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Tag: Air travel

  • Latest airport delays and cancellations due to winter storm

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    TAMPA, Fla. — If you have a flight out of Tampa International Airport today, it could be affected by winter weather up north. The airport is showing more than 100 cancellations this morning and multiple delays. The airport says if you have a flight, check with your airline for the latest information.

    Check below to see the status of all the flights at Tampa International Airport.

    **Be sure to double check your flight status on the airport website as information could be delayed**

    Tampa International Arrivals

    Tampa International Departures

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  • Are budget airfares worth it?

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    But make sure you know what you’re getting. The cheapest fares you see in searches are typically budget tier. And while budget flights can be a great way to save, you could end up paying more than planned through add-ons like checked baggage, seat selection, and even a carry-on.

    What are budget airlines?

    Budget airlines—also called low-cost carriers (LCCs) and ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs)—are bare-bones airlines. You’re paying for a seat to get you from point A to B and little else.

    In Canada, our last remaining true ULCC is Flair, although the company is looking to change its business model to a more “premium product.” But if you’re travelling south of the border or overseas, you’ll see a lot more ULCC options, including Spirit, Frontier, Ryanair, and Air Asia.

    That said, all of Canada’s carriers have added ULCC-like options to their bookings, like WestJet’s UltraBasic and Air Transat’s Eco Budget. These fares can drastically bring down the costs of your next vacation, but keep in mind what’s often not included:

    • Seat selection
    • In-flight food and drinks
    • Checked baggage
    • Carry-on baggage (although a personal item is often allowed)
    • Changes or cancellations
    • In-person check-in (for example, Flair charges $34 if you don’t check in online)
    • Loyalty rewards (Air Canada’s Basic fare doesn’t earn Status Qualifying Credits and WestJet’s UltraBasic doesn’t earn WestJet Rewards)

    Depending on your travel plans, some (or all) of these extras might not matter. On a short flight, for example, you might not care about ending up in the middle seat. And if you already have trip cancellation insurance, you may be covered if a family emergency prevents you from flying.

    This is where a bit of math helps. If you’re likely to pay for several add-ons, the total cost could exceed the price of a higher fare that bundles those features. On the other hand, if you only need one or two extras, the lowest base fare may still be the better deal.

    Here’s what to consider before you book.

    How long is the flight?

    While it may be tempting to go with the cheapest ticket, be honest about how much comfort you’re willing to sacrifice.

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    Most traditional airlines charge to pre-book a seat but allow you to select one for free when online check-in opens, typically 24 hours before departure. Many budget airfares eliminate that option. For example, WestJet’s UltraBasic doesn’t include complimentary seat selection at check-in—and if you do choose to pay for a seat, the fee is higher than it is for the other fare tiers.

    Featured travel credit cards

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    How much are you bringing?

    If you’re choosing a fare that only allows carry-on, check the permitted weight and dimensions—especially if you’re travelling overseas. Ryanair’s carry-on limits, for example, are three centimetres narrower than those of Canadian airlines.

    If you realize the night before that you need to pack more or that your bag exceeds the size limit, you’ll likely end up paying significantly more in last-minute baggage fees than you would have by booking the next fare tier up in the first place.

    Do you have flight perks through your credit card?

    Credit cards like the TD Aeroplan Visa and WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard include free checked bags for you and up to eight companions. That could help you decide which airline to choose.

    For example, I searched for direct flights from Toronto to Cancún for March Break with Air Canada Rouge and Flair. Both were roundtrip Monday–Monday flights (because bumping your flight by just one day can help you drastically reduce your flight cost). Flair’s Basic Bundle, which includes checked luggage, was $1,118.29. To include checked baggage on Rouge, you need the Flex fare at $1,149.32.

    At first glance, Flair is the cheapest option. But if you have an Aeroplan credit card that includes checked bags, you could go for Rouge’s Basic ($924.32) or Standard ($1,020.32) fare and save $98–$194 per person.

    What’s the bundle value?

    It may feel like a hassle, but pulling out the calculator can pay off when you’re comparing the true cost of booking a bare-bones fare vs. a bundled option.

    For that same Toronto-Cancún trip, Air Transat listed these prices:

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    Tammy Burns

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  • How to find cheap flights anywhere – MoneySense

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    Thankfully, I’ve picked up a few tips for hunting down cheap (or at least cheaper) flights from Toronto and beyond. Here’s how I keep my flight costs down while keeping my sense of adventure up.

    Featured travel credit cards

    featured

    Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

    Earn up to 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent and save on foreign transaction fees.

    GO TO SITE


    Interest Rates:
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    Welcome offer:
    $500 value



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    featured

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    Earn up to 5 MR points per $1 spent and transfer them to partner loyalty programs.

    GO TO SITE


    Interest Rates:
    21.99% purchase, 21.99% cash advance, N/A balance transfer


    Welcome offer:
    $150 value



    Earn 1,250 points for each month you spend $750, up to a maximum of 15,000 points.

    featured

    MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard

    Get 5 MBNA Rewards points per $1 across five categories, plus an annual bonus of 10% in points.

    GO TO SITE


    Interest Rates:
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    Welcome offer:
    $200 value



    Earn 20,000 bonus points (approximately $165 in cash back value) after you make $2,000 or more in eligible purchases within the first 90 days.

    8 ways to save on flights 

    From travel apps to credit card rewards, here’s how Canadian frequent flyers stay on budget.

    1. Search the smart way

    The first site I always check when booking a trip is Google Flights, which has a ton of tools many people don’t know about. In addition to listing flights, it can help you find lower prices. For example, you can set alerts for price changes for your preferred dates or for any date for a given destination. It also shows you a price grid for alternative dates, and a graph that predicts when fares will peak.

    Last year, Google Flights added an AI feature that lets you describe your ideal trip—for example, “family weekend ski vacation in Canada” or “one-week trip to a city with great museums and architecture.” Google will then search for the best destinations and flights that match that query. 

    The feature is still in beta mode, so you need to be signed into your Google account to access it. There are also limits on what you can search. For example, it won’t find you multi-city trips or layover requests.

