News and notes from around the interweb:
- It’s a dog-seat-dog world.
@AmericanAir thank you for changing my fully paid for first class ticket without my approval so you could put a dog in my seat. Thank your local staff in Charlotte for telling me so rudely that I could accept the change or discuss off the plane. Terrible customer service. pic.twitter.com/0XQ9varT2e
— Joe Diianni (@joediianni) January 7, 2024
- Frequent flyers: the design of a rewards card doesn’t matter. Starlux:
- Take this checked bag everywhere you travel just for the lolz
- The olives are actually really tasty tbh, but you need a toothpick or something similar to eat them with – don’t handle them with your hands!
@AmericanAir As a loyal EP, I feel like I can speak for all of us – What are we doing with the snacks??? Just stop. No one wants olives, or wants to smell them on the plane. We want regular chips, brownie brittle, peanuts, pretzels, et al. Fire whoever did this. pic.twitter.com/R9YCgkz0lF
— Ryan (@Saucetheribs) January 7, 2024
- Canadian airline refused to accept checked bags, ‘not enough staff today’
@megsdeangelis I was already checked in I meant my bag drop
- At least it was only chocolate and not the other brown stuff?
Just me and my friends freezing our butts on a jet bridge for nearly an hour with no communication! @AmericanAir this is not the customer service we expect! @NBCDFW flight 2403 Dallas to Atlanta Already delayed!
It was chocolate….someone smeared chocolate all over 3 seats! pic.twitter.com/ERxYZVJZEo
— Lisa DeBord (@LisaDeBord1) January 7, 2024
So was the 1st class passenger bumped to a different seat in 1st class, or downgraded?
Why did he need to get bumped – did the dog need a seat to itself? Is he allergic to dogs?
Discuss off the plane? Obviously, D0 strikes again.
He should have refused to move and force the airline’s hand.
@Steve – my guess is he hadn’t boarded a f his seat was reassigned (likely due to a tight connection and AA’s auto rebooking algorithm). In that case he didn’t have a seat anymore. You have no idea what actually happened based on his one-sided tweet
It’s bad enough when its a Pilot or even a FA flying standbye for non-work trip (vacation) based on the conversation I heard in the gallery getting a drink
We really need a passenger bill of rights and EU/UK 231 type law – but doubtful anything will ever come about
So I am confused…if he got bumped “for a dog” why was another person (human) sitting in the seat? Or is that the OP taking a selfie with a really long arm and a second phone in his left hand…in which case he wouldn’t have been bumped, because he’s in the seat. This story seems implausible as written.
Bonus hot take – domestic bulkhead F? Ewww, bump me please. I’ll take Main Cabin Extra over that any day of the week…
May have been some rule that the dog and owner had to be in a window seat as to not block someone else’s egress or because of limited under seat space in the aisle.
I had this happen on United a few weeks ago… on the new A321neo apparently pet carriers won’t fit under First Class seats. I got on the plane to find someone in my seat (I paid for F on this flight, selected seat a couple months in advance). Crew explanation was that pet carrier has to sit in window (it wouldn’t really fit under that seat either, but they were “okay” with it as it didn’t block anyone else), therefore I must be moved and that the gate knew and was supposed to page me. Person they moved me for was either and upgrade or booked late or rebooked (presumably) as their wife was sitting 4 rows back.
Ban pets from planes. This is ludicrous. Emotional support garbage was enough but now human beings are getting bumped. Sad commentary on our society.
This sounds very familiar going back a few years when I was kicked off a business class seat that I had paid for because I told the crew that I was allergic and simply was asking for the crew to see if someone would switch seats. 52 seats in biz and I was in 3J. The dog was a large Great Dane. The dog got to stay and I was kicked off. Gary wrote an article about this incident! Yes, a dog’s world!
@Gary – RE: “brown stuff”
I’m just supremely impressed they gave up D0 to get that cleaned up! It seems like usually they tell the customer to suck it up and sit in whatever mess was left by the previous passengers! The folks on that jetbridge did not appreciate the work of that crew, though obv the crew could have communicated once the issue was identified.
