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...
Why Asiana Faces A Punitive 45-Day Ban At SFO
South Korea’s Supreme Court was clear: actions carry consequences. And for troubled Asiana, that means a 45-day ban in service to San Francisco (SFO). In July 2013, Asiana Flight 203 undershot the runway at SFO, crashing after the 777-200ER’s tail...
My Fuel Surcharge Settlement Check Arrives From British Airways…10 Months Late
An unexpected envelope arrived at my house this morning…it was only 10 months late and not even addressed to me. I’ve written about the British Airways fuel surcharge settlement in the past. In short, a lawsuit contended that British Airways’...
Woman Who Sued Emirates Over Water Denial Loses Big
An Australian woman who sued Emirates, claiming they refused to give her enough water onboard, has lost her case. She now faces staggering legal fees. I wrote about the case earlier this year. Lina Di Falco was traveling from...
Why Lufthansa Believes Upcoming Strike Is Illegal
Despite a threatened strike on Sunday by flight attendants, Lufthansa has made clear that flights will operate normally. It has also insisted the planned strike is illegal. The true battle is over UFO recognition. For years, the Unabhängige Flugbegleiter...
Emirates Plans to Defy Court Order In Mexico City
Despite a Mexican federal court ruling against Emirates, the Dubai-based airlines plans to move forward with planned flights to Mexico City via Barcelona. Emirates has tried to launch service to Mexico City for years. Due to the high altitude...
Offensive T-Shirts And The Line Of Decency Onboard Airplanes
Whether a t-shirt calling for the execution of journalists or using a choice expletive to describe the President of the United States, where should an airline draw the line in permissible onboard attire? A man boarded a United flight...
Can You Be Detained At Airport If Deemed A Suicide Risk?
A hypothetical. Let’s say you hint to a family member or loved one that you are contemplating suicide. Say you leave the country and that family member gets worried and calls the police. The police knock on your door...
Lufthansa Concedes Defeat In Hidden City Ticketing Lawsuit
Germans can feel safer taking advantage of hidden city ticketing after Lufthansa withdrew its pending appeal, signaling an important legal victory for consumers. One German man noticed that he could save over $2,000 by booking Oslo – Frankfurt –...
Fraud, Aeroflot-Style
Aeroflot Russian Airlines’ Deputy CEO and three of his colleagues have been arrested for fraud and embezzlement. The details will leave you shaking your head. Vladimir Alexandrov and three Aeroflot employees in the legal department have been charged with...
Will Delta Joint Venture With LATAM Be Denied By Regulators?
Can Delta’s proposed investment and joint venture partnership with LATAM clear regulatory hurdles? American Airlines’ failed bid to link up with LATAM offers a starting point for discussion. News that Delta will invest in LATAM and form a joint...
American Airlines Saboteur Mechanic May Have Terrorist Ties
Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, the American Airlines mechanic who admitted to sabotaging an AA 737-800 in Miami, may have terrorist ties says prosecutors. The startling allegation prompted a judge to deny bail to the 60-year-old defendant. When he was...
Germany Unites Around New Taxes, Higher Airfares (But Protections For Lufthansa)
Germany is moving closer toward raising taxes on domestic flights in hopes of reducing demand and eventually greenhouse gas pollution. But Lufthansa stands to benefit from the new taxes. Like other nations, Germany finds itself falling short of the...
Prosecutors Say Man Scammed Delta Out Of 42 Million Miles
A travel agent “extraordinaire” has been indicted for allegedly committing fraud against Delta Air Lines. Prosecutors say the man scammed 42,000,000 miles from Delta. I see the case differently… Prosecutors have alleged Gennady Podolsky gamed Delta’s SkyBonus program to reap...
Airline Pilot Fails Sobriety Test Then Sues Police For Detaining Him
A SkyWest pilot is suing two police officers in Rapid City, South Dakota for false arrest, alleging defamation and slander. Police say they detained him on a tip that he reeked of alcohol and that he failed a sobriety...
Busted AA Mechanic Was Fired From Alaska Airlines For Fraud And Incompetence
The American Airlines’ mechanic who admitted to sabotaging a plane in Miami was previously fired from Alaska Airlines. Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani was arrested by the FBI last Thursday and purportedly confessed to tampering with the Air Data system...
Drunk British Airways Passenger Loses Job After Demanding To Be Served “By A White Girl”
A New Zealand native was fined and now has lost his job after berating a British Airways flight attendant of Indian descent for waking him up and demanding to be served by a white flight attendant. Once again, we...
Shocking: American Airlines Mechanic Charged With Sabotaging Aircraft
An American Airlines mechanic in Miami was arrested and faces sabotage charges. He has confessed to deliberately disabling a navigation system on an aircraft in hopes of securing overtime pay. On July 17, Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani allegedly tampered...
