A pilot is being heralded as a hero after landing a badly-damaged Airbus A320 in Istanbul. Imagine this. A plane takes off in Istanbul just as a hailstorm begins. The aircraft climbs to about 4,000 feet and then is...
Delta, Air France, Iberia, and Avianca Suspend Service to Venezuela
Amid growing civil unrest and social fissures so deep it may take a revolution to restore order, four more airlines are suspending service to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. On Sunday, a sham election will take place in which President Nicolás...
Virgin Atlantic to Join Air France-KLM + Delta Joint Venture
Delta currently has a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic and a separate joint venture with Air France-KLM (and Alitalia). Today, the carriers announced the two JVs would merge into one. China Eastern and Delta also get a seat at...
United Airlines Adds New London Service from Denver
As United faces mounting competition from Frontier and soon Norwegian in Denver, it is embracing the fight rather than abandoning it. Today the carrier announced new seasonal service to London starting next spring. United has tried service between Denver and...
Another Near-Miss: Emirates A380 and Air Seychelles A330
On the heels of a near-miss at San Francisco International Airport by an Air Canada A320 that could have been the “worst disaster in aviation history”, an Emirates A380 came dangerously close to an Air Seychelles A330 just north of Mauritius. The...
Emergency Landing at Denver as United Aircraft Catches Flames
Scary moments today as the left engine of a United Express aircraft caught fire, forcing an emergency landing and hasty evacuation. United 5869, enroute from Aspen to Denver, encountered fire upon descent. The SkyWest-operated Bombardier CRJ-700 was met by fire officials upon...
Disabled Passenger Forced by Japanese Airline to Crawl Onto Plane
Sometimes rules get in the way of common sense. But sometimes rules exist for a valid reason, even if they appear inhumane. This sad story, however, demonstrates that sometimes there is just no right answer. Hideto Kijima is head of the Japan...
New DHS Security Directive on All US-Bound Flights
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced an “enhanced security directive” on all commercial flights to the USA. From its Fact Sheet, the following changes will take place, effective immediately (though obviously compliance will take time): Enhancing overall...
ANA Adds Third Daily Flight Between Los Angeles and Tokyo
ANA has announced a third daily service on its Los Angeles – Tokyo route starting on October 29, 2017. Presently, ANA operates one flight per day to Tokyo Haneda and one to Tokyo Narita. The new daily service will...
Dubious: Why Does Congress Want You to Pay More for Airfare?
The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee just voted to raise your airfare by making foreign competition more difficult. The provision allows the secretary of transportation to block foreign airlines from serving the U.S. after finding a...
The TSA May Soon Examine Your Books!
The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is testing out a new program in which all books would need to be removed from carry-on baggage and subject to closer inspection. Is this 1984? With proliferating fees for checked and larger cabin baggage, travelers...
Nine Passengers in Hospital After Severe Turbulence on United Flight
I’ve been on some very rough flights over the years, but never the sort of horror story flights where passengers end up hospitalized. Nine passengers and one crew member were not so fortunate after severe turbulence on a flight to...
A Disappointing Relief: Tipping Officially Comes to Uber
If you live in Seattle, Minneapolis or Houston, you can now tip directly in the Uber app. By the end of July, tipping will be rolled out across the USA. That’s a disappointing relief. My views on Uber tipping...
Trump Rolls Back Obama’s Cuba Policy: Will Travel Still Be Legal?
Although not a complete rollback, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a different direction for U.S. policy toward Cuba today. Let’s review the details, particularly how it will affect travel. Nothing will change immediately. The President’s Executive Order tasks the...
United’s Upgraded Hawaii Service a Ruse to Scare Away Southwest?
United Airlines is increasing service to Hawaii and making lie-flat seating standard on routes from five domestic hubs. United will offer lie-flat beds on all Hawaiian flights to/from the following U.S. hubs: Newark Washington Dulles Chicago Houston Denver While...
Jimmy Carter’s Act of Grace on a Delta Flight
I do my best to keep this blog non-partisan and believe me, I have strong opinions that are hard to keep silent sometimes. But I will say this: I have a certain admiration for all men who have been part...
EU Makes It Easier for Carriers to Legally Challenge Gulf Rivals
Protectionism is the darling of populist movements and populism is alive and well around the world today. Now the EU plans to make it easier for European carriers to lodge anti-competitive complaints against foreign rivals. If the discourse in Europe even remotely resembles the...
Oman Air a Big Winner in Qatar Crisis
What happens when you need to travel between Saudi Arabia or the UAE and Doha? Answer: take Oman Air. As one of the easiest way to sidestep the Qatar embargo, the Omani national airline has found itself suddenly in...
A Glowing Review of Delta from My German Cousins
I have German cousins in town this week and around the dinner table last night, they showered Delta Air Lines with praise. They flew economy class from Stuttgart to Atlanta and exclaimed, “Never have we had so much food on...
Sweden Mulls Pricey New Airline Tax
Sweden’s governing coalition has proposed a tax of up to 439 Krona (~$49) on airfare originating in Sweden, a move that critics say will cripple the country’s growing and competitive aviation industry. The UK’s “Air Passenger Duty” and Germany’s “Air...