Charge a supplement for pets. I’m an aircraft design engineer and test pilot. Every extra ounce of weight carried on board, whether alive or not, requires the engines to burn more fuel and causes incrementally more carbon emissions into the atmosphere. YOUR DOG is contributing to GLOBAL WARMING and greenhouse gasses. PAY UP!!!
Pets never cause an issue on planes I’ve been on . Why the hateful attitude. People are worse than most pets these days . Stop bringing open. Drink containers on planes and spilling on other people.
Dogs have become four legged humans aka fur son or fur daughter (yes I’ve heard people refer as such toa their dogs) with all the rights and privileges of us bi ped care givers. It’s nuts.
The dog looks like it is in the next seat over. A lot of details are missing so I’ll assume that they would conflict with the creative writing story.
@Raylan – first of all you can’t ban actual service animals per Federal law. As for regular pets, the airlines make a lot of money with pet fees so that won’t stop (although limited to a certain number on each flight). As for emotional support animals, those haven’t gotten a free ride for a few years. Either they are defined as a service animal or you pay a pet fee. My daughter has a service animal due to her medical issues and she has to provide specific info to the airlines when booking a ticket regarding her dog.
Finally, I would rather have a dog sit next to me than most people I know!
Love dogs more than people, but no paying passenger should get bumped for one and the compensation better be good if they approve. People who need to fly with their pets should be in coach and able to buy 2 seats that the airlines cannot use at their discretion and this is only for service dogs.. This emotional support nonsense has become too much. I see people with dogs in casinos, don’t go if you need support!
I’ve had AA move my seat in first before. They did “ask” me at the gate (even though they weren’t really asking) though. They were nice about it. It was fine.
I would love to know the story as to why he was bumped. Also FA and PILOTS don’t get 1st class seats over revenue passengers. Yoni pdx was ear hustling and has it wrong.
Alicia, I was first on waitlist for a seat Delta domestic first seatast week. Sold out cabin and wasn’t able to purchase. Door closed with a no show in 1C.
Did they come find the Diamond on the top of the WL? No. They gave it to a deadheading FA moving self and baggage from back row of the plane. No connection (it was end of day at destination) to make. Just friends helping friends. The FA was effusive in her gratitude. I was not. With 40+ people on that upgrade waitlist, this is not what a FF program needs for optics.
That is the coolest credit card I have ever seen.
It would be nice if these stories contained all pertinent facts and information when posted. Otherwise we get speculation and guesses and more trivial responses from those who were not there when the event happened. A much better job of fact gathering should be the standard instead of the pathetic piecemeal incomplete information being presented.
@AC: This is why we’re a soft society
Dogs are more entitled than people, thanks to lobbyists and their intern buddies on The Hill. And airlines won’t bite the hand that feeds them covid subsidies and every other subsidy.
Every embarkation, I wonder what kind of cartoon world I am entering. And the complimentary pre-departure cocktail to numb myself to a flying Animal Farm is becoming more rare than a dodo bird.
Pilots rule..per zillion dollar contract deadheading pilots must ride in first class. They can’t be “tired”.
FA may D/H in center seat, basic economy with knees protruding into back of pax in front of them for any length of flight. They don’t get tired, but must always be prepared to evacuate a plane filled to capacity before fire overcomes cabin..
Great job JAL FAs! You did what you were trained to do,
Save lives..
Ninajo
Pilot or FA employees going on vacation will NEVER be assigned any seat, especially first class, before a revenue pax. Never. It does not work that way.
As for deadheading pilots, have you thought about what the pilot does AFTER the DH? They operate another flight with passengers on board. Do you really want an exhausted pilot flying your plane for 4 hours after they were forced to sit in, say, a center seat in coach between a mom with a lap child or a pax with an “emotional support” dog, for another 4+ hours, where they couldn’t get any rest? These regulations are written in blood and for good reason. A tired pilot at the helm means safety margins are reduced, and that can contribute very directly to a serious accident.
Alicia b comes off like she is in the know but is definatley wrong. Think before you speak.
