September 13, 2007
Green-Strapped Blue is Bleeding Red
by Phil Derner, Jr.

July 8, 2007:
The Magic is Back
by Tom Alfano

December 31, 2006:

2006: A Year in Review
by Tom Alfano

December 24, 2006:

When I'm Looking Up, He's Looking Down
by Tom Alfano

Week of November 26, 2006:

Road Warrior, Miles, Miles, and More Miles!
by Tom Alfano


Week of November 19, 2006:

Flying Blind
by Mario J. Craig O.D.


Week of November 12, 2006:

It's More Than Just a Nice Paint Job
by Tom Alfano


Week of November 5, 2006:

Transportation Security Administration;
How Secure Do You Feel?
by Tom Alfano

Hobbyists are Louder Than JT8Ds
by Phil Derner, Jr.


Week of October 29, 2006:

Skybus or Skybust?
by Tom Alfano

Boeing BBJ's 10th Anniversary
by Michael Meier


Week of October 22, 2006:

Enough Is Enough
by Phil Boyer


Week of October 1, 2006:

For Sale: One Airline, Slightly Used
by Tom Alfano


Week of September 24, 2006:

The Truth About Selling Your Photos
by Phil Derner, Jr.

Ding! You Are Free to Smile Around the Country
by Tom Alfano


Week of September 17, 2006:

Emerging From Terror
by Phil Derner, Jr.

Road Warrior 101: "Get Out of My Way"
by Tom Alfano


Week of September 10, 2006:

On the Shoulders of Giants
by Phil Derner, Jr.

Going ETOPS
by Mike Communiello


Week of September 3, 2006:

Does This Shirt Come in Extra Annoying?
by Phil Derner Jr.

Comair 5191's Blind Supervision
by Tom Alfano


Week of August 27, 2006:

Coming of Age
by Phil Derner Jr.

LCCs; Where'd the Love Go?
by Tom Alfano


Week of August 20, 2006:

Airshows; Beyond the Ooh's and Ah's
by Tom Turner

Who Jumps Out of a Perfectly Good Airplane?
by Mike Communiello


Week of August 13, 2006:

Terror Over the Atlantic: The Lapse and Gaps in Airline Security
by Tom Alfano

Terror Over the Atlantic: Forward With Safety, Backward With Blame
by Phil Derner Jr.


Week of July 30, 2006:

Losing Our Love In the Upload Queue
by Phil Derner Jr.

American Airlines; Something Disgraceful In the Air
by Tom Alfano


Week of July 23, 2006:

Flushing Airport
by Alan Gross

Week of July 17, 2006:

The Flat Panel Trainer
by Mike Communiello

Pigs Fly at New York Airports
by Tom Alfano


Week of July 10, 2006:

Know Your Role in the Hobby
by Phil Derner Jr.

The “B” in Business travel stands for…
by Tom Alfano

New editorials are posted regularly. Our writers offer you opinion and insight for all of you to enjoy. Guest writers will also make appearances to share their stories and knowledge with you.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors only. They do not necessarily represent the views of NYCAviation.com, Phil Derner, Jr., our affiliates, advertisers or members.

Our Writers

tom@nycaviation.com

mikem@nycaviation.com

phil@nycaviation.com

matt@nycaviation.com

tomt@nycaviation.com

September 13, 2007

Green-Strapped Blue is Bleeding Red


by Phil Derner, Jr.

This week, jetBlue announced that they will soon begin charging passengers for headsets ($2) and blankets, pillows and eyeshades (in a package for $5) in the coming months. In addition, there are also rumors that they want to offer meals for sale on flights to passengers for as much as $20. Seen mostly as a way of adjusting their service in the wake of the early and forecasted popularity of Virgin America, B6 is now playing catch-up.

Photo Copyright © Melanie Rose

JetBlue grabbed a very specific niche when they were born. Their attempt has always been that of reaching the average non-business, domestic-flying passenger that wants a cheaper alternative for “simple” travel. In order to reach this, they plus and minus various frills to both lower costs and keep passengers pleased.

Keeping that balance takes a lot of effort, and constant maintenance. Their original idea to find that balance was to cut meals, and add televisions to every seat. However, having technology-driven In-Flight Entertainment means upkeep and progression is needed with various advancements that come along. Though DirecTV was the bee’s knees a decade ago, bigger screens, video games, Wi-Fi and various data and electrical ports at every seat have become available, and are slowly creeping their way into aircraft, and the hearts of passengers as well.

Photo Copyright © Mario J. Craig O.D.

JetBlue fell behind when Virgin America equipped their planes with a well-stocked electronics package in each economy seat, options previously unseen in the United States. Though there isn’t such strong competition with jetBlue just yet, VAm jumped to the forefront with that IFE while using the same aircraft types as jetBlue. With public relations for jetBlue being at an all-time low, and Virgin America being an appealing, though hardly advertised option, should Virgin America try to compete on more routes as they expand, passengers will know who to choose. Expansion that, mind you, will be at a much slower, and more reasonable speed than B6 chose to pursue.

