The glory days of flying are long gone. I used to enjoy going to the airport. Now its an exercise in uncertainty. In addition to Aloha, ATA and Skybus ceasing operations, Frontier just filed Chapter 11. Even the major carriers are under constant financial and customer service stress - witness the latest American Airlines fiasco for example. On my recently completed trip to Australia, my international flight out of LAX was delayed 8 1/2 hours because the rudder in the tail was leaking hydraulic fluid. On the way home, my US Airways flight was delayed because there was a pilot scheduling glitch. The pilot showed up about a half hour before the scheduled departure time, which fortunately resulted in only a half hour delay for the actual departure.
It's unfortunate those Aloha frequent flyer miles couldn't be deposited with another carrier. I'm currently looking into the carrier alliances to see how miles can be earned on one airline for one's frequent flyer account with another carrier. In my case, I have a US Airways frequent flyer profile and I'm learning how I can earn points/miles with US Airways flying on Air New Zealand, as both are in the Star Alliance. Other alliances include One World and Sky Team. For those looking for consumer discussion about the airlines, check out Flyer Talk and Frequent Flyer.
