Coming Up: Annus Horribilis

Annus Horribilis is what the Queen of England, in a speech, called 1992 -- a year in which several of her goofy children got divorced, her favorite castle caught fire and her wack-job ex-daughter-in-law, the Princess of Pluto or whatever the poor girl regarded herself as, really began wigging out on hysterics and high colonics.

But at least the Queen had good air transportation, not to mention plenty of spare castles, a hat full of diamonds, and some very excellent horses. (Which she, unlike Pony Boy Sarkozy of France, can actually ride with skill). And by the way, am I the only one who thinks Pony Boy Sarkozy's new main squeeze looks a little like Michael Jackson in some photos? (Above)

But I digress. Forget the Queen of England.

Because if you hated 2007 in air travel, you are really going to hate 2008.

I've been at the news game since Christ was a corporal, and I have never heard so much dark muttering about air travel.

First and foremost, there are these imminent airline mergers. Last week, the Wall Street Journal (Incidentally, I worked there when their slogan was "The Daily Diary of the American Dream," and you weren't supposed to giggle at it) stuck this front-page blurb headline on a story about imminent mergers of airlines: "Friendlier Skies."

Friendlier? For who? Not for you and me, they won't be. Mergers will mean: Fewer available seats. Lousier service. A collapse of frequent-flier programs, which already have one foot in the grave. Less service to and from mid-size and smaller cities.

Oh, and more money for airline executives and those who might happen to own airline stocks.

Meanwhile, they're still stranding passengers on tarmacs. I've had e-mails from people stuck on planes in Atlanta that day and night for over 10 hours.

This situation just gets worse in 2008, and airlines have done virtually nothing to remedy it.

Take the Queen's lead. Get a horse.

Meanwhile, I'm going to be more closely following in months to come the actions of airports, which understand customer-service better, and whose executives are trying to get ahead of the problem, though they have tread very lightly around the airlines.

With the new capabilities on Randy Petersen's Boardingarea.com, I will instruct myself on how to upload various texts to make things more reader-friendly. For now please excuse my cutting and pasting the following news from airports:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Airports Outline Care for Stranded Passengers ACI-NA Workshop Results to be Presented to DOT Task Force Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2008) - Airports Council International-North America's (ACI-NA) airport members and other aviation industry stakeholders today developed operational recommendations to care for passengers who are stranded on airplanes or at airports because of weather-related incidents, security, air space congestion or flight delays due to maintenance problems or other issues. At ACI-NA's Workshop on Passenger Care During Irregular Operations, held Jan. 17-18 in Arlington, Virginia, discussions focused on planning and coordination among airports, airlines, concessionaires, local emergency services, hotels, federal government officials from the Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "A high level of communications, collaboration and coordination are the foundation of airport plans for irregular operations," said James Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, who organized the workshop with ACI-NA's Senior Advisor for Policy, Dick Marchi. "Respect and great care for our customers is our top priority when passengers can't get home," Crites said. "Some of the terrific thinking by the group included detailed planning to care for unaccompanied minors, families with children, passengers with disabilities or special needs, pets, and others. Participants stressed the need for communication at all levels, using technology more effectively, and developing solid partnerships with all stakeholders so that everyone knows what their role is in helping passengers." Workshop participants committed to ensuring that passengers stranded on airlines or at airports are supplied with information and amenities that will help address their unique needs and make their waiting period more comfortable. More than 100 participants from airports in the U.S., Canada and the bahamas outlined a passenger care checklist that will be made available to the soon-to-be-formed Department of Transportation (DOT) Contingency Plan Task Force. The goal of the Task Force is to create model plans to assist airports and airlines coordinate more effectively during irregular operations. "Through their participation in this workshop, airports, airlines and others demonstrated their commitment to superior customer service and meeting passenger needs," ACI-NA President Greg Principato commented. "The results of these discussions will go a long way in assisting DOT's Task Force with their contingency plans." Kate Hanni, Executive Director, Coalition for Airline Passengers Bill of Rights, kicked off the conference with an overview of the goals of the 22,000-member coalition. During the workshop several airports presented their contingency plans that address vital passenger needs during irregular operations. Following those presentations, workshop attendees brainstormed ways they could provide even better service to stranded passengers. This workshop followed a successful meeting led by Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport last September addressing the same issues, where industry experts identified the need for formalized planning between airports, airlines and other stakeholders who prepare for these incidents. Contingency plans include components such as assuring adequate staffing in shops and restaurants after hours, providing passenger assistance to locate hotel rooms, providing free wi-fi in the terminal, providing cots, mats, blankets and personal hygiene products, assisting with chaperones for unaccompanied minors and providing pet relief areas. # # # S > > Subject: Airports Outline Care for Stranded Passengers Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:30:38 +0000