    I’m also a fan of Hopper, which is Canadian-owned. The app tells you whether now is a good time to book or you should wait. If Hopper recommends waiting, you can “watch this trip” and receive an alert when it’s a better time to buy.

    If you find a good price but need more time to decide, you can pay for Hopper’s “Price Freeze” option to hold the fare for one, three, seven, or 21 days. If the price of the flight rises, Hopper will cover the difference up to $406. If the price falls, you pay the lower price, and if the seat is sold out, you get a refund.

    The Price Freeze fee varies by the time window and ticket price. For example, for a $192 Toronto–Montreal flight in mid-June, the quoted fee was $24 for three days and $50 for 21 days. For a $1,016 Vancouver–Hanoi flight in April, the fee was $57 for three days and $122 for 21 days.

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    2. Book at the right time

    There’s a sweet spot for when to book your flight. For domestic flights, one to three months in advance tends to yield the best prices.

    For international trips, Hopper recommends you start flight shopping sooner—about three to six months before departure. You might find great deals just a month prior, but you risk not getting your preferred airline, flight route, or seat.

    The day you book can also help save money. According to Expedia’s 2025 Air Hacks Report, booking on Sunday gets you the biggest savings.

    3. Fly at the right time

    If you can, avoid flying during peak periods (March Break, Christmas, etc.), when flights can jump by hundreds of dollars.

    Of course, not everyone has the flexibility to choose when they vacation, but you could still save by changing your travel dates by a day or two. For example, flying midweek is almost always cheaper than flying on weekends and can reduce the cost by $50 to $100 or more.

    This is especially true during those peak times. As of writing, a direct Air Canada Rouge flight (Standard Economy) from Toronto to Cancún during March Break is $2,052 if you fly Sunday to Sunday. But if you’re able to do Monday to Monday, that same flight drops to $1,373. 

    When you’re searching for flights or setting alerts, tick the “flexible dates” option so you’ll be notified about cheaper fares on alternate dates.

    4. Opt for the layover

    Direct flights are typically more expensive than those with a stop along the way. While a layover can be a pain—especially if you’re on a tight schedule—spending a few extra hours in an airport may be worth it if the savings are significant.

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    Tammy Burns

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  • Mom says JetBlue tried making her 1-year-old sit alone. Is she valid?: ‘Should be illegal’

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    Flying is enough of a nightmare as it is these days without adding impossible logistics into the mix. And what’s a challenging (if beloved) logistic at the best of times?

    Kiddos, of course!

    Flying with kids has never been easy. Though certain parents do seem to insist on making it more of a headache for everyone involved. However, this challenge is definitely not helped by chaos that results in flights, plans, and even seats being shuffled around.

    One mother has gone viral on TikTok after allegedly dealing with such chaos. Her kid wasn’t even 2 years old yet.

    What happened on this JetBlue flight?

    In a TikTok posted in Dec. 2025, which has since gotten over 200,000 views, mother Britney Maz (@britneymaz) shared a harrowing tale. She says she was allegedly almost separated from her son on a JetBlue flight. She recounts the story via captions on a video of her son peacefully playing in his seat on the plane.

    “JetBlue tried to separate me and my 22 month old son today,” Maz writes to start off the video. “Has this happened to anyone else?”

    Maz shares that the flight started like any other, and that things seemed normal when she’d initially booked tickets for herself and her son.

    “For context – when I booked we had seats together,” Maz writes. “They changed the plane and there were only middle seats available when I was notified (we were initially row 32, this plane only had 27 rows).”

    While this seemed stressful, Maz says she was promised it wouldn’t be an issue. They told her that she’d still be able to sit next to her son.

    “I called JetBlue (twice) and they assured me (twice) we would be re-assigned seats together,” she writes.

    Unfortunately, it turned out that was apparently not the case

    “We were assigned 18b and 19b and at the gate counter I was told we wouldn’t be able to sit together,” Maz writes. “They wound up putting us together but now before tears were shed and I was humiliated at the counter.”

    All in all, a deeply stressful lead-up to flying, which many parents already dread. Maz finishes her video by prompting other parents to chime in, as she “would love to know if [they’ve] had a similar experience.”

    @britneymaz I’m relieved the situation was resolved, but the whole experience was very stressful. I’m hesitant to book @JetBlue again after this trip. We used to love them and we fly a lot (my son has been on 14 flights and he’s not even 2). We have bought him a seat on every flight. As a parent traveling solo, I’m nervous this will happen again. Thoughts? *Note – the crew on this flight were incredible. So helpful and kind.* #traveltiktok #flyingwithkids #traveltips #airlinetiktok ♬ a dream is a wish your heart makes – christina perri

    Parents feel for Maz’s predicament

    Parents were quick to convey their sympathy to Maz. Some expressed a need to see tighter airline regulations that protect parents and children.

    “This should be illegal,” one viewer commented. “Like you asked me my kids age when I booked the seats: they should automatically be blocked from doing this to anyone 12 and under.”

    “You should not be allowed to book tickets without seat assignments when traveling with a minor,” another wrote.

    Some commenters were even cracking up. They imagined what would have happened if JetBlue ultimately hadn’t let Maz and her son sit together. They noted that hardly would have been an ideal flying experience for any of the passengers at all.

    “Bahahahah,” one commenter laughed. “Good luck to the seat mates.”

    “Can you imagine a 2yr old being sat next you that’s not yours?!” echoed another.

    In a reply to one commenter, Maz revealed she had actually initially “paid $500 per ticket and selected [both her and her son’s] seats when [she] booked.

    “I didn’t pay extra to be in the front of the plane because I know flight attendants will try to move kids having a meltdown to the back of the plane,” Maz wrote. “I booked at the back intentionally just in case that happened. JetBlue’s own policy is families will be sat together even in Blue Basic. I guess I had to pay even more to ensure me and my ‘infant in a seat’ stay together but that doesn’t seem right. That seems like a bait and switch, no?”

    What is the policy at JetBlue when it comes to seating?

