.Net Developer 2.0.2010.07.05 Workstation

Microsoft has released a slew of new tools in the past 3 months. I’ve captured a lot of what is needed to get going with VS2010. I’ve adopted the concept of adding products by Developer Role. For the initial post, I’m defining four roles:

1. .Net Developer Role
2. Silverlight Developer
3. Windows Phone Developer Role
4. Windows Azure Developer Role

As new technologies get updated, my goal is to update this post. My hope is that this will be the foundation of building the next generation workstation to meet the next generation of development. There are quite a few things missing from this list, but it’s late, and I’m supposed to be cooking dinner.

.Net Developer Role

The .Net Developer Role includes the basic tools and environment needed to design, develop and deploy .Net based applications in the Corona Ecosystem.

Visual Studio 2010

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional is an integrated environment that simplifies the basic tasks of creating, debugging and deploying applications. Let Visual Studio 2010 Professional unleash your imagination and easily deliver your ideas. Download.

AccuRev Software Configuration Management

AccuRev SCM enables you to track, maintain and integrate your code changes. Download. Integrate with Windows, and the Visual Studio environment by downloading AccuBridge clients.

Build and Packaging Tools

The Build and Packaging tools install the necessary components to enable you to build, test and package your application.

Training and Resources

Moving to Visual Studio 2010 e-Book - The book is not a language primer, a language reference, or a single technology book. It's a book that will help professional developers move from previous versions of Visual Studio (starting with 2003 and on up).

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Course - The Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Course includes videos and hands-on-labs designed to help you learn how to utilize the Visual Studio 2010 features and a variety of framework technologies including: C# 4.0, Visual Basic 10, F#, Parallel Computing Platform, WCF, WF, WPF, ASP.NET AJAX 4.0, ASP.NET MVC Dynamic Data.

Visual Studio 2010 Resource Kit - The Visual Studio 2010 Resource Kit provides a deep offering of online and offline content.

Visual Studio 2010 Walkthroughs - Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Release Candidate walkthroughs that include technical information and other learning resources.

Visual Studio 2010 Keybinding Reference Cards - Reference cards for the default keybindings in Visual Studio 2010 for Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual C++ and Visual F#.

Silverlight Developer Role

The Silverlight Developer role contains all the necessary tools to design, develop and deploy Silverlight based applications.

Microsoft Silverlight 4 Tools for Visual Studio 2010

This package is an add-on for Visual Studio 2010 to provide tooling for Microsoft Silverlight 4 and RIA Services. It can be installed on top of either Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Web Developer 2010 Express. It extends existing Silverlight 3 features and multitargeting capabilities in Visual Studio 2010 to also create applications for Silverlight 4 using C# or Visual Basic. Download.

Microsoft Expression Blend 4 Release Candidate (RC)

Expression Blend 4 enables you to create websites and applications based on Silverlight 3 and Silverlight 4, and desktop applications based on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) 3.5 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and WPF 4. Expression Blend provides support for prototyping, interactivity through behaviors, special Silverlight functionality, and on-the-fly sample data generation. Expression Blend includes new behaviors that are quickly and easily configured. To support the development of line-of-business (LOB) applications, Expression Blend introduces support for the Model-View-ViewModel pattern. Download.

Silverlight Toolkit

The Silverlight Toolkit is a collection of Silverlight controls, components and utilities made available outside the normal Silverlight release cycle. A product of the Microsoft Silverlight product team, the Silverlight Toolkit adds new functionality quickly for designers and developers, and provides the community an efficient way to help shape product development by contributing ideas and bug reports. It includes full open source code, unit tests, samples and documentation for over 26 new controls covering charting, styling, layout, and user input. Download.

WCF RIA Services Toolkit – May 2010

Microsoft WCF RIA Services simplifies the traditional n-tier application pattern by bringing together the ASP.NET and Silverlight platforms. RIA Services provides a pattern to write application logic that runs on the mid-tier and controls access to data for queries, changes and custom operations. It also provides end-to-end support for common tasks such as data validation, authentication and roles by integrating with Silverlight components on the client and ASP.NET on the mid-tier. Download.

