Because some have been known to spontaneously combust, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is banning some lithium batteries from your checked-in luggage. In the spring, a laptop battery related fire erupted in the overhead compartment of a Jetblue flight, and on an American Airlines flight from Argentina, prompting the DOT to issue a warning about packing spare batteries. Lithium batteries are commonly used in laptops and cellphones. However, the rules mainly apply to professionals and/or people who travel with spare batteries. For the most part, batteries installed in the electronic device are fine. Inside, a handy chart to tell you what’s been banned. [More]
airlines
A Big List Of Foods That You Can Bring Through Airport Security
By 12.28.07 — Updated: 6.27.16
The Transportation Security Administration is very clear on what types of foods you can and can not bring onto an airplane, but most people think that the “liquid” ban extends to cheeseburgers. Not so.
The TSA’s only restrictions are that any food items brought through security must be either be whole, natural foods (like an orange), or be in placed in a container or otherwise wrapped up. All food must be x-rayed.
Miss Your Plane And US Airways Cancels Your Return Flight, Offers No Compensation
By 12.27.07
I have a lovely story that I hope you’ll run about our favorite industry… Airlines 🙂
Skybus Repairs Its Planes, Resumes Flying
By 12.27.07
The airline was offering refunds for flights that were canceled and was making efforts to rebook travelers on later Skybus flights. But Skybus was unable to transfer passengers to flights on other airlines because it does not have agreements with other carriers, Tenenbaum said.
Employees May Hate US Airways More Than Their Customers Do
By 12.26.07
A rich record of the employee discontent emerges from regular question-and-answer sessions held at US Airways, which is both the worst-performing big airline in the country and a company that encourages its 36,000 workers to direct tough questions at its chief executive, W. Douglas Parker.
Continental Strands You In Newark With Your Cat, Offers $75 Voucher
By 12.26.07
I just received about the lamest answer from Continental after presenting them with my complaint, a $75 coupon. I was flying into Ponce, through Newark on the 11th of December. Due to weather, supposedly, I missed my connection in Newark and I was left at 1AM, with no bags or vouchers, or apologies, or upgrades of any sort. The next flight was 24 hours away, only one flight a day. I’m attaching the emails I’ve exchanged with them in hope that you’ll publish them and perhaps cause them some well-deserved shame and bad publicity. I can’t believe they boast of ‘best in customer satisfaction.’
Frontier Kicks Grandmother Off Plane, Claims Her Pre-Approved Pet Carrier Was 2" Too Long
By 12.26.07
Frontier airlines kicked a cancer-surviving grandmother in her sixties, Julie Fishback, off their plane because the pet carrier holding her Jack Russell Terrier was two-inches too long. This surprised Julie, who had made the two-hour trek to the airport several days before to confirm that she would be allowed to fly with the “universally accepted” carry-on pet carrier she had recently purchased.
MAXjet Goes Bankrupt, Strands Passengers On Christmas Eve
By 12.26.07
On Monday, the young all-business-class airline MAXjet filed for bankruptcy protection and ceased all operations, “leaving jets on tarmacs and stranding passengers on Christmas Eve.” To compensate, the airline has been booking hotel rooms through early January 2008 in the four cities it served, and trying to arrange for other airlines to take on their passengers—”Continental Airlines and Silverjet Aviation Ltd., another all-business class carrier, said they would honor limited numbers of MAXjet tickets.”
By 12.24.07
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Last Wednesday, a US Judge rejected airlines efforts to overturn a New York state law that says airlines have to provide, “fresh air and lights, waste removal services and adequate food and drinking water” if passengers are stuck on the tarmac for over three hours. [ATA vs CUOMO (PDF)]
People Who Buy First-Class Tickets On Discount Airlines Are Like…
By 12.24.07
benpopken: Well let’s kick it up a notch. Let’s say that a guy buys a first-class ticket on AirTran, and then when the steward is asking all the first-class passengers what they want to drink before take-off, he asks for a Grey Goose and cran…
Worst Times To Fly Into The Top 10 Most Delayed Airports
By 12.21.07
Here are the worst times to fly into the top ten most delayed airports in America. If your flight plans bring you through one of these airports at one of these times, you may want to consider changing your itinerary.
Icelandair Overbooks Flight, Delays Return By 43 Hours, Forgets To Compensate Passengers
By 12.21.07
A reader just sent us a description of her flight back from London to Minneapolis that reads like a synopsis of a particularly unpleasant episode of “The Amazing Race.” The return flight, on Iceland air, was supposed to go from Heathrow in London to Keflavik in Reykjavik, then from there to Minneapolis. The initial flight is delayed for 2 1/2 hours—but not to worry, Icelandair tells the passengers, because the other flight is being held. When they arrive in Iceland, however, there’s no plane waiting for them—it’s been overbooked, so the airline has sent it ahead and left the passengers stranded overnight.
Air Tran Lets You Sit In Urine-Soaked Seat
By 12.20.07
WCVB in Boston says that a woman sat down on a urine-soaked seat on an Air Tran flight to Boston Sunday night. Jennifer Castellano was sitting down for about 30 seconds when she noticed that her pants were wet. She went to the lavatory to check on her clothes and..
Government Will Limit Flights Per Hour At JFK
By 12.19.07
An argument can be made that the irresponsibly overworked New York City airports are causing a bottleneck in air travel that can be felt system-wide. The blame for the area’s poor performance gets passed around between the FAA, the airlines, the airports themselves, the weather and God.
Hawaiian Air Charges $75 "Death Fee"
By 12.19.07
Hawaiian Air charged a $75 fee, per ticket, for processing the refunds after Jane Wilkens’ mom died of a blood clot and wasn’t able to take a planned vacation with her daughter and her friend, in essence, charging the late Mrs. Wilkens a fee for dying.
By 12.18.07
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Over Thanksgiving, five United Airlines workers had to go the hospital for nausea and vomiting after eating the company-provided turkey dinner. “There were questions about whether the turkey smelled quite right,” said Don Wolfel, the president of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Local 4, “The popular opinion was that it didn’t.” [AP]
Even If You Have Colon Cancer, Spirit Air Doesn't Give Refunds
By 12.18.07
David writes:
I had purchased a ticket on Spirit Airlines for a friend of mine in Brooklyn, New York to come and visit me in Orlando. I had purchased the ticket about three months prior to the departure date so I could get the lowest fare. To make a long story short, my friend had been diagnosed with colon cancer and had to start treatment immediately….
Get Around Delays By Bringing Airline's Timetable To The Airport
By 12.18.07
Upgrade: Travel Better has five awesome flying tips that could come in handy during the busy holiday travel season, or really, any time. We like this one in particular:
Carry the airline’s timetable, or a list of alternate flights to your destination, which can be downloaded or printed from any airline’s website. This is useful when you try for a rebooking or want to go standby. Let’s say flights are delayed two hours across the board. The previous flight might still be waiting to push back from the gate. Check the timetable you brought with you and make a beeline for that earlier flight. Try to stand by and get out early, instead of waiting for hours for your scheduled itinerary.
What a good idea! Mark says that with this tip you should also keep alternate routes in mind, so if you’re scheduled to go to LA through Chicago, it doesn’t mean you can’t get to LA by passing through Dallas. With the rise in airline delays and cancellations and overbookings, this is a tip definitely worth remembering.