    Under the ‘Family Seating’ section of JetBlue’s Customer Service Plan webpage, the airline says it guarantees “seating children under 13 with a parent or accompanying adult at no additional cost, even on Blue Basic fares” if the right conditions are met. These conditions include all passengers being “on the same reservation” and passengers making “no changes to seat assignments after they have been assigned.”

    However, these conditions do stipulate that Family Seating is only guaranteed if “there is no change from the originally planned aircraft to an aircraft with a different seat configuration.” In that event, the JetBlue guidelines say that “JetBlue will make every effort to seat children next to an accompanying adult.” However, if that’s still not possible, passengers still have several options to explore as part of the guarantee. This includes being rebooked at no additional cost to a new flight with adjacent seats.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Maz via TikTok comment and JetBlue via email to request additional comment.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Sophia Paslidis

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    Sophia Paslidis

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  • Report: Plane lacked qualified co-pilot before crash that killed 7

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    Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not flying his own jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others, according to a Friday report from federal safety officials who also concluded that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, no one else on board was qualified to be the required copilot.

    What You Need To Know

    • Federal safety officials have found that retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not flying his jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others

    • The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Friday

    • It states that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, no one on board was qualified to serve as copilot, which was required

    • An aviation safety consultant who used to investigate crashes for the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration says the lack of an experienced copilot may have been a key factor in the crash

    The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said that Biffle and the retired airline pilot at the controls, Dennis Dutton, and his son Jack, who were all licensed pilots, noticed problems with gauges malfunctioning on the Cessna C550 before it crashed while trying to return to the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.

    First responders tend to the scene of a plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP File Photo/Matt Kelley)

    The plane erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground about a third of a mile from the airport’s runway.

    The NTSB made clear that Jack Dutton was sitting in the copilot seat. Neither Jack Dutton nor Biffle had the right endorsement on their pilot’s licenses to serve as a copilot on that plane. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, said he believes the lack of an experienced copilot may have been a key factor in the crash.

    “This airplane requires two trained pilots, and if things go wrong and you don’t have a trained pilot, then bad things can happen,” Guzzetti said. “The airplane might have been able to be landed safely if there were two qualified pilots up front.”

    The report said that a thrust reverser indicator light wasn’t working before takeoff, but after the plane got into the air, the pilot’s altimeter and some other instruments weren’t working.

    The nature of the problems with the plane isn’t clear at this stage in the investigation, partly because the cockpit voice recorder cut out at times and NTSB experts have only just begun to dig into what caused the crash. Over the radio, Jack Dutton announced, “we’re having some problems here” and the cockpit recorder captured part of the conversation between the three pilots about the issues with the plane.

    But the report indicates that the pilots were able to resolve the problems with the gauges before they tried to land back at the airport. It’s not clear why the plane came in so low and slow.

    Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were killed in the crash along with his friend, Craig Wadsworth.

    Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

    In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the U.S., even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.

    Hundreds of people in the NASCAR community gathered at an arena in Charlotte earlier this month to honor Biffle at a public memorial service.

    The jet had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, about 10 minutes before it crashed while trying to return and land. Every indication is that the plane needed to land quickly because of the problems, so it wouldn’t have been a good option to fly to Charlotte.

    The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight. At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet up to 4,000 feet before descending again. Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

    An unqualified copilot in that seat is a violation of FAA rules that could have led to suspended licenses for both the pilot in charge and the unqualified copilot if the agency had discovered it under normal circumstances. But the FAA might not have known about that unless someone reported it.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

    (National Transportation Safety Board)

    (National Transportation Safety Board)

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    Daniel Gray, Associated Press

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  • Blue laser struck flight landing at Charlotte airport, FAA investigating

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    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after someone pointed a blue laser at an American Airlines flight early Thursday morning in Charlotte, according to a release.

    What You Need To Know

    •  FAA investigating a reported laser strike on an American Airlines flight near Charlotte Thursday morning

    •  The FAA says laser strikes can pose a serious safety risk to pilots and passengers on board 

    •  Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a serious crime, officials say, that can include various fines and prison time


    American Airlines flight 3114 was “illuminated by a blue laser about 5 miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport” around 7 a.m., a statement from the FAA said.

    The flight landed safely, officials said, and local authorities were alerted to the situation.

    The FAA says nearly 11,000 laser strikes were reported by pilots to the administration last year. Officials say shining a laser at an aircraft poses serious safety risks to both the pilot and people on board.

    People have pointed lasers at airplanes intentionally, but some may not know how powerful a laser can be, the FAA said.

    The FAA does warn that shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and can include the following punishments:

    • FAA fines of up to $32,000
    • Federal crime penalties of up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine
    • State and local penalties can be applied as well

    The FAA said it is investigating Thursday’s incident with the help of local law enforcement agencies.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

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    Justin Pryor

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  • Thousands of flights canceled as major winter storm moves across the US

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    Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.”What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents. “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.”All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.”We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport. More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted. “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.” Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures. “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.”We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.” The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.”Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie. Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow. President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.” Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.”I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.” Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

    OKLAHOMA CITY —

    Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.

    Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.

    “What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”

    Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents.

    “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”

    Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.

    “All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.

    Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.

    In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.

    “We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”

    All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport.

    More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

    After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted.

    “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.”

    Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.

    Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures.

    “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”

    Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

    “We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.”

    The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.

    In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.

    “Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie.

    Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.

    School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.

    Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.

    Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow.

    President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

    Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.

    “I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.”

    Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

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  • Thousands of flights canceled as major winter storm moves across the US

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    Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.”What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents. “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.”All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.”We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport. More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted. “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.” Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures. “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.”We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.” The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.”Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie. Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow. President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.” Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.”I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.” Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

    OKLAHOMA CITY —

    Thousands of flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice.

    Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. population, were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warned of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina. By midday Saturday, a quarter of an inch of ice was reported in parts of southeastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana.

    “What really makes this storm unique is, just following this storm, it’s just going to get so cold,” said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The snow and the ice will be very, very slow to melt and won’t be going away anytime soon, and that’s going to hinder any recovery efforts.”

    Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. As crews in some southern states began working to restore downed power lines, officials in some eastern states issued final warnings to residents.

