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  Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013 | 8:53 PM ET

Trapped Fliers Sing 'I Believe I Can Fly'

Posted By: Ben Popken
Source: Wikipedia
Allegiant Air

Dripping with sweat, racked by nausea, Allegiant Air passengers stuck for hours on the tarmac in the 110-degree Vegas sun this weekend cut the tension by bursting out into a spontaneous sing-a-long to R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Captured by passenger and YouTuber user "joeypancakes," who asked not to be identified, the video has been seen over 249,000 times since being uploaded Sunday.

Allegiant Airlines spokesman Brian Davis told NBC News that the plane didn't have any air conditioning running during the 2 hours and 40 minutes the flight was delayed on the tarmac due to mechanical difficulties. The plane has air conditioning at the gate and after takeoff, but not during taxiing.

The uploader, a 30-year old banker from Phoenix, Ariz, told NBC News she saw one passenger vomit and two passed out on the floor. Passengers took turns in groups of three and four fanning elderly passengers on blood pressure medication who complained of nausea. She said that the airline only passed out small bags of ice and that the airline didn't serve water until the plane was in the air, as, they were told, it would only delay the flight further.

(Read More: Hacker Claims He Can Hijack Any Airplane Using a Mobile App)

That contradicts Allegiant's records, Davis said, whose reports indicate water and beverages were passed out multiple times to passengers. When the passengers deplaned from the first plane experiencing difficulties to switch into another plane, a snack table with soda, water and food was provided, Davis said.

The uploader told NBC News that the beverage table never materialized, just more sweltering heat and delays.

Though the video she took captured a moment of levity, it came at a critical point during the delay, 4 hours and 20 minutes in total, right after the plane had returned to the gate and 20 passengers took the opportunity to get off.

"It was a really intense moment," she said. "People were trying to get the flight attendants' attention because someone was laying on the floor. That got to be a little scary, because everyone is in this confined space and we didn't want to sit there."

(Read More: Avoid Airline Bag Fees With Free Items From Hotels)

At the point of peak anxiety, the groom in a bachelor party that had been out all night activated a portable "jam box" and began playing the "Harlem Shake" and got the whole plane to do the Harlem Shake dance. That's when Joeypancakes took out her camera and began recording, capturing the plane-wide singing session of "I Believe I can Fly."

»Read more
  Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013 | 1:52 PM ET

Delta Opens Outdoor 'Sky Deck' Airport Lounges

Posted By:
Marshall Jackson | CNBC
Delta Air Lines' Sky Deck at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta

Delta Air Lines has opened two outdoor terrace Sky Deck lounges, breaking the traditional boundaries of exclusive airport clubs.

The new fresh-air section of Delta's Sky Club at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport—the world's busiest airport—opened Monday on Concourse F of the international terminal. The carrier's Sky Deck in New York, in Terminal 4 of John F. Kennedy International Airport, opened in May.

(Read More: Delta's New York Fliers Get an Upgrade)

Access to either lounge is granted to passengers with a Sky Club membership, or those traveling internationally in Delta's BusinessElite cabin. Alternatively, a day pass can be purchased for $50.

»Read more
  Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013 | 9:13 AM ET

United Airlines' Elite Flyers: Stop Climate Change

Posted By: Valerie Volcovici
Getty Images
Tom Steyer speaks at Global Green USA's Millennium Awards at Fairmont Miramar Hotel on June 8, 2013 in Santa Monica, California benefiting the places, the people and the planet in need.

A group of United Airlines' most frequent flyers, including billionaire investor Tom Steyer, on Monday called on the big airline to stop blocking climate change actions.

United Airlines Inc has opposed "multiple efforts to curb climate change pollution, at home and abroad," the group, Flying Clean, said in a letter to Chief Executive Jeff Smisek.

Flying Clean, launched by several nongovernmental organizations seeking to reduce carbon emissions from airplanes, sent its letter ahead of United's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia. It had 85,000 electronic signatures including 2,700 elite frequent flyers.

"If United wants to stay competitive, it needs to take climate change seriously and act in its customers' - and the planet's - best interest," said Steyer, a former hedge fund manager turned environmental campaigner.

»Read more
  Monday, 10 Jun 2013 | 5:29 PM ET

Sake Toast: United Starts Denver-Tokyo 787 Flight

Posted By:
Seth Miller | CNBC
United Airlines 787 Dreamliner before the inaugural Denver to Tokyo nonstop flight.

United Airlines inaugurated Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights from Denver to Tokyo on Monday, marking the Mile High City's first nonstop service to Asia.

Passengers were treated to a Japanese drum ceremony at the gate, along with cake and a sake toast prior to boarding. The flight pushed back a few minutes ahead of schedule and taxied to the runway with a water cannon salute sendoff.

»Read more
  Monday, 10 Jun 2013 | 7:01 AM ET

Hotel Guests Can Still Order Food in Their PJs

Posted By:
Digital Vision | Getty Images

The demise of room service may be exaggerated.

