Authorities have interviewed every single passenger that was on Steven Slater’s last flight, and not a single one says events went down the way he’s been describing them, according to a Port Authority police official. [More]
air travel
Pregnant Traveler: TSA Screeners Bullied Me Into Full-Body Scan
By 9.9.10
Pregnant Consumerist reader Mary was recently going through the security checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. When she realized that she would be going through a full-body scanner, she told the screeners she wanted to exercise her right to a pat-down — even if it meant experiencing the TSA’s new, icky “enhanced” pat-down. But instead of the screeners doing as she requested, Mary claims they proceeded to bully her into the scanner. [More]
DOT Updates 'Fly Rights' Airline Consumer Guide
By 9.7.10
The Department of Transportation has updated its consumer guide to air travel, which provides a quick summary of what to look for when buying a ticket, and what protections you have during travel. It’s also a good starting point when you have an airline-related problem and need more information before deciding what to do next. [More]
Ryanair Flight Forced To Make Emergency Landing Over Spilled Tea
By 9.2.10
Perhaps the flight attendants at cheapo airline Ryanair could take a lesson from that Wendy’s training video about how to serve hot beverages; one of their planes was forced to make an emergency landing on Tuesday after a passenger scalded herself with some spilled tea. [More]
Have Travelers Lost Their Manners?
By 9.1.10
One need look no further than the public reaction to slide-jumping JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater to see just how many people sympathize with his reaction to a customer who allegedly cursed him out and hit him with a carry-on. So it brings up the question — have we forgotten how to behave in a civilized manner when it comes to traveling? [More]
Man Caught Trying To Sneak 97 M-Fing Snakes On This M-Fing Plane
By 9.1.10
It’s been leading up to this all summer… First, there was the idiot caught with 18 monkeys under his shirt at an airport in Mexico. Then, animal smuggling got cute and cuddly when a woman in Thailand was snagged hiding a tiger cub in her suitcase. And now internet meme has become reality as one of the world’s most wanted wildlife smugglers gets arrested in Malaysia with nearly 100 endangered snakes in his luggage. [More]
JetBlue CEO: Slide-Jumping Flight Attendant 'Not A Hero In My Book'
By 8.31.10
Three weeks after JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater earned his 15 minutes of fame by freaking out and taking an unscheduled trip down the jet’s emergency exit slide, the airline’s CEO Dave Barger is finally speaking out on the incident. Let’s just say he won’t be watching Slater’s reality show. [More]
Continental Loses Dog, Offers $1,000 Reward For Her Return
By 8.31.10
It’s been almost two weeks since Daisy, a 4-year-old Golden Lab/Shepherd mix, broke free of her leash during a layover at Newark Liberty International Airport, but Continental Airlines is holding out hope that she’s still alive and is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone that finds her. [More]
TSA's "Enhanced" Pat-Down Procedure Lets Their Fingers Do The Searching
By 8.30.10
In an effort to make air travel safer but less appealing, the TSA has begun using an “enhanced” pat-down procedure for those who would rather not subject themselves to a full-body scan. And if you’re a fan of having strangers touch you all over, then you should just get straight in line for this one. [More]
Justice Dept. Clears Way For Continental-United Merger
By 8.30.10
The marriage between Continental and United Airlines got one huge step closer to happening on Friday when investigators at the Justice Department wrapped up their four-month inquiry into the merger and offered its blessing. [More]
Airline: Please Disregard That Last "We're Going To Crash" Announcement
By 8.27.10
So you’re flying several thousand feet above the North Sea when you hear a voice over the intercom say, “This is an emergency announcement… We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water.” That’s what happened to 275 passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Hong Kong earlier this week. But there’s a semi-happy ending — the announcement was a mistake. [More]
Airport Security Discovers Real Tiger Cub Among Toy Tiger Dolls In Suitcase
By 8.27.10
When security workers at a Bangkok airport thought they’d spotted a real cat hidden among the plush toys of a passenger’s suitcase, they were right… in a big way. That feline was more than your garden variety house cat; it was a 2-month-old tiger cub. [More]
How Would You Penalize The Airlines For Safety Violations?
By 8.27.10
Yesterday, when we posted about the record-setting $24 million penalty the FAA gave to American Airlines over allegations the carrier flew thousands of flights in planes with potentially dangerous wiring, some Consumerist readers expressed the sentiment that the massive fine was either ineffective in properly punishing AA or that it did little to make air travel better for passengers. [More]
JetBlue Passengers Try Out The Emergency Slide After Plane's Tires Catch Fire During Landing
By 8.27.10
The passengers on board a flight from Long Beach, CA, to Sacramento got to live out their irate JetBlue flight attendant fantasies yesterday by taking a ride down a jet’s emergency exit slide. But it probably wasn’t as fun as one might expect since the plane’s tires had just caught fire while making a hard landing. [More]
American Airlines Hit With Record-Setting $24 Million Fine
By 8.26.10
Back in February, we wrote that American Airlines could be on the hook for up to $20 million over allegations the airlines made thousands of flights in jets containing potentially dangerous wiring. But the FAA went even farther than that figure, announcing today that it plans to fine American $24.2 million, more than double the amount of the previous record fine. [More]
American Airlines: Passengers Are Happier When We Apologize For Screw-Ups Than When Things Go As Planned
By 8.25.10
Think about the all the flights you’ve taken in your life. Which ones are most memorable — The ones where you took off on time and landed as scheduled, or the ones where you slept at the gate while waiting 10 hours before having to make an unscheduled pit stop in Ireland for refueling? And according to an executive at American Airlines, customers are happier when a bad situation ends well than they are when things go as planned. [More]
Should There Be A Families-Only Section On Planes?
By 8.25.10
Who among us hasn’t been trapped on an airplane with a howling baby or a loudmouth 4-year-old who thinks the plane is his playground? So maybe it won’t come as a surprise to you that a new survey says most travelers would be just fine and/or dandy with having a families-only section on flights. [More]
Holiday Inn Will Pay Your Baggage Fees If You Stay With Them
By 8.24.10
In an attempt to alleviate the annoyance of checked baggage fees, all while drumming up some business, Holiday Inn — along with other IHG-brand hotels — will pay up to $50 of your fees if you book a weekend stay with your Visa card. [More]
