Slash flies Northwest/Delta

by Grant Martin on

One of the few advantages to being in an airplane almost every weekend is that sooner or later, you run into someone famous. That’s what happened last night on my way back from Los Angeles, where boarding my 757 I was pushed out of the way by an eager flight attendant carrying two guitar cases labeled “Slash.” As I pointed them out, one guy next to me suggested that the real Slash was probably on a private jet somewhere, so I boarded and turned to 5A without much further thought.

Sure enough, right before departure the guitar player from Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver darted onto the plane and into the first class seat right behind me, 6A. I poked the dentist next to me and gestured over my shoulder — “Slash.” She didn’t follow, so I pulled it up on my iPhone and pointed again. That perked her up.

Over the course of the redeye flight I slept most of the way, and only wandered by a few times to see Slash playing with his own iPhone and drumming on my seat. Other than that he was really friendly and gabbed with the guy next to him for a quite some time.

After learning my lesson for taking a picture of Michael Phelps without permission last year, I decided to ask for a photo this time, and Slash was kind enough to pose with my seatmate, the dentist, in the boarding area just outside of the jetbridge.

In case you’re curious, that strap on his left shoulder is for his hat box, which he carried with him throughout journey .

Delta has Fewer Gates

by Annie Scott on

Delta is getting rid of gates to save cash.

According to Bloomberg.com, the airline will save tens of millions every year simply by operating with fewer gates. That seems pretty reasonable, but we have a feeling we’re gonna regret saying that the next time we can’t find a seat while we’re waiting to board.

Apparently, of the 249 Delta gates in Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis, and other locations that were in need of new signs, Delta has only replaced 117. Fewer than half!

Delta has a goal to cut their expenses by 2 billion. Tens of millions isn’t much of a dent. What else can they cut? It’s not like their flights are rampant with expensive perks. To save that much … they’re probably going to have to stop flying airplanes.

Eurotrash in Little Rock

by Annie Scott on

A Netherlands Air Force plane mistakenly landed at Little Rock National Airport — what do you suppose officials decided to freak out about when a foreign plane landed at a domestic airport with no international support?

The trash.

The little 10 passenger cargo flight was supposed to be routed to Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, but lines got crossed and they ended up at an airport in Little Rock with no incinerator.

According to airport spokesman T.J. Williams (via USA Today): “There’s protocol for bringing anything in from overseas. One thing you have to do is properly incinerate the garbage.”

Williams isn’t just being a stick in the mud; his airport could have been fined up to $250,000 for improper disposal of the Eurotrash.

The solution? Denver-based Integrated Airline Services Inc. swooped in and paid $1,750 to have the two bags of Eurotrash incinerated nearby in El Dorado.

Little Rock airport is looking into purchasing a small, $3,950 incinerator.

Delta passenger busts open exit door at JFK

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Every passenger stuck on the ground fantasizes about busting open the door and liberating people on the plane. For me, it usually involves the battle cry, “I GRANT YOU FREEDOM!!!” Of course, I’m no Robert McDonald. He acted on these urges during a delay at John F. Kennedy International Airport (yep, no surprise there).

The Glasgow, Scotland resident was charged with reckless and endangerment and criminal tampering for his shenanigans, which involved opening the emergency exit hatch. The cabin crew stopped McDonald before he could open the door enough to activate the emergency chute.

Delta Flight 149, which had just come from Rome and was to finish in Las Vegas, was stuck on the tarmac for close to three hours when the angry Scot had had enough. Local District Attorney Richard Brown offered a “no shit” explanation that highlights the benefits of a top legal education: “Apparently, the defendant wanted to get off the plane,” District Attorney Richard Brown said, “so he opened the emergency exit door.”

Ultimately, McDonald’s act of defiance ruined the evening for the 146 passengers on Flight 149. McDonald, who is 60 years old, risks spending the next one in prison if he’s convicted.

JetBlue ramp worker nods off – wakes up in Boston in cargo hold

by Scott Carmichael on

You just know the economy is in the crapper, when even airline workers have to become stowaways on their own flights.

Last week, a 21 year old JetBlue baggage handler dozed off on the job, which is something I probably do once or twice a week- except when I do it, I wake up with QWERTY key prints on my face.

When this guy woke up, he had traveled from JFK to Boston airport.

When ramp workers opened the cargo hatch in Boston, they initially thought they had discovered a stowaway, but quickly realized he was one of their colleagues.

The guy is lucky that the baggage hold is pressurized nowadays, and that the flight was only 37 minutes. Imagine being trapped in a cold cargo hold for a transatlantic flight without any $5 headphones or the option to purchase a $9 snack box!

Investigators are looking into how the incident happened, and will probably want to know why none of his co-workers noticed he went missing.