Thread: Airline News

A flight bound for Florida was diverted after an adult diaper was mistaken for a bomb in the plane bathroom

A Copa Airlines flight bound for Tampa, Florida, was diverted after a diaper on board was mistaken for a bomb, Panama's national police said on X on Friday. Flight CM393 departed Panama City on Friday at 9:44 a.m. and turned back when cabin crew was alerted to the suspected bomb.


"The Special Forces units activated the emergency protocol, and verified it turned out to be a disposable adult diaper," Panama's national police wrote in the post in Spanish, adding that it was alerted by the local civil aviation authorities of "a foreign object on an airline."


Photos posted on X — the platform formerly known as Twitter — by Panama's national police showed a disposable diaper placed on top of a black plastic bag.

The flight's 144 passengers disembarked in Panama City's Tocumen International Airport as authorities checked the plane for signs of a bomb on board. The diaper was found in one of the plane's lavatories, Jose Castro, the airport's head of security, told the Associated Press.


"We had it on a secure runway where police special explosives canine units and special forces examined the object, and found it to be an adult diaper, ruling out any risk," Castro said.


It's not the first time an item left behind in a lavatory has been mistaken for a bomb. In 2015, an Air France flight bound for Paris was diverted after an object made of cardboard, sheets of paper, and a timer was mistaken for an explosive.


Copa Airlines and Panama's national police did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider sent outside regular office hours.

A flight bound for Florida was diverted after an adult diaper was mistaken for a bomb in the plane bathroom






The poor sod who left their diaper in the lavatory. How embarrassing.

Airline forced to put on extra flight for sumo wrestlers

Japan’s national airline was forced to put on an extra flight for a group of sumo wrestlers because of concerns that their weight would prevent its planes from carrying enough fuel.


The wrestlers were scheduled to fly onboard two Japan Airlines (JAL) planes from Tokyo and Osaka to the southern island of Amami Oshima, where they were due to take part in a competition.


However, the airline took the unusual step of mobilising a special additional flight to carry a number of the athletes.


The eleventh-hour decision was taken after staff discovered the flights’ passenger lists included sumo wrestlers, whom they estimated weigh on average around 120kg - significantly higher than the typical 70kg passenger, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.


There were reportedly concerns that the runway in southern Japan would have struggled to accommodate a larger aircraft. As a result, JAL laid on an additional service for 27 of the wrestlers, 14 of whom flew from Osaka to Tokyo in order to board the special flight.


Additional flights were also organised to take the sumo wrestlers home after the end of the tournament last weekend, according to local media reports.


“It is very rare for us to operate special flights due to … [aircraft] weight limits,” a JAL spokesperson told the Minami-Nippon Shimbun, a regional newspaper.


Physical requirements relaxed
Japan’s national sport has long been synonymous with the oversized physique of its wrestlers, who typically gain weight through a combination of intense training and a protein-heavy diet, including copious quantities of a traditional stew known as “chankonabe”.


The JAL incident took place just weeks after the Japan Sumo Association, the sport’s government body, announced plans to relax its historically strict rules on physical requirements, due to record low participation figures.


The change will allow new sumo recruits to be both shorter and skinnier, abandoning traditional requirements for wrestlers to be at least 5ft 5in tall or weigh 10.5st or more.


It also came after a growing number of airlines began weighing passengers before they boarded flights in recent months as part of temporary surveys aimed at reevaluating average plane weight data.


The airlines, which included Air New Zealand and Korean Air, said the information gathered would help them more accurately calculate how much fuel is needed for journeys.

Airline forced to put on extra flight for sumo wrestlers because of concerns over weight

Thai Airways Selling Off Fleet of Airbus A380 Planes

Thai Airways Selling Off Fleet of Airbus A380 Planes | TravelPulse

United Airlines orders 50 Boeing 787 airliners

US carrier United Airlines has placed an order for 50 additiinal Boeing 787 airliners with the Seattle-based airframer.

The deal will see the airline become the worlds largest operator of the 787 Dreamliner as it brings the total ordered by the airline to 150.

The order is for the mid-size Boeing 787-9 variant which seats up to 296 passengers and has a range of 7,565nm.

AirAsia boss faces criticism for posting half-naked massage photo ‘during Zoom meeting’

AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes sparked a heated debate on social media after he posted a half-naked photo of himself while getting a massage during a virtual office meeting.


On 16 October, Mr Fernandes posted the photo on his LinkedIn page and in the caption, he wrote: “Was a stressful week and Veranita Yosephine suggested a massage. Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I Can [sic] have a massage and do a management meeting.”


