Woman Imagines Terrorist Hijacking, Refuses To Stop Using Cell Phone In Flight

by Jonathon Morgan on

Erin Callahan Lambert got drunk and did some really, really stupid things on a flight from Boston to San Francisco last Sunday. Now she’s facing federal charges for making comments about a hijacking, trying to open a cabin door and fighting with flight attendants.

It all started to go awry when Lambert began talking on her cell phone halfway through the flight. When attendants asked her to stop, she became “combative.” Then, she claimed that she was “calling 911 because the plane is being hijacked.”

But it gets better (or worse, I suppose). After the first episode was diffused, Lambert later got up again, this time trying to take her luggage and her pet carrier into the bathroom. When flight attendants confronted her a second time, she said “…you are going to have to kill me and my dog.”

After a brief struggle, the nutcase was finally handcuffed, and, upon landing, turned over to San Francisco airport police. Thank goodness no one was hurt!

Jet Blue…Cruises?

by Erik Olsen on

Sure, you knew that JetBlue offered some of the best fares and finest service in the airline industry. But did you know they’re now offering cruises? Cruises aren’t really my bag, but for lots of folks, they provide the ultimate sybaritic vacation. And starting this week, JetBlue will begin selling cruises (via cruise lines) on its Web site. They’ll offer cruisers (?!) one-stop shopping for cruises and air travel to ports of call.

Destinations are perhaps the obvious ones: Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, and the company says they guarantee the lowest cruise price available. Check out the new site here.

Slide Show of the Future of First Class

by Neil Woodburn on

First class is usually something I glimpse very quickly as I pass through it on my way to the back of the plane. I try not to stare, but I do so in a pauper sort of longing way.

The miraculous sights I see before humbly lowering my gaze to the floor stick with me throughout the rest of the flight. I’m not talking domestic flights, mind you, and the slightly larger chairs that reside in First Class, but rather those international hauls in which First Class looks like some pod from a futuristic space ship.

Sadly enough for us poor mopes, there will be even more slack-jaw gawking in the near future. The upscale folks over at Forbes Magazine have thoughtfully put together an interesting little slide show of all the new wonders we will soon be walking past on our way back to coach.

Yes, it makes me cry as well.

We Hope NWA Treats Its Passengers Better…

by Iva Skoch on

CNN Money ran it’s 101 Dumbest Moments in Business site again this year. #2 was unbelievable. Apparently, just before laying off 4000+ more workers mid-last-year during its bankruptcy, Northwest Airlines handed out to its employees a guide for saving money: 101 Ways to Save Money.

The guide had in it suggestions such as #46 “don’t be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.” Or, shred newspapers to make cat litter (or was it in-flight food?), make your own baby food, and take walks in the woods to save money on a date. Another favorite: (#15) “Get hand-me-down clothes and toys for your kids, from friends and relatives.”

Here’s hoping that nice blanket, pillow, and mixed nuts you enjoyed last flight weren’t the result of a dumpster-dive.

How to Travel Like a Geek Pro

by Justin Glow on

It seems that just about everyone these days is itching to offer up travel advice — some good, some bad — but it’s a sign that things are a-changin’. More and more first-timers are flying, and this is a major cause for unnecessary airport travel traffic, says “Geekster” over at GeekAbout.com in the article, “Travel like a pro: 8 tips to make your journey easier.”

“When you have to go through security people are naturally drawn to where the crowd is, falsely assuming that if everyone else is queuing here then so should they. Wrong!”

Avoiding the crowds in the airport, or not “going with the flow,” is among the 8 tips covered in the article, which (in case you were wondering) falls under the “good travel advice” category. Some of the tips may be obvious to the well-trained traveler (“Travel light, travel fast!”), but others just might be devious enough to fall below the radar (slipping $100 to the airline check-in manager to get an upgraded seat). Other topics included are bumping tips, free hotel room and car rental upgrades, and cues on streamlining your next airport experience.

The article is bent a bit towards the business traveler, but it’s loose enough to be adaptable to anyone whose planning a getaway in the near future.