This was a horrible week for aviation. In a devastating aviation disaster, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, registration HL8088, operating flight 7C-2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport in South Korea, crashed on Sunday morning, resulting in the loss of more than 170 lives. The incident marks the deadliest air disaster involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
He unleashed a barrage of verbal abuse directed at both airline staff and fellow travelers, screaming and then also kicking employees in a drunken frenzy.
Other passengers stepped in to restrain the man using seatbelts but he broke free, tearing apart flexcuffs that had been applied by crew. He then went to smash the window with his fist. That’s when they diverted.
Groups of men can be seen standing in the aisle, talking loudly, snacking, and disregarding flight attendant pleas to remain seated. The video’s caption read that such actions “bring a bad name to the country.”
The passenger reportedly boarded the flight already appearing intoxicated. Once inflight, she demanded to be served more. A flight attendant refused, and she hurled a drink in one cabin crew member’s face and shoved another. She repeatedly used racial slurs and exclaimed, “You don’t know who my father is,” and “I’m an ANC b**ch,” while also claiming to be a “mystery shopper.”
This pilot admits that to earn over $527,000 flying a Boeing 737 he had to “fly more than average.” However it’s not that uncommon. Sun Country Airlines reported that one of their pilots earned $750,000.
Passenger Karen Ayers reports being in a window seat – selected free with her MileagePlus elite status – on board United Airlines flight 149 from Newark to São Paulo. She wound up with the worst seat choice possible: the man in the middle seat next to her reportedly appeared inebriated. Ayers says he “kept putting his arm over the arm rest on MY side and EVERY time he would do that, he would touch my legs.”
In what may be the single most Amtrak story ever, the last Amtrak train of the day following Christmas left all of its passengers behind at Union Station in Washington, D.C. Everyone stood ready to board, no one bothered to let the 100 or so people on, so the train left.
Over 200 United Airlines flight attendants, along with other employees, reported severe gastrointestinal issues after eating the airline’s Christmas holiday meal at Denver airport. Symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting emerged rapidly, with multiple attendants missing work and at least one reportedly becoming ill mid-flight.
One of the most frequent question I get is about airport lounges, and whether there’s a good, comprehensive resource to look up which lounges will be available at an airport – especially which ones are accessible whether you have an airline club membership, a premium credit card, elite status or a Priority Pass membership. There’s a new, free resource that does just this exactly.
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 »