Dead heading pilots Do get 1st class seats over revenue passengers as per new contract.
https://viewfromthewing.com/internal-memo-american-airlines-prioritizes-pilots-over-passengers-for-first-class-upgrades/
Nah, he wasn’t bumped he was MOVED. He paid for a first class ticket and chose a bulkhead seat. They needed his seat for a passenger with a service dog. Bulkhead seats always come with the possibility of being moved for a person with a service dog or a person who needs the extra space for a prosthetic leg or who cannot bend their leg.
This guy is just having a tantrum that he didn’t understand how it works and he lost his seat for a passenger with a higher need.
Pets have died in cargo hold.
Reasonable options can be worked out to resolve pet inside cabin issue.
Pets are an awesome under appreciated source of JOY; they suffer too.
Screaming kids are more of an issue for many of us.
Pilots should have good seating; your life may depend on his skills!
Loose pets ARE supposed to be banned from the cabin (and if you are not blind you do not have a “service animal,” you have a pet). Animals are supposed to be in a carrier or in the cargo hold under every major airline’s policy. The problem is that airline gate agents and FAs are hired from a pool of lowest-common-denominator morons whose thought process, so much as it can be called that, involves squealing over how “cute” the dog is. They don’t understand that they are at work and have to enforce policies because not understanding where you are and just doing whatever you feel like all the time is a fundamental feature of being a moron.
Hey I got bumped from first to the back of the plane for a Cello once, seriously. The guy was a world renowned concert Cellist. I did complain to get extra miles, and it was a pretty good facebook post walked all-the-way back up and took the picture of the Cello strapped in 1A
Ron – I love your depiction of the reality of the lowest common denominator “squealers” – have you ever wondered why society seemingly allows and ignores the asinine screaming/squealing done by women whenever something surprises them? Only in America where “emotions and feelings” supersede sanity and correctness.
Leave pets at home – they have no business inside the passenger cabin of an airplane – actual service animals are allowed – so called “emotional” support animals should not be allowed.
@Ron Mexico – you are showing your ignorance. The vast majority of LEGITIMATE service animals are not for the blind. There are dogs that assist with movement, care during seizures and other medical necessities. My daughter, who can have debilitating migraines that leave her incapacitated, has a trained service dog at the suggestion of her doctor.
There are many disabilities that are not obvious so give people the benefit of the doubt. BTW her dog wears a service vest, is clearly working and curls up at her feet for as long as needed where you wouldn’t even know he is there. True service dogs are trained not only to provide care but also to not bark, control their bodily functions and ignore sights or sounds that would set off your typical dog
@David R Miller – As long as airlines charge a pet fee ($125 in the case of AA) there is no reason people can’t bring a pet on board (not talking legit service animals which are treated differently as they should be). The scam of emotional support animals to avoid the fee (main reason) ended a few years ago. Fine if you think pets shouldn’t be in the cabin but the airlines encourage this since they generate fees for it. Airlines could easily say no pets outside of documented service animals but they don’t. Therefore until then you can have your feelings that pets shouldn’t be in the cabin but that has ABSOLUTELY no impact on the real world.
Dog sitting/lodging is expensive. Lots of folks are actually saving money by spending $250+ RT to bring the dog. Surprised the airlines haven’t raised pet fees yet, feel like they could squeeze out even more revenue while decreasing the farm-feeling onboard. Win-win
I’m having a hard time with pets on planes. These are not service animals. I’m extremely allergic and flying in this enclosed non vented environment makes me very ill and taking inhalers. Shouldn’t the airlines have to ask passengers if they’re OK with an animal on a flight
@Nina
1. Knees protruding etc….but its fair to put a PAYING customer in that position?
2. There’s plenty if evidence that the confused crew told pax to wait….they decided NOPE and gtfo. They lived as a result of this decision.
@Christine – I believe if you notify the airlines of pet allergies they can seat you as far away as possible. However, it is your responsibility to reach out to them for a potential solution. As long as the FAA allows pets in the cabin and airlines can charge a pet fee they will continue to be in the cabin. Not to be cruel but an allergy (pet, peanut, etc) is a “you” problem and you can’t reasonably expect everyone else on board to change their behavior around your issues.
