flying – News Stories About flying - Page 2

At Last: Virgin Offers In-Flight Cell Phone Service

May 16, 2012 12:54 PM CDT

At Last: Virgin Offers In-Flight Cell Phone Service

...But at a cost that will make your eyes pop

(Newser) - Has the glorious day finally arrived? The day when travelers can resign "airplane mode" to the dustbin of history and text, tweet, and call their way through a trans-Atlantic flight? Well, no. Not really. But Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to allow passengers flying from New York to London...

Bird Man:
Yep, It's
a Hoax

Mar 22, 2012 4:33 PM CDT

Bird Man: Yep, It's a Hoax

YouTube sensation 'fesses up on Dutch TV

(Newser) - Those CGI experts were right : The brief Bird Man phenomenon—in which we were enchanted by a guy flying with homemade wings —was a hoax. In fact, "Jarno Smeets" is actually named Floris Kaayk, and he says he's really a Dutch CGI artist, Gizmodo reports. He acknowledged...

So Who Is the 'Bird Man'?

Mar 22, 2012 1:31 AM CDT

So Who Is the 'Bird Man'?

Apparent scamster has fake resume

(Newser) - Oh-oh. The credentials of the supposedly flying "Bird Man" of Holland have flown the coop. "Jarno Smeets," who posted a wildly popular YouTube video apparently showing him flapping giant wings to take flight , posted credentials on Facebook and LinkedIn that don't check out. Film experts at...

Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash

False alarm panics people on British Airways flight

(Newser) - It's 3am and you're snoozing on an overnight flight to London when a message plays over the PA: This plane may be about to crash. That's what happened to passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami last week, before the cabin crew told everyone it had...

5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers

Jan 7, 2012 5:34 AM CST

5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers

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

...

Feds to Airlines: Stop
Hiding Ticket Fees, Taxes

Dec 31, 2011 9:39 AM CST

Feds to Airlines: Stop Hiding Ticket Fees, Taxes

Carriers must advertise full price starting next month

(Newser) - Airlines will soon be forced to advertise the full price of tickets—including government taxes and fees—instead of a stripped-down price with an asterisk. The rule scheduled to go into effect in late January is designed to keep prospective fliers from getting a nasty surprise several steps into the...

TSA Agent Lets Rapper
Keep Weed, Leaves Note

TSA Agent Lets Rapper Keep Weed, Leaves Note

"C'Mon Son," chides baggage screener

(Newser) - TSA agents are basically known for collectively killing America's buzz, but here's an unusual exception out of the Denver International Airport: A TSA agent there discovered marijuana in rapper Freddie Gibbs' luggage, but instead of confiscating the weed, the baggage screener just left an admonishing note reading, "...

Cancer vs. Terrorists: 46% Say Scrap X-Ray Scanners

Dec 7, 2011 6:45 PM CST

Cancer vs. Terrorists: 46% Say Scrap X-Ray Scanners

Nearly half in poll say small risk of disease isn't worth it: ProPublica

(Newser) - Almost half of Americans are against the use of X-ray body scanners in airports—even if they would detect terrorists with explosives—because of the low cancer risk they might pose, according to a poll conducted for ProPublica . The TSA aims to make the body scanners a common sight at...

The Ability to Fly:
Yours for $100K

The Ability to Fly: Yours for $100K

JetLev R200 can fly as high as 30 feet above water

(Newser) - Traveling by boat is just so ... pedestrian. For those looking for a more luxurious—and unusual—way to travel by sea, Florida's JetLev Technologies has just the thing: a $99,500 water-powered jet pack (pay another $3,500 for a premium color). The company tells the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...

Tips for Flying on Turkey Day

Oct 25, 2011 3:59 PM CDT

Tips for Flying on Turkey Day

Flying will be pricier and more crowded than ever

(Newser) - Thanksgiving means turkey, family, football—and excruciatingly crowded airports. This year could be even worse, because the average ticket price will be $376—a 4% spike from last year—there will be fewer planes with fewer seats up for grabs, and the dismal economy is not discouraging people from heading...

