In-Flight Experience tips

Goodbye, Virgin America.

Choosing an airline is no longer as simple as economy, business, or first class. The majority of flyers select economy, but that’s become a complicated option: When you fly one of the legacy lines, you’ll have to select from up to four distinct versions of economy airfare, encompassing three different products.

Expedia released its 2018 Airplane and Hotel Etiquette Study and wow, just reading it might get your blood pressure rising.

Starting June 4, travelers on Alaska Airlines will face new carry-on bag size limits. The airline says its current carry-on bag size allowance is “larger than most other international and domestic airlines allow” and it wants to “make sure that your carry-on bag will be accepted aboard all the flights within your itinerary. This will help you avoid carry-on bag size conflicts and make connections with other airlines easier during your future trips.”

Hawaiian Airlines will become the latest airline to add basic economy fares, joining a now widespread trend in the airline industry.

J.D. Power is out with its annual list of the best airlines for customer satisfaction, and the ranking is once again topped by familiar liveries. Alaska Airlines is the best airline for the eleventh consecutive year—yes, eleventh—and Southwest topped the low-cost category for the second straight year.

As reported by the Branson Tri Lakes News, a passenger on a Southwest flight in 2014 that landed at the wrong airport is suing the airline for $74,999.99.

It’s no secret that air travel is uncomfortable. And judging by the sheer volume of travel gear available at the airport, the market knows it, too. Every day brings a new type of travel gadget that promises to make travel better and more comfortable.

Recently, airlines are announcing longer and longer flights—each trying to claim the title of world’s longest flight, but typically hovering just below the 18-hour mark. Today, Singapore Airlines has topped them all with the announcement of the world’s newest, non-stop flight. However, it isn’t so new …

Never flown first class? One of the big-three U.S. airlines just upgraded standard service for travelers on international flights 6.5 hours or longer, to feature services usually only seen in business- or first-class cabins. And it’s totally free.

AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).

JetBlue announced that it was increasing fees for checked baggage: from $25 to $30 for the first bag, $35 to $40 for the second. And the line also increased the top ticket change fee from $150 to $200, although fees on cheap tickets remain less than the maximum. The new fees have already gone into effect. JetBlue didn’t charge bag fees until 2015 but now has already increased its prices.

It’s not exactly news when one of the big three airlines does something to make its economy seats worse, but it is when one actually makes them better. Kudos to Delta for its newly refurbished Boeing 777-200s, which feature fewer economy seats per row to maintain some elbow room.

If you’ve ever sat with your knees wedged up against the seatback in front of you, you might be wondering which North American carrier is the airline with the most legroom. And the answer depends entirely on an aircraft measurement called “seat pitch.”

A new plane seat design from a startup called Molon Labe Seating aims to provide a wider middle seat on short-haul flights, and the company says two unnamed airlines are set to try out the change in 2020. The design would afford three extra inches of shoulder room to anyone who gets stuck in the middle seat, changing its seatback width from 18 to 21 inches.

It’s taken longer than anyone expected thanks to lots of FAA red tape and a 35-day government shutdown, but Southwest has finally started selling flights from the West Coast to Hawaii. Here are the Hawaii flight route details so far, and what it all means.

File this under: Maybe you don’t want to know. The 2019 Airline Water Study from Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and DietDetective.com ranks the safety of the onboard water of a dozen major airlines. This is … probably not something most people think about. After all, doesn’t onboard drinking water come from water bottles?

For the last few months, Delta has been the lone U.S. airline holding out and leaving middle seats empty, but that’s about to change. Delta CEO Ed Bastian just announced that the airline will be unblocking the middle seat and booking flights to full capacity starting May 1.

It’s a familiar routine: You board the plane, settle into your seat, and then text frantically, trying to eke out just one last message before you hear the flight attendant’s announcement to switch your portable electronic devices to airplane mode.