American Airlines, which provides the only nonstop flights to Bolivia from the US, announced it has halted flights between the countries. Service is expected to resume October 2, but we're not counting on it.

It all depends on the worsening political situation in one of South America's poorest countries. After unprecedented support during his first three years in office, Bolivia's first indigenous president is experiencing fierce reprisals from the European-descendant minority opposing plans to nationalize the country's use of natural resources.

We can't blame AA for being skittish, but at least Morales hasn't been calling tourists "Shithead Yankees!"

Related Stories:
· American Airlines Suspends Bolivia Flights [IHT]
· American Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: alainbachellier]]]> ced138 2008-09-30T11:30:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/23/13820/8267

This is the path for American Airlines Flight 268 yesterday. Normally wouldn't be a big deal--except that flight is supposed to go to JFK. It made an unscheduled stop at ORD after an "electrical system issue." Because pilots couldn't rely on their gauges for the landing, the 757 ended up off the runway with a blown tire.

Blogger Pam Mandel was on the flight, and wrote up a pretty riveting account of what it's like to be on a plane greeted by a phalanx of emergency personnel at the airport:

The flight attendents were like angels, perfectly calm and in good humor. The passengers sat and joked, I snapped pictures of the fire crew out the window and as they boarded the plane. Finally the left engined whirled to a halt and a cheer went up in the cabin....

I managed not to fall down the stairs--I was a little jittery--and I stepped on the grass. A woman in full secrurity gear looked at me and smiled. "Welcome to Chicago O'Hare!" she said, and I laughed.

Not as crazy as a mid-air collision--but that's a good thing!

Related Stories:
· AA 268 [FlightAware]
· "Unscheduled Landing" [NEV]
· Plane Diverted to ORD Blows Tire [CT]]]> pbb 2008-09-23T13:09:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/20/133737/683

Oh, airline travel. You used to be so cool. Flights were affordable, on-time, and featured amenities like meals, blankets, and a selection of current magazines and newspapers. Now, despite rising fares, fliers are lucky to get a bag of pretzels to munch on and a SkyMall catalog to read, and when it comes to making connecting flights and getting reunited with luggage, it's a crapshoot. What happened?

A recent AP item reports that as airline satisfaction rates have declined, customers have begun to push back, demanding improved service to justify the wave of extra fees for things that were once included in the ticket price. Airlines are responding with new initiatives to improve punctuality and baggage handling, as well as upgrades for business and first class passengers.]]> Victor Ozols 2008-09-20T13:37:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/14/105054/472

One of the issues that arises from the introduction of in-flight wi-fi is that of internet pornography. Sure, it's great to be able to check your email and surf the web on your laptop instead of having to watch Wild Hogs or Cheaper By the Dozen 2 for the fourth time, but should people be able to access pornographic material in view of other passengers? The Association of Professional Flight Attendants doesn't think so. Bloomberg reports that a group of flight attendants from American Airlines has asked the company to filter its in-flight internet access to block inappropriate content.

]]> Victor Ozols 2008-09-14T10:50:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/11/121048/096

After the US government announced earlier this week that it can't vouch for the safety of flights leaving the country, Venezuela has ordered American carriers to cut back on service starting September 28. American Airlines, Delta and Continental operate about 70 of the close to 90 weekly flights between the two countries, and how many flights they'll have to trim still isn't known.

Venezuelan aviation chief José Martínez Bravo told the newspaper El Universal that the cuts are a result of an "imbalance in favor of American companies." But a letter to the three affected carriers mentions that:

The TSA insists on and maintains a policy of discrediting [Venezuela].

And so we wait for the (probably inevitable) next play in the governmental pissing match: Stepped-up border crossing regulations.

Related Stories:
· INAC Reducing Flights by US Airlines [El Universal, in Spanish]
· Flights from Venezuela May Not Be Safe [AP, via Google]
· UK Stepping Up Its Immigration Game [Jaunted]

[Photo of CCS in Caracas: inti]]]> pbb 2008-09-11T12:15:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/2/133146/2252

Remember that American Airlines-Kayak feud that started earlier this summer? After AA got upset with the way the booking engine was posting its fare data, Kayak yanked the info, leading to allegations from both sides about who started the trouble.

On August 5, AA filed a lawsuit in Texas asking the court to stop Kayak from using its fare info--and for damages. Right before the holiday weekend, the booking site filed its answer--and its counterclaims.]]> pbb 2008-09-02T13:40:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/27/221443/351

We love to rant about having to pay for WiFi or the existence of Spencer Pratt in this universe. But we don't yet consider the thought of flying American Airlines to be anathema, which is what separates us from Diddy. The rapper turned reality-TV host turned questionable entrepreneur devoted his video blog to yelling about the reason he's now forced to fly with the plebes:

I do own my own jet and I have been having flying back and forth to LA pursuing my acting career. Now, if I'm flying back and forth, like, twice in a month that's like $200,000 or $250,000 round trip... I'm back on American Airlines right now. Ok? Your boy Diddy right now is on American Airlines... Tell whoever the next president is that we need to bring gas back down.

From a gander at his IMDb page, it appears that high gas prices, specifically are keeping Diddy from executive-producing the Notorious B.I.G. biopic. What's next, telecommuting?

Related Stories:
· Celeb Airline Travel: Diddy's Pillow Habit [Jaunted]
· Diddy Forced To Fly Commercial [Dlisted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted] ]]> egw 2008-08-28T09:20:17-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/