Many air travelers fly with multiple devices that use lithium-ion batteries: phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, smartwatches, fitness band, and more. As these batteries have become so widely used, the number of incidents involving exploding lithium-ion batteries on planes also appears to be on the rise. [More]
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Have Loyalty Programs Made Airlines Complacent About Customer Service?
By 6.9.17
If you show your loyalty to an airline by continually flying that carrier (and maybe using their co-branded credit card), you might expect that this would result in better customer service. However, one top airline executive thinks the industry’s reliance on loyalty rewards programs are actually making customer service more impersonal. [More]
How To Beat Jet Lag
By 6.7.17
Nothing can wreck a vacation like arriving at your destination and being too exhausted to enjoy it. But that’s just what may happen if you experience jet lag—a disruption of your body’s natural 24-hour cycle, or circadian rhythm, which occurs when you travel across multiple time zones. [More]
Will United Refund Tickets On Soon To Be Suspended Flights To Venezuela?
By 6.5.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Scoring a direct flight from the U.S. to Caracas, Venezuela just got a bit more difficult for travelers, especially those who prefer to fly with United Airlines, as the company announced it would suspend flights to the country this summer. [More]
Do You Have To Be 21 To Drink On International Flights?
By 5.31.17
Just about every college kid who’s flown to Europe knows that when they land they’ll be able to get a beer without the fake ID they paid too much to acquire from their neighbor’s creepy older brother. But can those under-21 travelers drink during that flight? Depends on the airline. [More]
Homeland Security Won’t Expand Laptop Ban To Flights From Europe (For Now)
By 5.30.17
The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed to Consumerist that it will not be expanding a ban on laptops in the cabins of U.S.-bound aircraft to cover flights coming from Europe. At the same time, DHS cautions that this restriction still remains a possibility in the future. [More]
Delta Passenger Claims He Was Interrogated After Falling Asleep On Flight
By 5.30.17
A Delta Air Lines passenger claims he was yelled at by a flight attendant and grilled by law enforcement after he fell asleep on a recent flight. [More]
Passenger Kicked Off Southwest Flight Tries To Run Back On Plane, Gets Tackled Instead
By 5.30.17
A man who was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight last night was not going to take no for an answer, and apparently thought he could somehow run his way back onto the plane. He was mistaken. [More]
New Baggage Scanners May Someday Let You Bring Liquids Through Airport Security
By 5.26.17
The Transportation Security Administration may be testing new ways to get travelers through security checkpoints more quickly and efficiently by having them remove additional items from their carry-on bags, but the companies that make these devices have developed technology that could eventually save you from having to take out your laptop at the checkpoint or guzzle that bottle of water before you’re forced to throw it out. [More]
Bipartisan Bill Would Open Up Cuba To Tourist Travel Again
By 5.25.17
Though multiple U.S. airlines now fly directly to Cuba, tourism is not on the list of 12 travel categories that are eligible to visit the island nation. A newly introduced Senate bill with bipartisan support intends to do away with that restriction and open up Cuba once again to all Americans. [More]
DHS Hasn’t Decided Whether To Expand Laptop Ban To U.S-Bound Flights From Europe
By 5.25.17
After rumors started circulating that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would maybe, possibly expand its limited in-flight electronics ban to include U.S.-bound planes from Europe, or even put domestic flights under that umbrella, some in the airline industry started to get worried. They’ll have to fret a bit longer, however, as the agency hasn’t made up its mind on that front yet. [More]
United Mistakenly Removes Carry-On Bag, Stranding Man At Airport For 20 Hours
By 5.25.17
A United Airlines passenger from New Zealand found himself stranded at a San Francisco airport for 20 hours this week; not because of weather, or mechanical issues, or any sort of attempt to reenact the 2004 Tom Hanks comedy The Terminal. No, his prolonged stay in airport purgatory was thanks to a United employee who mistakenly removed the man’s carry-on bag from his flight. [More]
You Could Soon Be Unloading A Lot More From Your Bag At Airport Security
By 5.24.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
The Transportation Security Administration and airlines, alike, have implemented processes at airports designed to take some of the burden out of the security line — from fully automated checkpoints to hiring more screeners. Now, the TSA is working on more changes intended to make the security process more efficient — like removing food from carry-ons and using digital ID scanners. But before we can speed through the checkpoints, some unsuspecting passengers will have serve as guinea pigs. [More]
Same-Sex Couple With 3 Kids Claims Southwest Denied Them Family Boarding Privileges
By 5.22.17
Two Florida dads traveling with their three children say that Southwest Airlines staff would not allow their group to pre-board a flight with other families traveling on the same plane. [More]
Dutch King Has Secretly Been Co-Piloting KLM Flights For 21 Years
By 5.19.17
Sure, they call it KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, but who knew royalty was actually flying the planes? [More]
National Guardsman Says United Wrongly Charged Him $200 For Checked Bag
By 5.18.17
A National Guardsman returning home to Texas following nearly two years in Afghanistan says United Airlines broke its own policy by charging him $200 to check a bag full of gear. [More]
Airline Bumpings Were Up, But Complaints Went Down In First Months Of 2017
By 5.17.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
The first few months of 2017 haven’t exactly been great for airlines, what with system outages, bumped passengers being dragged off planes, and other customer service fiascos. In fact, new federal data shows that bumpings were slightly up during the first quarter of 2017, while complaints filed against airlines actually dropped 19%. [More]
Delta Wants To Expedite Self-Service Bag Drops With Facial Recognition Tech
By 5.15.17
As businesses continue to turn to facial recognition technology to do everything from verifying your identity to make a credit card purchase to preventing toilet paper thieves, Delta Air Lines is hoping that it can use biometrics to help streamline its self-service bag drops. [More]
