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Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel

We've all heard, if not experienced, the horror stories: hours spent standing in line, lost luggage, a night passed on an airport bench waiting for a connecting flight that never arrived. And that's not even during the holidays. Though cutting-edge technology has made planes safer and more efficient, air travel is still an often arduous process, leading James Fallows to ask, "How can a system be so technically advanced and admirable, yet lead to results so unpleasant for everyone involved?" Part of the answer involves congestion: currently, over 80 percent of all flights are routed through 28 major hubs across the country, and according to federal officials, traffic to these same few airports is expected to double by 2010.

In Free Flight, Fallows details an "impending, potentially broad change" in how we travel--one that he compares to the introduction of the car. This shift involves the use of small planes that "offer much of the speed, and as much as possible of the safety, of the big airlines, but at a small fraction of the cost of today's corporate jets." In this new world, people would either buy their own planes or hire piloted air-taxi services for no more than current coach fares. These planes would fly as directly as possible from one destination to another, taking advantage of the 18,000 small airports and landing strips currently available across the country.

Focusing on the colorful personalities and visionary designers leading this nascent transportation revolution, Fallows looks at the opportunities and obstacles small-plane manufacturers are likely to face. A national correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and a recreational pilot, Fallows is both knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. Portions of the book will appeal mainly to flight enthusiasts and venture capitalists, but the bulk is interesting enough to hold the attention of those who are neither. And it's short enough that you can read it cover-to-cover the next time you're stuck at a hub. --Shawn Carkonen

Author: James Fallows
Paperback: 272 pages
Company: PublicAffairs (2002-09) (2002-09-03)
ISBN: 1586481401
List Price: $15.00
Amazon Price: $3.95
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Dear American Airlines

Sometimes the planes don-t fly on time.

Bennie Ford, a fifty-three-year-old failed poet turned translator, is traveling to his estranged daughter-s wedding when his flight is canceled. Stuck with thousands of fuming passengers in the purgatory of O-Hare airport, he watches the clock tick and realizes that he will miss the ceremony. Frustrated, irate, and helpless, Bennie does the only thing he can: he starts to write a letter. But what begins as a hilariously excoriating demand for a refund soon becomes a lament for a life gone awry, for years misspent, talent wasted, and happiness lost. A man both sinned against and sinning, Bennie writes in a voice that is a marvel of lacerating wit, heart-on-sleeve emotion, and wide-ranging erudition, underlined by a consistent groundnote of regret for the actions of a lifetime -- and made all the more urgent by the fading hope that if he can just make it to the wedding, he might have a chance to do something right. A margarita blend of outrage, wicked humor, vulnerability, intelligence, and regret, Dear American Airlines gives new meaning to the term -airport novel- and announces the emergence of major new talent in American fiction.

Author: Jonathan Miles
Kindle Edition: 192 pages Kindle Book
Company: Houghton Mifflin (2008-06-05) (2008-06-05)
List Price: $17.60
Amazon Price: $9.99

TERMINAL CHAOS: Why U.S. Air Travel Is Broken and How to Fix It (Library of Flight Series)

In total passenger miles, air travel has never been more popular. But as any frequent flyer knows, air travel problems are growing even faster long lines, lost luggage, overbooking, flight delays, and serious safety issues. And instead of doing something about it, the traveling public seems simply to be sitting down, buckling in, and allowing itself to be treated like sheep.

But it doesn't have to be this way. There are solutions to our air travel problems, real solutions that can make real differences. And they don t require 15 years to implement.

With decades of experience in civil aviation and policy, Drs. George Donohue and Russell Shaver are well qualified to assess the problems in the system and to offer responsible, workable solutions. Dr. Donohue, the current Director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research and a Professor of Systems Engineering at George Mason University (GMU), has extensive high-level experience at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dr. Shaver, formerly a senior RAND Corporation research analyst and now a visiting research fellow at GMU, served as chief scientist for policy analysis at the MITRE Center for Advanced Aviation System Development.

The stories they tell are compelling. They are high-profile horror stories passengers stranded for hours on the tarmac, flights canceled for bad weather when there s not a drop of rain anywhere near the flight path, and an overall sense of apathy and obstructionism among those responsible for managing the industry. Interestingly, these problems are not the inevitable result of the size or complexity of the U.S. system. Air transportation in Europe, with almost identical air traffic control systems and safety standards, is far better. Amsterdam moves 30% more passengers than Newark, but the average flight delay is an order of magnitude lower. In addition, a European Passenger s Bill of Rights giving distressed passengers the right to substantial and immediate compensation has been a powerful incentive for non-U.S. airlines to maintain their schedules.

