air travel

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Electric Plane Makes Historic Flight

French pilot flies across English Channel and back

(Newser) - A French pilot has flown across the English Channel in an electric-powered plane, a journey considered an important symbolic step toward making electric flight viable in the long term. Pilot Hugues Duval flew from the French port of Calais to the English shoreline and back last night on a two-engine,...

Feds Suspect Airlines Are Ripping Us Off

Justice Department launches investigation into collusion

(Newser) - Because extra fees and delayed flights weren't enough reason to sour on airlines, the Justice Department has added one more: Federal investigators suspect that the airlines are colluding to rip off passengers. The Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation and demanded all communication airlines have had with each...

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

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 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

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
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

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

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

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'

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

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

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

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

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

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'

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

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... 
in case you missed it
Apr 5, 2014 12:01 PM CDT

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?
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...

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