In a Top 10 of phone calls you probably don’t want to receive from an airport official: “Your grandmother was found in baggage claim.”
Eighty-year-old Nefissa Yesuf’s Sunday Atlanta to Dulles flight didn’t go quite as planned. CNN reports that airline and airport staff failed to notice that a Delta employee had allegedly given her someone else’s boarding pass by mistake. Yesuf, who is from Ethiopia and doesn’t speak English, instead ending up landing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Yusef’s granddaughter, Melika Adem, says she received a call from the airport telling her Yusef had been found in baggage claim, crying. According to Adem, Delta gave her grandmother someone else’s ticket, and an airline employee then wheeled her through security, where no one caught the snafu. Adem also states that the name on Yusef’s boarding pass wasn’t even “close” to her grandmother’s. Fortunately, the two women were reunited Sunday evening.
The incident is under investigation by both Delta and the TSA. TSA officers are required to match boarding passes with a passenger’s driver’s license, passport, or other photo identification. Says TSA representative Greg Soule,”Every day TSA screens nearly two million passengers and utilizes many layers of security to keep our nation’s transportation systems secure,” he said. “Every passenger passes through multiple layers of security to include thorough screening at the checkpoint.”
Condor, a German based budget airline, has announced that it will begin offering service between Frankfurt and Seattle starting in June, with twice weekly flights that will give travelers more affordable options for visiting Europe this year. The new service is expected to begin on June 23, with flights taking place on Monday and Thursday of each week, running through October. This new route is in addition to Condor’s other North American flights, which which includes regular service to Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale in the U.S., as well as Calgary, Vancouver, and Whitehorse in Canada.
The addition of Condor to the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) airport brings a 23% overall increase in seat capacity between that region and Europe. That boost will come just in time for the summer and fall travel season, which is expected to be a busy one once again this year. In the summer of 2010, airlines operating between Sea-Tac and Europe filled 90% of their seats, and traffic is only expected to grow in 2011.
Condor is well known for offering very affordable flights throughout Europe and for running unique promotions. For instance, they’ll regularly offer cheap airfares from German airports to a surprise destination that isn’t revealed until after travelers book their flight. Those flights can cost as little as 49 euros ($66) each way for cities in Europe or 199 euros ($268) both directions for destinations further abroad. As for flights between Seattle and Frankfurt, bookings in July are currently running about $1200, which is roughly $450 cheaper than flying the same route with Lufthansa.
Right now, there are no plans to continue operations after October, but that could change in 2012 as Condor continues to upgrade and expand its international fleet to cover more destinations and carry more passengers. Either way, it is nice to have more options for air travel, and competition is certainly a good thing for consumers.
It is pretty safe to say that 99.99% of all flights are completely uneventful, but every now and then you’ll find yourself on a flight from hell. We’ve collected ten videos of poor takeoffs, poor landings and dreadful in-flight turbulence. Just remember – any flight you can walk away from can be considered a successful flight.
In the first video, you’ll see JetBlue flight 292 trying to land with a broken nosewheel. The amazing flight crew managed to land the plane without any real problems. This plane also went down in history as the first where the passengers were able to watch their own plane emergency on live TV thanks to the DirectTV service.
Ecuador, bumpy takeoff.
Aborted landing of a KLM 747 at St.Maarten airport – watch at the plane comes in to land but is faced with an occupied runway.
Watch as the pilot of this Concorde decided the crosswinds are too much for a safe landing. Such an amazing plane, and a real shame she’s no longer with us.
This is the aftermath of some really nasty turbulence on a Kuwait Airways flight. Passengers seem stunned, and the aisle is full of stuff from the overhead bins. Thankfully, most turbulence is limited to being thrown around a bit and almost never results in anything worse.
American Airlines coming in for a landing in Honduras at Tegucigalpa airport.
Same airport, from cockpit view.
Watch this Boeing 747 almost run out of asphalt – and witness the spotters freak out a little when 800,000 lbs of plane flies towards them.
Another awesome clip from St.Maarten airport. The beach at the end of the runway is notoriously dangerous, but that didn’t stop these people from enjoying some sun, sea and sand. Until the jet took off that is…
This is one of those landings where the passengers ask the pilot whether he landed the plane, or if he was shot down.
When Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna tried to fly from Seattle back home to Juneau, she was was directed towards one of the new full body scanning machines. When something showed up on the scanner that needed extra attention, she was told she’d need a full pat-down instead.
Cissna, who has a mastectomy refused the invasive security treatment and left the airport, opting to travel back to Alaska by ferry.
