Following several significant events with manufacturers, supply chain vendors, as well as airlines – it’s time for either a governmental or private intervention or both. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click...
Reasonable Question: Is The 737 Max Safe?
Following yet another incident, most recently on Friday night, reasonable questions about one of Boeing’s most controversial planes are being asked: Is the 737 MAX safe? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Report Alleges Up To 5,000 Pilots Unfit For Duty Fraudsters
A damning report out today alleges that up to 5,000 pilots are either unfit for duty, defrauding the US government, liars, or all three. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both...
Terrifying: Charlotte’s Carowinds’ Fury Coaster Catastrophe
A Charlotte theme park, Carowinds experienced a near-miss catastrophe as a large crack in a support beam separated from the track. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If...
The Points Guy Calls TSA Relatively Unskilled, Is He Wrong?
In an interview this week with CNBC, Brian Kelly “The Points Guy” called TSA workers “relatively unskilled.” He was dragged by pundits but was he wrong? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Push For One-Pilot Commercial Aircraft Gains Steam
The topic of single-pilot commercial aircraft has been around for some time, but it got a big push from an unlikely source recently. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support...
Close Call: Two Airliners Narrowly Avoid Runway Catastrophe
For the second time in recent weeks, two airliners faced a runway incursion that could have been disastrous. Is this becoming more common, or more noticed? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Couple Abandon Child At Airport Over €25 Fee
In a shocking case of avoiding additional airfare costs, a couple purportedly abandoned their child in Tel Aviv as they did not purchase a ticket for them to fly. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new...
Boston Garage Turned “Crash Pad” Condemned
A garage near Boston Logan has been condemned due to unsafe conditions but according to the owner it totally wasn’t a 20-person “crash pad.” If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both...
Review: Yandex – Armenia’s Rideshare Taxi Service
During my extended visit to Yerevan Armenia, I used Yandex for rideshare and taxi service and it was excellent. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t...
Airline Alcohol Ban Won’t Stop Incidents
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have both banned alcohol aboard their flights amidst a spat of customer incidents, but as terrible as those issues have been, it won’t solve the problem. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for...
Southwest CEO: It’s “Absolutely” Safe To Fly
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has a message for weary travelers: it’s safe to fly. He was a guest on Face The Nation yesterday on CBS and the very first question asked by host Margaret Brennan was whether it is...
Mechanics Slowdown Makes American Airlines Safer, Not Enjoyable
Mechanics at American Airlines have been negotiating their contract (and have been out of contract) for years. Work slowdowns for maintenance concerns, however, make the carrier safer, even if inconvenient. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new...
Ask The Pilot: When Lighting Strikes An Airplane
One working theory around the crash landing of the Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet-100 that killed 41 in Moscow last week is that lighting struck the aircraft, causing significant damage. I asked LALF reader 121Pilot, a U.S. commercial airline pilot, if lightning can...
“Belligerent” Alaska Airlines Passenger Caught Smoking, Reacts Oddly
An Alaska flight diverted to Chicago after a passenger responded poorly to a flight attendant request to extinguish his cigarette. Perhaps the passenger did not get the memo that domestic flights in the USA have been non-smoking since 1990....
A History Of Aircraft Groundings (Part 3 – Boeing 737 MAX)
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the USA, has graciously written a three-part series on the history of aircraft groundings. Today, we explore part three, on the current Boeing 737 MAX grounding. Click here for part one on the...
A History Of Aircraft Groundings (Part 2 – The Jet Age)
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the USA, has graciously written a three-part series on the history of aircraft groundings. Today, we explore part two, the jet age. Click here for part one. McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The fifth aircraft...
A History Of Aircraft Groundings (The Early Years – Part 1)
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the USA, has graciously written a three-part series on the history of aircraft groundings. Today, we explore the propeller era. In evaluating the FAA’s decision to ground the 737MAX, it’s helpful to review...
Help Me Plan My 737 MAX Trip With My Two-Year-Old…Or Not?
I want to take my son on a 737 MAX trip this weekend, lest I ever be accused of hypocrisy. Earlier today, I made (or attempted to make) a rather abstract argument that perhaps we are acting too hastily...
Exclusive: U.S. Commercial Pilot Addresses Boeing 737 MAX Safety
121pilot, a frequent commenter on this blog, is a U.S. commercial airline pilot. I asked him to address the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX and he graciously agreed. His thoughts are below. There has been a great deal...