If we were to head over to any airport in the country today and ask travelers whether they liked being charged add-on fees for checking bags, sitting in an exit row, food, entertainment, headphones, WiFi, or priority boarding, the consensus would undoubtedly be that these costs are a nickel-and-diming nuisance. But one airline industry analyst claims that travelers are secretly in love with these charges. [More]
air travel
Delta Testing 20-Minute Guarantee On Checked Bags For Frequent Fliers. What’s The Catch?
By 2.20.15
If you’ve been stuck waiting for your bags at an airport luggage carousel in recent years, you’ve probably overheard someone grouse — or maybe done a bit of grousing yourself — that “I paid these guys extra to check my bags; the least they could do is not make me stand around like a fool for an hour.” In an effort to cut down on said grousing, Delta has quietly launched a limited-time test of a 20-minute guarantee for baggage delivery for its SkyMiles members, though there are so many conditions that it may be an empty promise. [More]
JetBlue Also Reportedly Looking To End American Express Partnership
By 2.13.15
For ten years, JetBlue and American Express have been partners on the airline’s co-branded credit cards. But a new report claims that this longterm relationship may be coming to an end with JetBlue and that it’s already picked out a new partner. [More]
Southwest Offering Free Companion Passes To Atlanta Residents Who Make 3 Trips In Next 3 Months
By 2.13.15
Seven months of flying just about anywhere you want for relatively little cost sounds like a dream to many of us. For some residents of Atlanta it might actually become a reality as part of Southwest Airlines’ latest promotion to court the city’s travelers. [More]
Orbitz Settles Suit With “Hidden City” Ticket Site Skiplagged.com
By 2.10.15
Back in November, United Airlines and Orbitz sued Skiplagged.com, a site offering so-called “hidden city” fares that can save you money by booking a ticket on a flight you never intend to take to its final destination. Now Skiplagged’s owner and Orbitz say they have reached a deal to keep their dispute out of court. [More]
Southwest Frequent Flyer Earned Enough Points For Free Companion Ticket; Or So He Thought
By 2.9.15
With only a few weeks to go in the year, one Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards member says he was right on the cusp of earning a free companion pass. After allegedly being told that any points accrued before the end of the year would count toward that goal, he spent more on his Rapid Rewards credit card to rack up those points — only to later be told the deadline for earning points via the credit card was not Dec. 31. [More]
Traveler Says TSA Jailed Him For Making Complaint, Lied In Court About Bomb Threat
By 2.4.15
What line does a traveler need to cross before he’s deemed worthy of arrest by airport security agents? According to one man, not only was he detained overnight after attempting to file a complaint about the way he was being treated, but a TSA supervisor then lied under oath about a bomb threat the traveler never made. [More]
Please Stop Making Bomb Threats Against Southwest (Or Any Airline)
By 1.27.15
For the second time this week, a Southwest Airlines flight had to be investigated because someone thought it would be hilarious to waste everyone’s time by making bomb threats for flights between San Diego and Dallas. [More]
Man Who Stole $36M From Delta Sentenced To 10 Years, Must Hand Over Yacht, Mansion
By 1.12.15
Last summer, we told you about a former employee at Delta and Northwest airlines who, along with a partner, duped the companies out of millions of dollars by submitting and paying invoices to a bogus company. That partner was recently sentenced to 10 years behind bars and now must turn over all the fun toys he bought with the ill-gotten money. [More]
United Airlines Feels Internet’s Wrath Over Photo Of Dog On Rainy Tarmac
By 12.29.14
Let’s face it, most people aren’t exactly fans of the airline industry. On the other end of the love/hate coin are dogs, which most of us at least find adorable. So when an airline is accused of leaving a caged dog out on in the rain on an airport tarmac, you can imagine which side the Internet landed on. [More]
United Passenger Sues Airline, Says She Was Arrested For Changing Seats
By 12.24.14
Just about anyone who has had the luxury of flying on a plane with several empty seats has probably moved to another seat to gain a few inches of personal space. But a passenger on a United flight says she was removed from the flight for wanting to relocate within the cabin and jailed for then trying to remain on board. [More]
Southwest Baggage Handlers Say Too Many Flights + More Passengers + Not Enough Planes = Delays
By 12.16.14
At more than a dozen airports around the country today, baggage handlers and other ground crew workers for Southwest Airlines are protesting their employer, claiming that the carrier is too focused on cramming as many people into the fewest planes possible. [More]
From Guacamole To Coffee To Beef To Bourbon, Your Favorite Things Will Cost More In 2015
By 12.15.14
While the prices on certain things will inevitably decrease in the coming year — like the cost of my 1989 Daihatsu Charade or the amount of money I need to spend on shampoo — lots of things are expected to get pricier. Unfortunately, a number of these more expensive items are probably on many of your “things I really enjoy” lists. [More]
Senator Calls For Investigation Into Why Airfares Increase While Costs Sink
By 12.15.14
Oil prices are down, airlines are profitable, but ticket prices aren’t going down and some carriers are still adding fuel surcharges. Thus, New York Senator Chuck Schumer has called for a federal investigation into why we’re all paying so dang much for air travel. [More]
Is This Simple Device The Peacemaker For The Armrest Wars?
By 12.8.14
Until now, the best available solution for ending the war over shared armrests involved a complete redesign of theater seats. It’s a novel, but impractical idea that also fails to address the armrest jockeying that goes on every day on plains and trains. One new, elegantly simple idea, aims to end this war by equally divvying up the forearm real estate. [More]
Disgustingly Rich People Charter Jets Just For Their Pets
By 12.2.14
When a companion animal has to get from one place to another, there aren’t many options. After the demise of the former Pet Airways in 2012, pets either need to be driven from place to place, or travel by commercial air tucked under a seat or in the cargo hold. Or you could do what very, very rich people do: shuttle your pets from place to place using chartered luxury jets. [More]
Is Today Actually The Busiest Air Travel Day Of The Year?
By 11.26.14
You hear it every year from people — Try to avoid traveling on the day before Thanksgiving because it’s the busiest day of the year. And that very well be true when you factor in all modes of transport. But in terms of air travel, Thanksgiving Eve appears to be nowhere near the most hectic day for flights in the U.S. [More]
Southwest Airlines Sued Over “Early Bird” Fees That Don’t Guarantee Priority Boarding
By 11.21.14
When you pay a $25 fee to board a flight — especially one without assigned seats — ahead of other passengers, you might be ticked off to arrive at the gate and find out that not only aren’t you in the highest-priority boarding group, but that some of the people in front of you didn’t pay any additional money for their place in line. This is why a pair of Southwest passengers have filed a class-action suit against the airline, claiming the airline’s Early Bird Check-In program is “deceptive, fraudulent, and misleading.” [More]
