Tag Archives: airlines

“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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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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Boeing Finds New Issue With Unfinished Max Planes

Reuters reports: Boeing Co said on Sunday it will have to do more work on about 50 undelivered 737 MAX airplanes, potentially delaying some near-term deliveries, after its supplier Spirit AeroSystems discovered two mis-drilled holes on some fuselages. Boeing confirmed the findings in response to a Reuters query after industry sources said an “edge margin”, or spacing problem, had been …

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FAA Urges Inspections For Second Boeing Model

Business Insider reports: A second plane has been dragged into the Boeing 737 Max 9 saga as the Federal Aviation Administration recommended a new set of inspections on Sunday. The Boeing 737-900ER uses the same door-plug design as the Max 9, which has come under scrutiny since the Alaska Airlines blowout on January 5. The Max 9 remains grounded as …

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Federal Judge Blocks JetBlue’s Purchase Of Spirit

CNBC reports: A federal judge blocked JetBlue Airways’ purchase of budget rival Spirit Airlines, a major win for Biden’s Justice Department, which sued to stop the merger, alleging it would drive up fares for some of the most price-sensitive consumers. JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of discounter Spirit would have produced the country’s fifth-largest airline, a deal the carriers said …

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Over 1500 Flights Canceled Due To Winter Storms

NBC News reports: More than 1500 flights within, to or out of the United States were canceled Tuesday as extreme winter weather continued to wreak havoc for travelers. Data from the tracking group FlightAware also showed more than 3,000 U.S. flights were delayed Tuesday as of 10:07 a.m. ET. United Airlines saw the most cancellations at 303, FlightAware data showed. …

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Loose Door Bolts Found On Multiple Boeing Max Planes

The Guardian reports: United Airlines has found loose bolts on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft, it said Monday, referring to the Boeing model that has been grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane in mid-flight over the weekend. Industry publication Air Current reported that United found discrepant bolts on other parts on at least five panels that …

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Door Section From Airliner Found In Oregon Backyard

The Messenger reports: A portion of an Alaska Airlines plane’s fuselage that blew away mid-flight on Friday was located Sunday night in Portland, Oregon, according to an National Transportation Safety Board official. A school teacher only identified as “Bob” found the door plug portion of Flight 1282 in his backyard, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Sunday night. “So, thank …

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Airline Grounds Planes After Window Panel Blows Out

ABC News reports: An Alaska Airlines flight returned to Portland, Oregon, soon after takeoff after it “experienced an incident,” prompting the airline to temporarily ground its Boeing 737-9 fleet, the airline said Friday. Six crew members and 171 passengers were on board Flight 1282 bound for Ontario, California, the airline said. The cabin became depressurized shortly after takeoff and the …

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Five Dead In Japan Airlines Runway Collision [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: A passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, officials said, with public broadcaster NHK TV saying five crew members on the coast guard plane were killed. NHK reported that all occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516, believed to total 379 people, got …

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Passengers Help Restrain Screaming Man [VIDEO]

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: According to a source, the passenger was set to board American Airlines flight 9948 at 10 p.m. Friday from Rio de Janeiro to arrive at Miami International Airport early Saturday morning when he was heard screaming for “help” and “they’re killing me” in Spanish. Exclusive video obtained by Local 10 News shows that the man was …

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Holiday Air Travelers See Fewest Delays In Five Years

The Hill reports: As Americans begin traveling for the holidays in numbers not seen in years, few airport delays have been reported so far. So far, 1.2 percent of U.S. flights have been canceled this year, the lowest cancellation rate in five years. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that his department made improvements over the last year and applauded …

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Feds Fine Southwest Record $140M For 2022 Meltdown

The New York Times reports: The Transportation Department on Monday announced a $140 million fine against Southwest Airlines over a meltdown last winter that disrupted travel for about two million people during the holiday season. Of the $140 million, Southwest Airlines will pay $35 million to the federal government. For the remaining amount, the department is giving the airline credit …

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Alaska Airlines To Buy Hawaiian Airlines In $1.9B Deal

Bloomberg News reports: Alaska Air Group Inc. agreed to buy rival Hawaiian Holdings Inc. for $1.9 billion in cash and debt, challenging the Biden administration’s aggressive stance on mergers that has already derailed one partnership between carriers. Alaska will pay $18 per share in cash in a deal that includes about $900 million of Hawaiian’s debt, according to a statement …

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Southwest Passenger Opens Emergency Exit And Flees

New Orleans’ CBS affiliate reports: The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said a man at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, allegedly escaped through the emergency hatch and ran out onto the tarmac Sunday night. The plane was still parked at the terminal and had yet to push back from the gate for takeoff. Witnesses told media that the …

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Pilot Charged With Threatening To Shoot Flight Captain

NBC News reports: A California pilot has been indicted for threatening to shoot a flight’s captain if he diverted a flight due to a passenger medical issue. Jonathan J. Dunn was indicted on Oct. 18 for interfering with the crew of a commercial airline flight, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General said in a news release. …

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Federal Charges For Pilot In “Magic Mushrooms” Scare

From the Justice Department: An off-duty commercial airline pilot, who was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to shut down the engines of passenger plane in flight, has been charged in federal court. Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, California, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants. According to …

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Pilot Who Tried To Crash Plane: I Was On Mushrooms

The Guardian reports: An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines on a regional jet mid-flight on Sunday told police after his arrest that he believed he was having a nervous breakdown, thought he was dreaming when he pulled fire handles in the cockpit, and that he had experimented with psychedelic mushrooms recently as his mental health …

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Off-Duty Pilot Charged With Attempt To Crash Plane

The New York Times reports: An off-duty pilot who was in a jump seat in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight has been charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder after he tried to disrupt the engines during a flight on Sunday, prompting the plane to divert to Portland, Ore., the authorities said. Flight 2059, operated by …

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