When it comes to air travel, it seems that every few months a passenger is assaulted by a fellow traveler. This time a woman on a Virgin America flight said her seat mate inappropriately touched her, and then offered to buy drinks to smooth things over. [More]
flying the unfriendly skies
American Airlines Pilot Tackles Passenger Charged With Assaulting Flight Attendant
By 8.2.16
A Kentucky man is banned from flying on commercial airlines after being arrested on a slew of charges following an altercation with an American Airlines flight attendant that resulted in the man being pinned to the ground by the plane’s pilot. [More]
Southwest Passengers Recall Long Lines, Poor Communication During Massive Glitch
By 7.27.16
A major issue with its technical systems left thousands of Southwest Airlines flights grounded last week, leaving passengers stranded with few options: wait out the glitch or look for alternative means of travel. [More]
Man Accused Of Groping Unaccompanied Minor On American Airlines Flight
By 6.20.16
Yet again, we find ourselves in the unfortunate situation of having to write about an airline passenger accused of inappropriately touching another person on their flight. In the case of a recent incident reported on an American Airlines flight, a man allegedly groped a 13-year-old girl traveling alone. [More]
Minneapolis Man Sues TSA For $500 Over Missed Flight
By 6.13.16
For the better part of the spring, airlines, airports, and federal regulators have received the ire of consumers who say they have waited in endless security checkpoints. The back and forth between these groups and travelers has now reached another level: litigation, as one passenger has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to recoup the cost of a ticket for a flight he missed due to excessive wait times at security. [More]
Mother Says American Airlines Failed To Tell Her When Unaccompanied Daughter’s Flight Was Diverted, Canceled
By 2.18.16
You put a lot of trust in an airline when you hand over your unaccompanied child for a solo flight. At the very least, you’d hope that someone might let you know when your kid’s flight is diverted and then canceled. [More]
Frontier Passengers Stuck On Tarmac For 3 Hours Rip Airline For “Worthless” Vouchers
By 2.17.16
Under federal laws, airlines are prohibited from forcing passengers to sit on a plane for more than three hours. Frontier Airlines barely missed that deadline in Philadelphia this week, where passengers say they were stranded on a plane for just under three hours after enduring a series of delays. [More]
Unruly JetBlue Passenger Charged With Attacking Fellow Travelers, Flight Attendant
By 2.2.16
Another day, another unruly passenger allegedly stirring up trouble on an airplane: authorities say a man had four alcoholic drinks on a JetBlue flight on Sunday, and ended up being charged with assaulting crew members and a fellow passenger. [More]
Shuttle America Flight Diverted After Passenger Allegedly Became Violent Toward Flight Attendants, Others
By 1.8.16
We get it, sometimes you want to shove your seatmate’s elbow off the armrest, or maybe wish evil upon the person taking up all the overhead space. But cooler heads should prevail, lest you find your flight making an unscheduled stop. A Shuttle America flight yesterday had to be diverted after a passenger allegedly attacked a flight attendant and her fellow travelers. [More]
United Airlines Fined $2.75M For Tarmac Delays, Treatment Of Disabled Passengers
By 1.8.16
In October, United Airlines apologized to a disabled passenger who ended up crawling off the plane after he was told he’d have to wait up to 50 minutes for a wheelchair. This is just one of several complaints related to United’s treatment of disabled passengers. When combined with penalties for stranding passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours, the airline now faces federal fines of $2. 75 million. [More]
United Passenger Says Airline Suggested She Pump Breast Milk In Pet Relief Area
By 10.6.15
Over the years, airlines have been found to be less than welcoming when it comes to nursing mothers: a flight attendant shaming a women for breastfeeding during a flight or the carrier that made a mother check a bag containing her breast pump. That rocky relationship continued this week as a United Airlines passenger says she was instructed to use a “pet relief’ area for pumping purposes. [More]
American Airlines Fined $20K For Failing To Adequately Compensate Bumped Passengers
By 9.17.15
If you get bumped from a flight because the airline overbooked the plane, you usually get some sort of compensation — money or vouchers for future flights — in exchange for having to change your travel plans. But federal regulators say American Airlines screwed up when it bumped nearly a dozen passengers from a Miami-to-London flight and failed to tell them why or offer them anything for their troubles. [More]
United Airlines Passenger Tied To Seat After Becoming Aggressive On Transatlantic Flight
By 9.3.15
The long trip across the Atlantic got a bit longer for passengers on a United Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Newark after one passenger reportedly became aggressive and had to be restrained for much of the 11-hour journey. [More]
Punching Another Passenger Will Get You Booted From A Plane, Arrested
By 8.6.15
Every once in a while we’ve reported on airline passengers behaving badly – throwing drinks on people, groping fellow passengers, attempting to open doors and other potentially dangerous actions. One such case – that included a few punches – occurred yesterday on a United Airlines flight and ended with one person arrested. [More]
Airline Apologizes After Repeatedly Mistreating Traveler In Wheelchair
By 7.16.15
A US Airways passenger with muscular dystrophy says he was dropped by crew members, had his shoe knocked off, was left in the aisle, and then twice left at the wrong gate. Now the airline’s new owners have some apologizing to do. [More]
You Can Add Wasps To The List Of Things That Can Divert Flights
By 6.26.15
Time and again we’ve reported on incidents in which an unruly passenger diverts a plane. But what about an unruly insect? Apparently it’s possible, as Allegiant Airlines says a recent flight had to make an unscheduled landing because of an unticketed wasp. [More]
Allegiant Air Pilots Once Again Raise Concerns With Airline’s Safety Practices
By 6.23.15
Pilots of Nevada-based budget carrier Allegiant Air are once again expressing their concerns that the airline’s bare minimum approach to maintenance and operations comes at the cost of passenger safety, this time in a letter to the company’s board of directors. [More]
Are Spirit Airlines Pilots Striking? Customers Say Yes, Airline Remains Mum
By 6.18.15
UPDATE: Spirit Airlines says that issues affecting its service across the country are not the result of a strike. [More]
