Episode 148 August Crazy Travel Roundup
Being recorded in the beautiful home office of Chateau’ Relaxo FL.
As August winds up school is back in session and thankfully cooler temperatures are on the horizon.
August began with Spirit Airlines having its spirit and cash flow crushed.
August 1st through August 7th Spirit Airlines canceled somewhere right around 1900 flights. Not rescheduled but canceled. That’s more than 55%.....
The cause was a trifecta of factors.
staffing shortages - pilots
system outages - damn software
Weather - Flying during the summer months is a crapshoot due to the weather.
It was the perfect storm, so to speak.
View From The Wing posted - In some cases employees… just left. What we’re finding out now is that they may have done this for their safety, to protect them from rioting passengers. And it even appears the Spirit may have advised them to get out of uniform so they couldn’t be attacked by stranded customers.
As most of us know Spirit is positioned as a discount carrier, and you will traditionally pay less on Spirit than you would on Delta or United. And that saving comes at a price.
The price? Spirit, doesn’t have agreements with other carriers to put passengers on other airlines.
Basically, you had two options, wait it out, and in this case, for some, that was a couple of days wait….. Think about how angry you are with a few-hour delay… now multiply that anger by days. The other option you open your wallet and buy a net new ticket on another airline.
The approximate cost for the week-long meltdown? Glad you asked, over 50 Million Dollars. In the wake of this loss, Spirit Airlines is already committing to decreasing the number of flights in the third quarter.
While on the subject of air travel be prepared for delays, Southwest is routinely delaying more than 20% of their flights and American Airlines is in the same boat, so be prepared for delays if you’re flying.
So much of the monthly Crazy Travel Roundup relies on user-created pictures and videos. Well, earlier this month American Airlines announced free inflight Tik Tok access for their passengers.
American even goes so far as to offer this for those new to Tik Tok.
When exploring TikTok, here’s what you’ll find:
Travel inspiration, off-the-beaten-path locations, and travel tips
Animal and nature videos
Comedians and pop culture experts
Sports, classic car videos, and car tips
Music and dance trends
Wellness tips and beauty tutorials
Career advice for summer internships, resume building, and finance
My prediction for this American Airline offering is this… Tik Tok will be used for none of the things American Airlines suggested you explore. It will be used to distribute video clips of mid-air fights, Karen meltdowns, and of course maskers and vaxxers shouting matches. #ThankYouAmericanAirlines.
Last month we had a new entry into the roundup and that was the use of duct tape. And in August, it’s back, not once but twice.
According to the Twitter post - A Frontier Airlines passenger was accused of inappropriately touching two flight attendants and punching a third in the face.
He became so unhinged that flight attendants had to duct-tape him to his seat until the flight landed and police handcuffed him.
Maxwell Berry was on a flight from Philly to Miami - Thank You Florida. It involved a spilled drink, a costume change because Maxwell spilled his own drink on himself. Next Maxwell screamed his parents are worth $2 million, before punching a flight attendant. Somewhere in the middle of this Maxwell groped the chests of two of the flight attendants. The minute-long video ends with Maxwell being encased up to his nose in duct tape by another flight attendant.
Two quick comments - The flight attendants were suspended pending an investigation. This is normal procedure, but the flight attendants could’ve avoided this had they not covered Maxwell’s mouth with duct tape….. However. It had to have been satisfying doing it.
Second, Maxwell if your parents are worth 2 Million large they must hate you because I’m worth a mere fraction of that and I’d never force my kids to fly Frontier.
There’s not much detail on this next one, but…. A 13-year-old boy had become physical toward his mother about an hour into the flight from Maui to Los Angeles. They said the boy also tried to kick out a window on the aircraft. Apparently, the combination of those two things will get you bound in duct tape regardless of your age. Not sure where to weigh in on this one, but growing up becoming physical towards my mom would’ve produced a result where duct tape would’ve been a welcomed relief. Honestly, I doubt I would have made it to the whole trying to the let me kick out the window part.
By the way, we call it Alabama Crome and not duct tape…… sorry Alabama.
Time to strap on our business development management hat. Supposed you worked for an airline that had these 5 factors working against them.
In May 2019 they didn’t show up for an inaugural flight at a new airport
The reason?
They blamed the grounding of the 737 MAX, even though they operate regional jets.
They also said they had a problem attracting pilots. Possibly because they quit paying employees.
They stopped paying the airports they were serving.
They started canceling flights.
