What is “popular” should help you understand why I tend to focus on the stories that I do. As we close out the year of 2021, I’m looking back at the 10 most popular posts of 2021 in terms of traffic on Live and Let’s Fly.
The trend is clear and has only accelerated in 2021: people like reading bad news. I guess it is not a surprise in our clickbait culture, but the results are clear even beyond the top-10 list below. As you will see, not a single “positive” story made the cut.
Although my incredibly time-consuming trip reports never make the top-10 list, I have to remind myself that I actually write to myself first and foremost and that it must always be that way. I’ve also been more overtly political and religious this year, which is not so much for clicks but rather finally feeling comfortable enough to risk offending some readers. But I don’t sell you credit cards you don’t need and if even if you disagree with me, I hope you can at least appreciate how I come to my worldview on a number of topics we have discussed this year. That, I hope, is what sets this blog apart from the pack.
But without further ado, here are the ten most popular posts from 2021:
10. Flight Attendants At United Airlines Not Happy About New Cabin Announcement On Lavatory Cleanliness
9. American Airlines Flight Diverts After Women Hurl Racist Insults, Spit On Passenger
8. Catfight On Spirit Airlines – Taunts Lead To Blows
7. Screaming “Karen” Has A Meltdown On Southwest Airlines
6. Delta Air Lines Throws Off 18 Jewish Girls…For Eating Onboard At The “Wrong” Time
4. American Airlines Charges Black Couple An “African American” Service Fee
2. KLM 777-300ER With 350 Passengers From South Africa Trapped On Tarmac In Amsterdam
1. Spirit Airlines Collapses: Riots Break Out As Agents Told To Flee Airports For Their Own Safety
Many thanks to Kyle Stewart and 121pilot for their contributions and insight over the last year. Both are a pleasure to work with and I am deeply grateful for their helpful contributions.
Coronavirus again dominated the news this year and yet I think the top-10 list demonstrates that many are looking to Live and Let’s Fly for a diversion from more sobering news. We no longer avoid clickbait, but still try to make it worth your while to click through any story we write. We look forward to bringing you more content worth reading in 2022.
With so many of these stories related to mental illness and it’s exacerbation by the stress of flying,you would think airlines consider contracting a video service with on-demand therapists to de escalate situations on board. Not to mention a kit with injectable drugs to buy time until landing.
I will say this, the regular readers here who read your blog religiously, DO LOVE the reviews and trip reports. Sure, I read the other stuff, but if it was ALL that there was I would quickly move on from a daily read. So remember, Matthew, while it’s hard work doing reviews vs slapping up a sensationalist story, it is your core that you do it for as well as yourself. And we appreciate it.
Happy New Year to you and your family and to the crazy wonderful people in the LALF community.
Sure fire way to make this blog even better is to get rid of Kyle. It’s the reason to avoid this blog on weekends.
Cheers for your trip reports, they are the best part of the blog. No idea why people get their rocks off on repeatedly reading about people acting like jerks on airplanes
Happy new year
+1, I don’t click on posts from this blog on Sundays
This top 10 list reflects far more on the present, sad state of humanity than you personally, a condition the great Don Henley captured perfectly nearly 40 years ago.
We can do “The Innuendo” we can dance and sing,
When it’s said and done we haven’t told you a thing.
We all know that crap is king,
Give us dirty laundry!
Happy New Year and I do sincerely hope you can cash in on that raincheck for dinner at mom’s house and BBQ in 2022.
I tend to skip over the articles over incidents and focus on the trip reports. Please keep them coming!
Thanks, @Matthew for all your hard work! You are definitely one of my top 3 travel blogs and regardless of Covid, I love that you keep traveling and I just love reading trip reports, and you are one of the few people making them! Happy new year to you and your family!
Matthew’s look in that pic will never not be creepy.
How about your top 5 most-read trip reports?