NY financial firm settling 9/11 suit with airline

We all know that on September 11, 2001 the world saw an uglier face of terrorism, and the "fun of flying" went up in the dust and smoke of the World Trade Center. Some of us were hit harder than others; as a resident and Former CFO of Middletown Township, New Jersey I lost one close family friend and several acquaintances of mine from my previous career in transportation. Thirty-seven of Middletown's commuters were never heard of again after that terrible day, and our love for them is memorialized in the Middletown Memorial Gardens, next to the train station where they were last seen by friends and family.. Many of them worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied the top floors of the North Tower and saw 658 of its 1,000 employees killed. It has nearly completed a settlement with American Airlines and insurance carriers, according to documents filed in federal court.
Read more: http://thedailyrecord.com/2013/12/13/ny-financial-firm-settling-911-suit-with-airline/#ixzz2ngVvbIOI 

Middletown WTC 
Memorial Gardens

The Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens are located at 36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748. The memorial features a landscaped walking path with individual memorials for each neighbor murdered, where visitors can reflect on the loss Middletown suffered. The Gardens are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Pan Am Flight 110

40 years ago:  

On December 17, 1973, Pan Am Flight 110 was scheduled to fly from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome to Beirut International Airport in Lebanon and then on to Tehran, Iran. At the controls of the Boeing 707-321B (registration number N407PA), the Clipper Celestial, were Captain Andrew Erbeck, First Officer Robert Davison, and Flight Engineer Kenneth Pfrang.

  







At approximately 1:10 PM (13:10) local time, just as Flight 110 was preparing to taxi, between six and ten Palestinian terrorists made their way through the terminal building, armed with automatic firearms and grenades. The terrorists removed submachine guns from hand luggage bags and began firing throughout the terminal, shattering windows and killing two. Crew in the cockpit of the aircraft were able to observe travelers and airport employees in the building running for cover. Captain Erbeck announced over the plane's public address system that there was some commotion in the terminal and ordered all on board to get down on the floor.

Several of the gunmen ran across the tarmac toward the Pan American jet, throwing at least two and as many as five phosphorus incendiary hand grenades through the open front and rear doors of the aircraft. The explosions knocked crew and passengers to the ground, and the cabin filled with thick, acrid smoke from the resulting fires. Flight attendants were able to open the emergency exit over the wing on one side of the plane; the other was obstructed by gunmen. The crew attempted to evacuate as many passengers as possible through the available exit, but twenty-nine passengers and Purser Diana Perez perished on the plane, including all eleven passengers in the first class section. Four Moroccan high officials heading to Iran for a visit, and Bonnie Erbeck, wife of the captain, were among the dead. Captain Andrew Erbeck survived the attack. Also killed were fourteen Aramco employees and employee family members.

Plot to blow up planes over Atlantic thwarted.

Information was just made public that the United States and the United Kingdom stopped al Qaeda's plans to blow up planes flying to the U.S. in 2006. "It is believed that the terrorists were planning to carry peroxide-based explosives in liquid or gel/lotion form in carry-on luggage."  following eight individuals were convicted in the U.K. of conspiracy to murder and/or blow up the planes:-

Abdullah Ahmed Ali, 

also known as "Abdullah Ali Ahmed Khan" 

- Mohammed Gulzar 

- Tanvir Hussain - Umar Islam, aka "Brian Young" 

- Arafat Waheed Khan - Assad Ali Sarwar 

- Ibrahim Savant - Waheed Zaman

Back at the airport later that evening, 

I am apprehensively catty and cower. 

I see men on the same line, edgy, waiting, 

who look like the bastards who blew up the towers. 

Am I racist! How can these people be culprits? 

They shouldn’t be blamed for their “brothers” sins. 

But many, I fear, swing from strings like mere puppets 

operated by maniacal jinns. 

Is it so wrong to be paranoiac 

about bearded men from sere bailiwicks? 

Didn’t we see on TV how they cheered in Damascus 

when the World Trade Center collapsed and they cursed the U.S.?

Is Airport Security Easing Up?

Pre-clear TSA? 

After 12 years, there are now some signs that you will be able to get through the security checks much faster. ...like in 90 seconds or less!

Don’t you miss the fun of flying

when they just eyed your boarding pass?

They never bothered patting the padding

on your shoulders, your hips or your ass.

