airplanes

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Airline Fees That Split Up Families Just Suck
Airline Fees That Split Up Families Just Suck
opinion
Jun 3, 2012 3:21 PM CDT

Airline Fees That Split Up Families Just Suck

Even Sen. Charles Schumer threw a hat in this fight

(Newser) - From a business point of view, it makes sense to impose extra fees on airline passengers who want an aisle or window seat, admits Brad Tuttle at Time . But consider that the onerous money-making scheme is all but forcing parents to sit apart from their children during flights. "The...

Virgin Atlantic's New Hire: 'Whispering Coach'

To safeguard its first-class passengers' ears, of course!

(Newser) - Add this to the list of things elite Virgin Atlantic passengers will soon enjoy: ear comfort. The British airline has retained the services of a "whispering coach" whose job is to make sure that those who book a seat in its forthcoming Upper Class Dream Suite aren't submitted...

Passenger With E-Cig Kicked Off Flight

Does it violate 'no-smoking' rules? Continental thinks so

(Newser) - A flight out of Portland had to return to the airport yesterday after a man started puffing on an e-cigarette shortly after takeoff and refused to stop. He was escorted off the plane at Portland International Airport and may face federal charges, reports OregonLive.com . (It's not clear what...

5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers
 5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers 
Jan 7, 2012 5:34 AM CST

5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers

Find tickets, new flights, even lounges

(Newser) - Every air traveler armed with a smartphone should load up on these five apps, says the Travel section of USA Today:
  • SkyScanner (Free): This app will hunt down the best price for your ticket. It scans not only all of the airlines' websites but all of the online travel agencies
...

Flight Attendants Want Baldwin's 30 Rock Off Airplanes

They're still angry over his criticism of them, airline

(Newser) - American Airlines flight attendants are so furious with Alec Baldwin they want his sitcom banned from their airplanes. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has asked that 30 Rock be removed from all American Airlines flights in the wake of the very public squabble that erupted when he got booted...

World's Biggest Plane to Rocket People into Space

Paul Allen project might be ready for tests in 2016

(Newser) - The world's biggest plane, with wings longer than a football field, is being built to launch astronauts and cargo into outer space. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace innovator Burt Rutan have teamed up to create the gargantuan aircraft, which will work by hauling a rocket high into the...

Time to Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes

We still have to turn them off, but it's not clear why: Nick Bilton

(Newser) - C'mon FAA, it's time to rethink the overly strict rules governing the use of electronic devices aboard planes, writes Nick Bilton in the Disruptions blog at the New York Times. There's just no evidence to suggest that somebody with an ebook or video game will endanger a...

Pilot Gets Stuck in Bathroom ... and Terror Scare Ensues

A helpful passenger tries to help out ... in an accented voice

(Newser) - Who would have thought a jammed bathroom door could lead to a terror scare? The New York Post has the comical tale of a Chatauqua Airlines pilot who, on an Asheville to New York City flight, jammed the bathroom door and found himself trapped—as the plane was in a...

Thanksgiving Day Travel Advice: Buy Your Ticket Now
 Tips for Flying on Turkey Day 
Oct 25, 2011 3:59 PM CDT

Tips for Flying on Turkey Day

Flying will be pricier and more crowded than ever

(Newser) - Thanksgiving means turkey, family, football—and excruciatingly crowded airports. This year could be even worse, because the average ticket price will be $376—a 4% spike from last year—there will be fewer planes with fewer seats up for grabs, and the dismal economy is not discouraging people from heading...

10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees
 10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees 
Oct 15, 2011 12:21 PM CDT

10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees

Don't check luggage, don't select your seat, and BYO pillow

(Newser) - As if things weren't financially miserable enough, it's gradually becoming even more expensive to travel. Domestic airfare prices spiked 8% from last year, and airlines are pulling out every stop to eke out more revenue. Here are some steps you can take to avoid unnecessary flying fees, courtesy...

