American Airlines Gate Agent’s Bold Bluff: I’ll Cancel This Flight Unless 20 Of You Drive Instead

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

Seth Dillon, CEO at news satire website Babylon Bee, was flying American Airlines out of Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday morning and reported that the flight was oversold by 20 passengers. He suggests that 70 people checked in for a flight that only seated 50.

The airline’s gate agent had a unique threat to get passengers to make their way to Charlotte by car instead of plane: threatening that if there weren’t 20 volunteers to do this, then nobody would be flying and they’d cancel the flight instead. Apparently the threat worked, but it was a complete fabrication.

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United’s New 2024 Status Match: Your Golden Ticket to Elite Perks

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

United Airlines’ elite status rules for 2024 see only minor adjustments, with the most notable change being the enhanced role of credit card spending in status qualification, not as extensive as American or Delta. Additionally, United’s response to Delta’s controversial changes includes maintaining its status match offer, leading to a surge in requests following Delta’s initial announcement of more stringent elite status qualifications and lounge access. Now their status match offer is back.

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FAA Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9s After Kid Almost Sucked Out Of Alaska Airlines Jet

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

Alaska Airlines quickly completed inspections on at least a quarter of the aircraft, failing to find any issues similar to the 10 week old plane on which “a kid in that row [where the aircraft’s fuselage ruptured] had his shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane and his mother was holding onto him to make sure he didn’t go with it.” Passengers reportedly had cell phones sucked out of their hands and out of the aircraft as well.

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New Airline Hassle: Now You’re Expected To Tip For Return Of Your Lost Luggage

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

Shouldn’t the airline cover the tip? They’re the ones who lost your luggage, all costs of returning it to you should be on them. You pay an airline to check a bag. They’re supposed to deliver it to you at baggage claim after your flight in exchange for the money. They don’t have to refund you when they fail to do so.

When they finally find your bag, and set it up for delivery, and it shows up at your house or hotel you find this: a code to Venmo a tip?

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American Airlines’ New Fleet: Revealing the Future of Long-Haul Destinations

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

Explore American Airlines’ strategic direction as it integrates new planes into its fleet, revealing potential long-haul routes that could reshape its global presence. This analysis delves into the implications of their latest fleet additions, forecasting the future of destinations like Duluth and Bangkok and the impact on the airline’s market positioning.

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Alaska Airlines Instantly Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 Fleet After New Plane’s Terrifying Mid-Air Fuselage Rupture

by Gary Leff

Jan 06 2024

Alaska Airlines is grounding all 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following an incident on board flight 1282 Friday. The plane experienced rapid decompression following the loss of a mid-aft door and interior sidewall shortly after departure. The airline expects to complete inspections on the planes over the course of a few days.

All 171 passengers and 6 crew on the Portland to Ontario, California flight returned safely to Portland.

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Flight Standards in Question: The Turbulent Debate Over United Airlines’ Pilot Hiring

by Gary Leff

cockpit with pilot
Jan 05 2024

Last month conservative commentator Ashley St. Clair launched a firestorm over commercial airlines transporting undocumented immigrations. It was an odd criticism of Biden administration immigration policy when at a time when flying and busing migrants has also been the policy of some Republican governors.

Now Ms. Sinclair has turned her attention to United Airlines pilot hiring practices.

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