What Happened To The Gaza International Airport Is What’s Happening Again Today In Israel

by Gary Leff

Oct 15 2023

It wasn’t always this hopeless. Things seemed so much better at the turn of the last century. The 1995 Oslo II Accord included international funding for Yasser Arafat International Airport in the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands donated a Boeing 727 and 2 Fokker 50s to help launch Palestinian Airlines.

The new Gaza airport opened in 1998, and Bill and Hillary Clinton attended the official grand opening. At the time there were plans for a port and for a… casino!

Continue Reading »

Delta Air Lines Concedes: United Or American Will Take Our Slot At Tokyo Haneda Airport

by Gary Leff

Oct 15 2023

I thought Delta would have a good chance keeping the slot if it proposed a New York JFK flight (a new competitor on the route in an important market, and ironically one with much better connectivity now that the Department of Justice forced American and JetBlue to break up their partnership). I also thought that the best shot of winning would be new service from a market that currently lacks a non-stop to Tokyo, such as Miami (or Orlando).

However Delta is telling its employees that the slot will go to American or to United.

Continue Reading »

A Record 75,000 Consumers Filed Complaints That Major Airlines Took Over DOT To Quash Competition

by Gary Leff

Oct 14 2023

The FAA’s docket on public charter regulation advocated by American Airlines and Southwest Airlines has closed.

So far over 58,000 public comments have been posted to Regulations.gov. JSX says the number of submitted comments is 76,000 (there is a lag in posting comments to the web). Already it’s the most comments ever received on a Department of Transportation or FAA proposed rule. Drones topped 50,000. Emotional support animals topped 15,000. Usually there are just a handful.

Continue Reading »

United Airlines Demands $400 To Gate Check Bags, But Passengers Didn’t Have The Money

by Gary Leff

Oct 13 2023

What happens if you’ve purchased a ticket, you’re about to board your flight, and the airline demands $400 that you don’t have? Two women traveling United Airlines had to find out. And they were only able to fly, along with all of their belongings, thanks to the kindness of a stranger traveling on the same flight that day who pulled out her own credit card.

The Oregon-based musician, singer, and Rhodes scholar JT Flowers shared what he witnessed at the boarding gate. Two passengers, that he noted were “black women speaking broken English,” were told that they could not board because “they can’t afford to pay $400 to check two tiny purses at the gate.”

Continue Reading »