Complain About Your Airline

Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

2012-01-28T07:10:00.001-08:00

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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

2009-11-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Rude Flight Attendants Take it Out on Passengers

2008-10-06T14:26:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-06T14:11:00.001-07:00

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.

Short Notice Cancellation

2008-10-06T13:50:00.001-07:00

Airline: Jetblue
Date: 26 October 2008
Location: New York (JFK)

The flight was canceled with only 4 hours notice. The reason given was weather (a lie) where the plane was to arrive in NY. Having the internet link to Fightstats, which is searchable for arrivals and departure for every major airport in the world. I checked to see the status of take offs and landings at JFK. I found the dozens of JetBlue planes were taking of and landing, with the a notable exception of the flight to Jacksonville FL that would have been the plane turned around to fly back to JFK. So the problem was not weather, but the lack of back up aircraft available to JetBlue to cover their schedule.

There was a Continental flight that JetBlue could have switch us to with only a one hour delay, but they refused because they unlike most other airlines do not do this, giving us only the options of flying the next day (on one of their planes that might not have flown either) and missing the wedding we planned to attend or a refund. So lesson learned, Jet Blue is not just a discount airline, but a CHEAP airline. They obviously run on a thin margin of aircraft with does not allow for any problems and then when that thin margin causes their customers problems, they are unwilling to accept the cost to pay another airline to get you to you destination when you need to be there.

Unusual Air Turn Back in New York

2007-10-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

Departure: New York LaGuardia
Date: October 2007

My seatmate mentioned something about watching the pilot talking to one of the maintenance crew while doing the normal visual inspection of the aircraft prior to takeoff. Several minutes later, I remember the pilot telling us all that they were “doing something back there” and we’d be departing momentarily. And he was right-we did leave shortly thereafter.

About 40 minutes or so into the flight, the pilot announces that we’re “too heavy” and must return to New York, but to JFK. This seemed strange because we left LaGuardia where there were flights to Dallas every hour. Maybe it was closer. Who knows? Now I thought it was weird that they would declare the weight of the plane too heavy that late into the flight. Surely they were aware of our weight prior to leaving the ground but again, I’m no pilot and I don’t know this stuff. But here’s where it gets weird, as we’re landing I can see all of these emergency vehicles lined up on both sides of the runway. There must have been AT LEAST 30 fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, and airport emergency vehicles. A little excessive for a routine landing, I thought.

Then as we’re waiting to board our return flight on a different aircraft (about six hours later, I might add), we were talking with a woman who had some information. Apparently, a woman she had just talked to forgot something on the original plane and when she went back to get it, she overheard the pilot telling the crew about some red light that was on in the cockpit and that the generator had failed. It’s obvious why they wouldn’t announce this to everyone on the plane for fear of mass-panic, but have you ever heard of this before? If so, is it not possible to fly without a generator? Just curious. I’m wondering how close, if at all, we were to a potentially catastrophic event. It did end up being a 13-hour travel day.

Sometimes Delays Can Really Stink

2007-10-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

Date: 5 October 2007
Airline: Alaska
Flight 813 Dallas to Seattle

After my flight was cancelled and I was booked onto a flight the following day, the airline sent me to a local hotel. The first room I was assigned hand no working air condition (90+ degrees in Dallas) and the bathroom lights didn’t work. I returned to the desk to get another room. As I approached the second room, there were dirty towels and sheets lining the hall. The door stood open in the room across from mine. I quickly determined why. I opened my door and the smell of urine was overpowering. The smell was coming from the carpet. The blanket had holes, there was rust around the bathroom fixtures, mold, etc. I tried to ignore the surroundings thinking I could take a shower and sleep in one little corner of the bed before returning to the airport. I gave up at 2:30 am, dressed, went downstairs and waited for the shuttle to the airport at 4:00 am I was not the only passenger who had given up and was waiting for the shuttle. In discussion with others, we all had similar room experiences.

