It’s not their greatest sale ever, but if you’re planning now to travel this fall, you should probably check out JetBlue’s “Shipping & Handling” sale, with fares ranging from $39 to $159 each way. [More]
air travel
Continental Airlines Testing Self-Boarding In Houston
By 7.27.10
While it’s been used overseas for years, Continental Airlines has become the first airline to try out self-boarding — i.e., scanning your own boarding pass as you board a plane — at a U.S. airport. [More]
United Airlines Forgets About 9-Year-Old Passenger
By 7.27.10
Next to Disney World, the one place children want to spend the day is the kids lounge at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, right? Just ask the 9-year-old who was left there for eight hours because a United Airlines employee forgot about him. [More]
Being Stuck On Tarmac In Phoenix Without Water Makes For Sweatiest YouTube Video Ever
By 7.26.10
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of being trapped — without water — on a delayed Delta flight that’s been waiting on the tarmac in 112-degree Arizona heat, one passenger has chronicled his ordeal in a series of quick videos from yesterday. The best — or perhaps worst — part comes at the end of the first clip when he squeegees about a gallon of sweat from his forehead. [More]
Ryanair Passenger: I Was Detained For Complaining About Food
By 7.26.10
Ryanair, the discount airline known for its dirt cheap prices, headline-making PR stunts and occasionally outrageous ideas for what passengers should pay fees for, is defending itself against allegations from a passenger who says he was detained by police at a Norwegian airport because he’d been vocally displeased with his on-board food service. [More]
Unrefunded $25 Checked Bag Fee Turns Into $5 Million Lawsuit For American Airlines
By 7.23.10
American Airlines was the first of the major airlines to start tacking on fees for checked bags, and now its the first airline to face a class action lawsuit over the fees from a ticked-off passenger. And it all started over one piece of lost luggage. [More]
United Airlines Is The King Of Fees
By 7.22.10
A newly released study shows that airlines around the globe are raking in cash from ancillary revenue like baggage fees. Worldwide, carriers collected $13.5 billion in fees last year, an increase of 43% over the previous year. And sitting high atop that pile was United Airlines. [More]
DOT Calls BS On "Misleading And Premature" Tarmac Delay Study
By 7.21.10
Remember that study from yesterday that said there had been a significant increase in the number of flight cancellations since the DOT enacted new rules limiting the number of hours a plane can sit on the tarmac? Well, it’s not sitting with the folks behind the rule, who say it’s a bunch of hogwash. [More]
Turbulence Injures Dozens Of Passengers On Diverted United Flight
By 7.21.10
A United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles hit more than a few bumps in the road Monday night when turbulence not only caused the plane to be diverted to Denver, but also left at least 25 people injured. [More]
Are Tarmac Rules Causing More Flight Cancellations?
By 7.20.10
According to a new study, the recently enacted DOT regulations that levy huge fines against airlines for planes that sit on the tarmac for more than three hours have been forcing carriers to cancel flights rather than face possible stiff penalties. [More]
If You're Going To Smuggle 18 Monkeys Onto A Plane, Don't Try Hiding Them Under Your Clothes
By 7.20.10
Okay, so it’s not exactly the opening scene of Midnight Express, but imagine the sight: You’re in line at the airport, waiting to go through the security checkpoint, when you notice a man being pulled out of line in front of you. Authorities pat down the bulge beneath the man’s shirt and begin pulling out monkeys… 18 of them. Now that’s a vacation memory. [More]
Will 'Flying Pasties' Help Hide Your Private Bits From Airport Scanners?
By 7.19.10
From the TSA employee mocked by his co-workers for his teeny weeny to the Heathrow employee harassed for her ample bosom, full-body airport scanners are responsible for their fair share of controversy. Now the travel-writin’ folks at Jaunted have stumbled across a new invention that claims to end such troubles by slapping stickers on your most private bits. [More]
Your Complete Big-Ass Guide To Annoying Airline Fees
By 7.14.10
As reported earlier today, the Government Accountability Office thinks airlines could do a lot more to be transparent about the fees they charge. And buried about 45 pages deep in the GAO’s report are two very helpful tables detailing fees for checked bags and other items that U.S.-based airlines charge extra for. [More]
Can You Stream Netflix Movies At 30,000 Feet?
By 7.13.10
Not happy with your in-flight entertainment selections? Well, if you have access to onboard WiFi, the folks at HackingNetflix.com say you might be able to stream Netflix films to your iPad or laptop. [More]
Like Pizza? Maybe You Should Work For The TSA
By 7.13.10
One would think that in these tough economic times, placing a help-wanted ad in the paper or online would be sufficient for netting employers a pile of resumes. But the Transportation Safety Administration has decided to target a very specific demographic in the Washington, D.C., area — pizza eaters. [More]
Woman Kicked Off Plane For Unruly Behavior, Goes Back To Airport To Be Even More Disruptive
By 7.12.10
A female passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight threw her name into consideration for Most Aggressively Annoying Person On Earth over the weekend. Not only did she cause her flight to make an unscheduled landing, she later returned to the airport to wreak even more havoc. [More]
United Could Face Hefty Fines Over Tarmac Delays
By 7.9.10
May was the first full month that the Dept. of Transportation’s new regulations regarding planes idling on the tarmac were in effect. And for United Airlines, it could end up being a very expensive few weeks. Of the 5 flights that violated the new rules, 4 were operated by United. [More]
Fly Your Bike For Free On JetBlue In July
By 7.7.10
It’s Tour de France time in, well, France. And though JetBlue can’t get you to the world-famous bicycle race, they’ll help get you in the spirit this month by allowing you to bring your bike with you free of charge. [More]
