Jul 2nd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Keith Wright, a New Yorker (damn!) felt restricted by more than just cramped airline seating today. On a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles, he ditched his clothing and did not respond (vocally, at least) to flight attendant requests to put them back on. The mile-high nudist also wouldn't accept the cover of a blanket.
As a result of Wright's defiance, the US Airways flight was diverted to ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
USAirways posts
Naked guy forces Albuquerque landing
Jul 2nd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Keith Wright, a New Yorker (damn!) felt restricted by more than just cramped airline seating today. On a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles, he ditched his clothing and did not respond (vocally, at least) to flight attendant requests to put them back on. The mile-high nudist also wouldn't accept the cover of a blanket.
As a result of Wright's defiance, the US Airways flight was diverted to ...New fees aren't new, but airlines keep trying
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Cheaper fares are being offset by an array of extra fees, as airlines try to bring in some extra revenue in order to keep planes in the sky. And, to a certain extent, it's working. United Airlines forecasts $1 billion in revenue from these fees this year – accounting for more than 5 percent of its revenue. But, as they try to find new ways to dig into your wallet, fewer and fewer new ideas ...Free WiFi access in US Airways club lounges
Jun 5th, 2009 at 3:30PM: This is a nice move from US Airways - this morning, they announced that WiFi access in their clubs will be free from now on. The service is powered by T-Mobile, and used to require a T-Mobile hotspot subscription or a pricey day pass. Access is free as of today in their lounges in Buffalo, N.Y., Charlotte, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Hartford/Springfield, Conn., Los Angeles, New York La Guardia, ...Airline employee helps roommate get on plane strapped
Jun 5th, 2009 at 3:00PM: A US Airways employee had the brilliant idea of helping his roommate bring a concealed semiautomatic handgun onto a plane yesterday. On the bright side, this would have meant one less gun on the streets of Philly. Now, both have been charged by the FBI.
Roshid Milledge, a customer service agent, switched bags with passenger Damien Young at the gate, so Young could bring his unloaded weapon on ..."God" overheard by TSA agents telling someone "the plane will go down"
Jun 2nd, 2009 at 3:30PM: A U.S. Airways flight out of Lynchburg turned into U.S. Scareways last Sunday when a TSA agent overheard a man making a phone call telling someone that the "Charlotte flight woudn't make it - that it would fall out of the sky". When a TSA agent approched the man, he broke his phone in half, preventing anyone from retrieving the last dialed number. Upon questioning, he told police officers that ...Misery works: airlines making money on baggage fees
May 14th, 2009 at 12:00PM: The one thing nobody says about the "nickel and dime" strategy is that it can work. For the airline industry, charging passengers for extra bags translated to more than $1 billion in lifeblood to a struggling business last year, according to the Department of Transportation. As much as you may hate to shell out that extra cash, last year, it went to businesses that desperately needed it.
Before ...US Airways customer service director: À la carte fees are the only way forward
May 8th, 2009 at 11:00AM: John Romantic is the director of customer relations and central baggage resolution at US Airways. But he'd prefer that you simply think of him as your advocate at the airline. For the last nine months, he's had the unenviable job of improving the carrier's checkered reputation for customer service. I asked him how he's doing it. Q: I've been hearing a lot of buzz about some of the changes within ...Making sense of the airline industry
Apr 27th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The situation is currently grim for airlines, having gone from "bad in January to ugly by March," according to USA Today, mirroring the U.S. economy as a whole. But, some feel that the worst is behind us. At the same time, a decline in business traveler traffic may suggest that we have a long way to go.
That's why I love USA Today ... two perspectives for the price of one!
