American Airlines spent years ripping seatback entertainment screens out of domestic aircraft and telling passengers their phones were good enough. Now its customer chief says “stay tuned,” suggesting one of the airline’s most visible passenger-experience mistakes may finally be getting reversed.
The Sheraton at Amsterdam Schiphol did not catch fire — just its giant illuminated logo did, sending burning pieces falling from the roof and forcing about 380 guests out in the middle of the night. They were evacuated to the nearby Hilton, which is almost too perfect for a Sheraton brand metaphor: the sign still lights up the sky, but the energy behind it has burned out.
The final Spirit Airlines commercial flight to land asked DFW Tower whether any other Spirit flights were coming in behind it. When the answer came back that they might be the last one, the crew signed off with grace — “it was a pleasure working with you guys” — a quiet, dignified ending for the employees who stayed until the end.
United CEO Scott Kirby keeps insisting airfares should rise, and that airlines are too timid to charge what passengers will pay. But after years of predictions that have not panned out, the flaw in his theory is simple: airlines hate empty seats, and supply and demand still set fares no matter how badly CEOs want prices higher.
American Airlines is giving coach passengers something they do not get very often: an actual onboard food upgrade. New snack boxes, name-brand items, a refreshed cheese plate, and a turkey sandwich are coming to buy-on-board — a small but meaningful improvement in the part of the plane where most customers actually sit.
A woman standing in line at a TSA checkpoint can’t going through airport security with her booze – so she chugs the full size clear liquor bottle. Reports are this was Don Julio. She chose to drink the tequila rather than give it up – or return to the ticket counter to check it in.
An Aeroméxico passenger showed up at the gate for a Mexico City–Barcelona flight seven minutes after its scheduled departure time, then demanded to be let onboard anyway. Once she started shoving staff and pushing toward police, her case was not being made better…
Spirit Airlines could stop flying with little warning, leaving ticket holders scrambling for refunds, replacement flights, hotel costs, and answers about stranded trips. If you have a Spirit reservation, this is the moment to screenshot everything, consider a backup flight, understand your chargeback rights, and accept that Free Spirit miles may have no real escape route.
A Delta A321neo had just arrived from Cancun in Seattle when smoke and a small fire near the nose triggered an emergency evacuation down the slides. Now, nearly two years later, a passenger who says she was injured evacuating is suing — but because this was an international flight, the Montreal Convention may keep Delta’s exposure capped even if she proves the injury.
Spirit Airlines flights are still operating — but possibly not for long. A rumored shutdown could come as soon as tonight after talks over a $500 million federal bailout failed, leaving creditors, the government, and the bankrupt airline unable to agree on who gets paid first.
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 »
