No Lights on Flights

by Iva Skoch on

While we’ve undoubtedly helped to clear the air about odor on planes, maybe some of our readers have taken us too seriously. We reported on the passenger who sued the airline for removing him because of his odor; we’ve told you that most U.S. airlines have an odor policy. And we’ve warned you that your plane might be less than fresh. But after the Richard Reid incident, we’d have thought that everyone knows you can’t light matches on planes.

Not everyone has learned the lesson. The AP reported that a Dallas-bound American Airlines flight that was forced to land in Nashville yesterday after the crew smelled burning sulfur. Some matches had been lit by a female passenger in an attempt to conceal a “body odor,” according to the spokeswoman for Nashville’s airport. All 99 passengers and their bags were screened on the ground, and the flight took off once more, but without that passenger, who was detained and questioned by the FBI (but not charged).

Count Calories While You Fly

by Adrienne Wilson on

Thanks to our healthy friends and sister site, That’s Fit, I just stumbled upon this awesome article out of the Seattle Times focusing on the nutritional value of those in-flight snack packs. You would think with cheese, crackers, peanuts and an occasional cookie one wouldn’t shoot their entire diet to hell, but beware!!! (Cue horror music.) If you thought the danger was in flying you were wrong – it’s in the honey roasted nuts! The story in the Seattle Times notes both Delta and U.S. Airways have the lowest health score, for more reasons than high in calories. The system is based on factors like how helpful the airline was in providing information, the cost of the snack pack (if any) and the exercise equivalent to burning off the calories found in each pack. Let’s take the Delta snack pack for example since it ranks the absolute worst. According to their info you’d have to walk 197 minutes to burn off the 766 calories found in Delta’s bag of treats. That’s a lot of walking for so little food.

On the upside, those flying with United need not worry so much as a frequent Delta or U.S. Airways flyer. United Airlines ranks tops. The snack packs offered on board are vegetarian friendly and trans-fat-free. Although the cost is $5, they have the largest selection of snack choices. Surprisingly, you’ll need to do a good amount of walking to burn off the calories found in an United pack (up to 231 minutes for munching on a Smartpack), but at least you’ll know that your balancing it all out.

I highly recommend reading this one if you’re trying to keep track of your diet every step and flight on the way to your holiday destination and beyond.

No Kissing On American Airlines?

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s been almost a year since the shocking Lorrie Heasley story. Remember the woman removed from a Southwest Airlines flight in Reno when she refused to take off or cover her offensive “Meet the F*ckers” shirt? It caused quite a stir then, and as of late, another airline has been raising a ruckus in the gay community it seems. The New Yorker runs a rather detailed piece on an incident where George Tsikhiseli, a television journalist, and his writer boyfriend, Stephan Varnier, were told the plane would be diverted if they did not drop the issue of touching and kissing on the plane.

Let me backtrack. The two passengers were on their way back into NYC from Paris when Varnier started dozing off and leaned his head on his partner Tsikhiseli. A stewardess came over and told them the purser said to stop the touching and kissing. The two passengers noted there was no kiss kissing, just mwah (smacking sound). When questioned, the purser also became rigid on the subject. Later, the purser informed Tsikhiseli that the captain would like to talk to him. The captain informed Tsikhiseli that if he didn’t stop arguing with the crew, the plane would be diverted. Now, what I’ve just provided is a very through-the-grapevine look at the story, so I suggest you read the entire deal over at the New Yorker.

If power truly rests in numbers and this story were to get into the hands of the entire gay community, I would think American Airlines screwed up, but overall the situation just sounds overly bizarre.

via WorldHum