Tampa Airport To Allow Airside Access to Non-Ticketed Visitors
In the pre-9/11 days, dropping off friends and family at the airport often meant escorting them all the way to the gate and waving them off when it was time to board. That may soon again be the norm as more airports experiment with allowing non-ticketed passengers to access gated areas. Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) first began its MYPitPass program in 2017, which allowed those not flying to accompany loved ones past security. And now, just in time for Mother’s Day, Tampa International Airport will begin a similar program on Saturday. Known as All-Access, up to 100 non-ticketed guests (25 per concourse) will be allowed access to post-security areas on Saturdays only.
Visitors must sign up for a pass at least 24-hours in advance. More info at TampaAirport.com.
United, American, and Delta Agree to Cover Seatback Cameras
After facing backlash from angry passengers, United, American, and Delta have agreed to cover controversial seatback cameras embedded into entertainment systems.
“None of these cameras were ever activated and we had no plans to use them in the future, however we took the additional step to cover the cameras. The cameras are a standard feature that manufacturers of the system included for possible future purposes such as video conferencing," a spokesperson for United said in a statement. United was the first of the three major carriers to announce the move, with Delta and American following suit on Monday.
In an effort to reassure passengers, airlines have since been covering the lens with small black stickers.
The Best U.S. Airlines for 2019
Wallethub released its round-up of the top U.S. airlines for 2019, with a few surprises on this year's list.
Usually in these best-of rankings, passenger favorite Southwest tends to dominate, but here the Dallas-based carrier comes in at number 9. The top honor goes to Alaska Airlines, followed by Delta, Skywest, and, another surprise at number 4, Spirit Airlines.
- Alaska Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Skywest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
- ExpressJet Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- United Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Southwest Airlines
- American Airlines
- Envoy Air
- Frontier Airlines
Southwest does come in tops in the Least Complained-About Category, along with ExpressJet. In other categories, Delta was named the Most Reliable Airline, with JetBlue being the Most Comfortable Airline.
The results were compiled using a range of metrics, including average ticket cost, cancellation and delay rates, lost baggage incidents, and in-flight comfort. You can peruse results in their entirety at Wallethub.com.
The 3 U.S. States Americans Don't Want to Visit
What’s the opposite of a bucket list? Whatever it is, Americans apparently have a clear idea of which U.S. states they’d rather not visit. According to a recent survey by JetCost, 35% of those polled say they have no desire to visit Alabama, citing a “lack of things to do” and “unfriendly locals” as their top reasons.
Also included in the top 3, 31% of travelers say they wouldn’t want to visit Nevada, followed by 26% who listed New York due to overcrowding and costs.
