Southwest Airlines Signals Major Shift: Drastic Reduction in Boeing Orders Coming In September?

by Gary Leff

Jul 29 2024

Southwest Airlines has a lot of aircraft on order from Boeing. But they said some very strange things on their earnings call. They’re bringing on planes, but aren’t going to grow their flying at a rate faster than GDP.

In fact, they say growth in their flying is expected to come from taking their current planes and keeping them in the air more – redeyes, and faster turn times on the ground – not from Boeing deliveries. That has to mean they’ll be cancelling or deferring deliveries. They just haven’t announced it yet.

Continue Reading »

Tragic Hezbollah Attack On Kids Soccer Field Forces Middle East Airlines to Ground Flights As Insurers Withdraw Coverage

by Gary Leff

Jul 28 2024

Hezbollah launched a rocket attack into Israel on Saturday, killing 12 children playing on a soccer field. 44 people were injured.

Middle East Airlines, the Lebanese national carrier, has announced day-long delays for several flights originally scheduled to arrive in Beirut on the evening of July 28, 2024. They want to keep their planes out of the country, fearing that Beirut’s airport will be targeted in an Israeli response.

Continue Reading »

Emotional Support Dog In Leg Space Forces Passenger To Drink 40 Screwdrivers On 18-Hour Flight

by Gary Leff

Jul 28 2024

A passenger on a South Africa flight found a dog occupying his leg space for the entire journey. There was nothing he could do about it, so he just drank. “My dad is on a long flight back from South Africa and mentioned he’s had about 40 screwdrivers. When I asked why, he sent me this,” adding “the 40 drinks deep and 20 hours is an exaggeration btw. I think the actual flight is 16 to 18 hours.”

Continue Reading »

Air Canada Flight Attendant Melts Down At Passenger Who Asked for Blanket, Flight Gets Cancelled

by Gary Leff

Jul 28 2024

An Air Canada flight from Casablanca to Montreal was cancelled on Friday after a flight attendant went berserk on a passenger who asked for a blanket. The cabin for flight 73 was cold, and video shows the purser responding aggressively.

The crewmember yells in French and in English, “You will behave or we will get off!” and “I don’t want no bullying against my crew.” She also yells at passengers who were recording her rant. The blanket offender asks for the captain, and the flight attendant refuses.

Continue Reading »

Surprising Standoff: Why American Airlines Flight Attendants May Reject Record Raises

by Gary Leff

airport
Jul 27 2024

A new American Airlines flight attendants contract gives crew immediate 18% – 20.5% raises, starts paying them (at half pay) during boarding during the first time, and adopts Delta’s generous profit-sharing formula. They also get changes to work rules, meal costs on the road and retirement contributions. It was likely the most they could get from an airline that underperforms financially, putting them on equal footing or slightly above the next-best paid flight attendants in the industry. But it doesn’t give them everything they’d hoped for.

Online, flight attendants are griping.

Continue Reading »