    “We are expecting a storm the likes of which we haven’t seen in years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Saturday while announcing restrictions on commercial vehicle travel and a 35 mph speed limit on highways. She added: “It’s a good weekend to stay indoors.”

    Little Rock, Arkansas, was covered with sleet and snow Saturday, giving Chris Plank doubts about whether he would be able to make a five-hour drive to Dallas for work on Sunday. While some snow is a yearly event, Plank was concerned most about the ice.

    “All of the power lines are above ground, so it doesn’t take very much to end up in the dark,” Plank said.

    Forecasters say the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Around 120,000 power outages were reported in the path of the winter storm Saturday afternoon, including about 53,000 in Texas and 45,000 in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us.

    In Shelby County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, ice weighed down on pine trees and caused branches to snap, downing power lines. About a third of the county’s 16,000 residents were without power on Saturday.

    “We have hundreds of trees down and a lot of limbs in the road,” Shelby County Commissioner Stevie Smith said from his pickup truck. “I’ve got my crew out clearing roads as fast as we can. It’s a lot to deal with right now.”

    All Saturday flights were canceled at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, and all Sunday morning flights also were called off, as officials aimed to restart service Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma’s biggest airport.

    More than 12,000 flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday across the U.S., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, a major hub, saw more than 700 departing flights canceled on Saturday and nearly as many arriving flights called off. Disruptions were also piling up at airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

    After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted.

    “Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday. “Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 10th time, above all to stay inside.”

    Officials in Georgia advised people in the state’s northern regions to get off the roads by sundown Saturday and be prepared to stay put for at least 48 hours.

    Will Lanxton, the senior state meteorologist, said Georgia could get “perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade,” followed by unusually cold temperatures.

    “Ice is a whole different ballgame than snow,” Lanxton said. “Ice, you can’t do anything with. You can’t drive on it. It’s much more likely to bring down power lines and trees.”

    Crews began treating highways with brine after midnight Saturday, with 1,800 workers on 12-hour shifts, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

    “We’re going to do what we can to keep the ice from sticking to the roads,” McMurry said. “This is going to be a challenge.”

    The Midwest saw windchills as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit, meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. The minus 36 F reading in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning was the coldest in almost 30 years.

    In Minneapolis, the worst of an extreme cold wave was over, but protesters calling for ICE to leave Minnesota on Saturday still faced an outdoor temperature of minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Workers from The Orange Tent Project, a Chicago nonprofit that provides cold-weather tents and other supplies to unhoused people throughout the city, went out to check on those who did not or could not seek shelter.

    “Seeing the forecasted weather, I knew we had to come out and do this today,” said CEO Morgan McLuckie.

    Churches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.

    School superintendents in Philadelphia and Houston announced that schools would be closed Monday.

    Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.

    Around the southeast, people used the cancellations to have some fun. On a hill outside the Capitol building in Nashville, adult sledders on green discs and inflatable pool animals giggled with joy as they slid in the snow.

    President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials, and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

    Nine states have requested emergency declarations, according to a FEMA briefing document released Saturday. The declarations can unlock federal emergency resources. Trump on Friday approved emergency declarations for South Carolina and Virginia, and requests from Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia were still pending as of Saturday morning.

    “I think there are two parts of this storm that make it unique. One is just a broad expanse of spatial coverage of this event … You’ve got 2,000 miles of country that’s being impacted by the storm with snow, sleet, and freezing rain,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. “The other part of this storm that’s really impressive is what’s going to happen right afterward. We’re looking at extreme cold, record cold.”

    Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Julie Walker in New York, David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, George Walker in Nashville and Laura Bargfeld in Chicago contributed to this report. Amy reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

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  • Stranded by winter weather? Here’s what airlines owe you

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    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats. Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss. If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault. If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

    Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.

    A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

    Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up:

    When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.

    American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

    American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats.

    Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time.

    If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

    Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.

    You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.

    If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

    The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

    If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.

    Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.

    If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.

    The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.

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  • Dallas woman checks new Beis suitcase before boarding Southwest flight. Then she sees what happened to it: ‘A Ross $60 suitcase has never failed me’

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    She sent her BÉIS suitcase off on its maiden voyage with hope in her heart and a camera rolling. One Dallas woman innocently videoed the start of her new suitcase’s first journey. Who knew the clip would later be used in a before-and-after with shocking results?

    Unfortunately, the pristine, influencer-approved hard shell came back looking like it lost a bar fight with the baggage carousel. Naturally, the internet is now asking the real question: how is it that a beat-up $60 Ross suitcase survives years of chaos, but a brand-new designer carry-all can’t make it through a single trip?

    ‘This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’

    Paulina (@positivelypaulina) has sadly thrown her hat into the ring of BÉIS suitcases ruined by Southwest. Does it sound too specific? It may be a bit niche, but The Mary Sue recently covered a story with the same two variables. What is it with BÉIS and Southwest? 

    Paulina’s eighteen-second clip with its distinct before-and-after effect has caught the eye of 642,000 viewers. The beginning shows the light blue hard shell suitcase happily rolling into the airport. Paulina comments on its beauty, and her voice wistfully hopes for a safe voyage.

    “This is my suitcase’s maiden voyage. Let’s hope it looks the same after,” she says. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. The video then cuts to the after and shows the suitcase now with a huge dent in the upper left corner.

    Paulina comments that it definitely “did NOT” survive the maiden journey. “I’m so sad. This is why we can’t have nice things,” she says with her hand over her mouth. 

    Paulina’s text overlay reads: “No worse feeling than checking your brand new cutie suitcase for the first time.” Her caption simply says, “RIP to my brand new BÉIS suitcase.” She then tags Southwest Airlines and asks them to “help a girl out.”

    What Can Southwest Do?

    Southwest’s page on baggage lays out the rules rather than an in-depth process. First, they state that all claims of damaged baggage must be made in person within a certain time window of their trip (24 hours for domestic trips and seven days for international).

    They make sure to mention that they are not liable for normal “wear and tear” like scuffs, dents, punctures, dirt, etc. After stating that a customer just needs to file a claim, there’s no explanation of what comes after. However, one must be thankful to TikTok for allowing a space for people to share their own similar experiences. This particularly plays a role as a similar story to Paulina’s can reveal what the outcome may be.

