“It was human error during routine testing,” United Chief Operating Officer Pete McDonald told airline employees on a recorded call. “An employee made a mistake and caused the failure of both Unimatic and our backup system.”
airlines
United Blames Human Error For Computer Failure
By 6.22.07
Grandmother Busted By The TSA For Trying To Sneak A Bread Knife Past Security
By 6.22.07
Cecilia Beaman is a 57-year-old grandmother, a middle school principal and part-time terrorist. She was busted by the TSA for attempting to sneak a 5 1/2 inch bread knife with a rounded tip and a serrated blade onto an airplane.
US Airways Partners With Bait And Switch Credit Card Sales Company
By 6.22.07
So tonight, I was unpacking, I got the calculator out of the box, and – surprise – I find out that I’d applied for a Master Card with Barclays Bank. Not just any master card, this one had an APR of either 18.24% or 20.24%. What a deal – about double what any of our cards are right now…
Cathay Pacific Airlines Lets Passengers Sit For 7 Hours, Then Cancels Flight
By 6.21.07
“While still on board, our cabin crew worked to ensure the comfort of passengers providing snacks, beverage refreshments and a hot meal. Many passengers were asleep on board as we provided refreshments and updates on the delay,” the airline said in a written statement.
Continental Airlines Sewage Flight, Eyewitness Account
By 6.20.07
“To be blatantly honest, I was more nervous than I had ever been on a flight,” said [passenger] Collin Brock. “I’ve never felt so offended in all my life. I felt like i had been physically abused and neglected. I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours,” said Brock.
Here’s what happened: Mid-way through the flight, the toilets stopped working. The flight made an unscheduled stop in Shannon, Ireland to fix the problem…but the problem wasn’t fixed. Shortly after take-off a sewage geyser started, and this time Continental didn’t turn back.
Northwest Airlines Will Not Trade A Hot Meal For Pringles
By 6.20.07
So I told the flight attendant “no thanks” to the dinner — but instead, I said, I would like a can of the Pringles that, as I’d heard over the P.A., were being offered for sale in coach.
AirTran's Disingenuous "System-Wide Summer Sale"
By 6.19.07
Monday, AirTran announced a so-called “System-Wide Summer Sale.” FareCompare.com looked at the price history and found that instead, AirTran had raised prices, then lowered them, calling the delta a “sale.”
How To Avoid Getting Bumped From A Flight
By 6.18.07
Tips for protecting against getting bumped from a flight, courtesy of the July issue of Kiplinger’s we found on the airplane this weekend.
Airlines Flying Old Planes, Not Buying New Ones
By 6.13.07
According to Reuters, the “legacy” airlines are flying old planes and not ordering any new ones. The youngest fleet belongs to Continental—their planes have an average age of 10 years. So why aren’t airlines buying any new, more fuel efficient planes?
Yes Virginia, Scammers DO Use Stolen Credit Cards To Buy Airline Tickets
By 6.13.07
After reading some of the incredulous comments on, “Easy For Fraudsters To Fool E-Ticket Kiosks,” we asked a former identity thief whether fraudsters ever actually used stolen credit cards for airline tickets. He said:
Yes, people card them and yes its very risky, however people have made a killing doing it.
— BEN POPKEN
US Airways Lost And Found: "That's Pretty Low On Our Priority List"
By 6.12.07
We’re not the only ones confounded by US Airways disgustingly broken Lost and Found system. Randy writes:
UPDATE: US Airways Broken Lost And Found Page
By 6.12.07
We reported to US Airways how their online Lost and Found form leads to a 404 error, and this is the response we got:
Dear Ben Popken,
US Airways Numbers That Don't Work Quite Right
By 6.12.07
US Airways’ phone system is jacked up and many publicly provided numbers don’t seem to go to the right place. Par example:
- 866-523-5333 – Customer care. Press 3 to leave a comment or complaint about a previous flight, stay on hold for 30+ minutes and/or get told they’re really sorry but there just doesn’t seem to be anyone around to help you.
US Airways Broken Lost And Found Page
By 6.11.07
The US Airways Lost and Found website page returns a 404 Not Found error when accessed. Maybe they should try looking in their lost and found? But how would they reach themselves?
Easy For Fraudsters To Fool E-Ticket Kiosks
By 6.11.07
It would be really easy for someone to steal your credit card and buy and use an airplane ticket.
