Safety perceived, safety realized

The tragic TAM crash of July 17 at Sao Paulo’s Congonhas Airport that killed almost 200 people has, when coupled with the government’s bad handling of the 2006 Gol disaster and ongoing air traffic control (ATC) problems that recently scattered inbound planes flying over the Amazon region, made Brazilians and foreigners alike of flying in [...]

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Cleveland still trying to buy prestige

Second-tier cities in the United States often have self-esteem problems. They (that is, the boosters, chambers of commerce, and city fathers–the average citizen doesn’t much care) persuade themselves that if only they had X, Y, or Z, they would have more prestige. This is what persuades cities to drop hundreds of millions of dollars into [...]

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Hapless over Heathrow

The City–shorthand for Britain’s financial sector–is trying to flex its muscles with the British government over Heathrow Airport. Considered (inexplicably, to me) one of the world’s most desirable airports to fly in and out of due to its relative proximity to central London, Heathrow is losing its competitive edge to airports like Amsterdam’s, Frankfurt’s, and [...]

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Competition gets all Thai-ed up

According to an AFP report, Thai “airlines are now required to submit their low-fare ads to the government for approval.” This after the government received complaints about additional taxes and fees and limited availability. Low-fare carriers have long neglected to advertise fees–as have mainline network carriers–but regulatory pressure is forcing innovative airlines to include taxes [...]

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