heathrow Airport.

I had the chance to attend the World Routes conference in Chicago in October 2014. For the uninitiated, Routes is like speed dating between airports and airlines. Airports go all out with pavilions designed to promote tourism and attract new and expanded air service. I went to the Helsinki Airport booth, where I was treated to a great smoothie and a chat with Kari Savolainen, CEO of Finavia, which manages the airport. We discussed how he was working with flag carrier Finnair to position the airport as an alternative to other more crowded European hub airports. The strategy seems to have worked with Skift writer Colin Nagy, who advised travelers to take a 6:00 p.m. Finnair flight out of JFK, get a decent six hours of sleep then “ transfer in arguably the most efficient airport in Europe.”

How long would you work for your employer if your paychecks weren’t coming? According to Voice of America, pilots for Air Zimbabwe worked for three years before finally walking off the job. In remarks before parliament, the pilots said service conditions were bad and noted that the didn’t have a substantive management team and board members with aviation industry knowledge. The added that only 35 pilots out of 60 on the payroll in 2009 are left because of bad working conditions.

Have you ever wondered what happens when there’s a medical onboard a flight? A writer for stuff.co.nz recounts what happened to him on a recent flight, when the call went out for doctors onboard. While airlines have crew that are trained for most medical emergencies, it’s always helpful to have doctors and nurses available.

A China Airlines Boeing 747 parked at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Photo by Benét J. Wilson

I admit it — I’m an aviation geek. As such, I will fly on just about anything with wings. Which is why I loved this story on CNN about 20 planes every aviation fan should experience. I’ve flown on 13 of the 20 listed (which included Soviet-built aircraft). The only non-Soviet aircraft I haven’t flown are the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 777X (which isn’t in service yet).

Speaking of planes, #avgeeks are very familiar with Ed Force One, the Boeing 747 flown by Iron Maiden lead singer and pilot Bruce Dickinson. This photo of the jet with Air Force One taking off in the background went viral. This video posted on Boeing’s YouTube page gives an exclusive peek inside the band’s jumbo jet.

Back in 2003, I had the chance to visit Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport. At the time, it was only being served by low-cost carriers and charter operators. Construction of the existing facility was commissioned to Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler’s chief architect, in 1934. It was home to the Berlin Airlift, which provided food and supplies between 1948 and 1949 after a Soviet blockade cut off land and rail access to the city. The airport was closed in 2008 and turned into an urban park that’s larger than Central Park, reports Conde Nast Traveler. The magazine offers a slideshow of Tempelhof and six other airports that are now being used as city parks.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m the Air Travel Expert for About.com and senior editor for Airport Business magazine. You can follow my travel-related magazines on Flipboard: Best of About Travel, a joint curation venture with my fellow About Travel Experts; and Travel-Go! There’s Nothing Stopping You, all about the passenger experience on the ground and in the air. Click here to subscribe to my weekly aviation newsletter. Finally, you can see my travel-related boards on Pinterest and follow me on Twitter at @AvQueenBenet, on Instagram at aviationqueen and on Snapchat at AvQueenBenet.