Safety

Funny or not? Saturday Night Live on Alaska Airlines door plug debacle

Safety

Saturday Night Live aired a spoof commercial this past weekend using the recent Alaska Airlines door-plug emergency incident as inspiration.

The airline’s new slogan, SNL’s fake commercial says, is “Alaska Airlines. You didn’t die and you got a cool story.”

Other lines that may – or may not – make you chuckle, include:

“On other airlines, you can watch movies. But on Alaska, you’re in the movie.”

and

“We’re the same airline where a pilot tried to turn off the engine, mid-flight, while on mushrooms. And now we’re so proud to say, that’s our second worst flight.”

What do you think? Funny or not. Or a little too soon?

Airlines prep for the inauguration with firearms ban, other safety measures

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Flying to D.C.? Leave your firearms at home

If you’re flying to any airport near Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to the inauguration, you’ll have to leave your firearms at home.

Based on the events over the past few weeks in the nation’s capital, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, and United Airlines are imposing a temporary ban on checking firearms.

Additional security measures are being put in place as well.

In most cases, credentialed law enforcement personnel and active-duty military members traveling on orders are exempt from the policies.

A “D.C. Area Firearms Update” on the Delta Air Lines website says:

“To ensure the safety of our customers and employees, customers flying into the Washington, D.C. area (DCA, BWI, IAD and RIC) from January 16 – 23 will not be permitted to transport firearms in their checked bags. As a reminder, firearms are never permitted in carry-ons,“

Alaska Airlines issued a statement outlining its firearms ban, as well as a variety of other safety measures it will put in place beginning January 15.

The airline’s plan includes:

*Increased mask enforcement on the ground and in the air.

* A limit on the number of tickets to be sold to and from the Washington, D.C. area;

*And and a requirement that all passengers traveling to and from the DC metro area stay seated one hour after take-off and one hour before landing .

“We will have a dedicated command center to monitor every phase of the journey – check-in, boarding, taxi, climb, cruise, descent, and arrival – to ensure compliance and allow us to quickly respond to and resolve any incidents,” the airline said in its statement.

Other airlines are doing much the same. Some are banning the sales of alcohol on flights as well.

More restrictions for flying into D.C.

American Airlines has posted this notice:

The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority. As an additional precautionary measure in advance of the Presidential Inauguration, firearms may not be transported in checked bags on flights into Washington, D.C.-area airports (DCA, IAD and BWI) from January 16 – 23, 2021. Credentialed law enforcement officials and active duty military members traveling on Department of Defense orders will be exempt.

Firearms are never allowed to be brought onboard our planes as a carry-on item.

From Saturday, Jan 16 through Saturday, January 23, United will ban checked firearms on flights to BWI, DCA, Dulles, and Richmond International Airport.

And Southwest is doing the same.

Many airlines are moving their crews out of downtown D.C. hotels and increasing their staffing at the airports. TSA is also beefing up its security measures at airports around the country.

Travel Tidbits from an airport near you

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Here’s some of the airport news that caught our attention today.

May I help you, virtually?

Our first encounter with a video help desk was at the massive Istanbul Airport in October 2019.

It seemed odd but, then, efficient to step up to what seemed like an unstaffed information desk and then have a live video chat with someone located offsite.

But now video chats are the socially distanced way to get questions answered in an airport.

As of May 2020, volunteer Airport Ambassadors staff the Virtual Information Booth at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF).

And now Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is running a Virtual Assistance pilot program in Terminal 2.

Travelers can have real-time video conversations with a customer services specialist over a touch-free tablet system installed at the information booth.

As health safety and social distancing concerns continue, we expect to see more airports offering some sort of virtual help desk.

San Jose International Airport shows off its ingenuity

Like most airports now, Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is implementing new health and safety measures in its terminal.

We like the no-nonsense social distancing signage and floor decals.

And we are impressed that instead of waiting months for out-of-stock hand-sanitizing stations and plexiglass barriers, the Facilities and Engineering team at SJC is making its own.

At Your Gate + Grab = Service

Grab, the time-saving app that lets you order from an airport restaurant and then go straight to the pick-up line to get your meal is partnering with AtYourGate, the service that lets you order airport food via an app and have it delivered to you wherever you are in the terminal.

The partnership makes sense on many levels but is perfectly timed for these ‘no-touch’ times.

Grab already operates in over 50 airports in 4 countries. AtYourGate serves 10 airports now, with 40 more to be served in short order.

Wear a face mask at the airport & on the plane. Or else!

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Most every airline now requires passengers to wear face coverings in airports and on airplanes.

But now the failure to do so may result in denied boarding or a ban on future travel.

On Monday, the airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A) announced that for the duration of the COVID-19 health crisis its member airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest and United, are stepping up enforcement of face coverings.

The airlines will also now impose “substantial consequences for those who do not comply with the rules.”

Each carrier will be determining its own set of consequences for passengers who do not comply. But those policies may now include being banned from flying on the airline.

United Airlines says in a statement that starting June 18 and for at least the next 60 days, “any passenger that does not comply when onboard a United flight will be placed on an internal travel restriction list. Customers on this list will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review.”

United has been requiring passengers to wear masks on board aircraft since May 4 and most passengers have been complying.

But not all. So the new rule “is an unmistakable signal that we’re prepared to take serious steps, if necessary, to protect our customers and crew,” said United’s Chief Customer Officer, Toby Enqvist in the airline’s statement.

United says flight attendants will “proactively inform” customers not wearing face mask of the rules and offer masks, if needed.

Then:

“If the customer continues to be non-compliant, flight attendants will do their best to de-escalate the situation, again inform the customer of United’s policy, and provide the passenger with an In-Flight Mask policy reminder card.”

“ If a customer continues to not comply, the flight attendant will file a report of the incident, which will initiate a formal review process.”

“Any final decision or actions regarding a customer’s future flight benefits will not occur onboard but instead take place after the flight has reached its destination and the security team has investigated the incident.“

American Airlines says its updated policies will go into effect June 16. Customers who do not comply with the requirement to wear face coverings at the gate will be denied boarding.

“American may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering,” the airline said in a statement.

Other airlines will likely spell out the consequences for not complying with the face mask requirement in the next day or two.

Airports stay open during curfews

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These crazy times are getting crazier. And scarier.

When the coronavirus pandemic began taking its toll on travel, it seemed odd that airports felt the need to send tweets reminding us that their facilities remained open. And to encourage and thank people for washing their hands.

But as the number of people traveling dipped dangerously low, it was reassuring to know airports remained opened because, like grocery stores and gas stations, they are essential services to our society.

Now, curfews are being imposed in many cities in an effort to regain order where rioting and looting are displacing the peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd.

And once again, airports are reminding – and reassuring – the public that these essential services remain open.