American Airlines recently unveiled plans to give economy-class passengers even less legroom with its next wave of new planes. Following backlash to this news, the carrier has decided to scrap that idea. [More]
airplanes
NASA Testing New Super Quiet, Supersonic Passenger Jet Design
By 2.27.17
Eleven months after NASA said it was working on a quieter, “low boom” supersonic passenger jet that could travelers around the world in a matter of hours, the agency says it has started testing the plane with Lockheed Martin. [More]
Boeing Might Stop Making 747 Jumbo Jets After Recent Slump In Orders
By 7.28.16
The days of flying through the air in a jumbo jet filled with hundreds of other travelers may someday be a thing of the past, as Boeing says it’s considering stopping production on its 747s. [More]
Maintenance Workers Find Three Kilos Of Cocaine Hidden Inside Two JetBlue Planes
By 7.28.16
A few JetBlue planes were apparently carrying some extra cargo, unbeknownst to the airline, after maintenance workers discovered three kilos of cocaine stashed inside compartments on two aircraft recently. [More]
IBM Teaming Up With GoGo To Help Airplane Pilots Avoid Turbulence In Real Time
By 6.17.16
If the word “turbulence” has you grabbing your chair in fear at the mere thought of a bumpy, rollicking airplane ride, there could be relief in sight. IBM has teamed up with in-flight WiFi company GoGo to provide pilots and dispatchers with real-time turbulence reports and alerts. [More]
Amazon Leases Planes For Air Delivery Fleet
By 3.9.16
While Amazon might not be ready to unleash its Prime Air drones into the skies just yet, that doesn’t mean the e-commerce company isn’t preparing to launch its own fleet of Amazon aircraft. The company has inked a deal to lease planes to carry out some of its fulfillment services. [More]
Boeing Creates Self-Cleaning Airplane Bathroom, Claims To Kill 99.99% Of Germs
By 3.4.16
Ah, the joy of airplane bathrooms: at one point we’ve all had to cram ourselves into the small, overused closets to do our business during a flight. While the facilities are cleaned between flights, some germs or dirt might remain. In a bid to ensure restrooms meet passenger standards, Boeing has created a self-cleaning lavatory. [More]
Either Your Dreams Or Your Nightmares Could Come True With Design For Airplane Observation Deck
By 12.16.15
The good news is, we’ve finally heard about an airplane seating design that doesn’t involve stacking passengers on top of each other or forcing travelers to stare at each other awkwardly. The other news is that the plan for an observation deck built for two atop an airplane could either sound like a dream come true or a nightmare scenario fully realized. [More]
Your Hoverboard Is No Longer Welcome On 3 More Airlines
By 12.10.15
Hoverboards: they’re self-balancing scooters that are currently a hot toy in the sense that they’re very popular, and a hot toy in the sense that they keep bursting into much-publicized flames, sometimes while in use. Airlines all over the world have asked customers to kindly leave their hoverboards on the ground. [More]
Delta Is Taking Seats Out Of 179 Planes To Give Flight Attendants Some Extra Space
By 10.8.15
The good news: an airline is actually trying to make someone more comfortable on airplanes, instead of less. The still good news but not really for travelers news: Delta is removing seats on 179 aircraft to give flight attendants some extra room to work with. [More]
Lawsuit Claims American Airlines Workers Use Water Cooler Jugs To Ferry “Blue Juice” To Airplane Toilets
By 9.24.15
Anyone who’s ever been in an airplane lavatory has probably noticed that the water in the toilet often isn’t clear — it’s blue, because of a cleaning chemical airlines use to keep the facilities as fresh as possible for the large numbers of travelers who will pass through the bathroom during a flight. But a new lawsuit claims American Airlines isn’t servicing its toilets properly at Philadelphia International Airport, and instead of fixing a valve used to pump cleaning chemicals into airplane toilets, it has workers allegedly carting around water cooler jugs filled with the so-called “blue juice.” [More]
Southwest Airlines Receives Yet Another Fine Related To Aircraft Repairs
By 8.18.15
Southwest Airlines faces yet another aircraft repair related fine — this time for $325,000 — from federal regulators after flying an airplane too long after it had received temporary repairs. [More]
Frontier Airlines Rewarding Passengers Stuck In The Middle With A Wider Seat
By 7.14.15
Her arm is touching your arm. His tuna sandwich breath is just too close. Such are the annoyances facing travelers who get stuck with the middle seat on airplanes. Frontier Airlines is willing to throw those passengers a bone, and will be adding an extra bit of room to the middle seat as part of a new seating overhaul on some of its planes. [More]
Virgin America Souping Up WiFi System So Passengers Can Stream Video
By 7.8.15
A growing number of planes now allow passengers to connect to onboard WiFi networks (usually for a fee), but the connection is often sluggish and sometimes unreliable; it’s rarely good enough to stream video dependably. Virgin America hopes its upgraded inflight WiFi will solve that problem. [More]
Dept. Of Justice Investigating Alleged Collusion By Airlines To Keep Ticket Prices High
By 7.1.15
Just weeks after a legislator voiced concern that a shrinking airline industry has perpetuated potential anti-competitive behavior aimed at keeping the price of airfare high, the Department of Justice revealed it is looking into the possibility of collusion between airlines.
[More]
United Airlines Flight Forced To Turn Around After Passenger Refuses To Stop Smoking
By 6.29.15
Though it might seem like “no smoking” signs on airplanes aren’t even needed anymore — who could possibly think lighting up a cigarette in an enclosed cabin filled with other people is okay? — there are apparently those out there who still need reminding that smoking isn’t allowed. To wit: a United Airlines flight headed to Boston from Denver was forced to turn around after a passenger reportedly lit up and refused to stop smoking. [More]
Warrant: Researcher Claims He Commandeered Flight Through In-Flight Entertainment System
By 5.18.15
Nearly a month after a government report identified security weaknesses within the airline industry, including the possibility that newer airplanes with interconnected WiFi systems could be hacked, a recently obtained Federal Bureau of Investigation search warrant shows a security researcher claims he briefly took control of an aircraft after hacking into the plane’s in-flight entertainment system. [More]
Dozens Of American Airlines Flights Delayed Over Pilot iPad Glitch
By 4.29.15
Flights get delayed for any number of reasons: bad weather, crew members running late, mechanical problems and trouble with pilots’ iPads. Okay, that last one doesn’t seem routine, but American Airlines says that was exactly the reason why dozens of the airline’s flights were delayed Tuesday night. [More]