Charging for blankets and pillows is slightly bothersome to me as well. Passengers have no control over the temperature of the environment, and they should be able to have a blanket by request should they get cold. Keep in mind that airplanes are not always the most comfortable places to be to begin with, and on flights such as red-eyes, people choose them so they can sleep during the ride, and shouldn’t have to deal with the trouble or annoyance of having to pay for a basic pillow and blanket. The eye shades are a good option that you rarely see offered to economy passengers…a must for sleeping on any airplane.

Headsets, pillows and blankets, oh my, but jetBlue still has a lot to worry about these days. If this is their only plan on repairing their poor state, as we’ve seen little else from them, then I think Terminal 5 & 6, as well as a quite a few A320s and E190s might be available very soon to those who so desire them. With that, I think Virgin America chose the A320 for others reasons.


Contact Phil Derner, Jr. at phil@nycaviation.com.

Discuss this editorial on the message boards HERE.

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Editorial for July 8, 2006

787 "The Magic's Back"

by Tom Alfano

Years of research, countless man hours, 677 orders and a true global partnership was the hallmark of today’s events here in Washington State. For most people July 8, 2007 was just another casual Summer Sunday like any other. However, today was the start of something new. A revolution. An opportunity to connect the world like it’s never been connected before, and most importantly, the day the magic returned to air travel. Soon,

Photo Copyright © Tom Alfano

businesses will be closer to new markets, distant nations will be a single flight away, family and friends can easily reconnect with each other, and the dream of closer world will be reality.

Boeing’s newest and the world’s most advanced jetliner ever to take to the skies was unveiled to the public today at Boeing’s Everett, Washington factory. Thousands were on hand to witness not just the birth of a new plane but the dawn of a new age in Intercontinental travel. Like the 787’s ancestors, the DC-3, 707, and the early 747, the 787 will change everything we know about travel for the next 50 years.

Photo Copyright © Tom Alfano

The atmosphere at the launch was infectious, emotional and simply inspiring. The decibel level from the sea of media, VIPs, invited guests and Boeing employees was one of pure excitement and awe. Many in my surrounding area could be heard asking questions like “How big do you think it is,” “What’s it going to look like,” and “How fast will it go?” Even I was wondering what it would look like when she was rolled in.

As the time neared for the main event all eyes were fixed to the two massive hangar doors. Then as they opened there she was. There stood a machine built by man but seemingly looking as though it had its own consciousness and that it knew we all were there just for her. There was the future of air travel right in front of the crowd and even though the cheers were deafening I was surrounded by a silence in total amazement of what I was witnessing.

The crowd without delay rushed to the plane wanting to get closer, wanting to touch it, see it, and on some level connect with it. As I stood on our platform you could tell it was something new, it looked different but still keeping the graceful lines we’ve come to know from the Boeing family. Today the magic of flight was reborn; today the world celebrated our passion for soaring among the birds.

Contact Tom Alfano at tom@nycaviation.com.

Discuss this editorial on the message boards HERE.

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Editorial for the Week of December 31, 2006

2006: A Year in Review

by Tom Alfano

Ah what a year it has been, its been year of ups, downs, roundabouts, flip flops, and OIL! We began the year with the final departure of Independence Air, the little airline that couldn't, or should we say couldn't make a profit. What do you expect from an airline that handed out bumper stickers that said "I am not normal?" That should have been our first clue.

After a long struggle United Airlines emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy a stronger, prouder airline carrying with it the guilt of tens of thousands of employees shown the door, retirees finding that their nest egg was just stolen out from under them, and then announcing, "Hey, we're up for sale."

While United emerged from Chapter 11 Delta and Northwest wrestled with their unions, cut service, dumped pension plans, threw winglets on narrow bodies, and packed passengers into a 50 year old terminal at JFK in an attempt to perhaps relive the spirit of Pan Am. Oh and let us not forget the one hit wonder, yes Song. Song performed its last tour in 2006, yes the band broke up but let's be real, they never really sung a good tune from the start.

Where did the love go? Only a few years ago many were saying the LCCs were the wave of the future — that airlines like jetBlue would dominate the skies and the old legacies would fall. Where are those people now? Probably flying a legacy to Kalamazoo to see family because they realized the LCCs don't fly there. This year we saw the legacy carriers enter or expand in small and midsize growth markets that the likes of jetBlue, Southwest, and Airtran can't touch. Give it a couple years, boys and girls. You know those pictures we see of airlines like Eastern, Pan Am, and Braniff just after they shut down? Well, the T5/6 AirTrain station will get you some great photos of jetBlue's parked fleet.

Ah yes, then there was the price of oil and the wonderful fun that caused. It was bad enough that a $200 roundtrip ticket to LA would really cost you $240 with all the taxes and security fees, but when the fuel surcharges were added on it became laughable.

Finally, yes finally, we have the TSA and DHS. What did we learn from them this year? Well by putting our liquids into a yellow and green makes blue zip lock bag that our skies would be safe from evil. Yes, while sandwich bags protected us from Al Qaeda, homeless people slept on the AOA at Newark, a front man for the Beach Boys was appointed head of security for a major airport, unscreened cargo filled the belly of your Orlando-bound flight, and when you do a Google search for TSA chief Kip Hawley's qualifications and click the corresponding DHS link you get "Page cannot be found." Perhaps an internal error or perhaps the truth of the man heading up our country's port security.

