We’ve all been there, waiting impatiently at the baggage carousel, anxiously hoping for that first glimpse of our checked luggage. Then we breathe a sigh of relief, collect it and get on with our travels. Or we don’t. Last year in the United States, airlines lost or damaged one out …
Read More »Why Boeing Workers Rejected a New Contract: Retirement Benefits
A decade ago, Boeing stopped offering the gold standard of pension plans — one that pays out guaranteed sums to retirees. The loss of the pension still angers many members of the company’s largest union. On Wednesday, the union’s members voted by a large margin to reject an improved contract …
Read More »American Airlines Fined $50 Million for Treatment of Passengers Using Wheelchairs
Saying that American Airlines mistreated disabled air travelers who use wheelchairs, the U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday announced a $50 million fine against the carrier. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the agency’s penalty the highest ever levied against an airline for violating protections for fliers with disabilities. The Transportation Department …
Read More »Attention, Passengers: Someone Is Skipping the Line at Your Gate
Every airline traveler has been there. The boarding process begins, and the gate is swarmed with passengers before their zones have been called. They’re popularly known as “gate lice” and, despite being shamed and mocked in popular culture, U.S. airports are still experiencing outbreaks. Enter American Airlines, which recently announced …
Read More »Boeing’s New C.E.O. Calls for ‘Culture Change’ as Strike Vote Looms
Boeing’s new chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, shared his vision on Wednesday for how to restore the beleaguered business, delivering his most comprehensive public remarks on strategy since taking the role in August. But, he acknowledged, he must first end a financially damaging strike. The aircraft maker also shared more detail …
Read More »‘No Smoking’ Signs on Planes Can Now Stay On Forever
The days of airplane cabins hazy with cigarette smoke are long gone, but a reminder of that era is still visible inside commercial jets. Smoking has been banned on commercial flights in the United States for decades, but the Federal Aviation Administration is only just updating an outdated rule to …
Read More »Boeing and Union Leaders Reach New Proposal to End Strike
Leaders of Boeing’s largest union said on Saturday that they had reached a “negotiated proposal” for a new contract and would put it up for a vote to end a long and expensive strike. In a post on its website on Saturday, the union said that “with the help of …
Read More »Flying Into Storms Improves Forecasts, but It Is Rare in Asia’s Typhoon Alley
The storm hunters from Hong Kong braced themselves as Super Typhoon Yagi rattled their small jet. At 30,000 feet, they released probes into the Category 4-strength storm as it churned south of the city last month, gathering data many meteorologists consider crucial to improving forecasts. “Some prefer going with an …
Read More »Afraid of Flying? Here’s How to Make It Feel Less Scary.
More than 25 million Americans have a severe fear of flying, or aerophobia, the Cleveland Clinic estimates. Aerophobia can cause extreme anxiety before and during a flight as the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, goes into overdrive over perceived dangers. Yet flying is one of the safest forms of transportation. …
Read More »Lufthansa Fined $4 Million for Stopping Jewish Passengers From Boarding Plane
The Transportation Department fined Lufthansa $4 million on Tuesday, after finding the airline had discriminated against 128 Jewish passengers traveling from New York to Hungary in 2022 by preventing them from making a connecting flight in Germany, according to an agency announcement. The passengers were en route to an annual …
Read More »