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USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
Flight attendants say this is the nastiest thing travelers do: 'Be gross on your own time'
Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page. The Transportation Security Administration announced earlier this month that almost all travelers can leave their shoes on at screening checkpoints in the airport, and while it's not a security concern, this shoes-on guidance should extend to the airplane cabin as well in my view. 'I think it's, like any other public space, you should have your shoes on. It's basically a form of public transportation. You wouldn't get on a subway without your shoes on,' Rich Henderson, a flight attendant at a major U.S. airline and one of the authors of the Two Guys on a Plane blog, told me. 'People go to work 8 hours a day and leave their shoes on, I don't understand why you'd want to take your shoes off on a flight.' He acknowledged that long-haul flights, especially overnight, can be a major exception, particularly if you're in a fancy cabin that distributes slippers, but in general Henderson said travelers should keep their shoes on while flying for a variety of reasons, including safety and hygiene. So what do the pros think the shoe rules on an airplane should really be? Here's what I heard from airline and etiquette experts. Safety first Safety is the top priority when it comes to flying, and that's why it's especially important to keep your shoes on when the plane is still on the ground and as your flight is preparing to take off and land. 'For me, I always keep my shoes on until we're airborne. The last thing I want to be doing is running down the tarmac away from a burning airplane in my bare feet,' etiquette expert Nick Leighton, who co-hosts the 'Were You Raised by Wolves?' podcast told me. Henderson said Leighton's guidance is on point, and added that in an evacuation, every second counts and you might not have time to get your shoes back on. He added that it's important not just to have footwear generally, but the appropriate kind of shoes for when you travel. Airline safety videos often highlight the danger high heeled shoes can pose in an evacuation, because they could puncture the slide, but Henderson said flip flops and other footwear that's hard to secure also isn't practical in an evacuation. 'Obviously the slide getting punctured would be more damaging than one individual getting hurt because they're not wearing the right shoes, but I do wish people drew more attention to that,' he said. Henderson also said it can be a safety issue to walk around barefoot, because you just never know what's going to be on the floor of an airplane. 'Things break in gallies all the time, if someone dropped a glass or something and we don't necessarily have the right tools to get rid of all the glass,' he said. Don't be nasty Henderson and Leighton both agreed that probably the grossest thing any traveler can do is go into the bathroom without shoes. And really, why would anyone do that? 'Walking to the bathroom in your socks or with no shoes on or whatever, that will never ever make sense,' Henderson said. 'It's a hygiene thing. Floors are disgusting.' Leighton agreed that no one should ever go to the bathroom on an airplane without shoes, and generally, he said, his rule of thumb is that you should only ever be barefoot at your own seat, if at all. Respect the bubble Leighton has frequently spoken to me in the past about the importance of respecting your fellow passengers' personal space when you fly, and keeping your feet to yourself is one important way of doing that. Last winter, I was on a flight and the woman in the seat behind me put her foot (wearing a sock, but no shoe) up on my arm rest and it touched the side of my torso under my armpit. Truly, it was one of the most shudder-inducing things I've ever experienced on a plane, and I promptly posted about it on social media. Leighton said that's exactly the kind of etiquette slight people need to endeavor to avoid. 'I think there is a temptation, especially as air travel get more expensive and flights get more unpleasant, there is this sense that I'm entitled to this experience, I'm entitled to some me-time. But it's not me time up there, it's we time. Flying is a team activity,' he said. 'Feel free to be gross on your own time, but when you are with the rest of us, we need you to step it up.' Last week's Cruising Altitude: A step-by-step guide to lost or delayed airline bags Get with the culture Leighton acknowledged, however, that most of these guidelines apply primarily to Western airlines. 'It is important to know there are different cultural sensitivity around shoes and feet. There are cultures where you do remove your shoes, it's not uncommon,' he said. 'I'd keep in mind the airline that I'm on.' Henderson added that if there's a medical need to remove your shoes, that's usually acceptable, too. 'I know people have medical issues, and people have swelling in their feet,' he said. So at the end of the day it just comes down to: be respectful. Take your shoes off if you need and want to, but don't do it in a way that obviously interferes with or grosses out any of your fellow passengers.