Training and Resources

Silverlight Training Course - The Silverlight 4 Training Course includes a whitepaper explaining all of the new Silverlight 4 RC features, several hands-on-labs that explain the features, and a 8 unit course for building business applications with Silverlight 4. The business applications course includes 8 modules with extensive hands on labs as well as 25 accompanying videos that walk you through key aspects of building a business application with Silverlight. Key aspects in this course are working with numerous sandboxed and elevated out of browser features, the new RichTextBox control, implicit styling, webcam, drag and drop, multi touch, validation, authentication, MEF, WCF RIA Services, right mouse click, and much more! Download.

Silverlight Learn – The Microsoft Siliverlight site has hands on labs, videos and downloadable samples to get you started on learning all about Silverlight.

Expression Design Toolbox - Features two core learning paths: Design Scenarios and Design Principles. Both begin with teaching basic techniques and build skills and knowledge incrementally. In Design Scenarios, designers and developers learn to create dynamically-rich Silverlight applications using Expression Studio. You will learn to add code-free functionality to designs by following step-by-step tutorials that illustrate how to create interactive user experiences. In Design Principles, you will learn fundamental design concepts (e.g., choosing the right colors and the right fonts) along with tips and techniques in how to apply them to your creations.

Windows Phone Developer Role

Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP – April Refresh

The Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP contains what you need to get started with Windows Phone 7 development. Specifically it contains the following:  CTP of Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator, Silverlight, and XNA Game Studio. Download.

Expression Blend SDK Preview 2 for Windows Phone

Expression Blend 4 for Windows Phone provides exactly the same streamlined development workflow for Windows Phone that was previously only available for Silverlight and .NET applications, including features such as behaviors, sample data, and the visual state manager. As part of this release, two new project templates are included: one for standard Window Phone applications and one for applications that follow an MVVM pattern. To ensure consistency across development tools, Expression Blend leverages the Windows Phone Emulator installed as part of Windows Phone Developer Tools. Download.

Expression Blend Add-in Preview 2 for Windows Phone

As part of this release, two new project templates are included: one for standard Window Phone applications and one for applications that follow an MVVM pattern. Download.

Application Bar Icons for Windows Phone 7 Series

A set of application bar icons for use when developing Windows Phone 7 Series applications using the Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP. Download.

Training and Resources

Windows Phone 7 Series Developer Training Kit - This Training Kit will give you a jumpstart into the new Windows Phone world by providing you with a step-by-step explanation of the tools to use and some key concepts for programming Windows Phones.

Windows Azure Developer Role

Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio 1.2 (June 2010)

Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio extend Visual Studio 2008 and the upcoming Visual Studio 2010 RC to enable the creation, configuration, building, debugging, running and packaging of scalable web applications and services on Windows Azure. Installation includes the Windows Azure SDK. Download. Updated 07/05/2010

Windows Azure Software Development Kit (June 2010)

The Windows Azure SDK provides developers with the tools and APIs needed to develop, deploy, and manage scalable services in Windows Azure. Download. Updated 07/05/2010

Windows Azure platform AppFabric SDK V1.0 – July Update

Windows Azure platform AppFabric is part of the Azure Services Platform. Microsoft .NET Services includes two services: the Access Control Service and the Service Bus. Download. Updated 07/05/2010

Training and Resources

Windows Azure Platform Training Kit – June Update - The Azure Services Training Kit includes a comprehensive set of technical content including hands-on labs, presentations, and demos that are designed to help you learn how to use the Windows Azure platform including: Windows Azure, SQL Azure and AppFabric. The December release includes new and updated labs in addition to information about Microsoft Codename “Dallas”.

Windows Azure platform AppFabric Labs SDK - The Windows Azure platform AppFabric Labs environment is an environment which the AppFabric team will use to showcase some early bits get the community's feedback.