Yes, 2006 was a fun year, and with the Scooby Do Airline and Virgin America looking to remain a virgin, 2007 should be just as fun.

Contact Tom Alfano at tom@nycaviation.com.

Discuss this editorial on the message boards HERE.

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Editorial for the Week of December 24, 2006

When I'm Looking Up, He's Looking Down

by Tom Alfano

It goes without saying that anyone who loves aviation instinctively looks up to the sky when they hear a plane passing over. It doesn’t matter what kind of plane, any time I hear that whine of prop or the roar of a jet, I always look up. Recently on this site there was a post in the aviation forum titled “How you got into aviation.” I read through many of the responses by the forum members and it got me thinking what sparked my interest in aviation.

I thought it appropriate being it’s the holidays and that since a big part of the holidays is family, that I’d share with you why I love aviation so much and why every time I hear a plane overhead I look up. I can say without hesitation my father is the reason I look to the skies today.

I don’t know what sparked my father’s interest in aviation. Perhaps it was that he grew up during the dawn of the jet age and served in the U.S Navy on a number of our Carriers, but he loved aviation. Growing up as a child, our house was full of books about aviation and planes. I can remember going up to that big dark wood bookcase and staring at each of his books. Knowing not to touch them, my father would come up behind me and take a random book from the shelf, sit me down and show me the pictures of the different planes. I vividly remember one specific book titled “The Lore of Flight.” It was this huge hard covered book with these colorful pictures of all aspects of flight. It was perhaps one of my favorite books as a child even though its text was a bit advanced for a young boy. I went through it page by page countless times. Even today I cherish this book in my own personal library as a wonderful memory of my childhood.

There was another time as a child I recall being in my room playing and I heard the front door open. It was my father coming home from work. My mother promptly came into my room and said “Daddy has a surprise for you, but you have to stay in your room for a minute.” I remained there until he called me and when I came out, sitting on the living room floor was this Fisher Price airport all set up and ready for me to play with. To this day that was my all time favorite toy.

My father had his private pilot’s license and his own plane, a four seat Cessna. I’m not sure how I remember the first time I went up flying with him but I was outside playing with my friends and he came out and said it was time to go. I didn’t know where we were going, as a child I just knew if my parents said it was time to go, it was time to go. We jumped in his truck and off we went to MacArthur Airport. I recall him being very strict with me walking around the ramp, probably for my own safety. The excitement of being near all those planes can only now be described as surreal. A Cessna to a 7 year old might as well be a 747, I remember it being so big. At that time Islip was a pretty busy airport and I think for the first time in my life that this is when I looked up. I remember hearing this deafening roar of what must have been a 727 or DC-9 at the time. I can still picture that beautiful plane climbing higher and higher into its playground of the sky. I’ll never forget that site.

I went flying with my father frequently but the first time was unforgettable. I can remember how smooth everything felt and how he let me fly the plane. I put both my hands on the yoke and he said to me “There’s no need to hold on with both hands, just take the yoke gently like this.” It was the first of many experiences I had with him flying our plane.

My father was only part of my life for the first ten years, he passed away from cancer in May of 1986 and with that what

Photo Copyright © Phil Derner, Jr.

might have been was lost. However by then my love for aviation was ingrained into my soul. I continued reading about planes, putting together models, sitting on top of our shed with binoculars “spotting” the Euro heavy’s flying over my house after school, and whatever else I could do to fulfill my addiction.

Today I’m very grateful to my father for his influence on me. Without his influence I’m not sure what my passion would be today or who my friends would be. Because of this passion and hobby I’ve met people who I don’t just consider friends, but family. His impact on me as a young child has given me the ability to create memories today like the first time I spotted at LAX with Phil, standing runway-side at JFK with Mario, Freezing in the winter at Bayswater, and taking pictures of an F14 with Fred until 3 AM. All these wonderful times were made possible by my father and is the reason why I look up to the sky today when I hear a plane passing over. While my father may be gone today, somehow I feel when I’m looking up, he’s looking down.

Contact Tom Alfano at tom@nycaviation.com.

Discuss this editorial on the message boards HERE.

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by Tom Alfano

My God, it’s more addicting than drugs! Yes, it’s airline miles and I want them, or should I say I want more! I already have enough miles and credits between American, U.S Airways, Jetblue, and Southwest to ensure I won’t have to lay out a dime for any of my personal travel in 2007. So what is it with miles? We just crave more miles and more miles. We charge our water bill for miles, we charge gas and get more miles, and forget Cancun, charge your college tuition on your AAdvantage Visa card and you’ll be spending spring break in Monaco. As a business traveler, miles become part of the life a Road Warrior leads. It comes down to a game. Hell, this week I made sure I flew Southwest because of a triple credit promo. I earned another free ticket in only nine days! What I’ll do with four free tickets is beyond me but I want more!

Contact Tom Alfano at tom@nycaviation.com.

Discuss this editorial on the message boards HERE.

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