Hoping to dissuade passengers from engaging in the practice of hidden city ticketing, Lufthansa is suing a passenger for skipping a flight from Frankfurt to Oslo. I’m betting the lawsuit is going to backfire. With stiff competition from Norwegian...
Teen Arrested For Hijack Attempt In Alaska
A 16-year-old was arrested for briefly commandeering the controls during a commercial flight in Alaska. So much of Alaska is traversed by air travel and a number of airlines most of us are not familiar operate regional “milk” routes...
The Real Reason Air New Zealand 787 Was Denied Landing in Shanghai: Taiwan
There’s a new twist in the Air New Zealand 787 diversion story…it appears China denied the aircraft landing rights over a reference to Taiwan on the flight paperwork. In case you missed my story yesterday, an Air New Zealand...
When Afghanistan Was An Oasis Of Tranquility
Few nations have faced turmoil like Afghanistan. From a disastrous Soviet occupation to an even bloodier civil war to an imposition of a strict variant of Islamic law to a western invasion…oh, what turbulent times. But it wasn’t always...
British Airways Calls This A Lounge?
Lounge overcrowding is a problem around the world, but nowhere have I seen it as bad as in London. My recent visit to the British Airways’ Galleries South Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 is the perfect example. Here is...
United Slashes Flights To Australia
United Airlines will reduce its Los Angeles and Houston flights to Sydney during the Australian winter. Citing lower demand during the northern summer season, United will serve Sydney four times weekly from Houston and three times weekly from Los...
Air New Zealand 787 Denied Landing In Shanghai…Five Hours Into Flight!
Chinese authorities forced an Air New Zealand flight to turn back to Auckland five hours into the flight, citing a permitting issue. But don’t blame China for this one. Air New Zealand Flight 289 was halfway to Shanghai on...
A Ploughman’s Lunch On British Airways
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. I was...
Woman Gets Six Months In Prison For Slapping Immigration Official
A British woman faces six months in jail for slapping an immigration official in Bali. Auj-e Taqaddas overstayed her visa in Indonesia by 160 days. Upon trying to fly out of Bali, a passport control official noted her illegal...
How The Weather Hurts The Pocketbooks Of United Employees
United Airlines posted a dismal January in terms of operational performance and all employees are likely going to feel the pain. Data released on Thursday shows that United ended the month of January a distant fourth place (behind American,...
Gross: Passenger Finds HUGE Cockroach In Meal
Honestly, I have a much greater fear of biting into a cockroach on a plane than my plane ever crashing. One airline passenger encountered a massive cockroach in his lunch…and flight attendants just ignored him when he complained. With...
1-Day-Sale: Up To 40% Off United Awards To Tahiti
United Airlines is offering up to 40% off springtime award tickets to Tahiti for MileagePlus members. Depending upon your MileagePlus status, you can pay anywhere from 42K-49K round-trip for a trip to Tahiti in economy class. Taxes/fees will run...
Review: Lufthansa A340-600 First Class Frankfurt To San Francisco
Lufthansa provides a comfortable first class experience with superb food and drink and excellent service aboard the A340-600. First Class service starts on the ground with spectacular lounges in Frankfurt. Leave time for a visit to the First Class...
Intoxicated Pilot on American Airlines Forces Flight Cancellation, Big Payouts
An American Airlines flight from Manchester to Philadelphia was cancelled after a pilot was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The pilot’s name has not been released, but the 62-years old was arrested on suspicion of performing an...
Was The Delta Inflight Napkin Really That Creepy?
Delta and Coca-Cola have apologized for a “creepy” napkin that sparked passenger complaints. I’m failing to see the controversy… The napkin, pictured below, gave passengers the chance to record their name and phone number and encouraged them to share...
Could Airlines Realistically Reduce Change Fees?
Are airline change fees, as they currently stand, penny-wise but pound-foolish for airlines? For purposes of this discussion, my focus will be on U.S. legacy carriers American, Delta, and United. I note that Southwest has no change fees and...
This Airline Has Been Profitable For 72 Consecutive Years…
The key to sustained airline profit is apparently to have non-airline businesses. For one South African airline, that has resulted in profit for 72 years in a row. Comair was founded in 1946. For the last 72 years, it...
SWISS Unveils Beautiful New Check-In Experience In Zurich
Zurich Airport is one of my favorite in the world. And it is getting even better if you fly SWISS. I see ZRH a lot when visiting my in-laws and appreciate that there never seems to be too much...
Passive-Aggressive Mom Battles Passive-Aggressive Passenger Over Crying Baby
The only thing worse than openly complaining about a crying baby on an airplane is passive-aggressively complaining about a baby. And perhaps the only thing worse than that is passive-aggressively complaining about the passive-aggressive passenger… Stephanie Hollifield, a parenting...
Bombardier CRJ 550: A New Regional Jet Experience On United
United revealed a brand new aircraft today, the CRJ-550, that I call the business-friendly regional jet. It’s quite a leap from United’s current 50-seat jet. Currently, United operates CRJ-200s through its various United Express partners. These 50-seat aircrafts are single-cabin,...
