Let Delta Haul Your Christmas Tree

Jaunted: If you’re off to grandma’s house next week to celebrate Thanksgiving and you want to bring a Christmas tree back home with you—no problem! Delta will gladly carry your tree under the belly of the plane, and in fact, they’ve been doing this for a few years now and are the only domestic carrier to do so—we think.

Delta is hardly an extension of Santa's sleigh, so obviously there’s some special rules and regulations when it comes to checking a Christmas tree. First, we’re thinking that you might need to remind the agent at check-in that this is totally normal, as this is probably not one of Delta’s most widely used policies. Next, be sure to get ready for plenty of stares from fellow passengers and well as those TSA folks that seem to always be hanging around.

Once it's time to check the tree just remember that freshly cut trees are considered limited-release baggage, so that pretty much means you just need to accept whatever damage might occur. So please don’t flip out when there’s a couple pine needles missing once you get home. It’s a domestic option only, so no American trees overseas please.

Just like its fellow cargo companions, your tree is subject to all sorts of size restrictions and baggage rules. We guess the tree counts as you first checked bag, so be sure to carry-on if you’re dreaming of bringing a tree along as your traveling companion. Finally, you might need to make a quick trip to Home Depot or the local garden center, as your tree needs to be wrapped up in burlap or something similar for its holiday flight.

Man Sues Airline for Expired Drink Coupons

Reuters: Southwest Airlines Co. was sued by an Illinois man over the discount carrier's decision to stop honoring coupons for free alcoholic drinks, which it had given to select travelers and which lacked expiration dates.

The plaintiff Adam Levitt said Southwest had for years awarded customers like him, who bought tickets through its premium-priced "Business Select" program, hundreds of thousands of coupons for the drinks, which would otherwise cost $5 each.

But on Aug. 1, 2010, Southwest changed its policy, and said Business Select passengers may use their coupons only on the day of travel printed on them. Some other passengers were given more time.

"In an industry where the competition is always knocking (or banging) on the door and where watching the bottom-line is more important than ever, we owe it to our employees, customers, and shareholders to find ways to operate smarter," Mike Hafner, vice president of cabin services, wrote on a company blog.

Levitt, who lives in the Chicago area, said the policy change amounted to a breach of contract. He attached to his complaint copies of 45 coupons for free drinks, which he said he had accumulated and which the change left worthless.

"Southwest decided that it would make more money -- improve its 'bottom-line' -- by choosing not to honor the coupons that consumers had already paid and bargained for," said the complaint filed Wednesday in Chicago federal court.

The lawsuit seeks class-action status for Southwest customers in the United States with unredeemed drink coupons. It seeks compensatory damages and other remedies.

Southwest had no immediate comment. A lawyer for Levitt did not immediately return a call seeking a comment.

U.S. carriers are reducing services and cutting expenses as fuel costs rise and an uncertain economy threatens to reduce demand for travel. Southwest, based in Dallas, has long been among the healthiest major U.S. carriers financially.

TLC & Southwest Team Up for Reality TV Show

MSNBC: Americans seem to have an insatiable appetite for reality shows. They also seem to be endlessly fascinated with the good, the bad and the ugly about their flight experiences.

Now, it seems, the two will be mixed for the television public – again.

TLC, the television network that is part of Discovery Communications, announced Wednesday that it is starting production on a new series that will take viewers behind the scenes of the modern air travel experience.

The network has ordered 13 half-hour episodes, which will be produced by ITV Studios America and based on unprecedented access to Southwest Airlines.

“We were interested in working with Southwest,” said Dustin P. Smith, vice president of communications for TLC, “as it is one of the largest airlines in the country and is known for its exuberant corporate culture and for having refreshing and personal customer service that is regarded as unique in the industry.” Those qualities, combined with an in-depth look at the hurdles of traveling, would create a dynamic show, he said.

Ashley Dillon, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, said the airline was chosen also because of its tradition of transparency, which relies heavily on the use of social media, blogs and other media.

“We’re always telling people what we’re doing behind the scenes. Why not put that on TV?” she said “That makes us an attractive airline for a TV show.”

Southwest’s daily operations were previously the subject of a television series in 2004-2005 when “Airline” ran for three seasons on A&E.

“Customers loved that show,” Dillon said. “Airline”aired on Monday nights, and on Tuesday mornings there would be a surge of people applying for jobs, as the show reflected the important role that employees played at the airline, Dillon said. And even six and seven years later, employees featured on the show are stopped at airports by travelers seeking autographs.

“We found people loved behind-the-scenes views.” Most travelers, she said, do not know about all the challenges of flight – from getting all the bags boarded to landing safely.

