Taking a cue from airlines like Northwest and US Airways that charge more for certain aisle and exit seats to increase revenue, some performing arts theaters are doing the same. According to this AP article, some theaters have found patrons willing to cough up as much as an extra $25 to sit in an aisle seat.

Although I can see that the extra cash comes in handy for the theatrical companies who are finding ways to make ends meet, there's a certain aspect of this practice that I find annoying. When you buy theater tickets you already pay according to where you would like to sit--orchestra seats as opposed to the balcony, for example. And just because you've paid for an orchestra seat, doesn't mean your seat is all that great.

In what can only be described as Déjà vu, 40 Irish passengers bound for Cuba created a riot on their Thomas Cook flight.

The group filled up on booze, harassing and punching fellow passengers, and one of them even went so far as to attempt opening the emergency exit mid-flight.

One terrified passenger ended up sitting with the flight attendants in the galley for 5 hours just to get away from the ruckus.

According to the (sketchy) report, the hooligans continued their drunken rioting at their resort, and even on the return flight. 17 of them were actually barred from boarding the flight back home to London Gatwick, but the article does not mention what their fate was, so for all we know, they are still stuck in Cuba.

18 years after the United Nations imposed a ban on all commercial air traffic destined for Iraq, a Swedish charter plane has landed at Baghdad International Airport.

The charter was operated by Nordic Leisure and their 150 passengers were mostly Iraqis.

This is just the beginning of what should become a fairly popular route, as many Iraqis are in Europe waiting to return to their homeland. KLM/Air France recently signed an agreement for direct flights to Baghdad from several European locations.

Baghdad airport has seen a slowly increasing number of other flights in recent years, though most of it involved cargo flights. Regular scheduled passenger flights have greeted the airport from destinations like Jordan and Dubai since 2003.

Pre 1991, most major airlines in the world had Baghdad on their schedule, including weekly flights on British Airways from London. BA had originally planned to return to Baghdad in 2003, right after President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished", but when violence on the road to the airport reached an all time high, the plans were delayed.

(Via: Google News/AFP)

Yesterday, not long after Scott posted about the American family who are Muslim were removed from an AirTran flight at the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington D.C., I heard an interview on NPR with Atif Irfan, one of the family members.

Irfan explained in more detail what happened to create the misunderstanding. Because there were nine of them, the family had booked the last rows of the plane so they could all sit together. As they were walking down the aisle, he and a sister-in-law were discussing which part of the plane was the safest. His wife recalls that a "couple of girls" who heard their conversation thought they were talking about doing some sort of terrorist act. Federal marshals escorted them off the plane for questioning.

As Irfan explained, the men in the family have beards and the women have head coverings, but other than that they were wearing western style dress. He also said they had three small children with them. Usually, he is very careful about what he says as to not alarm people, but this time they weren't thinking much about their conversation.

What amazes me about this story is not that the family was questioned, but that after the FBI cleared the family and asked AirTran to allow the family to fly, AirTran refused. Who did AirTran think the FBI were? Certainly the FBI had badges and obvious credentials. If the FBI aren't listened to, that's startling? Maybe there was a snafu in communication.

Irfan, by the way, has nothing but good things to say about the FBI who did get the family on a US Airways flight. AirTran has since offered restitution in a free flight home and reimbursement for the family's US Airways flight and an apology.

After listening to Irfan, I was reminded about the importance of civility. For the family who, from what I can tell, stayed calm and collected throughout their experience, bravo. I'm wondering just how many other passengers would have behaved so well? It's also a reminder that passengers do listen to conversations. What you say could be held against you.

By the way, Atif Irfan was born and raised in Detroit and now is a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

A few good travel deals have shown up on our radar that you might want to jump on today.

Travelodge UK has already started a summer sale on its UK and Spain hotels. That means prices are a mere £9 for select dates from May 5th to September 6th, 2009. The comparable lowest price for their hotels in Spain is €10. That's cheaper than a hostel, right? These prices are limited, but the next price up (£19) isn't too shabby either.

Or else, if you're flying within the US, get a $25 coupon for your next flight on AirTran Airways, when you sign up for their Net Escapes emails. If you're considering it at all, you should just go for it--the offer expires today, January 2nd. The $25 coupon is good for travel on AirTran through April 30, 2009. By signing up for their Net Escapes emails, you'll be notified of their sale fares and special offers.

When your reputation is so bad that you have to make a bet that you'll meet production targets, as Airbus President Tom Enders did, you need to realize that your victory would be break-even for anyone else. The man with the poor track record scored a bottle of champagne by delivering the fourth of four planes to Emirates Airline on time. The total order is for 58, which means Airbus has plenty of work ahead of it.

Hell, he even had two days of wiggle room. If the champagne is as good as his reputation, Enders will endure an incredibly sweet victory.

