Skip the Shoe Shuffle: TSA Goes Touchless and Shoeless This August Major upgrades are reshaping the TSA’s airport screening process—making travel smoother and more efficient this summer. From facial recognition lanes to dropping the dreaded shoe removal rule, here’s everything you need to know for your next TSA experience. 1. TSA’s New Touchless PreCheck…
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy for the second time this year. As you may recall, Spirit had courted Frontier, and later JetBlue for an acquisition. Had the federal government not intervened, JetBlue would have integrated Spirit. Instead, Spirit has failed for the second time this year to get itself out of a hole. It is…
Labor Day Weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Airports fill up, flights are packed, and the stress of navigating crowds can test even the most seasoned traveler. With record levels of air travellers expected, 2025 is no exception. But with a little preparation and strategy, your trip can be smoother…
What Went Wrong—and How to Prevent It A routine call to United Airlines customer service after a flight cancellation turned into a nightmare for Denver passenger Dan Smoker—who ended up losing $17,000 to a scammer posing as a United-affiliated agent. What exactly went wrong, and how can airlines and call centers avoid similar catastrophes? The…
Absolutely! Let’s replace the fictional tales with eight verified examples of actual flight cancellations (or delays) caused by bizarre but real scenarios. Each includes a working source citation. You Won’t Believe These 8 Strange—but True—Reasons for Flight Cancellations Flight disruptions are often blamed on weather, technical glitches, or staffing issues. But some real-life cancellations are…
The Race for Supersonic Travel In the postwar aviation boom of the 1950s and ’60s, commercial air travel evolved at a breathtaking pace. Jetliners like the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 brought high-speed, long-distance flight to the masses. But the next frontier—supersonic transport (SST)—seemed tantalizingly close. The British and French were developing Concorde. The Soviets…
Have you ever stood in a TSA line with a jar of peanut butter, a snow globe, or your grandma’s apple pie packed in your carry-on, wondering if it will make it through security? You’re not alone. Every day, thousands of travelers get stopped at TSA checkpoints for trying to bring items that are restricted,…
JetBlue Expands Boston Routes To New Florida Cities Summer hasn’t even ended yet, but JetBlue is already making your winter a little warmer. If you’re in Boston and already dreading the cold, JetBlue has some good news: starting this December, they’re adding two brand-new nonstop flights from Boston Logan Airport to warm, sunny spots in…
A Model Born in Disruption The ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) was supposed to revolutionize air travel in the United States. Modeled loosely on Ryanair in Europe, ULCCs like Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant promised rock-bottom base fares by unbundling every possible service: bags, seats, snacks, and even customer service. For a time, it worked. These carriers filled…
A Personal Confession I have a confession to make. Though I have flown hundreds of times, I have never flown on Southwest Airlines(LUV), America’s second largest airline. I never experienced Southwest’s open seating, nor benefited from its free unchecked bags. This is not by design—Southwest has a relatively small presence at my home airport. The…
TSA’s Slow Evolution Finally Accelerates For over two decades, airport security lines in the United States have shared a universal ritual: take off your shoes, pull out your liquids, and hope for the best. It has been inconvenient, undignified, and largely unquestioned. But in July 2025, one of those rituals came to an end—and another…
United FareLock has long been one of the more distinctive options among U.S. airline booking tools. For a small fee, it allows travelers to hold a fare for several days without committing to purchase. But in 2025, with so many changes in airfare pricing and flexibility, is FareLock still useful? What Is United FareLock? FareLock…
Delta 4819 Crashes In Toronto After years without serious commercial air incidents, 2025 is not shaping up well. Less than an hour ago, Delta 4819 a CRJ900 operated by Endeavor crashed in Toronto Pearson(YYZ) on its flight from Minneapolis(MSP). Initial footage show the fuselage upside down on a snowy tarmac. The plane seems to…
A partial listing of Aiport Twitter/X accounts are below. Please share others in the comments: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson(ATL) Baltimore Thurgood Marshall Airport(BWI) Boston Logan(BOS) Charlotte Douglas International Airport(CLT) Chicago O’Hare Airport(ORD) Cincinnati CVG Airport(CVG) Denver International Airport(DEN) DFW Airport(DFW) Miami International Airport(MIA) Memphis International Airport(MEM) Nashville Airport(BNA) Orlando International Airport(MCO) Philadelphia International Airport(PHL) Pittsburgh Airport(PIT) Raleigh-Durham…
It’s been 16 years since a Colgan Air plane crashed on approach to Buffalo, killing 50 in February 2009. Until yesterday, there was not another significant airline crash in the United States since that day. A remarkable safety record, and we find ourselves in a vastly different world now. Twitter was already quite popular then,…
One of the early reactions at this point to the collision at DCA this evening was a comparison to earlier similar situations. Now, because of various safety improvements, two planes hitting each other, outside of runway incursions, has become much rarer. This evening’s flight was operated by PSA Airlines. The current PSA, which operated the…
There are reports of a regional jet and a helicopter colliding in the vicinity of National Airport. A webcam at the Kennedy center appears to have filmed the collision as it occurred. Will continue to update this post as new information is received. The flight was AA5342 inbound from Wichita, a CRJ700 operated by PSA…
As the nation mourns the passing of President Jimmy Carter, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on his enduring legacy—not only as a statesman and humanitarian but also as a key figure in reshaping the aviation industry. While Carter’s presidency is often remembered for its struggles and triumphs on the global stage, one of his…
Southwest Airlines announced the revolutionary move of…what every other airline offers. Assigned seating. It’s been ten years since Ultra Low Cost Carrier Ryanair gave up on open seating, twelve years since Easyjet gave up on it. So, why did it take half a century and why now? Southwest has always liked being different. But as…
Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA) is embarking on a significant new chapter with its recent runway expansion project. This development, coupled with American Airlines’ announcement of new service to the airport, marks an exciting period of growth for this regional hub. A Brief History of Cape Cod Gateway Airport Cape Cod Gateway Airport, located in…
JetBlue has once again made headlines with the launch of its new service from New York’s JFK airport to Edinburgh, Scotland(EDI), which begins today. This addition marks another significant step in JetBlue’s expansion into transatlantic travel, offering passengers more options and competitive pricing on routes across the Atlantic. JetBlue’s Growing Transatlantic Network JetBlue’s foray into…
[caption id="attachment_7588" align="alignright" width="300"] Sad (tired) woman sitting in the airport[/caption] On April 1, 2024 the Secretary Buttigieg signed the final version of the revised rule on airline refund policies. The new policy requires automatic refunds in certain circumstances. The biggest change in the rule is the standardization of definitions. This has been an issue…
[caption id="attachment_7588" align="alignnone" width="300"] Sad,tired woman sitting in the airport[/caption] In the world of air travel, there are many terms and phrases that may leave passengers scratching their heads. Navigating the intricacies of airline jargon can sometimes feel like deciphering a foreign language. One such term that often perplexes travelers is the enigmatic “trip in…
Delta Airlines Bereavement Fares Delta Airlines is one of the few airlines that still has an official bereavement flight policy. Through a program called Delta Cares, they also can help to transport the remains of your loved one with sensitivity. They have a page devoted to bereavement fares, excerpted here: In the event of a…
Chef Anthony Thomas recently flew on a Southwest flight that was nearly empty. Southwest Airlines has open seating, and passengers can choose where to sit when they board. As seen in his tweet below, Thomas took a seat, and, out of dozens of empty rows, the only other passenger on the plane chose the seat…