Thanksgiving Travel

Turkey Day

Airlines are predicting a 1.5% increase over last year to a total of 25 million passengers over a twelve day period.  

Fly me to the Moon? NOT YET!

Despite the fact that Pan Am was listing passengers to the moon back in the 1960s, no commercial flight has made it there yet. Indeed only a few billionaires have been able to afford a ride on a Russian rocket outside the atmosphere. Newser.com reports that "the Wall Street Journal notes another venture in the works that intends to send people up to lesser heights using a massive (think football-field-sized) helium-filled balloon instead. For $75,000 apiece, eight passengers would reach an altitude of about 18 miles, which would take them to the edge of Earth's atmosphere. If all goes well, Paragon Space Development Corp. could launch its first balloon from New Mexico in 2016."

Jet Blue Honors NYC Fire Department Heroes - I ♥ New York

Blue Bravest

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York's Hometown Airline(TM) today revealed 'Blue Bravest,' an aircraft honoring the New York City Fire Department and the FDNY Foundation. This special aircraft, adorned with the FDNY shield, will join JetBlue's fleet flying throughout the airline's network, currently 79 cities and growing. 'Blue Bravest' joins JetBlue's exclusive legion of partnership aircraft celebrating organizations including the New York Jets, Boston Red Sox and New York State Tourism - I Love New York.

I miss Pan Am

Today's U.S. carriers have forgotten the lessons from the past. That's why non-U.S. airlines are way ahead in the contest for the world's best airline.

The "Huff Post" writes that "When the Skytrax World Airline Awards were released earlier this year, foreign airlines received all the accolades -- while American airlines were left to shame."

Don’t you miss the fun of flying 

in the old days on smaller jets? 

What a pleasure to be dining 

on steak and shrimp or crepes Suzettes!

They prefer Starbucks

Do you smell that coffee brewing right after your plane takes off. Alluring, isn't it, but I don't know if you want to drink it.

John Goglia of Forbes Magazine, in an article in the Chicago Tribune writes that we should think "twice about drinking the water - unless you see it served from a bottle, preferably one you open yourself.....the problem of bacteria in the drinking water persists on a high percentage of airline flights."

Is this what they give you to drink?

SCAM AM! How lucky can you get?

SCAM AM

DON'T call the number on the  postcard telling you that you won two FREE airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S.A!  It's probably a scam.  Read all of the fine print and you'll most likely find the "offer" is from a third party wanting to sell you something else.

The fun of flying: All aboard!

Saturday Night Live

"Saturday Night Live" recently did an hilarious spoof on the airline boarding process.  Enjoy!

Four airline fees actually worth paying

Some new fees for larger seats, more leg room and lounge passes may well be worth shelling out some more cash, particularly on long flights with layovers. Read Katey Hill's full story at Market Watch.

Still Scarier: Ladies and Gentlemen. This is the Captain.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The British Civil Aviation Authority reported that both the captain and the co-pilot of a packed 325 seat Airbus 330 fell asleep within two hours after take off, leaving the plane cruising on autopilot with no-one to take control in the event of an emergency. It would not name the airline, nor the points of take-off and landing.

When they said we should all take more naps to refresh ourselves, I doubt they were thinking about pilots on top of Cloud #9.

Frequent Flyer Miles Devalued

Frequent Flyer Miles

I refuse to give the airline that devalued its frequent flyer miles by 14% any publicity.  

What's the point of accumulating frequent flyer points if you can't count on how much they will be worth when you need them.  If they get away with it, it won't be long before other airlines follow suit.

Scary Stuff: United Airlines Captain Suffers Mid-air Heart Attack

Captain's mid-flight heart attack

The captain of a United Airlines flight died hours after his apparent heart attack in midair forced the craft he was piloting to make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho, officials said Friday.

The fact that the plane was landed calmly and safely by the co-pilot is a testament to his training and abilities.

Big Fees = Big Bucks

Airlines are making big bucks from extra fees.  

ABC News Radio reports

Big fees = Big bucks

"From Aeroflot's selling $171.3 million of duty free goods on its flights during 2012--and attaining a 115% mark-up on cost--to EarlyBird's boarding providing $161 million for Southwest in 2012, the findings revealed in the report indicate that airlines are increasingly looking for new ways to boost profits."

"We all need airlines. It’s just indispensable to the country."

