Joe Kunzler, Flickr
I've always found it a little odd that flight attendants still greet passengers, check their boarding pass and direct them to their seats (as though they might get lost between the galley and row 15) – but apparently we rather like that. According ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Airlines
Smiles And Technology Make For Happy Fliers
Joe Kunzler, Flickr
I've always found it a little odd that flight attendants still greet passengers, check their boarding pass and direct them to their seats (as though they might get lost between the galley and row 15) – but apparently we rather like that. According ...Nearly Constant Connectivity Almost Here, Right Now
rayand/Flickr
Being connected when traveling is getting easier all the time. As new technology rolls out, travelers worldwide find connecting to Wi-Fi hot spots easier than ever. Pricing is becoming more reasonable too, enabling more to enjoy constant connectivity wherever ...United Relaunches 787 Today With Houston To Chicago Service
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
After four months of testing, the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" will once again take to the skies in North America today. United Airlines is the first to kick off service, sending the Dreamliner skyward on a flight from Houston to Chicago ...American's New Boarding Process Could Probably Maybe Not Speed Up Boarding
Fly For Fun, Flickr
Airlines are constantly experimenting with new, more efficient ways to board airplanes. A faster turnaround time on the ground means more on-time flights, which translates to better revenue for the carrier. So anything that they can do to speed up the ...Plane Crash Memorialized In The Deep Sahara
Google Earth
In a lonely corner the Sahara Desert, Google Earth shows what looks like a tattoo on the sun-parched sands: a dark graphic blot amid the vast remoteness of Niger's Tenere region. The negative space in the center of the dot forms the shape of a DC-10 jet plane. ...Airline Flight Mix-Up Sends Couple To The Wrong Continent
Deanster1983, Flickr
Imagine hopping on a plane to go on vacation in Africa, taking a nap and waking up to find yourself in Bangladesh. That's exactly what happened to one couple after an airline mixed up their flight bookings and flew them 7,000 miles away from their ...The Best Airlines For Redeeming Frequent Flier Miles
gTarded, Flickr
If your frequent flier miles are languishing unused in your account because you keep coming up against blackout dates whenever you try to use them, then perhaps it's time to switch airlines, or maybe even rethink your booking tactics.
A survey by ...Air India Pilot Locked Out Of Cockpit After Bathroom Break
allenthepostman, Flickr
In what would otherwise make for a great comedy sketch, an Air India captain took a bathroom break during a flight Tuesday night and returned to find a jammed cockpit door. But according to a report by USA Today, this was no laughing matter: after all ...Airlines Use Loopholes To Avoid Paying For Damaged Bags
If an airline damages a piece of your luggage, surely they will pay to repair or replace it, right? Don't be so sure. I've been very lucky over the years in checking bags but my luck ran out on a flight to Chicago from San Francisco over the weekend, when I found out that ...An Airplane Is Born: Airbus A350 Shows Off Paint Job, Ready For Test Flights
The first flyable Airbus A350 emerged from a hangar in southwestern France earlier today, showing off a freshly painted livery stamped with the Airbus logo. But the significance of this morning's roll out goes beyond just a few layers of paint; according to Airbus, the ...Pilot's New Book Argues 'Everything You Know About Air Travel is Wrong'
From white-knuckled first-time flyers to seasoned business travelers, anyone looking for a behind-the-scenes look at air travel should pick up pilot and travel columnist Patrick Smith's new book. To compose "Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air ...
Flying With Rude Passengers: Survey Asks What Would You Do
Say you're on a plane, sitting in a middle seat, and the rude passengers on both sides of you are in command of the arm wrests. Do you say something? Ask a flight attendant to help? Say nothing and live with it? Or are you just not sure? If you are like a lot of people, you ...FCC Wants More Wi-Fi In The Sky
The convenience of sky-high connectivity has not been lost on the broadband overlords at the FCC, who have moved to open up new frequencies for in-air data use. Current offerings use around 3 MHz of bandwidth, but the FCC envisions opening up 500 MHz of bandwidth to provide ...'Fake' Pilot Wanted By Police After Flying Jets To London
An American man found guilty of working as an airline pilot without proper credentials is on the lam after he failed to appear at his sentencing hearing in England last week, the BBC is reporting.
Michael Fay flew for Libya's Afriqiyah Airways on false credentials, ...Airline Hopes To Avoid Volcanic Ash Clouds With New Technology
Volcanic ash is something commercial airliners want nothing to do with. When Alaska's Cleveland volcano erupted not long ago, shooting low levels of ash into the atmosphere, many airlines were concerned. Another blast could send ash higher, directly into their flight path ...Forgetting To Turn Your Phone Off While Flying Is Pretty Common
Have you ever reached for your phone at the end of a flight to switch it back on and check your messages only to realize you never turned it off in the first place? If so, you're in good company. Accidentally leaving your digital devices turned on while flying is quite ...Spirit Airlines Ditches Toll-Free Customer Service Line
Famous for its no-frills approach (and for being the first airline to charge for carry-on bags), Spirit Airlines has decided it no longer needs a toll-free customer service line, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. In lieu of a 1-800 number, Spirit quietly replaced all its ...Airline Bans Dark Lipstick Onboard
Turkish Airlines has announced it will soon ban its flight attendants from wearing lipstick or nail polish in bright shades while on the job.
The carrier says colors like red or pink don't match the inflight crew's uniform, so wearing make up in those shades would "impair ...United To Restart Dreamliner Flights - But Is It Ready?
United Airlines will send Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" flights back to the skies on May 20. USA Today is reporting this date has been pushed up nearly two weeks earlier than the airline's original plans, which would have restarted flights on May 31.
In case you haven't heard, ...Alaska Volcano Erupts, Air Travel Disruption Possible
It's been nearly two years since scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned that Alaska's Cleveland volcano could erupt at any time, issuing a code yellow eruption advisory. Saturday, those scientists were proven more than right.
"We haven't seen a phase ...
