8 Million Views For A Reason: The United Airlines Flight That Restored Our Faith in Humanity

Jan 13 2024

A young family with their 5-month-old baby, Romey, encountered a heartwarming surprise. Kelly Levine, Romey’s mother, was apprehensive about traveling with a baby, fearing her daughter’s fussiness might disturb other passengers. It was the baby’s second flight. The first had happened only the week before, heading from Newark to Cabo. Now they were headed home.

Continue Reading »

FAA Could Ban Lap Infants After Terrifying 737 MAX 9 Incident

Jan 13 2024

The FAA has warned parents over holding lap infants on planes in light of the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug incident. Had a parent been sitting near the hole that opened in the plane’s fuselage, the child could have been ripped from their arms. The MAX 9 debacle may be used in a push to ban lap infants, requiring parents to buy tickets for their children under two years of age, something that the head of the largest flight attendants union has been calling for for years.

And that’s a bit of a strange concern!

Continue Reading »

Visible Safety: The Link Between Cabin Maintenance and Passenger Trust After 737 MAX Door Incident

Jan 12 2024

Recently the door plug blew out inflight on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, causing rapid depressurization of the aircraft – and a shirt and two phones even flew out of the aircraft. Had anyone been sitting in that spot things could have been much worse.

To passengers, though, cabin interior maintenance matters. Passengers don’t distinguish between airworthiness issues and cosmetic ones. Indeed, the only insight they have into the likelihood that a plane is being well-maintained is what they directly observe, and they infer from there. In light of what happened to the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9, everyone is especially sensitive.

Continue Reading »

From Sensible to Senseless? Maldivian Airline’s Questionable Leap to 787s

plane on tarmac
Jan 12 2024

New all business class airline BeOnd has launched service from its hub in the Maldives. That may be a decent business during peak tourist season from November through March but they need somewhere super premium to send these planes the rest of the year.

Local island carrier Maldivian, which flies turboprops from the capital of Male to the country’s island airports, looked at the upstart flying narrowbody planes and said hold my beer.

Continue Reading »