    Gabby (@lifewchevalier) recently shared her own disappointment over her BÉIS suitcase being ruined by Southwest. However, she made sure to highlight all the steps Southwest has when it comes to this kind of situation.

    The airline offers two options to the customer: get a travel voucher or submit a replacement claim. Gabby chose the latter, and the steps that followed were more drawn out. She had to leave the suitcase at the airport for the airline to first “assess” if it was worthy of a replacement. After the assessment, Gabby was sent a link to choose a suitcase of similar value to her suitcase. Her BÉIS roller was $368, and she was able to choose a Samsonite roller at $409. The company then had to FedEx her the new suitcase to her home address. She notes that the entire process took a week. 

    @positivelypaulina RIP to my brand new @BÉIS suitcase ??? @Southwest Airlines please help a girl out!! #damagedluggage #holidaytravel #southwestairlines ♬ original sound – Paulina

    Viewers say: ‘BÉIS is the worst!’

    In both Paulina’s and Gabby’s clips, a plethora of comments are made against BÉIS’s quality in suitcases. One viewer says, “Time and time again I’m deinfluenced from Beis.” Another says, “Beis is for road trips that is it!” 

    “If a suitcase doesn’t survive it’s first use it’s not a good suitcase,” says a third viewer. “A Ross $60 suitcase has never failed me,” says another.

    A viewer asks Paulina if she contacted Beis for a replacement, but Paulina responds, “Their policy notes it doesn’t cover airline damage.” 

    One viewer shares game-changing advice for Paulina: “That’s why I can only buy nice brands as a carry on size not check in size. Lol.” Paulina replies, “Lesson learned.”

    The Mary Sue reached out to Paulina and Southwest Airlines via email.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez-Gomez is a contributing reporter to the Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Daily Dot, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and more.

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  • ‘Flying has gotten so scary’: Woman flies with United Airlines. The she hears something ‘scary’ coming out of the speakers

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    A woman flew with United Airlines, only to hear what she described as the most perilous song while landing. “Hallelujah,” a classic written by Leonard Cohen and covered by thousands of artists across multiple genres, blasted through the speakers after the plane’s wheels touched the ground.

    That moment struck a nerve, according to TikTok user Paige Ruder (@paigegettingpaid), who said flying already feels frightening amid recent plane crashes in the United States. She posted her experience with United Airlines in a video with over 4,000 views. That anxiety, combined with the plane playing a praise-filled song like “Hallelujah,” which is traditionally folk but sometimes bluesy, pushed Ruder toward unease rather than calm.

    “About the last song I want to hear playing on a plane from the AIRLINE,” she said in her video’s comments section. 

    Is there a reason to be scared of flying?

    There have been a number of incidents that have made U.S. passengers cautious on domestic and international flights in recent history. In January 2025, an American Airlines flight crashed into a Black Hawk Helicopter, which resulted in 265 people dying. In February 2025, another Delta Airlines flight crash-landed at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. 

    There have also been a number of incidents with airliners catching fire before and during routine flights. In July 2025, the left engine of a Boeing 767-400 headed toward Atlanta caught fire. The flight crew immediately initiated an emergency landing.  Later, in November 2025, A UPS cargo flight crashed, killing 15 people.

    There’s also been increasingly more incidents of thermal runways on flights across all carriers. The FAA has tracked an increase in lithium battery incidents since 2021, with each year having over 70 different events involving “smoke, fire, or extreme heat.”

    All of these instances have a variety of factors playing a part in flight risks or total crashes. In essence, severe mistakes on commercial and even cargo flights usually occur due to a combination of errors. But that’s not necessarily comforting when considering taking a flight in 2027. 

    These incidents can make flying feel riskier. But flying with an air carrier is still very safe, according to flight experts. Statistically, it is still incredibly unlikely for a fatal crash to occur. After the fatal Washington D.C crash, publications like The Independent compared fatal crashes to fatal air incidents, ultimately concluding that flying only gets safer over time. That still rings true in 2026. 

    How often do United Airlines flights play ‘Hallelujah’ on the speakers 

    It seems that United Airlines is statistically more likely to play music upon landing than to crash the airplane. At least, that’s what many United Airlines fliers may have experienced. Commenters shared that they, too, have heard “Hallelujah” while flying.

    “They played it on my flight to Colorado!! The people behind me were singing out loud. I thought we were going down,” said one commenter.

    The tone of “Hallelujah” greatly depends on which version is playing. If it is Jeff Buckley’s, expect a slightly melancholic journey off the plane. But expect a different vibe from a Jennifer Hudson or Brandi Carlile rendition, which may end up being slightly more suited to calm nerves after a slightly perilous ride. 

    @paigegettingpaid On both flights i took with them ? #travel #traveltiktok #fyp #flying #unitedairlines ♬ Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

    The Mary Sue reached out to United Airlines and Paige via email for comment.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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  • Parking fees increasing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

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    Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) said it will increase maximum daily parking rates starting March 1, according to a release.

    What You Need To Know

    • Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) said it will increase parking fees starting March 1

    • The airport said rising operational costs are to blame for the increase

    • More travellers are starting from CLT rather than flying through, as well

    • They’ll use they funds to improve parking facilities around the airport


    Operational costs and shifting demand are the key reasons the airport said it had to increase fees to fliers. More CLT travelers are starting their trips at the airport, rather than just flying through. 

    The new bump will also help the airport make facilities better, improve their infrastructure and make things safer and reliable.

    “These adjustments allow us to continue investing in our parking facilities while maintaining competitive rates, and our focus remains on safety, reliability and a positive customer experience,” Ted Kaplan, CLT Chief Business and Innovation Officer, said.

