Thread: Airline News

Happy news for Norwegian mongers, er I mean tourists.

Norse Atlantic Airways, has confirmed the continuation of its highly successful direct flights from Oslo to Bangkok in the upcoming summer 2024 season. Following a highly anticipated launch in the winter of 2023, this route has quickly become a traveller favourite, connecting two vibrant cities and catering to the increasing demand for affordable direct flights to Thailand.

Air101: Norse, Atlantic Airways extends direct flights from Oslo to Bangkok in Summer 2024

• Japan: Authorities announce plans to reopen closed runway at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport on Jan. 8

Japanese authorities have announced plans to reopen runway 34R at Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) on Jan. 8. The runway was closed in the wake of a fatal aircraft collision between Japan Airlines (JL) flight 516 and a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft that occurred early Jan. 2; airport officials had determined that runway 34R required repair work as a result of the accident. The closure has disrupted domestic flights at the facility, particularly on Japan Airlines (JL) and ANA All Nippon Airways (NH); however, there has been no impact on international flight operations.

Delays and cancellations will likely continue to impact domestic flights serving HND for several hours after the runway reopens as carriers move to clear their passenger backlogs and reposition aircraft.

• United Airlines finds loose bolts on multiple Boeing 737 Max 9 planes

United Airlines has found loose bolts and other “installation issues” on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft, it said on Monday, referring to the Boeing model that has been grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane mid-flight over the weekend.

The industry publication Air Current reported that United found discrepant bolts on other parts on at least five panels that were being inspected following the accident. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing declined to comment.

“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug. For example, bolts that needed additional tightening. These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service,” United said in a statement.

A cabin panel on a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max blew out on Friday at 16,000ft, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing shortly after its takeoff from Portland, Oregon. No serious injuries were reported. A chunk of the fuselage – weighing 63lb (28.5kg) – was later found in an Oregon teacher’s backyard.

• Capt. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger reflects on 15 years since ‘Miracle on the Hudson’

Monday marks 15 years since Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger landed a plane on the Hudson River in New York and saved the more than 150 people who were on board.

He joined MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on The 11th Hour Saturday to reflect on the “Miracle on the Hudson” and his life since he became known for his heroic act.

“It really took everyone involved. My crew, the passengers themselves, to rescuers, the first responders, all of it, responders from New York and New Jersey, it took so much cooperation,” Sullenberger said. “Everyone involved had to rise to the occasion and understand how serious this was and what they had to do and make it their mission to make sure that every life was saved.”

The pilot said his life changed instantly that day in 2009, when his plane struck a flock of birds shortly after taking off from LaGuardia International Airport in Queens and lost power to the engines.

He decided to land the plane in the shallow area of the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan. Boats rescued all passengers who stood on the plane’s wings, and only a few people sustained injuries, he recalled.

The National Transportation Safety Board called it the most successful emergency water landing in history.

Sullenberger, now retired, said he recently met with his former passengers and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles at a panel that was “very rewarding.”

“It was also wonderful to fill in the gaps in what I witnessed personally,” the former pilot said. “By hearing each of their stories and of course, as you can imagine, depending upon where they were sitting in the airplane, they had different experiences.”

“And so it was really fascinating to hear what they thought, what they felt, what they did, what they saw and how they reacted to the flight attendants’ orders,” he added.

Sullenberger also recently met with the first responders who helped to rescue the pilots and passengers for a reunion, since he hadn’t seen them since the incident.

Skiles said it was his first trip outside of training and he had just qualified to be a co-pilot on the Airbus 320 the Friday before.

He is now a Captain and still a pilot to this day, CBS News reported.

JAL to preserve part of aircraft from Haneda Airport collision

Japan Airlines is considering preserving part of the jetliner burned after colliding with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last week as a reminder of the fatal accident to raise safety awareness within the company, a JAL official said Wednesday.

The collision on a runway at the airport killed five of the six people aboard the coast guard's Bombardier DHC8-300 aircraft and left its captain severely injured, while all 379 passengers and crew on the JAL Airbus A350-900 managed to escape.

The carrier will formally decide on whether to keep part of the wreckage depending on the course of the investigation by the Japan Transport Safety Board and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the official said.

Even if JAL decides to save it, the company is likely to keep only a selected portion of the remains of its aircraft, given the extensive damage and high storage costs.

JAL is known for showcasing at its facility in Tokyo parts of the aircraft and personal belongings from a crash in 1985 that remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history, with 520 lives lost.

Uncontained engine failure... oops.

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane made an emergency landing in Miami late Thursday shortly after departure after suffering an engine fire.
The plane with five crew members safely returned and no injuries were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The FAA said a post-flight inspection showed a softball-size hole above the engine, while the NTSB said it "has opened an investigation and is collecting information to evaluate and determine scope of the investigation."

reuters.com

American Airlines flight attendant punched, officers assaulted, police say

A man assaulted an American Airlines flight attendant and later kicked and spit on police officers last week during a rowdy flight that was diverted to Amarillo, Texas, according to criminal complaint submitted by the FBI.

