That's the motto of the new, Portland-based website, Flightstats.com. It takes the departure and arrival information for every single flight, every single day, and builds a comprehensive database showing which airlines, airports, and specific flights are most prone to delays.

Sure, the site does simple Flight Tracking and notification. But it also summarizes information never before available to the general traveler. In some cases, Flightstats has better information on airline operations than the airline executives themselves.

Perhaps, the most useful feature is Flightstats' Flight Rating. This search engine allows you to search any route, or any specific flight, to see how often it's late... and by how much. Before you book a ticket on another website, you can stop here to see how likely you are to be delayed on your chosen itinerary. If it doesn't look good, you can then switch to flights that are less frequently delayed.

Just for fun, I used the feature for flights between Portland and Las Vegas. It shows the best flight for on-time departure is Southwest 574. It's on-time 95% of the time. It's average delay is just 6-minutes... and it's longest delay in the last 60-days was 56-minutes. The same page also shows me the worst flight between PDX and Las Vegas is Alaska 608. It was on-time just 54% of the time. It's average delay was 38-minutes... with a long-delay of 315-minutes! Valuable information if you're booking a trip.

Flightstats also has current airport delays... but it doesn't just stop there. The site goes on to tell you exactly which flights might be affected.

If you're worried about the time you'll spend in line at security, Flightstats has Average Security Wait Times for any airport... based on the time of the day... and the day of the week. Here's the page for PDX.

Flightstats will prove itself to be a very valuable travel tool... put together by a team of just 11 people... working out of an office just a foul-ball away from PGE Park in Southwest Portland.

Posted by at 4:16 PM | Permalink

We're still keeping an eye on the situation at Northwest Airlines. Last week, a judge called off a possible strike by flight attendants just a few hours before the deadline. But it was only a temporary move. As soon as the judge issues his ruling... flight attendants have vowed to begin action against the airline.

Northwest cut their salaries by 21%... without a vote from the Union. Meanwhile, it reported a profit of 180-million last quarter. Flight attendants say that doesn't make sense... and they're ready to walk out.

The strike likely won't mean flight attendants would completely walk off the job. Rather, it's likely they'll call-in-sick for certain flights... or walk off the plane just before it's set to depart. It's a tactic they call "CHAOS"... meaning "Create Havoc Around Our System." It was last used by Alaska Airlines flight attendants in 1993, and it succeeded in getting them a new contract.

What does all this mean for passengers? There are a lot of questions surrounding that. And here are the best places to go to find more information.

Northwest Association of Flight Attendants website. This has the most updated information directly from the union.

Northwest Airlines has a Q and A on its website. But, among other things, it says a strike won't disrupt operations. This is not true. A strike, in any form, will cause flights to be delayed and cancelled.

Portland's Azumano Travel will run continual updates, and have agents available to answer Northwest Airlines-related questions.

I will also continue post updates right here.

I'm always happy to look into your questions. Please e-mail me at jpenning@kgw.com.

Posted by at 4:08 PM | Permalink

At noon Pacific time, a federal judge blocked the right of Northwest Airlines flight attendants to strike. They had been planning to walk-off targeted flights at 7:01pm tonight, Pacific time. It means a strike is postponed, but we don't know for how long. We also don't know if the flight attendants' union will abide by the judge's ruling.

Please see the earlier blog posting for other details and links.

Below, you'll find a copy of the Associated Press story from the courtroom. I'm currently at PDX, awaiting a meeting with union leaders, and I'll have further updates here, and on NewsChannel 8 tonight at 5, 6, and 6:30, as I get more information.

NEW YORK -- A federal judge blocked Northwest Airlines flight attendants from going on strike Friday, handing a victory to the cash-strapped airline.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said he will issue an injunction that allows time for him to examine the case. He said Northwest Airlines Corp. made a "persuasive case" that a delay in any strike was necessary so that the legal issues could be resolved.

He said that while the injury to flight attendants would be to delay their ability to strike, "far greater injuries exist to Northwest and the public by permitting the strike to commence at this point."

Northwest, already operating under bankruptcy protection, has said a strike could kill it.

Posted by at 1:07 PM | Permalink

Northwest Airlines A330 Tail (Photo Courtesy Northwest Airlines)

We're keeping a close eye on the situation at Northwest Airlines. Flight attendants could strike tonight, beginning at 7:01pm Pacific time. A federal bankruptcy judge says flight attendants are allowed to walk off the job, because the airline imposed a new contract on them, without their consent.

Picketing begins at PDX at 4 this afternoon.

Here's what's at stake for the flight attendants. The union says its average salary would be cut 21%, from $42,000 a year to $33,000 a year.

The strike likely won't mean flight attendants would completely walk off the job. Rather, it's likely they'll call-in-sick for certain flights... or walk off the plane just before it's set to depart. It's a tactic they call "CHAOS"... meaning "Create Havoc Around Our System." It was last used by Alaska Airlines flight attendants in 1993, and it succeeded in getting them a new contract.

What does all this mean for passengers? There are a lot of questions surrounding that. And here are the best places to go to find more information.

Northwest Association of Flight Attendants website. This has the most updated information directly from the union.

Northwest Airlines has a Q and A on its website. But, among other things, it says a strike won't disrupt operations. This is not true. A strike, in any form, will cause flights to be delayed and cancelled.

Portland's Azumano Travel will run continual updates, and have agents available all weekend to answer Northwest Airlines-related questions.

I will also post updates throughout the weekend right here.

I'd be happy to look into your questions. Please e-mail me at jpenning@kgw.com.

Posted by at 9:22 AM | Permalink

It took an extra six hours... but PDX is now operating under the same security level as the rest of the country's airports: Orange. Liquids and gels are no longer allowed through security checkpoints... and there's an extra agent at each gate... to make sure they don't get on-board.

Transportation Security Adminstration officials say the threat of bombs being smuggled on board, as liquids, is now over, inside the US. But it seemed to take extra time for PDX to catch up to the rest of the nation's airports in securing passengers' safety.

Here's what's now banned:

- all beverages
- contact lense solution
- shampoo
- perfume
- sunscreen
- creams
- toothpaste
- hair gel
- other items of similar consistency.

Exceptions include baby formula and medicines, which must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint.

I watched this morning as a man taking the Lufthansa flight, non-stop from Portland to Frankfurt, was forced to leave behind almost $100 in lotions and perfumes. They all went right into the trash. But if he had checked-in just an hour earlier... he could have brought it all along with him.

That's because, at PDX, the TSA decided to DELAY THE IMPLEMENTATION of the new rules. Instead of prohibiting liquids at 4am Pacific time, as was apparently required by the Department of Homeland Security in a memo sent to all media, PDX TSA leaders decided to wait until 10am to make the change. They say they did it so that all agents were "on the same page," and all knew exactly what would no longer be permitted. But larger airports, in Seattle, LA, and San Francisco, had no trouble implementing the new rules at 4am. In Seattle's case, agents there were enforcing the new list at 1am.

Portland TSA leaders maintain passengers' safety was never threatened. But checking-in at 9am... going through security then... meant passengers here could still bring liquids on-board. And, as the TSA always likes to remind us, nationwide security is only as strong as its weakest link... which appears to be PDX.

I'd love to hear your comments. E-mail me at jpenning@kgw.com, or post comments here.

Posted by at 1:58 PM | Permalink