The internet is a twitter this week with a story of buddy pass travel gone wrong, and we realize the chatter has raised some questions about exactly what buddy pass travel is and how it works. Buddy passes are a sweet bonus for having friends or family who work for an airline. Most airline crewmembers [...]
Archive for the ‘Unpacked’ Category
August 2nd, 2012
Unpacked: Support Centers
Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry! This edition’s topic peels back the layers of our company physiology to reveal our Support Centers. When most people think of airline employees, pilots and flight attendants first come to mind. Maybe they think about the guys and gals who transport checked baggage [...]
July 5th, 2012
Unpacked: Summer Thunderstorms
Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry! This edition’s hot topic – literally – is summer thunderstorms. Cue the waterworks. Thunderstorms can happen at any time of year, but weather conditions in the summertime, namely moisture and quickly rising warm air, make for a perfect storm. According to the National [...]
June 7th, 2012
Unpacked: How Planes Fly
Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry! In this edition we take a 30,000 foot look at the physics behind how planes fly. Without understanding anything about the mechanics of planes and air travel, it’s pretty incredible to think about how a heavy machine (the plane) can be loaded with [...]
May 3rd, 2012
Unpacked: Bird Strikes
Sometimes It’s A Bird AND A Plane (but sadly, no Superman)… Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry! Following last week’s incident, we received lots of questions from people about what happened and about what happens generally when there’s a “bird strike.” While the nomenclature might seem obvious, there’s actually [...]
April 5th, 2012
Unpacked: Baggage
Got baggage? Who doesn’t? ;) We’re in the busy spring break travel season now, and you’re all set to jet. Whether you neatly fold your clothes and check off each item as it goes into your suitcase two days before your trip, or the type who throws everything into your bag ten minutes before you [...]
March 1st, 2012
Unpacked: How We Choose New Cities
Welcome to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry! This time around we’re unpacking how we choose new cities to add to our growing network. At any given point we’re evaluating multiple destinations and considering new ones. The timeline for adding a new destination, including analysis, planning and execution, generally ranges from [...]
February 2nd, 2012
Unpacked: Electronic Devices
Welcome back to Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry. This time around we’re tackling electronic devices, otherwise known as those little flashy tools with lots of buttons and a screen that we’re all attached to 24/7. Some of us (#guilty) even feel actual mental and emotional anguish when we have to [...]
January 5th, 2012
Unpacked: Business Partners
Welcome back to our fourth edition of Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry. This time around we’re going to peel back the layers of our workforce to explain how we work with business partners to keep our airline flying. In addition to our 14,000 crewmembers that work on our reservations lines [...]
December 8th, 2011
Unpacked: Turbulence
Welcome back to our third edition of Unpacked, where we demystify hot topics in the airline industry. This time around we’re going to look at things that go bump in the night (or day), otherwise known as turbulence. Turbulence is essentially fluctuations in patches of air that make you feel like you’re off-roading in a [...]
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