Delta Air Lines is changing how customers can earn elite frequent flyer status and is making it harder for many American Express cardholders to get into the carrier’s airport lounges, the latest reality check for air travel’s era of mass luxury. Starting Jan. 1, customers will earn Delta Medallion status solely based on their …
Read More »Las Vegas still struggling against hackers as the weekend arrives
Room reservations and sportsbooks were still dark across swaths of Las Vegas on Friday as the community trudged through its fifth day of a battle against hackers who struck the city’s biggest hotel chain. As of 1 p.m. PDT, visitors to the “book a room” tab on the MGM Resorts …
Read More »FAA says it has sent more than 250 cases of unruly passengers to the FBI since late 2021
Federal officials said Thursday they have referred more than 250 unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible criminal prosecution since late 2021, including one as recently as last month, when a man tried to stab a flight attendant with a broken-off spoon. The pace of the criminal referrals is slowing, however. …
Read More »Pilot from another airline helps land Southwest flight after captain falls ill
A pilot from another airline helped land a Southwest Airlines flight that left early Wednesday from Las Vegas after its captain became “incapacitated” and required medical attention, according to the airline and radio traffic data, in an episode that surprised some passengers who had no clue a pilot had fallen …
Read More »Delta flight makes emergency landing over engine issues after smoke fills cabin
A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday after the plane’s cabin appeared to fill with smoke, the airline said. Smoke fills the cabin of Delta Flight 2846 from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Tuesday.Mason …
Read More »Flights into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport disrupted by fuel pump fire
A fuel pump caught fire at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Friday, forcing a ground stop and hundreds of flight delays at one of the nation’s busiest hubs, officials said. By 4 p.m. CST, there had been at least 755 delays of flights into or out of DFW, which accounted …
Read More »Airline passengers to receive more than $600 million in refunds
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered six airlines to pay a total of more than $600 million in refunds to customers who had their travel plans canceled or delayed during what has been a challenging year for carriers in the U.S. and abroad. Frontier Airlines leads the list of …
Read More »Thanksgiving travelers are changing up their strategies this year
More people are expected on airplanes and highways over Thanksgiving than last year, but changing habits around work and play might spread out the crowds and reduce the usual amount of holiday travel stress. Travel experts say the pandemic and the ability of many people to work remotely has blurred …
Read More »X-ray shows live cat trapped in checked luggage at JFK airport
A TSA agent in New York City spotted a live feline trapped inside checked luggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport — but safely got the cat out of the bag, authorities said Tuesday. The orange tabby’s brush with potential tragedy happened on Nov. 16 when the bag was checked …
Read More »Pennsylvania man arrested after TSA found a loaded gun in his bag at Newark Airport
Police said they arrested a man on Thursday after TSA officers stopped him with a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Newark Liberty International Airport. TSA officers detected the 9mm handgun loaded with 13 bullets, including one in the chamber, in the traveler’s bag on Thanksgiving. The man, a …
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