It’s not every day where you could be risking contracting a contagious disease just by flying from point A to point B. That’s why passengers on a US Airways Express flight from Austin to Phoenix over the weekend were likely a bit concerned when they were reportedly told to get a tuberculosis test on the chance that their fellow flier might’ve had it. [More]
U.S. Airways
Congratulations, US Airways Passengers On Flight With Sick Guy: You Didn’t Get Tuberculosis
By 12.4.13
Plane Full Of Passengers Reportedly Told To Get Tuberculosis Shots After Flight Lands
By 12.2.13
It’s one thing to endure a flight full of your neighbor’s hacking and coughing (bring cough drops to share, you never know!) but it’s an entirely different matter to learn that you might need to get to the doctor for some shots because someone was flying with active tuberculosis. [More]
Legally Blind Man And Service Dog Kicked Off Plane Before Takeoff
By 11.14.13
It’s bad enough being stuck on an indefinitely-delayed plane when you’re a human who can play with an iPad or enjoy a book or something, but imagine being in that situation as a dog. Even the best-trained service dog must get tired of being crammed under a seat. When one guide dog became restless while a US Airways Express flight waited to take off, he and his owner were kicked off the flight. [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]
U.S. Proposes Deal To Allow The American Airlines-US Airways Marriage To Finally Happen
By 11.12.13
An expensive wedding is by no means an unusual event these days, and when it comes to major airlines trying to get hitched, it’s no different. Just last week the Department of Justice was rumored to have a list of things it wanted the airlines to sell off if they wanted to walk down the aisle and now there’s a reported price for that wedded bliss. [More]
Southwest Is Only Major Airline Still Barring Gate-To-Gate Use Of Electronic Devices
By 11.7.13
When the FAA announced last week that it would finally give airlines the authority to allow passengers the use of certain portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing, it said it could take several months for airlines to go through the process of vetting their planes to demonstrate the jets can safely handle radio interference. But in the short time since, every major airline except Southwest now has flights with gate-to-gate use of PEDs. [More]
DOJ Putting A Price On US Airways’ Marriage To American
By 11.4.13
The planned nuptials of US Airways and American Airlines have been on hold for months as the Justice Dept. tried to figure out whether it really wanted to keep the lovebirds apart — like it did with T-Mobile and AT&T — or if it just wanted them to have a slightly less pleasant honeymoon. Now it looks like the DOJ has finally gotten around to determining just what this wedding will cost the two carriers. [More]
Mayors Beg DOJ To Pretty Please Let US Airways/American Airlines Merger Happen
By 10.23.13
While US Airways and American Airlines have had to indefinitely postpone their nuptials because the Justice Dept. decided the union might result in problems for consumers and the airline industry, the mayors of those cities that would be most positively affected by the merger are now pleading with Attorney General Eric Holder to see that these two companies obviously love each other and should be allowed to be together. [More]
Shutdown Forces Justice Dept. To Press Pause On Attempt To Block US Airways & American Merger
By 10.1.13
It’s been more than six weeks since the Justice Dept. rained on the planned wedding between US Airways and American Airlines, and it looks like the fate of the two carriers may be further delayed by the current shutdown of the federal government. Earlier today, lawyers for the DOJ filed a motion for a stay in its lawsuit to block the merger because the shutdown is “creating difficulties for the Department to perform the functions necessary to support its litigation efforts.” [via Reuters] [More]
Passenger Sues US Airways For Allegedly Misplacing Her Husband’s Ashes
By 9.20.13
It’s been two years since the ashes of a Philadelphia-area woman’s late husband went missing during a US Airways flight to England, and she says the airline has been ignoring her ever since. We first told you about her story back in January, but that didn’t turn up the ashes or an explanation. Now she’s filed a lawsuit in the hopes of getting the airline’s attention. [More]
JetBlue Not Looking To Get Married To Another Airline Anytime Soon
By 9.4.13
With the impending nuptials of US Airways and American Airlines on hold because the Dept. of Justice started banging on the window at the back of the church, all eyes in the room have looked toward the next most eligible unmarried airline, Jetblue. But the CEO of that carrier says his company is perfectly happy being single. [More]
Past Statements About Moneymaking Mergers Returning To Bite Airline Execs In The Behind
By 8.14.13
It appears that the Department of Justice has been doing its research and is pulling a bit of a “Remember when you said that thing about mergers hiking airline fares?” in its lawsuit seeking to block them merger of American Airlines and US Airways. Included in the 56-page lawsuit filed yesterday are quotes from internal emails as well as comments made in public by the airlines’ top executives touting the fact that past mergers have led to raised fares and more fees passengers have no choice but to pay. [More]
DOJ Stands Up At Wedding Of American Airlines & US Airways Yelling “I Object!”
By 8.13.13
It’s been a long wait for lovebirds American Airlines and US Airways, and we’re basically at the point where the betrothed couple is standing up in front of friends and family, waiting to see if anyone will heed the call of the officiant asking if there’s any reason these two shouldn’t be wed. Enter the United States Justice Department, arriving at the ceremony in a way more timely manner than [SPOILER ALERT] Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate but still just as opposed to the nuptials. [More]
Are Crying Kids Reason To Be Booted From An Airplane? US Airways Thinks So
By 8.2.13
We see a lot of stories about passengers being removed from airplanes, some of which seem legitimate (intoxicated, verbally abusive travelers) and others that don’t (people who ask a flight attendant one too many questions). Here’s the story of a Consumerist reader who, along with her two young sons, was ejected from a flight because her crying kids were delaying takeoff — but is that really reason enough? [More]
Which Airlines Have The Most WiFi-Enabled Flights?
By 6.25.13
By now, most of us are used to having Internet access wherever we go, but a majority of flights by the major U.S. airlines still don’t offer in-flight WiFi access to passengers. And your likelihood of finding WiFi on a plane all depends on which airline you’re flying on that day. [More]
Refusing To Turn Your Phone Off & Screaming Profanities Will Get You Booted From A Flight
By 6.25.13
There are few guarantees in life, but rest assured that if 1. you refuse to turn your cell phone off and 2. you’re (allegedly) screaming profanities at the flight crew/cops 1. you will be kicked off said flight and 2. at least one of your fellow passengers will definitely film the action and post it on the Internet. That’s how it went down on a recent US Airways flight during a particularly upsetting incident. [More]
GAO: American-U.S. Airways Merger Will Reduce Competition
By 6.20.13
We’ve been following the proposed hook-up/merger of American Airlines and U.S. Airways for what seems like forever, but those two crazy kids aren’t out of the woods yet, so far as approvals go. And a new report by congressional watchdogs over at the Government Accountability Office could play a part in the Justice Department’s review of that marriage. It says if the companies smush themselves together, it’ll reduce competition in a whole lot of airports. [More]
American Airlines To Squeeze Even More Passengers Onto Planes
By 6.17.13
Things are about to get even cozier on 3/5 of American Airlines’ jets, as the carrier has announced it will be making squeezing in some additional coach seats on its Boeing 737 and MD-80 aircraft. [More]