The new series “will be fresh and new and different,” Dillon said. The earlier show focused on customer service at the airport, but the current production will be broader and will include many more employees: maintenance workers, providers of drink and food, pilots as well as attendants.

“Employees will be the storytellers,” she said.

The series will also feature stories of real travelers – beginning with the purchase of tickets at their homes and continuing for the duration of their journeys.

What’s the appeal of a show based on such a mundane occurrence?

“Airlines are a fascinating business,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and co-founder of the Atmosphere Research Group, a market research company. “It's an industry known for attracting 'characters' in certain roles, especially like pilots and flight attendants. Non-airline employees see the industry as somewhat 'glamorous' thanks to the ability to see so much of the U.S. (and abroad) either for free or on deep discounts. Some mistakenly believe that there is a lot of hanky-panky on crew layovers, though that couldn't be further from the truth.”

Harteveldt said other recent shows to profile the industry include "Fly Girls", a series that “capitalized on the popularity of reality shows, presented against the background of a fun, young, hip airline like Virgin,” and “Pan Am,” “a scripted show that is trying to capitalize on the popularity of the 'go-go' time frame of the 1960s when the economy was stronger and so much was new and possible. It's a clear rip-off of 'Mad Men,' and a bad one at that.”

Harteveldt said he was not surprised that Southwest was chosen as the focus of the TLC series.

“Southwest is a well-known national airline with a reputation for friendly, and a bit off-beat, customer service,” he said. In addition, Southwest is careful about the people it hires, and has a distinct corporate culture which adds to the appeal. “Its employees are generally happy to work there, so you're less likely to hear negative comments from employees.”

A title for the series and a firm date for the premiere have not yet been set, but it is expected to debut sometime in the spring of 2012, Dillon said.

Production is scheduled to begin this coming weekend at Baltimore Washington International Airport and Denver International Airport, with additional airports to be added in coming weeks.

Bees on Airplane Terrorize Passengers

Daily Mail: Imagine being trapped in a confined space with not just one, but two swarms of bees buzzing around you.

That was the terrifying situation passengers endured on board a Russian aeroplane after bees escaped from a container into the cabin.

The creatures were being transported in two large cardboard boxes, stored in cupboards on the Boeing 757, but as soon as the plane took off from the far eastern city of Blagoveshchensk they began to creep out.

With bees buzzing around their ears, some business class passengers started to panic. Flight attendants scrambled to try and seal the bees inside their cupboard by taping its door shut. Eventually they managed to secure them inside, and the flight was able to continue its ten-hour journey to the Russian capital.

The incident - which has echoes of the cult Samuel L. Jackson movie Snakes on a Plane - has raised security concerns in Russia. The bees were allegedly being transported at the behest of a senior airport official at Blagoveshchensk.

According to Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, the official had asked the trafficker to carry the boxes to Moscow where he would be met at the airport. Official airport documents quoted one of the flight's business class passengers as saying that the trafficker was 'slightly drunk.'

The incident took place on May 28 this year but was only reported recently.

A spokesman for the Yakutia airline confirmed that several passengers had panicked during the incident. The spokesman was unable to say whether the bees had stung anyone.

Following touch down in Moscow, the plane was defumigated and allowed to carry on to its next destination, Barcelona in Spain. However, when it arrived in Spain, a new crew discovered that the fumigation had not been completely successful with five bees still on the plane.

Baggage handlers in the country have claim that senior airport officials routinely disregard air safety rules.

Staff working at the Blagoveshchensk airport told Rossiiskaya Gazeta that the senior official 'can carry on board anything he likes.'

The Top Ten Types of Annoying Airline Passengers

Jaunted: Do you have things in your job that annoy you? Do you notice it's the same things that annoy your co-workers? Yeah me too. As a flight attendant I get asked over and over again what is the most annoying things passengers do? I always tread lightly, because flight attendants get accused of, well, complaining too much. And, believe me we can probably complain better than most.

In fact there's an old joke:

Q. How many flight attendants does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Zero, because we'd rather sit around in the galley and bitch about it.

So, what behaviors annoy flight attendants the most? Well, besides urinating in the aisle, and other super gross activites, here are Ten Types of Annoying Passengers:

1. The Manner-less: Just a "please" and "thank you" goes a long way in our world. We hear “what ya got” and “gimme a coke” far too often. Also, if we offer a meal choice and they don't like it, it's okay to just say no thank you; only five year olds wrinkle up their nose and say "ewww."

2. The Amateur Geographer: Flight attendants don't know our exact location coordinates, especially in the middle of in-flight service. And chances are we don't know what body of water that is below us either.