Ms Yosephine is the CEO of AirAsia Indonesia.


The post went viral and received several comments from observers with many calling the 59-year-old’s behaviour “inappropriate”.


The photo showed him without a shirt and a masked-up masseuse kneading his shoulders while he addressed a virtual meeting.


One user commented: “You could have wrapped up the meeting and then had your massage. I don’t think in a civilised culture this seems appropriate.”


Another said: “I don’t think the women in your company would feel comfortable or safe in this context, and given you’re the boss, they likely won’t challenge you or say anything. Please for their sake, listen to the comments you’ve deleted on this post. You are clearly a smart leader that cares about culture but this isn’t the way to create a supportive, safe one.”


On Wednesday morning, when The Independent checked his LinkedIn profile, the viral post had disappeared. However, its screenshots were still doing the rounds on social media.


On the original post, one user had commented: “A grown man, who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company, conducts a management meeting with his shirt off as he gets a massage. Remove ‘who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company’, and it is still inappropriate.”




“I’m going to assume that this meeting took place long after the workday was over and most of the office was empty (except a few C-level), but at least put on a shirt for the photo,” another person commented.


“I took my shirt off during a management meeting and got fired,” another mocked.


“He should be setting an example of good work ethics and culture, not flaunting his body and privilege,” another user added.


“Some CEOs need to stay off LinkedIn,” wrote another.


But a few users also responded positively to the post. One said: “Love this boss!”

AirAsia boss faces criticism for posting half-naked massage photo ‘during Zoom meeting’ | The Independent

Could have been worse...

New Yorker Suspends Jeffrey Toobin for Masturbating on Zoom Call

• Cebu Pacific to buy 100-150 jets worth $12B in biggest aircraft deal in PH history

Cebu Pacific will order 100 to 150 narrow-body passenger jets in a deal that the Gokongwei family-controlled firm estimates would be worth up to $12 billion based on currently published prices — the single biggest aircraft order in the country’s history.

According to the budget airline’s CEO Michael Szucs, Cebu Pacific will send out an official request for proposals by the end of this week to Boeing of the US and Europe’s Airbus to allow the rival aircraft manufacturers to make their best offers.

The Cebu Pacific chief said it is unlikely that the airline will accommodate both manufacturers to supply portions of the record-breaking transaction. Instead, he described it as a “winner-take-all deal” with the manufacturer that would offer the best package to be awarded the entire contract.

Speaking to the Inquirer on Tuesday, Szucs said the Philippine market has the benefit of enjoying a demographic dividend with still relatively few Filipinos travelling by air compared to its neighbours, has a strategic location and consistent economic growth, and rising tourism potential. Additionally, aviation infrastructure is expected to improve significantly once San Miguel Corp’s Bulacan airport starts operating between 2026 and 2028.

“Because of that, we’ve got the confidence to put our money where our mouth is,” he said. “Hence we’re looking to make a large order over the long term.”

Szucs said both Boeing and Airbus make aircraft that are “perfect” for Cebu Pacific’s needs.

“So frankly, may the best man win,” he said. “We will be driven by the right economic outcomes and by the very competitive process that we’ll be running. We have no preference for who wins. We want the best economic outcome because that means we can get the best economic outcome for our passengers.”

Originally Posted by S Landreth

We want the best economic outcome because that means we can get the best economic outcome for our passengers.”

So no

MANILA ENVELOPES

Honest

No really , please

http://www.bworldonline.com/editors-...ats-in-a-name/

403 Forbidden

Originally Posted by Takeovers

But they have now licenses for 2 airbus planes. Sure they will expand quickly now.

Akbar Baker's dozen, me ole guv has turned a Gulf Air level service of 1990s to a rival to Singapore and ANA

Holy shit. Reminds me of that Fedex flight 705.

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut down plane's engines during flight

An off-duty pilot has been arrested and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut down a plane's engines during a flight, causing the pilot to divert the aircraft.

The 44-year-old man, who was sitting in the spare seat of the cockpit, was "subdued" by the two pilots flying the aircraft and arrested after the plane landed safely at around 6.30pm local time on Sunday evening.

Horizon Air flight 2059 from Everett to San Francisco was diverted to Portland, where the suspect, named as Alaska Airlines pilot Joe Emerson, was held by police.

Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon, said in a statement on Monday that the flight was diverted due to a "credible security" threat linked to a person in the cockpit's flight deck jump seat.

"The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines," the airline said.

"The Horizon captain and first officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident."

The flight crew followed "appropriate FAA procedures and guidance from air traffic control" in landing at Portland International Airport.

