View from the Wing

NIH Researchers Charged With Smuggling 113 Virus Vials On Flight To Detroit — ‘I Do This All The Time’

Gary Leff — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:04:25 +0000

NIH researchers working with high-containment viruses were charged after arriving in Detroit on an Air France flight with 113 undeclared biological sample vials from Congo, including monkeypox. One allegedly told officers, “I do this all the time.”

Comments

CBP may be huffing and puffing for show in this matter. Now ... by GUWonder

Frontier Passenger Tries To Open Plane Door, Charges, Then Chokes Flight Attendant

Gary Leff — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:04:35 +0000

A Frontier flight from San Juan to Chicago diverted to Miami after a passenger allegedly tried to open an exit door, moved toward the cockpit, choked an off-duty flight attendant, and broke through flex cuffs more than once. Passengers and crew finally held him with seatbelt extenders until landing.

Comments

PCP is one hell of a drug. by Dan
Unlike @1990 that would give this animal a pity parade I would ... by George Nathan Romey
@George Romey — 'The passenger faces federal charges of ... by 1990

German Hotel Told Israeli Travelers “No Jews Allowed” — Then Claimed It Was Just Fighting Fake Bookings

Gary Leff — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:04:45 +0000

Israeli travelers trying to book a hotel in Bavaria say they received a reply that should be unthinkable in Germany: “Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel.” The hotel later acknowledged an employee sent the message, apologized, and claimed it was responding to suspected fake bookings — as though “No Jews allowed” were a normal anti-fraud policy rather than exactly what it sounds like.

Comments

MTF. Gary is Jewish. Next thing you will tell me he is from ... by Tomri
Retired Gambler, antisemitic much? Write-ups about racist ... by GUWonder
@Retired Gambler — Nah, Gary can and should cover whatever he ... by 1990
Gary I realize you are Jewish but best to leave the political ... by Retired Gambler
Greece has mandatory military for males do these places treat ... by Tomri
No Jews, or no Israelis? Like, are they antisemitic, or merely ... by 1990

American Airlines Poised To Buy Widebody Planes Again — After Retiring 40% Of Its Long Haul Fleet

Gary Leff — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:04:22 +0000

American Airlines spent the pandemic shrinking into a more domestic, partner-dependent airline, retiring 40% of its long-haul fleet and avoiding new widebody orders for years. Now, as management tries to reposition American as a premium global carrier, a new widebody order appears back on the table — with Boeing 787s and Airbus A330neos looking more plausible than they have in years.

Comments

znot rhymes with snot and dfw can't add 100 additional daily ... by hagbard celine
American has been brilliant at identifying markets they want to ... by David P
It will be a mix of 787-9 and 787-10. There is no way AA is ... by lavanderialarry
There needs to be a CHANGE in Leadership for the Employees to ... by roger
Blame Parker (Former CEO) for the mess at AA. American was a ... by JoeT
Plus 5 more...

Southwest Card’s New 90,000-Point Bonus Gets You Most Of The Way To Companion Pass

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:04:35 +0000

Southwest’s new 90,000-point Priority Card offer is valuable on its own, but the bigger play is Companion Pass. Between the bonus, required spending, and the 15,000 qualifying-point boost from holding a Southwest card, this offer gets you most of what you need for the best deal in travel.

American Airlines Flight Met By Hazmat After Service Dog Mess Makes Passengers Sick

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:59:33 +0000

An American Airlines regional jet from Nashville to Washington National was met by hazmat crews after a so-called service dog made such a mess in the cabin that passengers became sick. Genuine service animals can have accidents, but this is exactly why travelers are fed up with fake service-animal paperwork: a trained working dog is not supposed to turn a cramped regional jet into a biohazard.

Comments

Require a doctor's note that the passenger has a condition that ... by George Romey
“Guy claimed he was diabetic and needed two service dogs for ... by This comes to mind
Omg this happened to me on a Phl to lax flight. Owner was in ... by Ellen Sherin
It has gotten out of control. The loop hole has been found and ... by Coffee Please
Gary, bless you, you've not presented any evidence that ... by All Due Respect
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Milan May Open Its Convenient Airport To Long-Haul Flights — But Only For Business Class Passengers

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:04:11 +0000

Milan may open its close-in Linate airport to long-haul flights for the first time — but only if every seat is business class. The draft carveout would let premium passengers skip faraway Malpensa for all-business narrowbody flights, with New York the obvious first target, while economy passengers remain shut out of the city’s most convenient airport.

Comments

Flying La Companie to MXP in September. I would prefer Linate. ... by Rob
“single-aisle scheduled aircraft in an all-business class ... by 1990
malpensa is 49km to centrale station w/ crap traffic linate ... by hagbard celine
I don’t like Linate at all. Sure it’s closer to downtown ... by lars
Linate is a pleasure to fly in to. No idea how La C is doing, ... by Peter

Nashville Airport Opens Bidding For A Massive Credit Card Lounge — Will Amex, Chase, Or Capital One Win?

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:34:29 +0000

Nashville airport’s long-rumored credit card lounge is now a real bidding opportunity: 20,600 square feet, a required $20.6 million buildout, premium food and drinks, private bathrooms, family or gaming space, and a 15-year lease. American Express and Chase have already been in discussions, Capital One has every reason to look, and the winner could make Nashville one of the biggest bank-lounge battlegrounds in the country.

Comments

@Gary – sure, but since when does Chase have an amazing ... by Peter
@1990 — How deliciously absurd! by L737
@Peter — I'll believe the SWA lounge idea when I see it… ... by 1990
There's a lot of chatter that Nashville could be getting an MLB ... by TravelWarr
Curious me would like to hear how do the proposed economics ... by BBT
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Southwest Passenger Finds Garbage And Brown Liquid On Seat — Gets Yelled At For Moving To Empty Row

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:34:11 +0000

Southwest’s new assigned-seating era is already producing the kind of customer-unfriendly absurdity the old airline used to avoid: a passenger says her assigned seat had garbage and brown liquid on it, but when she moved to an empty row she got yelled at instead. The deeper problem is that Southwest is trying to enforce a paid seat model before it has the premium product, technology, or consistent crew guidance to make it feel anything but hostile.

Comments

This article isn’t currently factually correct. Customers may ... by TJSkyy
@NedsKid — Well said. Airlines should actually enforce their ... by 1990
Southwest has gone from being my first choice to being the ... by Dan
This is what happens when SWA management can't think for itself ... by Captain Freedom
Yes, i flew southwest once after assigned seats and said never ... by bers
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Best Rewards Card Offers Right Now — Up To 200,000 Points In Bonuses For Premium Travel [June 2026]

Gary Leff — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:04:17 +0000

June 2026 brings a fresh round of best-ever credit card offers, with several new bonuses added and others already gone. Here’s the up-to-date list of the most lucrative deals still available.