air travel

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Stowaway Mouse Grounds JFK Flight

Passengers forced to switch planes after sighting

(Newser) - A mouse sighting delayed a Delta flight from JFK to London last night, the New York Times reports. Passengers were switched to another plane after the tiny intruder was spotted in the cabin. "Plain and simple, there’s not supposed to be a mouse on the airplane,” an...

Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB
Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB
runaway plane

Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB

Captain, first officer deny falling asleep in cockpit

(Newser) - The pilots of the Northwest flight that wandered 150 miles past its destination were working on their personal laptops in the cockpit, a violation of company policy. The two denied falling asleep and could hear the radio when they fell out of communication with ground personnel, they told NTSB investigators...

Pan Am Lives&mdash;in Man's Garage
 Pan Am Lives—in Man's Garage 
GLORY DAYS DEPT.

Pan Am Lives—in Man's Garage

Trips to Thailand net vintage headphones and the like for cabin mockup

(Newser) - To Anthony Toth, Pan Am was the epitome of airline class, with its top-notch, martini-pouring first-class service and in-flight music so excellent that the United Airlines employee brought along a tape recorder to record it on trips as a boy. Now that he’s 42 and owns a home, he’...

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping
Northwest Pilot:
We Weren't Sleeping
runaway plane

Northwest Pilot: We Weren't Sleeping

But he won't offer more details on why they overshot airport

(Newser) - One of the pilots of the infamous Northwest flight that missed the airport says neither he nor his co-pilot were napping. "I can assure you none of us was asleep," says Richard Cole, who gave separate interviews to ABC and the AP. "It was not a serious...

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
runaway plane

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

(Newser) - The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a...

For $249 Annual Fee, United Will Waive Bag Charges

Fee covers two bags per flight, and up to 8 passengers booked at same time

(Newser) - Fly United frequently, or planning to use the airline for the next couple family vacations? For a $249 annual fee, United will waive fees for your first two checked bags—and it covers up to eight people traveling on the same booking. With a $20 charge for the first bag...

Airport Seize Your Stuff? Look for It on eBay

TSA's confiscated items end up being sold via state agencies

(Newser) - From knives to baseball bats to cake-cutters to corkscrews, and including at least one kitchen sink, the Transportation Security Administration confiscates around a million items from air travelers every month, CNN reports. Guns are turned over to law enforcement and shampoo bottles end up in the trash, but the rest...

8 Years On, Critics Call Airport Security 'Theater'

Critics see cockeyed focus on 'pointy objects,' none on real threats

(Newser) - Billions of dollars in spending since 9/11 has given airport security officers plenty of ways to catch terrorists—but are critics right in calling it "security theater"? Take the “millimeter wave whole body imager,” which pinpoint “anomalies” on your person: Sure, it will spot a...

3 Brits Guilty in '06 Plot to Bomb Transatlantic Flights

Planned use of liquid explosives sparked restrictions still in effect

(Newser) - Three British Muslims were convicted today of conspiracy to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives in a failed 2006 plot that led to restrictions on drinks and toiletries on flights, the Times of London reports. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, and Tanvir Hussain were retried after a jury last...

Southwest Adds $10 Fee to Board Early

Airline with no assigned seats starts charging for first dibs

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines doesn’t assign seats, but now it will start charging for the privilege of finding the best one, the Dallas Morning News reports. For an extra $10, the new “EarlyBird Check-in” allows passengers to board first, or at least right after the Business Select and Rapid Rewards...

US Airways Raising Bag Fees
 US Airways Raising Bag Fees 

US Airways Raising Bag Fees

Domestic checked-bag fee increases by $5

(Newser) - US Airways is following the lead of its competitors and raising bag fees, reports the East Bay Business Times. On domestic flights, the first checked bag will cost $25 and the second will cost $30, a $5 bump for both. If the bags are checked at the airport instead of...

Pissed Airline Passenger Back on YouTube

Glossier United Breaks Guitars: Song 2 is follow-up to viral hit

(Newser) - Dave Carroll, who so memorably commemorated his terrible experience with United Airlines in the YouTube sensation United Breaks Guitars is at it again, Consumerist reports. The singer/songwriter/guitar-rights activist has released a more ambitious video cleverly titled United Breaks Guitars: Song 2, with a slightly more conciliatory tone. And don’t...

Booking a Flight? Get Ready to State Sex and Age

(Newser) - Air passengers booking flights in the US can expect some extra questions starting this weekend, the Washington Post reports. Travelers will be asked for their sex and birth date, which will be forwarded along with other information to federal officials checking watch lists. The move comes as the Transportation Security...

JetBlue Offers All-You-Can-Fly Monthly Pass for $599

(Newser) - This could set off an interesting price war: JetBlue today began selling a $599 pass for all the flights you can handle between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8, reports Bloomberg. The idea is to try to keep their planes full once the peak summer season winds down. The offer's good...

Sanford on Planes: 'I've Got a Busy Life'

SC gov defends use of official aircraft

(Newser) - Mark Sanford defended his personal use of state-owned planes today, arguing that the competing demands of fatherhood and the governor’s office required that he mix business and family travel, the AP reports. "I've got a busy life, and I've tried as best I can to be a reasonable...

Congress Plans $550M Upgrade to Its Jet Fleet

(Newser) - Congress plans to spend $550 million to upgrade and expand the fleet of jets used to ferry federal officials around the country and abroad, the Wall Street Journal reports. Funds approved by the House for the military-run fleet call for two 737s and two Gulfstream jets on top of the...

Autopilot Safety Under Scrutiny

(Newser) - One minute Qantas Flight 72 was cruising at a level altitude, autopilot humming. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the Airbus A320 went into a nosedive, as the pilots helplessly watched. Eventually, they righted the plane, but not before 115 passengers were injured. Nor was this an isolated incident. Automated...

Doomed United Is Textbook of Biz Don'ts

(Newser) - United Airlines’ dismal service and financial stature may soon send it to Chapter 11, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “teachable moment,” Shaun Rein writes in Forbes. Herewith, three lessons:
  • Loyal customers return: "Consumers are more price sensitive in this economy, and they are
...

Salt Lake Tops Best Airports List
 Salt Lake Tops 
 Best Airports List 



TRAVEL

Salt Lake Tops Best Airports List

(Newser) - Some airports just seem to be charmed when it comes to on-time departures. Travel + Leisure ranks the 10 best in America based on percentage of flights delayed:
  1. Salt Lake City: Last year's winner continues its reign, cutting delays by 2% from 2008, to just 12%.
  2. Portland, Ore.: At 15%,
...

Brit Flights Will Bar 'Flu-ish' Passengers

Docs blast 'nonsense' plan to keep ill off airplanes

(Newser) - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refuse to check in passengers with symptoms of swine flu unless they have doctors' notes saying they're healthy, reports the Times of London. Passengers with runny noses, headaches, or sore throats will be told not to board their flights. The new policy has outraged...

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