Frazzled fliers find finer flights

How was the best performance in four years achieved by the airline industry? It was reported today that flyers were met with fewer bumps and more on time arrivals just a year after setting a record for the worst performance in more than 10 years.

MSNBC reported that Hawaiian airlines came out on top among the overall ratings of 17 airlines. AirTran Airways and JetBlue Airways were right up there. American, Continental, Delta and United were average, while regional air carriers filled out the bottom of the list.

It was reported that the airline industry flew fewer people in 2008, big shock given economic times, and treated them better, arriving on time more often and losing fewer bags. Passengers were also less likely to be bumped from overbooked flights - likely because there was plenty of room since everyone is staying home.

Though this is certainly good news, it is tempered by the fact that there are fewer flights to select from, higher prices if you do find the flight you want, fees, fees, fees, and fees have all gone up or been added.. and perks aren't to be had.

Pay To PeePee.... Airline mulls toilet toll

As reported today by MSNBC about a new possible scheme being considered by Ryanair airline... "Europe’s largest budget carrier might start charging passengers for using the toilet while flying" and went on to elaborate by stating they may be "putting a coin slot on the toilet door."

Wow... things are getting bad when you consider charging someone for the simple necessity of life such as using the bathroom. Can you imagine if you had no change to put in the slot and had to try to hold it? Or maybe, have to bum some change off a fellow passenger. We have often joked on this blog about what could they think of next? Well, this one is pretty piss poor idea.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall.. What is the Busiest Airport of them all?

Well according to the good old FAA... (drum roll here please).. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the nation's busiest airport for the fourth year in a row. They went on to report that the airport led the country in 2008 in takeoffs and landings, with 978,084 last year — a drop of about 1% from 2007. it was also reported that data suggests - from the Airports Council International - tentatively shows ATL was the world's busiest in terms of flight operations and the number of passengers flown in 2008.

Lucky for you.. we have several Airport Gym and fitness center listings for ATL.. See them here. Let us know if you have a new listing for ATL we do not, or for any airport for that matter.

"Unless you’re visiting Japan or Korea, a delay is practically guaranteed"

That MSNBC title from their story sums it up best.. "[sic] a delay is practically guaranteed". Not much more to say, but we will.

Here are the high points:

• India -Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International - has the most frequent late arrivals at a whopping 50%
  
• European airports — notably those in Italy — make up the bulk of the worst
  
• Beijing Capital Airport grabs the top spot
  
• The world's least-delayed airports are concentrated in Japan and Korea with 82% averages

Some notable US airport numbers:

• New York LaGuardia 62%
• Newark Liberty International 62%

Holiday Travel TIme! Weather Delays! Do You Have Your Airport Gym Listing Handy?

Well, it is that time of year. The week when many US travelers will fly to their Christmas destinations to enjoy family, friends, and the holidays. But of course, Mother Nature has thrown bit of a curve-ball to start it off right. Winter storms are already wreaking havoc.

Winter storms in the Northeast, Northwest and Midwest created air travel troubles. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, canceled about 150 flights Sunday. Some flights were arriving 2-3 hours late Sunday at New York’s JFK and Boston’s Logan Airport. Up in the nation’s North, travelers are stranded just a few days before Christmas, with dozens of flights delayed or canceled. And in Seattle, a weekend storm dumped roughly 5" of snow, and the National Weather Service was predicting up to 4" more by Monday morning. Much of this has ripple effects on airports not having weather issues. For example, it was reported that George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston had delays averaging about five hours, and flights from Atlanta to Boston and New York were also delayed.

So, what can you do to combat these delays, layovers, and cancelled flights? Visit AirportGyms.com and search for the airport(s) you will be traveling through and jot down the airport gyms & airport fitness centers nearest your location. It's FREE, and it just may keep you sane as you try to travel.. over the holidays... in harsh winter weather.

Merry Christmas.. Enjoy the Holidays!

America's Most Stressful Airports... So what, They Need an Airport Gym?