The Causes

So just how did we get where we are in the U.S. system today? Donohue and Shaver cite multiple reasons for the chaos we now face. These causes include airline deregulation, multiple governmental agencies with no central oversight or responsibility, multiple corporate entities with conflicting agendas, and a technologically outdated air traffic control system. Even more importantly, there seems to be a complete absence of advocacy for the customer the passengers. The authors also explain that our air travel problems, if left unaddressed, are on a direct course to greatly impact the overall U.S. economy and harm our global competitiveness. In 2006 alone, the delays and cancellations cost U.S. travelers an estimated $3.2 billion. And in 2004 and 2005, the U.S. tourism industry is estimated to have lost $98 billion in revenue due to our air travel mess.

The Cures

Fortunately, Donohue and Shaver don t leave us in this state of chaos. Their provocative analysis not only identifies the causes and extent of the problems, but also provides us with a course heading that will put us on the path to recovery. The solutions they propose include holding the government decision-makers responsible, expanding the capacity of airports and airplanes, modernizing the air traffic control system, and implementing what the authors call the 30% solution to significantly reduce congestion.

In short, this book should be read by every airline passenger traveling in or through the United States. As a country,

Author: George L., Ph.D. Donohue, Russell D., III, Ph.D. Shaver
Hardcover: 240 pages
Company: Amer Inst of Aeronautics & (2008-05-09)
ISBN: 1563479494
List Price: $29.95
Amazon Price: $23.50
Used Price: $26.70

Wheels Up: Airline Business Plan Development

Wheels Up: Airline Business Plan Development is unique because it concentrates specifically on the airline business rather than generic businesses. It incorporates features other plan books neglect. Modern trends are identified and discussed in detail to help the reader understand the importance of creating flexibility within the business plan. Flexibility is vital for an airline to be successful in today's increasingly competitive environment. Failure to understand recent and future trends in a new aviation environment could lead to failure. This second edition is aimed at a variety of readers including academic students, both undergraduate and graduate, business professionals, and entrepreneurs. It concentrates on business plan development suitable for airlines of all sizes, from single-engine single pilot operations to international jet operations. Regardless of a company's size, the main elements of the airline business plan remain the same.

Author: John G. Wensveen
Hardcover: 148 pages
Company: Krieger Publishing Company (2007-08-20)
ISBN: 1575242931
List Price: $32.50
Amazon Price: $32.50
Used Price: $28.50

Dear American Airlines: A Novel

Elizabeth Gilbert on Dear American Airlines
Elizabeth Gilbert's first three books, Pilgrims, Stern Men, and the National Book Award nominee The Last American Man, received awards and acclaim, but her fourth, Eat, Pray, Love, a chronicle of her spiritual search and redemption following a difficult divorce, has put her on the bedside tables of millions of readers across the world. Her next book, Weddings and Evictions, a memoir about her unexpected journey into second marriage, will be published in 2009.

I'm one of those readers who can't get enough of Martin Amis novels, since Amis--a savage misanthrope who sometimes writes, it seems, with a drill bit--is a guilty pleasure of mine from way back. So it's no wonder that I fell so hard for the bitter, hilarious, dark, twisted, and wonderfully written delights of Dear American Airlines--the most Amis-like novel I've ever read. Jonathan Miles is a first-time novelist (and--full disclosure--friend of mine) whose journalism I've long admired for its clear, humane prose. I never suspected that he had a book like this in him, and--frankly--now that I do know, I'm a little worried for his mental state (even as I'm totally impressed with his writing.)

The novel relays the tale of Bennie Ford, a man who is marinating like a cocktail olive in the sour middle-aged juices of his own mistakes, but who has decided to redeem himself completely by attending the wedding of his estranged daughter. Now, as some of us have learned from painful personal experience, it's not always easy to redeem a lifetime of screw-ups in one weekend, but that doesn't deter Bennie from heading to the airport to fly off to what he has decided is the most important event in his life. (The fact that he doesn't seem to notice that the wedding should actually be the most important event in his DAUGHTER'S life, not his, is an early clue of his particular breed of hilarious narcissism.) But at the airport is where his troubles begin, as American Airlines cancels his flight and thus--as far as he is concerned--destroys his life. What follows is a complaint letter raised to the level of high narrative art. I have never before encountered a novel written in the form of a complaint letter, and we can safely assume there will never be another such after this one, just because Miles has created an inimitable story here--one which, despite all the dark wit of its narrator--leaves room in the sad margins for real heartbreak, real feeling, real life. (This is something Amis himself wasn't able to do until many years into his career.) This is the most entertaining first novel I've read in a long while, as well as a searing cautionary tale. Bring it to the airport with you next time you fly somewhere to change your life...

