Fliers should expect long lines
LAX is expected to be the second-busiest airport in the country as Labor Day traffic jumps 5%.
The lines may be extra long at Los Angeles International Airport during the Labor Day holiday because of lower airfares, the strong economy and increased competition among airlines.
A projected 16.1 million people will f ly on U.S. airlines during the Labor Day travel week, a 5% increase over the same period last year, according to Airlines for America, a trade group for the nation’s airlines.
The chief economist for the group, John Heimlich, attributes the growth to a thriving economy, increased household wealth and low ticket prices, among other factors.
The average domestic fare in the U.S. was $352 in the first quarter of 2017, a 5% drop from the same quarter last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The three busiest airports during the Aug. 30-toSept. 5 holiday period will be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LAX and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to the trade group.
LAX officials have yet to predict the crowds for this Labor Day week but the airport last year anticipated 817,000 travelers using the facility during the holiday period.
To accommodate the bump in passenger traffic, the industry is expected to add 133,000 seats a day from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, mostly by using larger planes to serve the most popular destinations and increasing the flight frequency on those routes, the trade group said.
Passengers struggle with TSA claims
If something valuable disappears from your checked baggage or is damaged during your next flight, your chances of getting the Transportation Security Administration to approve a claim for your property aren’t so good.
A study of the nearly 8,000 claims filed against the TSA in 2016 and early 2017 found that the federal agency takes as long as six months to respond to a claim and that more than half of those claims were denied.
Of the claims that are resolved, 54% are denied, 24% are approved in full, 12% are settled for an amount less than what was requested and 10% are canceled or closed out for other reasons, the study found.
The most common items lost or damaged are bags, cases, clothing, computers and accessories and jewelry, according to the study by Stratos Jet, the charter airline based in Orlando. (The company recommends travelers fly charter jets to avoid TSA hassles.)
Jewelry, cash and camera equipment are the items rejected by the TSA at the highest rate, at least 70% of the time, the study found.
The claims that the TSA most often approved in full were for lost or damaged travel accessories, home decor items and food or drinks, the study found. But even with those items, the TSA settles less than half of the time.
In 2016, the average settlement payout was slightly more than $260, the study found.
In a statement, the TSA said it takes seriously its responsibility for processing claims but also points out that bags are in the possession of the airlines for much longer than they are with the federal screeners.
Alaska Airlines to upgrade Wi-Fi
People who fly Alaska Airlines can expect to get onboard Wi-Fi that is up to 20 times faster under a plan to convert to a satellitebased Internet system.
The Seattle-based company plans to begin next year to turn away from an Internet system that bounces signals from ground-based towers to the planes in the air and instead install a technology that relies on satellites for Wi-Fi signals.
The new system is not only up to 20 times faster than the current system, but allows passengers to stay connected even when flying outside the continental U.S. to places such as Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Satellite-based Wi-Fi can also work when the planes are on the runway. With an air-to-ground system, passengers can’t connect to the Wi-Fi system until the plane reaches 10,000 feet.
Alaska Airlines’ current Wi-Fi system is provided by Chicago-based Gogo Inflight Internet, the same company that will provide the satellite-based service.
Gogo’s satellite service is already offered on Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Aeromexico and British Airways, among other carriers.
Alaska Airlines plans to begin converting to the faster system in the first half of 2018, with hopes of expanding the service to all Alaska Airlines planes and those of Virgin America by early 2020. Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America last year.
The airline now charges $16 a day to connect to onboard Wi-Fi, if you order the service before you fly. Alaska Airlines said the new price will be revealed in “the near future” but suggested the fare may drop under the faster Wi-Fi system.
hugo.martin@latimes.com