Why did it change its mind? Who knows. Previously, the plan was to let flight attendants be the porn police and instead only block Skype and other internet phone services.

Now the Dallas Morning News says:

American said that it is working with Aircell LLC "to implement technology to filter pornographic content over the Gogo inflight Internet service."

Delta will also be filtering porn when it launches its own WiFi service.

American to filter out porn on its Wi-Fi [DMN via Gothamist]
(Photo: benh57 )

[Update: Some readers were upset that we used a stock photo with a man's face visible in it, so to help keep the comments on topic, we've replaced it with a more anonymous pic. Just FYI if you read the comments and wonder why people are complaining about the man in the photo.]

"Passenger: JetBlue Attendant Sexually Harassed Me" [WCBSTV.com] (Thanks to Jim!)
(Photo: Getty Images)

“Who would have thought, after 30 years, that we’d be a flying 7-Eleven,” Becky Gilbert, a three-decade veteran of the industry told me during a break in our training session in Fort Worth.

The author, Michelle Higgins, captures the dramatic shift from what was once a career loaded with perks—free travel, flexible schedules, plenty of time off, and even a bit of cachet—into a job that puts you on the front line of the war most airlines are carrying out against their paying customers.

At the start of one flight, for example, the crew is told the plane is moving to a shorter runway, and they have to carry out a quick count of the number of children on board to see whether the plane meets the suddenly-reduced weight limit—otherwise they will have to kick off passengers. (And those passengers will hopefully write to The Consumerist.)

We've no doubt that there are bad employees in the skies—the bigots, morons, burn-outs, and despots who provide us with so many infuriating stories—but it's revealing to see the level of stress that today's good flight attendants have to deal with, and something worth keeping in mind the next time you fly and want to reach out and hurt the person telling you there are no more blankets or cookies, or that you'll almost certainly miss your connecting flight.

"Flying the Unfriendly Skies" [New York Times]
(Photo: FaceMePLS)

The problem was that the person who wrote the apology letter mixed up the gender of Dr. Madduri—which led him to believe it was about the female flight attendant in question—when really he was the individual with the "bizarre behavior." When you read it with this new understanding, it becomes clear that Southwest fully sided with the flight attendant and never meant to communicate with Dr. Madduri about the issue.

"Dear Sivaprasad Madduri: Sometimes an explanation for the reason why things happen isn't always possible, and the bizarre behavior of the individual during your June 26 flight to Las Vegas supports this point. While I'm unable to explain the circumstances surrounding the disruption, I think it's important to offer my heartfelt apologies for any concerns you may have had as a result of this event. Naturally, we don't want this experience to affect your feelings about flying with us in the future, or for it to be your last recollection of traveling with our Company.

"In fact, we would consider it a privilege if you gave us another opportunity to provide you with better memories. I am confident your next trips with Southwest Airlines will be more pleasant and to prove just that, I sent a LUV Voucher to every person (except, of course, the lady who caused the disruption) who was onboard your flight."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Dr. Madduri's arrest and the apology letter back in July, and they were able to get a slightly different story from Southwest that naturally makes the airline come off in a better light, but still leaves many questions unanswered:

Brandy King, the spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, said flight attendants were required to explain the cockpit-door and front-galley regulations as part of the preflight announcements.

Yes, but many of us zone out during those announcements.

King said the flight attendant tried to explain the regulation to Madduri during the incident. The criminal complaint, filed by the FBI, makes mention of a second flight attendant who allegedly tried to explain the regulation to Madduri after he returned to his seat after his first effort to get to the lavatory. The complaint says the first flight attendant again tried to explain the regulation to Madduri when he made his second attempt. The complaint states that Madduri said, "I'm not listening to you."

Did the FBI talk to any of the other passengers? That would settle the argument. Sadly, the FBI office in Las Vegas did not return repeated phone calls.

"Doctor now regrets pleading guilty over incident on airplane" [STLtoday via airliners.net]

Southwest has since told Dr. Madduri, "We don't want this experience to affect your feelings about flying with us in the future," and they've offered him a $100 voucher. It turns out the "apology" was meant for the other passengers, and was in fact about Dr. Madduri.

