I Dream of Jetlag

After 12 Years in the Sky, a Flight Attendant Braces for Furloughs and Adjusts to Life on the Ground

Last year, a time in history I want to mark as 2019 BC—that is, Before COVID—I was at the height of my flight attendant career. I had just reached the top of the pay scale at a major airline. Globe-trotting was not only my job but also my pastime. In March, 2019, I took a three-week vacation to Southeast Asia with a group of friends; we toured North Vietnam like Anthony Bourdain, took a midnight train to Da Nang, cruised on a long-tail boat on the Mekong Delta, and went …

by Cathy Torres | September 24, 2020

Too Many Airline Passengers and Too Few Seats? Let’s Start the Bidding!

After That Infamous Video, Carriers Should Start Auctioning Spaces on Overbooked Flights

By Christopher Tang | May 8, 2017

Last month, consumers around the world were disturbed by video showing a passenger being dragged off United Flight 3411 by at least three security guards.

I don’t need to add …

Southwest Airlines Is Failing California

Its Flights Are More Expensive and Less Reliable. Is Travel Across This Big State Destined to Be Miserable?

by Joe Mathews | November 26, 2014

I may have to take back everything bad I ever said about California’s high-speed rail project.

This thought ran through my head as I stood one morning last week at Gate …

Show Your Airline Some Love

Recent Megamergers and International Alliances Have Made Flying Cheaper, More Efficient, and Better Than Ever Before

by Andrés Martinez | July 14, 2014

Flying to Arizona on the eve of the recent holiday was a delight: crammed terminals, crammed security lines, crammed overheads, crammed runways, and harried airline employees imploring passengers to consider …

Why Do We Love Being Frequent Flyers, Buyers, Shoppers, and Eaters?

In Exchange for Our Data, Customer Loyalty Programs Give Us Discounts—and a Sense of Intimacy

by Andrés Martinez | June 2, 2014

I am having a hard time being loyal to all my loyalty programs. I have frequent flyer/buyer/rider/sleeper/eater/drinker cards with two airlines, three hotel chains, a grocery store, two booksellers, one …

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