Category: News

What Happens if We Save Them and Fail

ssegraves

With all of the talk about bailing out the auto-industry I started wondering what would happen if we bailed out the Big 3 automakers and still they failed. It is a very real possibility. Pushing money to a problem and committing government “oversight” to something does not ensure an entity’s ability to thrive, just look at Fannie and Freddie.

If Washington rescues Detroit and the auto companies fail anyway, then we have essentially shot ourselves in the foot. Sure, Washington can continue to print money, devalue the currency and attempt to pay off debt with more debt but in the long run it just will not work.

I understand that a lot of people would lose their jobs if we do not do something about the automakers, but I also understand that we can do something and still have a lot of people lose their jobs. This fact is little talked about and seems that it is one of those things that “we can worry about later”. Yep, let the later generations pick up the pieces…

Continental Jet Runs Off Runway in Denver

ssegraves

Continental Airlines flight 1404 has reportedly run-off the runway at Denver International Airport. Smoke was reported to be coming from the wrecked plane. I hope everyone made it off the flight safely.

[EDIT] More information about the crash posted below

There is a lot of information coming out of Denver as to what caused the flight to exit the runway and catch fire. Some reports state that the wing broke-away from the plane and others that weather was a factor. This is all speculation and until the NTSB has had time to explore the crash site we will not know exactly what happened.

The good news is that all passengers and crew made it off of the flight safely and were taken to area hospitals. A few had severe injuries but were listed in stable condition.

Some information on the airplane itself:

  • Boeing 737-500
  • N-Registration #: N18611
  • Delivered in 1994

I found a few pictures of the 737-500 involved in the crash (here and here)

There is also a Twitter user who was a passenger on the aircraft when it ran off of the runway, 2drinksbehind

It appears that Continental ferried a 737-800 to Denver to pick up the passengers who are stuck in Denver due to the crash.

The unmistakable cone of ignorance

ssegraves

Every year the Gulf Coast prepares itself for hurricanes, the people here having weathered them for centuries. But every year the forecasters and news teams seem to become even more over the top than the the year before. This year is not any different.

Hurricane Ike has created havoc in Haiti and Cuba and has set its sights on Texas. The newscasters could not be more thrilled. The city news has not actually shown happenings in the area in the last week, instead opting to show nothing but forecasts of Ike. Maps like the one below have flooded (no pun intended) our television screens.

Hurricane Ike Forecast

Even before that image was taken, the forecast “cone”, or “cone of ignorance” as I like to call it, was massive, stretching from Florida to northern Mexico. The meteorologists on T.V. call it the “cone of uncertainty” which I think is their way of conceding that they I have no idea where the hurricane is going.

So, Houstonians will do what they have always done, purchase some canned goods and hunker down for a wet weekend.

Can CNN Get Anything Straight?

ssegraves

CNN Headline News is a good source for up to the minute news but CNN the network is an awful web reporting group.

Yesterday an article was posted on CNN Money titled, Why gas in the U.S. is so cheap, that outlines why gas prices here in the states are cheap and how people overseas are paying so much more. Next to the article is a chart showing countries and each country’s respective price per a gallon of gasoline:

bad-CNN-reporting

Notice the price of a gallon of gasoline in Aruba, $12.03, this number is not even close to the current price being paid there. $4.92. Yep, CNN was a whole $7.11 off.

How hard is it to do a little research. In fifteen minutes I found numerous places that post up-to-date prices. The most obvious of which was ArubaLife. The site goes into detail about how prices in Aruba are set and the fact that there is a Valero refinery on the island. They also have a notice at the top letting people know that the CNN article is false.

Come on CNN, just a little reporter research would be nice.

More Airline Industry Consolidation News

ssegraves

In a twist of events, Continental Airlines has chosen not to merge. According to their press release they feel that they are better off as their own entity, though they want to forge ahead with making partners.

This is a blow to the head of United Airlines, which is struggling to drag itself out of the muck that is the current airline industry bankruptcy festival. Without Continental Airlines around to help United in its struggle, United faces a possible merger with US Airways or declaring bankruptcy. My guess would be that they will do whatever possible not to file for Chapter 11 even though a merger with US Airways would mean even worse service than they already provide.

Is the loss of a merger for Continental passengers a bad thing? No, for a few reasons, the biggest of which is that Continental can create stronger ties to different airlines to help offset some of the costs of fuel rather than merging and trying to get the different airline fleets to be consistent.

For passengers it means that there will still be a competitor out there helping to reduce costs and that competitor will be working to further reduce travel costs by partnering with different airlines around the globe.

Great move Continental!

Frontier Airlines files Chapter 11, will continue flying

ssegraves

As reported by the Associated Press, Frontier Airlines filed for Chapter 11 but will continue to fly while it reorganizes.

Even though they will continue to operate, there is still speculation that F9 will not be able to hold-on without significant changes. Selling of deep-discount tickets to Denver in off-peak months just does not generate the revenue an airline needs to stay profitable and in business.

What I found interesting in the USA Today article was the mention of Frontier’s credit card processor starting to withhold “significant” funds from ticket sales on April 11. I hope that more information comes out regarding this as it may show the lack of internal management on Frontier’s part.

For those who are Frontier frequent fliers, I would be cautious when buying Frontier tickets for dates too far in the future.

Continental announces WiFi and LiveTV on domestic flights

ssegraves

Continental Airlines has announced that they will be rolling out LiveTV and a WiFi capability to their 737-700s, 737-800s, 737-900s, 737-900ERs, and 757-300s.

LiveTV will feature 36 channels supplied by DirecTV on every seatback monitor. The access will be free for all first class passengers while the coach charge will be $6. In addition, there will be free WiFi throughout the aircraft, available free of charge that allows smartphones, laptops, and Blackberries to instant message, check e-mail, and browse.

The announcement comes as little surprise as there have been hints of such a move for a while. LiveTV does not interest me that much as I usually read or work while in the air, but for those who need to know what CNN is doing at all hours, this is perfect. I’m sure the television will be a big hit with the infrequent traveler but may strike a nerve with those are on the road a lot and see the airplane as somewhat of a relaxation area between clients.

The WiFi is more of a mixed bag. I love the idea of being able to send and receive e-mail while flying but at the same time, it comes back to being separated from the hustle and bustle for a while. After being in meetings all week with clients, business travelers just want to get home, not e-mailing back and forth with the just visited client.

This will be something to keep watching as Continental is not the only airline to offer WiFi, Southwest and American Airlines have announced their testing of the technology as well.