The Airlines

Mary Elizabeth Medawar, NBC5 Next

For a while people have been continually telling me to do a story on the unpredictability of the airlines. I have heard complaint after complaint from “my flight has been cancelled for no apparent reason” to “they didn’t give me any food and then made me pay for it when I asked for some.” So when I looked into it, I found out this is a nationwide thing with all the airlines. Prices are rising for tickets, checked luggage, redeeming frequent flier miles, changing flights, etc. The airlines have also begun charging for amenities that used to be all-inclusive like your first carry-on, non-alcoholic drinks, food, seats with more leg-room, position of seats (aisle, middle, window), and so on. I even read some articles saying the next charges will probably be for restroom visits and sick bags (gross!). It’s understandable that the airlines are forced to raise ticket prices due to the exceptionally high price of fuel, but if everyone flying is paying more for tickets, shouldn’t that be enough to cover all these other fees as well? When I attempted to search for the answer I hit a roadblock. The PR woman for O’Hare and Midway said all my questions should be directed towards the airlines. After contacting the headquarters of a few airlines and asking for interviews with reps in Chicago, I received no return phone calls. So by the end of the week I had only conducted interviews with people in the airport who were sick of the additional expenses. This was very unfortunate because I know my piece would have been stronger with a professional voice from someone who could explain the new fees. It also needed a fair balance, which I was unable to obtain. It’s important to cover all sides of a story and if I have people complaining about high prices, I also need a spokesperson relaying the airline’s side. I have found that large corporations are nearly impossible to contact when on deadline. Next time I will shoot for someone local who is easily attainable.

When Holidays Work Against You

Mary Elizabeth Medawar, NBC5 Next

I got a great tip from some friends that a local high school just began a new enrollment program that gives students from disadvantaged neighborhoods the opportunity to attend a selective enrollment college preparatory school. So naturally I jumped at the story idea and began trying to find information about the program. Unfortunately for me, I picked the stupidest week (the week of the 4th) to do this story and was unable to contact the people I needed. I did learn some great lessons from this experience though: 1. Holiday weeks will always work against you because people take extended periods of time off. 2. It’s inevitable that doing a school-related story in the summer will be trying due to shortened office hours and lack of students to speak with, but it will be worse when there’s a holiday involved. Despite the problems I encountered, I was able to put together a package with the help of two people who gave me the resources and information I needed. To them I am sincerely grateful.