Too Skimpy for Plane, Just Right for Playboy

'Family' airline asked co-ed to change out of revealing attire

(NEWSER) - A San Diego co-ed (and Hooters employee) nearly got kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for showing too much skin. A flight attendant called Kyla Ebbert to the front of the plane and asked her to change out of her 'revealing attire' or take a later flight. Ebbert brokered a compromise and remained aboard, but now she may sue Southwest over the ordeal, ABC reports. More»

Flight record scans reveal hidden risks, prevent crashes

(NEWSER) - Airlines and air safety investigators have a new way to snoop for clues that can help avoid future accidents, the Washington Post reports. While they once depended on crash remains for evidence, they have now gone digital, pursuing daily probes of thousands of computer records and pilots' reports to dig up data that can avert disaster. More»

Several major airlines lay groundwork for in-flight service next year

(NEWSER) - Several major airlines plan to roll out in-flight Internet service next year, USA Today reports. Carriers have been promising in-flight surfing for years, and now American, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Southwest are working with tech companies to deliver the midair surfing. The travel slump following 9/11 delayed the introduction of the service, which may not be widely available until 2009. More»

(NEWSER) - Air fares as low as $13 across the Atlantic are being promised as Ryanair, Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier, challenges the major players—British Airways and Virgin Atlantic—to a price war. Other budget airlines, like Southwest and JetBlue, are expected to jump into the fray, the London Times reports. More»

He reportedly screamed about bombs and al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - A pilot tore through the cabin of a JetBlue plane yelling about terror threats, warning passengers about al-Qaeda and bombs on board, passengers tell the Amarillo Globe-News . The captain started "shouting, ‘Iraq, al-Qaeda, terrorism, we’re all going down,'" witnesses said. Passengers tackled him and held him down, and the flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas. The pilot was hospitalized. "It seemed like he went crazy," a passenger said. The airline's official statement says the captain had a "medical situation" that forced the flight to be diverted, notes AP . More»