Category Archives for Passengers.
One passenger at LAX check-in was so determined to avoid an overweight bag fee that he stood there and ate a dozen bananas out of his own luggage to get the suitcase under the limit. The stunt is ridiculous, but it also captures something real about modern air travel: checked bag fees are now so aggressive — and overweight penalties so steep — that travelers will reshuffle, rewear, and apparently even binge-eat their way out of paying them.
A passenger was banned after vaping in an airplane lavatory triggered the smoke alarm and brought police to meet the flight on arrival, but the more interesting question is why e-cigarettes are treated the same as cigarettes in the first place.
One passenger in India is accused of a string of alarming incidents in March, including allegedly trying to open an emergency exit inflight, smoking near jet fuel on an airport ramp, and fighting with airline and airport staff. The episodes reportedly happened on separate flights just weeks apart, making this less a one-off outburst than a pattern of escalating aviation misconduct.
Starlink is making inflight internet fast enough and reliable enough to support calls, conferencing, and anything else passengers want to do online at 35,000 feet. The old argument for blocking inflight calls is collapsing, and airlines should be free to let passengers decide — as long as people are considerate.
Three women headed to Philadelphia on Frontier had their boarding passes voided in Miami after refusing to pay added bag fees, then went down the jetbridge anyway, refused orders to get off the plane, and ended the night in handcuffs. What began as yet another fight over Frontier’s aggressively monetized carry-on rules quickly escalated into trespass, removal from the aircraft, and resisting arrest — delaying the flight for everyone else.
An Air Canada passenger was filmed urinating on the floor at the gate before a flight from Calgary to Toronto. Bystanders can be heard trying to wake him and saying they thought he was sleepwalking, making it even stranger.
A JetBlue redeye passenger in the Mint cabin was reported for solo sexual conduct, and the crew’s message included one detail that made the whole thing even stranger. Along with the warning and request for police or security on arrival, JetBlue’s internal note made sure to mention that the passenger was Mosaic 4 — the airline’s top published elite status tier.
A Frontier passenger was filmed at the gate wearing a cat on his head like a hat. He walks around the gate area with it and even adjusts it over his headphones.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was photographed flying first class on Friday. He’s being criticized for the premium experience of an upgraded class of service while the working classes suffer coach. That take does not makes sense.
A Scottish OnlyFans model says her 30R breasts have forced her to spend more than $50,000 on business class because economy seats do not work for her body. But airlines are not charging for cup size, they are charging for the amount of space a passenger chooses to buy.
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 »
