Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Tucker Carlson’s Air Travel Safety Rant Was Unhinged, But Diversity Hiring Is Real

by Gary Leff

air traffic control
Feb 15 2023

When I saw Tucker Carlson’s Tuesday evening piece on air travel safety making the rounds, I didn’t give it much mind. But as it’s picking up steam, it seemed important to cover. Because while nearly everything he says in the segment is wrong, if his staff spent a little bit of time researching instead of picking up online complaints by United pilots who do not like the politics of their airline or President Biden, he could come up with a much better-grounded argument.

Continue Reading »

Viral Resignation Letter From American Airlines From A Flight Attendant That Had Enough

by Gary Leff

Feb 15 2023

It details that flight attendant is not a high paying job. The schedules can be grueling. Dealing with passengers can be hard, and when you’re up in the air you’re on your own with little support. You see many people, passengers dealing with the worst that life throws at them and a clash of cultures between seat opponents who bring their own priors to travel, which has become increasingly small-d democratic over the past 45 years.

Continue Reading »

What Was It Like On Board The United Plane That Almost Plunged Into The Pacific?

by Gary Leff

Feb 14 2023

News came out over the weekend about a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 that took off from Maui’s airport back on December 18 – and nearly dropping to the ocean. Despite flight 1722 to Maui climbing to 2,200 feet and then plunging to within 775 feet of impact, news of the incident had not been reported.

In addition to questions around what happened, whether it was wind shear in a significant storm or whether the pilots raised their flaps too far, and possibly became disoriented, there’s been mystery around why no one on the plane – out of more than 200 passengers – posted about the incident to social media.

Continue Reading »

Wide Open Qantas Business Class Award Space To Australia

by Gary Leff

sydney opera house at sunset
Feb 13 2023

Australia in business class is one of the toughest frequent flyer awards out there. It’s a long flight, people pay for business class seats, and there aren’t that many ways of getting there through many frequent flyer programs. If you want to use United miles, for instance, you often have to travel through Asia – or pay triple the miles.

Right now Qantas is making quite a bit of business class award space available on its Dallas Fort Worth – Sydney flight over the summer in the U.S.

Continue Reading »

United Airlines Close Call: Boeing 777 Came Within 775 Feet Of Hitting The Pacific Ocean

by Gary Leff

Feb 12 2023

A Boeing 777-200 taking off from Maui’s airport nearly impacted the ocean on December 18, in a previously-unreported incident.

United Airlines flight 1722 departed for San Francisco at 2:49 p.m., climbed to 2,200 feet, and then went into a steep dive at a rate of over 8,000 feet per minute. While the pilots were able to recover, they came within 775 feet of the ocean.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Testing New Meal Service In Business Class

by Gary Leff

Feb 12 2023

With a new business class product – suites with doors – and more business class seats beginning to roll out at American Airlines next year, the airline is working on new meals, business class bedding, and amenity kits. They’re leaning on partner airlines like British Airways to understand how service flow works with more premium customers. And they’re testing a variety of products.

Continue Reading »