Sure, it's true that hotels appear to be scaling back or eliminating options. The New York Hilton Midtown made the news last week for its plans to discontinue its food and drink service to rooms in August. It follows in the footsteps of Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, which did so last fall.

(Read More: 'Room Service' No Longer Heard at NYC's Largest Hotel)

Nationwide, according to Smith Travel Research, there are 2.7 million limited-service hotel rooms (i.e., those without an on-site restaurant or banquet facilities), up 16 percent from a decade ago. In comparison, there are 2.2 million full-service rooms, up less than 6 percent over the same period.

It's no surprise—room service isn't profitable, said Robert Mandelbaum, director of research information services for PKF Hospitality Research. In 2012, room service accounted for just 1.22 percent of a typical hotel's revenue, according to the firm. Even though hotels had more guests that year than in 2009, when occupancy hit a low, those guests ordered 25 percent less overall.

But no "room service" doesn't mean that hungry travelers have no recourse. "Very few people are going to find that they absolutely can't get something to eat if they want something to eat, at the hotel, in their room," said Ed Perkins,contributing editor for SmarterTravel.com, a travel-advice site.

»Read more
  Friday, 7 Jun 2013 | 1:25 PM ET

Viva Las Vegas! Hyatt, MGM in Loyalty Agreement

Posted By:
Doug McKinley | Lonely Planet Images | Getty Images
The Las Vegas Strip

Vacationing in Las Vegas and looking to earn or use points in a traditional hotel chain's loyalty program usually requires staying off-strip, or being limited to just one prime location. But that's about to change later this month.

Hyatt Hotels and MGM Resorts International announced a collaboration that will allow members of Hyatt's Gold Passport program to earn and redeem points at 12 popular MGM Las Vegas properties. And members of MGM's "M life" loyalty program will earn credits when staying at Hyatt properties worldwide.

(Read More: How Your Travel Loyalty Programs Are Changing)

The partnership, announced Wednesday, takes effect June 20.

»Read more
  Thursday, 6 Jun 2013 | 12:58 PM ET

Quick Customs at O'Hare for Fliers Traveling Light

Posted By:
Photo: Paul J. Richards | Getty Images

Globe-trotting travelers arriving with only carry-on baggage now have an express lane through customs processing at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

The "1-Stop" program, which launched Monday, provides arriving passengers without checked baggage access to fast-track lanes for customs processing.

(Read More: Delayed: Chicago O'Hare International Airport Options)

The program is designed to streamline the entry process and to minimize customs wait times for the estimated 10 percent of O'Hare's 14,500 daily international passengers who arrive with just carry-ons.

»Read more
  Wednesday, 5 Jun 2013 | 8:53 PM ET

Ancillary Fees Collected by Airlines Hit Record High

Posted By:
Source: American Airlines
Self-Service Checked Bag Machines at Washington Reagan National Airport

A new study shows airlines worldwide set a new record in 2012 racking up $27.1 billion in ancillary revenue. The 19.9 percent increase in money collected from bag fees, on-board sales, and various other non-fare revenue sources shows airlines are expanding how they generate profits.

The latest study from IdeaWorks also spelled out how quickly airlines around the world have embraced charging customers for a variety of goods and services.

Between 2009 and 2012 the amount of ancillary revenue raised by airlines has more then doubled.

»Read more
  Wednesday, 5 Jun 2013 | 2:53 PM ET

Cheers! Spirit Airlines Serving Wine…In Cans

Posted By:
Andy Cross | Dever Post | Getty Images
Spirit Airlines

This is one of those moves that is sure to generate a few chuckles. The folks at Spirit Airlines, a low-cost airline known for extra fees that include charging passengers $100 for a carry-on bag, is now taking wine service to a new level in the sky.

The airline is serving wine in a can.

For $7.00 passengers can buy a can of Friends white or strawberry moscato wine. Friends Wine in a Can, which is distributed by the Friends Beverage Group out of Aventura, Florida, contains 6 percent alcohol.

»Read more
  Wednesday, 5 Jun 2013 | 1:51 PM ET

Amid Rising Profits, Airlines Net $4 a Passenger

Posted By:
Getty Images

Airlines are expected to have their third-most profitable year since 2001, according to a new trade association report. But they'll net an average of just $4 a passenger.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) upgraded its 2013 profit outlook for the world's passenger carriers to $12.7 billion, up 19.8 percent from the $10.6 billion predicted in March. If the forecast holds up, airlines will earn 67.1 percent more than last year's $7.6 billion.

(Read More: Airline, Hotel Prices on the Rise: Kayak CEO)

But because of razor-thin margins, that per-passenger profit is equivalent to the cost of a deluxe coffee.

»Read more

 

  • Darren loves nothing more than to be at an airport, board a flight or check-in to a hotel. He worked for a major airline and various travel companies, but now simply savors the world as a road warrior flying in excess of 100,000 miles annually. Contact Darren at darren.booth@nbcuni.com.

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