Keith Fagiana started an argument with a fight attendant during a flight on Jan. 3 from Dallas to Bozeman, Mont. last week, “yelling expletives” after he was asked to stop kicking the seat in front of him. Fagiana then punched the flight attendant multiple times before being restrained by nearby passengers and crew in flex cuffs, per the complaint.

When police took Fagiana off the plane in Amarillo, he complained of the cuffs hurting him and then kicked an officer in the groin and spit on another before while the cuffs were being changed, the complaint alleges.

He was charged with interference with a flight crew, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Man Trapped In Airplane Bathroom Nearly Entire Flight Receives Napkin-Scrawled Apology From Cabin Crew

A passenger on a commercial flight got stuck in the lavatory of a Boeing 737. SpiceJet, a low-cost Indian carrier, was operating an hour and 45-minute trip from Mumbai to Bengaluru earlier this week when the unidentified male passenger got up from his seat after takeoff to use the bathroom, the Indian Express reports. After all the efforts to free the man from his unfortunate predicament were exhausted, a flight attendant slipped an apology note under the door.

The note scribbled out on a napkin also warned the trapped passenger that the plane was preparing to land.



Man Trapped In Airplane Bathroom Nearly Entire Flight Receives Napkin-Scrawled Apology From Cabin Crew

• Man found dead inside airplane engine at Salt Lake City international airport

A man was found dead inside an airplane engine on Monday night at Salt Lake City international airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door, walked onto the tarmac and climbed inside the jet’s engine.

Officers found 30-year-old Kyler Efinger, a Park City resident, unconscious inside an engine mounted to the wing of a commercial aircraft loaded with passengers, the Salt Lake City police department (SLCPD) announced on Tuesday. The plane had been sitting on a de-icing pad, the engine was rotating at the time, but the cause of Efinger’s death remains unclear.

The manager of a store inside the airport reported a disturbance just before 10pm, telling dispatchers with the airport control center that he saw a man pass through the emergency exit.

Minutes later the SLCPD found “personal items” including shoes and clothing on one of the airport’s runways, police said in a statement that detailed the timeline of the incident. Less than 15 minutes after the first sighting of Efinger, police and airport staff pulled him from the engine intake cowling, which directs air flow to the engine fan section, and performed CPR, but Efinger had died at the scene.

Passengers were removed from the plane, which was en route from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, but overall airport operations were not affected, police said. The initial investigation indicates the man accessed the airport’s ramp area from the emergency exit and climbed inside the nearby engine.

An airport spokesperson told the Guardian that they will not be releasing anymore information since the investigation is ongoing.

Reuter
FAA steps up scrutiny of Boeing with calls for checks on another 737 model

By David Shepardson
January 22, 202411:09 PM GMT+7Updated 12 hours agoWASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recommended that airlines operating Boeing 737-900ER jets inspect door plug, opens new tab to ensure that they are properly secured after some operators reported unspecified issues with bolts upon inspections.



Regulators have stepped up scrutiny on Boeing after a Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout on an eight-week-old Alaska Airlines MAX 9 jet (ALK.N that left a gaping hole in the aircraft. Boeing has sought to contain the damage, appointing an independent advisor to examine quality control in its manufacturing processes while numerous planes remain grounded.


US aviation regulator calls for inspections of older Boeing 737 planes | News | Al Jazeera.

What's shocking is that they even have to ask.

• Video shows flames coming from Atlas Air plane before landing at MIA

FAA finds ‘softball-sized hole' above engine after Atlas Air plane makes emergency landing at MIA

A preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration found that there was a "softball-sized hole" above one of the engines on the Atlas Air flight that made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport late Thursday night.

According to the report, Atlas Air Flight 95 departed, experienced engine failure, and returned safely to MIA around 10:30 p.m.

During the post-flight inspection, a "softball-sized hole" was discovered above the second engine, the report said.

The Boeing 747 was headed to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico.

Video posted by Only in Dade shows the moment a witness captured flames coming from one of the engines of the plane.

NBC6 received the mayday calls made to air traffic control.

"Mayday, mayday...We have an engine fire," the audio recording said. "Request access back to the airport. No, we'll go ahead and land. We have five souls onboard."

According to the statement from the FAA, the crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA.

"At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause," an Atlas Air spokesperson said in a statement.

See the FAA's preliminary report here.

The chief executive of an American airline company has said internal checks found "many" loose bolts on their Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.

Ben Minicucci, the head of Alaska Airlines, told Sky News's US partner network NBC News that he was "angry" about an incident on 5 January when a panel on one of the company's planes blew out mid-air on a flight carrying 177 people.

"I'm more than frustrated and disappointed," he said.
"I am angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people.
"My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programmes in-house."

Alaska Airlines chief says checks on Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes found 'many' loose bolts | World News | Sky News

My demand on Alaska Airlines is why don't they check the fucking aircraft over once in a while!

