Tag Archives: air travel

Passenger Deploys Emergency Slide, Exits Plane [Video]

Los Angeles’ ABC affiliate reports: A passenger on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Seattle was detained Saturday for allegedly opening an emergency exit door, moments before the plane was set to take off. The incident happened at around 10 a.m. at the Los Angeles International Airport. In a statement sent to Eyewitness News, Delta said the passenger opened …

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TSA Clarifies: We Consider Peanut Butter To Be Liquid

The New York Times reports: The Transportation Security Administration thought it had settled a dispute over peanut butter some time ago: unless it is 3.4 fluid ounces or less, it has to be checked. However, the question of what the T.S.A. considers a liquid continues to confuse passengers. It bubbled up again last week when a writer and podcaster tried …

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Man Tried To Stab Flight Attendant, Open Door [VIDEO]

From the Justice Department: A Leominster, Mass. man has been arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to open an emergency exit door while aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston and then allegedly attempting to stab a flight attendant in the neck. Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with …

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Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Bird Strike, Fire

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Fort Lauderdale returned to Havana Sunday after the aircraft was reportedly struck by a bird and cellphone video showed smoke filling the cabin. Southwest flight 3923 returned to José Martí International Airport after passengers reported the engine catching fire mid-flight. “Southwest flight #3923 departing Havana, Cuba, for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, …

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Flight Diverted After Passengers Vomit From Turbulence

The New York Post reports: A passenger aboard a rocky Southwest Airlines flight to North Carolina Friday passed out due to the turbulence — while others were left vomiting as the plane shook “like crazy.” The mayhem erupted when Flight 3094 from Maryland hit wild weather as it approached Raleigh-Durham International Airport Friday night. The rough landing was eventually aborted …

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Feds: Man Checked Explosives Onto Orlando Flight

CNN reports: Federal agents arrested a Pennsylvania man this week after he allegedly tried to bring explosives in his suitcase on a flight from Lehigh Valley International Airport to Florida. According to court documents, an alarm alerted that the baggage belonging to Marc Muffley contained explosives. TSA agents paged Muffley over the airport intercom system and asked him to report …

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Felon Tried To Board Flight With AR-15 And Fake Badge

NBC News reports: A New Jersey felon attempted to board a flight late last year with an AR-15 rifle, a Taser and a fake U.S. Marshal badge, according to a federal complaint that was unsealed Monday. Seretse Clouden has been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon and fraudulent possession of an identification document and …

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Winter Storm Cancels/Delays Thousands Of Flights

Reuters reports: Airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights in the United States on Wednesday as a strong winter storm makes its way through the western and central states. A total of 1,510 flights within, into and out of the United States were canceled by 4:30 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, which also showed 3,870 flights were delayed. Snow …

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TSA Agents Intercepted Record 6542 Handguns In 2022

The Associated Press reports: The woman flying out of Philadelphia’s airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cellphone in her handbag. But what was more important was what she forgot to unpack: a loaded .380-caliber handgun in a black holster. The weapon was one of the 6,542 guns the Transportation Security Administration intercepted last year at …

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FAA Issues “Safety Call” After Recent Near Disasters

Axios reports: The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acting chief has issued a “safety call to action” after several narrowly-averted catastrophes in the past few months have raised serious concerns throughout the aviation community. It’s a public acknowledgement that the agency is acutely aware of those incidents, and is taking steps to investigate and learn from them. In an agency memo, …

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United Confirms Near Crash In December [VIDEO]

Hawaii News Now reports: Newly-released flight data reveals a San Francisco-bound United Airlines flight went into a steep dive shortly after taking off from the Kahului Airport, coming within almost 800 feet of impacting the ocean. The incident happened in mid-December of last year, but is only coming to light now. United Flight 1722 plunged toward the ocean moments after …

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Flight Crew Subpoenaed In JFK Runway Near Collision

Gothamist reports: The National Transportation Safety Board has subpoenaed an American Airlines crew involved in a runway incident at John F. Kennedy Airport. The crew was onboard an American Airlines plane headed for London in mid-January when it crossed an active runway at JFK without air traffic clearance. The move caused a Delta Air Lines plane headed for Santo Domingo …

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NTSB: Austin Airport Near-Miss Was Within 100 Feet

Politico reports: A Southwest Airlines and FedEx cargo airplane avoided crashing into each other at the Austin airport over the weekend by less than 100 feet, the head of a federal investigating body said Monday. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said in an interview with POLITICO that the near-miss findings are still preliminary, but that …

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FAA Investigates Near-Miss At Austin Airport [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: A FedEx cargo airplane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday morning had to reverse course after a second plane was cleared to depart from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 767 cargo airplane was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land at about 6:40 a.m. …

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1300 Flights Canceled As Ice Storm Sweeps The South

NBC News reports: Nearly 1,300 flights within, to and from the United States were canceled Tuesday as an ice storm swept over parts of the South. The storm was concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, leaving the region hit the hardest with travel issues, with 374 flights canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to the online flight tracker …

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British Airline Strands Passengers In Abrupt Bankruptcy

ABC News reports: Struggling U.K. regional airline Flybe collapsed for the second time in three years Saturday, putting jobs on the line and leaving passengers stranded. The airline initially slumped into bankruptcy in March 2020, shedding 2,400 jobs, as coronavirus restrictions decimated the travel industry. It relaunched in April last year, flying many of the same routes out of Belfast, …

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Southwest Ups Loss From Holiday Meltdown To $1.2B

Axios reports: Southwest Airlines has been in damage-control mode since its December holiday meltdown, working to defend its reputation. Now, that episode has an actual price tag. The airline said today the snafu cost it $800 million in the fourth quarter, driving it to a net Q4 loss. And it expects to take another $300 million to $350 million hit …

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DOT Opens Probe Into Southwest’s Holiday Snafus

CNN Business reports: The US Transportation Department said it is in the early stages of an investigation into the Southwest Airlines holiday travel meltdown in December. The probe includes an examination of whether Southwest is scheduling more flights than it can handle. “DOT is in the initial phase of a rigorous and comprehensive investigation into Southwest Airlines’ holiday debacle that …

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Woman Sprays ATL Staff, Cops With Fire Extinguisher

Atlanta’s ABC affiliate reports: A woman was arrested Tuesday after police said she assaulted officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and sprayed people with a fire extinguisher. At around 9:34 p.m., officers responded to concourse D at the airport in reference to a suspicious woman attempting to open secured doors inside the concourse. When officers arrived, airport security notified them …

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Air Traffic Audio Released Of Near-Collision At JFK

CNN reports: Air traffic controllers had “noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner,” the FAA said in a statement. “According to a preliminary analysis, Delta Air Lines Flight 1943 stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before reaching the point where American Airlines Flight 106, a Boeing 777, had crossed from an adjacent taxiway.” Audio …

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