Sick and tired of the farce we call the TSA at the airport security lines? Some are calling for a contest to design a new logo for the organization that needlessly hassles anyone who flies in the U.S. Click on the logo above to see more of the submissions. The one above is great, as it is a depiction of an Eagle clutching a tube of toothpaste in one talon and a box-cutter in the other. It is designed by Travis McHale. My favorite is the one with the attack dogs mauling an innocent passenger. (Note: not all are kid friendly)

You can read more about the farcical TSA in Patrick Smith’s weekly column at Ask The Pilot. He, like me, is an airline pilot who has to deal with the “security” all the time.

TobyLaura.com

I just finished a trip that took me over to Hong Kong, then round trips to both Manila and Shanghai, and then back to the U.S. It was a long eleven days, but it was very nice to fly to two different cities out of Hong Kong; places I don’t normally go. I hadn’t been to the Philippine capital since training, and I have never been to mainland China.

The routes that I normally fly are freighter routes, but these two trips were passenger routes. I also haven’t flown passengers since training, and that was a blast. I had to remember to talk to the cabin crew over the P.A., think a little more closely about the seatbelt sign, and definitely had to hope for better landings than the ones the freight boxes enjoy. The freighter is nice because if you want a cup of coffee or something to eat you just get up and get it, without bothering a flight attendant with your request. However, the flying seems a little bit more satisfying when you have 399 people (379 + 20 crew) counting on you for a safe flight.
Continue reading Manila and Shanghai →

There has been another airline merger, albeit not as major or significant as the recent United/Continental deal. My former employer, Chautauqua Airlines, has a parent company known as Republic Airways Holdings. RAH runs Chautauqua Airlines, Shuttle America Airlines, and Republic Airlines. These three are regional jet operators. A few months ago, they bought Frontier Airlines out of Denver, and Midwest Express Airlines out of Milwaukee. So now, RAH is running 5 airlines!

Midwest was in trouble for a lot of reasons but RAH is turning them around. They gave back Midwest’s larger Boeing 717 aircraft and have replaced them with Embraer 190 aircraft, which are smaller and less expensive to operate. Then Frontier was purchased and will be merged with Midwest Express. The new airline will be under the Frontier brand and paint scheme, but the famous, warm chocolate chip cookies served on Midwest Express will remain!

Now, Republic Airways Holdings runs three regional operators and one “major” airline. I wish them all luck and hope they succeed. It’s very tough to run airlines in today’s economy. The CEO has said that mistakes will be made along the way but they will work as hard as they can to make it all work out. I say good for them. I’m glad all this happened after I left for Cathay Pacific, or I may have never left the airline.

TobyLaura.com