Latest news with #ContractofCarriage
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
This International Flight Had to Turn Around After an Embarrassing Mistake By the Pilot
There are a lot of things that can cause a flight to get diverted. Be it bad weather, air traffic control issues, or an onboard emergency, the list goes on and on. And for the most part, they're all pretty understandable. However, in late March, a plane had to turn around while en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai, for one seriously frustrating reason for passengers and one epically embarrassing one for the pilot. According to CNN, the United Airlines Boeing 787 had to make a U-turn when one of the plane's pilots realized they had forgotten their passport at home. The blunder wasn't discovered until about two hours into the flight over the Pacific Ocean. As Yang Shuhan, one of the passengers on the flight, told CNN, she heard the pilot come over the intercom to share they had forgotten his passport in a 'very frustrated' tone. Once the plane made its turn, it was redirected to San Francisco, landing about three hours after takeoff back on the same coast it started on. 'The pilot did not have their passport onboard,' United said in a statement shared to multiple media outlets. 'We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.' The plane's 257 passengers were then boarded onto a new flight with a new crew, which took off from San Francisco and landed in Shanghai with about a six-hour delay, which all and all is pretty solid following a fumble like this. While the meal and compensation are nice, it is key to always know your rights as a traveler if your flight is diverted like this. As United's Contract of Carriage explains, in the event of a Force Majeure Event (an event outside of its control), "UA without notice, may cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, or delay any flight, right of carriage or reservations (whether or not confirmed) and determine if any departure or landing should be made, without any liability on the part of UA." It added that it "may re-accommodate Passengers on another available UA flight or on another carrier or combination of carriers, or via ground transportation, or may refund." And as the Department of Transportation previously shared with Travel + Leisure, "as long as passengers were ultimately transported to their destinations, the Department does not view the refund requirement as applying to these diversion situations." Which is exactly what happened here. But let this be a lesson to us all to make sure we properly keep track of our travel documents. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Euronews
28-01-2025
- Euronews
Bare feet, obscene t-shirts and body art: Watch out for these dress code violations on flights
An airline in the United States has recently made headlines for introducing a series of regulations for passengers' clothing. Spirit Airlines says it has had to enforce the stricter dress code after incidents involving inappropriate outfits. The rules include stopping passengers from boarding if they are barefoot or wearing clothing with swear words. Some carriers have similar policies detailed on their websites. Others don't have specific guidelines but gate and cabin crew are told to look out for certain unacceptable attire. US airline enforces stricter passenger dress code In January, Spirit Airlines updated its 'Contract of Carriage' to prohibit certain items of clothing, ways of dressing and types of body art. The regulations now state that passengers will not be able to board if they are "barefoot" or are "inadequately clothed" - defined as "see-through clothing; not adequately covered; exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts". They also warn against passengers "whose clothing or article, including body art, is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature or has an offensive odour unless caused by a qualified disability." The airline reportedly brought in the stricter measures after one passenger attempted to board wearing a crop top while another was dressed in a t-shirt with an obscene slogan. Other carriers in the US also have dress codes. A policy from United Airlines states that passengers can be turned away if they are "barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive." Delta Air Lines warns that passengers can be removed when barefoot or "when the passenger's conduct, attire, hygiene or odour creates an unreasonable risk of offence or annoyance to other passengers." European airlines can refuse passengers wearing inappropriate clothing Although not explicitly stated on websites, European carriers also enforce dress codes. Last year, a member of cabin crew for one European airline told UK newspaper The Sun: "We're well within our rights to prevent people getting on the flight and it's used frequently for people who aren't dressed in a way we would deem to be acceptable." They reportedly cautioned Jet2, Ryanair, TUI and Easyjet customers in particular, adding: "There are some obvious examples here, including t-shirts with swear words or offensive logos on them, which people are regularly asked to cover up, or remove, before they get on board."
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spirit says it will stop passengers with offensive slogans on their clothes or too much skin on show from boarding
Spirit Airlines has updated its rules for passengers. It said passengers with lewd tattoos or who are inadequately clothed can be denied boarding. Being "inadequately clothed" includes "exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts." Spirit Airlines has tightened its rules for passengers. Effective as of last Wednesday, the changes outline unacceptable clothing and appearances for travelers. Section 4.3 of Spirit's Contract of Carriage says passengers won't be allowed to board or may be required to leave a plane if they are "inadequately clothed." For example, it lists "see-through clothing; not adequately covered; exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts." The rules also say clothing or body art, like tattoos, that are "lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature" may also result in removal. Passengers also aren't allowed to be barefoot. Most airlines have fairly vague policies on things like clothing, meaning it is usually left to employees like gate agents and the flight crew to decide what is, or is not, acceptable. Spirit is now being more precise with the definition of "inadequately clothed." It comes after several incidents across US airlines have made headlines in recent years. Fliers have said they have been denied boarding or escorted off a plane for such reasons as wearing leggings, shorts that were too short, and not wearing a bra under a T-shirt. Disruptions during or after the boarding process can cause delays. These might not only be annoying for fellow passengers but can also impact the airline's bottom line. As a budget airline, Spirit relies on having its planes flying as much as possible. The airline has been struggling in recent months. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last November. It announced plans to sell $500 million worth of planes and cut staff. Read the original article on Business Insider
