Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter

NEWS ABOUT: air travel

air travel stories: 117 news summaries

1 - 20 of 117 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>

Switch to grid view »

 'Counterproductive' 
 Offsets Ditched 

Green flying schemes salve consciences, not environment

Nov 18, 09 2:54 AM CST
(Newser) - Carbon offsets are becoming big business, but many emissions experts say green travel is too good to be true. Responsible Travel was one of the first travel firms to offer customers the chance to pay extra money to help offset emissions caused by their air miles. But it has now... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • carbon dioxide • carbon offsets • air travel • carbon emissions

 Stowaway Mouse 
 Grounds JFK Flight  

Passengers forced to switch planes after sighting

Nov 9, 09 10:08 AM CST
(Newser) - A mouse sighting delayed a Delta flight from JFK to London last night, the New York Times reports. Passengers were switched to another plane after the tiny intruder was spotted in the cabin. "Plain and simple, there’s not supposed to be a mouse on the airplane,” an... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Delta Air Lines • JFK Airport • air travel • mouse

runaway plane

Northwest Pilots Were Working on Laptops: NTSB

Captain, first officer deny falling asleep in cockpit

Oct 26, 09 3:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - The pilots of the Northwest flight that wandered 150 miles past its destination were working on their personal laptops in the cockpit, a violation of company policy. The two denied falling asleep and could hear the radio when they fell out of communication with ground personnel, they told NTSB investigators... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Northwest Airlines • aviation • air travel • Minneapolis airport • laptop

GLORY DAYS DEPT.

 Pan Am Lives—in Man's Garage 

Trips to Thailand net vintage headphones and the like for cabin mockup

Oct 26, 09 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - To Anthony Toth, Pan Am was the epitome of airline class, with its top-notch, martini-pouring first-class service and in-flight music so excellent that the United Airlines employee brought along a tape recorder to record it on trips as a boy. Now that he’s 42 and owns a home, he’... More »

MORE ABOUT:
airline • air travel • first class • airplane • Pan Am • vintage • nostalgia • replica • Jay-ZTV

runaway plane

Northwest Pilot:
We Weren't Sleeping

But he won't offer more details on why they overshot airport

Oct 24, 09 9:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of the pilots of the infamous Northwest flight that missed the airport says neither he nor his co-pilot were napping. "I can assure you none of us was asleep," says Richard Cole, who gave separate interviews to ABC and the AP. "It was not a serious... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Northwest Airlines • air travel • Minneapolis airport • pilot fatigue • pilots

runaway plane

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

Oct 23, 09 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Minneapolis • Northwest Airlines • San Diego • aviation • air travel • Minneapolis airport • pilot fatigue • Air National Guard • pilots

TRAVEL

For $249 Annual Fee, United Will Waive Bag Charges

Fee covers two bags per flight, and up to 8 passengers booked at same time

Oct 5, 09 9:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fly United frequently, or planning to use the airline for the next couple family vacations? For a $249 annual fee, United will waive fees for your first two checked bags—and it covers up to eight people traveling on the same booking. With a $20 charge for the first bag... More »

MORE ABOUT:
airline industry • United Airlines • air travel • fees • baggage

 Airport Seize Your Stuff? 
 Look for It on eBay 

TSA's confiscated items end up being sold via state agencies

Sep 22, 09 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - From knives to baseball bats to cake-cutters to corkscrews, and including at least one kitchen sink, the Transportation Security Administration confiscates around a million items from air travelers every month, CNN reports. Guns are turned over to law enforcement and shampoo bottles end up in the trash, but the rest... More »

MORE ABOUT:
eBay • airport security • air travel • airport screener • Transportation Security Administration

 8 Years On, Critics Call 
 Airport Security 'Theater' 

Critics see cockeyed focus on 'pointy objects,' none on real threats

Sep 11, 09 6:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Billions of dollars in spending since 9/11 has given airport security officers plenty of ways to catch terrorists—but are critics right in calling it "security theater"? Take the “millimeter wave whole body imager,” which pinpoint “anomalies” on your person: Sure, it will spot a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
September 11 • airport security • TSA • air travel • airport screener • 9/11 attacks • Transportation Security Administration • Peter DeFazio

3 Brits Guilty in '06 Plot to Bomb Transatlantic Flights

Planned use of liquid explosives sparked restrictions still in effect

Sep 7, 09 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Three British Muslims were convicted today of conspiracy to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives in a failed 2006 plot that led to restrictions on drinks and toiletries on flights, the Times of London reports. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, and Tanvir Hussain were retried after a jury... More »