Retired Gambler – You are SO wrong – you can’t expect everyone on board to have to put up with an animal that affects the health of a human just because someone pays a fee. Humans health comes first. Pets have NO BUSINESS in a passenger cabin – commercial aircraft are built for humans – not animals.
@David R Miller – you are entitled to your opinion but frankly it means nothing in this case. Airlines will continue to allow pets on board provided the FAA doesn’t prohibit it and they can generate fees. If you have concerns about “human health” don’t fly. Sorry but that is the trade off you make in 2024 and nothing you spout off will change that.
Every flight should indicates if service dogs are allowed so pax who aren’t animals friendly will not take that flight. Service dogs or companion dogs are important to some pax. You don’t want pax who has mental illness in the same flight with you. These dogs will calm pax down from anxiety attack. Diabetes patients has the service dogs that sense the low and high blood sugar. All these dogs are fully trained. My suggestion is maybe set up the area for pax who are not friendly to dogs or posts at the booking flight of the service dogs allowing. Veterans who need service dog, do you think they do not deserve to fly with you after all the fights to protect our country?
Retired Gambler – Well aren’t you the voice of ignorance. Airlines no longer serve peanuts because of health concerns of those allergic to peanuts. Humans who have an allergy to animals should be accorded the same treatment. Just because airlines can generate fees allowing animals on an airplane is not justification to dismiss the health concerns of humans. You can jam your asinine dictate of ” If you have concerns about “human health” don’t fly” – There is NO TRADE of ones health over money. Your arrogance is disgusting.
He took a photo with the dog next to him in what was clearly FC. So, I can only assume he had a tantrum that he’s so deathly allergic to dogs that he cannot sit next to one… so they moved him! Once you tell the airline that you’re a possible health catastrophe at 20,000 feet, they don’t let you retract that statement.
@DavidR.Miller while the airline no longer serves peanuts, they serve other nuts AND they do not prohibit others from bringing peanuts/peanut butter products on board. I’ve crunched down on a snack pack of nutterbutters before and they SELL peanut butter and jelly sammies in the Admiral’s Club. If someone has a truly deadly peanut allergy, they are urged to not fly because the airline has no control over the use of peanut products or residues.
David R. Miller, now it’s your turn to be wearing because plenty of airlines still serve peanuts onboard… In fact I received them myself on American in First as part of the dish of warmed nuts every passenger gets.
And furthermore, plenty of passengers bring their own food onboard and the airlines certainly aren’t policing it for peanuts.
It is up to every individual with an allergy to take responsibility for their own health and well being. That means notifying the airlines of any allergy, carrying the appropriate rescue meds in case of exposure, and understanding that going anywhere in public is an inherent risk. It’s actually in most airlines contract of carriage that they aren’t responsible for providing an allergy free experience.
@David R Miller – Wah Wah Wah – grow a spine and live life snowflake instead of expecting others to adjust for you. BTW, I do get peanuts and other mixed nuts on some flights so not universally banned. Also, passengers regularly bring peanuts on board and no one is checking for that. Carry any Epipen or don’t fly if you are at risk – that simple. Look out for yourself like I have and don’t expect others to adjust to your view of the world.
Retired Gambler – Thanks for your unasked for worthless advice. I only fly Southwest and they have stopped serving peanuts because of people being allergic to them. I have a spine and am not a snowflake – save your smart ass criticism for one who needs it – I don’t. I do look out for myself – and others. Being self centered and obtuse are not part of my character – but they obviously are yours. And you know just where you can stick your Epipen remark.
@David R Miller – “only fly Southwest” – that says in all! LOL SMDH
@David R Miller You may only fly SW, but you failed to address the fact that neither SW nor any other airline bans pax from bringing peanuts on board. The same applies to dogs or cats in the cabin. Again, if you have a severe, life-threatening allergy, the airline will ask you to not fly. In fact, SW removed someone from the plane recently because they claimed to have a severe cat/dog allergy. They didn’t remove the pax with the cat/dog, but rather the pax claiming the allergy because the last thing they want is someone to go into anaphylaxis over cat hair on another person’s clothing.