Four months ago, the Department of Transportation banned e-cigs from being checked in baggage after a couple dozen fires and explosions. Now, the agency is taking another step toward safety by actually banning the devices from being used during flights. [More]
travel
NASA Is Working On A Project To Make A Quieter Supersonic Passenger Jet
By 3.1.16 — Updated: 2.27.17
Sitting in economy class with your knees jammed up to the seat in front of you, fighting for armrest territory with your elbows as weapons, you may have found yourself wishing that your flight would somehow just be over with faster. That’s the future NASA is working on now, with a goal for a “low boom” supersonic jet that could carry travelers to any city in the world in six hours or less. [More]
Shoes That Look Like They’re Made With Guns, Bullet Bracelets Will Get The TSA’s Attention
By 3.1.16
Obviously, when people travel, they bring part of their closet with them on the road. But if your closet includes shoes that resemble guns and bracelets with realistic looking bullets on them, just be prepared for the Transportation Security Administration to have a few questions if you’re packing that kind of fashion heat in your carry-on bag. [More]
Airbnb Guests Find Decomposing Body In French Rental’s Garden
By 2.29.16
We’ve heard of Airbnb horror stories before — from nightmare renters who refuse to leave, to guests who find hidden cameras watching them — but this might be one of the worst, and saddest: renters staying at a house near Paris discovered the decomposing body of a woman in the home’s garden. [More]
Hotels.com Leap Year Promotion Specifically Excludes Pretty Much Every Hotel Everywhere
By 2.29.16
Marketers are having a lot of fun with the idea of Leap Day, which is nice: it’s a fun non-holiday that everyone who uses the Gregorian calendar can appreciate, but that a marketer didn’t have to invent. One promotion at Hotels.com seems like a nice idea –– in a virtual drawing, customers can choose a coupon worth up to 29% off their total hotel bill –– but the key question is, which hotel? [More]
Cruise Ship Recently Damaged In Major Storm Turns Around Again Due To Bad Weather, Norovirus Outbreak
By 2.29.16
Royal Caribbean cruise ship Anthem of the Seas is not having a good year so far: after getting smacked around by a major storm in February, the vessel had to turn around on another journey due to more bad weather, and, to add to the fun for passengers this time, a norovirus outbreak. [More]
Airlines Offering Fee Waivers After Winter Weather Snarls Flights
By 2.24.16
High winds and an impending snowstorm have brought a number of delays and cancellations to air travel into and out of Chicago airports today. As a result, many airlines are now offering to waive fees for travelers seeking to change their plans. [More]
No Passengers Injured When Megabus Catches Fire, Explodes Outside Of Chicago
By 2.22.16
In September 2010, a Megabus en route to Chicago burst into flames. History appeared to repeat itself Sunday, when another of the company’s discount travel buses caught fire in a suburb of the Windy City. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident, but passengers say they lost hundreds of dollars in possessions. [More]
Delta Flight Heading To NYC Diverted Twice, Finally Lands At Destination After 30 Travel Hours
By 2.17.16
It’s bad enough to be on a flight that gets diverted once, potentially delaying arrival time and generally mucking with your life. But passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight that left Monday for New York City had an even larger headache this week, when their plane took 30 travel hours to reach its final destination, after being diverted twice. [More]
American Airlines Will Give You Free Treats At The Gate If Your Flight Is Delayed For At Least Two Hours
By 2.12.16
Would a bag of pretzels or a can of soda placate you if your flight were delayed for two hours? American Airlines hopes that’s all it’ll take. [More]
Maiden Voyage Of Titanic II Pushed Back To 2018, Ship Won’t Cross The Atlantic After All
By 2.11.16
If you’ve been patiently waiting to pack your valise and embark on a totally not ill-fated journey on a boat named Titanic this year, you’ll have to put that plan on hold a little while longer. The Australian tycoon behind plans for the Titanic II — a fully-functioning replica of the original vessel that sank beneath the frigid waves in 1912, killing 1,503 people — says the boat won’t be ready until 2018, and it has a new route. [More]
DOT: Average U.S. Airfare At Lowest Price Since 2010
By 2.10.16
It’s not often that we get to use the word “cheap” along with “airfare,” but that’s the case today, after the U.S. Department of Transportation released its quarterly numbers, showing that the average price for an airline ticket in the third quarter of 2015 was the lowest it’s been in six years. [More]
Alaska Airlines Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Allegedly Threatened Crew
By 2.10.16
An Alaska Airlines flight headed to Boston from San Diego last night had to make an unscheduled stop midway through the trip, when a drunk passenger allegedly became abusive and threatened the crew, the airline said. [More]
Congressman Wants The FAA To Put A Limit On How Tiny Airplane Seats Can Get
By 2.9.16
That feeling you get on an airplane, the one where it feels like the whole thing is a tin of sardines ad you are just one little fish packed up tightly against all the others? You’re clearly not alone, says everyone who has ever been seated in economy on a flight, which is why one lawmaker is trying to establish minimum seat size standards for all airlines to abide by. [More]
Airline Doesn’t Know Where Many Of Its Passengers Are Right Now
By 2.5.16
We know airline customer service representatives are trained to field calls about missing baggage, or even lost pets. But what happens when an airline misplaces all of its passengers? [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]
United Airlines Reverses Policy After Four Years, Will Let Families Pre-Board Again
By 2.1.16
United Airlines is changing course after four years, announcing that it will once again allow families with young children to board early. [More]
World Health Organization Declares Zika Virus “Emergency”: Which Airlines Offer Refunds, Rebooking?
By 2.1.16
The World Health Organization officially declared the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that has been linked to birth defects in thousands of babies, an International Health Emergency. [More]