MORE ABOUT:
terrorism • United Kingdom • terror plots • England • explosives • conspiracy • air travel • Britain • Abdulla Ahmed Ali • Assad Sarwar • guilty verdict • criminal trial • Tanvir Hussain • liquids

 Southwest 
 Adds $10 Fee 
 to Board Early 

Airline with no assigned seats starts charging for first dibs

Sep 2, 09 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Southwest Airlines doesn’t assign seats, but now it will start charging for the privilege of finding the best one, the Dallas Morning News reports. For an extra $10, the new “EarlyBird Check-in” allows passengers to board first, or at least right after the Business Select and Rapid... More »

MORE ABOUT:
airline industry • air travel • Southwest Airlines • boarding pass • airline passengers • fees • seating

 US Airways Raising Bag Fees 

Domestic checked-bag fee increases by $5

Aug 26, 09 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - US Airways is following the lead of its competitors and raising bag fees, reports the East Bay Business Times. On domestic flights, the first checked bag will cost $25 and the second will cost $30, a $5 bump for both. If the bags are checked at the airport instead of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
US Airways • airline • flights • air travel • check in • overseas • baggage

Pissed Airline Passenger Back on YouTube

Glossier United Breaks Guitars: Song 2 is follow-up to viral hit

Aug 19, 09 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Dave Carroll, who so memorably commemorated his terrible experience with United Airlines in the YouTube sensation United Breaks Guitars is at it again, Consumerist reports. The singer/songwriter/guitar-rights activist has released a more ambitious video cleverly titled United Breaks Guitars: Song 2, with a slightly more conciliatory tone. And don’t... More »

MORE ABOUT:
YouTube • United Airlines • luggage • song • guitar • air travel • Dave Carroll

(Newser) - Air passengers booking flights in the US can expect some extra questions starting this weekend, the Washington Post reports. Travelers will be asked for their sex and birth date, which will be forwarded along with other information to federal officials checking watch lists. The move comes as the Transportation Security... More »

MORE ABOUT:
airline industry • airport security • air travel • screening • Homeland Security • Transportation Security Administration

(Newser) - This could set off an interesting price war: JetBlue today began selling a $599 pass for all the flights you can handle between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8, reports Bloomberg. The idea is to try to keep their planes full once the peak summer season winds down. The offer's good... More »

MORE ABOUT:
travel • airline industry • airline • planes • air travel • Jet Blue • airplanes

 Sanford on Planes: 
 'I've Got a Busy Life' 

SC gov defends use of official aircraft

Aug 11, 09 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mark Sanford defended his personal use of state-owned planes today, arguing that the competing demands of fatherhood and the governor’s office required that he mix business and family travel, the AP reports. "I've got a busy life, and I've tried as best I can to be a reasonable... More »

MORE ABOUT:
South Carolina • air travel • fiscal conservatives • governor • airplane • Mark Sanford

(Newser) - Congress plans to spend $550 million to upgrade and expand the fleet of jets used to ferry federal officials around the country and abroad, the Wall Street Journal reports. Funds approved by the House for the military-run fleet call for two 737s and two Gulfstream jets on top of the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Congress • Department of Defense • air travel • US Air Force • military jets

(Newser) - One minute Qantas Flight 72 was cruising at a level altitude, autopilot humming. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the Airbus A320 went into a nosedive, as the pilots helplessly watched. Eventually, they righted the plane, but not before 115 passengers were injured. Nor was this an isolated incident. Automated... More »

MORE ABOUT:
artificial intelligence • airline industry • Qantas • Airbus • air disasters • air travel • Airbus A320 • automation

(Newser) - United Airlines’ dismal service and financial stature may soon send it to Chapter 11, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “teachable moment,” Shaun Rein writes in Forbes. Herewith, three lessons:
  • Loyal customers return: "Consumers are more price sensitive in this economy,
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
bankruptcy • airline industry • United Airlines • transportation • air travel • customer service • employees • morale • brand loyalty

TRAVEL

 Salt Lake Tops 
 Best Airports List 




Jul 25, 09 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some airports just seem to be charmed when it comes to on-time departures. Travel + Leisure ranks the 10 best in America based on percentage of flights delayed:
  1. Salt Lake City: Last year's winner continues its reign, cutting delays by 2% from 2008, to just 12%.
  2. Portland,
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Washington DC • airline industry • Detroit • San Diego • Salt Lake City • Orlando • airport • Tampa • air travel • Minneapolis airport • Los Angeles International Airport • Portland, Oregon • Reagan National Airport • Boston Phoenix

1 - 20 of 117 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>


from our news partners