From Rediff:

Ironically, even before he filed his complaint with the Southwest Airlines officials, he got a letter from Frederick Taylor Jr, senior manager at the airline's customer service communications, offering a $100 voucher for a future flight.

"Sometimes, an explanation for the reason why things happen is not always possible, and the bizarre behaviour of the individual during your June 26 flight to Las Vegas supports this point," Taylor said in a letter accompanying the voucher. "While I am unable to explain the circumstances surrounding the disruption, I think it is important to offer my heartfelt apologies for any concerns you may have had as a result of this event".

"Naturally, we don't want this experience to affect your feelings about flying with us in the future, or for it to be your last recollection of traveling with our company. In fact we would consider it a privilege if you gave us another opportunity to provide you with better memories."

Here's Dr. Madduri's story in his own words:

[I am] a physician from India who immigrated to the United States 38 years ago and [has] been in private practice in South East Missouri for more than a quarter century.

On June 26, 2008, I traveled from St Louis to Las Vegas to attend AAPI annual convention by Southwest flight 1226. Two hours into the flight, I tried to go to the bathroom ( I take a blood pressure medicine with diuretic that makes one 'go' more often). As I was sitting in row six, I walked to the front lavatory. The flight attendant, named Lora Lee Minton, abruptly stopped me and essentially shouted at me, "Go back! This bath room is occupied, and you cannot stand here."

Shocked and dumbfounded at this unfriendly behavior, I went back and sat in my seat. Two minutes later, I saw the lavatory door opening and I got up and walked towards the bath room again. The same flight attendant (Lora Lee Minton) screamed at me, "I told you not to go to that bathroom," and started pushing me into my seat. I was totally confused at this erratic behavior, and told her that I had been taking medicine and I had to go to the toilet. I even tried to walk past Ms.Minton as I was very uncomfortable.

"I told you not to go," she pushed me into my seat! I was lost. I flew many times but had never experienced a rude and unfriendly behavior like this. Confused and not knowing what to do, I went back and sat in my seat. I saw the pilot came out of the lavatory, walked into the cockpit and closed the door behind him. Later I could use the bathroom.

The sequence of events that followed were more frightening and beyond the scope of any one's imagination. As the plane landed in Las Vegas , I was escorted by two police officers and was handed over to the FBI. The FBI interrogated me at length and for the first time, I was told that the flight attendant, Ms.Lora Lee Minton, reported that I was causing 'disturbance' during the flight. I was also told that when the pilot is out of the cockpit, no one is supposed get up from their seat, till the pilot goes back to his seat. This apparently is a federal law being enforced since 9/11 and no one ever told me, nor was it announced during the flight.

That night I was taken through federal centers for further investigation. I was hand-cuffed, finger printed and was 'processed' as a common criminal. I was told repeatedly that my background was checked and I had no criminal record. Even after checking my back ground and even after confirming it by calling my family members (Our two children that live in St Louis and Houston, Texas ) and my professional partner (urologist from Poplar Bluff, Missouri ), I still had to go through the harassment. I was dragged through Federal court buildings that night with hand and ankle cuffs, left in cells for hours before I was interrogated and was threatened repeatedly with abusive language: 'Shut up,' 'I am going to kick your ass,' to name a few. Finally I was taken to a federal detention center in Las Vegas and was ushered into a large jail cell! I spent the night in jail with 43 prisoners - most of them drug dealers and picked up at street fights!

The next day I went through processing in a federal court building and presented in front of a Federal Judge. The public defender told me that my 'case' was decided and I would be released if I pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $2,500. He also told me that I could refuse to plead guilty, contest the judgment and even could win, but could be taking a long time, cost more and might result in multiple trips to Las Vegas.

Exhausted, depressed and completely deflated, I agreed to what ever the public defender suggested and got out after 24 hours of 'living hell'.

I endured the most horrifying and traumatic 24-hours of my life for a crime I sincerely believe I did not commit. A simple statement by the flight attendant (Lora Lee Minton) in normal tone of voice that I was not supposed to wait in front of the toilet when it was occupied by the pilot, would have saved the ghastly ordeal.