"The jump seat occupant is currently in custody and the event is being investigated by law enforcement authorities, which includes the FBI and the Port of Portland Police Department.

"All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight."

After landing, the 44-year-old was arrested by Port of Portland police and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and a count of endangering an aircraft, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, NBC said.

No weapons were involved, the airline said.

Audio of the plane's communications with air traffic control appear to reveal an attempt to turn off the plane's engines.

"As a heads-up. We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit. It doesn't sound like he's got any issue in the back right now. I think he's subdued," the pilot of the plane told air traffic control.

"Other than that we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked."

The incident occurred on a 76-seat Embraer 175 plane.

Typically, off-duty airline pilots sit in the jump seat of the flight deck behind the pilots to fly back to their home base if seats are available.

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut down plane's engines during flight | US News | Sky News

• Reports Suggest Bamboo Airways Is Struggling To Pay Its Pilots

As many as 30 pilots have reportedly left Bamboo Airways in the last two months after delays in receiving their wages. The reports come as the Vietnamese carrier finds itself facing significant financial hardship.

Staff at the airline are understood to have faced frustrating pay delays in the past, although this is the first time that the issue has affected foreign pilots, who make up a large majority of the carrier's 300-strong pilot community.

Bamboo Airways is currently undergoing a major restructuring plan, which includes its route network, fleet, and human resources. In a statement to Reuters, the airline said that it had "reduced a number of pilot personnel recently to serve this goal," although it denied that the late payment of salaries was the reason for the pilots leaving.

Turbulent times for Bamboo Airways

Since commencing operations in January 2019, Bamboo Airways has not had an easy ride. Vietnam's travel restrictions throughout the pandemic were among some of the strictest in the world, and since then, the airline has faced stiff competition in the form of the rapidly expanding low-cost carrier, Vietjet.

Last year, Bamboo Airways posted a loss of 17.6 trillion dong ($722 million), and earlier this summer, rumors surfaced of the airline almost filing for bankruptcy protection. In addition to its financial woes, the airline has lacked consistent leadership, and its current CEO, Nguyen Ngoc Trong, was appointed in July 2023, when his predecessor resigned after just two months in the role.

With its unique hybrid model, fitting somewhere between a full-service carrier and low-cost carrier, Bamboo Airways has perhaps struggled to carve out a niche in an extremely competitive market. However, in a bid to quell any rumors, the airline issued a statement assuring that it was maintaining normal operations.

Vietnam's third-largest airline

Bamboo Airways is the third-largest airline in Vietnam, with a 17% market share. Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the carrier currently has 30 aircraft in its fleet, including three Boeing 787-9s. The airline's only widebody aircraft each seat 292–294 passengers in a three-class configuration.

The carrier has previously stated its intentions to boost the size of its fleet to 100 aircraft by 2028. In line with this plan, Bamboo Airways is awaiting delivery of another ten 787-9s and one Airbus A321, although beyond that, there are no further aircraft on order as yet.

From its hubs at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Bamboo Airways operates an extensive domestic and regional network. The airline also flies to a limited number of long-haul destinations - London Gatwick (LGW), Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), and Frankfurt (FRA), although the London service will end on October 25th.

^ FFS

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot 'who tried to shut down plane's engines told officers he had tried magic mushrooms for first time'

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot 'who tried to shut down plane's engines told officers he had tried magic mushrooms for first time' | US News | Sky News

^same story twice?

• Weighty issue: Japan Airlines lays on extra plane after sumo wrestlers make aircraft too heavy to fly

Japan’s flagship carrier has been forced to lay on an extra flight at short notice after concluding that two of its planes were at risk of exceeding their weight limits. The culprit was not excess baggage, however, but a passenger list that included some of the country’s heaviest men.

Japan Airlines took the “very unusual” step of transferring a number of sumo wrestlers to a hastily arranged special flight last week over concerns that the two aircraft they had originally been due to fly would be unable to carry sufficient fuel due to weight restrictions.

The sumo rikishi were scheduled to take Boeing 737-800 flights from Haneda airport in Tokyo and Itami airport in Osaka to Amami Oshima, an island in the far south, where they were due to compete in a sports festival, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

• Five new Thai airlines to start flying next year

Thai nationals are launching five new airlines with a total investment of at least 3.85 billion baht, expecting to start commercial operations in 2024, eyeing a piece of Thailand’s growing aviation market which is estimated to reach 320 billion baht in value next year.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), the five new airlines that have been granted the Air Operating Licence (AOL) are: Really Cool Airlines, P80 Air, Pattaya Airways, Siam Seaplane and Landarch Airlines.