Enjoy Your Flight,
But Good Luck
Escaping Ads

Oct 19, 2011 6:25 PM CDT

Enjoy Your Flight, But Good Luck Escaping Ads

Overhead bins, seat backs, and even safety videos are featuring commercials

(Newser) - Your next flight could feel like being stuck inside a commercial. Various US airlines, desperate for revenue, are beginning to cram advertising into every corner of their planes, including overhead bins, seat backs, napkins, flight attendants' aprons, and even through crew announcements and in-flight safety videos, reports USA Today . Delta,...

Spirit Airlines Is First
to Charge for Carry-Ons

Apr 6, 2010 12:40 PM CDT

Spirit Airlines Is First to Charge for Carry-Ons

It can cost up to $45 each way to store a bag overhead

(Newser) - Another first in airline fees: Spirit Airlines is going to charge for most carry-on bags. If it's bigger than 16” by 14” by 12”, prepare to pay $45 each way. USA Today surmises that the airline is the first in the US and perhaps the world to charge for carry-ons,...

Hellish Flight Takes 16 Hours From LAX to JFK

Mar 16, 2010 11:30 AM CDT

Hellish Flight Takes 16 Hours From LAX to JFK

Passengers forced to take bus for last two hours

(Newser) - Flights don’t get much worse than Virgin America Flight 404, which took 16 long hours to get from LAX to JFK. The plane was supposed to land in New York at 3:30pm, but high winds forced it to circle for hours. Finally it landed in Newburgh, 90 miles...

UK Cops Pull Suspected Drunk Pilot Off United Jet

Nov 10, 2009 6:33 PM CST

UK Cops Pull Suspected Drunk Pilot Off United Jet

London-Chicago flight canceled; Erwin Washington in custody

(Newser) - British police pulled a United Airlines pilot off a Chicago-bound plane today at Heathrow airport and charged him with being over the alcohol limit while on the job. Police and airline officials say Erwin Vermont Washington, 51, was pulled from United Airlines Flight 949 after a co-worker suspected him of...

The Most Common Phobias

happy halloween

Oct 31, 2009 3:07 PM CDT

The Most Common Phobias

Don't like spiders and snakes? Join the club!

(Newser) - In honor of Halloween, LiveScience reveals the most common phobias. If you still need a costume, you'll scare the most people by playing on their evolutionarily sensible fear of creatures with venomous fangs. The top terrors:

Snakes
Spiders and other "creepy crawlies"
Places that are difficult to escape, such

...

10 Ways to Game
the Airlines

Jul 18, 2009 7:34 PM CDT

10 Ways to Game the Airlines

(Newser) - Airlines offer more than you know—and would rather you didn't know about it. The Chicago Tribune runs down a list of ways to benefit from airline secrets:

Complain early and often: Whatever the problem, "airlines tend to buy grouchy passengers off with frequent-flier miles."
Travel agents work

...

JFK Jr. Recalled,
a Decade Later

APPRECIATION

Jul 16, 2009 9:27 AM CDT

JFK Jr. Recalled, a Decade Later

Flying brought him peace, but also brought his end

(Newser) - John F. Kennedy Jr. “seemed to belong not only to our family, but to the American family,” his uncle Ted said in his eulogy. On the 10th anniversary of his death, the New York Daily News remembers the president’s son the public knew as as John-John—a...

Furry Passengers
Take Off Aboard
Pet Airways

Jul 15, 2009 7:31 AM CDT

Furry Passengers Take Off Aboard Pet Airways

(Newser) - Coffee, tea, or dog biscuits? That's what travelers hoped to hear on the inaugural flight yesterday of Pet Airways, a brand new airline catering to what execs refer to as "pawsengers." The first-ever all-pet airline, launched by US husband-and-wife team Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel, transports up to...

Harry Potter Charms Wii

Jul 7, 2009 2:35 AM CDT

Harry Potter Charms Wii

(Newser) - Gamers don't have to go to Hogwarts to fly on a broomstick, stir up potions or win a wand duel. They can pull off virtually the same stunts by picking up Wii controls in the latest game created for the popular console. Electronic Arts' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...

Go Ahead, Fly Those Private Jets, Cessna Ads Tell Execs

Feb 12, 2009 4:59 AM CST

Go Ahead, Fly Those Private Jets, Cessna Ads Tell Execs

Bosses challenged to get back on board

(Newser) - Private jets may have become a despised symbol of high-flying corporate access, but that shouldn't make bosses too shy to fly, a new Cessna ad campaign tells execs. The ads, which boldly announce "timidity didn't get you this far," are part of a public relations push to fix...