Before we give Airbus too much respect, his announcement of champagne success was accompanied with a warning that the fifth plane, due by the end of March, will not be ready until mid-April. Of course, this will occur despite the fact that the on-time delivery "gives us a good basis to further ramp-up our production in 2009." Emirates president Tim Clark leaked this tidbit to Reuters.

Enders made the bet with the media at a press conference in September because he's missed his deadlines four times in three years. And, we all know that reporters are perpetually broke ... they only make bets they're likely to win. This says so much about Airbus and its leader.

Already, he's screwed up 2009. Airbus parent EADS confessed that it will miss its objective of 21 A380s this year. This, apparently, is how one treats its largest customer.

[Via Reuters via USA Today]

As we barrel forward into 2009 and the processing merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines, small facets of the company are slowly being integrated. Just a few weeks ago, the first NW 747 was repainted in DL colors, and ever so gently the NW routes are starting to disappear.

Throughout the year, mileage accounts between the two airlines will also be integrated, with the joint rules pulling from both carriers current programs. Here are the basics:

• Miles from each program are safe.
• Partway through this year you'll be able to transfer miles between each account at no cost. You won't be able to transfer elite miles, but before year's end they should be integrated. So miles on each airline will count towards 2010 status on the new, merged airline.
• New award fees for non-platinum members will be instituted. Booking award tickets:
• Outside of 21 days of travel = free
• Between 8 and 20 days = $75
• Between 4 and 7 = $100
• Inside of 3 days = $150
• A new award tier asking for more miles with "better availability" will be offered. You can check that out here, but effectively if you want better flexibility with your tickets you'll now need to cough up 30-40% more miles.
• All passengers will now be able to earn elite status with segments.

Are these changes for the best? Most passengers I've listened in on are unhappy with the new fees and award tiers, but I think they're being a bit gloomy.

I concede that in 2009 it will be harder to spend your Skyteam miles, however, so if you're thinking about booking a ticket this year, it's never too early to start looking.

Got a question about your miles? Shoot us a note at editorATgadlingDOTcom and we'll try to help out.

Here we go again. Another family traveling for the holidays has been kicked off their flight after a fellow passenger observed them mentioning the word "safety". That's right, not "bomb", "terrorist" or "hijack".

Just your average family of 9 trying to figure out where they wanted to seat.

Someone on board managed to get the attention of 2 federal air marshals, who then contacted their superiors in Washington. The family was then kicked off the plane, questioned by the FBI and of course, cleared of any wrongdoing.

The TSA then decided that the threat was so credible, that all 104 passengers would have to be re-screened, and that all their bags would have to be inspected again. To me, this means that they admit they may have done a crappy job during the first screening.

As if that wasn't enough, Airtran then refused to transport the 9 passengers and simply refunded their tickets. It took some effort by the FBI to find alternative flights for the family.

Good job Airtran, keeping us safe from people trying to find a decent seat on your flights. In their defense, AirTran did let the family know that they were free to fly with them in the future, which I'm sure they are really thrilled to hear.

(Via: NBC Washington)

The Canadian born on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 yesterday is the daughter of a Ugandan ... who is also a permanent resident of the United States. So, at least we know that the newly-minted citizen of our northern neighbor is not Dutch. Sasha, the newest NWA passenger, was delivered mid-flight by Dr. Natarajan Raman and Dr. Paresh Thakker. Raman is a radiation oncologist who hadn't delivered a kid in 20 years (but remembered the steps. Thakker is a general practitioner.

Of course, there's no such thing as unbiased news, right? The only way to get to the truth is to see what everyone is saying. There were two doctors involved in this effort: Raman and Thakker. But, there can only be one ego in charge. It can make parceling out props a nightmare, but sometimes a bit of investigation is necessary. After all, credit must be given where it is due. After the jump, see how the two hopeful heroes stack up against each other.

There have been plenty of stories in the past year involving passengers going berserk and attacking the crew and others on their flight.

But every now and then I read a new one, and just can't help think "what the hell?".

Such is the story of a Continental Express flight from Houston to Omaha last week. Halfway during the flight, a middle aged man left the lavatory covered in his own fecal matter.

At that point the poor flight attendant tried to move passengers away from this lunatic and ordered the man to clean himself. Things then got out of control, and the flight attendant ended up on the floor being beaten by the unruly passenger.

Fellow passengers came to the assistance of the flight attendant, and managed to get the poop covered man buckled into a seat and calmed down for the remainder of the flight.

Upon arrival at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, the man was detained, and taken into custody by the care facility in Iowa where he lives. The flight attendant ended up with a black eye, and probably a horribly smelly uniform.

Authorities are investigating whether the mental condition of this passenger should bar him from flying on his own in the future. Personally, I hope he takes a train next time, as I have no need to witness anyone covered in poop, planes are dirty enough as it is.

(Via: WOWT Omaha)