FlyerTalk member ComAirKid wants to know How to meet other FT’ers on same flight — and, of course, the ideas and suggestions abound from fellow FlyerTalk members, including:

• Proudly displaying one’s bright yellow FlyerTalk luggage tag
• Announcements via the public address system of the aircraft by flight attendants
• Tattoos
• Using the emergency exit pamphlets
• Secret passwords and handshakes
• Removing one’s clothing and running up and down the aisles of the aircraft

..or, perhaps finding out the old-fashioned way: start a conversation with your seatmate.

What is your idea or suggestion?

…to some of the long-exposure images posted by FlyerTalk members.

Many of them were taken at night.

If you have any Long Exposure Photos – Post Yours!

Once the largest airline in Mexico, Mexicana Suspends ALL Operations!

Having been in bankruptcy as originally reported here by The Gate on August 4, an official statement that Mexicana Ceases Flight Operations could be considered a disappointment for members of the oneworld alliance, which Mexicana joined less than a year ago.

FlyerTalk members mourn the loss of Mexicana and speculate on which airline may fill the void it leaves behind…

The United States Department of Justice has officially approved the merger of Continental Airlines and United Airlines, which is expected to be completed October 1, 2010 pending approval to be voted by shareholders on September 17. This merger is expected to unseat Delta Air Lines as the world’s largest airline.

Continental Airlines conceded to agree to lease 18 pairs of takeoff and landing slots to Southwest Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport in order to resolve concerns about competition and anti-trust issues.

FlyerTalk members discuss this latest news in the following threads:

• DOJ Approves UA/CO Merger
• DOJ approves CO/UA merger

An “interim final rule” has been announced by the United States Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security that as of September 8, 2010, travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries are required to pay US$14.00 in operational and travel promotion fees when applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA.

When this story was first posted here in The Gate back on September 14, 2009, the fee was originally established at US$10.00. However, four additional dollars was added to the fee for the “recovery of costs incurred by the United States Customs and Border Protection of providing and administering the Electronic System for Travel Authorization and is in addition to the mandatory US$10.00 travel promotion fee established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, enacted as Section 9 of Public Law 111-145, the United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009.”

Imagine how FlyerTalk member chumbawumba felt after reading in a Swiss newspaper regarding the cost of 14 US-$ for each tourist – in order to advertise tourism…

A detailed and potentially disturbing account of how FlyerTalk member ND Sol — who is an attorney — as Interrogated and Detained at IAH for Photographing is accompanied by photographs and told by ND Sol as it allegedly happened, including its outcome.

Were the security procedures, detention and interrogation by law enforcement necessary, or did they violate the rights of ND Sol? FlyerTalk members debate about how this situation should have been handled…

FlyerTalk member kokonutz says, “I proposed…to another Flyertalker…on an airplane. And, shockingly, she said YES!”

Now kokonutz will be busy with a lot of preparation and planning for marrying his fiancée, FlyerTalk member I012609.

We at The Gate enjoy spreading good news concerning FlyerTalk members, such as this particular “ring leader” — and this posting is no exception, as we congratulate kokonutz and I012609 and wish the lucky couple a long, happy, healthy and prosperous life together!

FlyerTalk member warreng24 became worried and asked the question, “Original matrix.itasoftware.com is now gone?”

Although he found out the answer to his own question, FlyerTalk member ITAGiRL, who is an employee of the company that created the ITA matrix software, gave reassurance that the classic version of the software still exists and will not disappear anytime soon but has a new URL to access it, while the newer version of the software now sports the default URL.

She also asked for a favor: “If you decide to stick with Matrix Classic, can you still give the new one another spin and use the comment link to let us know why you use Classic? We addressed a lot of your concerns (but not all of them) and it is very helpful for us to refresh our knowledge on the weaknesses we might still have.”

Coupons provided by Little Debbie — a company based in the United States which manufactures snack cakes — allowed AirTran passengers to enjoy a $10.00 discount on their airfares.

However, when FlyerTalk member LegalEagle attempted to check in at Logan Airport in Boston recently, the agent at the AirTran ticket counter demanded an extra $10.00 to be collected because the Little Debbie coupons were “retroactively disallowed,” to which LegalEagle believes is rather crumby.

The icing on the cake is that LegalEagle is not the only FlyerTalk member to encounter this problem.

Was this a half-baked promotion, filled with layers of problems and issues? Does AirTran have the right to “retroactively disallow” coupons that were once valid? Should LegalEagle slice it into AirTran, or is a resolution to this issue simply “pie in the sky?”

Actually, the pillows used in an impromptu pillow fight aboard a recent Lufthansa flight may or may not contain pillows, but nonetheless ruffled feathers — which usually is not good — may be a positive thing in this situation.

In fact, a flight attendant was even involved in the melee!

Please click here for the FlyerTalk member discussion, as well as a link to a video showing the actual pillow fight.