It’s not enough for Amazon to sell folks anything from tablets to kitty litter, streaming video to bendy straws — it wants to be in control of its own shipping, too. To show off what the latest step in that plan looks like, Amazon is unveiling its first freight plane, emblazoned with the company logo on the side so no one can mistake who’s in charge. [More]
up in the air
FAA Once Again Fines Southwest Airlines For Maintenance Related Violations
By 4.1.15
For the second time in the last 12 months, Southwest Airlines is facing another fine from the Federal Aviation Administration because of safety issues; this time totaling $328,550. [More]
Southwest Gets OK To Continue Flying 128 Planes That Missed Inspections
By 2.25.15
Yesterday afternoon, Southwest Airlines had to cancel dozens of flights after learning that one-fifth of its entire fleet was overdue for a necessary maintenance check. The airline was to have grounded 128 planes pending inspection, but has reached a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration that will allow those jets to continue flying. [More]
Family Of 5 Claims They Were Stranded At The Top Of Ferris Wheel While Theme Park Shut Down
By 8.6.14
The whole reason to hitch a ride on a Ferris wheel is to catch the view from the top — but even that delight would surely pale after say, the lights turn out and you’ve been up there for a while. A family of five claims they’re “traumatized” after getting stranded at the top of a Ferris wheel after an amusement park in the UK closed for the night. [More]
Impact Of US Airways/American Airlines Merger Will Depend On Who Gets Leftovers From Wedding
By 11.14.13
The path for US Airways and American Airlines to merge their businesses has been cleared and several smaller airlines like JetBlue and Spirit will benefit from the sale of the merged carriers’ excess takeoff and landing slots at airports around the country. But will that be enough to balance out the fact that we are now down to a handful of major national airlines? [More]
FAA Finally Loosens Restrictions On In-Flight Electronic Devices
By 10.31.13
After years of debate over whether or not it was safe to use certain electronic devices during all stages of flight, the FAA has finally decided to relax the restrictions that forced you to stop reading your Kindle or listening to music during takeoff and landing. [More]
JetBlue Expands 'Go Pack' 10-Flight Bundles Of Shareable Passes To 32 Markets
By 8.28.12
If you, or your business/family/social group plan on doing a lot of traveling in the next few months, JetBlue has expanded a limited time offer on “Go Pack” packages that lock in fares for 10 flights but allows buyers to share passes with other travelers and enjoy last-minute booking. [More]
Virgin Atlantic To Allow Some In-Air Mobile Phone Calls
By 5.16.12
If you are fan of the relatively chatter-free ambiance of the airplane cabin, this will probably not come as good news. On the other hand, if you’re someone who finds the whole “no cell phone calls from the plane” thing tiresome, this may brighten your day a bit. [More]
Are Heavier Airline Passengers At Greater Risk For Harm?
By 5.8.12
Usually when we bring up the topic of weight and air travel it involves either passenger comfort or controversial airline policies regarding “customers of size.” But some worry that outdated safety standards are actually putting people at risk while flying. [More]
Perhaps This FedEx Delivery Man Is Preparing For A Monitor-Throwing Contest
By 12.20.11
A soft touch should be a job requirement for package delivery personnel, because recently it seems like we’re seeing way too many lobbed and otherwise mistreated boxes. In this new video, a surveillance camera catches a FedEx delivery guy chucking a computer monitor over a fence. [More]
Man Racks Up 10 Million United Airlines Miles
By 7.12.11
A United Airlines customer became the first of the airline’s passengers to pile up 10 million frequent flyer miles. He flies so often that United’s customer service reps recognize his voice. He had a Boeing 747-400 named in his honor and received United’s first Titanium United Mileage Plus card, which has perks United refuses to publicize. [More]
Delta Installing More Comfortable (And More Expensive) Economy Seats
By 2.7.11
For those who would be willing to pay a little more for a few inches of legroom but who don’t want to pay for business- or first-class seats, Delta may have some good news for you. [More]
Pilots Might Soon Get A Pass On Stricter Security Measures
By 11.19.10
As we wrote last week, two of the nation’s largest airline pilots unions had recently told their members to refuse full-body scanners at airport security, arguing that pilots have already undergone rigorous background checks before getting their jobs. Now the head of the TSA says their could soon be a rule change that would treat pilots differently than passengers. [More]
Score Better Seats For Holiday Travel
By 10.28.10
Oftentimes, just booking a flight during the holidays is enough to give you the blues. So why not try to make your trip as comfortable as possible by making sure you get a decent seat? [More]
JetBlue 'All You Can Jet' Passes Are Sold Out, But You Still Might Be Able To Win One
By 8.20.10
After just a couple of days, JetBlue has already sold out of their All You Can Jet passes, but if you’re under the age of 25 and can think of a way to put the passes to good use, you might be able to win a pair of free AYCJ passes from the airline. [More]
Can You Stream Netflix Movies At 30,000 Feet?
By 7.13.10
Not happy with your in-flight entertainment selections? Well, if you have access to onboard WiFi, the folks at HackingNetflix.com say you might be able to stream Netflix films to your iPad or laptop. [More]
Top 10 Tips For Making Air Travel Less Of A Pain In The Butt
By 6.13.10
Let’s face it: While flying in a plane is pretty cool, for most people the reality of air travel is a mammoth pain in the butt. Regardless, we can’t all be John Madden, tooling around in a tricked-out bus so as to avoid getting on a plane. That’s why Lifehacker compiled their top 10 tips for surviving your flight. [More]
Top 12 Most Annoying Things About Air Travel
By 5.6.10
Our cousins by marriage over at Consumer Reports recently published the results of a survey where air travelers were asked to rate, on a scale of 1-10, those aspects of air travel that most get under their skin. [More]
