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Celeb Travel / Kanye West / LAX / Airplane Etiquette / Full Body Scanners / → All Tags

Did Kanye Really Throw A Fit On a Plane at LAX?

Even though Kanye West hasn't been making many public appearances lately, that doesn't mean he's been keeping quiet. He has been taking to his blog, defending himself against the haters and setting the record straight.

According to the NY Post, West freaked out in LAX Monday night on his way back to NYC from the Grammys because he and his assistant were seated in business class, not first class.

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Airplane Etiquette / Overhead Compartments / Luggage / Travel Pet Peeves / → All Tags

Why Does Putting Luggage in the Overhead Compartments Turn Us Into Animals?

It's not the most sophisticated position, but it's an undeniable empirical fact that Americans are often more polite and docile than many other nationalities. Compare driving in Los Angeles to maneuvering through a Southern Mediterranean road. Or walking out of a Midwest basketball game to fleeing a South American soccer stadium. Or queuing up for the Metro in DC to jostling for the bus in the Middle East. Or doing anything to flying on RyanAir (ok, that may not be fair - but seriously, this is beginning to piss us off).

So why is it that the simple process of placing luggage in overhead bins is such a logistical and interpersonal disaster? It's not a matter of stress: passengers are just fine when they're lining up to get on the plane. They're rarely hostile. No one shoves anyone else for position, even on cattle calls with no assigned seating like Southwest. Just a quiet line and orderly movement.

But when it comes time to raise a suitcase or bag off the ground, it's suddenly a post-apocalyptic Mad Max battle for survival and supremacy. There's bumping. There's occasional yelling. And very often there are exaggerated, petulant displays of frustration where people will slam their luggage around loudly, as if to make a point.

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Slanket Spotting / Snuggie Spotting / Airplane Etiquette / Travel Gear / → All Tags

The Next Travel Danger: Slankets on A Plane?

The Slanket. Already a media darling of 2009, this blanket with sleeves has long been touted in the eccentric SkyMall magazine, a catalog of stuff you would never buy but reading it entertains you just before take-off.

The slanket is best for sick days on your couch when your heater is on the fritz yet you still want to have the mobility to reach for the remote, read a book or blow your nose. But we have this crazy suspicion that some people are going to start bringing their slankets on planes. If not slankets, then maybe Snuggies which have a little less blanket around them making it feasible for you to wear them out in public. (For the record, the Slanket came first in 1998.)

This is where you frequent travelers come in. If you see slankets on a plane, you must tell us. Photos are much appreciated too. We want to know what color slanket, if it was indeed a slanket or a snuggie, and if anyone bitched about the slanket creeping over into the seat space.

You can drop your slanket sighting into comments below or send us an email.

Related Stories:
· The Slanket [Official Site]

· Blanket with Sleeves Grudge Match [Informercial Hell]