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...
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...
Update: More Route Suspensions + Statement from Qatar Airways
More bad news for Qatar Airways today, as the Doha-based carrier has suspended flights to Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Yesterday the carrier suspended service to Saudi Arabia. These nations have also blocked Qatar from using its airspace. As...
Flying Qatar This Week? Why You Shouldn’t Panic
News broke overnight that a handful of Gulf nations would diplomatically isolate Qatar. The isolation may include blocking air space vital for Qatar Airways to smoothly operate. While news is still developing and the situation could get much worse, for now...
Will Qatar Airways Be Destroyed by Geopolitics?
Beware if you are flying Qatar Airways in the days ahead: expect delays and/or flight cancellations as the Gulf airline finds itself in the middle of a larger diplomatic row. The following nations have ceased diplomatic relations with Qatar:...
United Airlines Suspends Service to Venezuela
Venezuela is on the verge of economic collapse and United Airlines has decided enough is enough. Effective July 01, 2017 United is suspending service to Caracas (CCS). Although corrupt President Nicolás Maduro has promised to prevent any carrier who halts service...
United Caves: Increases U.S. Military Baggage Allowance
Last week I wrote about a soldier returning from active duty who was charged $200 to check his kevlar armor on a short United domestic flight. I defended United, but anything that remotely smacks of being anti-military is a losing...