I was told repeatedly by the prison guards, some of the FBI officials (not all of them were rude), the prison inmates who heard my story that the reason I was targeted was because of my skin color (brown) and ethnic background (South Asian, Indian).

When I returned home, I did not feel like lying flat and take the abuse, more so the incident involved not only me but an entire race and ethnic group. I sent my story to local, state and national news papers including all the major Indian news publications. The response was overwhelming: the news papers were very receptive; I received numerous e-mails, letters, phone-calls, sympathy and supportive cards; every one wanted me to 'fight-it-out' and 'not to keep quite and do nothing.'

I did send my story to ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Missouri and Nevada , yet I haven't heard from them yet, though I was told that my experience had merit. I contacted attorneys locally as well as in St Louis and was told that they were looking for proper attorneys that specialize in civil liberties cases; I was told by some that I should not have pleaded guilty and should find eye-witnesses that would testify in my favor.

During 30 years of my stay in America , I never felt so threatened nor my rights so violated as I did that fateful night. 'You are not guilty until proven otherwise', the anthem we are made to believe all the time was turned out to be not true; I was guilty until prove my self innocent. I was treated like a guilty person and was never given a chance even to tell my side of the story. Even after the incidence, I am finding it difficult to prove my innocence. I want Southwest Air Lines to realize their mistake and drop charges against me. I did contact Southwest airlines and was informed that they were standing by their stewardess and the issue had no racial profile or bias.

(Thanks to Ashish!)
(Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas)

The "vast majority'' of travelers use good judgment in what they look at, said Tim Smith, a spokesman for Fort Worth, Texas-based American. 'Customers viewing inappropriate material on board a flight is not a new scenario for our crews, who have always managed this issue with great success.'

[...]

American's attendants don't want to become ``moral policemen,'' said Frank Bastien, a spokesman at the union's headquarters. Attendants also don't want to be exposed to laptop images of violence or pornography, he said.

"It's a real concern to our members,'' Bastien said. American "put on filters that will prevent people from making Wi-Fi phone calls, and they don't seem to have any qualms about doing that. Where's the protection for other things out there?''

Ars Technica correctly points out that passengers have always been able to smuggle aboard promotional materials for the Mile High Club, mostly without incident.

What's worse: sitting next to a guy watching porn, or sitting next to a guy yabbering away on Skype?

American Air Attendants Urge Filters to Bar Web Porn [Bloomberg via Ars Technica]
(Photo: Getty)

The employees in this room were debating who would get me to the ticket gate to be re-ticketed because it was no one's job and the appropriate personnel were not responding to their calls. After that was resolved I was given a new boarding pass for a flight expected to leave at 12:55 AM. Then this person advised me she cannot get me from a D Gate to Gate A9. She again called for the appropriate personnel who never showed. We waited by an elevator for someone she convinced to bring me over to Gate A even though it was not his job. I had to beg him to stop at a bathroom entrance and to wait for me and then he finally delivered me to Gate A9.

I was given a meal voucher for my INCONVENIENCE but could not purchase any food because again there was no one to bring me to an eating establishment, never mind wait on the long line for me to make a food purchase.

At 11:15 I advised the gate attendant I was dehydrated and cramping because I could not purchase any water. This is the only nice employee that treated me with dignity. The flight I was transferred to was supposed to leave at 10:22 PM but was delayed until 1:30 AM. This gate attendant went and brought me water off of the plane.

This gate attendant also made sure she finally found some one at 11:15 PM to push me to obtain food and another bathroom break. I arrived in West Palm Beach at 3:15 AM with no ride and had to again crawl into the shuttle service to get home.

I understand plane delays and waiting at airports, but is this how you treat your handicapped passengers???

The text above is from a letter Julianna has sent to Richard Anderson, Delta's CEO, who we hope will do more than send her another food voucher—like take real steps to make sure handicapped passengers are treated with a minimum of respect when they're traveling.