Airline employees want to keep jobs

A Veteran American Airlines' Flight Attendant, Avril Taylor, is lobbying Congress in favor of the American Airlines merger with U.S. Airways. She has a lot of support from the airlines' employees who fear their jobs will be lost because neither airline can now remain competitive.

Other countries want their airlines to be monopolies to assure that their flags are shown wide and far. There is no way that either U.S. airline can compete with state owned, monopolistic foreign flags unless they can first stop competing with each other.

American "Bus" Lines?

If so, they are supposed to be more comfortable, beautiful and fuel efficient.

American Airlines will be introducing up to six new Airbus A-319 jets beginning on Sept. 16th.  Its quite a financial gamble, but that is the spirit that made America great.  A word of advice:  "Don't over do it!  Buying too many 747s is one of the reasons Pan American went belly up. Don't repeat its mistake!"

American Airlines' Airbus A319 jets poised to flyTulsa World

I miss the glamour of flying

Daily Beast 

The Daily Beast recently posted some nostalgic photos of the good old days of flying, where movie stars and debutants were preened in their finest designer clothes. In my view, Pan American Airlines' stewardess Betty Lou Ruble gave them all some stiff competition.  

See if you can disagree! Click "cool" if you agree!

Don’t you miss the fun of flying,

when you could expect great service?

Perky stews would keep you smiling.

Boarding a plane now makes me nervous.

You can see them all at:

Airline Style Through the YearsDaily Beast When airplanes were first introduced as a means of transportation, they became runways in the sky, with celebrities and members of the upper-class dressing ...

Airplane tires are supposed to be bald

John Elefante sent me this great link below from Airtransparency.com explaining why airplane tires are so different than those on your car.

Tires are on airplane are one of the more overlooked parts of an aircraft by passengers. However, ask any pilot how important it is to make sure their tires are in proper working order and they will most likely talk your ear off about how their tires need 7 plys.

 AirTransparency - Offering an Inside View of Airline Operations - Aircraft Tiresairtransparency.com

I have actually seen a Pan Am Clipper blow out four of its tires on landing and still taxi safely to the gate, with no damage to the plane and no complaints from the passengers. Airline captains make the big bucks because they know how to control emergency situations.

Friendly Skies: United Airlines honors $5 and $10 flights

 

Friendly skies

   ABC News reports that "The next time you're sitting on a full-price seat on a United Airlines flight, the person next to you, likely hogging your armrest too, may have paid just $5, or less."
   In this case it was because of human error blamed for improperly allowing only airport and security fees to be charged.  United Airlines, to its credit, honored the tickets.

   I was often that person flying in FIRST CLASS on vacation for only ten percent of the published lowest economy fare; i.e., basically just the tax.  Those were the good old days of working and flying Pan Am. I never bragged about it though, I always had empathy for my seat mates, fearing they would toss me out over the big blue "pond."  I believe the Beatles' Paul McCartney coined a new meaning for the word, referring to the Atlantic Ocean, when getting off of a Pan Am Clipper from London;  you can read the whole story in my book "The Fun of Flying: The Pan Am Years."

Why Fly? Wi Fi!

Why Fly?  WiFi!

Internet giant Amazon.com has teamed up with Gogo, in-flight Internet provider, to allow flyers to pay for their time on-line using their Amazon accounts.

Now my blog readers can purchase my book : "The Fun of Flying: The Pan Am Years," in the air, when they pay their connection fees.

Mid-air incidents double!

Tower errors double

The Federal Aviation Administration said reports of air-traffic-control mistakes more than doubled nationwide last year, but they attributed nearly all of the increase to a new automated system that vastly expanded the amount of data collected.
They were talking about over 4,000 incidents last year (10+ per day) vs. 1,900 the year before (5+ per day).  They both seem like very small numbers, when you consider that there are about 80,000 flights in the air at some point every day, unless you happened to be on one of those ten flights.

Ten things they never say, but want to.

AARP admires Flight Attendants' unlimited patience in dealing with overbearing and sometimes obnoxious passengers.  I do too.  Most of them that I have known deserve medals. I hope you agree.  I have noticed that they are extra nice to cantankerous old  coots like me.

Read AARP Travel Tips for the full story!

Free tickets?

Cashing in airline miles

Cashing in those airline miles for a free ticket is not as easy as it used to be.  Airline mergers have limited the number of available seats.  I am almost tempted to turn in my old mileage cards and replace them with cash rewards cards. 



