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...
How A Cockpit Photo Outraged China
A pilot lets his girlfriend sit in the cockpit. She posts it on social media. A blogger notices and complains on Weibo. Outrage grows. Many are punished. The pilot is banned for life. But was the reaction a bit...
When Does An Airline “Joke” Impermissibly Cross The Line?
When does a joke cross from crass to simply inappropriate? When does it becomes grounds for a lawsuit. Those are the leading questions emerging from a flight attendant lawsuit against Southwest Airlines. For Renee Steinaker, a Southwest flight attendant...
Southwest Comes Out Swinging Against Flight Attendant Who Alleged Voyeurism
Southwest Airlines has vowed to “vigorously defend” against a flight attendant lawsuit which alleges two pilots placed a hidden video camera in an aircraft lavatory on a flight to Phoenix. After initially failing to directly address the matter, Southwest...
Southwest Flight Attendant Catches Pilots Live Streaming…The Lavatory
Southwest Airlines flight attendant Renee Steinaker is suing Southwest, claiming retaliation for reporting two pilots who allegedly placed a hidden camera in an onboard lavatory. This is a really bizarre story. It begins onboard a Southwest flight from Baltimore...
Nervous American Airlines Flight Attendant Leads To Money Laundering Bust
Some people are horrible liars. Like the American Airlines flight attendant who got a little nervous when questioned by customs officials in Miami. The result was four flight attendants arrested for money laundering. After arriving from Santiago (SCL), immigration...
How A JetBlue Gate Agent Truly Gamed The System
A former JetBlue gate agent faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for an elaborate yet simply-executed fraud scheme. Tiffany Jenkins was an enterprising gate agent for JetBlue in Boston. She hatched a plan to save...
