Tagged: american-airlines

The Big Lie of Aviation DEI

One day after Donald Trump's second inauguration, the White House issued an executive order entitled "Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation" that rescinds all Diversity, Equity, and…

American Airlines Makes It Harder to Remove Passengers for Body Odor or Attire

This post, originally published Nov. 8, 2024, has been updated with new information.  American Airlines has reportedly made it more difficult for flight attendants to remove…

Is "Skiplagging" Illegal? And Does the Controversial Airfare Hack Even Save Money?

The controversial airfare trick known as "skiplagging" will soon go on trial in federal court.  The purportedly money-saving hack involves booking a flight with a connection, but then…

American Airlines Raises Bag Fees, Will Ban Some Booking Sites from Points Eligibility

This news post was updated with new information after its original publication.It's almost as if the corporations dominating our lives are determined to make back whatever they missed…

U.S. Airlines with Free Wi-Fi: Sorry, American, but the Grand Total Is Still at 1

U.S. airlines always seem to be in perfect sync when it comes to raising fees, but when a carrier introduces a service passengers might actually like, competitors are awfully slow to…

Which Airlines Have the Worst Extra Fees? Someone Did the Math

Everyone knows that travel booking has become an industry of fake-outs and skullduggery, a netherworld of mounting hidden fees that only reveal themselves after you're deep into the…

Nonstop Flights to British Virgin Islands from U.S. Are Here at Last

For the first time in decades, you can take a commercial flight straight from the U.S. mainland to the British Virgin Islands.  Up to now, U.S. travelers aiming for the archipelago's…

Better Pack Light! Mishandled Checked Luggage Spikes at Airports

You can add lost luggage to the long list of problems plaguing air travelers in this summer of canceled flights, hours-long airport lines, and soaring ticket prices. U.S. airlines are…

Airlines Might Lose Your Seat Fees When You Change Flights—How to Get Refunds

Covid brought the world a lot of conflict and consternation, but it also brought one change that made travel much easier: the end of airline change fees. But don't be fooled. The…

Which U.S. Airline Takes the Best Care of Luggage?

U.S. airlines carried about 224 million checked bags in the second half of 2021—a significant increase from the 159 million bags checked from January through June.  Inevitably, the…

Another Idyllic Caribbean Island Gets Nonstop Daily Flights from the USA for the First Time

Earlier this week, we shared the news that the peaceful Caribbean island of Anguilla will soon be served by daily nonstop commercial flights from the United States for the first…

For Better or Worse, Booze Will Soon Flow Again on All Major U.S. Airlines

United Airlines has resumed selling hard liquor in the economy cabin on flights of at least 301 miles.  Like many other carriers, United went dry during the early weeks of the pandemic…

Warning: Time May Be Running Out on Your Covid Flight Credits

Forget free champagne in first class.  Starting in spring 2020, the most coveted amenities for air travelers became a flexible cancellation policy and flight credits that could be used…

Almost Everyone Agrees: American Airlines' New Conditions of Carriage Are Bad for Consumers

A few weeks ago, American Airlines quietly revised its Conditions of Carriage governing what customers can expect for their money.  That sounds really boring, but trust us: You're…

What to Do About Canceled Flights in This Summer of Airline Meltdowns

When American Airlines went through a rocky period early in June, when it canceled 10% of its flights during a fraught Father's Day weekend, I warned that the company's problems would…

Biden's Executive Order Will Make Flying Cheaper and Less Stressful

Fa la la la la! It's Christmas in July for American travelers. President Joe Biden's just-issued Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy is a massive document…

What Travelers Need to Know About American Airlines' Service Meltdown

We've been warning for weeks that the return to travel this summer would be bumpy. But I don't think any of us could have predicted just how ugly things could get this week. Over the…

Another U.S. Airline to Charge for Checking Your Oversize Carry-On at the Gate

There's a moment in most movie westerns when the hero walks into town and everybody on the street slowly turns to give him a beady stare. I had that experience when I flew Ryanair in…

Airlines Bring Back Fees, But Not for Every Passenger

Strange as it may feel to find anything about 2020 that could possibly qualify as the Good Old Days, the global crisis did yield a few positives. When demand for commercial flights…

Refund Woes Fueled a Record Number of Complaints from Air Travelers in 2020

The U.S. federal government received a record number of complaints from airline passengers in 2020. In all, 102,550 complaints were filed with the Department of Transportation,…

Two U.S. Airlines Launch Digital "Passports" for Passengers' Covid Status

Frommer's has been talking for months about the advent of vaccination passports, and it looks like the first iterations in the American air industry are here, by way of United Airlines…

Jaw-Dropping Prices on Autumn Airfare to Europe on Sale This Week

On January 11, 2021, a total of 708,177 passengers were screened by TSA agents at U.S. airports. A year ago on the same day, the number was 1,992,453. And that 65% drop is spawning…

American Airlines Launches New Daily Deals—And The First One Is Fantastic

American Airlines is kicking off the new year by launching new daily promotions, and while I don't know what the future deals will be, the first one could truly be called a…

Ding Dong! Airline Change Fees Are Dead! Delta and American Copy United

Yesterday, in a huge win for travelers, United Airlines dropped change fees for many types of flights. We gave you the full rundown of the move in this earlier post. Now, as they…

Advice from an Airline Pilot About Flying Safely in 2020

Like me, my friend Andrea Eldridge, a pilot with a major airline, has been barraged by questions from family and friends about the wisdom of flying right now. In response, she posted a…