Consumerist
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shopping
Are You Ready To Go Shopping On Your Next Flight?
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. More » -
travel
US Airways Pilot Pulls Plane Over To Kick Off Unruly Passenger
A 49-year-old Scottish man with an injured arm grew angry at the crew on his US Airways flight to London last night, so he demanded they turn the plane around and take him back to Philadelphia. Instead, the pilot, who has had it up to here with you kids, landed the plane at Logan International Airport in Boston and had him removed. More » -
freebies
Google Offering Temporary Free WiFi Access At 47 Airports
From now until January 15th, 2010, Google will offer free WiFi access at 47 airports around the country. As part of the promotion, they'll be collecting donations through Google Checkout for three non-profit organizations and will provide matching funds up to $250,000. But whether you donate or not, there's a much better chance now that you'll be able to go online while waiting for your flight. Imagine all the airline tips you can send to us!
"Free WiFi for the Holidays" [Google via IntoMobile]
(Photo: quinn.anya) -
revenge
United Airlines Loses "United Breaks Guitars" Singer's Luggage
Dave Carroll, the musician who recently wrote a catchy new jingle for United Airlines, told the New York Times that on a flight with United this past Sunday they lost his bag. What's worse, United employees wouldn't let him leave the baggage area for more than an hour because they said the bag was just delayed. United told the paper, "We will fully investigate what regretfully happened."
"With Video, a Traveler Fights Back" [New York Times] (Thanks to Alan and Ray!)
(Photo: Doug Letterman) -
airlines
US Airways Shrinks
US Airways has announced it plans to lay off a thousand employees, about 3% of its workforce, and will cut flights and focus mostly on four hubs: Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. More » -
security theater of the absurd
TSA Takes Baby Away From Mother?
UPDATE: The TSA has posted their CCTV video of the incident from 9 different angles. In the video, the child is never picked up by TSA agents or removed from the mother's sight.
UPDATE 2: Nic responds to the video by saying, "in the video, it looks as though my son is playing happily in his stroller while i am being searched with a wand. obviously this is the big discrepancy with my story, since he was not in my sight at that time, and one that i too am thoroughly looking into. neither of the two phone calls i placed while seated in security are in the video either. what is shown in the video is incomplete as it leaves out when the security agent took my son to a separate area and out of my sight. this matter is one that is being handled between my family and the TSA."
Mommyblogger Nic tells the horrifying story of how TSA agents took away her child because the clip on his pacifier set off the metal detector yesterday. More »
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airlines
Your Plane Is Probably On Time, Thanks To The Recession
The good news, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institution? For the last few years, air travel delays have decreased and travel has become almost bearable. The bad news? That's because of the decrease in travel due to the recession, and economic recovery will mean more delays. Yay. More » -
the more you know
Airport Payphone Charges $20 For 1-Minute Local Call
Billy discovered how it can pay to read Consumerist. He was charged $20 for a pay phone call from an airport, but remembered our post last year about the NCIC credit card system's exorbitant charges. More » -
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battle
Let Sun Tzu Be Your Travel Buddy
Reader Anil sent us this post that adapts Sun Tzu's The Art of War for battles at the airport ticket counter. More » -
how to
Access Commercial WiFi Hotspots At Airports For Free
We all know the crushing defeat of logging onto an open WiFi hotspot at an airport only to discover that you need to pay to reach the internet. No more! If the portal has a space for promotion codes, go ask the gift shop if they have a coupon for free access. If they don't, you're not out of options... More » -
mile high fail
US Airways Realizes Destination Airport Is Closed, Cancels Flight Mid-Air
A reader wrote into let us know that his US Airways flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Charleston, South Carolina was forced to turn back when, fifteen miles outside of their destination, the pilot realized that the airport closed at midnight. More » -
fees
Poll: What's The Next Airline Fee?
With airlines now charging fees for not paying fees a specified way and contemplating charging for bathroom access, we wanted to take a crack at predicting the next annoying fee. Take the poll inside and suggest your own fee. More » -
airline passengers bill of rights
Airline Passengers Bill Of Rights Lurches Down Congressional Runway
Tomorrow, a Senate committee will hold a hearing on legislation that grants passengers the right to deplane if their plane is delayed on the runway for more than 3 hours. The legislation will also require that airlines provide water, food, and bathroom facilities during delays. If passed, it will be ignored by Delta. More » -
it's a trap
Genius TSA Officer & Baggage Handler Caught Stealing From Decoy Luggage
Two workers at JFK airport fell into a trap set by Delta Airlines and the TSA, says the Daily News. The two men are accused of stealing a Macbook Air and a T-Mobile Sidekick from decoy luggage. The first man, a TSA officer, was videotaped rummaging through a Miami-bound suitcase in an airport screening room while a baggage handler watched. More » -
delays
Turtles In Heat Shut Down J.F.K. Runway
78 turtles ambled out of Jamaica Bay on Wednesday to make sweet, sweet love all over one New York City's busiest runways. It took Port Authority workers 35 minutes to shut down the impromptu nightclub, but the damage was done and travelers at J.F.K. experienced delays of up to an hour and a half. More » -
transportation
Unlicensed Cabbie Welcomes Tourists To New York With High Speed Police Chase
Jean-Jacques Dulugat learned yesterday why you should never let an unlicensed cabbie give you a lift from the airport. Police tried to stop Dulugat and his family as they got into a van driven by a pair of known solicitors, but the duo took off and led cops on a high-speed chase through Brooklyn... More » -
travel
Southwest Is Coming To LaGuardia. Hello, Price War!
Starting tomorrow, Southwest will fly out of New York's LaGuardia airport, which hopefully means that flying between New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington is about to get a whole lot cheaper. More » -
harassment
Traveler Detained For Carrying "Too Much" Cash Sues TSA
Back in March, Steve Bierfeldt was pulled aside while going through the security line at Lambert-St. Louis (Missouri) International Airport, taken to a room, and questioned for half an hour about the box of cash he was trying to check through. Bierfeldt, who works for a Ron Paul organization, recorded the conversation. Now with the help of the ACLU he's suing the TSA. More »
airports
New York, 6:34 PM
Mon Nov 23
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