Top Five Worst Travel Stories of the Week

March 10, 2010 — -- Insanity reigned last week, and not just in the air travel industry: Perhaps you heard that the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court was stepping down. Only it turned out, he wasn't. It didn't seem to matter that this "breaking news" story originated with a celebrity gossip site best known for its in-depth OctoMom coverage. People believed it.

So I was particularly amused at how absurd some of last week's true tales sounded. You know, the bizarre incidents involving fake pilots, child controllers and more. But true they were. Which begs the question: Was there something in the water last week? Something in those complimentary packs of peanuts?

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Let's examine some of the craziness before we return to the normal; or as I call it, the "full upright position." What follows are, in my opinion, the Top Five Worst Travel Incidents in a Single Week. As a bonus, there is one honorable mention, and I provide an upside to each incident.

For more air travel news and insights visit Rick's blog at: http://farecompare.com.

#1: The Make-Believe Pilot

A 41-year-old pilot from the Netherlands was arrested in the cockpit of his 737 as he was about to take off for Ankara with more than 100 passengers on board, because he was a fake. He is accused of passing himself off as a commercial pilot, but his license was reportedly a complete sham.

How'd he get away with it? The head of the Dutch Airline Pilots Association said, "It's a bit like a driving license -- it doesn't normally get checked unless you do something wrong." And that's supposed to make us feel better?

Upside: Mr. Fake Pilot wasn't completely clueless; licensed or not, he reportedly had been piloting passenger planes for a variety of European airlines for the past 13 years.