3. The Pen-forgetter: Passengers that leave home without one are particularly annoying, especially on an international flight with forms to be filled out. And, yes we know you are glaring at the pen on us when we say no we don't have one. Flight attendants are required by the FAA to have a pen on them at all times.

4. The Smartphone Addict: Those who insist they're about to turn off their phones even after we've already asked numerous times usually reply, “I know! I am turning it off!" But they're not—they're texting and it's not like we can't see that. It's just as annoying for us to ask as it for them to have to comply. Just do it!

5. The Thirsties: They need a drink of water as soon as they board the plane and need to use the lav just as urgently. We understand there are close connects and exceptions, but most passengers have been sitting out at the gate area with ample time to use the restroom and get a drink of water.

6. The Headphones Wearer: We ask: “Would you like something to drink?” No response. "Would you like something to drink?" Nothing. Wave in front of face. Nothing. Wave in front of face again. Confused look. “Would you like a drink?” “What?” Motion someone drinking. "Ahh, gimme a coke." Is it possible they didn't see the bar cart coming?

7. The Trash Collector: It's super gross to be handed trash during in-flight service, especially when they blindly put it wherever, like in our ice. And let's not talk about handling dirty diapers or wiping their nose or face and then trying to hand us the tissue.

8. The Free-for-all Parent: Passengers that let their kids run wild on the plane and then expect and ask the flight attendants to watch them are of course expecting too much. This behavior often includes parents telling us to return their children to buckle up their seat belts.

9. The Dare to Barer: Perhaps this type of passenger shouldn't bother us because it's a personal choice thing, but they do. We're talking about those who use the lavatory in their bare feet. Maybe it's because we care so much about the well-being of our passengers?

10. The Coffee Snob: It's a safe bet that passengers probably didn't have breakfast with their flight attendant, so you need to let them know how you take your coffee. If they're picky and don't indicate their preferences, there's no reason to get mad. And to my people in the north east, "regular coffee" does not mean milk and sugar; it just means not decaf to the rest of the country.

About the Author:

Sara Keagle is a Flight Attendant for a major U.S. Airline with over twenty years of experience. On her blog TheFlyingPinto.com she shares advice on making air travel less stressful for all and offers peeks behind the galley curtain. She also co-hosts The Crew Lounge, a weekly podcast that gives insight into the career of a flight attendant.

Virgin America Adding NFL to Inflight Entertainment

USA Today: To beef up its sports content in time for the football season, Virgin America is adding more network channels to its in-flight entertainment system.


The California-based airline, which is one of the few carriers to offer seatback TV for domestic flights, says the NFL, college football and other sports games televised on NBC and FOX in the New York area will be broadcast live starting this month, adding to its current broadcast of ESPN and CBS content.

The channels are part a new lineup of satellite TV and movie programming being rolled out in its Red in-flight entertainment system. "In addition to more eclectic content, our travelers have been asking for more live sports and news," says Virgin America CEO David Cush.

In adding four new stations - NBC-NY/WNBC (live), FOX News (live), TBS (live) and FOX-NY/WNYW (live) - it'll broadcast 24 channels.

The Red system also provides more than 35 on-demand films, 3,000 audio files and video games.

Gerard Depardieu Offers An Explanation

TMZ: Gerard Depardieu is finally explaining why he peed on the floor of an Air France plane this week ... blaming the whole thing on prostate issues ... but insisting he "offered to clean up the mess."

Gerard's traveling companion on the flight, Edouard Baer, has released a statement on Depardieu's behalf, saying, "[Gerard] has prostate problems and it was very worrying and humiliating for him."

Baer claims he gave Gerard a bottle to pee in while the two were on the plane ... but the bottle quickly overflowed ...and when the flight attendant refused to let the actor use the lavatory because the crew was preparing for take-off, Gerard decided to finish on the floor.

The rep insists Gerard is "upset" about the situation -- adding, "He was also stone-cold sober at the time. This is not the way he usually behaves."

Depardieu was removed from the flight -- but was placed on another plane and eventually traveled without pissing off anyone else.

Latest Ryanair Ad Mocks Gérard Depardieu

Irish low-cost air carrier Ryanair has taken aim at French actor Gérard Depardieu in its latest controversial ad. The airline is promoting £9.99 fares on its website homepage for passengers “Pissed off with high fare airlines...” alongside newspaper headlines about the recent incident in which Depardieu was escorted off a CityJet flight after allegedly urinating on the cabin floor before take-off.

