Excuse Me, Miss...

"Excuse Me, Miss..."

Summer is here and all those vacation plans are being put into action. Highways are full of  campers and tourists on their way to their summer destinations. Airline terminals are very busy with people waiting to pass security checkpoints and  baggage requirements.

 One overseas European flight  had some very unexpected problems for their passengers when they were not served food, water, and not even given blankets on a recently launched long-haul flight to New York  A 16-year-old spent his Oslo to New York flight freezing since he only had cash and no credit card with him to pay the $5 fee charged by the carrier for renting a blanket according to a newspaper Aftenposten report. That followed another report of  Scandinavian crew members taking back a cup of coffee from a Thai woman after they found she only had cash and a local credit card with her. The woman was also unable to buy food or water on the 12-hour flight.. Only a handful of budget airlnes operate long haul routes and passengers are sometimes surprised when they are required to pay for services usually offered free of charge.

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The airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third-largest budget airline, has apologized for the oversight.
"This is totally unacceptable. Norwegian must ensure its passengers are treated well and we apologize deeply," company spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen said.
"We are the first to admit that we have had some start-up problems on the long-haul flights.". Norwegian is going to review its policy of only accepting credit card payments and will improve its communication with customers. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian”, is a low-cost airline listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Norwegian is the second largest airline in Scandinavia and third largest low cost carrier in Europe.

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Bjorn Kjos (pictured) is one of the founders of Norwegian Air Shuttle and a plane-owner. He previously served as a pilot in the Norwegian Air Force, later becoming a lawyer. Like many Scandinavians, he has penned a thriller in his spare time. Kjos is well-known in his home country as the man who brought low-cost flying to one of Europe’s most expensive countries.
Last year, the airline he co-founded and runs,(NAS), placed the biggest aircraft order Europe has yet seen. It will buy 222 Boeings and Airbuses for around $10 billion, aiming to compete with Ryanair and easyJet, Europe’s champions of cheap aviation.By purchasing more-efficient planes, emissions are reduced and passengers are offered new and more comfortable aircraft.

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 S-GoNorwegian was founded in 1993 with headquarters  in Fornebu, Norway. In June 2013,

Norwegian was voted Europe’s best low-cost carrier of the year by the renowned SkyTrax World Airline Awards. Norwegian offers better leg room than most competitors, in-flight WiFi, world-class punctuality and a fleet of 75 aircraft with an average age of only 4.6 years.  Norwegian has a clear goal of reducing emissions per flown passenger by 30% in the period 2008 – 2015.

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American travelers using the skyways also are having difficulties.

Airport terminals in the USA have seen many changes in recent times and ticketbuyers have been frustrated by restrictions, ticketprices and altered flight schedules. Airlines offer specials to lure travelers and some are almost too good to believe

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One US traveler received a letter in the mail that looked like good news and the logo of the famous air service appeared to be authentic.He was informed that he’d won “ Two roundtrip tickets worth $1,298" postmarked at the city where this service is based. But while it all looked authentic, he was  skeptical. The notice went on to state:

“I am pleased to inform you that you have qualified for an award of two roundtrip airline tickets. Congratulations. These tickets are valid for travel anywhere in the Continental U.S. The retail value of this award is up to $1,298.00. Certain restrictions apply.We have attempted to contacting you several times without success. This is our last attempt. If we do not hear from you soon, we may need to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate”.
Further investigation found variations between the logo and that of an existing company as well as minor changes in the real company’s name. The offer was a scam.

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Consumer complaints against U.S. airlines rose sharply in 2012, even as the carriers claimed a better record of on-time arrivals and luggage handling. Those findings, from a recent report released  highlight the struggle to find ways to make money and maintain services for traveling public .The study highlighted the growing incidences of “bumping,” when a passenger shows up at the airport and finds out his seat has been sold to someone else.

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Rising fuel prices along with maintainance problems and consolidation was increased  by a  controversial  recently-passed budget law. This federally passed law became known as the" 2013 Sequestration " relating to budget cuts in federal spending that took effect March 1, 2013. Due to this act, the aviation industry has been forced to make many changes.The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents the controllers and other workers, had predicted “a negative impact on the efficiency and capacity of the National Airspace System, as well as the nation’s fragile economy.” Airlines and airports across the country are struggling due to this recent federal  action recently passed by Congress that called for “across-the-board” federal budget cuts.

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An airline analyst says it makes sense that people are going to be unhappy with the airlines today.

“As the industry continues to consolidate, capacity is  reduced, seats are packed closer and closer together and load factors get higher and higher. The travel experience becomes punishing,” says Robert Mann of R.W. Mann  Company, an airline industry analysis and consulting company. “Add fees for services previously considered part of the bargain and you have the recipe for discontent". According to USA Today ”FAA has  released figures  predicting that U.S. air travel will increase up to 1.3 billion passengers per year by 2031, up from the 737.4 million expected to fly in the U.S. this year .

Despite all the  hustle and crowded conditions in our skies and on our ground. Enjoy  the summer! It's a short season!