News and notes from around the interweb:
- An off-duty China Southern flight attendant caused a delay when she demanded a Malaysia Airlines flight crew speak Chinese. There’s now more to the story. Video of the incident, with the woman removed from the aircraft went viral. A white-haired man visible behind her in the videos was unmasked – he had traveled to Chongqing to meet his mistress, and the viral episode exposed him to his family.
“讲中文‼️” (speak Chinese‼️)
The 🇨🇳 woman demanded a non-Chinese flight attendant speak Chinese (Mandarin) on AirAsia’s D7809 Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur flight on Apr 22 when the flight attendant politely asked her to lower her voice cuz she’s talking too loud on the phone after… https://t.co/u0OduLz4H0 pic.twitter.com/yDyOnQVMPr
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) April 22, 2026
- Wrong logo, though.
Yo @AmericanAir I have your logo tattooed on my chest, can I get a free upgrade to first class? pic.twitter.com/wMoqrGsH52
— Honky Kong (@vvormgodyssey) April 24, 2026
- It’s always Denver.
Hundreds of people stuck at concourse A trying to get on the train to the other concourses after being required to walk to A to access to the rest of the airport. People missing flights and panicking. @DENAirport pic.twitter.com/m2M3mmgp78
— Kelly Maher (@okmaher) April 24, 2026
- The Spirit Airlines bailout is a bad idea built on a worse precedent (National Review)
- United’s CEO Is Here to Buy Your Struggling Airline puff piece, but a good one. Also this one from the Wall Street Journal (“United’s Card-Counting CEO Made a Huge Bet—and It’s Paying Off”).
- JetBlue’s new boarding process could make delays even worse I do not think so. (1) JetBlue is already messy on the ground (2) the new process is closer to what other airlines do. Cleary they’re trying to bundle premium upsells with better boarding, and also premium credit card – but the new process is also simpler.
- $12 ATM fees seem insane to me at a casino – you’d expect them to want to make withdrawing cash to lose as frictionless as possible. But the margins on this look higher than the margins of gaming for low dollar players, actually.
Harrah's has upgraded their ATMs pic.twitter.com/1BnQ7oy6Yq
— Jacob Orth (@JacobsVegasLife) April 23, 2026
- Showering at the airport (NYT)
- Reminder that airlines are just as dysfunctional as other large organizations: “airlines are not monolithic, predictable beasts but rather something that more closely resembles an internal power slapping competition where the winning department takes all.”
That’s some hot-goss, Gary!
@Mantis — Is that you with the white hair? Then again, Dr. Toboggan is pretty bald…
@Denver Refugee — “It’s always Denver.” You blushing yet?
IMHO there are 2 places you should never get money from an ATM – a casino and a strip club. Both add crazy fees. Also, from a purely practical standpoint anyone that gets money from an ATM at a casino has a problem. Take what you plan to spend or set up a casino credit line (and use it responsibly). That being said I did set up a Schwab checking account to pair with my brokerage account and go their debit card. I got is mainly for international travel as they rebate any ATM fees charged worldwide. However, I have seen test cases where domestic “crazy” ATM fees up to $30 a transaction have been rebated as well.
As with many things on this blog it is all about using the right card.
@Retired Gambler — Use one of those debit cards (like Schwab) which reliable reimburse all fees, including the crazy ones, worldwide. (Though, for the sake of not returning to your former degenerate lifestyle, maybe don’t use the ones at casinos anyway.)
(I read what you wrote; I was merely agreeing. Schwab is excellent for this.)
I will get to see how boarding goes several times during the next two weeks. I have not had any problem with it before. I will see if that changes.
As far as getting outed on the AirAsia flight, this is one more reason to wear masks on airplanes.
I believe China Southern has disclaimed this Karen. To what extent we can believe China Southern’s disclaimer is another matter.
Circulating in the Chinese blogosphere is a saying that can be loosely translated as: Not all Chinese behave this way, but all those who behave this way are Chinese.
@AF Kay — Which China? *cough*
An unattractive Chinese “Karen” wanted some internet attention.
Where’s @Manhattan West (EWR) for his hot-take on the lady? Sir, tell us your thoughts on ‘smells,’ again!
@1990 – the way a woman smells is incredibly important for compatibility. I was unable to continue dating a Fujian-born woman because of her off-putting scent. She was also not a lawyer – only a doctor, which as you probably know, isn’t as respected in NYC.
To recap, my criteria for women are:
1. Chinese-born
2. Pleasant scent
3. T14 JD
4. V20 partner or partner track
5. Nice
6. Kind
7. Beautiful
8. Sexy
@Manhattan West (EWR) — Is 7 figures enough?
@1990 – I prefer eight. Wachtell and Kirkland both exceed $10 million in average partner pay. Davis Polk is very close to that number.
@Manhattan West (EWR) — How do they avoid paying 50% in local, state, and federal taxes? Wouldn’t that reduce those figures substantially? Or, is there a neat loophole… (no, no… it’s not income… it’s… umm… tax free!)
More like a deep, resigned sigh…
I’m surprised none of the DEN apologists have posted. How stupid do you have to be to design an airport where there is no alternative to the train?
@This comes to mind — I mean, they could always attempt a Dulles-style 1960s-era ‘mobile lounge’ people-mover…
The standard explanation is that the distances between concourses (approximately 1,700 feet between the center of Concourse A and the center of Concourse B, approximately 1,600 feet between the center of Concourse B and the center of Concourse C) makes walkways impractical.
How do you say “Karen” in Mandarin? “Sum Ting Wong”
@Denver Refugee — But, but… Coloradans are the ‘fittest’ folks in the country!
@Mike — That’s what Xi said…