Author: Jonathan Miles
Hardcover: 192 pages
Company: Houghton Mifflin Co (2008-06-05)
ISBN: 0547054017
List Price: $22.00
Amazon Price: $13.38
Used Price: $10.25

Business & Corporate Aviation Management : On Demand Air Travel

Here is a comprehensive and practical guide to choosing a business aviation model, setting it up, and making it work. The author, who has more than four decades in the aviation industry, skillfully blends business and aviation issues to provide solid decision-making strategies and smart operating practices for the establishment and management of business aircraft.

* Explains methods of evaluating air transportation needs and choosing appropriate means to meeting them
* Provides detailed how-to information for aviation personnel on running a flight department
* Ties all facets of business aviation operation together: business, operations, administration, and financial
* Covers regulatory requirements, policies, scheduling, planning, security, safety, training, and more
* Includes extensive compilation of forms and checklists

Author: John J Sheehan
Hardcover: 330 pages
Company: McGraw-Hill Professional (2003-06-20)
ISBN: 0071412271
List Price: $49.95
Amazon Price: $28.10
Used Price: $21.48

Airline: A Strategic Management Simulation (4th Edition)

Easy to start-up and use—even for readers with no computer experience—this Windows based strategic management simulation turns individuals into teams with the responsibility of running a regional airline. By analyzing a company's history, financial reports, and other information provided, the teams make decisions concerning hiring, forecasting, suppliers to use, costs, etc. Teams are challenged to establish objectives, plan the strategy to accomplish those objectives, and then operate the airline on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Each team's decisions are input into a computer which acts as the flying public and assigns sales to each firm based on the decisions each has made. Team members are shown how to keep adequate records, analyze happenings and develop relationships, effectively organize the team, and delegate the work. For use by various organizations promoting team building, strategic management, and marketing strategy.

Author: Jerald R. Smith, Peggy A. Golden
Paperback: 120 pages
Company: Prentice Hall (2001-08-05)
ISBN: 0130654884
List Price: $64.00
Amazon Price: $56.82
Used Price: $22.45

Coffee, Tea or Me? The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses

Remember when flying was glamorous and sexy, even fun? When airline food was gourmet, everyone dressed up for a flight, and stewardesses catered to our every need-at least in our imaginations? This classic memoir by two audaciously outspoken young ladies, who lived and loved the free-spirited stewardess life, jets you back to those golden days of air travel-from the captain who's as subtle as a 747 when he's on the make to the passenger who mistakes the overhead luggage rack for an upper berth; from the names of celebrities who were a pleasure to serve (and some surprising notables on the "bad guy" list) to the origins of some naughty stereotypes-Spaniards are the best lovers, actors the most foul-mouthed. This huge bestseller, a First Class jet-age journal, offers a hilarious gold mine of outrageous anecdotes from the high-flying and amorous lives of those busty, lusty, adventuresome young women of the swinging '60s known as "stews."

Author: Trudy Baker, Rachel Jones, Donald Bain
Paperback: 320 pages
Company: Penguin (Non-Classics) (2003-06-03) (2003-06-03)
ISBN: 0142003514
List Price: $15.00
Amazon Price: $2.88
Used Price: $0.75

The Southwest Airlines Way

"If you look at Southwest Airlines, and I admire what they do, they've been the most successful airline in the industry."

--Gerard Arpey, CEO, American Airlines

"Through extensive research Jody Hoffer Gittell gets to the bottom of what has sustained Southwest Airlines' positive employee relations and high performance through good and bad times."

--Thomas A. Kochan, professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Global Airline Industry Program

In an industry with losses in the billions, Southwest Airlines has an unbroken string of 31 consecutive years of profitability. The Southwest Airlines Way examines how the company uses high-performance relationships to create enormous competitive advantage in motivation, teamwork, and coordination among employees. It then goes further to show how any company can foster these powerful cooperative relationships and explains how to:

Lead with credibility and caring
Invest in frontline leaders
Hire and train for relational competence
Use conflicts to build relationships
Make unions its partners, not its adversaries
Build relationships with its suppliers

Author: Jody Hoffer Gittell
Paperback: 320 pages
Company: McGraw-Hill (2005-04-14)
ISBN: 0071458271
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $8.00
Used Price: $7.99

Luxury Airline Design (Luxury Books)

This compendium chronicles the pleasures of flying in style with copious illustrations and evocative text. Far from the check-in lines of regular air travel, we get a peek at the expansive airport lounges with every comfort and convenience. There is everything from ergonomic workspaces to shower and changing rooms … even completely equipped fitness centers. Naturally, the opulence continues on board with luxurious seating and—sometimes full-scale beds! Not to forget the fine tableware and linens, or the walk-up bar. This book also showcases private and business jets, which offer the deluxe décor of a penthouse in the sky.

Author: Misc.
Hardcover: 220 pages
Company: teNeues (2008-06-01)
ISBN: 3832790632
List Price: $59.95
Amazon Price: $31.49
Used Price: $17.98