Whether it’s removing a family from a flight because their 18-month-old is on a “no-fly” list, demanding that a 4-year-old get a pat-down because she hugged her grandmother, patting down an infant, evacuating a terminal because one parent passes a baby to the other without receiving a secondary screening, or screaming at the parents of a child with cerebral palsy, the TSA has shown time and again that it has a masterful touch when dealing with young children. That unique sensibility is definitely on display at the agency’s new site dedicated to educating children about security theater. [More]
air travel
United Airlines Now Only Accepting Unaccompanied Minors On Non-Stop Flights
By 12.19.13
If you are planning on sending your kid on a solo trip to visit her grandparents in the new year, the L.A. Times reports that as of Dec. 5 the nation’s largest airline (for the moment) no longer accepts unaccompanied minors on flights that involve connections. So if that trek to and from GrandpaLand isn’t a nonstop flight, you’ll need to look for another airline for your whippersnapper. [via L.A. Times] [More]
Delta & Southwest Don’t Want To Listen To Passengers Gabbing On Phones For The Whole Flight
By 12.18.13
Last week, the FCC said it was investigating whether to lift the ban on in-flight cellphone usage, which caused the Dept. of Transportation to effectively say, “Are you flippin’ crazy?” and announce that it would look into the need to set out its own guidelines to possibly stop planes from turning into flying tubes filled with obnoxious one-way conversations. In recent days, two of the nation’s largest carriers have joined their voices to the call for quiet on board. [More]
FCC Mulls Lifting Ban On In-Flight Phones But DOT May Stop You From Gabbing Away On Planes
By 12.13.13
Yesterday, the FCC began the onerous process of considering whether to revise the decades-old rules regarding the use of wireless phones in flight. If the Commission eventually changes those rules, the relative quiet of the airplane cabin could eventually be filled with the dulcet tones of one-sided conversations like “I know! Seriously!” and “Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Since this seems like a disastrous idea to some people, the Dept. of Transportation is going to consider whether it should allow calls to take place at all. [More]
Tips For Getting Your Checked Bag Prepped For A Flight
By 12.6.13
While most of us try to cram as much as we can into our carry-on bags — and some travelers (you know who you are) stretch the definition of “carry-on” with bags that would have been checked in the pre-fee era — sometimes you just have to check a piece of luggage or two at the counter. But before you do, there are some steps you’ll want to take. [More]
Delta Bumps Passengers To Fly College Basketball Team To Game
By 12.3.13
Because making sure that a college basketball game goes off without a hitch is more important than transporting boring ol’ passengers who can’t sink a three-pointer to save their lives, Delta Air Lines recently chose to cancel a commercial flight and use that jet for a charter flight for the University of Florida basketball team. [More]
Bags Might Fly Free On Southwest, But Your Pet Will Cost You An Additional $20
By 11.26.13
For several years, Southwest has charged one of the lowest fees ($75) for passengers flying with a carry-on pet. But starting in January, that price will be going up to be more in line with the fees charged by Southwest’s competitors. [More]
JetBlue Quietly Launches “Free” In-Flight WiFi, Charges $9/Hour If You Want Streaming Quality
By 11.26.13
It’s been more than a year since JetBlue first confirmed that it would be installing next-generation, satellite-based WiFi on its planes, and that the service would initially be free to passengers. Well, even though it’s still weeks away from the official launch of the “Fly-Fi” service, the airline quietly flipped the switch yesterday on at least one jet, and revealed that there are two tiers of service, one of which could cost you quite a bit of money. [More]
Southwest Now Offering Gate-To-Gate WiFi Access
By 11.21.13
Until yesterday, Southwest had been the only major airline that hadn’t taken advantage of the FAA’s long-awaited approval for passengers to use portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing. But now Southwest has not only joined that group, but it says it will allow passengers to use the in-plane WiFi from the moment they sit down on a plane until the time they crowd into the aisle to deplane. [More]
4 Things That Make Airline Boarding A Complete Mess
By 11.18.13
For decades, airlines around the world have spent untold fortunes analyzing passenger behavior and plane design to come up with the best way to squeeze all those people into a jet in a timely fashion, and yet no one has cracked the code and passengers still get stuck in long lines, often because of the same old reasons. [More]
Impact Of US Airways/American Airlines Merger Will Depend On Who Gets Leftovers From Wedding
By 11.14.13
The path for US Airways and American Airlines to merge their businesses has been cleared and several smaller airlines like JetBlue and Spirit will benefit from the sale of the merged carriers’ excess takeoff and landing slots at airports around the country. But will that be enough to balance out the fact that we are now down to a handful of major national airlines? [More]
Gogo To Roll Out Inflight Texting & Phone Service Because Heaven Forbid You Unplug For More Than A Couple Minutes
By 11.8.13
Gogo, which provides WiFi Internet access for a number of airlines, announced today that it will be introducing a service that allows customers to use their smartphones for texting and talking while traveling on an airplane. [More]
Southwest Is Only Major Airline Still Barring Gate-To-Gate Use Of Electronic Devices
By 11.7.13
When the FAA announced last week that it would finally give airlines the authority to allow passengers the use of certain portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing, it said it could take several months for airlines to go through the process of vetting their planes to demonstrate the jets can safely handle radio interference. But in the short time since, every major airline except Southwest now has flights with gate-to-gate use of PEDs. [More]
US Airways Fined $1.2 Million For Repeatedly Failing To Provide Proper Wheelchair Assistance
By 11.5.13
After reviewing hundreds of consumer complaints about US Airways’ lack of proper assistance for travelers in wheelchairs at two of the airline’s hub airports, the Dept. of Transportation has fined the carrier $1.2 million, a good chunk of which is to be used to improve systems for disabled passengers at these airports. [More]
DOJ Putting A Price On US Airways’ Marriage To American
By 11.4.13
The planned nuptials of US Airways and American Airlines have been on hold for months as the Justice Dept. tried to figure out whether it really wanted to keep the lovebirds apart — like it did with T-Mobile and AT&T — or if it just wanted them to have a slightly less pleasant honeymoon. Now it looks like the DOJ has finally gotten around to determining just what this wedding will cost the two carriers. [More]
Airbus Asks Airlines To Please Stop It With The Super-Narrow Seats
By 11.4.13
Shaving just a few inches off an airplane seat’s dimensions can make room for additional seats on the aircraft, but what do narrower seats do to passengers’ ability to relax during longer flights? The folks at French jet-maker Airbus say wider seats can result in more well-rested passengers. [More]
Yes, Those Are Grave Markers Embedded In This Airport Runway
By 11.1.13
Maybe this story was more appropriate yesterday, but since I’m still wearing my Batgirl costume while I write this, the Halloween spirit remains. Anyway. As you may know, there are plenty of airports abutting or very near cemeteries, but an airport in Georgia actually has two graves — complete with two grave markers — as part of one of its runways. [More]
FAA Finally Loosens Restrictions On In-Flight Electronic Devices
By 10.31.13
After years of debate over whether or not it was safe to use certain electronic devices during all stages of flight, the FAA has finally decided to relax the restrictions that forced you to stop reading your Kindle or listening to music during takeoff and landing. [More]