    Here’s a look at new pricing starting March 1:

    • Valet – $50, up from $45
      Available for pre-book and drive-up

    • Hourly Deck – $35, up from $32
      Available for pre-book and drive-up

    • Daily Deck – $28, up from $20
      Pre-book only

    • Express Deck Preferred – $24 (no change)
      Pre-book only

    • Express Deck Self-Park – $24, up from $20
      Pre-book only

    • Daily North – $18, up from $14
      Drive-up only

    • Long Term 1 – $14, up from $12
      Pre-book only

    • Long Term 2 – $14, up from $12
      Drive-up only

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

     

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  • Fee coming for N.C. air travelers without a REAL ID

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    Anyone traveling through a North Carolina airport without a REAL ID will soon face an identity verification fee, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles announced.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Airline passengers traveling through a North Carolina airport without a REAL ID will soon face a $45 identity verification fee

    •  The fee begins Feb. 1, according to the NCDMV, and will be charged before entering the TSA checkpoint

    • The fee covers the cost of a “modernized alternative identity verification system, called TSA ConfirmID,” according to the NCDMV

    • The fee covers a 10-day travel period and will only be charged once for anyone making their return trip within that time period


    Beginning Feb. 1, a $45 fee will be charged to airline passengers before they get to a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.

    The NCDMV says the fee covers the cost of a “modernized alternative identity verification system, called TSA ConfirmID.” The fee will cover a 10-day travel period, officials say, so anyone traveling round-trip within that timeframe will only be charged the fee once.

    “Those who do not want to pay the $45 fee for the modernized ID verification still have time to get their REAL ID compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of ID,” RDU Federal Security Director Jennifer Gordon said in a release. “Verifying identity is a critical component of transportation security. While most travelers provide acceptable identification, it is our responsibility to confirm that passengers are who they claim to be. Ensuring the safety of the traveling public continues to be our highest priority.”

    For roughly nine years, the NCDMV says it has been issuing REAL IDs, and over 5 million residents have already gotten theirs.

    Officials say anyone who needs a REAL ID can apply and get more information at NCREALID.gov.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

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  • Snow and ice wreak havoc across Europe, causing deadly accidents and travel chaos

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    THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports.

    Authorities in the Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Île-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams on Monday.

    Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.

    Dutch weather woes

    As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 400 flights were grounded as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart. Hundreds of flights were also canceled Monday in Amsterdam and more snow was forecast for the rest of the week.

    Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil.

    Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website. It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary.”

    Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways.

    Thijs Rademakers, an 18-year-old student, decided to ride his bike rather than wait for public transport.

    “It was tough, very slippery,” he said in the eastern city of Arnhem. “Many people fall. Luckily, I didn’t.”

    Rome’s wet weather limits numbers at pope’s Epiphany blessing

    In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations. St. Peter’s Square was only partially full Tuesday as a few thousand people crowded under colorful umbrellas to hear Leo deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

    Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding.

    Farther north, snow dusted Bologna and gave skiers in the Dolomites reason to cheer, though freezing temperatures are forecast for much of the north and central part of the peninsula over the coming days.

    Temperatures plummet in Britain

    A cold snap sent the temperature in northern parts of Britain down to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius (9.5 Fahrenheit) overnight, as snow disrupted rail, road and air travel and closed hundreds of schools.

    Horse races and soccer matches have been called off because of snow and frost, a power failure caused by ice closed Glasgow’s subway and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was closed for a time on Monday.

    Up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snow was forecast Tuesday for northern Scotland, where some people have already been snowed in by previous falls. Northeast Scotland lawmaker Andrew Bowie said the situation was “critical,” and called for soldiers to be sent in to clear snow and get food and medical supplies to stranded people.

    Icy Balkans

    Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies. A woman died in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo on Monday after a snow-covered tree branch fell on her head. In neighboring Serbia, some western municipalities introduced emergency measures due to bad weather.

    Authorities in Serbia warned drivers to be very careful as many set off toward skiing resorts or elsewhere for Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday and the upcoming weekend. Black ice stopped cars and forced drivers to park on the side on their way to Mount Bjelasnica above Sarajevo on Tuesday morning.

    Heavy wind and stormy seas battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro. Video footage showed the sea sweeping through holiday cottages at Ada Bojana in southern Montenegro during a storm.

    ___

    Associated Press writers across Europe contributed to this report.

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  • U.S. attack on Venezuela leaves Philly travelers stranded due to closed airspace

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    The U.S. attack on Venezuela caused the Federal Aviation Administration to put out an emergency order shutting down parts of the Caribbean airspace on Saturday, leaving some Philly area residents stranded in a foreign country amid the international conflict.

    Hundreds of flights were canceled across the country on Saturday, including at PHL. However, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said late on Saturday that the Caribbean airspace would reopen at midnight on Sunday.

    At PHL on Saturday, there were a total of 29 flight cancelations, and 27 of them were to or from a destination under the no fly zone, including San Juan, Aruba, Cancun, Barbados, St. Thomas, St. Lucia and St. Maarten.

    Nancy Colbert, from Downington, told NBC10’s Kelsey Kushner that she and her husband spent the last week vacationing in Aruba, but their flight back to Philly was canceled.

    “We were supposed to fly out at 3:40,” she said later Saturday evening. “Our biggest thing is we don’t know when we’re going to get home, and that’s the problem.”

    Noah Kilshaw, from Philly, told NBC10 he is stuck in Puerto Rico.

    “We’ve been spending all day looking for other flights,” he said.

    According to Kilshaw, tensions on the U.S. island territory were high on Saturday due to people not knowing when the airspace would reopen.

    “The island has definitely been on edge,” he said. “There’s been increased police presence and patrols off shore, and you can definitely sense a bit of tension and anxiety in the air just walking around.”

    Airlines are warning passengers that flight disruptions could continue for days and are advising people scheduled to take a trip to an impacted regions to regularly check for updates.

    The U.S. attack on Venezuela has prompted reactions from Venezuelans all over the world, including Venezuelan-Americans living in the Philly region. NBC10’s Siobhan McGirl has the story.

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    Kelsey Kushner and Brendan Brightman

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  • 1 killed, another injured after 2 helicopters collide and crash in New Jersey

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    One person was killed and another person critically injured after two helicopters collided and crashed in Hammonton in Atlantic County, New Jersey, on Sunday.