Demystifying the Cloud - The first three chapters focus on the core concepts and terminologies while the rest of the chapters introduce the popular Cloud Computing stacks including Amazon Web Services, Google App Engine and Microsoft Windows Azure. This book is meant for developers who want to understand the fundamentals of Cloud Computing.

Security Best Practices For Developing Windows Azure Applications - In this document Microsoft describes some of the security technologies software developers should use, and the security design and development practices they should use to build more secure Windows Azure applications.  Added 07/05/2010

07/05/10 Update

• Updated Silverlight 4 Tools for Visual Studio 2010. Download Link
• Updated Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio 1.2. Download Link
• Updated Windows Azure AppFabric SDK V1.0 – July Update. Download Link
• Added Security Best Practices For Developing Windows Azure Applications. Download Link

Internet Airline News #15

New airline rules address tarmac delays, retroactive contract changes, disclosures

Our friends at the Transportation Department have unleashed a blizzard of airline rule changes on us this morning. They’re being characterized as an early Christmas present for air travelers — particularly those with lengthy tarmac delays. And the government is not done yet. But read the actual rule, and the DOT’s nuanced discussion of its final rulemaking (PDF), and a different picture emerges.

DOT Mandates Passenger Bill of Rights and I’m Not Happy

Yesterday, the DOT decided to issue a final ruling that will effectively require airlines to have a passenger bill of rights. This includes a 3 hour limit on the amount of time you spend on the ground on a domestic flight. While I’m sure that Kate Hanni and friends are thrilled, I am not.

Seattle startup gets 14 airlines to sign on to biofuel agreement

Moving to cut dependence on petroleum for jet fuel, 14 airlines, including Alaska, have signed an agreement for the potential purchase of plant-based fuel from a Seattle company that plans to build a production facility in Anacortes.

American Airlines and the OJ Incident PR Fail

It looks like American Airlines (AMR) hasn’t learned from the Mr X incident. A recent viral blog post about an orange juice-related incident gave American the opportunity to respond once again. It hasn’t, and instead continues to study the issue while opinions continue to form.

Delta Offers Gold Status To Victims Of Pyschotic American Airlines Stewardess

Delta has offered Gold status to anyone who was on the ill-fated American Airlines flight where a stewardess screamed at a first class passenger who had the gall to ask for orange juice, and had him given a written warning by the captain.

 

United, Continental and ANA apply for antitrust immunity

Star Alliance partners United Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Continental Airlines said Wednesday they've applied for antitrust immunity "to enable the three carriers to create a more efficient and comprehensive trans-Pacific network, generating substantial service and pricing benefits for consumers."

American, Southwest honored by Business Traveler magazine

Business Traveler magazine has handed out its "2009 Best in Business Travel Awards," and our two North Texas airlines fared well. American Airlines was named "Best North American Airline for First-Class Service" and "Best Airline for North American Travel," while Southwest Airlines was picked as "Best Low-Cost Airline in North America."

Peak Travel Day Surcharge Chart: Breakdown by Date & Airline

You may recall that the Peak Travel Day surcharge is no longer just about Christmas and New Year’s (although travel dates around those holidays will be affected). Multiple carriers have added surcharges of varying costs to peak travel dates all the way into October of 2010.

Virgin America’s CEO is “Cautiously Optimistic About 2010″

Virgin America began service when it was especially tough to be an airline start-up, first with high fuel, and now with a recession. So, many were surprised when the San Francisco-based airline recently announced that it had turned its first operating profit ($5.1 million) in the third quarter. That compares to a $54 million operating loss for the same quarter a year ago. The carrier did post a net loss of $5.9 million, however.

Three Reasons Why Delta Slashed First Class Fares Between New York and the West Coast

It looks like Delta (DAL) is sick of watching premium passengers between New York and both LA and San Francisco fly on other airlines. They’ve recently upgrade the aircraft on those routes to have their international BusinessElite product, and now, they’ve dramatically slashed fares for those comfy seats.