(Thanks to Chris)
(Photo: Andrei Dimofte)

He said other passengers aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, and the flight attendant, apparently after phone consultation with the cockpit, tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the tank was empty.

Mr. Oliver said two doctors and two nurses who were aboard tried to administer oxygen from a second tank, which was also empty.

Sonja Whitemon, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, would not comment on Mr. Oliver's claims of faulty medical equipment aboard the plane.

Ms. Desir was placed on the floor and a nurse tried to resuscitate her, but to no avail, Mr. Oliver said. "I cannot believe what is happening on the plane," he said, sobbing. "She cannot get up, and nothing on the plane works."

(Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

"Woman, 44, Dies on Plane With 2 Empty Oxygen Tanks " [New York Times]

(Airplane photo: Adrian Pingstone)

UPDATE: American Airlines disputes this story.

Christine doesn't usually fly United, and only got booked with them when she had to reschedule a flight at the last minute:

I slept for the bulk of the flight and when I woke up, I realized I needed to take sinus decongestion pills to avoid sinus pain during the descent. Because I am a frequent air traveller, I knew that I only had 30 minutes left in the flight and if I didn't take the pills, the pain would be unbearable. I would have gone to ask for a cup of water myself, except I was in a middle seat and I didn't want to disturb the passenger seated next to me. So, I pushed the flight attendant call button above my head. This is something I have done on other planes many times in the past and I didn't think it would be a problem.

After 5 minutes, I looked around to see if the attendants were busy with other customers. The aisles were clear and the attendants were in the back of the plane. They seemed to be talking to each other and I assumed they were busy, but I eventually realized they weren't preparing or doing anything other than chatting. One of the attendants looked up and saw me, so I waved—I assumed that maybe the button system wasn't working and that they didn't know. I thought that, if she saw me waving and if she saw the orange light on, she would come over. The attendant turned back to the other attendant and started talking again. I was at a loss for what to do.

Eventually, the passenger in the seat next to me woke up and asked me if I needed to get up. I said I had been trying to avoid bothering him by calling for the attendant, but after 10 minutes, it didn't seem like they were coming. He graciously got up and I went to the back to the attendants, who were chatting.

I said to the attendants, "Sorry to bother you. I don't know if you saw the call button or anything, but I just wanted a cup of water. I didn't want to disturb the fellow next to me because I have an aisle seat."

The attendant who was standing—I believe she was of Asian descent, but I didn't get her name—said curtly, "That button is just for emergencies, not water." The other attendant didn't say anything.

I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I have used that button before for water and, besides, the little figure on the button is carrying a cup. I assumed I could use that button to request water."

She repeated that, again, the button was for emergencies only. She gave me the water, I took my sinus medicine, gave her the empty cup, and asked how I was to turn off the button. She said that it would turn off if I pressed it again.

I was really surprised because I have been flying my whole life and I have pressed those buttons before and I've never been told that they were for emergencies only. I'm not used to receiving such brusque service, either. After I sat down, I realized that if this had truly been an emergency, neither of the attendants would have come to help me. There was no way of discerning between an emergency and a request for water without having first come to me. I know I'm a bit slow, otherwise I would have brought this up with them when I was still standing and talking to them but then again, they didn't seem to be in the mood for providing customer service. I decided to e-mail my feedback instead.

It is arguable whether or not needing water to take sinus pills prior to descent qualifies as an emergency, although I would like to point out that by the time I received the water, we were close to descending and the sinus pain would have been incredibly debilitating if I had to wait a few minutes longer for the pills to start working.

I think a more appropriate response would have been to come to my seat when the button was pushed. If it had not been an emergency, the attendant might have said to me, "Those buttons are for emergency only, not for water. If you want water, please come up and request it in the future." I think this would have been appropriate and reasonable response.

Also, if these buttons are, in fact, for emergencies and not water requests, perhaps the buttons should be labeled, "For Emergencies Only." Also, what constitutes an emergency for using the buttons?

• she slept for most of the flight, so unless she is a horrible sleepwalker or has night terrors, she couldn't have been that much of a high-maintenance passenger;
• she waited 10 minutes before getting up;
• she got the water herself;
• the little figure on the call button is holding a cup; and
• the button isn't labeled "for emergencies only".

