The bodily terror some might feel upon having to embark on a journey through the air might be eased a bit by knowing that 2011 was a very good year so far as personal safety. Experts say the number of passengers killed in air accidents this year is down an encouraging amount from last year. [More]
This Year Was A Statistically Fantastic One In Terms Of Staying Alive On Airplanes
By December 30, 2011
You Can't Score A Free Plane Seat For Your Baby By Putting Him On Your 3-Year-Old's Lap
By December 30, 2011
As any parents who have flown with little babies probably knows, many airlines will not require a ticket for children under two years of age, so long as the child is seated on an adult’s lap. But U.S. Airways had to give the boot to a family of six after the parents figured they could simply seat one of their under-2 children with their ticketed 3-year-old. [More]
Virgin America's New Reservation System Still A Complete Disaster
By December 21, 2011
It’s been a month since we reported on the study that found Virgin America’s new reservation system was keeping customers on hold for an average of 24 minutes — four times as long as the next-worse airline. And according to a new report, things have not improved as travelers head into the crowded holiday travel period. [More]
TSA Agent Finds Pot In Rapper's Bag, Leaves Note Rather Than Confiscating It
By December 16, 2011
Remember that TSA agent who left a “get your freak on” note inside the bag of a woman who packed a vibrator — and was subsequently fired for doing so? Well it looks like that agent was not the only wannabe quipster among his security-screening kin. [More]
Lawmakers Ask TSA To Place Passenger Advocates In Airports
By December 12, 2011
Considering all the negative press the Transportation Security Administration has received in recent years over its invasive airport security screening procedures, it couldn’t hurt for the TSA to have staffers on hand whose job it is to consider the best interest of the passengers. [More]
Baggage Handler Fired For Helping Sick Dog Can Have Her Job Back
By December 7, 2011
Last week, a baggage handler at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport made headlines when she said she was fired for refusing to stow a visibly ailing dog onto a plane. As sometimes happens when these stories get pushed into the spotlight, the handler has now been offered her old gig back. [More]
Country Star Escorted Off Southwest Flight
By December 6, 2011
Country music star John Rich — formerly half of the duo Big & Rich — was escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight Sunday from Las Vegas to Nashville before it took off. [More]
Baggage Handler: I Was Fired For Helping Sick Dog
By December 5, 2011
Usually when you see a Consumerist headline that involves a baggage handler and a pet, it means the furry friend is lost or dead. But here’s one that’s more uplifting… except for the fact that the handler says she was fired for doing a good deed. [More]
TSA Thinks Fake Gun On Your Handbag Is A Security Threat
By December 2, 2011
While gun replicas have been outlawed on planes since 2002, should that include miniature designs of pistols that are part of your handbag? This is the question that vexed a teenager who was stopped by TSA agents and told that her weaponized handbag was some sort of illegal security risk. [More]
Study: Virgin America Keeps Customers On Hold Longer Than Any Other Airline
By November 23, 2011
Holiday travel plans change all the time, meaning lots of people will be spending lots of time on the phone trying to speak to a human being. And according to a new report, passengers on Virgin America should have something to occupy themselves with while waiting on hold, as the average wait time for the carrier is longer than 20 minutes. [More]
Senator Introduces Two Bills To Curb Checked Bag Fees
By November 23, 2011
With so many people lining up at the airport today and tomorrow to fly home to stuff their stomachs with, well… stuffing, one U.S. Senator has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at reining in the checked bag fees charged by airlines. [More]
Who Knew U.S. Airways Had Standing Room Only Tickets?
By November 22, 2011
Okay, so the airline doesn’t actually sell standing room only tickets, but they might as well have for one passenger who was forced to stand for most of a seven-hour flight — and who only received a $200 travel voucher for his troubles. [More]
Are Airport X-Ray Machines Killing Kindles?
By November 21, 2011
The Amazon Kindle and other similar e-readers can be quite convenient for frequent air travelers who want to fly without packing heavy or bulky books. But some European jet-setters are reporting that run-ins with airport X-ray machines are killing their Kindles. [More]
Anti-TSA Complaints At All-Time Low
By November 18, 2011
Even as there has been growing concern about full-body scanners and grope-y pat downs at airport security checkpoints, the actual number of complaints against the Transportation Security Administration hit an all-time low last month. [More]
Passengers Refuse To Leave Delayed Plane Until Airline Pays Up
By November 18, 2011
Yesterday, we told you about an Austrian airline that held its passengers for ransom until they paid an additional $31,500 for fuel. But here’s a story of passengers leveraging their numbers against the airline in order to be properly compensated. [More]
Airline Forces Passengers To Cough Up $31,500 For Fuel Or Get Off Plane
By November 17, 2011
No one likes fuel surcharges and no one likes being stuck on a tarmac for six hours. Now imagine what it must be like to be stuck on that tarmac for six hours because the airline refuses to take off unless you and the other passengers can pool $31,500 to pay for fuel to get to their destination. [More]
Southwest Passenger Says Airline Owes Him 45 Free Drinks
By November 17, 2011
Once upon a time (i.e., up until August 2010), people who bought Business Select tickets on Southwest Airlines flights were treated to free drink coupons that didn’t have an expiration date and could be used at a later date if the passenger didn’t feel like tippling on the day of the initial flight. But now that these coupons are only good for the date of issue, one Southwest traveler with a stockpile of now-useless paper is suing the carrier. [More]
Some Full-Body Airport Scanners Banned In Europe
By November 15, 2011
The full-body scanners being rolled out at security checkpoints in U.S. airports are either of the millimeter-wave type, which uses radio frequency waves, or the backscatter X-ray type, which uses ionizing radiation — and which has effectively been banned from use in European airports. [More]