Southwest Loses Its Social Media Guru, All Eyes on the Transition

Anyone in the social media space who deals with the airline industry knows Paula Berg. For the last few years, Paula has been the social media guru (or, uh Manager of Emerging Media) for Southwest Airlines (LUV), an unqualified leader in the social media space. Paula has now left for greener pastures (literally - she’s trading the dusty brown Dallas landscape for the picturesque Rocky Mountains)

Flying Too High On Airline Fees

As airlines continue their enthusiastic embrace of fare unbundling and new fees as a revenue-raising savior, they had better heed some warning signs – or at least keep in mind some recent history.

The Big Business of Baggage Fees

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that airline fees topped $2 billion in the third quarter, up 36% from the same period of 2008. Baggage fees carried the load. Ancillary revenue, which includes baggage fees, reservation change fees, sales of frequent flier miles to business partners, pet fees and standby passenger fees, constituted 6.9% of total airline operating revenue, BTS said. Last year in the third quarter, ancillary revenue amounted to 4.1% of total operating revenue. BTS doesn’t count onboard sales of food or seating assignments in those numbers.

Internet Airline News #14

Think a Lot of People are Using Wifi In the Air? Think Again

In the past, airborne wireless usage numbers have been tough to come by. Wifi provider Row 44 has been more forthcoming than AirCell, but Row 44 has such a small footprint right now that it’s not necessarily indicative of broader numbers. Virgin America has said it’s seeing good usage, but you would expect that on an airline that targets the Silicon Valley crowd. Now, we’re getting some numbers from AirCell that indicate what most have thought - usage isn’t good.

The problem with free in-flight internet

For a while now I’ve been a rather strong proponent of the theory that paid in-flight internet isn’t going to attract enough business to survive, at least not with the current pricing scheme.  I just don’t think that there are enough people out there willing to pay $8 or more per flight for the access that is available. [Ed. – Theoretically Alaska Air WiFi should not have this problem]

United Airlines offers a free "try before you buy" Wi-Fi session on all p.s. flights

Passengers on the United Airlines p.s. premium transcontinental service can enjoy one free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi session. The promotion is done as a "try before you buy", which is a great way to get introduced to the joy of inflight Internet access.

Four pieces of great inflight WiFi news from Gogo

Inflight Internet provider Aircell released not one, but four different pieces of good news yesterday afternoon. We've translated all the PR-speak into the stuff you need to know if you want to stay up to date on the latest developments of Internet in the skies.

Allegiant Fights AirTran, Enters Orlando

For years we’ve heard Allegiant proclaim that they don’t really like competition. They’ve often boasted about how few of their routes have competitors, and they’ve had no qualms about walking away from a route that suddenly performs poorly thanks to new entrants (Greensboro comes to mind).

US Airways Adds Cash for the Next Couple Winters, Defers Airplanes

I hope our US readers had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. Certainly the financial whizzes at US Airways (LCC) must have had a particularly satisfying meal yesterday. First they bulked up their airline with cash on Tuesday, and then they bulked up themselves with turkey.

Airports want passenger fee charge increased

If U.S. airports get their wish, air travelers will pay a few more dollars per trip next year. Citing escalating construction costs, airports have been lobbying Congress to raise the cap on the "passenger facility charge" that fliers pay as part of their airline tickets.

Inside Virgin America's "Stay Golden" launch event (photos)

I looked around and tried to absorb what was unfolding before me.VIP's and Virgin employees mingled on the patio of the beachfront W Fort Lauderdale. Nearby, a reality TV crew set up a shot for a new series about the lives of Virgin America flight attendants. Lights and loud music infiltrated the senses. It was a perfect backdrop for television, even though it didn't quite feel like reality.
And in a sense, it wasn't reality; but merely a splash of Richard Branson's reality.

