Depending on your job, going to work each day might entail putting yourself in harm’s way. However, most of us probably don’t envision going about our daily tasks and having a nearly 700-pound cargo box fall on us. But that’s exactly what happened to a Houston man, and now he’s suing American Airlines. [More]
airlines
Family Sues American Airlines After Father With Alzheimer’s Goes Missing From Airport
By 8.24.15
It’s not uncommon for an airline to lose a piece of luggage for one reason or another during any particular trip from point A to point B; that’s just the risk we take when we hand over a $25 fee and our belongings. While material items can generally be replaced, people can’t be. So, when American Airlines somehow lost track of a passenger with Alzheimer’s earlier this year, his family was worried, and angry with the airline. Thankfully, the man was eventually found, and now his family is filing a lawsuit accusing the carrier of negligence. [More]
EasyJet Passenger Shot With Stun Gun During Carry-On Bag Dispute Involving His “Man Purse”
By 8.20.15
There are many arguments one might have about a “man purse,” but most don’t end with police intervention: a traveler defending his right to carry the bag on a recent EasyJet flight found himself on the painful end of a stun gun when he allegedly got abusive and refused to leave the plane. [More]
FAA: Software Upgrade Could Be Behind Technical Glitch That Snarled Hundreds Of Flights Over The Weekend
By 8.17.15
If you had a terrible time trying to fly somewhere in the U.S. this past weekend, you’re not alone: hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled along the East Coast on Saturday before travel returned to a more normal pace on Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration says the technical problem at a Virginia air traffic control center that caused the travel issues could be linked to a software upgrade at the facility. [More]
New “World’s Longest Flight” Connects Dubai To Panama City In Only 17.5 Hours
By 8.13.15
Are you someone who likes sitting for a long period of time inside a metal tube with scores of (maybe annoying) strangers while traveling hundreds of miles per hour in the air? If the 17 hour flight from Dallas to Sydney just didn’t do it for you, then there’s a new option that tacks on another 35 minutes. [More]
Flying Uzbekistan Airways? You’ll Have To Get Weighed At The Airport
By 8.13.15
While Uzbekistan Airways won’t sell travelers different fares based on their weight, the airline has announced that passengers will need to step on the scale with their carry-on bags before flying, citing safety reasons. [More]
Consumers Have Filed 75 Antitrust Lawsuits Against Delta, American, United & Southwest Airlines Since July
By 8.13.15
Shortly after the Department of Justice announced in early July that it had opened an investigation into alleged collusion between major airlines to keep ticket prices high two groups of passengers filed lawsuits against the major U.S. carriers. Since then, the legal system has been inundated with strikingly similar complaints from travelers. [More]
Airline Screwup Forces Family To Drive Home From Arizona When They Should Be In Caribbean
By 8.13.15
Starting on October 17, recently merged American Airlines and US Airways will operate all flights as one airline. But until then – as has been the case with previous airline mergers – customers might experience a few hiccups when booking flights. That was certainly the case for a California family who says their vacation was ruined because of issues with the newly married carriers. [More]
Frontier Airlines Claims To Save $1.9M By Eliminating Toll-Free Customer Service Calls
By 8.11.15
If you’ve ever run into an issue with your airline of choice, then you probably know one of the preferred ways to reach out to the carrier is through their toll-free customer service phone number. But that’s not the case anymore for Frontier Airlines, which has ditched its 800 number in order to cut costs. [More]
United Airlines Flight Turns Around After Sparks Spotted Coming From Seats In First Class
By 8.7.15
Sparks were flying on another United Airlines flight this week, though this time it wasn’t due to a fight on a flight: passengers reported seeing sparks coming from some first class seats on a plane headed to Los Angeles from London, prompting the pilot to turn the plane around after two hours in the air. [More]
Punching Another Passenger Will Get You Booted From A Plane, Arrested
By 8.6.15
Every once in a while we’ve reported on airline passengers behaving badly – throwing drinks on people, groping fellow passengers, attempting to open doors and other potentially dangerous actions. One such case – that included a few punches – occurred yesterday on a United Airlines flight and ended with one person arrested. [More]
Frontier Airlines Offering Packages That Bundle A La Carte Extras For One Price
By 8.5.15
Though Frontier Airlines might be known for unbundled flight fares, instead choosing to offer a la carte options like checked and carry-on bags and seats with more legroom as add-ons, the airline is jumping back into the bundling arena with a new option that charges a flat fee for certain extras. [More]
United, American Airlines Also Announce Bans On Shipping Exotic Animal Trophies
By 8.4.15
Following Delta Air Lines’ announcement yesterday that it wouldn’t allow lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies as freight on its planes, both United Airlines and American Airlines have joined in to say they’re also banning big game trophies. [More]
Delta Air Lines Bans Shipments Of Big Game Trophies
By 8.3.15
UPDATE: United Airlines and American Airlines have also announced bans on shipping the “big five” of wild animal trophies as freight. [More]
United Airlines CEO: Checked Bag Fees Are Here To Stay, Just Part Of Doing Business
By 7.31.15
Despite Southwest Airlines’ recent admission that charging for bags would be a financially irresponsible policy change, it doesn’t appear that other airlines feel the same way. [More]
Allegiant Under Increased Scrutiny From Regulators After Latest Flight Disturbance
By 7.30.15
After a string of in-flight disturbances and accusations from a pilot’s union of poor safety standards, the Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up its scrutiny of budget carrier Allegiant Airlines. [More]
Southwest Airlines Has No Plans To Start Charging For Checked Bags
By 7.29.15
Less than a month after JetBlue said goodbye to free checked bags, Southwest Airlines has made it clear it won’t be going down the same path. [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]
