If you wish hard enough on your next JetBlue trip, maybe the airline’s People Officer will magically appear and hand out free tickets. That’s what happened on David’s flight home over the weekend. To be fair, the free ticket giveaway probably happened because JetBlue asked everyone to show up two hours early due to a computer glitch. It’s still a much nicer airline story than what passengers usually send us. Also, this People Officer hinted to the OP about the airline’s future Wi-Fi plans. [More]
Passenger And Steward Fight Over Cup Of Ice
By January 26, 2010
There’s dark clouds brewing in the friendly skies and sometimes it’s the passengers fault. George Hobica writes, “I was on a plane recently, first class, on American, where the guy sitting next to me shook his glass as the flight attendant was passing by and said “More ice”–the FA said, “What’s the magic word” and the guy said, “Oh, you mean I’m supposed to say please? I just want more ice” … and she said, “You want more ice, it’s up in the galley. Go get it yourself.” [More]
Plane That Landed In Hudson Last Year Up For Auction
By January 22, 2010
I’m not sure what you could do with an extensively water-damaged plane with the wings detached, but if you want to own a piece of aviation history you can now bid on US Airways Flight 1549. The plane that Capt. Sully safely landed in the Hudson river a year ago is being auctioned off “AS IS/WHERE IS,” which happens to be at a salvage yard in New Jersey. CNN says the engines are not included. (The detached wings, however, are.) [More]
American Airlines Raises Checked Bag Fees Effective February 1st
By January 18, 2010
American Airlines announced today that they’re raising checked baggage fees by $5, effective February 1st. Your first bag will now cost $25, and your second one will cost $35. If you want to check a third bag, you will have to buy the airplane (cash or certified checks only), and if you want to check a fourth bag, you will have to endure a phone call from AA’s CEO Gerard Arpey, where he will cry at you and say he doesn’t know how to run a company and he’s scared. He only made $8.9 million in total compensation last year, so cut him some slack. [More]
Comfort Inn Driver Rescues Abandoned Holiday Inn Customers, Then Takes Them To Wendy's
By December 23, 2009
Here’s a nice holiday-themed story of how a kind Comfort Inn driver not only helped out a group of stranded travelers, but even agreed to take them to get food after they checked into their hotel. Maybe he was hoping for some big tips, or maybe he’s got some grudge against the local Holiday Inn. (Or maybe he’s a nice guy.) Whatever his motivation, he probably just earned some repeat business for Comfort Inn. [More]
Master Chart Of Airlines Fees
By December 21, 2009
Before you travel through the sky in the belly of a silver tube at hundreds of miles per hour, wouldn’t it be nice to know which extra fees you might be charged for doing so? Kayak has a great chart for doing just that. [More]
Craig Ferguson Badmouths Continental Airlines
By December 16, 2009
I just assume that celebrities get better treatment from airlines, but this story from Craig Ferguson proves otherwise. Here’s a tip for gate agents: if you’ve just told a TV personality who volunteered to get off a flight that his reward is a 6 hour layover, it’s probably not a good idea to add, “Don’t badmouth us on TV!” [More]
Passenger Of Size Allegedly Has Picture Taken By Flight Attendant
By December 1, 2009
We can in no way confirm that this is true, but the Telegraph is reporting that this photo was “reportedly” taken by an American Airlines flight attendant who wanted to illustrate to airline managers the difficulty of dealing with passengers who cannot fit into seats. [More]
Watch Out For Changes To Your Flight Itinerary
By November 23, 2009
Alexandros received an update from Orbitz about his trip and realized that United had changed the time of his flight. For various reasons he couldn’t make the new time, so he was lucky to have caught it—not to mention he could have missed the flight entirely had he not seen the change.
Senator Wants Investigation Of Frequent Flyer Programs
By November 23, 2009
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is calling for a probe of frequent flyer programs to determine whether they deliver the value that they promise. In particular, he wants the Department of Transportation to look into the issue of evaporating miles, a relatively new phenomenon brought introduced via expiration dates in recent years.
Are You Ready To Go Shopping On Your Next Flight?
By November 17, 2009
American Airlines is beginning to experiment with turning flights into shopping opportunities, reports the New York Times. We’re not just talking about in-flight purchases of Sky Mall schwag, either: the paper reports that limousine services, tickets to theme parks and Broadway shows, and train tickets are some of the offerings being considered or currently being tested.
When Traveling, Beware The Snow Globe Terrorist Menace
By November 15, 2009
Beware the snow globe menace! The TSA has decreed that since they can’t determine how much liquid is in a snow globe, passengers are not allowed to bring them in their carry-on luggage on planes.
United Says No Track Suits In First Class
By November 4, 2009
How casual is too casual for an airplane’s first class section? If you paid for first class, and a bald guy in a Puma running outfit sat down across the aisle from you, would you honestly feel short-changed? United seems to think it’s inappropriate.
Northwest Air Pilot Misses Airport By 150 Miles
By October 23, 2009
If you’re an airplane pilot, it’s important to try and land in the state customers paid you to fly toward.
FAA Continues To Investigate American Airlines, May Charge Individual Mechanics
By October 19, 2009
The FAA has been investigating American Airlines for a while now over allegations that it wasn’t repairing its planes properly, and yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that the agency may widen its investigation, and even bring charges against individual employees who signed off on substandard repairs.
Expect Airlines To Keep Hiking Ticket Prices As Holidays Approach
By October 16, 2009
This year it’s a seller’s market when it comes to buying airline tickets, reports the New York Times, so if you must travel via plane, buy early and try to be as flexible as possible.
United Lets You Pre-Pay Your Baggage Fees
By October 6, 2009
United has just announced a program where you can pay $250 to have their normal checked baggage fees waived for a year. The plan covers 2 bags per passenger, up to 8 passengers “traveling under the same confirmation number.” Current fees are $20 for the first bag and $30 for the second, so if you travel solo a lot and always carry two bags you’ll have to make six trips before you enjoy any savings. On the other hand, if you’ve got a big family trip planned in the next year, this may be a way to shave a little off the fee gouging. But only if you’re stuck with United; BestFares.com notes that “SouthWest offers 2 free bags for free and JetBlue offers the 1st bag free.”
Should Airplane Passengers Be Allowed To Make VoIP Calls?
By September 30, 2009
Until now, airplane cabins have been blessedly free from idle phone chatter thanks to FAA regulations. Now, thanks to the introduction of wi-fi on commercial flights, it’s time to ask: should passengers be able to use Skype, Google Voice, or another VoIP service of their choice to make phone calls in the air?
