The airline experience has become miserable

[No Excuses]

9 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

Don't people that weigh too much for one seat have to pay for two seats?  Pretty sure I remember hearing about that.

 

This never gets enforced. When you buy a seat, no website asks your weight (they should). So if an overweight person buys a ticket and the flight is booked to max, airline isn’t going to do ****.

[purbeast]

4 hours ago, DCSaints_fan said:

 

First class is like 3x more expensive than economy/coach.  Would you also ask someone in a wheelchair to pay extra?  

If someone in a wheelchair wants extra space that isn't provided by economy seats, then yes.  It's really a simple concept. 

 

I'm also not sure what first class has to do with the bulkhead.  I don't think you know what the bulkhead is.

 

You people are crying about things which there are options that you can get around them if you pony up some more money, but you are too cheap to do so and would rather have everything catered to you.

Edited February 18, 2020 by purbeast

[TheGreatBuzz]

Someone in a wheelchair would also be covered by ADA whereas tall people aren't.  

[China]

‘What the actual hell?’ Airline accidentally sends customers to porn site

 

British low-cost airline easyJet has apologised after accidentally directing customers to a sex site advertising prostitutes.

 

A link on the company’s holidays service was supposed to direct users to an external website outlining a privacy policy guide, The Sun reported.

 

But a missing letter in the ­yourOnlineChoices.eu address meant customers were sent to a page promising to “fulfil all ­sexual dreams” instead of the European Union guide on how advertisers tracked website use.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Face masks and no duty free: EU issues coronavirus air safety guidelines

 

Air travellers will have to wear face masks throughout all stages of their journey, they could be assessed in interview booths if they show signs of Covid-19, and will need to say goodbye to loved ones outside the airport, according to guidelines issued by the EU’s air safety body.

 

Instructions issued to airports and airlines also include: restrictions on hand luggage, reserving an on-board toilet for cabin crew and no onboard duty free or food trolleys.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Guess The Airline? Passenger Kicks Agent In Head, Beats Another With Dustpan, Coughs On Cops Saying She Has COVID-19

 

21-year-old Emmari Jackson of Texas was held in an Orlando jail on $3500 bond after “batter[ing] five airline agents and a corrections officer” on Tuesday afternoon over a $65 Spirit Airlines bag fee – the cost of a first piece of luggage checked at the gate.

 

Spirit’s gate agents reported that she became angry over the fee, and things escalated when they told Ms. Jackson they wouldn’t allow her to fly. That’s when she “threw a bag of shoes at the agents at a service desk…reached over the service counter to hit an agent, …punched [another agent] in the head” and things only got more out of hand from there.

 

A supervisor for Spirit Airlines attempted to call the police when Jackson ran at them, punched them in the back of the head, then jumped on them, according to a report. When witnesses attempted to pull Jackson off the supervisor, Jackson kicked a victim in the head, according to police.

 

Jackson then grabbed a metal dustpan used for airport cleaning from a nearby custodial cart and proceeded to hit a victim over the back with the dustpan.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Alaska Airlines plane forced to land in Seattle after passenger threatens to kill everyone

 

An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to land Saturday evening after a male passenger threatened to kill all other passengers on the plane, airport officials say.

 

Alaska Airlines Flight 422 left from Sea-Tac Airport at 11:10 p.m. en route to Chicago O'Hare, officials with the airline say.

 

Officials with the Port of Seattle say the incident occurred approximately 20 minutes after departure, causing the plane to return to Seattle and land.

 

Port of Seattle Police took the man into custody without incident once the plane landed and booked him into the King County Jail for harassment.

 

Alaska Airlines says the man became "extremely belligerent and physically aggressive during the ascent." A spokesperson with the airline says the man was quickly subdued by the flight crew and two able-bodied passengers including a law enforcement officer who happened to be on the flight.

 

Video of the incident shows the man yelling, “I’m going to kill everybody on this plane. Die in the name of Jesus!”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

The people who say they're not boarding an airplane until there's a Covid-19 vaccine

 

With airlines introducing new measures like face masks and intensive sanitization routines to reassure passengers, people have been cautiously returning to air travel even while the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world.

But for some, the notion of climbing aboard an airplane now or in the near future, remains unthinkable. Nothing that airlines, government officials or fellow travelers can say will convince them to step on board.

CNN spoke to some of these self-grounded travelers to find out their biggest concerns about air travel at the moment and what it would take to get them back above 30,000 feet.
For Chris Trinh, a 41-year-old father of four based in Minnesota, the decision to stay off airplanes is partly because of his kids -- his youngest child is only 10 months old and he says he'd be worried about her crawling on the aisle.

It's also, he says, because he feels that no matter how careful he is, he can't guarantee others will be similarly conscientious.

