In a stroke of brilliant brainstorming to increase revenue, the Port Authority says it wants money from those annoying travelers who delay flights and force planes back to the gate. And one big-shot loudmouth is singled out: Alec Baldwin. more ›

Today, Bloomberg news releases the shocking news that it's freaking expensive to get out of town during Thanksgiving, which is not news to anyone who's ever heard their parents say, "Of course you don't have to come home; hopefully Grandma Tilly will live long enough to see you next year." more ›

We've just been hearing word that there were three people locked in the bathroom of a NY-bound American Airlines Flight, refusing to come out. Two F-16 Flight Jets were called in to shadow the flight—but DON'T WORRY! The pilot is in communication, reporting there is no threat level and the passengers have "returned to their seats." The flight is about to land at JFK momentarily, the situation seems to have been resolved, and several law enforcement officials confirm the incident was not terrorism-related. more ›

In a brazen bid to attract more customers, United Continental (remember when the two airlines merged?) announced today a slew of customer upgrades ($550M worth of them to be exact), which comes as a bit of good news for the thousands of travelers who are destined to get stranded at the airline's biggest carrier, Newark Liberty Airport. more ›

The Steven Slater saga continues! The JetBlue flight attendant's Folk Hero title didn't even last a full week, with passengers from the flight he made a dramatic departure from speaking up about what they witnessed that day. Some say he seemed "disturbed" during the entire 90-minute flight, and another recently told Eyewitness News, "This guy was a like a jerk the whole time, like I'm getting so frustrated with all of these people who keep saying he was a hero." Like totally. Anyway, now some are saying the recovering alcoholic may have been drunk for the entire flight (he did grab those two beers on his way out). more ›

Steven Slater's famous exit from JetBlue may have made him a folk hero, but his reign may be ending as passengers from the flight start revealing their sides of the story. Which is that Slater had a gash on his head for most of the flight (suggesting that it didn't come from a passenger hitting him) and he was in a foul mood from the get-go, snapping at more than one passenger. more ›

Oh, United Airlines, you know just how to treat a customer. Instead of wrecking luggage, this time the airline attempted to force a musician to buy his cello a first class seat. Maybe they were just worried if it broke in coach they'd have another YouTube sensation on their hands. more ›

New York Senator Charles Schumer has called upon the Food and Drug Administration to bring stricter punishment against airline caterers who violate health codes. Which, we found out earlier this week, is pretty much all of them. more ›

Your biggest fear while flying should be the food, according to some new scaremongering reports out there. A recent analysis of FDA inspection records found that in-flight food often encounters roaches, flies, mice and unsanitary conditions on the way from the kitchen to your folding table (often times the employees handling it don't even have a place to wash their hands!). And guess what... LaGuardia, JFK and Newark were all cited for violations. more ›

An Emirates Airlines flight which was on a JFK Airport taxiway was asked to return to a gate. NBC New York says, "Senior government officials confirm that authorities are responding to security incident at John F. Kennedy Airport. The nature of the incident is not yet known, but sources tell NBC that an Emirates flight ready to take off to Dubai was asked to return to the gate this afternoon." On Monday, bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad was apprehended on an Emirates JFK-Dubai flight; even though he was on the no-fly list, he managed to get on (the U.S. government and Emirates differ on what happened). more ›

With maintenance shutting down JFK Airport's largest runway for a few months, some airlines have been fighting to push back a new rule that would fine them for keeping passengers on the tarmac for more than 3 hours. The rule would also demand working toilets and that after 2 hours passengers be provided with food and water. more ›

As ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to snag air travel, as airlines have criticized European governments for flight restrictions that are costing them $250 million a day. The head of an airline industry body, Giovanni Bisignani, told the BBC, "This is a European embarrassment and it's a European mess." And it's not just European airlines that are hurting—NYC's tourism arm believes it's losing $250 million from the lack of European visitors this weekend. NYC & Co. spokeswoman Marjan Inbar told the Daily News, "The people we were expecting are not coming and not spending money at restaurants." more ›

Spirit Airlines, which services LaGuardia Airport, announced yesterday that they will begin charging for carry-on bags in August. The new policy will allow passengers to bring one item on the plane (such as a backpack or purse) for free, and will charge passengers $30 for another carry on item if they check in online, and $45 if they check in at the gate. That's right folks, for almost half the price of a one way trip to Cancun, you can bring all of your stuff with you! more ›

As part of its contract to become the official carrier for NYC tourism, American Airlines is throwing money at JFK and LaGuardia, with 23 new new flights and seven new destinations to be added by the end of the year. The airline will also partner with JetBlue to offer 12 international connections from cheap-o flights in New York, as well as in Boston, reports the AP. Thirty million in terminal improvements to the two airports is also part of the package. "We have a long history in New York, and we're going to grow those roots with new routes, new partnerships, even deeper local relationships," declares CEO Gerard Arpey. Promises, promises—when's he gonna put a ring on our finger? more ›

There was alarm last year that Jet Blue would relocate its corporate headquarters out of NYC when the lease expires on their Forest Hills offices in 2012. The company, which launched in NYC in 1999, employs some almost 800 employees in New York, and had reportedly been eying Orlando as a new home. But today a source tells City Room that JetBlue will shift its administrative offices to the Citigroup building in Long Island City. The airline also plans to move an additional 70 jobs to Queens from Connecticut. more ›

The longest runway at JFK Airport is officially closed for four months, and airlines are rallying against the new rule banning 3+ hour tarmac delays during the runway's rehab. JetBlue, Delta and American Airlines are asking that the rule, part of a new airline passengers' bill of rights, be lifted until construction is complete; as of April 29th they could face fines up to $27,500 per passenger if they keep the plane on the tarmac for too long. more ›

