air travel – News Stories About air travel - Page 11

Crash Stats Suggest Safest Seat for Air Travelers

Jun 28, 2015 10:42 AM CDT

Crash Stats Suggest Safest Seat for Air Travelers

In the back, in a middle seat

(Newser) - We all have our favorite places to sit on the plane, but what's the safest? Time researchers crunched numbers on 17 accidents going back to 1980, analyzing the section and row position of the passengers. Their answer: The rear of the plane is the safest, and it’s best...

Cops: Air Passenger Goes Bonkers Over Nuts

Jun 23, 2015 2:34 PM CDT

Cops: Air Passenger Goes Bonkers Over Nuts

Transatlantic flight has to dump fuel for emergency landing

(Newser) - Now in the running for worst air traveler of the year: A middle-aged Berkeley man accused of wigging out over nuts and crackers. Authorities say Jeremiah Thede, 42, was on a United flight from Rome to Chicago Saturday when he got out of his seat just 15 minutes into the...

Air Traveler Jams Snorer With Pen, Booted Off Flight

Air Traveler Jabs Snorer
With Pen, Booted Off Flight

Apr 17, 2015 5:15 PM CDT

Air Traveler Jabs Snorer With Pen, Booted Off Flight

Southwest reports strange incident

(Newser) - It's bad to be seated next to a snorer on a plane. Worse is if you snore, and you get seated next to someone armed with a pen who evidently can't stand it. Southwest says a woman on a plane used her pen to jab the arm of...

Study: Flying Really
Is Getting Worse

Apr 13, 2015 7:22 AM CDT

Study: Flying Really Is Getting Worse

Researchers find bad news in all 4 big areas studied

(Newser) - If you've ever found yourself complaining that flying was a much better experience back when you were a young'un, you're not just being a crotchety oldster: A study released today finds that flying is, in fact, worse than it used to be. The AP has highlights from...

Yes, We Still Need
Pilots in the Cockpit

OPINION

Apr 10, 2015 12:49 PM CDT

Yes, We Still Need Pilots in the Cockpit

Opinion piece: It's a 'stubborn myth' that planes fly themselves

(Newser) - The Germanwings crash has renewed a familiar argument that goes something like this: Planes pretty much fly themselves these days, so let's make them fully automated and much safer by removing humans from the cockpit. Well, that's nuts, writes Patrick Smith in the New York Times . Smith is...

$5 Bottled Water
Spurs Airport Lawsuit

Mar 10, 2015 11:02 AM CDT

$5 Bottled Water Spurs Airport Lawsuit

High-end boutique accuses retail group of gouging at LAX

(Newser) - Consumers fed up with the eye-watering price of bottled water in airports have an unlikely champion: Kitson Stores, an LA-based boutique retailer where T-shirts can cost $300. Kitson is in a contract dispute with Hudson Group—which operates dozens of stores at Los Angeles International Airport and hundreds more at...

Southwest Is Flying Planes That Missed Inspections

Feb 25, 2015 12:21 PM CST

Southwest Is Flying Planes That Missed Inspections

FAA is OK with it, because inspections were for a backup system

(Newser) - Southwest notified the FAA yesterday of a serious oversight—it failed to conduct a mandatory inspection of some of its planes' rudder systems. Here's the weird part: The inspections still aren't done, but the planes are still flying. The FAA granted the airline an unusual waiver to keep...

United Sues Website That
Exploits Cheap-Ticket Trick

Dec 30, 2014 12:13 PM CST

United Sues Website That Exploits Cheap-Ticket Trick

Airline, Orbitz go after Skiplagged and 'hidden city' loophole

(Newser) - A 22-year-old who's made it easier for air travelers to buy cheaper plane tickets is now being sued by two heavyweights in the airline industry, reports the Daily Dot . United Airlines and partner Orbitz are going after Aktarer Zaman and his website Skiplagged.com . The site takes advantage of...

World Traveler Finds His 'Elizabeth Gallagher'

Dec 18, 2014 7:04 AM CST

World Traveler Finds His 'Elizabeth Gallagher'

Pair will travel the world together for 3 weeks

(Newser) - If these two end up falling in love, you just know a rom-com is coming: Jordan Axani, 28, has successfully located a woman with the same name as his ex-girlfriend to take a trip around the world. Axani began his quest last month on Reddit , explaining that he needed to...

Chicago Airport
Lines Stretch
More Than a Mile

Nov 30, 2014 4:26 PM CST

Chicago Airport Lines Stretch More Than a Mile

1.8K flights delayed across country

(Newser) - If you're reading this while you wait in line at Chicago's Midway Airport, we wish you the best of luck. Lines at security have reportedly reached more than a mile long today, Gawker reports. According to one tweet : "The line for TSA at Midway airport leaves the...

