View from the Wing

United Airline Pilot Who Praised October 7 Terrorist Attack Is Still Flying

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:01:08 +0000

A United Airlines pilot suspended after describing Hamas’s October 7 attack as “resistance by a brave people” is still flying passengers. New reports come days after a flydubai copilot attacked his captain in a plot to crash into Tel Aviv’s airport, and nearly three years after United stopped answering questions about its own pilot’s status.

British Airways Will Turn The A380’s Entire Upper Deck Into Business Class—Removing 88 Economy Seats

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:04:22 +0000

British Airways is removing 88 economy seats from each Airbus A380 and giving business class the entire upper deck. They're installing new first class suites, expanding premium economy by more than half, and building a Heathrow lounge with a dedicated Concorde space closer to the gates where many of their biggest planes depart.

Comments

Huh, BA is still flying the a380? (Oh yeah… Miami… LOL.) by 1990
BA: Where the First Class is one of the best Business Classes ... by Thing 1
BA does not honor Saphire status on arival in LHR BA also does ... by tomRI
This is a big deal for me because the only LAX-LHR award ... by Beachfan
“There’s a new joint British Airways–American Airlines ... by Samar
Plus 2 more...

Marriott Guest Steps Into Shower Fully Dressed To Show Why It Needs A Full Door [Roundup]

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:34:48 +0000

A Marriott guest steps into the shower fully dressed to demonstrate why a fixed glass panel is no substitute for a door. Also: a free tool for checking American Airlines planes and cabins before booking, Alaska’s curious Breeze mileage policy, and Waymo’s reported test of terminal drop-offs at San Francisco airport.

Comments

RE Marriott showers…the shower door/curtain/lack thereof is ... by JD
Cool. Looks like same folks as lpcalculator.com which is also ... by Peter
1990: No. I lived for a bit in Rockford a long while back, but ... by O'Hare Is My Second Home
That's just a European shower by IsaacM
@O'Hare Is My Second Home — Does the loss of American's ... by 1990
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American Airlines Passenger Paid For A Better Seat—Large Seatmate Spilled Into It And Kept Touching Her

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:58:56 +0000

An American Airlines passenger says she paid extra to upgrade her seat, only to spend the flight pressed against an oversized man who was taking up part of it. She says flight attendants wouldn’t intervene. The complaint has drawn over 14 million views on Twitter.

Comments

It’s high time that flight attendants are held accountable ... by Travelgirl
How about the airline dedicating a row in the back of the plane ... by A Fair Texan
Put people through a sizer before they board like baggage. ... by Biggie
A plague on flight attendants who will not step up. They should ... by Tizzette
@Matt — For meaningful air passenger rights legislation, ... by 1990
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American Airlines Drops Charlotte Lounge’s “One Item” Rule—Now Staff Are Offering Extra Food

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:04:44 +0000

American Airlines’ Charlotte grab ‘n go lounge used to make guests choose between a sandwich and a charcuterie box. On my latest visit, I could have both—and staff were proactively offering me more food.

Comments

Why can't you just grab 2 bags of chips and 1 entre? I would ... by DOUG
Why does everything except the vegan option have to have ... by SAm
@Ralph — I anecdotally haven’t noticed this at C1 lounges. ... by L737
@Retired Gambler — What happened to freedom? Sounds like you ... by 1990
This is the last thing most Americans need – more food. No ... by Retired Gambler
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United Airlines Warns Flight Attendants “Too Sick To Work” Means Too Sick To Vacation—Union Disagrees

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:04:16 +0000

United Airlines is reminding employees that “If you are too sick to work, you are too sick for leisure travel.” Its flight attendant union says cabin crew can still use their travel benefits while on sick leave, and they don't need a manager's permission first.

Comments

Most flight attends do not live where they are based. Flying ... by Robert Talarico
There is good reason to question travel when one can spread an ... by This comes to mind
If you are on FMLA for caring for a family member or on a ... by C
@Ren'e And you are the problem. smh by D Fray
A lot of people fly for specialized medical treatment, such as ... by TProphet
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Southwest Is Giving Everyone Up To 10,500 Free Points With A Screenshot Of Your Phone

Gary Leff — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:58:37 +0000

Southwest will turn your unread notifications into up to 10,000 Rapid Rewards points, plus another 500 for a quiz. Oddly, the minimum award in the announcement doesn’t seem to match the rules.

Comments

Worked for me about 10 minutes after Gary posted this. I use a ... by Southwest Sally
@1990 — Still need to catch up! Finished S14 Futarama, good ... by L737
@L737 — On an all new episode of South (America): “Yeah, ... by 1990
There is a daily maximum number of points that are issued. it ... by Mike
no matter how many times I try, the site is about to tell me ... by Dean Robbins
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Radical Flydubai Copilot Planned To Crash Into Tel Aviv Airport Before Wounded Captain And Passengers Stopped Him

Gary Leff — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 21:30:10 +0000

The flydubai copilot who attacked his captain with an axe reportedly intended to crash the plane into the terminal at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. The plan was to continue toward the airport normally, concealing what had happened until the final moments.

Comments

No, thank you, Winston. In Nazi Germany, defending Jews was ... by Common Sense
@Winston Perhaps you should join this terrorist cause, you ... by D Fray
Remember when they wanted to let pilots have a gun in the ... by WileyDog
the religion of no peace that cant coexist with others almost ... by JOJO
Wow I am impressed by your job this time, Gary! by Pascal
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American Airlines Is Trying Harder In Coach—Better Snacks, Confused Passengers, And An Awkward New Service

Gary Leff — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:34:59 +0000

American’s new coach snacks are a welcome improvement. On my flight, though, three choices left passengers hesitating, while the new service instructions call for placing drinks on window seat trays flight attendants can’t reach from the aisle.

Comments

I wish Delta would try harder on their domestic coach snack ... by IsaacM
All this hand-wringing over snacks is absolutely hilarious to ... by D Fray
decision paraylsis…say aaahhh solution: focus on quality. ... by DFWSteve
They continue to fail me miserably with flight delays by Issz
They should put all of the snacks in a basket and pass it in ... by Brian
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United Raises Credit Card Bonuses To 100,000 Miles—Cardholders Earn More On Flights And Pay Less For Awards

Gary Leff — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:04:53 +0000

United and Chase have raised initial bonuses on all four personal credit cards, with offers now reaching 100,000 miles. That's worth considering because United has made its credit card much harder to skip: eligible primary cardholders earn more miles for flying, then pay fewer miles to book United awards. Even elite status doesn't eliminate the disadvantage of going without one.

Comments

In my experience, domestic flights provide some of the best ... by John H
Pay less??? An award flight SFO-SIN-KUL this week is 200k in PE ... by Levy Flight
Ed – Ask them . by Albert Wonders
I have the United Explorer credit card. Am I eligible for the ... by Ed
Lotta ‘it depends’ on this one… like 10-15% off an ... by 1990
Bonuses for all , regardless of no purchases . Otherwise , why ... by Albert Wonders