The carrier is known for lampooning celebrities and publishing controversial ads including one featuring a model dressed as a schoolgirl accompanied by the words "Hottest back to school fares". Ryanair ran the ad in two Scottish and one UK-wide newspaper. After receiving 13 complaints, the advertisement was widely reported by national newspapers, generating more free publicity for the airline.

'Miracle on the Hudson' Plane Takes Final Journey

Daily Mail: It captivated the world two years ago when it safely landed on the Hudson River, and now the so-called Miracle on the Hudson plane is on the move again. This time, however, the river crossing it made was a lot slower and a lot drier.

The US Airways plane was rolled out of a warehouse in Harrison, New Jersey, on Saturday and transported on the back of a huge truck across the Passaic River. From there it began the trek to a North Carolina museum where it will become a piece of American history.

Accompanied by a convoy of police cars and film crews, the damaged Airbus A320 eased out of the J. Supor and Sons warehouse lot where it has sat since the splashdown in January 2009 made its pilot, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, a national hero. With traffic stopped and people rolling down their windows to take pictures with their cell phones, the flatbed truck crossed the river into Newark, took a left on to Route 21 South and then a right toward the heart of downtown.  The caravan passed the Prudential Centre Arena before turning on to Broad Street, Newark's main drag, for a few blocks before heading south west. 

US Airways Flight 1549 was bound for Charlotte from New York on January 15, 2009, when it struck a flock of geese after take off and lost power in both engines. Mr.  Sullenberger, who came to be known as Sully, considered trying to land at nearby Teterboro Airport in New Jersey but quickly recognised that would be too risky. He decided to touch the plane down in the middle of the frigid Hudson.

Within minutes, rescue boats and commuter ferries arrived and eventually rescued all 155 passengers and crew. The riveting scene was captured in photographs showing passengers lined up along the wings of the slowly sinking plane. This time, on land, the plane's trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Carolinas Aviation Museum is expected to take about a week.

Museum president Shawn Dorsch said the journey will take so long because the 120ft-long plane must take back roads to avoid obstacles such as toll booths, bridges and overpasses. The wings were shipped separately.

Four hours after it left Harrison, the plane had gone about 25 miles to Piscataway, just north of the Rutgers University campus, according to a tracker on Supor and Sons' website. Mr.  Dorsch said Capt. Sullenberger is scheduled to speak at a reception at the museum on June 11 after the plane has arrived.

Other flight crew members also are expected to attend. Mr.  Dorsch said he expects many passengers to visit the plane over the next several months.

In a tour of the plane's cabin in March, food trays could still be seen in their slots in the plane's rear galley. Those have since been removed, but the cabin has been preserved largely as it was on the day of its final flight.

American Airlines Takes Salads Off Menu

Terminal U: American Airlines has taken green salads off its menus on flights out of Europe, as more people are struck down with the “super-toxic” strain of E.coli outbreak in Europe. The deadly outbreak first struck in northern Germany and has since killed 18 people across Europe - including three in the US who had recently travelled to northern Germany.

American Airlines has therefore decided to temporarily take green salad off the menu for flights departing Europe.
 
The airline said on its website: ”We have taken proactive steps to pull all the green salads, lettuce and tomato garnishes in all cabins on all flights out of Europe. We are replacing the salad menu items with other menu options to pre-empt any risk and alleviate concerns.”

“We will closely monitor and take direction from the local health authorities and the World Health Organization and return to the original menu when we believe it is safe to do so.”

Lufthansa’s in-flight caterer, LSG Sky Chefs is also understood to have pushed salad to the side until mid-June, tweaking its menu with a substitute. The killer bug was initially believed to be linked to contamination of cucumbers imported by Spain to Germany. But scientists still cannot find the food source of the infection.

Transportation Dept. Cracks Down on Deceptive Ads

MSNBC: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is once again penalizing airlines that practice deceptive price advertising. In separate cases, the agency on Thursday fined Continental Airlines and US Airways to the tune of $120,000 and $45,000, respectively.

“Passengers have the right to know how much they will have to pay when they buy an airline ticket,” DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement, “and we will continue to take enforcement action when these rules are violated.”

In the Continental case, the agency found that the company’s website failed to include fuel surcharges in its listed fares. In one example, a fare from San Jose, Calif., to San Salvador, El Salvador, was listed at $298 on the first two pages, but increased to $538 once the fuel surcharge was added on the third page.

“We immediately responded to the DOT’s concerns and addressed the issue,” said Continental spokeswoman Julie King. In the US Airways case, DOT said that the airline’s website advertised a fare to Rome of $659 with an asterisk noting additional taxes and fees, but provided no details on the type or amount of fees involved.The airline had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

The fines are the latest development in what many consider DOT’s heightened focus on enforcement. The agency has fined 26 airlines and travel companies for a variety of violations this year, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Airline Biz Blog.

