passengers

Tag Archives for passengers.

The Craziest TSA Checkpoint Story I’ve Ever Heard (Yes, Drugs Were Involved)

by Gary Leff on February 10, 2019

Feb 10 2019

A woman screams “I know my rights” as she shoved past a TSA checkpoint in Orlando. I know her rights too, that’s one that no court has recognized. But it’s also not where the story starts to get weird, or where it stops.

The 38 year old woman drove up to curbside at Orlando International airport departures on Wednesday at about 8:30 p.m. She went inside and demanded at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter “to be checked in for a flight and to have her truck parked.”

You can probably guess where this one eventually ends, but not how it gets there.

Airline Sues Customers Who Don’t Take All the Flights They Book

by Gary Leff on February 9, 2019

Feb 09 2019

Airlines have fought against ‘throwaway ticketing’ for years. A ticket on United Airlines to Chicago might be super expensive, but connecting through Chicago to Milwaukee may be cheap. So passengers might buy a ticket to Milwaukee and just get off in Chicago and not board their final connection.

This past fall though we learned that United Airlines was threatening passengers with sending them to collections for the fare the carrier believes that they lost. They’re threatening to trash their customers’ credit report with a dubious debt, since the passenger never agreed to pay a different fare in the first place.

Miss Manners: Kids in Business Class are A-OK

by Gary Leff on February 9, 2019

Feb 09 2019

Readers have lots of opinions of whether young kids belong on planes in the first place. If there’s anything close to an official word, though, you’d expect it from the columnist who calls herself Miss Manners. And she declares that “It is public transport: There is nothing prohibitive about who sits in which class except for the cost itself.”

Open Letter From a Mom With a Loud Fussy Child to an Annoyed Passenger

by Gary Leff on February 5, 2019

Feb 05 2019

So which is it? Should passengers shut up and show compassion for a parent traveling with their child, or shouldn’t a child that’s crying be on the plane in the first place? Or should we all just do the best we can to get through it?

A Passenger Wanted Coffee as a Predeparture Beverage and That Nearly Got Him Kicked Off the Flight

by Gary Leff on February 5, 2019

Feb 05 2019

A passenger on American Airlines flight AA5896 on February 2 from Long Beach to Phoenix shared his experience with the first class flight attendant.

The flight was on a CRJ-900 regional jet operated by Mesa Airlines. I’ve had plenty of flights on Mesa and usually find their flight attendants to be excellent. However this story illustrates several problems facing commercial aviation in the U.S.

Rihanna Slams American Airlines First Class Passenger For Watching the Superbowl

by Gary Leff on February 4, 2019

Feb 04 2019

Rihanna reportedly turned down performing at the Superbowl for its half time show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem.

You don’t need to take sides in that discussion, or have an opinion on Rihanna, to find it noteworthy that not only wasn’t she at the Superbowl she was flying during the Superbowl — and from the looks of things, on board an American Airlines Airbus A321T in first class.

How to Make an Airline Customers Want to Fly

by Gary Leff on February 4, 2019

Feb 04 2019

The major US airlines mostly follow the same business model, and there’s little disruption today in the industry. However while schedule and price were once the primary drivers of consumer behavior, even proponents of ‘schedule and price über alles like United President Scott Kirby learned years ago at US Airways that it was no longer the only thing that mattered to win business.

Since much of air travel is heavily regulated, the space in which airlines can differentiate themselves becomes more crucial than ever to attract customers.

Florida Man Does Doughnuts Near Runway and How to Fake a Trip on Instagram

by Gary Leff on February 1, 2019

Feb 01 2019

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Did the Passenger Who Forced a Flight Attendant Help in the Bathroom Buy ANOTHER EVA Air Ticket?

by Gary Leff on January 30, 2019

Jan 30 2019

A week ago the world learned about one of the worst airline passengers any of us has ever come across, a man who flies to Asia and consistently asks for help in the bathroom — help that he may not actually have needed.

He’s been blacklisted by the airline but media reports suggest he’s managed to circumvent the ban and buy himself another ticket on the airline. I’m skeptical.

Delta Refuses to Communicate With Deaf Passengers and Norwegian Staves Off Financial Ruin

by Gary Leff on January 29, 2019

Jan 29 2019