    The collision, which occurred at around 11:25 a.m., caused both helicopters to crash at around the 100 block of Basin Road.

    Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek shared video with NBC10 that showed one of the helicopters fall from the sky, causing smoke to billow above the town.

    Dameshek said that he was coming back from the gym when he heard a loud snap and then looked up to see the two helicopters spinning out of control.

    “Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek said. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was okay for a second, and then it sounded like another snap or something… and then that helicopter started rapidly spinning out of the air.”

    SkyForce10 was also over the scene to find both helicopters crashed in a field.

    Firefighters have since been able to put out the flames, officials said.

    The FAA said in a statement that each helicopter involved only had pilots on board and that they would assist an investigation into the collision that will be led by the NTSB.

    The identities of those involved have not yet been released.

    NBC10 is headed to the scene and is working to learn more about what happened.

    This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

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  • Delta Just Published a 300-Page Coffee Table Book as a Thank-You to Its People

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    Last month, Delta Air Lines announced it would be selling a limited edition coffee-table book celebrating its centennial year. On Saturday, a copy of the book arrived at my home, and I spent the day reading through the stories and looking through photos that illustrate the history of the first U.S. airline to reach 100 years.

    At first glance, Delta: 100 Years & Climbing looks like exactly what you’d expect from a major airline celebrating a milestone birthday. It’s large, heavy, beautifully produced, and filled with striking photography. It’s an object designed to make a statement just by sitting on a coffee table.

    Of course, if you spend a few minutes with the book, you realize the statement might be something different from what you thought. This isn’t really a story about airplanes, routes, or even corporate longevity. It’s a story about people. And more specifically, the book is a thank-you note—rendered in heavy paper, rich photos, and archival ink—to the employees who built and sustained Delta Air Lines across a century of change.

    Focus on people

    Sure, the book traces the airline’s evolution from a 1920s crop-dusting operation to a massive carrier connecting hundreds of millions of passengers a year. It moves decade by decade, documenting fleet changes, branding shifts, and the moments that defined the transformation of an industry. For Aviation enthusiasts and loyal customers, there is plenty to admire. But the story of the book isn’t technology or growth. It’s faces.

    The book is really about generations of employees who show up again and again as the reason the airline exists at all. In other words, this is corporate history told from the inside out.

    This is so incredibly smart because most corporate anniversary content doesn’t work this way. Usually, they are treated as marketing campaigns designed to grab attention. They look backward just long enough to justify an effort to come up with a slogan about the future. Employees might be mentioned or included in a photo spread, but rarely are they positioned as the main characters.

    Delta did the opposite. It made its employees the whole point.

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    Jason Aten

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  • ‘Wait that’s an insane use of free will’: Passenger looks over at man in seat next to them on flight. They can’t believe what he’s doing to pass the time

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    Anyone who has flown overnight knows it can be difficult to fall asleep. The usual squished seating between passengers at 30,000 feet, traveling in a different time zone, can throw off the circadian rhythm. Typically, attempt to relax their minds by scrolling through the internet, reading a novel, watching shows and movies, or catching up on mundane tasks.

    When sleeplessness struck at 3am for one woman’s seatmate, it shocked her enough that she filmed it.

    What was this airline passenger doing?

    In a 15-second video, TikTok creator @twotravelingtastebuds records her male seatmate opening a piece of mail among the mountain pile on his tray table, using the TV screen brightness as a nightlight on her flight. After he tears open the envelope, he pulls out the letter with a slight hiss.

    According to the text overlay, he was ripping and tearing through his mail for some time. “When it’s 3 AM and the guy in your row decides to open all of his mail FOR OVER AN HOUR,” she writes. To prove it, the content creator shifts the camera to her screen, revealing the time as 3:30 am local time.

    @twotravelingtastebuds elaborates more in the caption, writing, “When it’s 3 am in the morning and the guy in your row decides to open what has to be 6 months worth of mail by hand! It took him over an hour to review all of his mail, pretty sure he was doing a social experiment at this point lol.”

    The content creator never names the airline.

    What did viewers say?

    The video garnered 39,000 views. In the comments section, viewers were at a loss for words.

    “Wait that’s an insane use of free will,” one viewer commented.

    “This is his version of deleting photos from the camera roll,” another joked.

    “The idea of carrying all that on and off the plane is wild to me,” a third remarked.

    However, some were inspired by @twotravelingtastebuds’s seatmate’s idea and planned to use it during their next flight.

    “I have a 7 hour flight tmrw and haven’t opened my mailbox in over 2 months. Thank you for this idea,” one commenter remarked.

    “Wait I have flight anxiety this might actually be a good distraction for me,” a second stated.

    Tips to help fall asleep on an overnight flight

    Regardless of how exhausted we are, some people struggle to doze off as soon as the plane takes off. In addition to eyemasks and noise-canceling headphones, there are ways to get some shut-eye before boarding. Yahoo shares methods that can be done at the airport to prepare: 

    • Avoid caffeine and screens
    • Dress comfortably
    • Eat a big meal
    • Walk around the airport to tire yourself out
    • Brush your teeth
    • Use the bathroom
    @twotravelingtastebuds When it’s 3 am in the morning and the guy in your row decides to open what has to be 6 months worth of mail by hand! It took him over an hour to review all of his mail, pretty sure he was doing a social experiment at this point lol #flying #airportlife #rude #airports #drama ♬ LOOK AT THIS – Astro Boyke

    The Mary Sue reached out to @twotravelingtastebuds via TikTok comment and direct message.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Melody Heald

    Melody Heald is a culture writer. Her work can be found in Glitter Magazine, BUST Magazine, The Daily Dot, and more. You can email her at: [email protected]

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  • TPA among airports nationwide to see delays in the wake of winter weather

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    TAMPA, Fla. — According to the flight tracking web site Flight Aware, more than 9,000 flights across the U.S. were delayed or canceled Friday as winter weather impacted parts of the country.

    At Tampa International Airport, passengers faced 260 delays and 38 cancellations as of 9 p.m. out of a total 632 flights. 