Customers were showing up at the airport but there wasn’t any staff.
They had an F-rating from the Better Business Bureau
How would you turn this airline around?
Better training?
Better hiring policies?
Better marketing
Nope… You rebrand your airline, and that’s what Via Air just did. Via is no longer as they are now Sterling Airlines. Not the first time this has ever happened. Remember AirTran airlines? They were previously ValuJet, the same ValuJet that in 1996 crashed in the Florida Everglades killing everyone on board.
As if it matters Via Air or Sterling Air is based out of Maitland, Florida. Thank you, Florida.
We don’t often talk about literature, much less classic literature. However, William Shakespeare, or as I like to refer to him as….. Willie, once asked, What’s in a name?
Well if you happen to be 3-years old and your name happens to be, Delta Gerardi it could be a giant cup of suck.
Delta’s, Kellie Gerardi (who just so happens to be a Virgin Galactic scientist slated for a future space mission) mom took to Twitter with this Tweet
“Petition not to call it “Delta Plus” and instead move on to the next letter in this cursed variant alphabet 😩
Sincerely, the mother of a very sweet little Delta who once thought the airline would be the most annoying namesake joke”
Delta marketing or as they have labeled, the Delta Audience Engagement Manager, sent Delta a care package that included a handwritten note, a Delta backpack, Biscoff cookies, and a model plane,”. “Basically, everything they could find at the Delta Flight Museum gift shop with the name ‘Delta’ on it!”
Honestly the first time I heard “Delta variant” I said to myself they should’ve called it the Spirit variant.
This next story will end with a question, so pay attention.
From the DailyMail - Flight privilege: Mother and daughter dubbed 'Karen and Karen 2.0' are kicked off Southwest flight from Sacramento to San Diego after yelling at passengers to move seats so that they could sit on the aisle
First Sac-Town is a crazy town and second, there is strength in numbers…. Sometimes.
The quick story is this flight had already been delayed 2 hours and Team Mother/Daughter was some of the last passengers to board - Boarding group “C” on Southwest boarding group “C” stands for “Center” as in you’ll be sitting in a center seat. Team Mother/Daughter wanted aisle seats and proceed to vocalize their desire which got flight attendants involved and eventually got Team Mother/Daughter removed from the flight…. Almost an hour later. And yes there was a round of applause as security escorted them off the plane.
So here’s the question Would you give up your aisle seat in exchange for a center seat if asked?
My answer, it depends…..
If it’s a short hop, there’s a chance. If the flight is going to Vegas there are two chances that I’ll give up my seat, none and less than none.
If the center seat is open and you’re traveling with a small child, probably so. I’ve done this only to have the flight attendant award my gesture with a free adult beverage.
If you ask nicely there’s a pretty good chance.
If you’re raging out, and people are filming it, especially if people are filming it, the answer is NO, and then I’ll patiently wait as you proceed to go off the rails.
In the case of Team Mother/Daughter, they were sunk the moment they started running their mouths.
One of my favorite travel-sphere websites View From The Wing asked - Are All Hotels Becoming Like Timeshares Now?
That question stems from the fact that over the past 18 months or so most hotel chains have cut back on hotel amenities, understandably.
But many of those amenities are slow to return as more and more people are once again traveling. In episode 145 I talked about experiencing Hilton’s new policy, that through the end of the year, Hilton will be offering a food and beverage credit instead of providing a “free” breakfast as a Hilton Elite member.
The other amenity is the fact that most chains have either stopped or greatly reduced housekeeping. For me, it’s rare that I ever utilize housekeeping, I don’t use a fresh towel every day at home, and I don’t expect a fresh towel every day while traveling. On a three or four-night stay I might ask the front desk for a new towel.
As far as the trash in my room, I routinely bag it and drop it off at the trashcan next to the ice machine by the elevator. I certainly don’t want empty styrofoam containers all over the place. Normally there’s a supply of extra bags in the bottom of the can.
But this might lead one to this next question. “Would I be better off with an Airbnb over a hotel room?” I’ve never used Airbnb for business travel, and I doubt that I ever would, and the main reason is that those “head in the bed” loyalty points add up, and with traveling less and less they’re more important than ever.
For the vacationer, these reductions in amenities might be what they need to go Airbnb over a traditional hotel room. This will be interesting to watch as it plays out.
One last visit to Tik Tok for August… well it started by being posted Tik Tok, removed, and then found a new home on the subreddit PublicFreakout Which is a great subreddit…...