The following points to remember are from Bill Hardekopf, who is chief executive of LowCards.com, which compares and rates on more than 1,000 credit cards. He is the 
co-author of "The Credit Card Guidebook."

• Keep checking, even if you find seats unavailable the first time you look. Inventory may change the next day. Seats may become available a week or two before the flight.
• Call and talk with a reservation agent if you want to book a seat on an airline partner. Many airlines don't offer award seats through partner airlines on their websites.
• Be aware of expiration dates. You spend money and time earning points, but they may not be yours forever. Read the fine print for expiration dates.
• Pay your credit card bill on time every month. If you have a late payment, the bank or credit card issuer could withhold the miles you earned during that billing period. If you want them back, you may have to pay a steep reinstatement fee.
• Don't waste your points on a cheap flight. Points are each worth about 1.2 cents. It typically costs 25,000 points for a round-trip domestic flight, so a round-trip would cost $300. If a flight costs less than $300, it is cheaper to pay in cash and save your points for a flight that costs more than $300.
• Keep your options open. If the first date doesn't work, check availability on multiple dates. In addition, driving to a bigger airport may also open up more flight options.

Scary stuff?

Photo by James McGinlay

Bald tires on the landing gear are never a good thing! — atToronto Billy Bishop Airport.

Not! The main brakes on the plane are the  the reverse thrusters on the engines and the spoilers on the wings, not the brakes on the wheels, although to be certified for flight a jet must be able to stop using only the wheel brakes. 

Newark Airport Alert

I received the following alert from the Port Authority of NY/NJ:

Limited AirTrain Newark Service between RaiLink and P4, 5:00am Mon 9/9 to 11:59pm Fri 9/27. All passengers must transfer at P4. From 5:00a.m. on Monday 9/9/2013 to 11:59p.m. Friday 9/27/2013, there will be limited AirTrain Newark service between the Rail Link Station and Station P4 due to scheduled maintenance. Passengers travelling from the Rail Link Station will need to transfer trains at Station P4 to obtain access to Terminals A,B,C and parking lot/rental car stations. Passengers traveling from Terminals A,B,C and the parking lot/rental car stations to the Rail Link Station will need to transfer trains at Station P4. Please see a Customer Care Representative for assistance, and allow extra time when using AirTrain Newark during this period.

Don’t you miss the fun of flying

when you walked directly to gate or plane?

No inspections, no one tiring,

dragging carry-ons again and again.

San Francisco Airport

I received this scary photo yesterday from a close friend who is a very frequent business traveller.

He says that the haze looks like clouds but is actually smoke from all the wild fires in the San Francisco area. The pilot warned on landing that they would smell smoke in the cabin. My friend was glad he did. — at San Francisco International Airport.

I had a terrifying experience in a smokey cabin that you can read about it in "The Fun of Flying: The Pan Am Years."  Here's an excerpt from my book:

Buy at Amazon now!

"After 40 minutes in the air, we were well past the halfway point of no return, and I heard a loud popping noise.  Then I choked on fouled air and watched the right engine burst into flames.  My eyes burned from smoke that was somehow sucked into the cabin, I yelled “FUEGO (FIRE),” then everyone panicked, and instinctively, we unfastened our seat belts and scrambled to the other side of the plane. I could see quivering, fiery, elongated yellow tentacles stretching their way across the wing to the cabin, scratching at the windows, anxious to roast the well stuffed bird.

If you looked out of any window on either side of the plane all you could see was tangled, endless, impenetrable vegetation.  There were 8,500 square miles of lush, tropical rain forest beneath us.  It was the second largest jungle habitat in the Americas after the Amazon.  It was home to rare birds and reptiles of every sort. But it also was the urine marked territorial hunting ground for numerous carnivores, that all bared their underbellies to the baddest cat of them all, the man-eating, yellow and black spotted jaguar, the largest feline in the Western Hemisphere, even outweighing the North American mountain lion. The spotted jaguar epitomized ferocity, and was a perfect killing machine, invisible in any forest and worshipped by the ancient Maya and Aztec as one of the angriest of their gods.

 There was no place we could possibly make an emergency landing.  If the plane were going to go down, it could only crash into the tree tops, exploding them into meteoric showers of needle-like splinters, making fresh mince meat of trapped passengers for the ravenous kitties to munch."

