Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

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Dear Google user, We're getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that's a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google. We believe this stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.
One policy, one Google experience
Easy to work across Google Our new policy reflects a single product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether you're reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease.		Tailored for you If you're signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests you've expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. We'll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you're searching for and get you those results faster.		Easy to share and collaborate When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.
Protecting your privacy hasn't changed Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible, through products like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager, alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we'll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).		Got questions? We've got answers. Visit our FAQ at http://www.google.com/policies/faq to read more about the changes. (We figured our users might have a question or twenty-two.)
Notice of Change March 1, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Terms will come into effect. If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Please do not reply to this email. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. Also, never enter your Google Account password after following a link in an email or chat to an untrusted site. Instead, go directly to the site, such as mail.google.com or www.google.com/accounts. Google will never email you to ask for your password or other sensitive information.

Free WiFi in 47 Major Airports Until January 15th

From now until January 15, 2010, Google is offering free wireless Internet access at the following 47 airports across the country, and in the air on Virgin America flights.

* Austin (AUS)
* Baltimore (BWI)
* Billings (BIL)
* Boston (BOS)
* Bozeman (BZN)
* Buffalo, NY (BUF)
* Burbank (BUR)
* Central Wisconsin (CWA)
* Charlotte, NC (CLT)
* Des Moines (DSM)
* El Paso (ELP)
* Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
* Fort Myers (RSW)
* Greensboro (GSO)
* Houston Hobby (HOU)
* Houston Bush (IAH)
* Indianapolis (IND)
* Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
* Kalamazoo (AZO)
* Las Vegas (LAS)
* Louisville (SDF)
* Madison (MSN)
* Memphis (MEM)
* Miami (MIA)
* Milwaukee (MKE)
* Monterey (MRY)
* Nashville (BNA)
* Newport News (PHF)
* Norfolk (ORF)
* Oklahoma City (OKC)
* Omaha (OMA)
* Orlando (MCO)
* Panama City, FL (PFN)
* Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
* Portland, ME (PWM)
* Sacramento (SMF)
* San Antonio (SAT)
* San Diego (SAN)
* San Jose (SJC)
* Seattle (SEA) [late November]
* South Bend (SBN)
* Spokane (GEG)
* St. Louis (STL)
* State College (SCE)
* Toledo (TOL)
* Traverse City (TVC)
* West Palm Beach (PBI)

While free access is a good thing, there are some risks that passengers should be aware of. One of the earliest AirSafe.com podcasts in 2006 addressed this issue. You can find additional advice about the use of personal electronic devices at AirSafe.com.

Drunken Passenger Escored Off Plane In Philadelphia

A passenger who was deemed unruly and disruptive by the flight crew on a Philadelphia-to-London jet caused that flight to be diverted to Boston where that passenger was arrested.

Glasgow resident John Alexander Murray's arm was in a splint and he allegedly refused the crew's requests to keep it out of the aisle. They say he then became belligerent and demanded to be taken back to Philadelphia.

Murray was arrested after US Airways Flight 728 landed at around 11 p.m. Monday November 16, 2009. The plane departed for London two hours later without him.

Murray pleaded not guilty to a charge of interfering with a flight crew, and was ordered to return to court December first.

Notes from AirSafe.com
Extreme misbehavior by unruly passengers, often called air rage or sky rage, can lead to some tense moments in the air and may even put crew members and passengers at risk. Reasons for such behavior include excessive alcohol consumption, smoking bans, crowding, and long flights, psychological feelings of a loss of control, or problems with authority figures.

Also, pay attention to tip #9 from AirSafe.com's Top Ten Airline Safety Tips - The atmosphere in an airliner cabin is pressurized to about the same altitude as Denver, so any alcohol you consume will affect you more strongly than at sea level. Moderation is a good policy at any altitude.

FlightsGoneBad.com Is the New Home of This Blog

If you have enjoyed the Complain About Your Airline blog, then head on over to the new home of this blog, FlightsGoneBad.com. Like this blog, it was created by the people behind AirSafe.com. This new site features complaints from the AirSafe.com Complaint system, as well as advice on how to avoid the most common customer service problems faced by passeners.

Most Recent AirSafe.com News Articles

Rude Flight Attendants Take it Out on Passengers

Airline: United
Date: 20 October 2007
Location: En Route Buenos Aires to IAD

I wish to complain in the strongest terms about the customer service that I received recently on October 20, 2007 on flight UA846 from Buenos Aires to Washington Dulles.  I was seated in seat 18F.  The cabin crews were serving dinner.  Up to that point service had been OK but somewhat short.  The staff made repeated irritated announcements about not getting up when the seatbelt light was on and reprimanded a passenger for pressing the service light when the seatbelt light was on by asking the customer to put his hand up to identify himself.  I know that it is a requirement for passengers to remain seated at these times but there are ways to make these kinds of announcements in a professional and polite way. 

