Seeing your world down on Earth in miniature is something we humans have enjoyed ever since the first person got to the top of something tall, looked down and said “Oooh, that’s my cave all the way down there!” But the Federal Aviation Administration says one pilot flying a US Airways passenger flight should’ve resisted that urge when he reportedly buzzed his house and a local mall at an altitude of only 500 feet. [More]
U.S. Airways
FAA Halts All U.S. Flights To Israel For 24 Hours Due To Missile Concerns
By 7.22.14
The FAA has just issued an order prohibiting U.S. air carriers from flying into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport for the next 24 hours. [More]
What Happens To Your Plane Ticket When There’s A Death In The Family?
By 7.1.14 — Updated: 2.12.17
There are all kinds of reasons why you might not be able to fly when you were planning to, or need to make a change in a scheduled itinerary. Unfortunately, one of those might be the death of a loved one. But now that most domestic airlines don’t offer special bereavement fares, many fliers find themselves dealing with airlines after they’ve already bought tickets to try to make changes. But because airlines don’t want just anyone to pull the “my grandma died,” often customers are finding the process of changing or canceling flights in these situations daunting, confusing, and well, a bit tacky. [More]
Dog Poo On Plane Leads To Emergency Landing
By 5.30.14
While human beings can apparently urinate in the aisle of a passenger jet without the plane needing to make a pit stop, and it’s fine and dandy to fly a plane full of people sick with the norovirus to their destination, a little dog poop on a US Airways flight is cause to bring a transcontinental flight to a screeching halt and bring in a clean-up crew. [More]
Musician Fiddles On Tarmac When US Airways Won’t Let Him Carry-On Violin
By 5.27.14
So you’re a musician who regularly flies with your violin as carry-on luggage, and then one day you go to board a US Airways flight only to be told you have to either stow your instrument in the cargo hold where it could be lost, stolen, damaged or you can forfeit your tickets. What’s left to do but play a tune right then and there on the tarmac. [More]
Woman Ticketed For Google Glass Says United Airlines Asked Her To Take Off Device For “Security Reasons”
By 4.25.14
You may remember the case from a few months ago of the California woman who received a traffic ticket for, among other things, driving while sporting Google’s wearable Glass device. That case was subsequently thrown out, but that same Glass wearer says United Airlines recently told her she had to take her device off while on the plane. [More]
U.S. Airways: We’re Not Firing Staffer Who Tweeted Toy Plane Porn
By 4.15.14
This week got off to a hilarious start if you like corporate social media gaffes. US Airways is awfully embarrassed about the incident where they responded to a customer complaint with a photograph of a nude woman posed with a model plane lodged in her jetway. Contrary to our predictions, the airline says that posting the photo was “an honest mistake” and no one is getting fired. Someone might want to throw away that toy plane, though. [More]
Someone At US Airways Is Probably Getting Fired After Posting Photo Of Plane-As-Sex-Toy
By 4.14.14
Among the many insulting, insensitive, rude, crude, and accidental Tweets that companies have sent out over the years, the incredibly NSFW photo (unless you happen to work in the porn industry) that got posted today by the US Airways Twitter account will probably go down as one of the most embarrassing. [More]
Spirit Airlines: The Most Complained-About Carrier In The U.S.
By 4.10.14
Yes, we’ve repeatedly made fun of delusional Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza for his claim that his company is the “most consumer-friendly” airline around, especially when it comes in dead-last in traveler opinion surveys and is the only U.S. carrier to make a recent list of the world’s worst airlines. And a new study confirms that Spirit’s passengers are several times more likely to complain than passengers on any other domestic carrier. [More]
American Airlines, US Airways Merger Means New Policies, More Baggage Fees
By 4.8.14
Change is inevitable in a new relationship, and often one partner will give a little more than the other. That appears to be the case with the $17.7 billion American Airlines and US Airways merger. To better align with its new partner, American announced today it’s making more changes; this time to its baggage fees and frequent-flier rule. [More]
Which Airlines Are The Fastest & Slowest At Responding To Customers On Twitter?
By 3.19.14
Complaining on Twitter can often feel like trying to shout to someone across the street with a noisy parade going down the middle. And that disconnect can often get worse when trying to get the attention of a big company with hundreds or thousands of people vying for attention. Some companies now go to great lengths to make sure that customers get some sort of response within minutes, but is that response of any value? [More]
American Airlines Discontinues Bereavement Fares Because Who Cares If You Need To Make A Funeral
By 2.27.14
The changes keep coming for American Airlines as it delves deeper into a $17.7 billion merger with US Airways. First, the company announced a confusing name change for its regional service. And now passengers looking for sympathy in the form of discounts for bereavement travel will have to look elsewhere. [More]
3,250 Flights Canceled Today, Another 4,000 Delayed
By 2.12.14
As ice and snow once again socks the Southeast and makes its way northward, thousands of flights are being canceled or delayed, leaving travelers around the country stranded and unsure of when they will be able to fly again. [More]
Southwest, JetBlue End Up Big Winners In US Airways/American Merger
By 1.30.14
When US Airways and American Airlines finally got the go-ahead from federal regulators to get hitched, one of the conditions was that the merged company divest itself of takeoff and landing slots at airports around the country, especially at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., Southwest Airlines announced today it will be taking over half of the newly available slots. [More]
American Airlines, US Airways Create Incentive Program For Employees To Do Their Jobs
By 1.24.14
Get ready for even friendlier skies when you fly American Airlines and US Airways. The newly merged airlines are all but bribing their employees with an incentive program aimed to ensure the airline has the best on-time performance, the rate of mishandled baggage and customer satisfaction. [More]
Classy Name Change Doesn’t Change Cramped Space On American Airlines Regional Service
By 1.21.14
We’ve all been on one of those small regional jets – the tiny seats, cramped leg room and barely enough overhead space for your roller bag. Nothing will make trips on those small planes better. But American Eagle Airlines Inc. is hoping a name change might class things up a bit. [More]
American Airlines Will Remind Customers Nonstop About All Its New Post-Merger Changes
By 1.7.14
Moving in with your significant other means creating new rules and getting rid of excess. The same goes for the $17.7 billion merger between American Airlines and US Airways, only on a much larger scale. But it’s all for the good of the consumer, right? [More]
American Airlines Employees Will Vote On The Post-Merger Plane Paintjob
By 12.17.13
It seems like only 11 months ago that American Airlines debuted a brand-spanking new paintjob — or “livery” as it’s called in the industry — and that’s because well, it was only last January that the company gave its planes a facelift for the first time in 40 years. But a lot has happened since then, namely its merger with US Airways, so things are about to change yet again. [More]
