News and notes from around the interweb:
- You’re not generally supposed to take the blankets home, however I might have (1) 2012-era American Airlines blankets on my couch at home, along with (2) blankets from various Etihad First Apartment trips.
Nonetheless, do not confront a flight attendant over the blanket and refuse to give it back.
“On Our London Flight Back To Abuja, We Were Given A Blanket, As Is Usually Done On Other International Airline. But The Shock Came When The Air Hostess Started Collecting It Back After We Landed. Why Are You Taking It Back? It’s Part Of The Money We Paid For Our Flight… pic.twitter.com/GwoPzVqGAu
— Somto Okonkwo (@General_Somto) December 19, 2025
- British Airways banned crew from using hot water bottles on flights but quickly reversed itself amidst backlash. In the fall they tried to ban coffee and water for flight attendants but that didn’t stick either.
- TSA checkpoint bins have more germs than the monkey in Outbreak. They give the screeners gloves – not you. The bins could be sanitized, but they don’t bother.
You’re really quite disgusting for not washing your hands after clearing the checkpoint, the most crudded up part of your journey.
After handling the security tray, wash your hands. It’s the riskiest part of the journey. By bringing the people of the world together, aviation inadvertently combines their various malaises in a terrifying microbial cocktail.
- Favorable take after flying American’s new premium economy on the Airbus A321XLR
- Hotels in Kuwait are now legally permitted to have Christmas trees (HT: Loyalty Lobby)
- Egg nog in the Delta Sky Club (HT: Paul H). This SNL skit wasn’t actually funny but this ode to a departing cast member was a good reminder about the staff who work the holidays.
As someone who doesn’t often use the blankets and pillows supplied in economy for long-haul international, I would be disappointed if the airlines began pricing the cost of these as take-away items.
No question that PE is the sweet spot on that plane for ~5-6 hour routes. But as the author of that review notes, only 12 PE seats makes no sense. If you’re not going to have MCE seating, at least go all in on PE and install a 16-20 PE seat cabin.
And without a mid-cabin lav (something the author complains about), it’s hard for PE to really feel premium when you have to go all the way to the back to use one of the three bathrooms there. Tough layout for medium haul and as the author also notes, it’s really tight for the crew, and the new plane smell will clearly wear off and service (which is actually important on medium haul routes) will obviously be impacted.
One other thing to note – there are no complimentary upgrades to PE for status members. Only to business/first. Feels like there should be something short of SWUs for PE as a reward at some LP level. I’d value that more than what will purportedly be introduced (“experiences”).
I just had to look at the passenger demanding to keep the blanket they “paid for”. Unfortunately I was right. I know I am raciss (for you 1990).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Gary and all the View from the Wing readers.
@Gary yet somehow millions of travelers move through the airport checkpoints, touching the bins, every day and manage to not get the plague or even start minor cold outbreaks.
It’s fine if you are a germaphobe but at least realize how irrational it is.
Also, where’s the reporting on the outbreak of sadistic criminals stuffing the wall mounted shampoo dispensers with toxic goo? I thought that was going to be the outcome of getting rid of the shampoo minis according to you.
The headline made me think they were trying to take away a blanket that you need to specifically pay for like on a Zipair flight.
Correction: they asked for the tarps back.
that would be similar to expecting to take home the napkin when you eat at a restaurant – just a bit naive?
I ask the FAs for flight souvenirs – usually just the nut ramekins or a similar small service item.
I do have a UA Polaris cool pillow after mentioning to the FA that perhaps I could find one on EBay Their response was to comment that sometimes the pillow just shows up in a passenger’s bag. Wink, wink!
We had built a report talking about how he was former Pan Am and perhaps he worked our 1989 award trip in Biz to Australia
I also have the Māori design blanket, again after tacit approval from the FA who later thanked me for asking 😉
I assume the passenger also thinks the Hotel furnishings are included in the price of the overnight stay and those are to be taken home too…
Some folks are just too greedy.
I think I might have 12 sets of salt and pepper shakers from various airlines that I inherited from my parents who were from the period where air travel was really nice. Anyone collect them? Eastern, Northwest Pan AM want them back???? Blankies not so much
Security checkpoint bins could be sanitized but they’re not – if there are 4 security lines and 4 AMDs that would mean 4 TSA people cleaning the trays. If you’re so worried about catching something, put latex gloves in your carry-on and only touch your carry-on. Even if the bag was turned over by the TSA for a better view, they wear gloves so you won’t catch anything. Having worked at LHR for BA the idea of other agents sanitizing trays is unbelievable.
Yea…those blankets have the possibility of every human liquid from every bodily opening imaginable on them. They also end up on the plane floor which has the same feet that walk on the lavatory floor, walk on them. You don’t want to bring that home. I use my overcoat as a blanket.
…where are the “clicking flags”?
Also, I think I have a VX blanket/pillow set, but that happened during an announced product turnover. I think a friend also acquired a glass or two after the merger was announced.
Fun fact–Qatar will let you take their pillows with destinations on them (used to be cute quotes)–just ask the flight attendants. I have seven in my library, along with a Polaris gel pillow for winning the in-air contest on a flight to Maui by guessing correctly the total number of years the flight attendants working the flight had been flying for United (I guessed 32 years apiece, figuring it was probably a desirable flight for flight attendants).
I have my own personal lightweight blanket that fits in the bottom of my carry on bag.
I was on a flight and the FA demanded my throw back. Took another one to mention “we don’t have any with rabbits on it”. It was then the FA realized it was mine from my personal bag.
I question if collecting the blankets, especially the thin ones, is cost effective. The blankets are not full sized ones for beds. When buying in bulk, they should be quite inexpensive. If you collect them and then launder them and inspect them, you have expenses. I can actually see why some airlines no longer have them available. Some people will wear extra or carry a small blanket but the net effect is that the airline probably also saves on fuel.
In this case, it seemed to me that the passenger thought that they were complimentary to take. I wonder how much the airline would lose by just letting the passengers who want to take them do it.