Another U.S. airline flies into the sunset
Saturday is the day that US Airways disappears. From October 17th onward, the brand will officially be folded into American Airlines. For consumers, the damage has already been done. The three mega-, legacy, network carriers have already been able to restrict capacity and keep airfares high inspite of decades-low fuel prices. Consumers are getting hosed once again.
“Consumers will lose because they won’t have as much choice,” Charlie Leocha, chairman and co-founder of Travelers United, told CBS MoneyWatch. “Prices are going to be going up, capacity (the number of available seats) will be held as low as possible, so that demand is kept high, and we’re not in a very good position anymore.”
In recent years, with the 2008 merger of Northwest Airlines with Delta (DAL), followed two years later by the Continental-United Airlines merger (UAL) and now the US Airways-American merger, four airlines (including Southwest) now control at least 80 percent of U.S. domestic air travel.
And with the creation of these megacarriers have come allegations of price fixing by the airlines. The U.S. Justice Department began an investigation in July into possible collusion by the major carriers to artificially keep fares high.
Ever wondered what really goes on in the cockpit?
The five-and-a-half minute video was filmed by German YouTube channel Blick and shows Flight commander Luc Wolfensberger and First Officer Martin Radinger in action from taxiing to takeoff and landing as they fly 250 passengers on the Airbus A320 at 39,000 feet.
Use the arrows to make your way around the cockpit, from looking out the front windows of the plane to looking back at the pilots as they control the aircraft and watch as they perfectly land at Geneva airport in Switzerland.
Flakes will be flying and ski season to begin in Maine
Hard to believe, but ski season is beginning to crank up. Sunday River, long known for its early openings, is running its snowmaking system and will be opening its slopes on Monday, October 19. The cold weather expected over the weekend will allow snowmaking machines to cover enough of the slopes to allow diehard skiers an opportunity to carve a few turns.
All plans depend on weather and snow conditions, so resort officials are urging prospective skiers and riders to keep an eye on sundayriver.com and check the resort’s social media channels for the most up-to-date information.
“We can’t make any promises, but this forecast looks very favorable,” Dana Bullen, resort president and general manager, says. “Our snowmakers are dedicated to opening as early as possible and this year is no different. But, we wanted to let our passholders and guests know so they can make their plans.”
[If it happens], Monday will be the earliest Sunday River will have opened in almost 20 years.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.