Although we’ve discussed it here plenty of times, the recent twitstorm caused by Kevin Smith after he was booted from a Southwest flight has brought more mainstream coverage to the issue of airline seating. Slate asked its readers for input, and today it published the most consistent arguments, like it’s not just a problem for overweight people, and we might have to buy our way out of it. [More]
airlines
2009 Second Safest Year For Western-Built Jets In Aviation History
By 2.22.10
According to a new report by the trade group International Air Transport Association, 2009 comes in just behind 2006 as the safest year on record (kept since 1964), with an average of 1 accident for every 1.4 million flights on a Western-built jet. CNN notes, “If you were to take a flight every day, odds are you could go 3,859 years without an accident.” With delays and cancellations it would actually take nearly 6,000 years to complete all those flights, but it’s still a good statistic to tell yourself the next time you get nervous about flying. [More]
When Are You Too Sick To Fly?
By 2.22.10
Southwest Airlines will let you know if you’re too fat to fly, but what about too sick to fly? Well, it’s your call. As the recent H1N1 epidemic taught us — your sense of altruism better be awesome because you’re probably going to be paying a fee to stay home. [More]
Lufthansa Pilots Put Strike On Hold For Now
By 2.22.10
Less than 24 hours after 4,000 pilots for German airline Lufthansa walked off the job, the strike was suspended as talks resumed between the flyboys and girls and the company. [More]
Jazz Air Kicks Stinky Passenger Off Of Flight
By 2.18.10
Earlier this month, an American was removed from a flight operated by Canadian airline Jazz Air because of his “brutal” body odor. Apparently the flight crew tried to find a way to separate him from the other passengers, but eventually admitted defeat and asked him to leave. He flew out the next day. A spokeswoman for the airline told CNN that it doesn’t have an official policy about body odor. [More]
US Airways Uninterested In Seating Small Children With Parents
By 2.18.10
You probably don’t want to be sandwiched between a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old on an airplane. Know who does, though? Their mother. Unfortunately, one parent, blogger Sierra Black, writes that US Airways is not terribly concerned with making sure that parents and children get to sit together. On a seven-hour flight. The airline placed Black and her two children in the center seats of three different rows in different parts of the plane, but no airline staff seemed to understand why she thought that this was a problem. [More]
Don't Tweet The Identity Of Your Plane's Air Marshal
By 2.17.10
On a flight yesterday, minor celebrity Kim Kardashian figured out that the guy next to her was the air marshal, at which point she excitedly announced it to her followers on Twitter. “Jim the air marshall makes me feel safe!” she tweeted. But it’s okay, she understands how security protocols are supposed to work; after some of her followers complained about what she’d done, she responded, “[I] highly doubt anyone is twittering like me on this flight! shhh.” [More]
Delta Gets Creative, Fakes Out Passenger With Reverse Cancellation Trick
By 2.11.10
Nelson is a Silver Medallion frequent flyer on Delta, so clearly he’s got some experience with the airline’s usual bag of tricks. This time Delta out-smarted him, though, by cancelling an 8:30 flight and then re-confirming it after he’d seen that it was cancelled. As far as Delta is concerned, it’s not their problem–the weather made them do it, and he should have kept checking in all morning yesterday. [More]
American Airlines May Be Hit With Record $20 Million Safety Fine
By 2.10.10
Remember last year, when American Airlines grounded thousands of flights to catch up on safety inspections? The Federal Aviation Administration does, and according to reports, may be about to hit AA with a fine of as much as $20 million, which would be more than double the previous record safety fine of $7.5 million, which Southwest paid last year. [More]
Landing Gear Not Good Place For Discount Airfare, Dead Man Finds
By 2.8.10
A man was found dead inside the landing gear of Delta airplane landing in Tokyo enroute from New York. Doctors speculated that he froze to death and had a shortage of oxygen when the plane reached over 30,000 feet. Sheesh, we know the seats are cramped but this is ridiculous. What happens when you climb into an airplane’s fuselage and it takes off? This clip from “1000 Ways To Die” explains: [More]
Delta Gives $50 To Apologize For Overcharging By $700
By 2.2.10
A young girl, trying to make it to her dying father’s bedside. An old airline that can’t find your reservation. A $1200 ticket that is now a $2000 ticket. A prefabricated apology for only $50. These, are the Delta chronicles… [More]
United Stewards' "TMI" Session Nets Traveler $250 Coupon
By 2.1.10
Bucky Turco got a $250 credit for his next United Express flight after he complained about the two-hour gab fest between two United stewards he endured on a recent trip from SLC to ORD. In that time he learned from the two women such factoids as: Hispanics, Blacks and Asians shouldn’t go blonde, a type of birth control gave one of the stewards’ sister menstrual spots, how getting spit on is the ultimate disrespect, right up there with getting a shoe thrown at you like George Bush did, and more. Too much information! [More]
Mysterious JetBlue Creature Offers Free Tix To Passengers
By 2.1.10
If you wish hard enough on your next JetBlue trip, maybe the airline’s People Officer will magically appear and hand out free tickets. That’s what happened on David’s flight home over the weekend. To be fair, the free ticket giveaway probably happened because JetBlue asked everyone to show up two hours early due to a computer glitch. It’s still a much nicer airline story than what passengers usually send us. Also, this People Officer hinted to the OP about the airline’s future Wi-Fi plans. [More]
10 Of The Strangest Unclaimed Airline Baggage Items Ever Found
By 1.31.10
You’ve probably heard of the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama. It’s where all lost suitcases that are never reunited with their owners end up. This makes it both the world’s most amazing thrift store and a collection of pretty weird stuff. A recent mental_floss article rounded up ten of the strangest (and most valuable) things they’ve found. [More]
Check Out The Department Of Transportation's New Site For Airline Passengers
By 1.29.10
If you’ve got a complaint about an airline, or you want to find out more about whether your complaint is valid, oh boy is there a treat in store for you! Earlier this month, the DOT launched a redesigned consumer aviation website at airconsumer.dot.gov. The goal of the site is “to make it as easy as possible for consumers to find the information they need to make their air travel experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible.” [More]
Continental Gate Agent Tells Passenger She Thinks Her Mental Illness Is Fake
By 1.29.10
Laura has a pretty good description of what an anxiety attack feels like to her: “First, your chest starts to feel tight, like you are wearing a corset. You can’t breathe properly, your heart rate starts to skyrocket, causing a pounding feeling. It’s very out-of-body. You can’t figure out what’s going on. It’s like being trapped by your brain into a tight corner.” If the skeptical gate agent for Continental had ever experienced this–or had just been given adequate training for dealing with passengers with disabilities–maybe she wouldn’t have told Laura her doctor’s note looked fake, or asked her to stay put when Laura said she needed to get her meds. [More]
JetBlue Responds To Tweet, Goes Looking For Passenger's Sunglasses
By 1.27.10
David Friedman, a photographer and blogger of cool ideas, was at JFK airport in New York City earlier today and realized he’d forgotten his sunglasses at the security gate. He mentioned it in a tweet, and to his surprise someont at JetBlue saw it and investigated for him. [More]
Passenger And Steward Fight Over Cup Of Ice
By 1.26.10
There’s dark clouds brewing in the friendly skies and sometimes it’s the passengers fault. George Hobica writes, “I was on a plane recently, first class, on American, where the guy sitting next to me shook his glass as the flight attendant was passing by and said “More ice”–the FA said, “What’s the magic word” and the guy said, “Oh, you mean I’m supposed to say please? I just want more ice” … and she said, “You want more ice, it’s up in the galley. Go get it yourself.” [More]