Internet Airline News #12

ROW 13: Why some airlines have it and others do not

Of course this makes sense. There are a lot of passengers who fear flying and the number "13″ doesn't have the most positive thoughts attached to it. This explains why airlines have their entire fleets with or without a 13th row, but I wondered, why did Alaska Airlines have a 13th row in all planes except their Boeing 737-800's?

Geoff Pettis, Manager of Interior Engineering with Alaska Airlines, cleared up my confusion…

British Airways and Iberia Agree to Merge

British Airways and Iberia have reached an agreement on a merger plan for the two carriers. If the

merger occurs, the combined carrier would serve 205 destinations with 419 aircraft.

American's Firing of Mr X Becoming a Social Media Black Eye

Thanks to the Mr. X incident, American Airlines is about to get a dose of what United recently experienced when it broke guitars - a wave of negative social media coverage. Not sure who Mr. X is? Read on, and see why I think they’re making a mistake in the way they’re handling this.

What Virgin America's doing right

USA TODAY'S David Grossman recently scored an interview with David Cush, Virgin America's CEO, and came away with some interesting details about how the airline sees itself. Mr Cush is a former American Airlines employee, but he says Virgin doesn't look at his former employer for inspiration…

Qantas plans 'Airport of the Future,' premium service upgrades

Qantas plans to introduce an Airport of the Future concept in major domestic markets next year that it said will reduce dramatically time spent at check-in and in security queues and speed baggage collection.

Domestic passengers will be issued new RFID cards that will replace both the standard boarding pass and baggage tags and give instant recognition to security agents.

Alaska Airlines Bucks Industry Trends To Build Profits From Operations And Cash Flow

When Alaska Air Group CEO Bill Ayer rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on Nov. 10, he might as well have rung it to celebrate the end of a fantastic quarter for the airline. Alaska reported a third-quarter profit of $87.6 million, in a period when most U.S. mainline carriers bled red ink.

Worried About Losing Tax Revenue, Congress to Investigate Airlines’ Fees

Congress has been furrowing its collective brow at the practice. An investigation is under way, and could lead to changes in this increasingly popular tactic that airlines use to bring in more revenue without raising fares.

Internet Airline News #11

Vengeance? Karma? Bad luck? United loses the luggage of the “United Breaks Guitars” guy

After famously breaking his guitar, United Airlines has managed to cause further trouble for David Carroll by losing his luggage — just as the Canadian singer-songwriter was en route to deliver a speech about customer service.

Ontario Airport's High Costs Showcase Missed Opportunity

Just last week I wrote about the anger increasingly being directed toward LA World Airports by Ontario Airport stakeholders. Now, it appears that Ontario is getting more serious as the city looks at potential alternatives for the airport, something that might involve taking management away from LAWA. Looking at some numbers, it seems incredibly clear that they should very seriously consider doing just that. Their costs could and should be dramatically lowered.

If You Want to Try Wifi Onboard, You’ll Have Plenty of Free Chances

It’s no surprise that when you make something completely free, people use it a lot more often than if you make them pay. Duh. And that’s why it’s not surprising to see airlines scrambling to find a way to offer wireless internet for free. Just in the last few days, we’ve seen three promotions that will let anyone log on from 30,000 feet without paying a dime.

Midwest and Frontier Start Swapping Airplanes in the Middle of the Day

We’ve talked about how Republic’s acquisition of Frontier and Midwest has given the carrier tremendous flexibility in moving its airplanes around between its different subsidiaries. We’ve already seen announcements that Frontier will operate aircraft under the Midwest name, and some of the Republic-operated Embraer aircraft will come to Denver to operate for Frontier. Now, we’re seeing something even more interesting. Republic will have a single airplane operate for both airlines on the same exact day.

Southwest Airlines web site has high load factors

"The popularity of our 72-hour fare sale is generating a lot of interest in southwest.com," Southwest is putting on its web site. "The web experience might be slower than usual. Thanks for your patience."

