0 min left

FlyerTalk’s Most Shared Stories of 2015

New technologies, Open Skies, historical travel and bad passengers were all on FlyerTalkers’ minds in 2015.

The year 2015 was a mixed bag for many frequent flyers as they discovered new ways to view their world. From a number of technologies that changed the way we interact with fellow passengers, to a fond look back at the golden era of aviation, FlyerTalkers witnessed a year of aviation change first, alongside their fellow frequent flyers.

However, some stories captured FlyerTalkers’ attention more than others. The result was numerous threads, comments and shares about the headlines. Of the thousands of stories published, here are the stories that captured your attention the most in 2015.

Modern technology makes travel a better experience?

Smartphones and mobile applications have made travel a better experience for many passengers. In some cases, using the various applications have also made the passenger experience more lucrative and even a little more personal.

FlyerTalkers took particular note to the CrewMe app, released as a Tinder alternative for airline personnel. If that didn’t work, flyers could at least offer their seats to other flyers using Seateroo, facilitating the perfect seat swap for the right price.

However, technology was not always to flyer’s benefit in the last year. One flyer learned the hard way after he was banned from flying for claiming to hack over 20 in-flight entertainment systems. Others had their plans derailed when Southwest Airlines’ website crashed right in the middle of a fare sale.

Open Skies showdowns keep flyers (and executives) talking

When technology was not amusing flyers, executives of two major international airlines were. Throughout the year, two major heavyweights exchanged verbal blows over the Open Skies debate that occupied the headlines.

Shortly after taking the legacy carriers’ Open Skies complaints to Capitol Hill, Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson raised the rhetorical bar by indirectly linking the Middle East Three to 9/11. Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al-Baker quickly fired back, calling the allegations “bullshit” on CNN program Quest Means Business.

The rhetoric only escalated from there. By June, Anderson called Qatar Airways and their two counterparts the “Greatest Challenge” to the airline industry. By the end of the year, Al-Baker openly called Anderson out, telling a group of reporters: “Let him come face to face with me in any forum…I will hang him on a wall.”

Poorly-behaving passengers made FlyerTalkers ask: “Why?”

If airline executives weren’t behaving badly, fellow passengers certainly were throughout the year. Multiple cases particularly captured travelers attention in 2015, making these offenders possibly the worst passengers of the year.

In February, a would-be Jedi flyer opened an emergency exit prior to departure, telling flight attendants “the door is not important.” In August flight, a mother allowed a child to relieve herself in the aisle because the lavatories were simply too crowded. Meanwhile, on a Norwegian Air flight from Paris, a couple attempting to join the “Mile High Club” were put on notice when a flight attendant broadcast their activities to the cabin.

For those who want to relive the worst moments of the year’s passenger experiences, be sure to check out the Worst Passenger of the Week archives on FlyerTalk.

FlyerTalkers took the time to honor their past

The year was not just about the future of travel, but about the past as well. Over the past year, FlyerTalkers honored two airlines that fly no more by reliving their traditions once more.

In August, FlyerTalk was invited to the Air Hollywood lot for the Pan Am experience. Promoted as the complete re-enactment of flying aboard a Pan Am Clipper, ticketed “flyers” were given the full treatment, as well as a history lesson about the worlds’ original legacy carrier.

FlyerTalk was also on scene for the final opening of the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Both former crew members and aviation enthusiasts gathered to say goodbye to one of the original jet age buildings before construction begins to convert the building to a hotel.

[Image: Getty]

Comments are Closed.
0 Comments