Our first reaction was to think Christine should have insisted that the flight attendants do their job properly. The trouble with that is, airlines have us all by the balls right now and know that if we act even the least bit exasperated they can accuse us of endangering the flight. We've seen "Flight Plan," and we know where that leads. So we're not sure what she should have done. (But sending the above email to corporate is a good start.)

Clearly, Christine, that is an emergency cup on the button, which you should only request in the event your plane is crashing. An emergency cup may just save your life one day! We're not sure how, though, so this looks like a good place to end this post.

(Photo: Zinnia.)

• Awesome Flight Attendants: Fuse Southwest's spirit, Virgin Atlantic's British accent, and Singapore Airlines' uniforms, and you have chipper, upbeat flight attendants that can make the most daunting flights feel welcoming.
• Decent In-Flight Entertainment: Take a page from JetBlue and Virgin America and cram a TV into the back of every seat. If on-the-go entertainment can sate a cadre of screaming kids chucked in a minivan, why not provide the same artificial calm to stressed travelers?
• Delicious Food: Seriously airlines, $5 for animal crackers? Every airline fails in-flight food service, but the long-haul carriers come the closest to getting it right.
• Luxuriously Large Seats: Airlines bring a trench warfare mindset to the fight for seat inches. Thankfully, airplane makers listened to consumers and are designing wider planes to give passengers extra-wide, extra-comfortable seats.
• Friendly Websites: Fuse power with simplicity. Airline websites should empower consumers with most of the same tools available to customer service representatives.
• Valuable Frequent Flier Programs: Stop neutering your frequent flier programs! Once designed to engender customer loyalty, the constant depreciation of frequent flier programs now reminds consumers that they come second to the corporate ledger.
• Amazing Customer Service: The dream airline is one we wouldn't write about, except to praise. One that defers to its passengers, anticipates their needs, and honors its commitments.

Flight of fancy: Fly the airline of your dreams [The USA Today]
(Photo: Skrewtape)

Under United's plan, flights grounded for more than 4 hours before take-off or held waiting for 90 minutes after landing will be declared "flights of note" and passengers will receive 20% coupons and a $10 meal voucher.

"Flights of note? Who are they trying to kid? Trust us when we say flight attendants won't be whistling while they work on hot, minimally staffed, dirty airplanes full of understandably disgruntled passengers," said Greg Davidowitch, president of AFA-CWA at United Airlines. "All United workers will be doing their best this summer. But no matter how hard flight attendants, pilots and other employees work we will never be able to make up for the operation management built like a house of cards."

"Flight attendants know first hand the frustrations of United's customers. We encourage Congress to take action for passenger rights. It's clear that United management either refuses or has no ability to provide even the most basic service; getting from point A to point B," Davidowitch stated.

Flight Attendants Advocate for Passenger Rights (Press Release) [PR Newswire]
(Photo: Drewski2112)

We recently heard about an Asian airline whose business model includes selling blankets in flight. The flight attendants get a commission on any items they sell. And if they don't unload as many blankets as they want, they ask the pilots to turn up the air conditioning in an effort to boost sales.

Inspired. (Which airline? We don't know, so we'll traffic in rumor and speculation.) 150 people stuck in an aluminum tube, with minimal control over their personal space and carrying only whatever they can legally pack into their carry-ons, and the cabin crew messes with the environment, all in the name of a couple bucks.

Europe and Asia are ground zero for the ultra-no-frills airlines that charge you for every drink, peanut, raffle ticket, pillow, and blanket. Euroskinflint Ryanair is so stripped-down that they don't even have windowshades on their planes.

Think that can't happen in the U.S., where service may suck, but at least you've got SOME amenities? Don't kid yourself. At some point, someone is going to successfully launch a no-frills airline in the United States that does this sort of thing, too. Startup Skybus has already said they plan to follow Ryanair's model to the letter.

So how can we fight back? Besides wearing a sweater, how do you keep the cabin crew honest when we're at their mercy?