• STARLUX Airlines offering LAX to Chiang Mai service

Luxury airline adds new LAX-to-Thailand service

A luxury airline that began offering regular flights between Los Angeles and Taipei last year has expanded, now offering new service to Thailand.

STARLUX Airlines began offering new service to Chiang Mai, Thailand from both LAX and San Francisco International Airport on Jan. 16.

Chiang Mai is a cultural hub in northern Thailand’s mountainous region that’s known for its vibrant markets and natural beauty. It’s home to the sacred Buddhist temple Wat Phra Singh and Doi Inthanon, one of Thailand’s most popular national parks in the Himalayan mountain range.

“Chiang Mai offers a diverse range of experiences, seamlessly blending tradition with modernity,” the airline says.

STARLUX is a Taiwan-based airline that launched its U.S. service in April 2023, promising luxury amenities and “chef-inspired” meals for all passengers aboard its new-generation Airbus A350s.

Since arriving stateside, the airline has quickly entrenched itself in the Los Angeles community, partnering with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The company says its plans to continue adding more flights between Asia and California in the near future, and eventually expanding to Seattle.

“We look forward to presenting these new routes that connect the USA to the enchanting city of Chiang Mai,” said Mike Wang, general manager of STARLUX North America. “Our commitment to superior travel experiences is evident in this initiative, which also bolsters our network from the USA to Taipei, Bangkok, and now Chiang Mai.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping that the connection between the two nations will bring more explorers to the beautiful and verdant land in Southeast Asia.

The airline does say travelers to Chiang Mai will need to catch a connecting flight in Taipei.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Thailand’s most popular national parks in the Himalayan mountain range

Must be an extremely fog free day !!!

"“Chiang Mai offers a diverse range of experiences, seamlessly blending tradition with modernity,” the airline says."

yep smog and air purifiers

Don't gey me wrong I like C Mai but the blurb

Airline passenger opens emergency exit on plane in Mexico City and went out on the wing

Karen Nielsen


After an Aeromexico plane was stranded for about three hours on the ground at Mexico City airport, without air conditioning or water for passengers, a man took action. It writes the BBC.

The man opened an emergency exit and walked out onto the wing of the plane. Then he was arrested, but his fellow travelers believe that he is a hero.

"He saved our lives," they wrote in a handwritten note about the incident.

Passengers believe that the three hours on board without air conditioning put their health at risk.

The BBC said it was unclear whether the man remained in custody.

Because the man had walked on the plane's wing, the passengers had to leave on another plane.

How very third world that they couldn't even dish out a bottle of water.

• Excessively farting passenger forces American Airlines flight to turn around

An American Airlines plane was reportedly forced to return to the gate due to high wind — a “disgruntled” passenger’s smelly farts.

The big stink over the flatulent flyer unfolded while a recent flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Austin, Texas, was still on the ground, according to a viral Reddit post.

“Before most people had boarded, I observed that this man was audibly disgruntled about something, maybe hungover, rough day idk, but as soon as he sat down he was grumbling about something under his breath, like ‘f—ing hell’ or something,” user lamgalatx wrote.

After the majority of passengers had boarded, the man reportedly exclaimed: “You thought that was rude? Well how about this smell” — and proceeded to pass gas.

“(I don’t know) what provoked that comment, and while kinda funny to overhear, it was uncalled for especially coming from a grown man on an airplane nonetheless,” the user wrote.

But the excessively farting passenger’s gross behavior didn’t end there.

“The man who just purposefully farted moments ago decides to loudly and condescendingly say ‘Yeah, everybody, let’s just eat the smelliest food possible all at the same time,’” the poster wrote.

“A guy in the row over replied, ‘If you don’t like it you can fly private’ to which fartman says ‘That’s so f—ing rude,’ and another person nearby chimes in ‘I think we’d all agree you’re the rude one here,’” the witness added.

At one point, flight attendants intervened and told the transgressor, “That’s enough.”

The plane was taxiing to the runway but came to a stop, according to the Redditor.

“An announcement comes over saying ‘Apologies for the interruption but we are returning to the gate, we will give you more info when we have it,’” the user wrote

“We get back to the gate and a flight attendant comes back and informs fartman that he will not be staying on this flight. He simply replies, ‘I don’t understand’ and she tells him they’ll talk about it off the plane.”

The man grabbed his bag and got off the plane.

“We all breathed a sigh of relief when he was removed, I think most ppl were on edge about what he may say or do next. The trip was only delayed by 15-30 minutes, so all in all I think American handled it swiftly,” he added.

Reddit users didn’t hold it in with their gas-related jokes.

“Maybe another flight was low on gas?” one person wrote,

“He missed an opportunity to fart on the way out and yell, ‘SMELL YOU LATER!’” another quipped.

The Post has reached out to American Airlines for comment about the big stink.

Ouch.

Get this boy a saucer of milk and a tin of Whiskas.

Thai Airways: A Downward Spiral of Service, Accountability, and National Pride - Thai Enquirer Featured