FAA: Drones
Nearly Hit Planes
25 Times in 6 Months

Nov 26, 2014 6:50 PM CST

FAA: Drones Nearly Hit Planes 25 Times in 6 Months

Reports of close calls are surging

(Newser) - Air travelers appear to have a genuine new problem to fret about: small drones. The FAA has logged 25 close calls with planes since June 1, reports the Washington Post . By "close call," it means an instance in which a drone "came within a few seconds or...

Flight Delay Caused
by Escaped Crabs

Oct 4, 2014 7:36 AM CDT

Flight Delay Caused by Escaped Crabs

US Airways had to round them up before taking off

(Newser) - And the week's weirdest reason for a flight delay goes to US Airways, which had to catch loose crabs in a cargo hold before letting a plane fly from New York to Charlotte, NC. A spokeswoman says it's unclear how the small crustaceans escaped their container or what...

Passengers Team Up
to Save Heart Attack Victim

Sep 2, 2014 4:52 PM CDT

Passengers Team Up to Save Heart Attack Victim

As plane travels through remote territory

(Newser) - A man who suffered a heart attack on a plane survived thanks to some well-trained fellow passengers. A doctor, a pharmacist, and a police officer on board rushed to the man's aid and saved his life, as they recount in the British Medical Journal . To add to the drama,...

Iceland Raises Volcano
Alert to Highest Level

Aug 23, 2014 10:06 AM CDT

Iceland Raises Volcano Alert to Highest Level

Bardarbunga eruption begins, but it's all underground for now

(Newser) - It looks like Bardarbunga is getting ready to pop. That would be the Iceland volcano rumbling of late and threatening to disrupt air travel in the manner of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 . Iceland officials say a "subglacial eruption" is now underway, reports AP , which quotes a volcano expert who says...

'Hero' Ebola
Doctor Dies;
US Physician
Is 'Grave'

Jul 29, 2014 1:51 PM CDT

'Hero' Ebola Doctor Dies; US Physician Is 'Grave'

Disease threatens to spread to Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria

(Newser) - Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, one of the leading doctors fighting Sierra Leone's Ebola outbreak, died today of the virus in yet another high-profile casualty , reports the BBC . The death of the man hailed by the government as a "national hero" comes as Nigeria, the continent's most populous...

Judge: No-Fly List
Is Unconstitutional

Jun 25, 2014 7:15 AM CDT

Judge: No-Fly List Is Unconstitutional

Air travel an 'aspect of liberties,' she says

(Newser) - In today's world, international travel isn't a "mere convenience or luxury," but "a necessary aspect of liberties sacred to members of a free society," a federal judge has decided, striking down the government's post-9/11 no-fly list procedures as unconstitutional. The judge ordered the...

The Best Day to Buy
a Plane Ticket Is...

The Best Day to Buy a Plane Ticket Is...

Thursday, according to latest airfare study

(Newser) - When should you buy your next plane ticket? According to a new fare study from Hopper , Thursday is the best day to book both domestic and international tickets. But keep in mind that it won't save you much: There's just a $10 difference between the best day to...

Why Can Pilots Still Turn Off Their Transponders?

OPINION

Mar 18, 2014 12:54 PM CDT

Why Can Pilots Still Turn Off Their Transponders?

There's no reason for it, and it's time for a change: Gregg Easterbrook

(Newser) - We might know what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were it not for one thing: The aircraft's transponder was somehow turned off . In the New York Times , Gregg Easterbrook notes that the 9/11 hijackers were also quick to turn the transponders off, which is what caused air traffic...

Feds Warn Airlines of
New Shoe-Bomb Threat

Feb 20, 2014 12:22 AM CST

Feds Warn Airlines of New Shoe-Bomb Threat

Terror groups working on new bomb designs

(Newser) - Air passengers headed to the US from overseas can expect much tighter scrutiny of their shoes—and bodies—in the days and weeks to come. The Department of Homeland Security has learned of a possible new shoe-bomb plot and told airlines flying to the US to pay extra attention to...

Baby Flew Out of Parent's Arms During Turbulence

UPDATED

Feb 18, 2014 2:03 AM CST

Baby Flew Out of Parent's Arms During Turbulence

United flight into Montana has rocky descent

(Newser) - Severe turbulence rocked a United Airlines jet out of Denver as it made its descent yesterday afternoon in Billings, Montana, and stories of just how chaotic things got are emerging. "There was a lot of screaming, a lot of hollering," says Flight 1676 passenger Bill Dahlin. Fox31 Denver...