Tag Archives: airports

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A Transportation Security Administration agent was killed Saturday morning after jumping from a hotel balcony into the atrium of Orlando International Airport, authorities said. The incident caused the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly ground all flights, causing delays and massive lines at security checkpoints, which were closed because of the suicide. Sgt. Eduardo Bernal, a spokesman …

Politico reports: Pilots, air traffic controllers and flight attendants are warning that aviation safety is “deteriorating by the day” as the shutdown drags on, and suggested that there’s no telling when “the entire system will break.” Leaders of three unions issued a statement late Wednesday evening saying their concern is growing for their employees, airlines and the public. “In our …

Bloomberg reports: The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights at Newark Liberty International Airport after a drone sighting. The civilian aircraft was spotted north of the New Jersey hub at an altitude of 3,500 feet, FAA spokesman Greg Martin said Tuesday. The U.S. government last week unveiled a long-awaited set of proposals to dramatically expand civilian drone flights while also …

The New York Times reports: The Great Plains were digging out, the Great Lakes were being walloped and the Northeast was bracing for impact on Saturday as a huge snowstorm raced across the Northern states. The storm, which complicated travel and busted plans for the three-day weekend across much of the country, caused problems from Kansas, where the governor declared …

The Associated Press reports: The shutdown has brought an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. Food, financial help, haircuts and toiletries are among the donated goods and services. On Wednesday, donations of diapers, juice, garbage bags, canned soup and boxes of Ramen noodles were being unloaded onto luggage carts at the …

The Associated Press reports: Passengers at the nation’s busiest airport are feeling the pinch of the government shutdown and it’s coming in the forms of long security lines. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is warning passengers to give themselves at least three hours to clear security. Issues with screenings have prompted several airports – including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Miami …

Click 2 Houston reports: The ticketing and security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s Terminal B remained closed Monday because of a shortage of TSA workers, who are not being paid during the government shutdown. A Houston police officer could be seen blocking the ramp to the passenger drop-off area of Terminal B early Monday morning. There have been reports …

The Miami Herald reports: With more federal security screeners refusing to work without pay, Miami International Airport plans to cut off access to one of its terminals over the weekend in order to send TSA workers to busier checkpoints, a spokesman said Thursday night. Closing of the security checkpoint at Terminal G is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, …

Politico reports: Air traffic controllers, who are working through the government shutdown, won’t be getting a paycheck for their last two weeks of work, their union confirmed Thursday morning. Pay stubs reading a net pay of zero dollars were distributed Thursday morning, including one for a controller at a major air traffic control hub outside of Washington, D.C. shared with …

The BBC reports: Departures at Heathrow have been stopped after a drone was sighted, the airport says. A Heathrow spokeswoman said the airport was working with police to “prevent any threat to operational safety”. She said: “As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.” It comes after …

Forbes reports: Security lines at airports across the country are starting to grow long as nationwide action from TSA workers starts to take its toll. On Friday, CNN reported that the agency, which is responsible for operating security checkpoints at airports across the country, was suffering from staffing shortages as a function of the government shutdown. Starting on Sunday, the …

USA Today reports: A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the “criminal use of drones” that forced the shutdown of London’s Gatwick international airport for several days, affecting 140,000 holiday travelers. Police said the pair were from the small town of Crawley, near Gatwick. No one had claimed responsibility for the bizarre incidents that …

The BBC reports: A drone attack at one of the UK’s busiest airports has left tens of thousands of passengers facing major disruption. Gatwick’s runway has been shut since Wednesday night, when two devices were seen flying over the perimeter fence. The airport said a drone had been spotted “in the last hour” and the runway would not open “until …

Next Gov reports: Some international travelers can leave their boarding passes and passports in their pockets when flying out of Dulles International Airport thanks to a new facial recognition boarding technology that went into operation Thursday. The new veriScan system developed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority—with guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection—scans the faces of travelers approaching the …

The Associated Press reports: An airline worker stole an empty Alaska Airlines plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington on Friday night, and the National Guard scrambled two fighter jets to chase the aircraft, which crashed on a sparsely populated island in Puget Sound, officials said. No passengers were aboard the 76-seat Horizon Air Q400 turboprop plane, which was stolen …

The New York Daily News reports: The fourth New York City nor’easter of the month arrived Wednesday, bringing the familiar litany of woe: Massive airport delays, whipping winds and the threat of up to 15 inches of snow. The first flakes began falling during the morning rush hour, with the effects felt immediately at La Guardia, Kennedy and Newark Airports …

The New York Daily News reports: A traveler furious over a $50 bag check fee at LaGuardia Airport claimed to have a bomb Saturday morning — prompting an evacuation and flight diversions, Port Authority police said. The man was checking in at a Spirit Airlines counter in Terminal B around 7 a.m. when he was told it would cost him …

According to breaking reports, nine people were injured and at least one is dead in an apparent mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport this afternoon. The shooter is reportedly in custody. Thousands of passengers have been evacuated out onto the tarmac. Former White House press secretary and CNN commentator Ari Fleischer happened to be there and he’s live-tweeting from …

By coincidence, today was O’Hare’s fire drill day and they’d issued social media messages telling people not to worry if they saw anything unusual. DNA Info reports: A harrowing scene played out at O’Hare Airport Friday afternoon after an American Airlines flight caught fire on a runway, forcing 170 people to flee the plane on inflated slides as huge flames …

ABC News reports: A charter aircraft carrying Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence slid off the runway Thursday night while landing at LaGuardia Airport in the New York City borough of Queens, prompting a temporary closure of the entire airport. About an hour and a half after the incident, one of LaGuardia’s two runways has reopened for arriving and departing …