Oct 29th, 2009 at 4:30PM: Today's photo of the day is of Flagship Detroit, a fully restored DC-3 that's operated and maintained by current and former American Airlines employees. This crisp black and white shot was taken by Flickr user CaptBrando. Two years ago I had my own DC-3 adventure as my dad and I delivered one from New York to Seattle, so how could I not choose this? That and it just seems appropriate to take ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
AmericanAirlines posts
Photo of the day (10-29-09)
Oct 29th, 2009 at 4:30PM: Today's photo of the day is of Flagship Detroit, a fully restored DC-3 that's operated and maintained by current and former American Airlines employees. This crisp black and white shot was taken by Flickr user CaptBrando. Two years ago I had my own DC-3 adventure as my dad and I delivered one from New York to Seattle, so how could I not choose this? That and it just seems appropriate to take ...The $10 airline peak "surcharge" is here to stay
Oct 7th, 2009 at 2:30PM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/07/the-10-airline-peak-surcharge-is-here-to-stay/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Last week, we reported on a new money making scheme concocted by the airlines. In a nutshell, they are raising fares by $10 on the busiest days of the year. The scheme started as a fee from one airline on three days around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then other ...Galley Gossip: Attention All Nippon Airway passengers, please empty your bladders now!
Oct 7th, 2009 at 8:30AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/07/galley-gossip-attention-all-nippon-airway-passengers-please-e/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Ya know, I've seen a lot of strange things working as a flight attendant in the last fourteen years, I really have, and just when I think I've seen it all a passenger will surprise me. Recently an elderly woman asked if I'd be willing to help her ...Galley Gossip: Flight attendants under investigation for bomb threat
Oct 3rd, 2009 at 1:00PM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/03/galley-gossip-flight-attendants-under-investigation-for-bomb-t/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Like I mentioned in my last post, Fly-Girls, a flight attendant docu-series airing soon, it's rarely ever a good thing when flight attendants are in the news...
It happened a few seconds after the Captain on my flight from Miami to New York ...FBI hunts for close in Miami-Boston bomb threats
Oct 3rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: The FBI is looking for common denominators in bomb threats on American Airlines flights between Miami and Boston. Two cases have arisen, prompting the FBI to dig a little deeper. The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, when a flight attendant found "bomb on board, Boston-Miami" written on a bathroom cabinet. A search of the luggage yielded no bombs or other weapons.
On September 17, a ...People like to fly during the holidays - and the airlines want to exploit that
Sep 27th, 2009 at 10:30AM: The airfare specialists over at Farecompare.com came across something rather unsettling a couple of days ago. When looking at the fares airlines loaded into the various booking systems, they noticed that American Airlines started adding a $10 fee applied to all flights on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29) and Jan. 2 and 3. Shortly after that, United Airlines pulled the same stunt, followed ...American finds $2.9 billion: more routes added
Sep 17th, 2009 at 9:00AM: It's hard to see how the machinations of Wall Street affect the end consumer, sometimes. In the case of American Airlines and its recent pickup of $2.9 billion, you can draw a straight line from the money to the exit row.
The hefty infusion, a risky move because revenues are down and this is not a trivial amount of debt, has already prompted announcements of schedule changes ... for the better. ...American Airlines employees busted for drug-smuggling
Sep 16th, 2009 at 10:00AM: 22 people were arrested Tuesday amidst allegations of smuggling drugs from Puerto Rico into the US on American Airlines planes. Nine of the people arrested were employees of the airline, who allegedly sent over 9,000 kilograms - almost 20,000 pounds - of cocaine to US destinations that included Miami, Orlando and New Jersey. According to the US Justice Department, the ring has been operating since ...Relationship with JAL: Delta or American?
Sep 13th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Fliers in the United States may get more options when traveling to Japan, but it's unsure which airline will be the one to deliver. Both Delta and American are said to be in talks with Japan Airlines, and the winner is likely to have greater access to the largest travel market in Asia. Delta's deal is reported to be worth several hundred million dollars, while the American Airlines offer is said ...Flying for the rest of the year - fewer seats, higher fares
Sep 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: As the financial brainiacs of the world slowly start to see some gradual improvement in the global economy, the worlds airlines are pushing through some far reaching changes to their Q4 2009 schedules.