Those infractions range from failure to disclose code-share flights to operating unauthorized air transportation. All told, the agency has handed out almost $3.4 million in fines this year, according to the blog.

Court Orders American Airlines Flights Back on Orbitz

Consumer Reports: An Illinois court ruled this week that American Airlines must list all of its flight information on the Chicago-based travel website Orbitz. The airline had previously listed such information with Orbitz, until it pulled all listings last December amidst disputes between the two companies.

This is the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between American Airlines and travel websites. American is trying to shift sales to its website, and thus eliminate the fees associated with tickets sold through sites such as Orbitz.

Before this latest update, the Texas-based American Airlines had previously taken Orbitz to court in that state, claiming that the travel site was using monopoly tactics. At that time, Orbitz told the press that American was trying to limit customer choice and reduce competition. American filed a similar suit against Expedia, which resulted in that website dropping American flights from its listings. In the Texas case against Orbitz the judge had decided that American Airlines flights should come off the website. This latest ruling reverses that decision.

In a statement Orbitz said:

“This reinstatement of American Airlines full schedule of flights on Orbitz.com and Orbitz for Business is a win for transparency, consumer choice and for all of our mutual customers.”

Penalties Increase for Flashing Lasers at Planes

USA Today: The federal government is increasing the penalties for people caught shining laser beams at commercial planes in response to a steep increase in the number of incidents.

The Federal Aviation Administration will consider someone who hits a plane with a laser to be "interfering" with a flight crew, the same statute used to protect pilots and flight attendants from hijackers, the agency said it will announce today.

The agency has no authority to prosecute violators criminally, but it can charge them under civil statutes and assess fines up to $11,000. Last year, the FAA received 2,836 reports that planes were hit with lasers, nearly double the total in 2009 and 10 times as many as 2005.

"Our top priority is protecting the safety of the traveling public," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a prepared statement. "We will not hesitate to take tough action against anyone who threatens the safety of our passengers, pilots and air transportation system." Pointing a laser at an aircraft is illegal in some states and legislation pending in Congress would make it a federal crime, but the FAA action makes it easier to penalize violators.

"Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke. These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it impossible to safely land the aircraft, jeopardizing the safety of the passengers and people on the ground," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. Green-colored laser pointers can cause a distracting flash of light in the cockpit at up to 2 miles away, according to FAA studies. At closer ranges, they can create short-lived blindness as the eye adjusts to the flash.

Laser pointers are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and have limited power. Much stronger lasers that can severely damage the eye are widely available for sale even though there is little use for them outside scientific research, according to the Laser Institute of America.

Incidents continue to pile up, according to federal and local officials. A joint helicopter team serving Southern California cities Burbank and Glendale has logged four cases in the past month, two of which resulted in arrests, said police Sgt. Steve Robertson. "It just keeps happening," Robertson said. "Unfortunately, it's just a matter of time before someone crashes as a result of it. We've been fortunate up to now."

Federal and local law enforcement agencies have had some success by forming laser working groups to improve cooperation. A team in Sacramento has arrested 22 people, 19 of whom were convicted, in the past two years, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

This year, Phoenix and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas lead the nation with 45 incidents each.

United Flight Returns After Passenger Fistfight

MSNBC: Government and airline officials say a United Airlines plane with 144 people aboard returned to Washington-Dulles International Airport for an emergency landing escorted by two F-16 fighter jets after a fight broke out between passengers.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says Flight 990 bound for Accra, Ghana, returned to Dulles in Chantilly, Virginia, just after midnight Sunday after a fistfight in the cabin. The two fighter jets were dispatched from Andrews Air Force Base after the pilot reported the disturbance, said U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander William Lewis, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. They shadowed the airline flight all the way back to Dulles, where it landed safely, Lewis said.

"They were just following typical procedures when you have disturbances," Lewis said. "It's pretty commonplace whenever there's an airspace violation."

Police met the two passengers at the gate when Flight 990 landed back at Dulles early Monday morning, but neither passenger was injured and they were not arrested, said airport spokesman Rob Yingling.

The Washington Post, which first reported the incident, reported that the fight began not long after takeoff when a passenger lowered his seat and a passenger behind him objected. The pilot, the Post reported, decided to return to the airport when he was unsure of the scope of the problem.

United spokesman Mike Trevino said Tuesday that the Boeing 767 dumped fuel as a safety precaution to lighten its weight on landing. The plane can take of with 16,700 gallons of fuel, The Washington Post report stated.

It was unclear what arrangements were made for the travelers to reach their destination.