Maybe you haven’t been paying much attention to all the hullabaloo surrounding automatic government spending cuts that could go into effect next week, known as sequestration. It’s a lot to take in, as those cuts will be across-the-board and could be a problem for a wide variety of government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration. As such, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is painting a potentially annoying picture for air travel in the future. [More]
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DOT Head Ray LaHood Paints Nightmarish Travel Picture If Sequestration Hits March 1
By 2.22.13 — Updated: 2.25.13
Should Airlines Do Away With Reclining Seats Once & For All?
By 2.19.13
There it is, right in front of your face. Sure, it looks innocent enough but any second its controller could decide to hit the lever and WHOMP! the seat in front of you thwacks into reclining position, punishing your knees, spilling your club soda and eliciting a grumpy huff from your lips. What choice do you have but to follow suit and recline your seat as well? [More]
Yes, There’s A Study About Passing Gas On Planes: Let It Rip, Unless You’re The Pilot
By 2.15.13
There are studies these days about everything — whether your right hand ever gets mad at your left, if the grass really is greener on the other side, etc. — so of course there’s one about farting on airplanes. Our apologies if we’ve offended your sense of delicacy, but hey, we all do it. Anyway, if you’re a passenger, the study says you should let it rip. But pilots might be better off holding it in, lest their malodorous emissions pose a safety risk. [More]
Would You Pay $30 An Hour To Nap In A 7-By-8-Foot Room At The Airport?
By 2.14.13
You’ve been up since the crack of dawn and have arrived bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived at the airport, only to find your connecting flight is delayed. Like, way delayed. Your options are limited and probably include camping out near a wall so you can at least lean your head against it and catch a few z’s while you wait. Or would you be willing to pay $30 an hour to take a nap in a tiny room of your own? [More]
Airlines Mishandled Fewer Bags Last Year Maybe Because We Hate Paying To Check Them
By 2.12.13
The good news is that the Department of Transportation says airlines are mishandling fewer bags than before, with a nice little 8% drop in the amount of “lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered” pieces of luggage from 2011 to 2012. But before we go slapping airlines on the back with a hearty “good job!” pat, perhaps it’s just because passengers are keeping their personal effects out of the hands of baggage handlers. [More]
Airline Launches Its New “Quiet Zone,” Banishing Kids To The Back Of The Plane
By 2.4.13
If you’ve ever flown on a plane, it’s probably happened to you: The cabin is packed, there’s no hope of having the seats next to you remain empty and then, of course, a couple with a little baby sits down in your row. The baby is cute! Until he or she inevitably starts bawling. It can’t be helped — children cry — but Air Asia X thinks the problem can be alleviated with its new “quiet zones.” [More]
Other Airlines Apparently Uninterested In Joining Any Of United’s Fare-Hiking Games
By 1.17.13
Every year the airlines seem to go through the same little fare-hiking dance, multiple times and with varying results. This time it’s United Airlines, which is trying to raise prices on domestic routes ranging from $4 to $20 roundtrip. The only fly in its pricing ointment is that it doesn’t look like the other airlines are going to follow suit. [More]
Allegedly Drunk Man Allegedly Lighting Up In Plane Bathroom Prompts Emergency Landing
By 12.19.12
There’s the guy sitting next to you who allegedly has such bad breath you allegedly can’t breathe out of your nose, and then there are the more serious kind of claims. Allegations are flying over in Australia, after Qantas airlines says a(n allegedly) drunk passenger (allegedly) lit up a cigarette in an airplane bathroom on a flight from Sydney to Japan, prompting an emergency landing that cost the airline $120,000. [More]
Plan Ahead If You Want To Snag Seats Together On The Plane For Holiday Flights
By 11.13.12
Times used to be, you’d show up at the check-in desk with carry-on bags full of liquids, check your heavy suitcases for free and politely ask if you could sit next to your husband/girlfriend/son/best pal Liz. But with window and aisle seats now selling for an extra fee, how’s a family supposed to make sure they can stick together up in the air this Thanksgiving? There are a few things you can do to tip the seating odds in your favor. [More]
