Category Archives for Passengers.
A TikTok video of a passenger grinding beans and pulling a fresh espresso shot in economy has people furious and fascinated in equal measure. Is a full barista setup at your seat a clever way around terrible airline coffee — or just another way to be the most annoying person on the plane?
A rant about deplaning etiquette has gone viral, laying down what she calls the “one rule” when a flight arrives: you wait your turn and don’t rush the aisle. In her view, anyone who pushes forward past rows in front of them is “human dirt” who deserves the side-eye of the entire cabin. It taps straight into one of the most bitter fights in air travel today: is it row-by-row courtesy, or every passenger for themselves?
An American Airlines passenger on a five hour Airbus A321neo flight showed up in row 37 with AirPods Max for every flight attendant and pilot, and wound up in first class after a passenger up front insisted on trading seats with him. Most people see it as heartwarming holiday gratitude for crew, but others question whether a filmed, high-dollar gift like this crosses the line into performative tipping and bribery-adjacent special treatment.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Moscow was delayed on the ground after a drunk Russian passenger boarded already agitated, demanded more alcohol, and then tried to turn the drama into flirtation with the man seated next to her. When crew refused to serve her and asked her to calm down, she turned on them instead, yelling in the aisle until airport police boarded, escorted her off the aircraft, and ground staff had to go digging through the hold to pull her bags.
A Louisiana man got stuck at the exit of New Orleans airport’s short-term parking garage when his payment card was declined. Unable to pay—and refusing to move—he allegedly called the airport operations center twice with bomb threats, hoping an evacuation would open the gates. Now he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
A WestJet passenger tried to record an agent’s explanation for why his family was suddenly bumped to a later flight. Instead, the agent grabbed his phone, tore up their boarding passes, and struck the passenger’s 73-year-old father hard enough to leave him with a swollen eye.
Video from a Spirit Airlines flight from Nashville to Las Vegas shows a male passenger punching a flight attendant in the face in the aisle, with the cabin turning into a brief brawl until a crewmember steps in and shuts it down. Here is what we know about the incident, what likely happened next, and how this fits into the broader problem of assaults on flight attendants.
Hours of delays at Newark turned one United flight into a pressure cooker. A woman decided she was “allowed to stand up” during taxi, unloaded on the crew with profanity and slurs, and found out what really happens when you defy flight attendants: the pilots take you back to the gate.
A widely shared video shows a woman insisting her claustrophobia and a doctor note entitle her to three free economy seats, accusing the airline of discrimination when agents tell her she has to pay for them. Here is what actually happens in the call, how disability law and airline policies really treat requests for extra space, and why the internet overwhelmingly sides with the airline.
The woman whose Southwest meltdown at a Denver gate went viral last week is back in a new video – this time screaming at another passenger on board. Same airline, same passenger, second meltdown.
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 »
