Airlines

National

Brouhaha Breaks Out At Spirit Airlines' Ticket Counter. Here's The Back Story

4:20pm May 09, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Flight cancellations in Florida sparked skirmishes between irate customers, Spirit staff and police on Monday. The fight caught fire on social media — but there's other drama behind this.

Brian Schear, seen here during an argument with Delta staff, says he and his family were forced off a flight from Maui because they put their 2-year-old in a seat Schear had bought for a different child.

National

Delta Apologizes To Family That Was Kicked Off A Plane Over A Toddler's Seat

8:08pm May 05, 2017

by Bill Chappell

The airline is offering compensation and an apology to Brian Schear after a crew member said agents would put the parents in jail and place their children in foster care for a "federal offense."

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., questions witnesses Tuesday during a hearing about about oversight of U.S. airline customer service.

National

Members Of Congress Are Annoyed By Air Travel, Too

8:08pm May 02, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

At a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on airline customer service, representatives expressed their personal frustrations with the vagaries of flying on U.S. airlines.

Delta recently authorized supervisors to offer up to $9,950 in compensation to passengers bumped from flights. A Delta Air Lines jet sits at a gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Flight Overbooked? Perfect: These Frequent Flyers Want To Get Bumped

7:09pm April 27, 2017

by Yuki Noguchi

A select group of travelers spends considerable effort trying to get bumped from overbooked flights. The payoff: vouchers that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Queue Listen Now

The fiasco with a United passenger being dragged off a plane illustrates the problem of enticing people to voluntarily give up their seats.

Economy

The United Airlines Fiasco: How Game Theory Could Help

3:13pm April 13, 2017

by Chris Arnold

The fiasco with United dragging a passenger off its plane illustrates the problem of enticing people to voluntarily give up their seats. We talk to game theorists about some options.

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Passengers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport wait in line for security screening in May 2016. A study released Monday found that U.S. airline quality is higher than ever, but air travelers may disagree.

Have An Airline Complaint? Don't Call The Airline — Tell The Dept. of Transportation

5:58pm April 10, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

An annual study gives airlines the highest scores for quality in the 26 years the ratings have been compiled. But the ratings don't fully reflect the experience of the American air traveler.

Passengers check in for flights with United Airlines at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. United, American and Delta now offer no-frills "basic economy" fares.

New 'Basic Economy' Airfares May Not Be As Cheap As You Think

12:24pm March 20, 2017

by David Schaper

All three of the biggest U.S. airlines now offer no-frills, discounted fares called "basic economy." Now there's evidence that it's not any cheaper, but is a way to raise standard economy fares.

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President Trump's executive order is particularly difficult for airlines based in the Middle East, which have to check the birthplaces of all their crew members.

After Travel Ban, Airlines Scramble To Reroute Crew Members

3:34pm February 01, 2017

by David Schaper

Airlines employ people from all over the world, including staff from countries barred by Trump's immigration order. Now they're hurrying to reroute flight attendants who could be affected.

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The Obama administration is proposing new rules to address passenger complaints about airline service.

National

New Rules Would Require Airlines To Refund Baggage Fees For Delayed Luggage

3:39pm October 19, 2016

by Mark Katkov

The White House is announcing proposed rules intended to address common passenger complaints about airline customer service.

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'The Travel Detective' Explains How Airlines Became A 'Mafia'

8:57am August 13, 2016

Airlines are making record profits, but more fees and flight cancellations haven't made air travel great recently. Travel journalist Peter Greenberg talks about the reasons why.