61-year-old Yukari Mihamae apparently wasn’t pleased with the Transporation Security Administration and took it out on a TSO at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday. Entering the security checkpoint, she grabbed the left breast of the female agent,...
Women Jailed for Yelling at TSA
Should a woman have been arrested for yelling and swearing at a government employee? While I have no respect for the organization or those who work in it, I am not one who would ever cuss out a Transportation...
Tom Stuker Earns Titanium Global Services Status on United
As an aspiring million mile flyer, I find it necessary and proper to offer my congratulations to Tom Stuker, United’s most frequent flyer and a true “Up in the Air” figure. After 29 years of flying, he crossed the...
Polish Man Wanders Brazilian Airport for 18 Days
And you thought Viktor Navorski was just a fairy tale… Robert Wladyslaw Parzelski boarded a British Airways flight from London to Sao Paulo on 17 June with no return ticket and no money. His mission, which he would later...
World’s Largest Lufthansa Lounge Opens July 5th in Frankfurt
Coming soon to Terminal B at Frankfurt International Airport: a new Senator Lounge that will also become the largest Lufthansa lounge in the world. Today I received the following e-mail from Lufthansa: Dear Mr. Klint, Here is some terrific...
TSA Forces 95-Year-Old to Remove Diaper
After probing this story further, some of my outrage has dissipated. Yet I am still fuming at all parties involved. A 95 year-old woman in Florida in the terminal stages of leukemia, weighing only 105lbs and bound to a...
British Airways Captain Throws Mobile Phone Out Cockpit Window
I am having trouble deciding whose side I am on in this story, which occurred on Friday evening. A British Airways flight from Edinburgh to London Gatwick was already delayed. On the taxi out, a mobile phone was found...
New Livery + Business Class for LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines, a Star Alliance member, will be the first European carrier to take delivery of Boeing’s 787 aircraft. The program is two years behind schedule, but the kinks finally appear to be ironed out and LOT is...
Don’t Blame Delta for Saudi Foreign Policy
The Rabbi Jason Miller is not happy with Delta Air Lines. In a poorly-written article published in the Huffington Post, Miller bemoans that Saudi Arabian Airlines will soon be a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, the airline group that...
Earn and Burn American Airlines Miles on Etihad Airways
Award earning and redemption options just got a little better on American Airlines. As of 01 June, American Airlines AAdvantage miles can be earned on most Etihad flights. Three notable exclusions are flights between Abu Dhabi and New York,...
This Southwest Captain Hates "Gays and Grannies and Grandes"
I would feel sorry for the Captain, if he wasn’t such an idiot. Apparently a Southwest Airlines captain didn’t know his microphone was stuck on the “on” position and broadcast to the FAA and everyone else within earshot a...
Naked Man Barricades Himself in Lavatory on Iberia Flight
Excessive alcohol and flying just do not mix–I’ve made that abundantly clear in previous posts. But sometimes passengers are just crazy (recall the deranged passenger that caused my United flight to divert to Omaha last year). Take the German...
United to Close Denver Hub?
A piece ran in the Denver Post yesterday speculating on the future hub status of Denver, implying that United is ready to axe it. I see no cause for concern just yet. The rumors stem from internal UA documents...
Delta Flight Diverted After Flirting Man Pulls Out "Poisonous" Gas
A guy name Bryan Sisco finds his Delta flight from Dallas to Atlanta is delayed and heads to the bar, where he consumes a few too many–but is not visibly hammered. Though the midst of going through a messy divorce with his...
The Door to Cuba Has Opened for Americans
While some snobby Canadians and Europeans will no doubt be dejected by this news, I am happy to report that the United States has further loosened travel restrictions to Cuba, making it possible for almost any American now to visit the communist island...
Singapore Airlines Plans Long-Haul Budget Carrier
When Air Canada announced plans for a new low-cost subsidiary last month, many were left scratching their heads. In a climate of high oil prices and an industry trend of cutting capacity, what would motivate such a move–especially with the high failure rate of...
New Role for the TSA: High School Prom Guards
Coming soon to a high school near you: the Transportation Security Administration. Two girls at a New Mexico high school recently sued their school district, claiming that they were "groped" on their way into their prom earlier in the...
Why "Free" Airline Award Tickets Cost So Much
From time to time, I have blogged about the increasing cost of award tickets, particularly when using frequent flyer programs outside the United States. Scott McCartney nicely highlights this issue in his weekly column, demonstrating that for many seeking to book an airline...
Ryanair Bikini Ad Banned
The British Advertising Standards Authority has banned the Ryanair ad below for…lying. Arguing that the “sunny” destinations wouldn’t get much warmer than 6-9ºC (42-48ºF), the government body has banned Ryanair from publishing similar “misleading” ads in the future. “We considered...
Thoughts on the Failed Alitalia Hijacking Attempt
A knife-welding Kazakh attempted to hijack an Alitalia flight from Paris to Rome Sunday night, demanding the plane be diverted to Libya. Passengers onboard said the man whipped out a knife and held it closely to the throat of...