Consumerist
-
fees
American Airlines Raises Baggage Fees For Flights Abroad
If you thought you could escape American Airlines' increased domestic baggage fees by only flying abroad, think again: AA is raising checked bag fees for some international flights to Europe and India. 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 » -
flying
10 Easy Ways To Keep Your Flight Attendant Happy
A happy flight attendant makes for a happy flight, and 24-year-old flight attendant Brandi Lynne has a list of 10 things you can do to make your next flight a little more enjoyable... More » -
covenant
Help, Baggage Screeners Stole My Underwear!
Careful travelers, there's a panty-stealing baggage screener lurking in San Francisco's international airport, according to reader Ari, whose girlfriend lost eight days worth of underwear on a recent trip. More » -
fines
Delta Fined $375,000 For Bumping Passengers
The Department of Transportation smacked Delta with a $375,000 fine for ignoring federal laws that require airlines to offer bumped passengers adequate compensation and an explanation of their rights. Inside, a listing of your options if an airline tries to bump you off their flight... More » -
seating
Get The Best Seat When Flying Coach
Snagging the best plane seat doesn't always require an upgrade, thanks to a few handy tips from Condé Nast Traveler. Inside, how to avoid the dreaded middle seat and keep yourself entertained on the flight... More » -
panic
Delta Is Going To Flip Out If You Wear A Neck Brace In The Emergency Exit Aisle
Ned wears a neck brace when he flies, not because he's injured or disabled, but because he prefers it to one of those floofy neck pillows. This didn't sit well with a Delta flight attendant who was intent on keeping disabled-looking folks out of the emergency exit aisle. The attendant wouldn't leave Ned alone, even after Ned demonstrated his range of mobility and explained that the brace was from a minor car accident thirty-three years ago. Ned managed to hold onto his seat after a chat with the senior flight attendant, but the original flight attendant later came back, "got in [Ned's] face – literally, just inches away" and complained that Ned had "bucked his authority." More » -
-
air travel
One Man's Publicity Stunt Is Another's Vision Of Hell
I mentioned comedian and filmmaker Mark Malkoff in passing in a post about Starbucks last week, not knowing that he would embark on a new project this week. He's making a career out of bizarre feats of consumer endurance, such as visiting all 171 Manhattan Starbucks outlets in one day, and living in the Paramus, NJ IKEA for a week. Now, as part of a campaign to publicize AirTrain's new in-flight wi-fi, he's living on an AirTran plane for 30 days and posting his adventures on the Internet. Yes. That's an entire month. Most of which will probably be spent on the tarmac in Atlanta. More » -
travel
Sorry, You Can't Fly Because Your Name Is Hyphenated
Alright everyone, gather round and let me share with you the pain of living with a hyphenated name. Occasionally it's fun and amusing, a third nipple stapled to your ID. Occasionally, it's a miserable nightmare, as Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl-McPhee learned when she wasn't allowed to board a flight after an anonymous airline's computer severed her hyphenated name. Neither passports, a conversation with the booking agent, nor a printed receipt showing the proper hyphenated name could convince the airline gate agent that Pearl-McPhee was anything more than a foolishly named terror. More » -
excess baggage
Four Checked Bags On Delta Will Cost You $365 In Fees
Most travelers make do with 2 normal-sized pieces of luggage or less, but if you think you might have to travel with more bags, or unusually large or heavy ones, be prepared to shell out a lot of cash for what's called an "excess baggage fee." More » -
fees
Spirit Airlines Charges $10 For Buying Tickets Anywhere But Ticket Counter (Again)
Habitually awful carrier Spirit Airlines is bringing back its "passenger usage fee," which charges passengers $4.90 each way for booking tickets online or over the phone. The only way to avoid the fee is by purchasing directly from a ticket counter at the airport. Convenient! More » -
identification
Delta Isn't Sure Whether Or Not You Can Fly Without ID
A Delta customer service representative assured Grace that her sister would be able to fly, even though she had just lost her wallet containing her identifications. Of course, when Grace's sister arrived the next morning at the airport, Delta's counter agents refused to let her anywhere near the gate until she produced a photo ID. After two hours on the phone, Grace's parents tracked down an old learner's permit and drove 20 miles to fax a copy to the airport. Now Grace wants to know why Delta's customer service agents weren't familiar with Delta's policies, and what, if anything Delta can do to compensate her for the wasted time. More » -
fees
Have Airlines Run Out Of Annoying Fees?
So, it's not exactly good news, but between the toilet tax and priority boarding fees, Reuters thinks that airlines may have run out of "perks" worth excluding from a ticket's base price. The bad news? All those new airline fees aren't going anywhere. American Airlines, which last year pocketed an extra billion in "ancillary revenue," calls them "a pretty big success story." More » -
Not content to just outsource their customer service, United is shutting down its phone center in India in April, instead relying wholly on written complaints. They claim they'll be able to better respond to written complaints, but we know it's just as easy to paste irrelevant advice and insincere apologies as it is to speak them.
MORE » -
united airlines
United Airlines Ruins Your Christmas As Only A Crappy Airline Can
Reader Thomas's scheduled travel on United Air on Christmas Eve went pretty much how you'd expect: his flight left four hours early, and his rebooked flight at 4 a.m. was overbooked. The horror, inside. -
southwest
Southwest's "Credit Cards Only" Policy Increases Sales By 8%
Here's the real reason for an airline to switch to credit-card-only sales on board its flights: people spend more. Southwest Airlines' customer service veep, Daryl Krause, told the Dallas Morning News that "since Southwest began accept credit cards (and no longer taking cash) on Sept. 9, its drink sales are up about 8 percent." Since in general "the goal was one more drink sale per flight," we wonder whether that wasn't the real reason for going cashless all along. More »
flying
New York, 10:53 PM
Wed Nov 11
19 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@consumerist.com
tipline: 347-42C-ON95
Co-Managing Editor:
Ben Popken
Email | AIM | Twitter
Co-Managing Editor:
Meghann Marco
Email | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Chris Walters
Email | Twitter
Weekend Editor:
Laura Northrup
Email | AIM | Twitter
Associate Editor:
Alex Chasick | Email
Associate Editor:
Phil Villarreal
Email
