A United flight from Newark to Guatemala City diverted to Washington Dulles after a passenger tried to open a rear cabin door at cruising altitude and then assaulted another traveler, according to air traffic control audio. The door could not actually open at 36,000 feet — but the behavior was serious enough to send the 737 MAX off course.
Frontier says its online booking fee is optional because passengers can avoid it by buying tickets at the airport. But when customers actually show up at the airport, Frontier has told DOT it charges a $25 booking fee there too — turning a tax-arbitrage trick into something that looks to me like fraud.
DHS officials reportedly told airline leaders last week that they are serious about pulling Customs officers from airports tied to sanctuary cities after the World Cup. That would not just punish local politicians — it could cripple international flights at JFK, LAX, O’Hare, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Denver, Newark and more, hitting lawful travelers, cargo, airlines and the national economy.
Spirit’s March operating report shows just how impossible the airline had become: it spent $1.61 for every $1 of revenue, lost $157 million on operations in one month, and still would have been deeply underwater even if fuel had been free. They could not have been bailed out.
Delta SkyMiles has been underdelivering for a quarter century, and somehow customers kept swiping the cards anyway. But when someone with 2 million miles says she still has to pay retail to get to France, you have to ask whether the “SkyPesos” problem is finally becoming obvious to normal people.
A federal civil rights official complaining about an airport sandwich is funny. A $25.60 cold turkey sandwich at Burbank is ridiculous. But the real issue is the airport’s own pricing rules and whether they’re supposed to prevent exactly this kind of gouging in the first place.
Rove Miles is running a short-term promo that makes the program more interesting for both hotel bookings and shopping portal spend: bonus miles on first-time hotel reservations, up to 15x at select merchants, and transferable points that can move to partners like Japan Airlines, Air Canada, Air France KLM, Qatar, Lufthansa, and more. Rove can be useful for hotel bookings where you still earn hotel points and elite credit.
A rideshare driver allegedly used AI to fake car damage, but left the logo in the photo. Also: Jessica Simpson’s first class while her kids sit in coach explanation, another Hyatt devaluation surprise, and American’s broken first-class tray tables.
Delta Amex cardholders may soon get a second free checked bag on domestic flights, according to JonNYC. It could put Amex ahead of most airline cobrands and give a new reason for SkyMiles members to convert to the card.
An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit diverted to Montreal after passengers were told U.S. authorities refused landing over a “virus” concern. Crew reportedly put on masks, onboard service stopped, and the diversion comes just as the CDC has started enhanced screening and entry restrictions tied to Ebola-related outbreaks in East and Central Africa.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