According to an MSNBC story, here are your top 5 finalist - based on the percentage of on-time arrivals and the percentage of on-time departures - for the most 'stressful' international airports in the USA:

1. Philadelphia International
   
2. JFK International & Chicago O'Hare (tied)
   
3. Newark International
   
4. LaGuardia International
   

It's all about punctuality people! And since these airports are lacking in it, we suggest you visit AirportGyms.com and get your airport gym listing before you visit these airports as we are happy to say we have listings for them all but PHL - Philadelphia International Airport - so if you have a listing to add contact us.

Airlines Report Performance Improved in October!

The Transportation Department announced today that, compared to 1 year ago, the airlines 86% on time performance rates were an improvement for October, and better than September. As well, the carriers overall posted a lower rate of US cancellation rates of 0.6% versus the same time a year ago of 1.2%. They also posted improved baggage handling rates with 3.55 angry reports (I was one of them) per 1,000 passengers versus 5.37 reports per 1,000 passengers. General complaints were down roughly 42% as well for October.

Can you believe all the positiveness? Now all they need to do is drop all the excess baggage fees they instituted due to the "cost of fuel" given jet fuel prices alone are now lower than our gas prices - and we have all seen the massive drop in fuel prices. But, that might be asking to much, huh?

Now, naturally a skeptic bunch, the obvious question is.... is this really the case of improved service, or rather, distorted percentage rates since fewer people are traveling given the miserable economic situation and the high cost of travel and thus fewer flights on the tarmac? Less travelers = less flights = less reporting = lower likely numbers to report.

Several New Listings Added This Week

This past week we added several new listings to our lineup of airport gyms. Thanks to a few user submissions, we added a new listing for Cleveland, Ohio as well as a new listing for Washington, Seattle. We also updated a listing for Toronto with some new feedback from a recent traveler who provided some updated pricing information.

Thanks for the tips! As you all know, we count on you all to find these airport gyms listings and report them to us. Without you, it would not be possible so keep them coming, everyone is depending on you.

** ALERT *** Hosting Company Error Lost Your Contact Efforts With Us! ** ALERT ***

So it seems that in renewing hosting for www.AirportGyms.com at GoDaddy several months back, they made a serious error and moved us from a Linux server to a Windows server.. What this gibberish means is that all the .php scripts we used to run our Contact Us and Tell-A-Friend form scripts broke under the Windows server. Even worse, we are just now catching it. Emails continued to function and we were able to send and receive emails from you all, BUT those new people filling out our forms on the website and telling us of new airport gym listings or passing the site on to a friend.. well, their correspondence was lost in the error.

So please, in the last few months if you made efforts to contact us (click here)  with new airport gyms listings, and never heard back nor saw your gym listing show up on the site, PLEASE PLEASE try again!

Thanks,
The Management

Worthless Passenger Aid Offered By Feds

So, just what was the point of the fed's task force - a task force said to be dominated by airline industry and airport representatives - in offering stranded passengers aid when said aid offering is "voluntary" in participation and has "no limit on how long travelers can be delayed" before airlines act. Essentially, this means that airlines can participate, or not, and decide their own time limit before deeming it necessary to provide a remedy to passengers stuck for extended times on the tarmac. So, pretty much we are no better off then before this laughable task force formed. We are at the whims of the goodwill and best judgment of the airlines. Exactly where we were before, which is why we have all read stories of passengers spending up to 9 hours on the tarmac.

Other recommendations:

• Airlines update passengers delayed on tarmacs every 15 minutes even if there is nothing new to report.
  
• A secure room be provided for passengers from diverted overseas flights so they can avoid having to go through security checks when reboarding an aircraft to their final destination.
  
• When practical (???), refreshments and entertainment should be made available to passengers confined aboard aircraft awaiting takeoff.
  
• Airlines should make reasonable efforts to be keep airplane restrooms usable.
  

It was reported that the ATA - the trade association for the airline industry - claimed, "the task force achieved its objective and some of its recommendations are already being adopted by the industry." Really, which objectives were those exactly? Was the objective to NOT come up with a time frame, to NOT make it mandatory to even participate in aiding passengers, or to give the most obvious recommendations any high school kid could have thought of them? If so, then yes, we agree, they "achieved their objective".