A former Dutch airline executive was arrested in Italy and has been extradited to the USA over conspiracy charges to fix prices on airline cargo routes. Maria Christina Ullings served for many years as the Senior Vice President of Cargo...
Creepy American Airlines Employee Stalked Female Passenger At Airport And Onboard, Offered Her Free Flights
An American Airlines employee is in big trouble after misappropriating personal passenger information in a manner which can only be described as super creepy. Imagine you are sitting in the gate area and all of a sudden receive the...
Delta Air Lines Should Capitalize On Atlanta Smoking Ban
The indoor smoking ban at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has officially gone into effect. Delta should capitalize on the restrictive new law with an innovative use of its SkyClub patio in Terminal F. I read through the language of the...
“Lucky” Airline Passenger Fined $17,000 For Good Luck Stunt
I feel very sorry for Lu Chao. An innocent act has landed him in a heap of trouble with a fine he claims he cannot pay. Airline Passengers Fined For Tossing Coin Into Aircraft Engine Last February, I wrote...
Analysis: American Airlines Sues Delta Over “Flagship”
American Airlines has sued Delta over its use of the term “flagship” in its brand marketing. I wouldn’t call this a frivolous case, though I am not certain American Airlines can show consumer confusion, a key hurdle for winning...
EU Court: Airlines Broadly Liable For Coffee Spills Onboard
The European Union’s highest court has held that airlines are responsible for scalding caused by hot coffee tipped over for “unknown reasons” unrelated to turbulence or flight attendant negligence. A six-year-old girl is at the heart of the lawsuit....
American Airlines Mechanic Pleads Guilty To Sabotaging Aircraft
A long-time American Airlines mechanic has pleaded guilty to tampering with an aircraft, but strongly denied there was any link to terrorism. In a U.S. federal court in Miami, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani pleaded guilty to attempted destruction of...
A Crass Billboard At LAX
I’m amused at a pair of new billboards that has sprung up above the ridesharing pick-up lot at Los Angeles International Airport… As you drive into or out of LAX, you’ll be met with all sorts of billboards. Most...
Female Pilots Sue Frontier Airlines For Punishing Pregnancy, Motherhood
Eight female pilots and flight attendants are suing Frontier Airlines, claiming the budget carrier discriminates against pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding. Take Randi Freyer. She’s a Frontier Airlines pilot and a mother of two. Two months before...
Emirates Interrogates + Denies Boarding To Woman Allergic To Apples
A woman who alerted Emirates that she was allergic to apples was instead interrogated by Emirates employees upon check-in and ultimately denied boarding. The incident took place last year, but was discussed in the New York Times’ “Tripped Up”...
Woman Forced To Remove “Hail Satan” Shirt On American Airlines
A woman was forced to remove her “Hail Satan” t-shirt on an American Airlines flight from Miami to Las Vegas. Was this appropriate or another case of a flight attendant going too far in policing wardrobes? Swati Runi Goyal...
Fired Flight Attendant Accused Of Stealing Milk and Cereal Bowls Sues Delta, Claims Discrimination
A 79-year-old flight attendant is suing Delta for firing her under false pretenses. She argues jealous colleagues targeted her because of her high salary. But Delta is standing by its termination. Veteran Flight Attendant Sacked By Delta Ida Gomez...
Genius: Hoping For Upgrade, Woman Fakes Medical Emergency On Single-Cabin Aircraft
A woman was arrested after admitting to faking an emergency onboard in hopes of securing an upgrade. Small problem, though: the aircraft had no premium cabin. The incident took place on American Airlines flight 3508 from Pensacola to Miami last...
Amtrak Won’t Let You Sue, Even After A Crash
You buy an Amtrak ticket. Your train derails. You are severely injured. And you can’t sue. Why? Blame the fine print in your ticket rules. Back in January, Amtrak quietly revised the language of its ticket terms and conditions....
Man Impersonates Lufthansa Pilot For Free First Class Upgrades
Catch me if you can? The man has been caught…and wait till you hear his defense. Man Arrested For Impersonating Lufthansa Pilot Rajan Mahbubani is a self-identified frequent flyer. The 48-year-old acquired a Lufthansa’s pilot uniform and fake ID...
Atlanta Airport Wants To Help You Stop Smoking With Absurd Smoking Ban
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport will soon close all its smoking rooms. At the same time, it wants to help you stop smoking through a free nicotine lozenges. I’m strongly of the opinion that indoor, airside smoking lounges should remain. While smoking...
Does Lufthansa Think It’s Above The Law?
Lufthansa is in trouble with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for operating “illegally” from two U.S. cities. In fact, the FAA implies that Lufthansa knowingly flouted regulations. That plays into a common theme: does Lufthansa think it’s above the...
Why Is A Canadian Start Up Airline Suing Jet Blue Founder?
A Canadian start-up airline is suing JetBlue founder David Neeleman, claiming he negatively interfered with their venture capital funding then gloated about it. Vancouver-based Canada Jetlines Ltd. wants to offer Ryanair or EasyJet style ultra-low-cost service in Canada. Although...
Should Hotels Ban Local Residents?
My knee-jerk answer is NO WAY, but hotels are not totally out-of-line for raising questions about local residents checking-in. The issue was brought to my attention by The Gate, which shared a story about an Illinois couple being denied...
Qantas Will Bankroll Defamation Lawsuit After American Rapper Accuses Flight Attendant of Racism
Qantas is standing firmly behind its flight attendant against a charge of racism by American rapper William Adams, popularly known as will.i.am. Adams, of the Black Eyed Peas group, was on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney and alleges...
