Complaining on Twitter can often feel like trying to shout to someone across the street with a noisy parade going down the middle. And that disconnect can often get worse when trying to get the attention of a big company with hundreds or thousands of people vying for attention. Some companies now go to great lengths to make sure that customers get some sort of response within minutes, but is that response of any value? [More]
air travel
JetBlue Tries To Lure Other Carriers’ Business Travelers By Giving Them Elite Status Right Away
By 3.18.14
One reason some business travelers and other frequent fliers stick with one program is that they’ve logged enough miles to earn the bonus perks available to elite travelers. Switching preferred carriers would mean having to start from scratch. JetBlue is hoping that it can lure some frequent fliers away from its competition by offering them instant TrueBlue Mosaic status. [More]
Passenger Tells Female Pilot That Cockpit Is “No Place For A Woman”
By 3.5.14
Of all the things that airline passengers should care about — schedules, airfares, fees, delays, weather, that guy across the row from you who refuses to put his shoes back on — one thing that shouldn’t matter at all is the pilot’s gender, as I’m pretty sure the Y chromosome contains no special aviation-related genetic information. And even if you do think that only brawny men named Rex or Ace should be flying your airplane, what is the point of leaving a nutty, angry note when your pilot happens to be a woman? [More]
Delta SkyMiles To Be Based On Price Of Ticket, Not Distance Of Flight
By 2.26.14
In a move that may please some business travelers whose employers aren’t picky about pricey airfares, but will likely annoy frugal frequent travelers, Delta Air Lines announced today that it will be changing its SkyMiles frequent flier program so that the number reward miles earned will be based on the price of a ticket, and not the distance flown. [More]
United’s Reservation System Wreaking Havoc At Airports Today
By 2.18.14
In a scene reminiscent of two embarrassing 2012 incidents, United Airlines is doing a lot of apologizing today after a problem with its reservation system has resulted in long lines at airports around the country. [More]
4 Easy Ways To Not Be The Obnoxious Passenger Other People Complain About
By 2.17.14
You know that old thing about how every group of friends has one big jerk and if you can’t identify that person, well… then tag, you’re it. Air travel isn’t that different. [More]
3,250 Flights Canceled Today, Another 4,000 Delayed
By 2.12.14
As ice and snow once again socks the Southeast and makes its way northward, thousands of flights are being canceled or delayed, leaving travelers around the country stranded and unsure of when they will be able to fly again. [More]
Bill To Ban In-Flight Wireless Voice Calls Moves Forward
By 2.11.14
The battle for a maintaining relative amount peace and quiet on commercial airlines moved on to the next stage this afternoon after a Congressional committee voted to advance a piece of legislation that would ban the in-flight use of the “phone” part of your cellphones. [More]
Pilots Head To The Wrong Airports More Frequently Than You Might Imagine
By 2.10.14
Last month, a Southwest Airlines flight made headlines when it landed at the wrong Branson, MO, airport, but a new report finds that while it’s rare for a pilot to make a mistake about where to land his or her plane, it happens more than you probably think it does. [More]
Passengers’ Antitrust Suit Against Gogo In-Flight Internet Allowed To Move Forward
By 2.3.14
A class-action antitrust suit filed by airline travelers against the operators of Gogo in-flight Internet has cleared a huge legal hurdle. A federal court has given the green light for the suit to move forward. [More]
Southwest, JetBlue End Up Big Winners In US Airways/American Merger
By 1.30.14
When US Airways and American Airlines finally got the go-ahead from federal regulators to get hitched, one of the conditions was that the merged company divest itself of takeoff and landing slots at airports around the country, especially at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., Southwest Airlines announced today it will be taking over half of the newly available slots. [More]
Alec Baldwin Backtracks After Mistakenly Ripping TSA Over Pat-Down Of Baby Daughter
By 1.29.14
No one likes getting a pat-down at the airport (okay, maybe some of you do), but if you’re going to publicly vent about the horrors of airport security online, you should probably remember what country you’re in so that your fury is directed to the right agency. [More]
Hotwire Forgets To Tell Passenger Her Flight Was Changed Three Months Earlier
By 1.21.14
When you book an airline ticket through a service like Hotwire, you’d expect that either the airline or the booking site will notify you when something important — like a flight being changed or cancelled — happens, especially when that change is made months before takeoff. But a couple in Virginia had their travel plans twisted around when Hotwire failed to let them know that their flight no longer exists. [More]
Former Senate Majority Leader Takes His United Airlines Hatred Public
By 1.17.14
Here’s a reminder that the airlines hate us all, no matter how wealthy you are or what positions of power you may have held. [More]
Flight Attendant Blows .258 On Breathalyzer, Pleads Not Guilty To Working While Drunk
By 1.17.14
A flight attendant on a Delta commuter route appears to have imbibed a little more than she thought, after a breathalyzer test determined her blood alcohol content was three times over the legal limit. [More]
Visit The Place Where Old Airplane Seats Go To Be Resurrected
By 1.15.14
While some jets may stay in service for decades, it seems like the seats inside those planes are constantly changing — being shuffled around, rebranded, removed, replaced. Thus, someone out there is making a living off this continual turnover of those seats you hate to sit in. [More]
Flight Canceled Due To Toilet Clog, Allegedly A Diaper
By 1.2.14
Let’s get the public service announcement out of the way: if you’re taking care of someone who is very young or very old and uses diapers, there are many ways to dispose of them. Flushing them down the toilet should not be on your list of options. Allegedly, a United Airlines flight from Phoenix to Cleveland was delayed, then canceled because a passenger did just that. [More]
Delta To Honor Super-Low Fares Resulting From Glitch
December 27, 2013
Much like United did back in September when its system accidentally listed airfares for rock-bottom prices, Delta Air Lines says it will honor the tickets for the customers who were able to take advantage of yesterday morning’s glitch that resulted in tickets being sold at only a fraction of their usual cost. [via Reuters/CBS] [More]
