airlines

Flying the friendly skies is one thing. Being forced to pony up the cash to do it while en route is something else entirely. But that’s what happened on a flight operated by Austria-based carrier Comtel earlier this week.

A Department of Transportation rule implemented in April 2010 prohibits airlines from keeping passengers sitting on a tarmac for more than three hours — a rule it says an American Airlines affiliate has since violated so frequently that it’s now been slapped with a $900,000 fine, the first such fine handed down since the edict took effect.

With delays, baggage fees and overbooking, flying already has the potential to be a miserable experience. But imagine if you had to share your flight with cockroaches. According to Harry Marsh and Kaitlin Rush, that’s exactly what happened to them. They’re now suing carrier AirTran for emotional distress and more than $100,000 as a result.