Tag Archives: air travel

CNBC reports: JetBlue Airways made a $3.6 billion all-cash offer for Spirit Airlines, raising questions about Spirit’s deal to combine with rival discount carrier Frontier Airlines. Spirit said its board was evaluating JetBlue’s proposal and will “pursue the course of action it determines to be in the best interests of Spirit and its stockholders.” JetBlue’s bid comes less than two …

The Daily Beast reports: A man on a Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to Phoenix is facing federal charges for pulling down his pants and masturbating at least four times in front of a female passenger, beginning shortly after takeoff, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The Daily Beast. Antonio Sherrodd McGarity was arrested by officers from the …

Hawaii News Now reports: Since its launch, 12 million passengers were screened through the state’s Safe Travels program launched in a bid to welcome visitors back amid the pandemic. But at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Safe Travels was no more. The state has stopped checking for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. They’ve stopped requiring incoming passengers to take …

The Independent reports: A man who was allegedly seen in a viral video punching a Southwest Airlines employee after being removed from a flight has been charged with battery. Courney Drummond was arrested on Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His charges include simple battery, battery, and obstruction, according to law enforcement. Police have said that Mr Drummond was removed …

The Birmingham News reports: A north Alabama sheriff’s deputy is no longer with his agency and another was disciplined after they allegedly caused a “rowdy” scene at the Birmingham airport when they allegedly cursed at officers and refused to wear masks and were drunk on their flight. Authorities were called to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport around 5:36 p.m. Feb. 26 after …

USA Today reports: A Chinese airplane with 132 people on board a domestic flight crashed Monday in the southern province of Guangxi, officials said. There was no immediate word on the number of dead or injured. On board were 123 passengers and nine crew members of the China Eastern airline, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Chinese President …

The BBC reports: The UK’s largest airport has dropped mandatory face masks for passengers. Heathrow Airport no longer requires people to wear them in its terminals, railway stations or office buildings but will continue to recommend they do so. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are the latest airlines to relax their policies on face coverings. Passengers must still wear them …

The Washington Post reports: Travelers will have to continue to wear masks until April 18 when flying commercially and in other transportation settings, including on buses, ferries and subways, officials announced Wednesday. The mandate, which first was put into place by the Biden administration in early 2021 as a public health measure during the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended multiple …

Via press release from the Sabre Corporation: Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology company in the travel industry, today announced that it has terminated its distribution agreement with Aeroflot, the largest government-majority owned carrier in Russia . Sabre is taking immediate steps to remove Aeroflot flight content from its global distribution system (GDS), a marketplace used by travel agencies, …

The Buffalo News reports: Police removed a JetBlue pilot from the cockpit of a plane about to depart Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Wednesday morning who had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit for pilots, a Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesperson said. The pilot was “removed from his duties,” the airline said in a statement released …

The Boarding Group reports: A woman was arrested at the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on Friday at gate C55, where a Delta Airlines flight destined for Columbia, South Carolina, was set to depart. At one point, according to the man recording the video, she is alleged to have called a security guard the n-word. The man recording the video …

CNN Business reports: Air France and Lufthansa are the latest airlines to suspend flights into Ukraine as fears of a Russian invasion grow. The French carrier said that it would cancel flights to and from the capital Kyiv on Tuesday as a “precautionary measure,” citing the security situation. “Air France will regularly reassess the situation and reminds that the safety …

From the editorial board of the Washington Post: The federal government does not maintain an official “no-brainer list” of policies. If it did, there’s a good chance many Americans would applaud if one were a rule barring violent, unruly and disruptive airline passengers from the skies. Nonetheless, some Republicans in Washington are grandstanding, rejecting no-nonsense measures to keep passengers and …

From the Justice Department: A Portland man is facing federal charges after attempting to open an emergency exit on a commercial airline flight from Salt Lake City, Utah to Portland. Michael Brandon Demarre, 32, has been charged by criminal complaint with threatening to interfere and interfering with a flight crew and attendants. According to court documents, on February 11, 2022, …

The New York Times reports: An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., made a rapid emergency landing in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday afternoon after an unruly passenger tried to break into the cockpit and then attempted to open an exit door, witnesses said. The passenger was subdued by crew members and other passengers. He was taken …

NBC News reports: Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, the two largest low-cost carriers in the U.S. have agreed to merge, creating what would become the fifth-largest airline in the country. The boards of both companies approved the deal over the weekend, prior to the CEOs of both airlines announcing the agreement in New York City. The deal, valued at $6.6 …

NDTV reports: A Parliamentary panel on Friday said the use of ‘GAY’ code for Gaya airport is inappropriate for the holy city and asked the government to make all efforts to change the code. The Committee on Public Undertakings, in its first report tabled in Parliament in January 2021, had recommended changing the code of Gaya airport from ‘GAY’ and …

USA Today reports: Southwest Airlines will resume the sale of alcoholic beverages on Feb. 16 after a nearly two-year absence due to COVID concerns. The move will leave American Airlines as the only major U.S. airline still not serving alcohol in economy. The airline planned to resume inflight cocktails, beer and wine in June 2021 but scrapped those plans after …

Reuters reports: Major airlines, business and travel groups urged the White House on Wednesday to end COVID-19 pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated international passengers traveling to the United States. Airlines for America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, International Air Transport Association, Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. Travel Association and other groups called for change in a letter to White House …

The Hill reports: According to FlightAware, 3,049 flights have been cancelled for Saturday with airliners JetBlue, Republic and American Airlines having the largest percentage of cancelled flights. The cancellations are mostly impacting airports along the East Coast, including New York City’s John F. Kennedy International airport, Boston’s Boston Logan International airport, and Newark Liberty International airport. JetBlue cancelled 50 percent …