While exit controls do not exist when leaving U.S. airports, they are coming…in some form. But the Department of Homeland Security’s experimental new Biometric Exit Program may be unconstitutional in its current form. Mandated by Congress in 1996 and re-affirmed after...
Case Closed: Korean Air “Nut Rage” Executive Avoids Prison
Cho Hyun-ah, famous for her nut rage incident at JFK, will avoid jail time after the South Korean Supreme Court upheld her suspended sentence. In case you forgot: Heather Cho, 40, was in a first class seat on a...
My Demand Letter to Aeroplan
In the interest of transparency, I’m keeping you updated on what/how I communicate with Aeroplan concerning the SWISS First Class award controversy. Having been thus far unable to resolve this in a manner that suits me, I just mailed...
Did Anyone Lose Their SWISS First Class Reservation with United?
As I prepare my legal case against Aeroplan, I have a question to anyone who recently booked SWISS First Class award space via United: is your reservation still intact? I’m trying to draw to sufficient data points to weigh...
We Need More Airport Smoking Lounges, Not Fewer
The Centers for Disease Control argues that indoor smoking rooms must be eradicated from airports worldwide in order to reduce risk to second-hand smoke. I take the opposite approach: I believe non-smokers are better protected though MORE indoor smoking...
Trump Administration: Baggage Fee Disclosures are Too Burdensome
When left to their own devices, I don’t trust airlines to look out for anyone but themselves. While that is not always mutually exclusive to consumer interests, in the case of fee disclosures, it usually is… Fee disclosure should...
Aeroplan Plan of Attack: DOT First, Lawsuit Later
Aeroplan apparently won’t honor the SWISS First Class award tickets issued last week. I say apparently because Aeroplan still hasn’t contacted me directly concerning my ticket and the reservation still shows intact if I login to my Aeroplan account....
Senate Version of Tax Cut Bill Eliminates Tax Hike on Gulf Carriers
The final tax cut bill has not reached the President’s desk yet, but the U.S. Senate has wisely cut a ridiculous tax increase levied on foreign airlines from its version of the bill. Per the Los Angeles Times: Sen....
Dear Aeroplan, If You Cancel My SWISS First Class Tickets, I Will Sue You
I hope you felt the excitement in my two posts yesterday and post earlier today about flying with my family in SWISS First Class. I was truly ecstatic. So you can imagine how I felt when One Mile at...
Masturbation or Self-Gratification? Penetrating the Air France Controversy
Speculation continues over what really happened onboard Air France 228, from Paris to Buenos Aires, on October 29th. Live and Let’s Fly will never be a willing purveyor of “fake news” so let’s dig a bit deeper. A passenger...
German Court Rules Kuwait Airways Can Deny Boarding to Israelis
A German court has ruled that Kuwait Airways can refuse to transport Israeli citizens without running afoul of German anti-discrimination law. The case involved a man who had purchased a ticket from Frankfurt to Bangkok via Kuwait City on...
United FA Sues Her Employer Over Footwear
A United Airlines flight attendant is suing her employer, claiming United violated federal disability laws in refusing to allow her to wear doctor-recommended footwear to ease chronic pain. United claims she has been given permission to wear the footwear....
Virgin Australia’s Unethical Move to Cancel Cheap Tickets
You may be unethical if you book fares you think are “mistake” fares but one airline is certainly unethical for waiting NINE DAYS to cancel a cheaply-priced economy class ticket is blames on “human error”. Let’s all give a...
U.S. Air Force May Recall 1,000 Pilots. Impact on Airlines?
The United States Air Force is seriously short of pilots to fly combat missions. Now President Trump is making it easier for the USAF to recall pilots. How will this impact the pilot shortage facing the U.S. and world...
Defiant Delta CEO: We Will NOT Pay “Nonsensical” Bombardier Tariff
Delta CEO Ed Bastian has come out swinging, saying Delta will take delivery of its new Bombardier C Series order while also promising it will never pay the 300% tariff levied by the U.S. Government. I outlined the stakes of the...
Delta Sues Fraudulent Website Impersonating Delta
Delta Air Lines has filed a lawsuit against Delta Pets, a fraudulent pet transport website that portrays itself as part of Delta but has no actual relation to the airline. Open the website and you’ll immediately see the iconic...
What You Need to Know About New USA Travel Ban
The White House has released new travel restrictions, indefinitely banning travel and emigration from several countries and severely restricting it from others. From the NY Times— Starting next month, most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and...
Unruly Passenger Fined $97,000 for Disrupting Flight
File this under: about time. So often we hear stories about drunken or otherwise disruptive passengers forcing a flight delay or diversion only never to hear about whether the passenger is held accountable for his actions. A federal judge...
Conservative U.S. State Wants to Create its Own Airline
The State of Wyoming, in the western USA, finds itself between a rock and hard place. Without perpetual generous subsidies, it cannot sustain commercial air service to smaller airports. But a lack of air access to international hubs hurts...
“Old, Fat and Ugly” Aeroflot FAs Sue Airline for Discrimination
A pair of Aeroflot FAs who proudly call themselves “old, fat and ugly” are suing their employer for discrimination, claiming they were sidelined by a new effort to use younger, prettier, slimmer FAs. Aeroflot defends its actions on safety grounds....