Bad weather, how convenient!

Beat the airlines when they play the “bad-weather” card!

Hurry-up and wait!  I'm tired of being treated like a dolt.  Why don't the airlines just tell you the truth about delays?  

I see a lot of frost on wing tips.

Who knows if we will leave on our trip?

We’re told to line up at the gate and display IDs.

I get frisked anew and have to show the Feds my keys.

The wings have ice. It’s above the door.

I’m worried that it will never thaw.

While the plane is sprayed I need to pee

and I want a drink, I’m so thirsty.

Seat belts are on; I can’t leave my seat….

It’s tough to admit my own defeat.

To bitch and moan may well be contagious….

I’d start a riot; make things more grievous.

The doors are closed; an engine started;

attendants check that we tighten our belts;

a turbine coughs…perhaps it farted;

the plane is pushed off; anxiety melts.

Don’t you miss the fun of flying

when they just eyed your boarding pass?

They never bothered patting the padding

on your shoulders, your hips or your ass.

Read more at: Beat the airlines when they play the “bad-weather” card

High fuel costs = airline layoffs = poorer service

Everything that's old is new again. I wrote in my book, The Fun of Flying: The Pan Am Years, that one of the reasons Pan Am went bankrupt was because of the high fuel costs of 150 to 300 seat Boeing 707s and 747s. So what's new? The problems of the '70s, '80s and '90s only got worse. As airlines lay off their employees, the plight of the passenger can only become even more frustrating. 

"most regional carriers, which contract with bigger airlines to operate short-haul flights under brands such as United Express and Delta Connection, reduced jobs as high fuel costs made many 50-seat jets too expensive to fly."

See link below for the full story:
Fewer airline jobs: US carriers trim ranks by 2.4%Daytona Beach News-Journal

Glastnost deja vous

It is inspiring to read about Russian, Canadian and American air force joint maneuvers to practice handing off a "hijacked" plane, despite many issues that have been pulling the countries apart.

http://www.kjonline.com/news/Russian-NORAD-forces-unite-for-exercise-.html

Don’t you miss the fun of flying

before shrill terror born from hate?

No one’s thoughts were on a bombing,

while walking to the ramp or gate.

Really? Running out of gas!

Did you ever think about what the airlines might not be telling you? Check this out!


http://www.theindychannel.com/news/daily-extras/13-secrets-airline-pilots-wont-tell-you

Sardines?

Smaller seats

How many of you think it makes sense in a nation of growing obesity for airlines to be making smaller seats, so they can cram 6 more passengers on each flight?  Click on link below to read on!

On ice

My son Tony and I experienced the fun of flying  in Glacier National Park, Alaska almost two years ago.  The scenery just takes your breath away.  We got out of our helicopter and were standing on a glacier that was 500 feet thick and 30 miles long.  Mother Nature sure is awesome!

Grounded for how long?

If you think its a hassle to get on a plane today, it's nothing compared to what happens when you want to start a new airline.  The article below tells you about how one company has been running around in circles trying to get off the ground:

Will Carlsbad's California Pacific ever get in the air? | San Diego ... He wanted to have an airline that replicated the fun of flying on the former Pacific Southwest Airlines, which was based in San Diego. US Air purchased PSA in ...

Pan Am and me

Buy at Amazon now!

It's hard to believe I retired six years ago today.  I had a great career as the Chief Financial Officer of Middletown Township, New Jersey;  I bet I could write a book about the political pressures on that job alone.  In my experience, politicians are in one way like hungry jaguars; they have enormous egos that must be constantly fed.  

But that book will be for another day.  Right now I'd like to remind you again that I have written about my exciting life while working for Pan Am, "The World's Most Experienced Airline" of the 1960's.

My experience at Pan American World Airways during the mid ‘60s and early ‘70s was far more than just a job.  It was a whole series of adventures.  I met Fidel Castro, Collin Powell and the Beatles.  I was snowbound and buried in baggage at Kennedy Airport for 3 days during the Christmas Blizzard of ’66.  I was on special assignment in Paris during the infamous general strike of ’68.  I survived three years of martial law in Guatemala after Ambassador Mien was executed while escaping from terrorist kidnappers.  My plane caught fire and lost its only two engines over the steaming Honduras jungle during the 1969 “Soccer War".  Best of all, I met and married my soul mate.