air travel

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Iceland Volcano Grounds Europe Flights, Shuts Heathrow

Air Space closed as Eyjafjallajökull blows again

(Newser) - Ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano disrupted air traffic across Europe today as authorities closed air space over Britain, Ireland and the Nordic countries. Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded as flights were canceled and it was not clear when it would be safe enough to fly again, the...

Spirit Airlines Is First to Charge for Carry-Ons

It can cost up to $45 each way to store a bag overhead

(Newser) - Another first in airline fees: Spirit Airlines is going to charge for most carry-on bags. If it's bigger than 16” by 14” by 12”, prepare to pay $45 each way. USA Today surmises that the airline is the first in the US and perhaps the world to charge for carry-ons,...

Airlines Beg for Break on 3-Hour Tarmac Rule

American joins JetBlue, Delta in petitioning DOT

(Newser) - Add American Airlines to the list of carriers that want out of the government's new rule that limits the time passengers can be held on the tarmac. American has joined JetBlue and Delta in filing for a temporary exemption with the Department of Transportation, saying delays caused by the closure...

Captain Sully Retires
 Captain Sully Retires 
Mar 3, 2010 11:04 AM CST

Captain Sully Retires

Miracle on Hudson pilot says he'll remain a safety advocate

(Newser) - Hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who safely landed his US Airways jet in the Hudson River last year, is retiring after a final flight today. The captain, 59, says he “will continue to serve as the same kind of advocate I have always been—not only for aviation...

Flight Attendant Fisticuffs Ground Plane

Passengers cleared after brawl on NY-to-Atlanta flight

(Newser) - A flight from Rochester, NY, to Atlanta wasn’t even off the ground when a throwdown between two flight attendants scrapped the whole trip. The two women “got into a fistfight,” one passenger says. So “the pilot decided to kick everyone off the plane.” Pinnacle Airlines,...

American Airlines Will Charge $8 for a Blanket

Passengers must pony up to bundle up on long domestic flights

(Newser) - Bundle up, air travelers: Blankets cost extra now, too. American Airlines will begin charging coach passengers $8 for a blanket on long domestic flights and some international routes. On flights of 2 hours or less, no blankets will be available, no matter how much money you throw around. On the...

Most Annoying People You Meet on Planes
 Most Annoying People 
 You Meet on Planes 
TRAVEL
Jan 31, 2010 10:07 AM CST

Most Annoying People You Meet on Planes

From the smug first-class traveler to loud babies

(Newser) - There are lots of reasons to dislike getting on an airplane; herewith, Guyism points out the most annoying types of people you’ll run into as you fly the friendly skies:
  • The first-class flier: Sorry, Jeff Wysaski writes to “this smug assembly of businessmen, trust fund kids and trophy
...

Best Airfare Deals Are Now Tweeted, Emailed

Airlines ramp up discounts in promotional offers

(Newser) - The latest airfare deals aren't online or at travel agencies—they're targeted promotional fares, being emailed and tweeted to customers who sign up to receive them or who enroll in frequent-flier programs. These under-the-radar offers, an inexpensive form of advertising increasingly popular with recession-battered airlines, range from 10% discounts to...

Detroit Bomber Bought Return Ticket

Nothing about ticket would have raised red flag

(Newser) - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's intention may have been to gain a one-way ticket to paradise by blowing up a Northwest Airlines flight, but the terror suspect purchased a return ticket, congressional aides were told yesterday. It had been widely reported that Abdulmutallab had bought a one-way ticket, something experts said should...

78% of Americans Favor Full-Body Scans
 78% of Americans 
 Favor Full-Body Scans 
POLL SAYS
Jan 11, 2010 11:10 AM CST

78% of Americans Favor Full-Body Scans

Most value possible anti-terrorist effect over privacy

(Newser) - A huge majority of Americans support the use of full-body scanners in airports, casting privacy concerns aside for the chance of increased air security, a USA Today poll finds. More than two-thirds of frequent fliers say they are comfortable going through the scanners, and a whopping 78% say they should...