Airlines Take A Dip In Consumers’ Eyes, Car Rental Companies Make Customers Happy
By 11.12.12
It’s been a rough couple of months for airlines in this country, what with seats coming loose during flights and the rash of cancellations due to Mother Nature and things like contract disputes. All of that is likely part of the reason new numbers measuring the travel industry show that American travelers are feeling pretty fed up with airlines, while car rental companies are appearing a bit shinier in our eyes. [More]
Relief In Sight For Sandy’s Stranded Passengers As JFK & Newark Reopen For Some Flights
By 10.31.12
Call her a hurricane or call her a superstorm, but weather phenomenon Sandy is responsible for either stranding a lot of passengers away from home or keeping them from their destinations elsewhere. There’s some relief in sight after three days of flight cancellations, as two New York-area airports, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty, have reopened for some flights. [More]
My Flight Was Canceled Due To Sandy, Frontier Airlines Doesn’t Bother To Tell Me
By 10.30.12
If your flight gets canceled, how are you supposed to find out? Melinda was scheduled to fly on Frontier Airlines, and figured that her flight would get canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. She at least expected a robocall from the airline once the cancellation happened. Or for her flight info to no longer be in the “flight checker.” [More]
It’s The 21st Century, But I Can’t Pick My Seat When Booking A Flight Over The Phone
By 10.12.12
Adam had to reserve his flight to Spain over the phone with American Airlines because he was using credit on his account. That wouldn’t be a problem, except for how the airline told im that he wouldn’t be allowed to choose his seat, because the flight was actually on Iberia Airlines, and he was making the booking via codeshare. And yet, in 2012, the two airlines’ computers won’t talk to each other, and he can’t pick his seat even though he’s paying a pile of money to make this reservation. Update: A reader wrote in to point out that Iberia actually doesn’t let passengers in coach pick their seats until 24 hours before their flights. If Adam’s flight is actually business class or fancier, he can call up Iberia to choose his seat. [More]
Expedia Can Give Me A Refund If I Build A Time Machine
By 10.10.12
Maybe Expedia isn’t the best choice if you want to make a same-day travel booking. Eric was going to get stuck on a layover in Atlanta, so he booked a hotel before arriving. Less than hour later, he missed a connecting flight and would be traveling through a different city. Oh, well, it shouldn’t be all that hard to cancel a hotel reservation that’s only an hour old. Right? He could try to cancel the reservation all he liked, but he’d still have to pay 100% of the booking price. [More]
Even If You’re In A Hurry At The Airport It’s Still Not Cool To Fake The Need For A Wheelchair
By 10.5.12
Just the other day I crankily asked a friend why there aren’t strollers for adults (it had been a long day and I just wanted someone to push me around, darn it). Apparently some travelers are all about making that an actual thing, as airport employees say some passengers who don’t need wheelchairs ask for them anyway in order to get through the whole security process faster. Fakers! We call shenanigans. [More]
American Airlines Employees Scoop Up My Wallet, Save The Day
By 9.26.12
Reader HogwartsProfessor has one of the rarest of all consumer stories to share: a positive story about an item left behind on a plane and airline employees. Yes, the problem was entirely her fault, but their staff on the ground were kind and helpful, creating a chain of kindness that reunited H.P. with her wallet and got her on the next plane with no extra fees. [More]
AirAsia Fulfills A Dream Come True For Many Travelers With “Baby-Free” Quiet Zones
By 9.26.12
You know how it goes: You see someone with a baby boarding your flight and you think, “I hope that baby is a happy, quiet one.” But sometimes babies cry, and even the most patient traveler can get cranky when a pair of lusty lungs are involved. That’s why AirAsia is trying out a “baby-free” quiet zone on long haul flights starting in February. [More]
You Weren't Alone: July Was A No Good Very Bad Awful Month For Long Flight Delays
By 9.18.12
That time you were sitting on the tarmac for hours upon hours, hating life and cursing the sky gods for keeping you earthbound? You weren’t alone in July, as the government said it was worse than the previous eight months combined for planes stuck on the ground. [More]
