'Tis the season for holiday air travel nightmares, from overbooked flights that prevent you from seeing Grandma to cupcakes in jars as security threats. So it shouldn't be surprising to hear that when a 9-year-old flying Southwest Airlines from Tennessee to LaGuardia Airport was rerouted, her family had no idea. more ›

Southwest Airlines is starting to have a serious celebrity problem. First there was the time that Kevin Smith got kicked off a flight for being too fat, then there was the time Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong was kicked off a flight for wearing his pants too low and now former L Word actress Leisha Hailey is going around the Internet saying she and her girlfriend were kicked off a flight for kissing each other. We probably shouldn't be too surprised though, considering what we learned this summer about Southwest's racist, sexist pilots. more ›

Long Island, please don't ever change: You give us brawling moms, suburban jet-skiers, and Lindsay Lohan—and ask so little in return. Well, you'd like to secede, but we're never gonna let that happen. Because you make us look so smart. Take Lake Ronkonkoma resident Mary Purcell, who has allegedly followed in the footsteps of such genius bomb threat masterminds Rajiv Pandey (the gentleman who allegedly called in a bomb threat to the Long Island Power Authority... in an attempt to get his power turned back on). Purcell's scheme was similar—worried about her mother and brother flying the day before 9/11, she says she called in a bomb threat to get the flight grounded. more ›

Woe is the plight of an "American Idiot"—Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong claims he was kicked off of a Southwest Airlines flight because of his sagging pants. He Tweeted on Thursday: "Just got kicked off a southwest flight because my pants sagged too low! What the f--- No joke!" more ›

On the morning of March 25th, air traffic controllers and other pilots in Texas were blocked from communicating with each other for two minutes because a Southwest airline pilot accidentally left his microphone on as he bitched to his co-pilot about homosexuals, women who wouldn't sleep with him, the elderly, and the ugly women in Houston. Houston TV station KPRC obtained a recording (below) of the hate-filled diatribe, which was unleashed by a guy entrusted with the lives of hundreds of people on a daily basis. Basically, he's the Bizarro World Captain Sully: more ›

After months of speculation, Southwest Airlines announced it will start flight service from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Chicago Midway and Baltimore-Washington International Airports on June 28. In good news for travelers (and bad news for other carriers), the NY Times reports, "For New York travelers, Southwest’s prices could affect fares in and out of La Guardia in the way that JetBlue Airways has affected fares in and out of Kennedy Airport. One-way flights to Chicago Midway will start as low as $89, and flights to Baltimore-Washington will start at $49 one way." Southwest will have five daily departures to Chicago and three to Baltimore; schedule planning's lead planner Bill Owen blogged, "We've done some interesting network design work--both up-front and behind the scenes--to make sure we take care of y'all, given the uniqueness of operating at LaGuardia, in true Southwest Airlines style. As always, Southwest is putting our Customers first. Gee, putting Customers first--talk about something new for air travellers in the Big Apple......... *grin*" more ›

The Dallas Morning News reports that Southwest Airlines confirmed it is buying ATA Airlines for ATA's operating slots at LaGuardia Airport. A Southwest spokeswoman said, "The intent is not to operate ATA Airlines. The intent is to allow Southwest Airlines to acquire the LaGuardia slots." NBC New York directs us to Southwest's Leader Planner Bill Owen's blog post, "This isn’t just big news, it’s huge. GINORMOUS! I think h-e-double-hockey-sticks just froze over…and I am certain a number of my friends in this industry have yet to pick their jaws up off of the floor!" Owen then explains why LGA is so coveted--"it’s the closest major airport to Manhattan. What Love Field is to Dallas, Hobby Airport is to Houston, and Midway Airport is to Chicago, LaGuardia Airport is to New York City." Southwest does not fly to LGA or JFK or Newark--just MacArthur (so far). more ›

Part of the Southwest Airlines terminal at MacArthur Airport on Long Island was evacuated for about an hour this morning after an improvised explosive device was found in the carry-on bag of an unidentified man. Officials say they won't be able to determine what the device is until it's defused and examined, but it's believed to be either a smoke bomb, pipe bomb or firework. It was spotted by TSA baggage screeners as the 20-year-old attempted to board a flight to Las Vegas, where he resides. The TSA then pulled his checked luggage and found a knife and fireworks, including M-80s. The FBI and agents from the DOJ's Joint Terrorism Task Force are on the scene; FBI spokeswoman Lara Uselding tells Newsday the man has "no known nexus to terrorism." At least four outgoing flights were delayed following the incident. more ›