Stewardess Helps Land Flight After Co-Pilot Cracks

JetBlue employee curses out passenger, exits using emergency slide

(NEWSER) - A potty-mouthed passenger was the last straw for a JetBlue flight attendant who cursed out the customer on the PA system of an arriving flight at New York's JFK airport today, then deployed the emergency slide to make his getaway. Steven Slater was arrested at his home nearby and charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, reports the New York Post . "I can’t believe Steve’s on the run," said a neighbor. "He’s like OJ Simpson. He must have snapped." More»

Toronto-London flight makes emergency landing in Ireland

(NEWSER) - An Air Canada flight from Toronto to London had to make an emergency landing Monday in Ireland after the co-pilot suffered a mental breakdown in midair, the Telegraph reports. The pilot started screaming God's name while at the controls of the Boeing 767; crew members removed him from the cockpit, bound his wrists and ankles, and handcuffed him to a seat in front of shocked passengers. 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»

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 (Expedia, Priceline) as well.
• Next Flight ($2.99): Yeah, it's relatively pricey, but worth the cost when needed. If your flight is canceled or delayed, or you just plain miss it, the app provides a list of all available flights from all carriers over the next two days. If none are there, it searches for hotels and car rentals.
• Priority Pass (Free): This app supplies a list of all the lounges at your airport. You can look through photos and amenities before deciding whether to shell out money for a pass.

He also had to forfeit his driver's license and passport

(NEWSER) - A Utah man may have gotten us that much closer to peanuts being banned on planes. Pogos Paul Sefilian is accused of throwing peanuts and pretzels at crew during a flight, and is now prohibited from flying on commercial airlines, reports Connect2Utah . He also allegedly refused to put away an electronic cigarette, opened overhead bins, and physically threatened flight attendants just before landing. He was arrested, had his driver's license and passport taken away, and will now be forced to wear a GPS tracking device. Of the verdict, Sefilian's lawyer says, "I thought it was reasonable." More»