No, not the 747 flying overhead…I’m talking about the butt-naked guy standing there watching……really???

After terminating service in March of 2008, Martinair returned to the Orlando International Airport on October 15, 2009. Operations began with three non stop flights per week from Orlando to Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol.The first flight was greeted with a water salute  given by airport firefighters.

In keeping with a 39 year tradition, 12 Red Cross families were on board with a total of 27 children, many of whom have never flown before. The group was part  of a joint effort from Red Cross International and the local Central Florida chapter for families experiencing a severe chronic illness.
 

Martinair returning to Orlando is good news for Central Florida, with potential for a $54 million annual impact on the region.

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The low cost airlines seem to embrace all the social networking sites while the “big boys” say they don’t want to “jump on the bandwagon.”
Maybe that explains why airlines like JetBlue and Southwest consistently rank higher in customer service. JetBlue currently has a million followers on Twitter while Southwest carries close to 500,000.
If you could tweet your issue to an airline and get an immediate response while the guy next to you in still trying to get through the airline’s automated system…what would you choose?
It seems to me like the “old school” just can’t seem to step into the new age of technology, even if it means better customer service ratings.

OrlandoAirportExaminer@live.com

Tell me all your drama  ( and I know you have it! ) …funny, stupid, shocking, unbelievable experiences with passengers. I want to hear it all. Submissions will become part of my ongoing series of articles ”Plane Crazy” which will be published on my Orlando City Guide Examiner page.

Make sure to include your airport code. Read an excerpt from my article here.

Email me : OrlandoAirportExaminer@live.com

In a rather unexpected move, the popular Clear program out of Orlando International Airport suddenly shut down its operations in late June leaving more than 200,000 paid clients in somewhat of a lurch. The Clear Program allows passengers, in certain airports, to bypass the traditional security lines with swift passage to the front of the line. Passengers are pre screened and pay an annual fee of $200.

Now it appears that at least three companies have bid to revive the program. Delaware based, FLO Corp, Henry Inc. out of California and another unidentified company have all made their proposals to Morgan Stanley which acquired the assets of Clear’s parent company , Verified Identity Pass.

The clear program operated out of 18 airports nationwide, including NY, DC and Atlanta. Orlando was the first to begin the program in 2005 and also had the most registered travelers making it the most desirable location for these companies . “It’s the plum, it’s the peach, said Flo’s managing partner Fred Fischer.

Both Fischer and FLO’s chairman, Glenn Argenbright, envision the program to be up and running in regional airports within a month or two and running by the spring in larger airports. However, it looks like the travelers that had paid their annual fee to Clear, will be left to re-subscribe to the new program. Fischer and a principal of Henry Inc .each told a congressional subcommittee last week that they intend to offer special deals but they do not expect to refund anyone’s money.

The one difference with the new program is the fact that it may no longer be backed by the TSA. The Transportation Safety Administration was initially involved with the Clear program since its inception in 2005 and ran the background checks for the company but pulled out in 2008 stating that the program did not provide any additional level of security. Rep. Shelia Jackson-Lee of Texas and other members of congress would like the TSA to re-evaluate the program and it’s stance. Even if the agency chooses to stay out of the program, the program itself will remain the same in the eyes of the travelers. They will be required to submit additional background information and will still get front of the line privileges‘. The only difference being there will be no federal background checks backing the ID cards issued to them.

Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is looking forward to the possible return of the program because of its popularity, however GOAA spokesperson, Carolyn Fennell said if anyone does take over the program, they must first pay the $85K debt left by Clear.