British leisure tour (and airline) operator XL Leisure shut down, stranding about 85,000 people around the world (about 10,000 people were flying their airline, XL Airways).
Bookmaker Paddy Power had put out a list on Wednesday of airlines it thought would shut down, and XL wasn’t on the list – but bettors put so much money [...]

In response to US criticism of Venezuela’s airport security, the Venezuelan government has told US carriers that they must reduce the number of flights to Caracas by the end of September.  Schedule changes have not yet been announced, but if you’re traveling to Caracas after September, you’re going to want to call your airline to [...]

In case you were wondering how big a difference it makes when airlines add a first checked bag fee, Continental has given us a bit of a clue:  The carrier says that the new fee will generate $100 million in revenue and cost savings (the cost savings come from people not checking as much baggage [...]

Air New Zealand is looking for a few bald men…to tattoo their head with an advertisement about a new check-in system.  The airline is looking to hire 70 people to get their heads tattooed with info about the system and then stand in lines at the airport.  For this, you’ll receive about $770.  I’m sure [...]

Abdur-Rahim Jackson, a member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe, was forced by Israeli airport security officers to dance for them or be denied entry into the country.  When Jackson arrived at the airport, security pulled him aside for further questionning.  When he said that he was a dancer, security said, “If you are a [...]

You may have noticed that United’s stock dropped from $12 to $3 briefly yesterday after an erroneous report that it filed for bankruptcy.  If you dumped your stock at $3, you’re out of luck – NASDAQ says that it won’t cancel trades based on faulty info.  Oops.
So, how did this happen?  Nobody’s quite sure.  For [...]

There’s an old journalism line about how if something happens 3 times, it must be a trend (except in the NY Times Sunday Styles section, where if something happens once it’s a trend…but that’s for another blog…)  So here’s a trend:
In the past week I’ve heard of 3 people who have booked and ticketed [...]

Cleaning crew going through an Air India plane in Mumbai discovered a snake coiled up under a seat.  When they tried to catch the reptile, it slithered away into an airvent where, disturbingly, it was never found.  If you find yourself on an Air India A319, I’d keep your feet off the ground.

An Australian businessman was taken into federal custody in Sydney after he had refused the crew’s request to turn off his laptop during landing.  Federal police escorted the jackass off the plane upon arrival in Sydney and questioned him before releasing him without charge.  I’m sure that spreadsheet he was working on was very important.  [...]

United has admitted that it temporarily misplaced a 10-year old unaccompanied minor who was flying from Dulles from Boston.  The girl’s parents arrived at the gate to find that their daughter had been allowed to walk off the plane and down to the baggage claim area without a United staffer.  Oops.  United, for its part, [...]