Here’s a lesson from Delta Airlines: If you think you smell alcohol on a pilot’s breath, don’t dare ask the flight crew if he’d been drinking; you’ll just end up being kicked off the flight. That’s what happened to a woman from California, who recently found herself booted from a Delta flight. [More]
the unfriendly skies
Spirit Starts Charging Up To $45 For Carry-On Bags
By 8.1.10
Prepare to shift that carry-on bag to your other hand as you reach for your wallet because today is the day Spirit rolls out their new fee for carry-on bags. Billed as an ostensible solution to gate delays, the worst problem you never experienced, the fee ranges from $20 to $45. [More]
Ryanair Passenger: I Was Detained For Complaining About Food
By 7.26.10
Ryanair, the discount airline known for its dirt cheap prices, headline-making PR stunts and occasionally outrageous ideas for what passengers should pay fees for, is defending itself against allegations from a passenger who says he was detained by police at a Norwegian airport because he’d been vocally displeased with his on-board food service. [More]
Are Tarmac Rules Causing More Flight Cancellations?
By 7.20.10
According to a new study, the recently enacted DOT regulations that levy huge fines against airlines for planes that sit on the tarmac for more than three hours have been forcing carriers to cancel flights rather than face possible stiff penalties. [More]
Woman Kicked Off Plane For Unruly Behavior, Goes Back To Airport To Be Even More Disruptive
By 7.12.10
A female passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight threw her name into consideration for Most Aggressively Annoying Person On Earth over the weekend. Not only did she cause her flight to make an unscheduled landing, she later returned to the airport to wreak even more havoc. [More]
Airlines Made Nearly $8 Billion From Fees In 2009
By 5.6.10
All those little surcharges to your airline tickets sure do add up. A recently released DOT report states that U.S. air carriers raked in $7.8 billion in fees last year, a 42% increase over 2008. [More]
Continental Flight Diverted Over Threatening Message
By 4.28.10
A flight from Houston to Washington, D.C., was diverted to an airport in North Carolina earlier today after what is being described as a threatening message was discovered on the jet’s bathroom mirror. [More]
Survey: Which Airline Fees Are The Most Evil?
By 4.8.10
Between Spirit Airlines deciding to charge for carry-on bags and Ryanair installing pay toilets on their planes, it hasn’t been a good PR week for air travel. But not all airline surcharges are created equal, so we want to get your feedback on which extras — from food to headphones to legroom — get your blood boiling the most. [More]
Spirit Airlines Now Charging Up To $45 For Carry On Bags
By 4.6.10
Welcome to the slippery slope of air travel fees. Today, discount flier Spirit Airlines announced that they will begin charging anywhere from $20 to $45 for you to carry on your own bag. [More]
New Security Measures Halt Mandatory Screening Of Travelers From 14 Countries
By 4.2.10
New security measures announced today by the Department of Homeland Security will eliminate the mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran. Instead, only travelers matching the most current threat information will be put under the microscope. [More]
Crappy Food, Flimsy Headphones & 5 Other Things That Used To Be Free On Flights
By 3.24.10
Somewhere in the last two decades, airplane food went from comedy punchline to premium purchase (though the quality is still often laughable), airline headphones went from “crappy but they’ll do in a pinch” to “crappy but I have to pay up to $5 for them,” and you may soon need to pay to join the mile-high club on some airlines. It was enough to make the folks at KIVI TV nostalgiac enough to look back at 7 former freebies we no longer enjoy. [More]
Pilots Who Missed Minnesota Will Not Appeal License Revocation
By 3.15.10
Remember those Northwest Airlines pilots who were too busy looking at their laptops to bother landing in Minneapolis? They have made a deal with the FAA to drop their appeal to have their licenses reinstated. [More]