"It's hard to trust other people," he tells CNN.

Trinh's wife is Japanese, and the family usually spend extended vacations in Japan over the summer months. This is the first year they'll be staying in the United States.

"The risk is just too high, and we just don't want to travel," he explains.

 

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, tells CNN he does not currently advocate traveling by airplane, particularly in the United States.

"We have been recommending to our patients only really essential travel at present, because in this country, the virus is not under control. It's all over the country and continuing to spread in an inhibited fashion," Schaffner tells CNN.

Schaffner's perspective is people should only travel for personal reasons, in unavoidable circumstances.

"Even then, we ask them to do that very, very cautiously, wearing their masks at all time, keeping social distance," he adds.

Schaffner is principally concerned about the potential for the virus to spread in crowded airports, where it's difficult to maintain social distancing. He also expresses worries about travelers being tightly packed in the cabin.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

United is now canceling empty flights — but you won’t find out until check-in

 

Every airline is suffering from the significantly-reduced travel demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Some are hurting worse than others, but one thing’s for sure — airline schedules look a lot different than last year. Carriers worldwide have slashed flights to cut costs amid the reduced demand.

 

Given the ever-changing travel landscape and quarantine restrictions, airlines aren’t 100% sure which flights will fill up — and which ones won’t. Operating empty flights is costly and inefficient, and flexible change and cancellation policies can further stunt the number of passengers on a given departure.

 

That’s why United’s latest initiative aims to trim down the number of empty flights the carrier operates, though it may result in added inconvenience to select passengers.

 

United recently introduced a new program that analyzes flight loads to identify candidates for possible cancellation. Should the loads drop too low, United will consider canceling the flight — assuming that passengers and crew can be reaccommodated and the plane doesn’t need to be at the destination for another flight.

 

As first reported by Skift, this program apparently begins canceling flights within a week of departure. However, in an email to TPG, a United spokesperson indicated that it’s happening with much less notice.

 

Quote

“In the interest of operating as efficiently as possible with the least amount of disruption to our customers, we are proactively canceling flights that have few customers on board but have multiple departure opportunities available… When a cancellation occurs, we are proactively notifying impacted customers 18-24 hours ahead of their scheduled departure and automatically booking them on a new flight the same day or they may select an alternate flight that works best for them.”

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Pilot landing at LAX reports 'guy in a jetpack' flying near plane

 

A pilot landing an American Airlines jet at Los Angeles International Airport reported a bizarre and close encounter Sunday night.

The pilot called air traffic control to report a man wearing a jetpack flying near the plane.

Tower tapes released detail the pilot's exchange.

 

Quote

Pilot: "Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack."

 

Tower: "American 1997, OK, thank you. Were they off to your left or right side?"

 

Pilot: "Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude."

 

The jet was flying at an altitude of 3,000 feet at the time of the encounter.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Unavailable for comment

Edited September 1, 2020 by China

[China]

Terrifying video shows flames flashing outside airplane's cabin as pilot makes emergency landing in Hawaii

 

Terrifying video captured by an airline passenger shows what appears to be flames outside of the cabin as the plane's pilot makes an emergency landing.

 

The video was recorded aboard a military chartered flight as its engine reportedly caught fire after taking off from Honolulu, Hawaii, Saturday night.

 

Minutes after leaving Hickam Air Force Base, the pilot declared an emergency engine failure and safely returned to the airfield, live Air Force control audio revealed.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article and video from inside the plane

[China]

Hawaiian Airlines passenger attempts to open exit door over Pacific Ocean

 

Surprisingly, the latest report of an unruly plane passenger has nothing to do with the airline's mask requirements.

 

A passenger aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight needed to be restrained on Wednesday after allegedly attempting to open the exit door between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

 

The flight, which took off from LAX at 10 a.m., reportedly landed as scheduled at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The disruptive passenger was arrested upon arrival.

 

A representative for the airline did not immediately return a request for comment, although the airline has since said its cabin doors are not able to be opened during a flight. Experts also say it’s not possible for a person to physically open a cabin door on a pressurized aircraft midflight, at least not without some type of hydraulic jack.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Passengers booted from American Airlines flight after woman allegedly hides under the other's first-class seat

 

Two American Airlines passengers were booted from a flight after one allegedly tried sneaking into first class — where she tried to hide under the other’s seat for the duration of the trip.

 

The story, which was originally shared on FlyerTalk by a fellow passenger, concerns an American Airlines flight scheduled to depart from Dallas to Miami on Oct. 30. The flight was already delayed due to an incident with a catering truck, the witness claims, when a woman from coach came into the first-class section to speak with a friend.

