US Airways says it's going to begin charging passengers an extra $5 per bag to check luggage at the airport rather than online. The Tempe-based carrier currently charges $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second. But an extra $5 per bag now will be charged to passengers who pay those fees at the airport rather than prepay their baggage fees by checking in online.
The change applies with tickets booked today for flights beginning July 9th. US Airways says the new fee would encourage passengers to use self-service options.
The airline doesn't charge to check baggage for travelers with "preferred" status on its frequent-flier program, those flying across the Atlantic, and military personnel on active duty.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Man Ran towards the Cockpit in Delta Airlines Flight
A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Tel Aviv, Israel, has been diverted to Boston after an unruly passenger rushed the cockpit.
A 22-year-old Israeli man ran toward the cockpit and pounded on the door. The passengers are being held in Boston as investigators interview them and check their luggage. No other flights have been affected.
Flight 86 had 206 passengers and 11 crew members aboard when it landed Friday night at Logan Airport. The plane had left New York about two hours earlier.
A 22-year-old Israeli man ran toward the cockpit and pounded on the door. The passengers are being held in Boston as investigators interview them and check their luggage. No other flights have been affected.
Flight 86 had 206 passengers and 11 crew members aboard when it landed Friday night at Logan Airport. The plane had left New York about two hours earlier.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
American Airlines engine fire due to unapproved maintenance practices
Safety investigators traced a 2007 American Airlines engine fire to unapproved maintenance practices that eluded the carrier's quality-assurance auditors, the National Transportation Safety Board disclosed now.
The September fire happened shortly after American Airlines Flight 1400 departed Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The pilots returned to the airport without injuries or fatalities to any of the plane's crew or 138 passengers.
Yet the pilots also prolonged the fire by failing to follow a checklist that leads them through steps during such an emergency, the safety board said. Accident investigators said the crew became distracted and failed to quickly shut off fuel to the damaged engine, causing a loss of hydraulic pressure. That led to problems deploying the front landing gear.
"It was a series of people taking shortcuts that accumulated on this particular day into what could have been a much more catastrophic incident," said board member Kitty Higgins.
American has been under closer regulatory scrutiny since last year, when it grounded hundreds of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets following federal safety audits. The Federal Aviation Administration last month started a three-month audit of American's safety procedures.
Safety board members said their review was limited to the engine fire, which occurred on an MD-82.
"There was a host of serious problems that ... when you added them all together could have been extremely catastrophic to the point where life could have been lost," acting board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said.
During the week before the accident, the jet's left engine failed to start on multiple occasions, the board said. Mechanics repeatedly used an unapproved tool, such as a screwdriver, to open a valve that manually starts the engine, the board found. Boeing warned carriers in 1997 that using the wrong tool could deform a pin on the start valve. The damaged pin triggered a malfunction that sent sparks into the metal cover that contains the engine, where there was probably some kind of fuel leak, the board said.
The safety board determined that American mechanics replaced the start valve six times but missed the cause of the failed engine starts: a worn-out, stainless steel air filter. American's audit team also failed to identify the cause of the problem, the NTSB said.
"Where they have found deficiencies in how our personnel performed, we are going to strengthen our training," said Tim Wagner, an American spokesman.
American has started to replace components of the start valve on all MD-80s and plans to complete the work in 2010, Wagner said. The carrier has also increased staffing on its audit team to monitor more mechanical work.
The September fire happened shortly after American Airlines Flight 1400 departed Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The pilots returned to the airport without injuries or fatalities to any of the plane's crew or 138 passengers.
Yet the pilots also prolonged the fire by failing to follow a checklist that leads them through steps during such an emergency, the safety board said. Accident investigators said the crew became distracted and failed to quickly shut off fuel to the damaged engine, causing a loss of hydraulic pressure. That led to problems deploying the front landing gear.
"It was a series of people taking shortcuts that accumulated on this particular day into what could have been a much more catastrophic incident," said board member Kitty Higgins.
American has been under closer regulatory scrutiny since last year, when it grounded hundreds of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets following federal safety audits. The Federal Aviation Administration last month started a three-month audit of American's safety procedures.