Airplane Part Falls on Suburban Lawn

It was a rather large piece of metal (3′ X 4′) shaped like a cone - and, according to the cops, it came from a commercial airplane. At this point, nobody knows what airline it belonged to but if anyone’s missing anything, you can contact the Roosevelt P.D.

JetBlue's All-You-Can-Jet Pass Considered a Success

You likely could have figured out from the early press it got that JetBlue’s All-You-Can-Jet pass would be a success, but now we have JetBlue Senior VP Marketing & Commercial Marty St George talking about it in more detail. This was a rock star of a promotion.

Alaska's Profits Heat Up

Alaska Airlines continues to stand out as a bright spot in the struggling U.S. airline industry. The carrier had the highest profit margin of the nine largest U.S. airlines during the first nine months of 2009, notes airline analyst Michael Derchin of FTN Equity Capital. Alaska's pre-tax margin of 6% beat out AirTran Airways (5%), JetBlue Airways (3%), and Southwest Airlines (1%). United Airlines finished at the bottom of the pack, with a pre-tax margin of negative 8%.

Are the economics of Twitter airfares worth it?

More and more budget-travel tipsters are pointing towards Twitter, Facebook and social media outlets as the source for wild cheap airfares these days. And it's true, in a way. By subscribing to the pundit feeds online it's possible to get the inside scoop on a few good routes, often saving a few shekels on a future itinerary.

Internet Airline News #10

An Onboard Wifi Update

I’m at the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) conference this week, and I spent awhile chatting with the folks at AirCell (provider of wifi fun) yesterday. That made me think it was a good time for a wifi update, especially since there has been so much news lately.

The Safest Airlines to Fly On

There's no accounting for terrible fate and random events, but The Daily Beast wants you to see how major and regional airlines rank in accidents and incidents. It's worth a peek before booking your next flight.

Continental’s Overnight Excursion in Rochester, Minnesota

I haven’t commented on the ridiculousness that is Continental #2816 yet, and I’ve received plenty of emails asking me why that hasn’t happened. You know the flight; that’s the one where the passengers got stuck on their little regional jet all night long after diverting from Minneapolis/St Paul to Rochester, Minnesota because of bad weather. I decided to wait to write a post until I could get full information, and I simply couldn’t get it. But now that the initial report is out from the DOT, I’ve got enough to start talking. Surprisingly, it points to Delta Connection carrier Mesaba as the real problem here, though they are denying it.

One Airline Gets It: Sun Country to Limit “Time on Tarmac”

The CEO of the Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines believes his airline is the first to do this: setting a limit on how much time passengers will spend sitting on a plane, when the plane isn’t going anywhere. The new limit is four hours maximum - then the plane and passengers have to return to the terminal (and of course, can do so sooner).

Alaska’s Monthly Investor Update

Alaska releases a monthly update with some traffic and financial data, and it’s always interesting to take a look. First, let’s look at revenue. PRASM was down 1.3% year-over-year and RASM was actually up 0.7%. That’s great, right? Well, not so fast.

Southwest’s Sweet E-Mail Marketing

I’m heading to San Diego in a little less than a month for the National Business Travel Association conference (which I’m really looking forward to), and I’m flying down on Southwest. Last week, I received this e-mail:

Summer Reading: Flying High In a Competitive Industry

First, I’d like to say that this is not a book for airplane geeks, or at least not all of them. The book reads like a business case study for students, which makes perfect sense since it’s published by McGraw-Hill Education.

AirportSnapshot.com

Schedule Capacity Changes: Keep abreast of weekly schedule changes by airline brand and for the top 25 US airports.
Airport Top Ten O&D Markets: This snapshot will give you the top ten O&D markets for any airport for the latest reported quarter of data
Market O&D Traffic Data: This snapshot gives you the total O&D for any market you choose to enter, for the latest quarter
Nonstop Segment Financial Performance: This snapshot gives you the composition of passengers and prorated yields for a given segment, for the latest quarter

Just Fooling Around

Sometimes you just need to try things.