 

The witness alleges that the woman from coach then attempted to crouch down and hide in the footwell of her friend’s seat, directly underneath the television display.

 

“Apparently the plan was for this woman's friend to remain there the entire flight as it's something they thought would drive viewers to their ‘YouTube Channel,’” the passenger wrote.

 

Flight attendants soon noticed an empty seat in coach where the prankster passenger should have been, the witness says. Others in her section allegedly told the crew that the woman had walked into first class.

 

The crew then made an announcement asking the woman to return to her seat, after which she allegedly emerged from her hiding spot (while the rest of the section was said to be “crucifying” her for causing an additional delay) and tried to return to coach. The captain instead flagged the incident as a security issue, and the plane returned to the gate so the passengers could be removed from the flight.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

‘WE ARE SLOWLY BEING POISONED’ - HOW TOXIC FUMES SEEP INTO THE AIR YOU BREATHE ON PLANES

 

The plane had begun its descent into Boston. Inside the ****pit, the captain was slumped in his seat. Sitting beside him, copilot Eric Tellmann was starting to pass out.

 

Tellmann managed to strap on his oxygen mask, then grabbed the captain’s arm and forced him to follow suit. Reviving slowly, the captain looked at Tellmann through his mask, and his eyes grew wide with fear.

 

A strange smell had permeated the plane that day. Passengers and flight attendants were coughing and wiping teary eyes. The pilots briefly lifted their masks and could still smell the odor as the runway drew nearer.

 

Tellmann and the captain parked the Airbus A319 at the gate. But they had no memory of landing or taxiing Spirit Airlines Flight 708. Tellmann went to the hospital for treatment and spent the next week at home in bed, vomiting and shaking and feeling “like a freight train had run over us,” he said in a letter to his union about the July 2015 event.

 

A mysterious smell. Strange symptoms. A trip to the emergency room.

 

The signs were all there: Something had gone seriously wrong with the plane’s air supply.

 

The air you breathe on airplanes comes directly from the jet engines. Known as bleed air, it is safe, unless there is a mechanical issue — a faulty seal, for instance. When that happens, heated jet engine oil can leak into the air supply, potentially releasing toxic gases into the plane.

 

For decades, the airline industry and its regulators have known about these incidents — called fume events — and have maintained that they are rare and that the toxic chemical levels are too low to pose serious health risks.

 

But a Times investigation found that vapors from oil and other fluids seep into planes with alarming frequency across all airlines, at times creating chaos and confusion: Flight attendants vomit and pass out. Passengers struggle to breathe. Children get rushed to hospitals. Pilots reach for oxygen masks or gasp for air from opened ****pit windows.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

The airline experience has apparently become so miserable that people are literally jumping out of planes:

 

2 Delta passengers open the door of a moving plane and slide out (with a dog) at LaGuardia Airport

 

wo passengers aboard a Delta flight bound for Atlanta opened a cabin door and activated the slide to exit the plane while it was taxiing to a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport Monday morning, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant told CNN.

 

The New York Times reported that a large service dog also deplaned with them.

 

 

After they exited the plane, the aircraft returned to the gate and deplaned customers normally, Durrant said.

In a statement to CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration said the two passengers who opened the emergency exit door and slid out have been arrested by law enforcement.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

American Airlines Bans Alcohol on Flights Out of D.C. After Trump Loyalists Attempt Coup

 

American Airlines announced early Thursday that it would no longer be serving alcohol on flights out of Washington D.C., after videos went viral of passengers being verbally abusive on flights into Washington for President Trump’s neo-fascist rally. The alcohol ban is one of many precautionary measures being taken by the airline after loyalists to Trump occupied the Capitol for hours on Wednesday in an attempted coup that left at least four people dead.

 

“At American, safety is our highest priority. We are working closely with local law enforcement and airport authority partners to ensure the safety of our customers and team members on the ground and in the air,” the airline said in a statement to Axios early Thursday.

 

During one of the disruptive American Airlines flights from Texas, Trump supporters projected video on the airplane cabin’s ceiling. One person in the video speaks about an anti-Trump passenger by saying, “These are the guys we came to ****ing wipe out.”

 

Another video shows several passengers on a Delta flight from Utah shouting “traitor” and “resign” at Senator Mitt Romney, though it’s not clear alcohol was involved in fueling either incident.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

We can only hope Capitol security is better than this:

 

MAN SCARED OF CORONAVIRUS LIVES UNDETECTED AT AIRPORT FOR THREE MONTHS

 

A man found living in a US airport for three months said he was “scared to go home due to Covid”.

 

Aditya Singh, 36, had been staying undetected at a secure section of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, since 19 October.

 

He arrived on a flight from his home city of Los Angeles, California, and never left.

