Travelers should be used to not hauling ginormous quantities of liquids/gels/aerosols in their carry-ons on airplanes by now, but you might find your tube of toothpaste under extra scrutiny if you’re heading to Russia for the Olympics. Federal officials have issued a warning to U.S. and some foreign airlines to be on the lookout for toothpaste, whose containers could hold ingredients used to make a bomb on a plane. [More]
airplanes
Here’s How A Guy Used A Single First-Class Ticket To Eat Free For A Year Without Ever Flying
By 1.29.14
In one of the most literal expressions of the phrase “meal ticket” that you’ll probably ever hear, a man in China was able to parlay his single first-class ticket on Eastern China Airlines into a full year of free meals. [More]
Goodness Gracious — Please Tell Us The FCC Isn’t Going To Allow Cellphone Calls On Planes
By 11.22.13
It hasn’t even been a month since the Federal Aviation Administration said it would finally let airline passengers use devices like tablets and phones from gate to gate, but now another federal agency is considering letting loose the hounds of Hades: The Federal Communications Commission is considering allowing travelers to make phone calls in midair. [More]
Gogo To Roll Out Inflight Texting & Phone Service Because Heaven Forbid You Unplug For More Than A Couple Minutes
By 11.8.13
Gogo, which provides WiFi Internet access for a number of airlines, announced today that it will be introducing a service that allows customers to use their smartphones for texting and talking while traveling on an airplane. [More]
Pilot Lands Airplane On Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive Because He Had To Land Somewhere
By 9.23.13
There are plenty of things on the earth that could handle a plane — fields, waterways, anywhere without people — roads being a pretty close choice after an actual runway. It just so happens that one of Chicago’s busiest byways turned into a runway early Sunday morning when a pilot had to make use of Lakeshore Drive in an emergency landing situation. [More]
Should Airlines Do Away With Reclining Seats Once & For All?
By 2.19.13
There it is, right in front of your face. Sure, it looks innocent enough but any second its controller could decide to hit the lever and WHOMP! the seat in front of you thwacks into reclining position, punishing your knees, spilling your club soda and eliciting a grumpy huff from your lips. What choice do you have but to follow suit and recline your seat as well? [More]
Boeing Using Potatoes As Stand-Ins For Human Passengers To Test Wi-Fi Signals
By 12.20.12
Potato, potato. Either way you say it (or slice it, then fry it up real nice), Boeing is using sacks of the starchy stuff to test airplane Wi-Fi signals. Apparently the human body and sacks of potatoes have enough in common that the company can figure out how signals will bounce around onboard using the food as stand-ins. [More]
FAA: Sorry That Holes In Your Roof Are Maybe From Frozen Waste Falling From The Sky
By 9.11.12
Blue ice or frozen airplane waste? Potato, pot-ah-to but for two homeowners on Long Island, it all boils down to the same result — gaping holes in the roof. The Federal Aviation Administration is trying to figure out how the homes got damaged and whether or not homeowners are correct in thinking that something super gross fell from a plane passing overhead. [More]
I Want To Reunite Lost Kindle And Its Owner, But Amazon Won’t Help
By 7.6.12
Matt is trying to do a nice thing. The previous occupant of his seat on a plane left a Kindle behind in the seatback pocket. He took it with him, planning to reunite the device with its owner. But that person has a very common name, and Amazon has no interest in being a go-between to help reunite lost Kindles with their owners. [More]
All United, Continental Flights Will Have WiFi By 2015
By 11.7.11
WiFi access in airplanes is becoming more and more common, and the United-Continental monolith is out to make the feature ubiquitous in its aircraft fleet within the next three years. The airlines, which are owned by United Continental Holdings, are pumping up 300 more planes with WiFi in the middle of 2012, thanks to a partnership with Panasonic Avionics Corporation. [More]
Study: Airplane Contrails Cause More Climate Change Than Carbon Emissions
By 3.31.11
A new study contends airplanes leave behind water vapor skywriting that yields frightening messages about the effects flights have on the environment. [More]
You Really Should Be Turning Off Portable Electronic Devices On Planes
By 3.14.11
Yes! Vindication! You were totally right to give that snooty guy sitting next to you the stinkeye when he refused to turn off his Kindle before takeoff, because you know, for some reason, he thinks the rules don’t apply to him. Anyway: A new study cites 75 instances since 2003 where portable electronic devices may have interfered with airplane communication, navigation or surveillance systems. [More]
Body Found Outside Boston May Have Fallen From Plane
By 11.23.10
Reuters says police are investigating the possibility that the body of a 16-year-old North Carolina high school student fell from a plane approaching Logan Airport. So far, they have been unable to explain why the boy, who ran away from home, would have been found dead in Milton, MA. [More]
Score Better Seats For Holiday Travel
By 10.28.10
Oftentimes, just booking a flight during the holidays is enough to give you the blues. So why not try to make your trip as comfortable as possible by making sure you get a decent seat? [More]
How Do Airlines Compare On Fees?
By 9.27.10
It’s hard to keep track of all the extra fees airlines have invented to pad a ticket purchase, especially since they keep introducing new ones; USA TODAY says revenue from added fees have jumped nearly 16% from a year ago. The newspaper reviewed fees from 13 airlines in the U.S. and compiled this handy reference chart of current fee schedules, to make comparison shopping a little bit easier. As expected, Southwest continues to be one of the best values. [More]
Airport Body Scanners May Replace Your Naked Body With A Generic Avatar, Eventually
By 9.8.10
Bloomberg reports that one of the big companies behind airport full-body scanners has released a software update that replaces your misshapen nakedness with a generically proportioned, nondescript avatar. The software then indicates on the avatar where you should be searched. [More]
United Hates U.S. Diplomatic Relations With Pakistan
By 9.1.10
United has already mastered guitar bashing, so now the airline is moving on to more ambitious projects: screwing up diplomatic relations with other countries. [More]
Be Sure To Confirm Age Requirements Before Buying Airline Tickets For Kids
By 8.30.10
A man in California ended up fighting with Expedia over compensation after his kids, ages 12 and 16, were left stranded overnight in a Virginia airport, because the airline wouldn’t let them board the connecting flight without being accompanied by someone 18 or older. The man told Expedia the kids’ ages before buying the tickets but the company’s system didn’t send up any red flags, so he thought the trip would be fine. [More]