Safety board members said their review was limited to the engine fire, which occurred on an MD-82.
"There was a host of serious problems that ... when you added them all together could have been extremely catastrophic to the point where life could have been lost," acting board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said.
During the week before the accident, the jet's left engine failed to start on multiple occasions, the board said. Mechanics repeatedly used an unapproved tool, such as a screwdriver, to open a valve that manually starts the engine, the board found. Boeing warned carriers in 1997 that using the wrong tool could deform a pin on the start valve. The damaged pin triggered a malfunction that sent sparks into the metal cover that contains the engine, where there was probably some kind of fuel leak, the board said.
The safety board determined that American mechanics replaced the start valve six times but missed the cause of the failed engine starts: a worn-out, stainless steel air filter. American's audit team also failed to identify the cause of the problem, the NTSB said.
"Where they have found deficiencies in how our personnel performed, we are going to strengthen our training," said Tim Wagner, an American spokesman.
American has started to replace components of the start valve on all MD-80s and plans to complete the work in 2010, Wagner said. The carrier has also increased staffing on its audit team to monitor more mechanical work.
Mid-Air bathroom emergency on Delta Airlines
A Passenger who allegedly twisted a flight attendant's arm in a bid to use an airline toilet is facing charges.
Joao Correa, 42, said he had “a bathroom emergency” onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Honduras to Atlanta. When attempting to access the bathroom, he found it was blocked by a beverage cart.
Mr Correa was then told he wasn’t allowed to use the business class toilet, due to Transportation Security Administration policy.
In his desperation Mr Correa ran to the business class bathroom but was blocked by a flight attendant’s arm, and said he was forced to grab it “to keep his balance”.
However the flight attendant alleges that Mr Correa grabbed her right arm and twisted it, authorities have reported.
Mr Correa was arrested when the plane landed in Atlanta and was charged with interference with a flight crew.
Joao Correa, 42, said he had “a bathroom emergency” onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Honduras to Atlanta. When attempting to access the bathroom, he found it was blocked by a beverage cart.
Mr Correa was then told he wasn’t allowed to use the business class toilet, due to Transportation Security Administration policy.
In his desperation Mr Correa ran to the business class bathroom but was blocked by a flight attendant’s arm, and said he was forced to grab it “to keep his balance”.
However the flight attendant alleges that Mr Correa grabbed her right arm and twisted it, authorities have reported.
Mr Correa was arrested when the plane landed in Atlanta and was charged with interference with a flight crew.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
American Airlines Landed Safely after Emergency
An American Airlines flight landed safely at Eppley Airfield after a scare in the air near Omaha.
Around 9:45 on Monday night, emergency crews at Eppley scrambled into place, after getting an alert that the flight was on its way. Flight 1708 was en-route from Las Vegas to Chicago, when it lost cabin pressure near Omaha.
American Airlines told that the pilot dropped the plane's altitude from 25,000 feet to 14,000 feet and dropped the oxygen masks in the cabin as a precaution. There were 140 passengers and five crew members on board.
The plane landed safely in Omaha just before ten o'clock on Monday night.
American Airlines moved the passengers to another available airplane at Eppley, and they continued on to Chicago. The airline will move another aircraft to Omaha in the morning to replace the one that headed to Chicago. By luck no one was hurt.
Around 9:45 on Monday night, emergency crews at Eppley scrambled into place, after getting an alert that the flight was on its way. Flight 1708 was en-route from Las Vegas to Chicago, when it lost cabin pressure near Omaha.
American Airlines told that the pilot dropped the plane's altitude from 25,000 feet to 14,000 feet and dropped the oxygen masks in the cabin as a precaution. There were 140 passengers and five crew members on board.
The plane landed safely in Omaha just before ten o'clock on Monday night.
American Airlines moved the passengers to another available airplane at Eppley, and they continued on to Chicago. The airline will move another aircraft to Omaha in the morning to replace the one that headed to Chicago. By luck no one was hurt.
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