Let's make one thing ...US Airways goal: survival
Apr 15th, 2009 at 3:30PM: US Airways offers a story of aimlessness searching for an identity. Its attempts to go low-cost in 2005 never panned not, nor did its hopes of being a global heavyweight two years later. Now, it sits uncomfortably in the middle and has the unfortunate goal of survival. The CEO, Doug Parker, of course, has all the answers. He blames the industry analysts for making too much of the company's woes ...Rejoice! Free drinks return to US Airways coach
Feb 24th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Amid the slew of airline fees introduced last year, US Airway's announcement that it would begin charging for beverages it once offered for free -- soda, juice, water -- struck a lot of passengers as a real desperation move. Unlike a lot of other fees, however, charging for non-alcoholic beverages was one that many other carriers chose not to implement. That, US Airways now acknowledges, put the ...Jumpstart your US Airways elite status with Double Miles
Feb 17th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Tired of hearing about all of this "elite status" stuff and ready to give it a try? US Airways just started a double elite miles promotion that should help you find your way. Between now and March 31st, any flight that you take on US Airways, US Airways Express and US Airways Shuttle will earn you double Dividend Miles, meaning that it will only take 12.5 - 50k miles to reach some sort of elite ...FAA releases US Airways flight 1549 ATC transcripts
Feb 5th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Sorry if our constant coverage of the US Air flight 1549 crash is beginning to bore you - but it isn't often that a plane ditches in a river, and everyone is able to walk away. The news today comes courtesy of the FAA, who just released the air traffic control transcripts of the actual event. The audio is pretty boring, so I cut out the most interesting part where the controller is told by the ...Separation of the airline classes made clear in a photo
Feb 4th, 2009 at 12:00PM: This is the kind of photo I could probably post without wasting too many words on. If you ever wondered what kind of perks a first class ticket will get you, then think about the coach class passengers up to their knees in freezing cold water, watching the first class passengers take a comfortable seat in the raft. I wonder whether any of the first class passengers demanded some hot nuts and a ...US Airways Hudson river jet takes a trip through Jersey City
Feb 1st, 2009 at 5:00PM: Poor jet. First it takes a dip in the Hudson river, then it has to be hoisted out of the water, and now its next trip involves passing through Jersey City on a flatbed truck. A CNN iReporter was able to grab a couple of video clips of the wingless jet making an extremely tight turn through the city, without knocking over any traffic lights or other obstacles. The plane is on its way to an NTSB ..."Hero on the Hudson": Play it on Gadling!
Feb 1st, 2009 at 10:00AM: Maybe it's too soon for this, but there's already a popular online game inspired by the recent emergency landing on the Hudson River. "Hero on the Hudson" isn't terribly sophisticated, but it gets the point across. You are in the left seat, acting as US Airways Flight 1549 pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. Your plane is headed toward the Hudson River, and you need to take action. This free game ...Sharks circling Hudson landing
Jan 27th, 2009 at 2:00PM: When US Airways ponied up $5,000 a passenger for the passengers of Flight 1549, most seemed skeptical. Commenter Bill opined, "I'm guessing those $5000 checks won't stop any lawsuits." A recent story in USA Today confirms this view. And, of course, lawyers have been contacted. Joe Hart wants his bloody nose and bruises "made whole." The salesman from Charlotte also says it's too soon to know what ...US Airways check already in the mail
Jan 20th, 2009 at 8:30AM:
Notoriety is now worth $5,000. US Airways sent checks for $5,000 to each passenger on Flight 1549 last week, better known as the plane that touched down on the Hudson River. The payment came with a letter, in which the airline claimed to be "truly sorry." Passengers were also reimbursed for ticket costs.
This is a pretty refreshing move, especially following JetBlue's refusal to recognize its ...Spirit Airlines attempts to collect a cancellation fee off flight 1549 passengers
Jan 19th, 2009 at 4:30PM: OK folks - it is no secret that airlines use fees and rules to increase their bottom line. If they mess up, you lose, if you mess up, you lose. Either way, the airline always manages to come out on top. And never has that been more clear than in the case of Rob and Jeff Kolodjay. Rob and Jeff were scheduled to fly from La Guardia to Charlotte on a Spirit Airlines flight. When that flight was ...Videos show US Airways crash landing
An open letter to US Airways
Jan 8th, 2009 at 10:30AM: I just got back from spending a week visiting a friend in Puerto Rico. Considering I am tan, well-rested and had perfect weather, I guess it was a successful trip. But it was almost derailed from the very beginning when US Airways lost my luggage.
You see, I was forced to check my luggage because the overhead compartments were full. When I asked the US Airways representative why people in our ...
