Grab Bag: Trivia and Complaints

Here’s a collection of interesting articles we’ve been sitting on for a while and haven’t yet written about. PCWorld, in a series of articles, asks about what should a passenger do if a passenger next to you if watching pornography on his laptop? Or passengers not watching movies with headphones? (Credit to the Consumerist for…

New York’s Governor Signs New York Air Bill of Rights into Law

Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed New York’s Passenger Bill of Rights into Law. We previously reviewed the document, approved by the state legislature, in this post. Airlines operating out of New York airports must provide passengers with food, water, fresh air, power and working restrooms on any flight that has left the gate and been…

American Airlines to Launch In-Flight Internet

American Airlines has announced it will team up with AirCell to test in-flight internet across the United States beginning in 2008. The test will be conducted on their Boeing 767-200 aircraft that mainly fly transcontinental service, and if successful…will be extended to other aircraft. The service will include nationwide in-flight service, usable via wi-fi connections,…

Roundup

We’re catching up on our backlog of exciting news…While we do that…why don’t you head over to our new spinoff, Infrequent Flier, for a bit of sage advice…namely Don’t Book with Cheapoair. Cathay Pacific announced a third daily flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Hong Kong to begin November 15th. Currently, they operate one…

Infrequentflier.com launched

We are proud to announce the launch of our new sister blog, Infrequent Flier(www.infrequentflier.com), where we will be presenting information and advice for the less experienced traveler seeking to keep current. Here at Flight Wisdom, we will remain committed to the best in airline information for a more involved traveler…with new route news, safety and…

Lighters no Longer Banned

Effective August 4th, cigarette lighters will no longer be banned from aircraft. The change, which applies to disposable butane lighters, and refillable lighters, has been advocated by the TSA, which hopes to devote more time to looking for actual security threats…like bottled water. People in TSA security lines are already tense, due to the confusing…

New Slogan Time

When we first launched this blog last year, we began with the slogan: Thoughts on improving your flight experience and Saving you Money Then…as time went by…we amended it to read: News, Advice and Thoughts on improving your flight experience and Saving you Money Now… News, Thoughts, and Advice on Air Travel and the Travel…

Virgin America is Open for Business…if the FAA Says So

Virgin America….the airline that has faced numerous hurdles in its certification due to foreign control concerns…began selling tickets today. Tickets are available for sale at 1-877-FLY-VIRGIN(877-359-8474) and at the Virgin America website. Tickets are on sale from August 8th through February 12th. From its hub at San Francisco International Airport, Virgin America will inaugurate: Twice…

Airport Scales may be Inaccurate

The Consumerist, which we follow, has an article pointing out how while baggage fees are being more stringently enforced…when a news crew accompanied an official from the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures to inspect United Airlines scales, they found all but one to be off. Airport scales, subject to a lot of use, are…

Virgin America Certified for Service

Virgin America has been certified for service in the United States and has been authorized to begin selling tickets. Despite the fact it is already July, Virgin plans to start flying in August from its hub in San Francisco. Virgin America also announced it has signed with NBC Universal, to feature its TV and film…

A Most Unique Trip

Last weekend, a 47-year old gas station owner named Kent Couch flew from Bend, Oregon to Union…a distance of 193 miles. The unique thing is that Mr. Couch did so without benefit of plane. He flew on a lawn chair tied to 105 helium balloons. Couch carried a GPS in his pocket, five gallons of…

The 787 – First Bidet in the Air

ANA, set to be the launch customer for the 787 Dreamliner, announced that they will install bidet toilets as a standard feature when it begins flying the aircraft. The toilets, made by Toto…will…and we do not joke, “refresh the parts other airlines cannot reach,” ANA’s chief executive said the launch ceremony… Credit for pointing us…

Boeing 787 Unveiled Sunday

We thought we should address the unveiling of the new 787…Fifteen thousand cheering people showed up to the event, giving crowds at the plant in Everett, Washington the first look at Boeing’s first all-new plane in twelve years. The event, hosted by Tom Brokaw, was watched live by thousands at Qwest Field in Seattle and…

Denied Boarding Compensation to be Reviewed

We have long said, on the blog and elsewhere, that the best thing that the Federal government could do to encourage change would be to review involuntary denied boarding compensation…The number, set at $400 for passengers forced to wait for a new flight over two hours, $200 for less….has been unchanged since deregulation in 1979…means…

Summer Security Funtime

Our ‘friends’ at the Coalition for Luggage Security are trying to scare us into giving their sponsors money to transport our luggage separately from ourselves. In a recent press release, ‘Travel Fears Proving to be True’, they comment that “in the wake of these events our nation’s airports have stepped up security, but the threat…

Roundup – New London Service, Women in Dresses, and More

Continental Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines announced a comprehensive partnership, with frequent flyer and airport lounge access reciprocity to start in October. Continental will place its flight number on Kingfisher flights connecting to Continental’s daily flights between New York and Delhi and new service between New York and Mumbai. American will be switching its daily Raleigh-Durham…