The female cabin crew member was coming up the aisle serving dinner.  I had taken one of my headphone ear pieces off so that I could hear her but I thought that she was talking to customers in front of me as she was not looking at me and I could not hear her above the cabin noise.  I was shocked when I heard her reprimand someone for not paying attention to her but did not realize that she was talking to me until she walked past me without serving me (I was waiting expectantly with my table lowered).  When it became clear that she was not going to serve me I asked her for a meal and she rudely replied that I should have paid attention to her.  I did get my meal a few minutes later.  She continued to provide unprofessional service to other customers throughout the flight.  This is especially surprising in that she did not know at this point if I even spoke English.  Her colleague, an older balding man with a mustache heard the interaction but did nothing about it.  The man next to me in seat 18E and the two woman in the row behind me did hear it and sympathized afterwards (they planned at the time to send in complaints of their own).

These two ladies kindly identified the hostess as Laura (a tall African American woman with blond hair).  I heard her and another male staff member be rude to several other passengers during the flight (in full view of their colleagues). As a final insult, near the end of the flight when the crew was picking up the leftovers from breakfast the same female crew member picked up my empty box.  I also had a half full cup of coffee, just as I was lifting it to my mouth she picked it out of my hands while asking if I had finished.  By the time she finished the question my cup was gone! 

The overall atmosphere during the flight was like a war zone, crew members against the passengers.  It was such a relief to find that the staff on my next flight, to San Francisco, were normal – that is they were polite, respectful and helpful – everything that was lacking on flight 846.  I plan to fly to S. America in both of the next two years, if I thought there was any chance of meeting this cabin crew again I would purchase my ticket from another company regardless of price.  In 30 years of flying this is the worst customer experience I have ever experienced on an airline.

Romanian Entry Paperwork Hassle at SFO

Airline: KLM/Northwest
Date: 17 October 2008
Location: San Francisco

It all started on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 when my mother was booked to fly out to Romania via Amsterdam on KLM flight number 606. Once we got to the ticketing counter the agent informed us that my mother's passport is expired, thing that we already knew. We presented in exchange a US Permanent Resident card and a Romanian National Identity card. The agent, who obviously did not know the current regulations, asked her manager for guidance. He looked at us once and with arrogance stated that he "will not let her board the plane since she does not have a valid passport". I tried to explain him that she has a Green Card and that could substitute the passport and for reentry in Romania she could also use her Romanian ID since Romania is a member of the EU. He told us that she could only board the plane if she presents Temporary Travel Papers either from the Romanian Consulate or from the INS. Although I explained to him that KLM and Northwest websites show that a person could board a plane leaving USA based on a Green Card he continued to oppose her boarding and even started laughing in a very rude, unprofessional manner. When I asked to talk to another manager he told me that he is the only one there and that his decision is final. Not having an alternative we had to leave the airport and go home.

Next day, Thursday, I spent it entirely on the phone with representatives from Northwest/KLM here in United States and the Netherlands to clarify the situation. They were nice enough to open a new reservation for my mother where they all noted the details of the incident and upon consultation with their supervisors agreed with me that my mother should have been boarded on the plane based on the identification presented (Green Card and National ID) and that his decision was an abuse on his part. I was ensured by agent Bill from Northwest and agent Hannah from Amsterdam that they have placed explicit instructions into the reservation for the KLM personnel at SFO to allow my mother board the plane because the current rules and regulations permit it. Moreover agent Hannah stated that the situation from the precedent day was just a big misunderstanding caused by the fact that the agent did not know the rules. Next she said that there won't be a repeated behavior because by the time we get there the instructions will reach the proper people and my mother will board without any incident.

Next day we got to the counter at about 13:30 where we were greeted by another agent who, just like the day before, informed her manager, the same person from before, about my mother's situation. He came to us and on a very superior tone he told us that he informed us the other day that she will not be boarded without a valid passport. I explained to him that the current rules allow my mother to board based only on a green card and that he should read the case notes from the reservation because they explain in detail our situation. Although he did read the notes he continued to oppose the boarding. Bare in mind that all this time his attitude was very rude and his tone was very high. He seemed to be extremely irritated by the fact that we actually circumvented him and we found out that he was wrong last time not to board my mother. At my insistence that he should contact his superiors to ask for instructions he made a phone call and after, he told us that in this situation "the boarding is at his discretion because the company could be fined if she is not allowed reentry in her own country". I protested such an allegation without any knowing that it was just a made up excuse that was suppose to cover for his rudeness and stubbornness.

I tried again to explain to him that she will be accepted back into the country with her national ID. At this point he started yelling that if I "don't shut up and listen" to him he "will walk away" which he did. From here on nobody at the counter wanted to talk to us, every attempt to contact an agent was turned down quickly. This is when I decided to call Northwest/KLM customer service. The person on the phone tried repeatedly to contact that manager via phone but he refused and continued to stay at the counter. It was obvious that he did not have a logical explanation for his actions other than his hatred towards us because we would not accept his ruling. I was even asked by the agent to hand the phone to him but again he refused to get in touch. After an hour of waiting at 2:50 PM he handed my mother the boarding passes from under his keyboard which proves that he printed them earlier but he just would not give them to us because he wanted to humiliate us as a punishment for circumventing him.