Here’s a warning to the big-haired travelers of the world: Your voluminous ‘do might merit a second round of security screening the next time you’re traveling through the airport. [More]
air travel
It Could Now Cost You Over $400 To Check A Bag On Some Flights
By 9.20.11
Fees for checked bags vary wildly, from absolutely nothing to arm-and-a-leg-and-an-ear. And according to a new round-up of fees from the various carriers, you might need to throw another limb in there if you’re checking an oversize bag on your international flight. [More]
Can You Get Booted From Frequent Flier Program For Being A Frequent Complainer?
By 9.19.11
In 2008, after nine years of membership in Northwest’s WorldPerks frequent flier program — three of those years with Platinum Elite status — a Minnesota man was given some bad news from airline: He had been removed from the program and had lost hundreds of thousands of miles. Why? Because his numerous complaints apparently constituted “abuse” of the program. [More]
Passengers, Including Supreme Court Justice, Evacuated From United Flight Via Emergency Slides
By 9.14.11
The last time a jet’s emergency chute made national news, it was a JetBlue flight attendant experiencing an on-plane meltdown. But earlier today, a United Airlines flight that had just boarded at Dulles International outside of Washington, DC, had to be evacuated, which meant Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to go for a ride down the slide. [More]
Consumer Groups Scold Airlines For Pocketing Tax Money During FAA Shutdown
By 9.14.11
Surely you remember the recent FAA shutdown, during which the government couldn’t collect taxes on airfares, leading the airlines to temporarily raise their base prices and pocket an estimated $70 million a day. Now a coalition of consumer groups, including our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union, are voicing their displeasure for this and other anti-consumer behavior. [More]
Google Makes Even More Sites Redundant With Introduction Of Flight Search
By 9.13.11
You no longer need to go to Google to search for a site that will let you search for flights. Instead, the internet titan provides a way to search — and book — flights without ever leaving Google. [More]
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against TSA From Man Who Wrote 4th Amendment On Chest
By 9.13.11
Many of you will remember the story from earlier this year about the man with the Fourth Amendment written on his chest who filed a lawsuit against the TSA, alleging that he had been wrongfully detained after he stripped down to his running shorts at an airport security checkpoint. Now comes news that a federal judge has dismissed complaints against almost all defendants in the lawsuit. [More]
10 Carry-On Essentials For Flying With Babies & Toddlers
By 9.7.11
Traveling anywhere with a very young child can be taxing, and it becomes even more complicated when you’re hampered by the limits of air travel. You can only bring so much on to the plane with you, so it helps to know just the essentials. [More]
American Airlines To Offer PJs, Slippers, Turn-Down Service In First Class
By 8.29.11
While the line between riding in coach and stowing away in the luggage blurs, the chasm between coach and first class grows deeper and wider. The latest perk intended to lure people into those first few rows: American Airlines will soon be offering hotel-style luxuries like pajamas and slippers to first- and business-class passengers on some international flights. [More]
Airlines Waiving Re-Booking Fees With Hurricane Irene On The Way
By 8.25.11
A really nasty woman named Irene is about to swoop in from the tropics and potentially screw up air travel for everyone. So in advance of the hurricane, many airlines are playing nice with their re-booking fees and policies for flights to and from destinations affected by the storm. [More]
British Airways To Start Pumping Signature Scent Into Jet Cabins
By 8.25.11
How many times have you boarded a plane and thought, “You know what would make this flight even more fun? If there was a signature scent being pumped through the cabin!” Well then maybe you should start flying British Airways, which will reportedly be smelling up their jets in the near future. [More]
Passenger: United Cabin Crew Thinks Books About Old Airplanes Signify A Security Threat
By 8.24.11
Last week, folk singer and aviation enthusiast Vance Gilbert thought he’d pass the time on his United Airlines flight from Boston to Washington, DC, by perusing some books about old aircraft. This was apparently enough to set off alarm bells among the flight crew, who had the plane return to the gate where Gilbert was met by the authorities. [More]
U.S. Airways CEO: We Don't Overcharge, We Pass On Costs
By 8.23.11
If any of you had some sort of pipe dream that there might be a day when airlines wouldn’t charge ancillary fees for services that used to be included in the ticket price, U.S. Airways CEO Doug Parker has made it clear the charges aren’t going anywhere because they benefit everyone in the long run. [More]
Latest Round Of Pro-Consumer Airline Regulations To Start This Week
By 8.22.11
The Department of Transportation’s newest airline regulations — aiming to cut down even more on tarmac delays, curb passenger-bumping and make ticket fees more transparent — will kick in for air travelers tomorrow. [More]
Delta's Inability To Properly Schedule Plane Maintenance Leads To 24-Hour Ordeal For Passenger
By 8.19.11
Consumerist reader Joan already had quite a bit of flying in front of her when she boarded a recent Delta flight from Anchorage to Minneapolis, where she would be connecting to another flight to Washington, DC. But her day got significantly longer when Delta waited until the very last minute to perform a required maintenance check on the plane. [More]
United Airlines Returns Passenger's Wheelchair In Pieces
By 8.18.11
When a United Airlines passenger got off the flight from Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma City, he was expecting that his $20,000 power wheelchair would be waiting for him. And it was… well at least some of it was. [More]
Breastfeeding Delta Passenger: Flight Attendant Publicly Humiliated Me
By 8.16.11
Earlier this week, a traveling mom who had just boarded a Delta flight from Indianapolis to Raleigh, NC, decided it was a good time to nurse her 8-month-old. A flight attendant didn’t agree. You can imagine how this one goes from here. [More]
Family Fined $300 Over 5 Pieces Of Fruit In Backpack
By 8.12.11
A family of four weren’t too pleased when they got off their flight from Israel to New Jersey to find that they had to pay a fine of $300 for five pieces of fruit — three cucumbers, an apple and a tomato — stashed in a backpack, even though the Customs agent could have chosen to just destroy the food. [More]
