A United Airlines’ 787-9 bound for Los Angeles diverted to Noumea due to the “smell of smoke” onboard. Noumea is the capital of New Caledonia, a French territory located east of Australia and north of New Zealand. The flight,...
A Flight Attendant Freed From Detention Demonstrates Power Of Social Media

A Mesa Airlines flight attendant has been freed from federal detention thanks to an onslaught of social media pressure. I had prepared another post today on this topic, a very opinionated one, that I can thankfully spare you from...
United Airlines Unveils Two New Gender Booking Options

Following through on its promise, United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to offer additional non-binary gender options for new flight bookings. You’ll now have four gender choices when you book a ticket on united.com: Male (M) Female (F)...
A Classy Move From A Classy United Express Captain

Flight delays stink. Especially when they occur around meal times. But one United Express/MESA captain went above and beyond the call of duty during a prolonged flight delay. A mechanical issued delayed a United Express flight from Tulsa (TUL)...
Captain Sully Has Choice Words For Boeing And FAA

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III has penned a scathing new op-ed for Baron’s assailing Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. First, he bemoans that the FAA is understaffed and underfunded. To compensate, he points out that the FAA...
Ethiopian Captain Never Had 737 MAX Simulator Training

Yared Getachew, the captain onboard doomed Ethiopian Flight 302, never had Boeing 737 Max 8 simulator training, despite Ethiopian Airlines’ acquisition of a simulator months earlier. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, insiders at Ethiopian told the New York...
737 MAX Customers Have Nowhere Else To Turn But To Boeing…

In a world of mounting backorders in which demand far outstrips supply, disgruntled Boeing 737 MAX customers cannot just take their business elsewhere. Not if they wish to enjoy any semblance of timely delivery. There are likely escape clause provisions...
United Airlines Explains How It Chooses New Routes

Have you ever wondered how an airline decides when to start a new route and why it might choose to compete on some routes but not others? In a detailed and insightful article that was shared with some employees...
Air Canada Banishes Mother To Lavatory To Breastfeed? Nope.

There are headlines making their way around the internet which suggest that Air Canada forced a mother to breastfeed in the lavatory. That’s just not true. A woman was warned that she would need to breastfeed her child in...
British Airways’ New Business Class Suite Is Better Than First Class…

British Airways unveiled its new “Club Suite” business class product today, which will debut on the A350-1000 in July. The seat is arguably better than the current first class seat British Airways offers. I say “arguably” better because first...
Three Airlines, Three Very Different Approaches To 737 MAX Tragedy

The crash of 737 MAX 8 jetliner in Ethiopia two weeks ago has evoked starkly different reactions depending on who you ask. Airlines have reacted in the same way. While Garuda mulls cancellation, flydubai digs in, and Norwegian fumes. We’re...
American Airlines Partnership With Hyatt Ruffles Feathers But Should It?

American Airlines and Hyatt Hotels announced a partnership that will allow elites from each program to earn while flying or staying with the other. But some aspects of the partnership are one-sided, leaving Hyatt members upset, but maybe they...
Captain Sully Weighs In On Boeing 737 MAX Crash

Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the pilot who skilfully landed US Airways 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009, has harsh words for both Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines. The “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot is an Aviation and Safety Expert for...
Bowing To Pilot Pressure, American Airlines Abandons Venezuela

American Airlines quickly suspended service to Venezuela after its pilots were instructed by union leaders to refuse all trips to Venezuela. The situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate. In response, the U.S. State Department issued a new travel warning advising...
Lufthansa Announces Boeing 777-9 Base

Lufthansa will base its incoming 777-9 fleet in Frankfurt. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr made the announcement in Berlin yesterday. Although this airplane has been hyped for years and Lufthansa’s new business class product was unveiled in November 2017, the first...
Lufthansa Snubs The A380

Lufthansa’s latest aircraft order comes at the expense of its majestic superjumbo Airbus A380-800. Earlier this week, Lufthansa ordered 20 Boeing 787-9s and 20 additional Airbus A350-900s. But its deal with Airbus came with a caveat. In exchange, Airbus...
Woman Who Dressed “Too Provocatively” Told To Cover Up Or Get Off Plane

Sticking to the Thomas Cook theme today, it appears the airline wants you to be comfortable onboard, but not too comfortable. That’s at least what one 21-year-old passenger claims after a recent onboard incident. Emily O’Connor was flying Thomas...
European Leisure Carrier Now Offers “Lie-Flat” Seats In Economy Class

You can soon pre-reserve a trio of economy class seats on Thomas Cook that transform (to use the word loosely) into a lie-flat bed. Thomas Cook, the British-based leisure airline, is adding “Sleeper Seats” to its A330 fleet. “Sleeper Seats”...
FAA Explains Why Trump Grounded Boeing 737 MAX

Just moments ago, U.S. President Donald Trump stated he was grounding all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the United States by Executive Order. Now the Federal Aviation Administration has issued its own explanation. Via Twitter, the FAA stated: The FAA...
Spirit Airlines Announces New Service To Burbank, CA

No-frills budget carrier Spirit Airlines is coming to Burbank, California. Today, the carrier announced it will offer three daily flights between Burbank and Las Vegas starting in June 2019. Burbank becomes our second airport destination in the Los Angeles Basin,...