What Not to Pack in Checked Baggage

2007-10-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

The jewelry bag contained earrings and necklaces of silver, gold and precious gems. It was packed in the very bottom of the bag which was tightly packed. Because I had done a considerable of shopping and had a number of expensive items in the luggage -mostly antique crystal - I inquired at the counter about locking the luggage - it has a small lock. I was told it needed an approved lock and to leave it unlocked. The loss occurred between the counter check in and the loading of the baggage onto the plane. It had to happen in SFO (San Francisco) where we checked in 2 hours early. The baggage was otherwise not out of my sight and there was no delay upon arrival. It was a direct flight. Clearly an approved lock would not have prevented this loss.

Comments from AirSafe.com: The issue here is not the quality of the lock but what passengers should not put in checked baggage. Cash, financial documents, jewelery, cameras, cell phones, portable electronic devices, and other valuables should be kept on your person or in your carry-on bags. Other kinds of critical or difficult to replace items that should be in your carry-ons include things like prescription drugs, other medical items, eyeglasses, keys, passports, travel vouchers, business papers, manuscripts, heirlooms, or favorite toys. While the airline may compensate you for the loss of some items, they will not compensate you for the loss of some kinds of valuables such as money and jewelry.

For more baggage advice, visit Baggage Basics for Checked and Carry-on Items at http://www.airsafe.com/issues/baggage.htm.

Train vs. Plane - A Possible Turning Point?

2007-10-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

I am writing a complaint not with US Airways but with the Philadelphia airport. This airport consistently has delays, very often with no weather. I fly in and out of Philadelphia 2-3 times a month, and am usually delayed on one or both legs of the flight. This evening (9/27/07) we boarded a plane at 7:15 pm for a 7:30 pm flight (US Airways flight 1676). We sat on the runway for 3 and 1/2 hours. This is unacceptable, the plane was warm, and crowded and we had no idea what time we would leave.

At what point will the agencies that manage that facility correct their problems? It is very disheartening to think that we are so content with such sub-standard performance. I will be taking the (Amtrack) Accela going forward, it is on time, reliable, pleasant and very comfortable. The airline industry is a total embarrassment, and this airport is its prized student. It isn't OK to treat customers as captives because you can. The consumer will continue to search and find new ways to travel, that allow them to plan when they can get to the desired destination. Please fix that airport, people like me need to be able to travel conveniently

Aer Lingus Loses Passport

2007-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

I checked in at the counter for my flight (Aer Lingus flight 136, Boston to Dublin, July 31, 2007) and the attendant placed my passport on top of my luggage and processed my ticket and pushed a button causing my luggage AND passport to go down the luggage chute. My brother ... was traveling with me and his passport also went down the chute. The luggage handlers were able to locate (his) passport but I was left without a passport. This has severely upset me and inconvenienced me, especially in light of increased security measures and need for identification. I would like compensation for my loss and time as well as for this inconvenience.

Passenger Feels Ripped off by American Airlines

2007-10-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

On July 6, 2007 I booked a flight # 2201 connecting with flight # 1153 from Philadelphia to Palm Springs for November 21, 2007. I also booked my return flight # 1352 connecting with flight #2634 from Palm Springs to Philadelphia on November 24, 2007. American Airlines charged my credit card so a contract was made.

On September 22, 2007 American Airlines emailed me to let me know that they cancelled all my flights and I would need to pick other flights. Leaving Philadelphia is not such a problem.... There are no flights leaving on Palm Springs after 3:00 pm on the 24th without having a very long overlay into Sunday. So now I have to pick a flight leaving on Sunday, the 25th, which is now costing me another nights stay in a hotel, an additional day on a rental car, additional food expense for the extra day and a day’s work. In addition, my seats are also spread out so again I am not seating with my daughter.

American Airlines is ripping me off. They schedule flights and now that’s its close to the holiday they cancel them and set up new schedules charging almost double the price, this is a scam and the public is getting cheated. Something needs to be done. As far as I am concerned we had a contract and American Airlines broke that contract and should pay for any additional
costs that I have to incur or give me better accommodations.