Board Your Flight in Half the Time—Using Science

Fermilab physicist devises more efficient way onto airplanes

(Newser) - Airplane boarding for most of us is one of those dreary, inefficient indignities we are forced to endure as part of modern travel. But for Fermilab astrophysicist Jason Steffen, it was just another problem to solve. After much experimentation, he used the Monte Carlo method of optimization to came up...

Weird Airplane Security Risk: Pilots' Bathroom Breaks

Cockpit doors are secure, until they get opened

(Newser) - Cockpit doors these days can withstand the mightiest of charges, but they're still vulnerable because of a very human reason: Pilots need to go to the bathroom. That means the door gets opened during flights, and even those brief few seconds are enough for determined hijackers to get inside,...

Study Shows Planes Can Cause Extra Rain, Snowfall
 Airplanes Can Cause 
 Extra Rainfall 
STUDY SAYS
Jul 1, 2011 12:23 PM CDT

Airplanes Can Cause Extra Rainfall

Phenomenon caused by holes punched in cloud cover

(Newser) - Airplanes flying through super-cooled clouds around airports can cause condensation that actually results in more snow and rain for nearby areas, according to a new study. The perfect conditions for such a freaky weather event occur about 5% of the time—but 10% to 15% in winter—according to the...

Another Study Says Planes, Cell Phones Don't Mix

Industry analysis points to 75 suspected cases of interference

(Newser) - You might wanna wait until your plane lands before playing Angry Birds. According to a report by the International Air Transport Association, there were 75 in-flight incidents between 2003 and 2009 that pilots and crew think were linked to cell phones and PEDs, reports ABC News . That includes 26 cases...

This New FAA Rule Could Kill You

No more emergency oxygen masks in airplane lavatories

(Newser) - The FAA recently ordered the emergency oxygen masks removed from the lavatories of all US commercial planes, a directive it says will protect the public from potential terror attacks—but which could also kill anyone who happens to be in the airplane lavatory during a rapid decompression event. The FAA...

United Airlines Grounds 96 Planes
 United Grounds 96 Planes 
Feb 16, 2011 2:42 AM CST

United Grounds 96 Planes

Airline behind on operational checks on required changes

(Newser) - United Airlines is temporarily grounding 96 Boeing 757s while it conducts maintenance checks. The move forced the cancellation of 15 flights and caused several delays yesterday, with more cancellations possible today, AP reports. The planes were grounded when it was discovered operational checks had not been completed on modifications to...

Free This Month: Facebook Access, at 30K Feet

Thanks to a Ford/Gogo promotion

(Newser) - Joyful news for Facebook users who have thus far been unable to post real-time status updates like: "Enjoying Delta's Biscoff cookies ... 47 more minutes til Philly!!" A handful of airlines are dishing up freebie in-flight Facebook access all month long. They're offering the February promo thanks, in part,...

FAA Not Sure Who Owns Thousands of US Planes

Chaos prompts terror fears; agency calls for re-registration

(Newser) - The FAA lacks key information on who owns some 119,000 private and commercial aircraft in the US, prompting concerns that terrorists or drug traffickers could use the paperwork mess to their advantage—something the latter group is already doing. The FAA is calling for all owners to re-register the...

Oil Fire Blamed in Qantas Engine Failure

Euro safety regulator orders inspections of all Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines

(Newser) - An oil fire may have caused the engine blowout that forced one of Qantas's superjumbos to make an emergency landing last week in Singapore. Europe's aviation safety regulator today issued the finding, reports the AP, and ordered airlines to undergo "repetitive inspections" of all planes with Rolls-Royce Trent 900...

'Barefoot Bandit' Linked to Bahamas Crash

Teen fugitive goes international

(Newser) - After all those years in the rainy Pacific Northwest, maybe Colton Harris-Moore was looking for a tropical vacation. The theft of a plane from Indiana over the weekend and its crash landing in the Bahamas a few hours later look like the work of the notorious teen "Barefoot Bandit,...

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