Tag Archives: air travel

Airline Changes Seatbelt Policy After Fatal Turbulence

CNN Travel reports: Singapore Airlines has tweaked its in-flight seatbelt sign policies and altered at least one flight route after a turbulence incident this week killed one person and left dozens more hospitalized, according to the airline and flight data. The airline is adopting a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt …

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One Dead, Multiple Injuries After Severe Turbulence

The Associated Press reports: One person has died aboard a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday, in which the plane apparently plummeted for a number of minutes before it was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather. The Boeing 777-300ER, with a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew …

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Iranian President Confirmed Dead In Helicopter Crash

CBS News reports: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, along with the country’s foreign minister and others, were found dead Monday morning hours after their helicopter crashed in dense fog in a mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63. The crash comes at hugely a tumultuous time for the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war, during which …

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Airlines Sue Biden Admin Over New Fee Disclosure Rule

Reuters reports: Major U.S. airlines are suing the U.S. Transportation Department over a new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees, the latest clash between air carriers and the Biden administration. Airlines for America, along with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines. and Alaska Airlines filed suit against the department (USDOT) in the U.S. Fifth …

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DHS: You Now Have One Year To Get Your “Real ID”

USA Today reports: If you plan on flying around the country in 2025 and beyond, you might want to listen up. You have about 365 days to make your state-issued driver’s license or identification “Real ID” compliant, per the Department of Homeland Security. The Real ID compliance is part of a larger act passed by Congress in 2005 to set …

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FAA Investigates Boeing Over Falsified Inspections

CBS News reports: After being notified by Boeing that some company employees failed to complete specific inspections on some 787 Dreamliners but reported the checks as having been completed, essentially falsifying inspection records, the Federal Aviation Administration has opened a formal investigation. The inspections verify there is adequate bonding and grounding of the fasteners connecting the wings to the fuselage. …

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Swiss Army Knife Will Soon Come Without A Knife

Bloomberg reports: The Swiss Army Knife, the iconic, more than century-old fold-up tool used by whittlers, soldiers and even astronauts, will soon be available without a blade. Victorinox, the company behind the quintessentially Swiss product, is responding to tighter regulations around weapons around the world, Chief Executive Officer Carl Eisner told the Blick newspaper on Monday. Instead, it plans to …

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Southwest Drops Four Airports After $218M Q1 Loss

CNN reports: Southwest Airlines announced Thursday it will stop serving four airports after reporting increased losses in the first quarter and more delays in the delivery of promised jets from Boeing. The four airports are Bellingham International Airport in Washington state, Cozumel International Airport in Mexico, Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Southwest …

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Biden Admin Makes It Easier For Flyers To Get Refunds

Politico reports: Passengers whose flights are canceled or “significantly” delayed won’t have to fight to get a cash refund from the airline under a new Biden administration rule issued Wednesday. The rule comes after more than a year of promises by the administration to shore up protections for air passengers, who have suffered through a glut of delays, cancellations and …

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CA Lawmakers Seek To Ban Airport Screener CLEAR

Politico reports: In this deep blue state where Republicans rarely back Democratic colleagues in the Capitol, one issue is overcoming the partisan divide: line skipping at airports. A pair of Orange County state senators from opposing parties — who frequently fly between their districts and Sacramento — are both boosting a first-in-the-nation proposal critics say would ban the expedited security …

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SF Sues Oakland Over Proposed Airport Name Change

CNN reports: San Francisco is suing its neighbor across the Bay over a plan to change the name of Oakland’s airport. Earlier this month, the Port of Oakland’s commissioners voted unanimously to change the name of Oakland International Airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” “The feedback we get [from airlines] … is, because there is lack of name …

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Runway Collision Narrowly Avoided At DC Airport

CNN reports: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how two jetliners were put on an apparent collision course as they were leaving Reagan National Airport Thursday morning, prompting air traffic controllers to frantically radio each plane to stop. Air traffic control audio recordings detail controllers shouting for a JetBlue flight to stop its takeoff run as a Southwest Airlines flight …

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TSA: 93% Of 1503 Guns Found In Q1 Were Loaded

Via press release from the TSA: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted 1,503 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first quarter of 2024, which ended March 31. This total represents an average of 16.5 firearms per day detected at TSA checkpoints, comparable to firearm detections during the same time period in 2023, when TSA officers intercepted 1,508 firearms at airport …

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Southwest Flight Loses Engine Cover During Takeoff

CNBC reports: An engine cowling fell off of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 and struck a wing flap during takeoff from Denver International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday. The FAA said Southwest Flight 3695 was on its way to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport and safely returned to the gate at Denver at 8:15 a.m. local time. Southwest …

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Trio Of Top Boeing Execs To Exit Amid Safety Scandal

CNBC reports: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of 2024 in part of a broad management shakeup for the embattled aerospace giant. Chairman of the board Larry Kellner is also resigning and will leave the board at Boeing’s annual meeting in May. He has been replaced as chair by Steve Mollenkopf, who has been a Boeing …

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FBI Sends Letter To Passengers On Infamous Alaska Airlines Flight: “You Are A Possible Victim Of A Crime”

The New York Times reports: Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines plane that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew off this year have started to receive letters from the F.B.I. identifying them as possible victims of a crime. The letters are a sign that a criminal investigation the Justice Department has opened into Boeing, the manufacturer of the …

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“Cockpit Mishap” Blamed For Airliner’s Nosedive

The Insider reports: Monday’s Latam Airlines incident might have been caused by a flight attendant accidentally hitting a switch in the cockpit, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flying from Sydney to Auckland when it suddenly dropped. 50 people were treated by paramedics, of whom 12 were sent to the hospital, the New Zealand Herald reported. …

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DOJ Launches Probe Into Boeing Max Door Blowout

CBS News reports: The Justice Department is investigating the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines door blowout and whether anything that led up to, or contributed to it, could affect the deferred prosecution agreement aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing entered into with the Justice Department in 2021, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News. As part of the agreement, which …

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JetBlue And Spirit Airlines Call Off Merger Agreement

CNBC reports: JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines on Monday said they are ending their agreement to merge, weeks after losing a federal antitrust lawsuit that challenged the deal. A federal judge in January blocked JetBlue’s attempted takeover of budget carrier Spirit after the Justice Department sued to bar the deal last year. The Justice Department alleged the acquisition would stifle …

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Man Tries To Open Emergency Door Mid-Flight [VIDEO]

Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports: Video from passengers shows a man getting duct-taped after a flight to Chicago was disrupted Tuesday. American Airlines plane number 1219 was heading to O’Hare Airport from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The flight was headed to Chicago Tuesday afternoon. The plane made it up to 26,000 feet when a man onboard tried to open a plane door. …

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