Category Archives for Passengers.
A Delta Air Lines passenger flying economy from Paris to Boston placed their used meal tray on the ground in the aisle, so they could make tray table space to get work done. At least three people stepped in the partially-eaten trash on the way to the lavatory.
We sat and waited for operations to find us a new gate to return to. Once we were back and the aircraft doors were opened, a Delta red coat supervisor came on board. It was explained she’d need to come off the aircraft to discuss the situation. She gathered her belongings and got off the plane.
Plot twist: a few minutes later, the woman and her dog returned to the aircraft. She was being allowed to fly, after all.
If this happened on a flight I was on, I’d have flagged down a flight attendant and said something. Surely this is not appropriate. It’s fine when you’re the only passenger in the cabin, or when you’re traveling in a seat with enough enclosed space to do this privately (like the new Emirates first class, or Singapore Suites). It’s not fine in Emirates business, where it detracts from the overall experience. What would you have done?
Humans are strange creatures. We create elaborate rituals out of the most mundane actions, and impart those rituals with great significance. One I’m trying to make sense of is seasoned travelers and first-timers alike tapping planes as they board. Why do people do this?
Here’s an American Airlines first class passenger with their own idea about what the purpose of a hot towel is. Normally passengers get one. This passenger asked for two and went to town with them.
A flight attendant bumped the passenger’s wife during boarding. She was “in floods of tears” and told the crewmember he was a “bad man.” She was removed – and he stayed on the aircraft without her, but called out the flight attendant “you are a really nasty person” and is shocked that he was then booted as well. They were out of pocket $624 to get home and the airline is telling them to pound sand.
A United Airlines passenger, reportedly on a flight from Austin to Los Angeles, had a meltdown the likes of which I hadn’t seen before. He attacked his own seat on the Airbus A320.
Frontier Airlines passenger Sean Miller is suing after being severely burned on a flight from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Philadelphia in September. He says that third degree burns and ongoing injuries are the result of spilling hot tea on his lap – disfiguring his penis.
Commercial real estate broker Kyle Matthews is blowing up online for his advice to always dress in a suit when flying, saying that it will open the door to business opportunities. Is he right?
A Frontier Airlines passenger reports that two employees tried to extort him for $50, pocketing the money for themselves. The active duty military member has gone public with the incident, which occurred on Veterans Day, where the airline gate agents were closing the door early and offered to re-open the door if he paid them.
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 »