The journey on the ferry from Seattle to Juneau takes twelve hours, but it doesn’t involve being subjected to invasive TSA security measures.
Her chief of staff reports that she did indeed undergo a full body scan that showed her mastectomy. It was not clear why the full body scan then required a followup pat-down.
Kudos to her for taking a stand and refusing to deal with this security theater. After investing millions in these new scanners, and giving up a lot of our privacy, there should be absolutely no need to force passengers to go through three different levels of security just to get on a plane.
We all like to treat ourselves once in a while, whether its with luxury fur coats, $300 gastrogasm dinners at Noma or Momofuku or the Presidential Suite at the DC Mandarin Oriental. For the brass over at Gadling Labs, we like to fly in international First or Business class. And there are a few, very special routes that rank among our favorites ever taken. Curious? Ever taken one yourself? Read below for the best of the best.
6. Open Skies, All Business Class 757: Washington DC or New York to Paris
Flying on OpenSkies is like staying at a bed and breakfast. Instead of dealing with massive, hulking name brands and wrestling the mass of humanity at the airport, OpenSkies caters a boutique, luxury experience flying single-aisle, personal aircraft from the nation’s capitol or New York City directly into Paris Orly, the smaller airport on the south side of the city. Single rows of luscious, business class seats flank each side of the generously appointed aircraft, and if you’re in the mood you can even fly facing backwards while gloating at the quickly dissolving American coast. The best part of OpenSkies, however, is the oustanding prices. With frequent fare sales and an agressive marketing campaign it’s often easy to find tickets on this aircraft for just slightly more than a regular coach ticket on other airlines — and for that price it’s a steal. [Price at booking: $1981 for a Biz Seat,$4062 for a Biz Bed, www.flyopenskies.com]
5. Air New Zealand, Business Class on a 777: Los Angeles to Auckland
Private, lie-flat beds are a rarity on transoceanic flights out of the United States, and Air New Zealand does it right. The nose of this 777 hosts eleven rows of lie flat beds, all angled such that each person gets his or her own privacy, such that each person can get the best possible service and can relax and rest up on the 13 hour journey to the corner of the world. Add to that a fun loving group of friendly staff and a delightful destination and you’ve got a winning combination. [Price at booking: $7868, www.airnewzealand.com]
4. Singapore Airlines, All Business Class A340: New York City or Los Angeles to Singapore.
Most journeys from the east coast of the US to southeast Asia require a stopover somewhere on the west coast or in Japan. And almost all of the rest of the flights are in two or three class service aircraft, where four hundred people are jammed into a cramped, dank aluminum tube for the eight thousand mile journey. But not on Singapore’s all-business-class service. Consistently rated as top carrier on the planet, Singapore has taken an extra step with a portion of their NYC-SIN and LAX-SIN flights: they’re on full business class aircraft: 100 seats of 30″ wide seats, top notch catering and world class in flight service. In these digs, your 18 hour flight will go by in a flash. [Price at booking: $7400, www.singaporeair.com]
3. V Australia, Business Class on a 777: Los Angeles to Sydney
V Australia brings all of the swankness of the Virgin brand to the transpacific route, from colorful, inflight cabins to inspiring, world class catering to a posh checkin and lounge experience. For the best experience, book seats 5H and K as a couple, where you can pull a series of curtains shut to create your own private cabin. Take in a movie or two on departure from Los Angeles and then get a full eight hours of sleep in a fully flat bed before you pull into Sydney — and did we mention that you get to keep the pajamas? [Price at booking: $5208, www.vaustralia.com]
2. British Airways, First Class 747: Chicago or New York to London
The upper deck of a 747 is a special place to reside, but on the British Airways 747, you actually want to set up camp in the first floor nose — right under the pilot. That’s the section of the aircraft where first class passengers ride, where the full effect of in-flight pampering can be felt and where the stress of your London business trip can melt away. BA is in the process of rebuliding their first class service this year, but you can bet that it’ll remain the industry leader on this route either way. [Price at booking from Chicago: $8351, www.britishairways.com]
1. Emirates, First Class A380: New York to Dubai (pictured above)
The Emirates A380 has a mixed history with New York’s JFK, but when the service is running, it’s running hot. Emirates’ First Class service features a full host of over-the-top amenities, from private suites for each passenger to onboard showers to a bumpin onboard lounge. You’re going to pay dearly for the pleasure of flying though. [Price at booking: $17918, www.flyemirates.com]
[Editor’s note: We know that the G6 isn’t an airplane. It’s a reference to the Far East Movement Song. Gangster? Get it?]