Rise of the One-Day Biz Trip
 Rise of the 
 One-Day 
 Biz Trip 
RECESSIONOMICS
Jan 11, 2010 1:25 AM CST

Rise of the One-Day Biz Trip

Even long-distance travelers avoiding hotel stays

(Newser) - As businesses cut costs, more employees are traveling—even overseas—without staying overnight. “I'm not sure everybody has the stamina to get up at 4 AM for a 6 AM flight and get home at 9," said one traveler—who totaled 100,000 miles last year but only...

All Flyers From 14 Nations to Be Patted Down
All Flyers From 14 Nations
to Be Patted Down
UPDATED
Jan 4, 2010 7:47 AM CST

All Flyers From 14 Nations to Be Patted Down

Tough new air security crackdown begins today

(Newser) - In the toughest new airline security rules in history, all US-bound passengers from 14 nations considered state sponsors of terrorism or "countries of interest" will be patted down, and their carry-on baggage will be searched. The new rules will apply beginning today to travelers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran,...

Somali Caught in Nov. With Detroit-Type Bomb

US officials are now aware of incident and probing connections

(Newser) - A man tried to board a commercial airliner in Mogadishu last month carrying powdered chemicals, liquid, and a syringe that could have caused an explosion in a case bearing chilling similarities to the Christmas terrorist plot, officials say. The Somali man was arrested by African Union peacekeeping troops before the...

US OKs Dutch Use of Full Body Scanners

US flights will be scanned with new, modest version within 3 weeks

(Newser) - The Netherlands will immediately begin using full body scanners for flights heading to the US, according to an announcement that comes with a report today on the failed Christmas airline bombing. The US opposed their use previously because of privacy concerns, but the Dutch interior minister says that the Obama...

Debate Rages Over 'Strip Search' Airport Scans

Detroit bomb plot pits security against privacy

(Newser) - Next-generation body scanning devices are coming to more American airports, triggering another heated debate over privacy versus security in the wake of the terror attack on a Detroit flight. Experts say the devices, which can detect objects under clothes, could have stopped the attempted Detroit attack. Critics warn that the...

Tightening Air Security Will Take a Toll

Most options come with costs Congress, or fliers, find unpalatable

(Newser) - The White House is talking tough about airline security after Friday's failed bombing, but many options for tightening up the system are either politically untenable, repugnant to travelers, or both. Josh Gerstein takes a look at a few possibilities, and their likelihood of becoming reality, in Politico .
  • Expand the no-fly
...

Senate Bickers as Storm Bears Down on DC
 Senate Bickers as Storm 
 Bears Down on DC 
Tick ... tICK ... tICK ...
Dec 18, 2009 4:49 PM CST

Senate Bickers as Storm Bears Down on DC

Republicans vow to stall; Reid targets Christmas Eve health care vote

(Newser) - Even as Harry Reid plans for a Christmas Eve vote on the Senate health care bill, Republicans are vowing to stall, and a massive winter storm is roaring northeast from the Gulf of Mexico with Washington directly in its path. " It is our intention not to pass this bill...

Schumer Lands in Hot Water Over 'Bitch' Comment

Flight attendant made him hang up on Harry Reid

(Newser) - Chuck Schumer set off an unfortunate cascade of events Sunday when he bridled at a flight attendant’s request that he turn off his cell phone so a plane could take off and then muttered that she was a “bitch.” As the story circulated around the Beltway, it...

Court Derails British Airways Strike

Ballot authorizing walkout illegal; holiday job action may not proceed

(Newser) - Britain's High Court has granted British Airways an emergency injunction to stop a 12-day strike by its cabin crew over the Christmas and New Year's break. The court today backed BA's claim that the ballot of around 13,000 workers by the Unite labor union was illegal because it included...

Dreamliner's Upgrades Good for Passengers, Too
Dreamliner's Upgrades
Good for Passengers, Too
TRAVEL
Dec 15, 2009 9:56 PM CST

Dreamliner's Upgrades Good for Passengers, Too

Cabin will be more comfortable, less noisy

(Newser) - There’s plenty for airlines to like about Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner (it goes farther, faster, on less fuel), but you might not have heard about the upgrades it holds for passengers. Via the Christian Science Monitor :
  • Windows aren’t just 65% larger, but passengers can adjust the tint from
...

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