These airlines will have to wait for the CAAT to approve their Air Operator Certificate (AOC) before they can fly commercially in Thailand.

Patee Sarasin, chief executive officer of Really Cool Airlines, said that the airline expected to receive an AOC in January next year and start flying from the second quarter.

He said that in the first two years of operation, Really Cool Airlines would focus on Asian routes such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai with four Airbus A330-300 aircrafts.

With an initial crew of 130, the company will test the market with chartered flights during March to May next year, then switch to regular flights and later expand to European markets.

“We would not compete with Thai Airways International on their regular routes but would focus on flights to secondary cities, which would also help further promote Thailand’s tourism industry,” he said.

Patee added that Really Cool would also be the world first’s airline that delivers passenger luggage to their doors. “We are planning to invest some 1 billion baht in products and services under Rally Cool brands, such as Really Cool Taxi, Really Cool Medical, and Really Cool Cargo,” he said.

Meanwhile, P80 Air spokesman Sorakrit Wannala said that the company expected to get its AOC in the next 8-9 months and start commercial operation in the last quarter of next year.

In the first two years of operation, P80 Air would fly mostly to secondary cities in China using four Boeing B737-800 NG aircrafts, he said.

P80 Air is a subsidiary of Thoresen Thai Agencies Pcl, a maritime logistics arm of Mahagitsiri Group. The company reportedly has invested over 2 billion baht in the airline business, of which 500 million baht have been spent in establishing a new airline.

Thossaporn Usanee, president of Pattaya Group, said that Pattaya Airways planned to take to the skies in the fourth quarter of 2024, providing full-scale aviation transport on both domestic and Asean destinations.

Pattaya Airways will use an ATR72 aircraft for cargo delivery in the first three years before adding three more planes to serve the growing demand of cargo delivery from e-commerce operators, he added.

A news source reported that Siam Seaplane was looking to add amphibian planes of the Cessna Caravan 208 model to its fleet to serve high-end customers visiting seaside resorts and ports in Thailand. The airline’s first route will be the famous Ko Lipe in Satun province, where amphibian planes can shorten the commute time to the island to just 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, Landarch Airlines will operate short chartered flights between major cities in southern provinces, starting from April 2024, according to a source.

The airline’s centre would be in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, where it would procure five Cessna C208 B, 12-seaters aircraft within the first five years. Landarch Airlines will expand its fleet to 15 aircraft in following years, targeting destinations in other provinces as well.

Glad they noticed... eventually

A Florida-bound flight was forced to turn around abruptly after departing London with missing and damaged windowpanes, a report has revealed.

Several cabin windowpanes on the Airbus A321 had been damaged by high-power floodlights used during filming to create the illusion of a sunrise, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

But the damage was only discovered after the aircraft had taken off and climbed to around 14,500ft.
"More serious consequences" could have occurred if the "window integrity was lost at a higher differential pressure", the AAIB said in a special bulletin released on the incident.

The chartered flight was due to travel to Orlando International Airport from Stansted Airport on 4 October, carrying nine passengers and 11 crew members.

Several passengers said the aircraft cabin seemed "noisier and colder" than they were used to, after the seatbelt signs had been switched off.

The crew realised something was wrong when a member of staff noticed the seal on a window on the left side of the plane was "flapping in the airflow", and "the windowpane appeared to have slipped down".

They described the noise as "loud enough to damage your hearing".

The pilot reduced flight speed before the aircraft turned around just 36 minutes after take-off, landing safely at Stansted.
An inspection on the ground found two windowpanes were missing, while a third was "dislodged" and a fourth "protruded from the left side" of the jet.

The panes had been subjected to "thermal damage" after being exposed to intense lighting for up to five hours a day earlier, with the floodlights "likely" positioned closer than the recommended 10m, the report found.

A shattered outer pane was recovered during the inspection, while some of the foam ring material lining windows was found to be melted.

The damaged windowpanes were "deformed and shrunk" and "no longer formed an effective interface with rubber seals".

The AAIB report added: "The windows appear to have sustained thermal damage and distortion because of elevated temperatures while illuminated for approximately four to five-and-a-half hours during filming activity the day before the flight.
"It is likely the floodlights were positioned closer than 10m."

An investigation is ongoing with the aircraft manufacturer and operator to "fully understand the properties of the lights used and how this risk can be managed in future", the AAIB said.

"Aircraft owners and operators should consider the hazard posed by such activities to minimise the risk of aircraft damage," the watchdog added.

The investigation into the incident continues.