Internet Airline News #9

What will Denver look like in two years?

Frontier's going to get out of bankruptcy protection pronto. They're making operational profits that are based on lower expenses and they've got a corporate parent with some resources, but not a huge war chest to wage a long-term fare battle.

LAX Rent Increase Ruled Not Discriminatory, But Fight Continues

There was interesting ruling out of the appeals courts last week. LAX’s efforts to jack up rent for some airlines and not others was ruled to be not discriminatory. But that doesn’t mean this fight is over.

Airlines Update Their Social Media Efforts

Anyone who’s a regular reader of this blog knows about my interest in all things social media.  And I’ve been following how airlines are using it to communication and expand their brands.  Today’s Aviation Daily includes my story (subscribers only) on the efforts of Continental Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines when it comes to social media.

How Budget Airlines Undercut the Majors (Spoiler: Infographics)

Personal theory: Man has a natural propensity to question what he reads but believe anything he sees in neat infographic form. And this is one heck of an infographic, comparing budget airlines (like Southwest) to traditional companies like Delta.

Flightcaster Tells You When Your Flight Is Delayed Hours Before The Airline Will

“ON TIME”. It’s the first thing we look for when we arrive at the airport — oftentimes we’ll even check a flight’s status before leaving home to make sure things are proceeding as planned. But as anyone who has done extensive traveling could tell you, that ‘On Time’ indicator isn’t exactly honest.

Deconstructing United Airlines: Where Customers are Transactions

If you’re a loyalty marketer and look at my United profile, you find something that would make you 4.5 on a scale of 5.0 when it comes to warm and fuzzy.   You’d see hundreds of thousands of United Airlines frequent flier (FF) miles; a pattern that suggests that I fly exclusively…

Small Cities Pay to Keep Air Travel

With airlines cutting back service in a weak economy, some cities that are too big to qualify for federal help but too small to keep the planes flying in have stepped up with ways to hang on: paying the airlines, either directly or indirectly.

Random Dude with a Laptop Called Up to Cockpit to Help Pilots Plot a New Course

I've heard pilots ask if there's a doctor on board in the event of a medical emergency on an airplane, but to ask if there's a guy with a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop on board? That's a new one to me.

Dave Carroll's "Truly Inspired" 'United Breaks Guitars' Sequel

You know Dave. The man who grabbed more than five million sets of eyeballs to YouTube with his original hit, "United Breaks Guitars." Yes, well, Dave's back.

How new legislation will affect air safety

Late last month, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced legislation designed to improve air safety. The move, led by Aviation Subcommittee chair Jerry Costello, D-Ill., comes in response to February's crash of a Colgan Air regional plane outside Buffalo, N.Y. Fifty people were killed when the Dash-8 Q400 went down on final approach.

Virgin America Announces Bag Fee Changes

Virgin America today announced changes to the airline's baggage fees. Effective for all bookings made on or after Aug. 21, 2009, for travel starting on or after Sept. 10, 2009, the airline has changed its baggage fee to a flat $20 rate for all checked items (excluding the first and second bag for First Class travelers; and the first bag for Main Cabin Select and Refundable Fare travelers.)

Clever Marketing Moves the Needle on Market Share

Remember our earlier post about JetBlue’s “All You Can Jet Pass” that’s good for travel anywhere from Sept. 8 through Oct. 8? It was a clever stunt that became a “trending topic” on Twitter.

Southwest to offer wi-fi on all flights by 2010

To add to its cheap fares, no-extra-fees policy, and wise-cracking flight attendants, Southwest Airlines is giving us one more reason to love the low-cost carrier. Southwest says that, by the first quarter of 2010, wi-fi internet will be available on all flights.

Airlines and social media: dialogue waiting to happen

Social media means that airlines just have another place where they can be raked over the coals. We complain to ticket agents. We complain to gate agents. We complain to customer service reps. And now, we can complain to the world, thanks to the likes of Twitter. [Read the comments –Ed]