Low-cost carriers

Photo: Robin Guess / Shutterstock.com (Shutterstock)At last, we get to the budget airlines which, in fairness, are a bit more open about how terrible they are. Like its cheapo competitors, Allegiant offers you an impressively low price that nets you a seat on a plane, period. “We collect $110 from you at the end of your trip,” CEO Maurice J. Gallagher Jr., put it plainly in a 2009 interview. “If I tried to charge you $110 up front, you wouldn’t pay it. But if I sell you a $75 ticket and you self-select the rest, you…

A New Zealand airline is weighing passengers before boarding as part of a month-long survey to gauge the overall weight of the plane. Air New Zealand says it hopes to weigh 10,000 passengers to help pilots better understand the weight and balance of the plane before takeoff.You Could Soon Get Cash Back for Your Canceled FlightThe weigh-in will be voluntary the airline said in a press release, and will allow Air New Zealand to create better fuel efficiency based on the findings. Airlines have historically implemented a…

Image: Bruce Bennett (Getty Images)Heading into Memorial Day weekend, preparedness for travel is essential, with the Transportation Security Administration telling ABC7 it expects to screen 10 million travelers between Friday and Monday.Airlines have reportedly fixed the problems that plagued travelers in 2022 which sparked surges of cancellations and delays, and 52,000 flight cancellations from June through August last year.Now airlines have hired about 30,000 workers and pilots and say they are more prepared for…

The flying punching bag that is Southwest Airlines once again had to temporarily cancel flights due to computer issues. Mid-morning on Tuesday ET, Southwest said it halted operations at some airports due to “intermittent technology issues.” The company wrote on Twitter that it was working to get things operational again after users complained about canceled and delayed flights.You Could Soon Get Cash Back for Your Canceled FlightOn Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Authority also tweeted Monday that Southwest requested the…

Southwest’s cancellation problems were likely the result of antiquated software and phone systems, which failed to keep track of pilots, flight attendants, and passengers. Image: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)The hell of holiday travel was only made worse this year as reports of horror stories from Southwest Airlines passengers and workers ran the gamut from frostbite to thousands of flight cancellations to outdated software. Now, these issues, which dovetailed over the busy holiday travel season might cost the company…

Travelers wait to search for their luggage in a baggage holding area for Southwest Airlines on Dec. 28, 2022.Photo: Michael Ciaglo (Getty Images)The travel nightmare wreaking havoc on the lives of thousands of Southwest Airlines passengers and staff may finally come to an end on Friday, at least according to the company.In a statement on Thursday, Southwest said it expected to return to “normal operations with minimal disruptions” on Friday, capping off a week of hell that reportedly saw it cancel about 15,700 flights…

Photo: Jim Vondruska (Getty Images)There are screw-ups and then there are screw-ups, and then there’s the disastrous holiday scheduling shitstorm ravaging Southwest Airlines right now. Though the airlineinitially blamed its tidal wave of mass flight cancellations and delays on unavoidable winter storms, an enraged pilot and union representative at the airliner says something far more controllable may have played a role: old software.In an interview with Insider this week, Vice President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots…

The ongoing winter storm sent temperatures plummeting in many parts of the country. The weather and delays from Southwest Airlines meant a grueling work week for Southwest ground crews.Photo: Alex Wong (Getty Images)As angry as passengers have been during this past week of delayed and canceled flights, lost luggage, and being stranded far away from friends and family during Christmas, that was apparently nothing compared to what Southwest Airline ground crew workers experienced, according to a union letter claiming some …

Travelers search through mountains of luggage at the baggage claim at Chicago Midway International Airport on Dec. 26, 2022, in Chicago. Photo: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times (AP)Southwest Airlines has cancelled over 2,400 flights for Tuesday, roughly 61% of its entire schedule, according to the latest figures from FlightAware. The bad news comes after Southwest cancelled over 2,900 flights on Monday, and this could be just the beginning for the airline’s woes, with several reports noting Southwest doesn’t…

Leg room, luggage space, in-flight meals, the actual cost of the ticket—these are all important considerations when booking a flight. But for some of us, perhaps the most crucial consideration of all concerns the on-board wifi options. Are you actually going to be able to get anything done mid-journey, or will you be cut off from the world?Assuming you don’t want to use the flight as an opportunity to go completely off-grid for an hour or three, airplane wifi (or the lack of it) can make a significant difference toyour…