Florida-bound flight from London forced to turn around after missing and damaged windowpanes discovered | UK News | Sky News

• First window, then middle, then aisle? United Airlines launches new boarding system

United Airlines is changing the way it boards passengers in economy class this week, reverting to a system where passengers in a window seat will be seated first, followed by middle seats and then aisle seats in a manner that the airline says will save precious minutes on every flight.

The airline has been testing the plan — called WILMA, for window, middle and aisle — at a half dozen locations for several weeks, and in an internal memo it says the system saves, on average, two minutes per flight.

Other airlines have tried variations on the system before, even as most eventually revert back to the current system whereby higher-paying first-class and business-class passengers board first, followed by passengers from the rear of the plane to the front.

The WILMA system is a better one because it minimizes bottlenecks as much as possible, said Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who is credited with having invented a similar system more than a decade ago.

A Steffen system goes one step further, staggering window, middle and aisle boarding by row number, which gives people time and space to get into their seats as fast as possible.

"It spreads people out along the aisle of the airplane so that more people can put their luggage away at the same time. That's the main thing that speeds up the boarding process," he said.

Though a departure from its current system, United isn't going to a full WILMA model. Instead, seating will change for passengers in the fourth boarding group. That means customers in first class and business class will see no change in their routine, and there's also no change for those with priority-boarding privileges, including travellers with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, active-duty military and families with children who are two or under.

That will limit its effectiveness, said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, a travel-advisory firm in San Francisco.

Harteveldt boarded a United flight on Tuesday, and he told CBC News in an email that by his estimation, there were 67 people who boarded the plane before the fourth group was allowed on.

• Airline accidentally sells flights for only $2, says it will honour tickets

China Southern Airlines is blaming a glitch in its booking system for the sudden appearance of extremely low prices for flights, with some advertised as low as 10 yuan, which is just over NZ$2.

For two hours on Wednesday evening, the ultra-low prices were available on its app and on third-party sites for flights to and from Chengdu, but instead of cancelling the tickets and forcing those who purchased them to pay the full price, the airline said it would honour them.

Screenshots of the accidental fares appeared on social media site Weibo, with routes such as Chengdu to Shanghai, which can cost up to 2000 yuan (NZ$463) one-way, selling for just 10 yuan, reports The Times of India.

In a statement, the airline said: “All flight tickets that have been paid and issued during the system glitch will be valid and travellers can use them normally.”

I couldna get Harrys link to open so here X version, hope thay got loadsa insurance

http://twitter.com/AvSourceNews/stat...65105359335885

Originally Posted by david44

I couldna get Harrys link to open so here X version, hope thay got loadsa insurance

http://twitter.com/AvSourceNews/stat...65105359335885

Oh FFS now my bitch has to scrabble for something else to post below.

• Frontier Airlines flight evacuated after crew fall sick from 'strange odor'

A Frontier Airlines plane was met by a hazmat team testing for possible poisonous gas after crew members reported falling sick from a “strange odor” Thursday — the same day another of its flights had a bomb threat.

Flight 990 was heading to San Antonio from Denver when the crew members in the back of the plane noticed a fume-like odor and alerted the captain, NEWS4 reported.

When the plane landed about 1:40 p.m. Thursday, four flight attendants informed San Antonio firefighters that they felt nauseous, according to the outlet.

Emergency crews donned hazmat suits and used equipment to test for poisonous gas, My San Antonio reported.

“Originally, we were called for a strange odor on a plane and people feeling bad so we sent a whole lot of people — hazmat, rescue, airport rescue, all these things out there — but once the plane landed, we realized there was no odor,” said fire department rep Joe Arrington.

“None of the passengers were feeling sick. It was isolated to four crew members who were feeling ill,” he said.

“As a precaution, we responded because it came in to us as a foul odor on a plane, so that ramps up our response. But once we got everyone down, there were no negative readings of anything on the plane,” Arrington added.

The crew members were evaluated by emergency medical personnel as a precaution.

• Woman asks Ryanair for refund after husband cheats on her. Airline's witty response

Ryanair, an Irish budget airline is known for being quite active on social media and giving savage replies on posts by flyers. The latest instance saw the airline replying to a customer asking for a refund in its trademark witty way.

An X user asked Ryanair to refund the cost of her ticket after she found that her husband was cheating on her. "@Ryanair hi I booked flights for myself and my husband to go away I've just found out his having an affair! Can you refund the flights or at least change my name to his bit on the sides as she's welcome to him!" the traveller wrote.

Ryanair, putting a touch of humour, replied, “Emotional baggage costs extra, Karlie.”