I’m not the type that hangs around bars, but in my travels around the world I’ve run into a lot of drunk people and must admit that there are a few things I enjoy more than observing disorderly conduct...
"This aircraft tolerates emissions from electrical devices for all phases of flight"
Coming soon to an airliner near you: cell phones, tablets, laptops…all the time. No phone calls just yet, but I suspect that is just around the corner too. This isn’t a done deal just yet, but after years of passengers...
United Airlines Unveils New Uniforms at Newark Airport
As part of its commemoration of 25 years in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines set up a catwalk this morning in order showcase new uniforms for pilots, FAs, and ground staff. With CEO Jeff Smisek on-hand,...
New Seats, Wi-Fi, Streaming IFE Coming to United Airlines Airbus Fleet
United Airlines is refreshing its Airbus fleet and UAInsider has provided a bit more insight into the pending changes. New RECARO seats in United Economy and Economy Plus, which will result in an additional half-inch of headroom an almost...
Pay-to-Play VIP Treatment on Delta and American, but not United
Scott Mayerowitz has a piece out today on how three of the legacies are offering extra special VIP treatment for select guests, namely “true” VIPs and those willing to slap down some cash. American Airlines built a private check-in lobby in Los Angeles...
British Airways Florida Call Center to Close
British Airways has announced the impending closure of its Jacksonville call center, displacing 280 jobs. Sadly, this is not an April Fools’ joke. The news broke last week, but a conversation I had today with a British Airways call...
Dog Flies from Newark to Phoenix via Dublin on United
When I took my island-hopper flight last week from Honolulu to Guam on United Airlines, the same intro and safety video was played six times–every time the aircraft took off. Ironically, it was the cargo intro (below) that that...
TSA Allows Bomb to Slip Past Security Checkpoint in Newark…Twice
If any of you are surprised by news that a fake IED-type bomb was cleared past two security checks at Newark’s Liberty International Airport last month, you shouldn’t be. I’ve maintained for years that anyone determined to get something...
Sequester: Travel Disruptions and the Politics of Fear and Intimidation
As the threat of sequester looms large, I must underscore the absurdity of the FAA’s contention that it has no choice but to inconvenience the traveling public if Congress cannot reach an eleventh hour settlement today. Gary argued this...
The Lawyer Behind the AA-US Merger
Never underestimate the capacity of one man to make a difference. The pages of history make that clear and as the dust settles around the almost certain merger of American Airlines and US Airways next week, we are now...
Air Tahiti Nui Removes First Class, Adds New Business Class Seats
Getting to Tahiti using your points (and in general) is not the easiest prospect. Two carriers fly from the continental US non-stop to Papeete–both from Los Angeles: Air France and Air Tahiti Nui (Hawaiian Airlines also offers once-weekly service...
Why United Airlines Will Have Trouble Winning Back Business Travelers
United Airlines announced a new push today to win back business travelers who have been leaving the carrier in droves for the competition. United will have to do more than plead to get these corporate accounts back– Is it...
TSA Will Remove Some Nude Scanners
Chalk this up as a small victory in the war on common sense. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed today that it will remove some airport body scanners that produce a naked image of travelers by June. These are the large...
United Announces Additional 787 Routes
Although United Airlines, with great fanfare, announced that the Boeing 787 would operate the carrier’s new Denver-Tokyo Narita route next year, that will not be the first route we will see United’s newest fleet addition on. Today, United filled us...
TSA: Groping is Okay, Unless it is One of Our Agents
Carol, a former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screener, arrives at the airport security checkpoint in Ft. Myers, where she’s on her way to a funeral Cleveland. She is chosen for additional screening. A screener collects her belongings and leads...
Free Wi-Fi Coming to LAX in July
After years of gouging–yes, gouging–customers wishing to access internet at Los Angeles International Airport, T-Mobile’s reign ends next month and the LA City Council has voted to make internet free for all passengers. LA City Council’s Trade, Commerce, and...
Another Crate of Bad Apples at the TSA – Bribery at PHL
Gary brings us the latest example of how the TSA is keeping us safe: bribery and falsifying results on proficiency exams. Whodathunkit? An investigation has revealed that seven employees at Philadelphia International Airport were involved in a bribery scandal...
Checked Baggage Fees for First Class Passengers on Alaska Airlines
While “low-cost” Spirit Airlines may be leading airlines on a race to the bottom (with “optional” fees like the mandatory $2 Unintended Consequences of DOT Regulations Fee or mandatory $10 ticket booking fee), Alaska Airlines will soon become the...
Air France Captain "Diverted" on Flight 447?
Facts are still emerging about what exactly happened in the final moments leading up to the crash of Air France flight 447 in 2009, but one new piece of information has recently emerged–it seems the Captain was not traveling...
Analysis: Legality of EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
Here’s a short paper I wrote recently on the legality of the European Union’s ETS. Enjoy! What happens when an airline suddenly finds itself forced to break a law? It has two possible courses of actions—one action violates law...
