Overbooking is a common practice in the airline industry, where carriers generally prefer the possibility of paying out vouchers or refunds to bumped passengers over leaving the ground with empty seats that could have been filled. But after a recent United Airlines incident pushed overbooking into the spotlight, airlines are rethinking the practice. United and Delta have raised their maximum payouts to bumped passengers, and this morning Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said his airline will soon stop overbooking. [More]
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Thousands Of Flights Cancelled Today And Tomorrow Because Of Massive Winter Storm
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
If you were planning to travel to the Northeast this week, you’ll probably need to change your itinerary, as more than 1,000 flights have already been canceled in advance of a massive snowstorm.. [More]
Southwest Airlines Giving “No Thought Whatsoever” To Checked Bag Fees
By 10.31.16
Southwest Airlines is the only one of the largest U.S. commercial airlines that does not charge for customers to check bags, meaning the company is missing out on this multibillion-dollar revenue stream. While Southwest CEO Gary Kelly acknowledges the need to bring in more money for his business, he says his company has no plans to lose its “bags fly free” identity. [More]
Federal Safety Regulators Investigating Report Of Replacement Samsung Note 7 Catching Fire
By 10.5.16
Earlier today, a Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville to Baltimore had to be evacuated after smoke and fire began to spew out of a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, one that was replaced and should not have had an overheating battery. Now, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed that it is looking into this incident. [More]
Replacement, Supposedly Non-Flammable Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Catches Fire On Plane
By 10.5.16 — Updated: 10.7.16
We’ve heard from dozens and dozens of readers who have had trouble exchanging their defective Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones since the recall became official. Consumers who do get their hands on new phones, though, are supposed to be able to trust that those units are safe — or at least, as safe as any other new phone — and are not going to catch fire while in use. [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]
Southwest Getting Flights In The Air Again Today After Cancelling 700 Flights; Expect Big Backlog
By 7.21.16 — Updated: 3.17.17
If you were trying to fly anywhere on Southwest Airlines in the last 24 hours, you likely experienced some major headaches. And if you’re trying to fly anywhere on Southwest today, well, expect some more. [More]
Alaska Airlines Testing Flights With Fuel Made From Fermented Corn
By 6.7.16
Fuel prices may have dropped for airlines in the past year, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for alternative means to power their aircraft. To that end, Alaska Airlines today flew two flights using a biofuel mixture derived from fermented corn. [More]
An Improved Spirit Airlines Still Comes In Last In Customer Satisfaction Survey
By 4.26.16
A year ago, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines made its debut in the American Customer Satisfaction Index with a thud, coming in dead last among airlines in the annual survey. But even with a 15% improvement over last year’s score, Spirit still couldn’t escape the cellar. [More]
You Can Use Amazon Payments Instead Of Your Credit Card On Southwest Flights
By 2.24.16
Southwest Airlines could have partnered up with a number of online payment services to let passengers log in to their accounts instead of pulling out their credit cards to pay for in-air WiFi and entertainment, including on their own devices. [More]
Southwest And American Planes Collide On Taxiway In Detroit This Morning
By 2.17.16
Passengers on early flights this morning in Detroit got a scary jolt when their planes collided while passing each other on the taxiway. Early this morning at the Detroit Metropolitan airport in the suburb of Romulus, the wing of an American Airlines aircraft clipped the tail of a Southwest aircraft while both were on their way to be de-iced. [More]
Senator Calls For Federal Investigation Into Airline Prices, Data Withholding
By 7.20.15
When looking to book a flight, many consumers find it easier to peruse third-party comparison sites such as Kayak, Orbitz or Expedia where airfare can be easily compared among different airlines. While airlines have had their share of issues with sites that often lead to some fares disappearing, one legislator is calling for a federal investigation over allegations that some carriers completely withhold information from such travel sites in an attempt to block passengers from finding the best price possible. [More]
Does Booking Direct With The Airline Actually Offer You The Lowest Price?
By 6.8.15
It’s no secret that some airlines have little love for online travel-booking sites. Southwest only lets travelers book fares directly through the airline and Delta has cut ties with a number of booking/listing sites, including TripAdvisor. The airline industry claims that booking directly will get consumers the lowest prices on airfare, but is that true? [More]
Southwest Airlines Extends Fare Sale Due To Ongoing Website Issues
By 6.4.15
This week, Southwest Airlines had a sale on tickets that was popular. Extremely popular. It was so popular that aspiring passengers couldn’t get through to the company’s website or phone lines, and many wished that the sale could be extended for an extra day to make up for forcing customers to hit “refresh” repeatedly. [More]
Demand For Southwest Airlines Sale Fares Overwhelms Website
By 6.3.15
It’s probably not surprising that when Southwest Airlines announced a summer sale with one-way fares as cheap as $49, travelers were delighted. They were so delighted that they’ve overwhelmed the carrier’s site, making it difficult for customers to book new flights, or to print their boarding passes for travel that’s planned for, um, now. [More]
What Are The Best And Worst Airlines For Using Rewards Travel?
By 5.14.15
So you’ve racked up a bunch of frequent flier miles or loyalty points or whatever your preferred airline calls them, but can you actually use those rewards to book free travel when you want? For some U.S.-based carriers, the answer ranges from “almost definitely” to “good luck.” [More]
Fewer Airlines Does Not Mean Fewer Flight Delays
By 5.13.15
Airlines merge because it makes them more efficient: at least, that’s what they say. Does all of that cost-cutting behind the scenes translate to efficiencies on the runways and in getting planes in the air in a timely fashion? Well…no, not really. Sometimes two airlines merging has meant that they end up with a lower percentage of on-time flights than each of the two airlines originally did together. [More]