    What You Need To Know

    •  Friday was expected to be Tampa International Airport’s busiest day of the holiday travel season

    •  The airport expected nearly 82,000 people to fly through on Dec. 26

    •  Winter weather snarled travel nationwide, with Flight Aware showing a total of more than 9,000 delays and cancellations

    • TPA was also impacted, with more than 250 delays and dozens of cancellations


    Among the passengers spending more time at the airport than expected was the Jones family from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were trying to get back home after their annual holiday cruise.

    “The bad part about it — we got off the cruise at 8 (a.m.) this morning,” Danielle Jones said. “So, we already had to wait until 7 (p.m.) to fly, and now we’ve got to wait until 9-something and don’t get home until after midnight.”

    The Joneses were making the best of it. Several family members performed a dance near what will be the shuttle to the new Airside D.

    Mya King said she teaches line dancing and her family is always up to learning new routines.

    “They are, always — I grew up line dancing,” King said. “I got it from them.”

    “We’re the Jones family. We just dance everywhere, just try to keep everything positive,” said 22-year-old Jamari Tolbert.

    Raymon Jones, Sr., said the family spent the day at a nearby mall and the movies before heading to the airport.

    “It’s just tiring to see a delay, but we’ve gotta make something out of it, you feel me? We’re always hanging with family, kicking it,” said Tolbert.

    That’s what many passengers were doing in the days before they wound up at the airport. Friday was expected to be TPA’s busiest day of the holiday season, with nearly 82,000 passengers flying through. The airport’s communications manager, Beau Zimmer, said the holidays are always an all-hands-on-deck situation — from restaurants to shops to the guest experience team.

    “They’re handling it good,” 19-year-old Rayzier Jones said. “They’re doing the best they can.”

    “It’s the holidays,” said Rayanuna Jones, 20. “They’re here working and stuff, and they’ve still got a smile on their face.” 

    As for the Joneses, they said it’s all about perspective.

    “Just giving us more time to spend with each other,” said Danielle Jones.

    “Yeah, that’s it,” agreed Raymon Jones, Sr. “Family is everything for us, you know? The good and the bad. Everything’s not always great, but you work through it and you just have fun, like the kids said.”

    “Delayed, but never denied,” said Rayanuna. “We’re going to get there.”

    TPA recommends passengers check directly with their airline about their flight status before heading to the airport. Zimmer suggested passengers arrive two hours ahead of any domestic flights and three hours early if they’re flying internationally.

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  • ‘Row 14 seat C’: Woman is on American Airlines flight Los Angeles. Then she overhears a man’s conversation. Now she’s airing out his dirty laundry

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    Somewhere between takeoff and landing, Row 14 Seat C apparently turned into a confessional booth. One Miami-to-L.A. flight gave a woman front-row seats to a man casually detailing his creative system for hiding other women’s phone numbers from his girlfriend.

    Of course, being the girl’s girl that she is, she decided the group chat deserved to hear it too. Names were named (down to the seat), secrets were spilled, and TikTok was left to do what it does best: connect the dots and wonder who just got exposed at 30,000 feet.

    He Does What?

    It seems the 2025 dating scene is down in the dumps. Aside from dating app horror stories, some men are becoming increasingly confident sharing their favorite tips on how to be a Bad Boyfriend. This one TikTok creator, who goes by @nostolgicgirly, just revealed a new cheating strategy.

    Her clip now has 1.9 million views, a high number considering it’s just a six-second clip. The video shows her sitting in a plane with the text overlay reading, “If your boyfriend or husband was on american airlines flight 2689 miami to los angeles, row 14 seat c, he spent the entire flight telling his friend how he saves other girls’ numbers under ‘gym bro’, ‘work client’, and even ‘cousin’ so you won’t notice anything.”

    Almost 700 viewers have come together under the clip to rally against the mentioned boyfriend. 

    Is This an Ad… Or is it Real?

    In the caption, the woman says, “and Reclip just reminded me that I accidentally recorded half of it without even realizing.” Upon further investigation, most–if not all–of her videos feature Reclip as an important tool in her stories. Some of her clips focus on her own marriage, in which she says she discovered her husband cheating by using said app. But what even is the app to begin with? 

    On their website, the social media app is described as “captur[ing] moments that are impossible to catch with any other app, because only Reclip saves things after they happen. So the next time something crazy just happened, don’t tell your friends about it later. Clip it, and share the real thing with Reclip.”

    This is exactly what the TikTok creator says she does in all her videos. Her stories all feature an outlandish scenario, such as her recording her husband’s phone call with his mistress, or the time she caught her professor saying ‘uncomfortable’ comments, or even catching her father-in-law saying sexual comments. Each time, she says Reclip caught the moment. Which leads us to ask…is her TikTok even real?

    @nostolgicgirly and Reclip just reminded me that I accidentally recorded half of it without even realizing ? #cheaters #fypシ #airplanestory #americanairlines #datingstory ♬ original sound – ???? ?☀️

    Viewers Still Help Despite the Odds

    Even if her clip was an undisclosed ad for the app, viewers can’t help but feel compassion for a girl they don’t know. Most of the comments under the clip mention “boost” as a way to make sure it gets enough traction to reach the desired target. This practice is common in the gossiping world of TikTok, with the Mary Sue covering a similar story recently. Apparently, a barista overheard a man demeaning his fiancée to a random woman, calling her a ‘nightmare.’ In that clip, viewers were also commenting in hopes that their interaction would get the video to said fiancée. 

    In @nostolgicgirly’s clip, viewers band together in a similar fashion. Others just praise the TikTok creator for being so direct. The top comment says, “We love a girls girl.”

    Another shares, “Women supporting women.” One goes far to say, “You deserve a noble [sic] peace prize.” 

    Some share similar tactics they’ve discovered in their own dating life. One viewer says, “I once discovered I was saved as ‘Matt.””

    Another gives a clue on how to check in on their partners’ fidelity: “Always go on whatsapp and scroll through the contacts bc their photo will show so you’ll know if ‘work bro’ is a girl.”

    The Mary Sue reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez-Gomez is a contributing reporter to the Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Daily Dot, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and more. You can follow her on X at @GisselleHern. You can email her at [email protected].

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