Almost six months after American Airlines flight attendants started complaining that their new uniforms were giving them hives, headaches, and rashes, the carrier’s CEO is admitting that it’s a major problem, while insisting that American won’t issue the recall of the clothing that employees have asked for. [More]
airlines
Two Airlines Dropping Cuba Routes Amid Lower Than Expected Demand
By 3.14.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When U.S. airlines were fighting it out last year to win approval for flights to Cuba, they were no doubt expecting Americans would be rushing to airports under recently-loosened rules for personal travel to the island nation. But that demand hasn’t been as robust as expected, prompting two domestic carriers to drop a few routes to Cuba. [More]
Lawmakers Try Yet Again To Create Minimum Seat Size Requirement On Planes
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If at first you don’t succeed, just keep proposing legislation: A group of lawmakers Thursday introduced a pair of bills that would create a seat-size standard for commercial airlines, as well as a minimum distance between rows of seats. [More]
American Airlines’ “Simplified” Boarding Process Now Has 9 Boarding Groups
By 2.24.17
In an attempt to better serve passengers and, you know, get things moving, airlines have been revamping their boarding processes in recent years, from Delta Air Lines employees pre-load carry-on bags to Southwest’s changes to family boarding. American will soon debut its proposed solution to this problem, by increasing the number of boarding groups to nine.
[More]
Norwegian Air Will Sell Tickets For Flights To Europe Starting At $65
By 2.23.17
Is that thunder we hear? Because Norwegian Air Shuttle is bringing the rain it promised back in 2015, by way of flights between the U.S. and Europe starting at only $65.
[More]
Delta Bringing Back Free Meals In Coach On Some Routes
By 2.16.17
As it was foretold, so it has come to pass: After testing the idea out the idea for a few months, Delta Air Lines has decided to bring back free meals in coach — on some routes. [More]
American Airlines Fixes Bug That Kept Online Upgrades In Limbo
By 2.7.17
One of the key advantages to being part of an airline membership program is the ability to upgrade your seat. But elite passengers in American Airlines’ AAdvantage program haven’t been able to upgrade ahead of time online for the last few months, an issue that the carrier says has now been fixed. [More]
Are Airline Systems Crashing More, Or Does It Just Seem That Way?
By 2.7.17
It feels like every week brings news of another massive outage of some airline’s computer network, resulting in grounded flights and stranded passengers. However, a new report suggests that it’s not that these networks are failing more frequently, so much as it is that the outages are now affecting more people — and those people now have all new venues for airing their grievances publicly. [More]
Budget Carrier AirAsia X Cleared For U.S. Flights
By 1.24.17
The next time you’re looking to book a flight on the cheap, you could have another option on the table now that budget carrier Asia X says it’s gained approval to fly anywhere in the U.S. [More]
Computer Glitch Grounds All United Planes, Snarling Travel Plans For Many
By 1.23.17
Many United Airlines travelers found their planes grounded in the U.S. last night due to a computer glitch that kept all the carrier’s domestic flights from flying for about an hour. As is often the case in these situations, a lot of those people were pretty annoyed by the disruption. [More]
United Airlines Passenger Arrested For Fabricating Bomb Threat On Flight
By 1.18.17
While some passengers disrupt flights with drunken rages, verbally abusive outbursts, or other violent actions, others are quieter in their approach. Like a United Airlines passenger who was arrested after allegedly making up a bomb threat and reporting it to the flight crew. [More]
American Airlines’ New ‘Basic Economy’ Fare Means You Board Last & No Bag In Overhead Bin
By 1.18.17
There seems to be a new fare class emerging in air travel lately, essentially dividing the coach cabin between those who can use the overhead bin space, and those who cannot: after United Airlines introduced a cheaper ticket option called a “Basic Economy” fare in November, American Airlines is following suit with — whaddya know? — a “Basic Economy” fare. [More]
Delta Air Lines To Provide Diversity Training To All Employees
By 1.17.17
Between removing unruly or disruptive passengers from flights to denying boarding to travelers with service animals, the way in which airline employees handle tense situations with consumers has come to the forefront. Today, Delta Air Lines announced it would better prepare its employees for these encounters with diversity training. [More]
Airline Introducing Rows Just For Women Amid Recent Reports Of Groping
By 1.17.17
We’ve heard of “quiet zones” on planes that separate children from adults, but a new seating option launching on India’s national airline is new to us: amid reports of men groping and otherwise sexually assaulting women on flights, Air India is introducing female-only rows. [More]
Group Files Complaint About American Airlines’ Allergy Pre-Boarding Policy
By 1.16.17
In many cases, airlines will do everything they can to accommodate passengers with severe allergies: from refraining from passing out complimentary peanuts to allowing travelers to board early to prepare their spaces. But one group claims that American Airline’s policies aren’t so accommodating, filing a federal complaint against the carrier. [More]
JetBlue Offering Passengers Free WiFi On All Flights
By 1.11.17
When traveling by air it might seem like you have to pay for every little thing: checked bags, seats with leg room, among other things. But passengers on JetBlue will now be getting one thing free: WiFi. [More]
Former Senator Kicked Off JetBlue Flight After Speaking Out Against Flight Crew During 6-Hour Delay
By 1.10.17 — Updated: 1.11.17
When you shove a bunch of people into a metal can and force them to wait for hours to go anywhere, those people are probably going to get a bit cranky. And if you then ask some of those folks to exchange seats with extra legroom for seats with less space, well, things might get even more tense. Like on a recent JetBlue flight, where a former lawmaker was escorted off the plane after urging his fellow travelers to protest what he saw as crappy treatment by flight crew amid a six-hour delay. [More]
Sisters Claim Their Father Died Without Them After Allegiant Booted Them From Flight
By 1.6.17
It’s unlikely that getting kicked off a flight is ever a pleasant experience, but two sisters say that when Allegiant Air removed them from a recent flight, they found themselves in a nightmare, unable to reach their father in hospice care before he passed away. [More]
