Since pat-downs and full-body scanners, it seems, simply aren’t enough, the TSA is getting even more up close and personal with flyers in the name of homeland security. Using Q-tips to pick up where metal detectors leave off in the evasive powder explosives search, TSA agents will now begin randomly “swabbing” passengers and their belongings in both security lines and at boarding gates. Over the next few weeks, agents in airports nationwide will start the swabbing sweeps – patrolling terminals with portable detection machines in tow to test passengers’ palms and carry-on’s for traces of explosive chemicals. Read the rest of this post »

American Airlines has announced a duo of new charges: $50 for standby and $8 for blankets and pillows (a set of which I happily found waiting on my coach seat when flying the carrier last week, sigh).  The blanket fees (pun seriously intended) start May 1 on all North American flights. JetBlue and US Airways also sell like-priced sleep kits (US Air’s come with earplugs and eye shades). The good news? American promises to throw in a coupon to Bed, Bath, and Beyond (ooh la la) and you’ll get to keep your stylish new fleece throw and inflatable neck pillow (which, to me, sounds a lot less appealing than the cotton-polyester blend, if that’s possible) for future use.

Also, as of February 22, American’s passengers will have to pay $50 for a standby seat on same-day domestic flights (including to/from Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.V.I.). Read the rest of this post »

Air France officials are scrambling to reassure “corpulent” passengers that, contrary to yesterday’s reports, the airline will not force those who cannot fit in one seat to pay for two. It will continue its “loose” policy of giving obese passengers (250-plus pounds; roughly 34 percent of Americans) the option of purchasing an extra seat at a 25 percent discount – but will, starting February 1, refund the added fare if the flight isn’t full. The story has refueled the so-called “fat tax” debate – a sensitive issue that has airlines tiptoeing around passenger’s emotions – and legal lines. It’s such a touchy issue that clear policy outlines are hard to come by on many official airline websites . . . so we’ve presented a few for you. Read the rest of this post »

Earlier this week news broke that the TSA plans to install 150 full body scanners (costing upwards of $200,000 each) in multiple U.S. airports this year, prompting a public outcry likening the new form of security to a “virtual strip search.” The scanners (versions of which have been tested at 19 of the country’s busiest airports since 2008) use low doses of electromagnetic radiation to produce detailed images that bare all beneath peoples’ clothes. Designed to reveal suspicious substances (metal, plastic, glass, liquids, etc.), the government argues the machines’ technology detects explosives of the type Abdulmutallab smuggled past security in his underwear on Christmas Eve – which pat downs or metal detectors can miss. The new scanners are slated to replace existing alternatives, like the “puffer” machines, which have been mostly abandoned after constantly breaking down. So, you’ve heard all the drama – but what’s the skinny on the scanners? Read the rest of this post »

As a result of Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 while en route to Detroit from Amsterdam on Friday (the Al Qaeda affiliate’s liquid- and powder-based explosive failed to detonate and the plane landed safely), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is heightening security measures for air travel. New policies for overseas flights arriving in the U.S. include increased “gate screening” (arbitrary pat downs and bag searches while passengers wait to board) and restrictions on in-flight activity (like prohibiting movement about the cabin, or holding items in one’s lap, for the last hour of flight). Within the U.S., the agency is beefing up the presence of bomb-sniffing K-9 units on the prowl for “suspicious”-looking (and smelling) passengers at airports nationwide and cracking down on existing rules regarding carry-ons. Read the rest of this post »

The Department of Transportation announced today that it will now order all U.S. airlines to allow passengers to deplane after being stuck on tarmacs for periods lasting more than 3 hours. The bold ruling, a big win for consumers and passenger rights advocates, comes fresh off the department’s precedent-setting fines ($175,000 total) issued last month against Continental, Mesaba Airlines, and ExpressJet for an August delay that left 47 passengers stranded for 6 hours overnight on a runway in Minnesota. During the first half of 2009 alone, 613 planes sat idle on tarmacs for over 3 hours nationwide – such delays (which have appeared to increase along with air traffic) are not merely inconvenient, but often tortuous for those onboard.

So far, the rule only applies to U.S.-based aircraft on domestic routes and there are exceptions that can trump the 3-hour limit (for instance, air traffic controllers may prohibit a return to the terminal if doing so is deemed disruptive of airport operations or overall security). The rule will take effect in April 2010.

After 10 years of talks, the United States and Japan sealed a landmark “open skies” deal on Friday to dramatically increase air traffic between the two countries. By removing legislative red tape on cross-border flights (like limits on passenger numbers), the treaty will offer American and Japanese flyers an up-tick in competitive pricing and wider range of routes to choose from. Before the accord takes effect, the U.S. must first grant Japan’s two largest airlines (JAL and All Nippon Airways) antitrust approval to partner with its carriers (Delta and American Airlines in particular are chomping at the bit, proffering billions to JAL). Though the process could take up to six months, once complete, the barrage of service benefits for Pacific pond-hoppers (i.e. cut-rate fares and new destinations) promises to be worth the wait.

Now charging fees for every conceivable in-flight comfort, major airlines are playing follow the leader yet again by prohibiting cash as a means of payment on board. Over the last year, the lengthy list of carriers with plastic-only policies or “cashless cabins” has grown to include American Airlines, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier, jetBlue, AirTran, Virgin America, and Midwest. Last week, Delta (for which credit purchases weren’t even possible a year ago), Northwest, and Continental announced they, too, have made the switch. Read the rest of this post »

Thought that last cup of water the flight attendant served you tasted a tad funny? Well, hopefully you’ll no longer have to question that agua aftertaste, thanks to new rules set into place by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this week. Airlines will now be issued schedules for how often the water they serve their passengers (as well as the water supply for the lavatories) must be tested for coliform bacteria, which in itself is not harmful, but is an indicator of disease-causing bacteria. The new tests are affecting 63 airlines and costing $7 million – in our opinion, a small price to pay to wash away in-flight water woes for the traveling masses.

We all loathe luggage fees, but United Airlines is the first to make the burden easier to bear for frequent travelers, with a new offer putting a cap on the sky-high charges of checking bags each time you check-in. Today, the airline unveiled its Premier Baggage program that lets continuous checkers pay $249 up front, then fly their bags fee-free for a full year (both on the homefront and to destinations abroad). Not for everyone, the offer makes the most sense for families who often fly domestically (where the highest bag fees are incurred), as it allows two checked bags per person, for up to eight people per reservation.