The shutting down of JFK Airport's longest runway is upon us! Starting Monday—when the runway goes under the knife for a 4-month rehabilitation project—expect more delays, longer delays, and maybe even higher airfares due to the cutback in flights. And on top of all that, the Daily News says millions at other airports will also suffer delays more often as part of a ripple effect. more ›

Will unisex bathrooms on planes soon vanish into thin air? CNN is reporting that Japanese airline All Nippon Airways is introducing women-only lavatories on its international routes starting next week, though they have no plans to designate men-only facilities. The move came after many customers spoke up asking for the separation, but the airline says there are exceptions—such as when a restroom is required for safety reasons or "when there are very few female passengers." A poster at FlyerTalk said, "The lavatories are scarce enough already. The last thing we need is more restriction of choice." more ›

Here's another not-so-reassuring story about the state of airport security. A woman with a 14-inch titanium rod in her hip sets off metal detectors at every airport she visits — except for JFK. The Post reports that in the decade since doctors implanted the metal piece to help 62-year-old Berna Keiler overcome a degenerative hip disease, she always triggered alarms at security checkpoints, including those in JFK's Terminal 7, until Oct. 21, 2009. more ›

Sen. Charles Schumer called on airlines to stop servicing foreign airports with security practices that don't meet American standards, according to NY1. In a move he hopes will close the "gaping holes" in overseas air travel security, the senior Democratic senator wants carriers to report any security issues at foreign airports and threaten boycotts if measures aren't changed. more ›

As flying out of Newark Liberty, Kennedy, and La Guardia airports continues to get more and more tedious, some passengers are turning towards smaller airfields where even at busy travel times like the day before Thanksgiving there are "no lines at the check-in counters, no lines to clear security and no lineup of idling planes on the runway," according to the Times. more ›

In the wake of Friday's foiled terrorist bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, tough new security measures are being implemented on international flights bound for the U.S. Basically, we're just a couple more failed bombings away from flying handcuffed to the armrest, naked except for hoods over our heads. But for now—in addition to much more invasive and time-consuming pre-flight screening—the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decreed that the last hour of every flight be spent confined your seat (no bathroom privileges!) without a blanket, pillow, reading materials, personal belongings or even the precious succor of television. Those who flew over the weekend say it's a whole new world up there. more ›

Just one day after a man attempted to explode an airplane before landing, Ivana Trump blew up at passengers before take-off, launching obscenities at children aboard the flight to New York and police officers. Her outburst caused a two hour delay for other passengers headed from Palm Beach International Airport to LaGuardia. more ›

Some 2 million pets and other animals travel by commercial airline each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And considering how much airlines charge for the service, it all amounts to big business for the industry. But how much should it cost to take your pet with you on a flight? One area woman is up in arms after realizing that her cat's ticket to fly from New York to Virginia actually cost more than her own ticket! more ›

There's been much debate about how to handle overweight passengers on flights. While some airlines may charge for an extra seat, not all do — and now a flight attendant allegedly snapped a photo on an American Airlines flight (destination and take-off point unknown), which of course has been leaked to the press. more ›

One more incident like this and Delta is going to get a reputation. Just weeks after a mouse was found on board one of their planes, causing an evacuation and serious delay... it's happened again! more ›

Since December 2007, the Department of Transportation—under the Bush administration—was proposing to auction off airline take off and landing times, many criticized the plan, most vocally Senator Chuck Schumer, who said, "Selling these slots to the highest bidder would be an onerous sky tax, plain and simple." Now, the DOT (under Obama) has decided to cancel the idea, based on the criticism from lawmakers, agencies (like the Port Authority) and airlines alike. The plan was well-intentioned, because the DOT was trying to address congestion at the three area airports, but the waning economy help kill the plan. Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood said, "We're still serious about tackling aviation congestion in the New York region. I'll be talking with airline, airport and consumer stakeholders, as well as elected officials, over the summer about the best ways to move forward." The International Air Transport Association said it was happy about the outcome, but added, "It is a shame the government and industry had to waste 16 months debating this ill-conceived plan." more ›

Our Amtrak-loving vice president was his usual chatty, off-the-cuff self when speaking on the Today Show. Politico reports, "Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car 'at this point' because swine flu virus can spread 'in confined places.' A little more than one hour later, Biden rushed out a statement backing off his stern warning a bit." more ›

In the wake of America's first fatal airline accident in 30 months, the Times takes a look at how the FAA has responded to other crashes over the years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, reporter Matthew Wald's tour of the FAA sausage factory concludes that the bureaucracy is a tad "cumbersome." The National Transportation Safety Board, which advises the FAA on regulations, currently cites 429 "outstanding recommendations" which have still not been acted on by the FAA. 146 of them are more than five years old, such as a proposed fix for the malfunction that caused the explosion of T.W.A. Flight 800 (pictured) over Long Island in 1996, which investigators concluded was caused by an electrical flaw in the fuel tank. (Many others have speculated that a shoulder-fired missile took down the plane.) After some 12 years of debate about a solution, the FAA now reports that airlines should finally have the problem fixed... in another eight years. more ›

U.S. Airways is real sorry about that plane crash in the Hudson River, and since they know the surviving passengers are probably eager to board an airplane again, they've given them a whole year of free upgrades! But some among the lucky 150 say that's not good enough, and they should be able to fly first class on U.S. Airways for the duration of their lives. more ›