Let’s set the stage -
Scene One Opens in the gate area of Frontier Airlines.
An older woman is lobbing insults at two young women,
One woman has pink hair
One woman has blue hair.
Both women are wearing mini-skirts and had exposed midriffs.
BLUE HAIR WOMAN: “You must be really attracted to my a** to be checking it out!”
OLDER WOMAN: “It ain’t your a**, sweetheart, you’re the one without the t**s.”
BLUE HAIR WOMAN: “That’s fine, you don’t have to bash. As being a woman with small t**s, I’m happy with my body. Thank you.”
Applause breaks out in the gate area and scene.
Scene Two Opens With - The blue hair woman hurling profanities and declaring, “Wow, people are so judgey just because we don’t look like all you basic people do.”
An alleged police officer next to the older woman declares that he has arrested prostitutes wearing more clothing than pink woman and blue woman….. And scene
Scene Three Opens With - The blue hair woman, who is not a prostitute, informing everyone, that she was not a prostitute, but she was “proud” to make $40,000 per month because “everyone pays to look at my [breasts] and pay me thousands of dollars for it.” Thank you soon to be shut down - Only Fans.
This was posted by Live And Let Fly, and as with most of these, the comments are on par with the article.
John added - She makes 40,000 a month and flies Frontier.
MPT - Old lady is living a sad life. Envying these young girls living their life without care while her own youth has flown by. The only hope for that Old hag is a peloton.
James - sums it up with this - I wonder how much they were charging for the mile-high club?
This one came in just under the August wire with Fox News posting during the last week of the month. Headline - Spirit Airlines passenger who smoked cigarette on plane escorted off by police
Right off the bat, Spirit Airlines…. I’m engaged… When I read that this happened at FLL, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, thank you Florida, I’m now taking notes.
First, Smoking has been prohibited on all domestic and international flights coming into and out of the United States since 2000, looking at my calendar, that was 21 years ago. And I remember when you could smoke on a plane it was only in the back of the plane because everyone knows that smoke has the ability to stay in a small area such as the back of a plane.
The video, of course there’s a video that points out two things.
First people honestly believe that they can do whatever they want wherever and whenever they want, such as firing up a cowboy killer on an airplane.
Second, people love to be “helpers”. During the video, there was another passenger vocally helping the Broward Sherrifes that came on the plane. Helping with pointers like, “She’s only smoking a cigarette, that ain’t weed” and “Hey she ain’t got no bags, they’re under the plane” as the BSO office started opening bins looking for Smoker McSmokertons luggage before she was escorted off the plane.
The officer finally hit his point with the helper by saying “Mam, I know you won’t believe this, but we can actually do this without your assistance”.
Have you ever seen the Progressive Insurance commercials with Dr. Rick where he guides coaches people so they don’t turn into their parents. ….. Aka helpers. Suggesting to the plumber, that you hired, that he might need locking pliers to replace your faucet.
This poor BSO officer works in Broward County Florida, He’s dispatched to the Ft.’ Lauderdale Airport, He has to board a Spirit Airline flight because someone is smoking. This guy has to be hating his life, he doesn’t need some rando helping him, he needs a drink.
Finishing up with this from The Points Guy - FAA reaches a $1 million benchmark in fines issued to unruly passengers.
The latest round of fines, issued against 34 people, represents roughly half of that total, with a total of $531,045 in fines ranging from $7,500 to $42,000.
The FAA is serious last May in episode 141 we talked about this
$32,750 fine against a JetBlue passenger
$16,500 fine against a Southwest passenger
$9,000 fine against a Delta passenger
$9,000 fine against an Alaska Airlines passenger
That’s over &67,000
The post goes on with - Although the actual number of unruly passengers remains small compared to the total number of people traveling, cases have been on the rise since January.
Sure, the reason? We’ve all forgot how to behave on airplanes. I haven’t flown since March 2020. If you’re seated next to me on my next flight you just might want to bring a roll of Alabama chrome.
In addition, the FAA wants airport police to take more action. They say that the airport police officer are questioning and then immediately releasing passengers without pressing charges
That does it…. If you want detailed show notes, links and pictures head over to podpage.com/travel-stories/
Leave a message on Anchor, or shoot me an email atTravelFrick@gmail.com.
As I always say, travel safe, stay safe, and thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening.
August Crazy Travel Roundup - Travel Stories, Episode 148