Because the recession hit the airlines so suddenly, none of them were able to make any major cuts to their schedules (these schedules are set in stone in advance).
Overcapacity has meant that ...Airline fees continue, necessary evil
Sep 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Yes, you've heard about this all year, and you'll probably hear about it for a while to come. Airlines are still looking for ways to pull every dollar they can out of your wallets, but the reality is that they have no choice. Seven of the nine largest airlines in the United States had a rough time in August, making these measures more important than passengers might realize.
The second bag, ...American Airlines cleared on racism charges
Sep 4th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Six Iraqi-American passengers sued American Airlines, claiming that racism drove the cancellation of their flight. The men were all residents of Michigan and were employed by a security contract firm and had been participating in training with members of the U.S. military. Their flight was canceled, they believe, because of their nationality.
U.S. District Judge Paul Borman decided that the ...Get double miles elite on American Airlines flights through December 15!
Sep 2nd, 2009 at 1:00PM: They've done it again! Earlier this year, American Airlines launched a pomotion to double elite miles on all AA operated flights. These special miles are the gateway to elite status, where tiers of rewards such as upgrades, bonuses and free drinks await savvy travelers. In the several months that followed the initial promotion, travelers booked all sorts of tickets to maximize miles and earn ...Airlines and social media: dialogue waiting to happen
Aug 21st, 2009 at 4:00PM: Social media means that airlines just have another place where they can be raked over the coals. We complain to ticket agents. We complain to gate agents. We complain to customer service reps. And now, we can complain to the world, thanks to the likes of Twitter. I, for example, follow @DeltaSucks, though there hasn't been any action on it in several months. I don't just listen, though. When I'm ...Drunk American Airlines pilot blames "strong European beer"
Aug 16th, 2009 at 11:00AM: The career of distinguished Amercian Airlines pilot Joseph Crites came to a screeching halt last May, when he was removed from his plane at Heathrow airport, a mere 15 minutes before departure, when local police smelled alcohol on his breath. Staff on his Chicago bound flight had alerted the police, and an initial breathalyzer test showed a 37mg/100ml reading - when the maximum reading for being ...Airline fee backfires: skycaps win in Massachusetts court
Aug 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: When American Airlines started to charge a $2 fee for curbside baggage check-in, the skycaps lost their tips. Passengers were accustomed to paying $2 or so, it seems, and weren't going to amp up the cash flow just because the money was going into a different pocket. So, nine Logan Airport skycaps – current and former – just came into $325,000, thanks to the Massachusetts Supreme ...Airlines post worst on-time performance of the year
Aug 5th, 2009 at 1:00PM: June was the worst month of the year for airline on-time performance since December, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Together, U.S. airlines had an on-time arrival rate of 76.1 percent, down from 80.5 percent in May. But, they had fewer delayed flights than in June 2008.
Hawaiian Airlines put up the best on-time results in June, with Delta subsidiary Comair at the other end ...American Airlines flight attendant accused of racist remark
Aug 5th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Dudu Nobre, a Brazilian singer, has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines. He, his wife and producer are looking for $4 million in damages, claiming that flight attendants used racial slurs when talking to him and that they stabbed his producer with a sharp pen. So, the next time you're wondering what could make the long flight from Sao Paulo to New York worse, in a world where amenities and ...Is airplane air toxic?
Jul 31st, 2009 at 1:28PM: There's a recent CNN article about a flight attendant who became ill after working a flight back in 2007. Her illness is alarming.
First, she felt as though she were coming down with a cold; then her nasal discharge was a neon green -- the color of antifreeze! Since then, she claims to have suffered chronic migraine headaches, tingling in her feet, loss of balance and vision problems.
These health ...Airline cancellation fees worse than baggage fees
Jul 30th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Airlines rely on you to have minor and major personal crises. Everything from changed meeting dates to family emergencies generate around $2 billion in change and cancellation fees a year, according to the Department of Transportation. That's pretty much twice the amount the airlines pull in from extra bag fees – a measure that's already been lauded by the Wall Street set for its impact on ...
