American Airlines is disputing reports that the oxygen tanks were empty and that the aircraft’s defibrillator did not work on a flight in which a 44-year-old Brooklyn woman died of complications from heart disease and diabetes.
travel
Sensing A Pattern: United Airlines Planes Clip Wings At Dulles International Airport
By 2.25.08
Pilots need to pay attention when they’re taxiing around the airport. Just a week after two US Airways planes clipped wings at Reagan Airport, two United Airlines planes decided to snuggle up at Dulles International Airport.
America's Test Kitchen Picks The Best Commuter Mugs
By 2.25.08
While watching TV yesterday and moaning about how lazy we are, we saw a review of commuter mugs (free registration required) on “America’s Test Kitchen”: “We ordered 11 mugs of different materials, shapes, and sipping structures and organized a battery of tests designed to define the ideal mug, which left us feeling a little like test drivers as we careened around corners trying to spill the coffee or dislodge the mugs.” (Yes, they like the royal “we” too!) See their testing criteria, as well as their top two picks, bottom rung losers, and oddball favorite after the jump.
Woman Dies On AA Flight After Being Refused Help, Then Given Empty Oxygen Tanks
By 2.25.08
A 44-year-old Brooklyn woman was returning from vacation in Haiti when she began to have trouble breathing. According to her cousin who was on the flight with her, she was refused help twice by the flight attendant, then she was brought two oxygen tanks with masks—but both were empty. Her cousin requested an emergency landing, but before they could touch down in Miami she was dead, so the plane continued to JFK. The airline isn’t commenting on why the emergency tanks were empty in the first place. “After the flight attendant refused to administer oxygen to Ms. Desir, she became distressed, pleading, ‘Don’t let me die,’ Mr. Oliver recalled.”
Violating A Hotel's No Smoking Policy Could Cost You $250
By 2.23.08
Hotels are starting to to hit smokers with hefty fines for violating their no smoking policies. Take Dan Cole. He didn’t light up in his non-smoking Marriott room, honest. Those butts in his garbage can? Um, he smoked them somewhere else and threw them out in the room?
By 2.22.08
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Today United Airlines raised most of its domestic fares by $10 roundtrip. Maybe now their flight attendants can start answering call buttons again. [Reuters]
TSA Brings All The Signage Of Skiing To Security Lines, None Of The Fun
By 2.22.08
The TSA is testing a new crowd management system at two airports in Denver and Salt Lake City that they hope will make the security process less troublesome. No, the new system isn’t less invasive or more security-sensible, but it does give families with kids/strollers/bags their own lane, both for their sanity and for ours. Early reports indicate families are happy with it but too many casual travelers think they’re experts and head to the black diamond lane, which is only for people who walk briskly and frown a lot.
By 2.22.08
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It’s snowing in NYC, causing the usual flight delays and cancellations. The FAA says that JFK, LaGuardia and Newark are expecting arrival delays of three to seven hours. The FAA is also reporting that 27 percent flights at Philadelphia International Airport have been canceled. Feel free to share your thoughts about this with us at tips@consumerist.com. [CNN]
We're Too Pretty For Southwest!
By 2.22.08
It seems that the “Too Sexy For Southwest” lady has some imitators! Is there room on the Today show and in Playboy for two more? Travel Troubleshooter columnist Christopher Elliott alerts us to this story out of Tampa, Florida
TSA Won't Let Parents Bring Extra Baby Food In Anticipation Of Delays
By 2.20.08
Two Boston doctors brought, by their admission, “probably two and a half times as much as we’d need” of baby food on a recent flight from Chicago Midway Airport to Manchester, N.H. The TSA agent told them it was above the official limit and confiscated it. The parents argued that in light of record delays, winter weather, and stranded-on-the-tarmac stories, they wanted to be fully prepared. The TSA officers told them they’d need a doctor’s note to bring that much food on board—but, um, from another doctor who wasn’t one of the parents.
By 2.20.08
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A cockpit crew may have fallen asleep during a go! airlines flight from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii. [Star-Bulletin via BoingBoing]
Suggestion: Don't Try To Smuggle A Box Cutter Through Airport Security
By 2.20.08
The TSA says a 21 year-old man was caught smuggling a box cutter onto an airplane by hiding it inside a secret compartment inside a book. The man says he forgot the box cutter was inside the book.
United Flight Attendant Says Call Button Is For Emergencies Only
By 2.19.08
Christine learned an interesting bit of in-flight trivia on her recent United flight: those little call buttons are for emergencies only. What’s more, the flight attendants can psychically sense when it’s an emergency and when you’re just foolin’ with them, and they’ll ignore you if they suspect you’re just going to ask for water. And no, needing to take sinus medicine to prevent clusters of needle-explosions going off in your skull during descent is not an emergency, so go back to your seat.
Watch Out For These 14 Hidden Hotel Fees
By 2.18.08
Fodor’s posted another helpful list of hidden hotel fees to beware of the next time you travel. In most cases, these fees fall under the practice of “negative option billing,” meaning that there’s an assumption you’ve used the related service and therefore agree to the charge. If that’s not the case—or, in the case of gratuities, if you’ve already tipped—you should definitely ask the hotel to remove such fees from your bill.
Drunk Passenger Gets Jail Time, Has To Reimburse American Airlines $7,757
By 2.18.08
The first sign that Russell Petrie was too drunk to fly was probably when he boarded the plane and yelled “let’s party and have some drinks!”
US Airways Planes Clip Wings At Reagan International
By 2.18.08
Courtney Prebich, a MWAA spokeswoman, said that the two planes — a U.S. Airways Airbus A319 headed to LaGuardia Airport and a smaller U.S. Airways Express regional jet on the way to Rochester, N.Y. — were in an area at the north side of the airport waiting for their turn at the runway when the collision occurred.
US Airways Downgrades Frequent Flyer Program
By 2.14.08
US Airways sent out an email this morning to frequent flyer members announcing that it was going to make it harder to earn frequent flyer miles. It used to be that no matter how far the trip was, you would earn at least 500 frequent flyer miles per leg. Now you will only earn the actual number of miles flown. “This pretty much kills anyone who makes US Air Shuttle Trips from NYC / Bos. / DC locations,” writes reader Mike. In addition, if you use your frequent flyer miles to schedule a ticket within 14 days of purchase, they will charge you a $50 fee. Full text of the announcement, inside…
LAX Terminal Evacuated Due To "Suspicious Comment"
20 Southwest Airlines and 2 U.S. Airways flights were delayed after a LAX terminal was evacuated for two hours due to a “suspicious comment” made by a passenger on SWA Flight 1182 from El Paso. We were unable to find out what exactly the “suspicious comment” was, but UPI suggests that it had something to do with explosives in his luggage. The LAPD bomb squad was called, but no explosives were found.