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The Daily Dot

Chad Swiatecki is a 30-year journalist who relocated to Austin, TX from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He writes regularly for Austin Monitor, and has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin Business Journal, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.

Chad Swiatecki

Shell gas on left. Map of Gulf of Mexico with "America" written on paper covering the word "Mexico" in center. J.P. Morgan building on right.

future_of_the_gulf_of_america.png

‘Haven’t been proven as a viable excuse’: Climate activists installed a giant aquarium in the Hilton lobby. It’s a warning to JP Morgan

Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schon! magazine, and more.

Braden Bjella

the_down_fall_of_southwest_tik_tok.png

‘For all the screw-ups that they do’: Man warns to use Southwest flight credits before this date after new policy change

Rebekah is a freelance reporter for the Daily Dot.

Rebekah Harding

Woman looking shocked and confused on right. Tinder on phone screen on left.

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‘He’s been married to my mom for 20 years’: Woman goes on vacation with her family. Then she sees her dad on Tinder

Rebecca Leib

A tweet over Southwest airplanes on the airport runway. Text reads, "That was a nasty move for Southwest Airlines. They even could have dropped the free bag allowance down to 1 . But snatching both free checked bags is just greed."

southwest_baggage_change_X.jpg

Culture

People are unhappy Southwest Airlines canceled their popular ‘two free bags’ policy: ‘This won’t last long’

woman smiling(l) Airplane flying over airstrip(c) Man shares airport theory(r)

airport theory

A new ‘airport theory’ going viral on social media is making people miss their flights

Ramon Ramirez was the managing editor and, formerly, the Dot&#8217;s news director, entertainment editor, and evening editor. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Grantland, Washington City Paper, Austin American-Statesman, and Austin Monitor.

Ramon Ramirez

A person sitting at a desk, next to a hotel staffer with room service.

MCOTW-03-07-2025.jpg

‘I would’ve cried: Hotel guest orders room service. Then ‘turn down’ service takes it away

Stacy Fernández is a freelance writer, project manager and communications specialist. She’s worked at The Texas Tribune, The Dallas Morning News and run social for The Education Trust New York. Her favorite hobby is finding hidden gems at the thrift store, she loves a good audio book and is a chocolate enthusiast.

Stacy Fernandez

Split image. Woman angrily explaining experience while staying at Marriott Moxy on left. Moxy hotel logo on building on right.

marriott_moxy_hotel_woman_issue.png

‘You actually brought it in’: Guest says she confronted manager over what she found in Marriott Moxy hotel. Then the worker tries to gaslight her

Reeses's chocolate eggs on shelves at Costco on left. Costco storefront on right.

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‘They’ll explode’: Former Hershey’s worker spots Reese’s Eggs at Costco. Then she reveals this little-known warning

TSA Precheck(l), Woman talking(c), Items on table and text "when security pulls you over and threatens to throw away all of your makeup and hair products that are literally trial size"(r)

Vancouver flier gets pulled over by TSA

‘Never have been stopped before’: Vancouver flier gets pulled over by TSA over this little-known travel violation. It could happen to you, too

Alexandra Samuels is a national political reporter and contributor to the Daily Dot, where she started as an intern covering politics in the summer of 2016. She enjoys all things Marvel, keeping up with the latest TikTok trends, long walks with her pup, and reading murder-mystery novels.

Alexandra Samuels

Person on plane facing seat in front of them with text on top reading "ON MY WAY BACK NOW (3 laughing crying emojis)" on left. Jet Blue logo on right.

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‘At least he knows when to call it quits’: Passenger is on JetBlue flight from Florida to New York. Then the pilot gets on the intercom

Photo of an American Airlines plane; Screenshot from Tiktok user @andreanotfromtrinidad with the Caption "Do better, @AmericanAirlines".

do_better_american_airlines_tiktok.jpg

‘Do better, American Airlines’: Customer spends $5,000 on first-class ticket to Honolulu. Then she sees her seat

Grace Rampaul is a social and multimedia intern at the Daily Dot. She is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, with a major in Journalism and focus on Media and Entertainment Studies. Grace is based in Austin and covers trending stories, entertainment, cultural phenomenon, and all things social.

Grace Rampaul

‘Look how bad they want us in the air’: Woman checks flight prices. Uh, why are they so low?

Spirit Airlines branded Plane(l) Woman shares issues experience with flying with Spirit Airlines(r)

spirit airlines flight delay

‘Kudos to the pilots’: Woman says her Spirit Airlines flight had to deplane. Then she learns the real reason why

Delta Airplane(l) Woman giving a shocked reaction(c) TSA at airport(r)

delta tsa

‘This is so trifling’: Delta passenger gets home after flight. Then she sees what TSA did to her food

Charlotte is a regular Daily Dot contributor with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Masters&#8217;s degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.

Charlotte Colombo Author Photo

Charlotte Colombo

Caribbean Cruise(l) Man shares horrifying discovering at cruise(c) Caribbean Cruise Deck(r)

Travel