 

It wasn’t until nearly three months later, on 16 January, that Singh was approached by two United Airlines employees and apprehended by police.

 

He was arrested and charged with criminal trespass to a restricted area of an airport and theft, reports the Chicago Tribune.

 

Singh managed to remain undetected for so long in part because he found an airport employee’s lost ID badge, which enabled him to access a secure part of the airport.

 

Click on the link for the full  article

[China]

2 airline agents injured at Metro Airport after being 'attacked' by passengers

 

A group of passengers attacked two Spirit Airlines agents at Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday.

 

Both of the agents were injured from the dispute. One of the agents was taken to a hospital, a spokesperson from Spirit said. 

 

 

According to the airline company, three passengers attacked the agents while boarding flight 646 from Detroit to Atlanta.

 

The agents asked the passengers to verify the size of their carry-on bags before boarding the plane, Spirit said in a statement. This is when the passengers became combative. 

 

"The agents attempted to calmly defuse the situation but were physically assaulted by these passengers as they closed a door to stop them from boarding the aircraft," Spirit's statement said. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

TSA Agent Convicted of Tricking Woman Into Showing Him Her Breasts at LAX

 

A former Transportation Security Administration agent who was accused of tricking a traveler into showing her breasts as she went through security at Los Angeles International Airport pleaded no contest Friday to false imprisonment, authorities said. 

 

Johnathon Lomeli entered the plea to a felony count and was sentenced to 60 days in county jail, 52 classes addressing sexual compulsion and two years of probation, California’s attorney general’s office announced. 

 

Lomeli was also barred from working as a security guard.

 

Lomeli was charged with using fraud or deceit to falsely imprison the woman in June 2019.

 

The woman told investigators that Lomeli told her he had to look inside her bra to ensure she wasn’t hiding anything, had her hold her pants away from her waist for a check, and then said he would take her to a private room for further security screening, prosecutors said. 

 

But when they were alone on an elevator, Lomeli told the woman he could perform the screening there and ordered her to lift her shirt and show her breasts, then looked down her pants, she said. 

 

Lomeli then told the woman she was free to go and added that she had nice breasts, authorities said.

[ixcuincle]

I was doing some research the other day and was stunned to realize that WFT had had a restaurant in Dulles international. During my research I also discovered that people did not like Dulles for some reason which made me sad. I was always a big Dulles guy. More accessible than BWI. Don't really have much experience flying out of National.

 

Do you all enjoy Dulles or no

[HOF44]

50 minutes ago, ixcuincle said:

I was doing some research the other day and was stunned to realize that WFT had had a restaurant in Dulles international. During my research I also discovered that people did not like Dulles for some reason which made me sad. I was always a big Dulles guy. More accessible than BWI. Don't really have much experience flying out of National.

 

Do you all enjoy Dulles or no

National is by far the best in the area.  BWI is good but unless HUGE savings to far for me. Dulles security is just awful. Never enough lanes open and god forbid a 747 or A380 is loading up around the same time as your flight. 

[EmirOfShmo]

11 minutes ago, HOF44 said:

National is by far the best in the area.  BWI is good but unless HUGE savings to far for me. Dulles security is just awful. Never enough lanes open and god forbid a 747 or A380 is loading up around the same time as your flight. 

Yeah, the security is horrible. I used to connect through there on Continental & UAL sometimes to/from Richmond. A lot of terminal D to other terminals on those stupid people movers. Now, if they had bars on them like originally planned it would have made for some nice rides. But, without out them it just sucked. 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

Back when I used to travel for work often, I would always choose Dulles if I could.  When I was going to LA every quarter, the non-stop flights on Virgin couldn't be beat.

 

My only issue with National is it's hell coming and going on 66.

[ixcuincle]

35 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

Back when I used to travel for work often, I would always choose Dulles if I could.  When I was going to LA every quarter, the non-stop flights on Virgin couldn't be beat.

 

My only issue with National is it's hell coming and going on 66.

We used to take GW Parkway there

 

Still a PITA to get into the city but National i s also the only airport serviced by Metro as of 2021 (until the Dulles expansion project gets completed)

[HOF44]

I go 95N to 395N to Glebe Road to National. Rarely have issues. 

1 hour ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

Back when I used to travel for work often, I would always choose Dulles if I could.  When I was going to LA every quarter, the non-stop flights on Virgin couldn't be beat.

 

My only issue with National is it's hell coming and going on 66.

When I do take Dulles it’s because of routes or plane type.   Really only hate the security.  If they would fix that I’d be ok with it.  I figure most of congress flies out of National so it probably gets better funding than anywhere else.  Makes things run smoother. 

Edited February 5, 2021 by HOF44