After flying thousands of miles and catering to (sometimes unruly) passengers, flight attendants might need a few minutes to unwind and forget about all that work for a while. That’s part of the reason Delta Air Lines is opening three “sky spas” where employees can be pampered in their downtime. [More]
air travel
Driver’s Licenses From 4 States Could Soon Be Useless For Getting Through Airport Security
By 9.14.15
At some point in the next year, millions of Americans may need to start carrying a second form of ID with them when they go to the airport, as driver’s licenses from four states and one U.S. territory are not currently compliant with federal security standards. [More]
Ousted United Airlines CEO Smisek Scores Millions Of Dollars, Free Flights, Airport Parking Forever
By 9.10.15
I’m not saying I want to be fired in the middle of an investigation into a scandal involving one of the country’s busiest airports, but if it were to happen, I’d want the same deal that ousted United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek is getting. [More]
United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek Steps Down Amid Investigation
By 9.8.15
One of the nation’s largest airlines has lost its CEO and two other top executives, as United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek has stepped down from the company’s top post in the midst of a federal investigation into the airline. [More]
United Airlines Customer Service Reps Learn That Working From Home Comes With 20% Pay Cut
By 9.8.15
Last week, United Airlines decided to shutter two of its customer service call centers — one in Detroit and one in Honolulu — but did so without plans to lay anyone off. Instead, these airline staffers could either move to Chicago or Houston to work in a call center, or they could work from home, but with a pay cut. [More]
Priest Sentenced To 6 Months In Prison For Groping Woman On US Airways Flight
By 8.25.15
Almost exactly a year after he was caught groping a female passenger on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, a Catholic priest has been sentenced to six months behind bars in a federal prison, followed by six months of house arrest. [More]
Traveler Captures Video Of Delta Plane Being Struck By Lightning On Runway
By 8.20.15
So you’re bored on the plane and looking out the window at all the other jets queued up for takeoff. You decide to shoot a little video with your phone when — what the &^&@$, did lightning just strike that plane? [More]
Family Claims Delta Air Lines Lost Cat At San Diego Airport
By 8.10.15
Over the past several years, Delta Air Lines has been at the center of numerous tragic stories of regarding pet transports. Now, a family who was flying their cat on the airline from San Diego to Baltimore is hoping their tale of loss ends on a happy note. [More]
Patent Would Have Airlines Sort Passengers By Height, Then Adjust Rows To Save Their Knees
By 8.7.15
Have you ever been squeezed into an airplane seat and then looked behind you to see you’re in front of a small child who has plenty of legroom? In a car, you’d be able to slide your seat back a few inches to give you some extra space, but without cramping the kid behind you. A new patent aims to put that same idea into practice on commercial aircraft. [More]
Senate Report Rips Airlines For Failing To Clearly Disclose Fees
By 8.6.15
Barring a law outlawing them — or severely limiting them — fees for everything from checked bags, to food, to in-flight entertainment, to preferred seating, to early boarding (and possibly early deplaning) are hear to stay. But a new report from staffers on the Senate Commerce Committee claims that airlines may be going too far in trying to hide some of these add-on costs. [More]
Your Overstuffed Carry-On Bag May Not Make The Cut On British Airways Planes
By 8.3.15
Facing the possibility of hefty checked-baggage fees, many travelers have resorted to testing the structural integrity of their carry-on bags — laptop bags packed with more clothes than electronics; purses bursting at the seams with shoes, food, books, and anything else that will fit. But one major airline is telling travelers to put some of their bags on a diet. [More]
Family Says They Were Booted From JetBlue Flight For Holding 2-Year-Old On Lap
By 7.30.15
A family that purchased a separate seat for their 2-year-old son on a JetBlue flight say they were just trying to comfort the youngster by having him sit on his mom’s lap during takeoff, but that the flight attendants treated them like a safety risk and had them kicked off the plane. [More]
Plane Forced To Return To Airport Because Crew Forgot To Unload Baggage
By 7.30.15
There are a lot of things on the to-do list whenever a plane prepares to depart from an airport: Passengers on board? Got enough fuel? Snacks and drinks stocked? How about all the checked baggage? Wait, what do you mean you forgot to take care of all the checked bags? [More]
Would You Pay More To Get Off The Plane Before Everyone Else?
By 7.27.15
Most of us are familiar with the idea of paying a little more to board a plane before the rest of the passengers — or at least immediately after First Class… and then Business Class… and then passengers with lots of frequent flier miles… and then travelers with certain kinds of credit cards… but then those who paid a little extra. But when it comes to deplaning, passengers generally have to wait for all the rows in front of them to clear out before they can exit. Would travelers be willing to pay yet another fee to get off the plane before others? [More]
New Legislation Would Cap Checked-Baggage Fees At $4.50
By 7.23.15
If you go to the airport today and check any bags, there’s a good chance you’re going to pay around $25 per checked bag for the luxury of not having to lug your stuff around and cram it under the seat in front of you. A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives would not only put a cap on checked-baggage charges, but would slash the current level to $4.50/bag. [More]
Court Sides With JetBlue Employee Who Reported Passenger For Saying The Word “Bomb”
By 7.17.15
If you’re in a bad mood at the airport and feel tempted to haphazardly include the word “bomb” in any sentence, you probably want to refrain from doing so. A federal appeals court recently sided with JetBlue employees who reported a passenger for making an offhand gripe that was misinterpreted as a bomb threat, and which got her arrested by the FBI. [More]
Airlines Testing New Software To Avoid Extreme Turbulence, Cut Down On Costs And Injuries
By 7.15.15
I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m a terrible flyer — the slightest hint of a bumpy patch and I’ve got a death-grip on the arm rest. While pilots do everything they can to avoid hitting any kind of rough air, they’ll be getting a bit more help via new software designed for the sole purpose of allowing them to sidestep turbulence. [More]
Oscar-Winning Director Of Snowden Documentary Trying To Find Out Why She’s Been Detained At Airports So Much
By 7.13.15
Laura Poitras recently won the Academy Award for CITIZENFOUR, her documentary on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, but the director claims that she’s long been hassled by U.S. federal authorities for years, resulting in multiple unmerited airport detentions. Now she’s suing the government to find out exactly why. [More]
