The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has upgraded Vietnam’s safety rating, finally giving airlines in Vietnam the chance to serve the United States and codeshare with U.S. carriers. Vietnam has been trying to break into the U.S. market for years, but...
“Indecent Exposure Incident” Leads To Closure Of South Carolina Airport, Flight Cancellations
A half-naked woman sighted running down a runway at Florence Airport in South Carolina led to a temporary airport shutdown and two flight cancellations. The Florence County Sheriff’s Office reported “a partially clothed woman sprinted through the airport’s runway and into...
Teen Arrested For Hijack Attempt In Alaska
A 16-year-old was arrested for briefly commandeering the controls during a commercial flight in Alaska. So much of Alaska is traversed by air travel and a number of airlines most of us are not familiar operate regional “milk” routes...
Spirit Pulls Ahead Of American And United, But Delta Still On Top
It appears Spirit Airlines is heading in an EasyJet rather than Ryanair direction. The ultra-low-cost carrier has much to boast about on many metrics, including operational performance. But Delta remains at the top. Each year Scott McCartney, an airline...
Uh Oh: London Heathrow Halts Departures Due To Drones
UPDATE: 18:34 GMT – The departure ban has been lifted and flights are beginning to depart once again. Thousands remain delayed. Departures from London Heathrow Airpot are currently suspended while authorities investigate a drone sighting in the area. A...
Football Star Arrested For Drunk And Disorderly Conduct At Washington Dulles Airport
English Football (Soccer) Star Wayne Rooney was arrested for “public intoxication and swearing” at Washington Dulles International Airport. His incident serves as an important reminder that alcohol and sleeping pills do not mix well. Rooney was in Saudi Arabia...
Airline Fatalities Rise 900% in 2018, But…
The numbers don’t lie…2018 was a comparatively bad year for commercial aviation safety. But let’s keep things in perspective. 2018 marked an all-time high in number of flights and passengers carried: 4.5 billion passengers on 45 million flights. As...
Another Aviation Crisis Is Looming
I’ve written before about the pilot crunch affecting commercial airlines around the world. But that’s not the only problem: another crisis looms that airlines are scrambling to prepare for. As many retire and the aviation industry continues to expand,...
Indicted Congressman Paid $600 To Fly Rabbit Using Campaign Funds
A San Diego Congressman has been indicted for using camp gain funds for personal spending, including spending $600 to transport his childrens’ rabbit across the country. In a world of nepotism and graft, Duncan Hunter, a Republican Congressman from...
A Vintage Russian Jetliner Skids Off Runway in Sudan
I learned two new things today. First, there is still a Russian-built Ilyushin Il-62 in service outside of North Korea. Second, it is (well, perhaps was…) operated by a European airline. Rada Airlines is a cargo airline based in Belarus,...
Horizon Airplane Stolen – Imagining The Investigation
On Friday night a Horizon Air (Alaska Airlines commuter subsidiary) was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. While details remain incomplete, I imagined the investigation that would follow such an event, here are my thoughts of what has taken place....
Commercial Aircraft Stolen From Seattle, F-15s Pursue, Pilot Commits Suicide
A Horizon Air Q400 turbojet was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport then crashed 25 miles away as it was being pursued by F-15s. Sadly, this is not a joke. Alaska Airlines, of which Horizon is a subsidiary, initially issued this...
How Africa’s Largest Airline Exercises Strategic Influence
We’ve seen many surprises at the Farnborough Airshow this week, including the birth of a new airline. But the politics behind it are even more interesting. Nigeria has struggled to maintain a viable flag carrier over the decades. Nigeria Airways...
Why You Won’t Find Ice Cream On Flights From London This Week
Europe is the midst of a severe CO2 (carbon dioxide) shortage. One result is a shortage of dry ice, which impacts an airlines’ ability to offer ice cream onboard. Now, airlines like United have been forced to suspend ice...
A New Sharia-Compliant Airline in the United Kingdom by the “Halal Richard Branson”
Kazi Rahman, who calls himself the “Halal Richard Branson”, wants to fly alongside Emirates and Qatar Airways to the Middle East. If successful, Firnas Airways would be the first Sharia-compliant airline in the United Kingdom. But Rahman has his work...
United 767-300 Diverts Due To Bomb Threat
A United Airlines flight diverted to Ireland after a handwritten bomb threat was found in one of the aircraft lavatories. United Flight 971, bound from Rome to Chicago, diverted to Shannon, Ireland after the cryptic message was discovered. The...
Man Strikes FA, Hurls Racial Slur, Calls Her Overweight
Gregory Alexander is in a lot of trouble. The 82-year-old Florida man was charged with battery and interference with aircraft operations after hurling racial slurs and taunts at an American Airlines FA, then jabbing her with his finger. The...
Hamburg Airport Evacuated, Shut Down
Hamburg Airport remains closed this evening after losing power this morning. Thus far, engineers have been unable to restore even partial power. Around 1oam this morning (CET), an electrical short-circuit lurched Hamburg (HAM) into darkness. Both passenger terminals were evacuated....
London to San Francisco on British Airways…in 4 Minutes
Flying from London to San Francisco takes 11 hours. But thanks to one innovative pilot, you can re-live the journey in less than four minutes. British Airways’ Captain David Wallsworth is a Twitter and YouTube sensation for his time-lapse videos from...
Singapore Airlines Will Resume World’s Longest Flight by End of 2018
Singapore Airlines will resume nonstop service to New York by the end of 2018, reclaiming the title for world’s longest flight. Singapore Airlines served Newark, NJ from 2004 to 2013 using an A340-500 configured exclusively with 100 business class...