USA Today
16-07-2025
- USA Today
Don't panic: A step-by-step guide to lost or delayed airline bags
Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page. You arrive on vacation and you're waiting for your bags to show up on the belt. You wait. And you wait. And you wait some more. And eventually you realize they're not coming. Your bags have been lost, or at least delayed (I'll explain the difference later). Now what? As frustrating as it can be, you shouldn't panic, and you definitely shouldn't yell at any of the airline employees who are on hand to help you. You may be about to enter a vortex of claims forms and phone calls that can feel like something out of a dystopian novel, but none of the people you interact with are directly at fault, so proceed with politeness. The first thing you actually need to do, before you even leave the airport, is notify the airline that your bag didn't show up. After that, it's a good idea to know your rights and to keep your paperwork in order. Here's what to do if it happens to you. File a claim The first thing you need to do is make sure all the other bags from your flight have arrived. You're not going to get anywhere if you're just being impatient and want to get to your hotel faster and have your bags delivered later. But once you're certain your bags aren't in the airport, you need to start the claims process. 'Make a report,' Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip, told me. 'Obviously, they ask you to describe your bag or bags, they collect your airline info, so you want to have everything handy,' like your flight number, departure, and any connecting airports and information about where you're staying. Morrow said an airline lost her family's bags on a vacation they took a few years ago, and she found that the more information she was able to provide, the better. Keep your receipts The Department of Transportation requires airlines to reimburse passengers for 'reasonable, verifiable, and actual incidental expenses' that a traveler incurs as a result of an airline losing track of their bag. These are typically essentials like basic clothing and toiletries. 'Obviously, they're not going to cover something if you go crazy,' Morrow said, so don't go down to the luxury shops and buy a new designer bag, expecting the airline to pay for it. But when the time comes for reimbursements, you'll likely have to be able to prove what you spent. 'We went to the gift shop and bought toiletries and some other things. Keep all your receipts and everything you spend related to not having your luggage,' Morrow said. Airlines are also required to refund baggage fees for luggage they mishandle. Last week's Cruising Altitude: Is it cheaper to buy a roundtrip ticket or two one-ways? Stay in touch with your airline Once you've filed a claim, you should keep in touch with your airline about updates and about what's going to be needed for expense reimbursement once you are reunited with your luggage. Each airline has a slightly different process, so it's a good idea to talk to their representative when you make your report and check out the website's lost luggage section to learn more about your carrier's policy. Use technology to help Airlines are increasingly rolling out enhanced bag tracking tools. Many U.S. airlines now have Apple Find My capability integrated into their apps, meaning passengers can link AirTags with their reservations to help keep track of their bags. U.S. airlines that have this capability include: Reach out to your insurance Once you've been reunited with your bags, or they've officially been declared lost, you should also get in touch with your insurance company. Travel insurance may be able to help, but Morrow said homeowners' or renters' insurance may also cover some costs associated with lost or delayed luggage. She noted that insurance companies will usually only cover expenses over and above what the airline already covers, so it's important to file all your expenses with the airline itself first. After that, make sure you're taking advantage of the most generous policies available to you. 'People can overinsure, but you're not going to be able to make multiple claims on the same thing,' Morrow said. 'If you did get double coverage for some reason, I would look to whoever has the least exclusions, the best benefits.' Delayed vs lost bags Colloquially, most people probably think of bags that don't make it to where you're going at the same time as you and bags that are well and truly mislaid as 'lost,' but the DOT and international regulations draw a distinction between these two categories. More details are available on the agency's website, though the department doesn't specify an exact timeline for when bags are considered delayed versus permanently lost. According to the DOT, airlines are allowed to set their own policies on when a bag can be considered lost, which typically happens five to 14 days after the flight. Once bags are considered lost, airlines are required to reimburse passengers up to $4,700 for domestic flights, and up to (approximately) $1,700 for international flights, based on the value of the items lost, though carriers are free to reimburse at higher amounts.
The Herald Scotland
12-07-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Air India crash probe: Engines shut off moments after takeoff
The report also said that the pilots can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, with one asking the other why he moved the switches to the cutoff position, and the other responding that he did not do so. The report did not specify how the switches were moved. Both switches were subsequently returned to the "run" position, and the engines were beginning their reignition process about 10 seconds before the pilots called out mayday and the crash occurred. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Six Flags plans to close this 49-year-old California park in 2027. Is the Illinois one next?
Six Flags is likely to close its California's Great America park in Santa Clara, California, at the end of the 2027 season. The park's lease is coming to an end, and the company's chief financial officer, Brian Witherow, told investors in May that there were no current plans to extend the lease. 'Unless we decide to extend, and exercise one of our options to extend that lease, that park's last year without that extension would be after the '27 season,' he said during a question and answer session at the company's investor day this spring. The remarks were first reported by People. California's Great America was originally opened in 1976 by the Marriott Corporation and traded hands multiple times before coming under ownership by Cedar Fair in 2006. Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged in 2024. Cedar Fair had previously announced plans to close the park by 2033 after the operator sold the land to a logistics company, CBS News reported in 2022, but Six Flags decided to move up the closure date with the lease expiring. What's the status of Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois? There are no plans to shutter the Six Flags Great America located in Gurnee, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago. According to reports from NBC Chicago, even though the park has merged with Cedar Fair and plans to close another park in Maryland, the Illinois park is slated to stay open. The Six Flags in Gurnee originally opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America before Six Flags took it over. Six Flags also announced in May that it would close Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Maryland at the end of this season. The final day of operation for both of these parks will be Nov. 2, 2025. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Six Flags plans to close this 49-year-old California park in 2027
Six Flags is likely to close its California's Great America park in Santa Clara, California, at the end of the 2027 season. The park's lease is coming to an end, and the company's chief financial officer, Brian Witherow, told investors in May that there were no current plans to extend the lease. 'Unless we decide to extend, and exercise one of our options to extend that lease, that park's last year without that extension would be after the '27 season,' he said during a question and answer session at the company's investor day this spring. The remarks were first reported by People. California's Great America was originally opened in 1976 by the Marriott Corporation and traded hands multiple times before coming under ownership by Cedar Fair in 2006. Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged in 2024. Cedar Fair had previously announced plans to close the park by 2033 after the operator sold the land to a logistics company, CBS News reported in 2022, but Six Flags decided to move up the closure date with the lease expiring. Six Flags also announced in May that it would close Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Maryland at the end of this season. The final day of operation for both parks will be Nov. 2. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Six Flags will likely close California's Great America in 2027
