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United, Continental pilots cleared to call a strike vote http://t.co/XHMVSB5v After teen's fatal fall from jetliner, Congress questions airport security : http://t.co/u5uJrNxb AA flight attendants make their case in court http://t.co/G5ApWkvL #aawfaa U.S. Congressman says next terror attack involving an airliner will 'come from the ground' http://t.co/d0hf6NKa Airline food: Trying to make it fly | Travel | The Seattle Times: http://t.co/pXfgj8Iy
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By Christopher Elliot, Travel columnist msnbc.com contributor During a recent 2 1/2-hour flight from Portland, Maine, to Charlotte, N.C., Tom Meador heard nothing but crying. “The baby in the back row screamed bloody murder,” he remembers. “Its mother did everything she could think of to quiet the baby. She actually was dripping with sweat because you could tell she worried about what it was doing to the other passengers. I think she had reason to worry, too, because there...
1:00pm Sunday 21st March 2010 Hampshire Chronicle The joint leader of Unite has urged the chairman of British Airways and “sensible” board members to use their influence in a bid to resolve the bitter cabin crew dispute. Tony Woodley attacked the “macho” management style of chief executive Willie Walsh and said it was time for the airline chairman Martin Broughton and other directors to intervene. Mr Woodley said that despite “propaganda” from BA about the number of staff working...
The Daily Mail 20March, 2010 By RHIANNA KING British Airways and the Unite union have clashed over the impact of the strike action by cabin crew that has seen thousands of passengers hit by flight cancellations today. As Unite claimed that dozens of planes were stacking up at Heathrow airport as the industrial action took effect, British Airways revealed that 50 per cent of regular cabin crew had arrived for work as normal today. As a result, the airline plans...
March 16, 2010 New York Post, by JEREMY OLSHAN They were supposed to be taking a direct flight from LAX to JFK — but wound up on a 16-hour nightmare tour by air and bus of New York state. Before finally arriving at their destination, the starving passengers of jinxed Virgin America Flight 404 had been stranded on a tarmac for seven hours and forced to ride a bus for another 2½ hours. At one point, food supplies aboard...
From blog.Delta.com It’s been 70 years since our first flight attendant, Birdie Perkins, flew from Atlanta to Fort Worth, Texas, on the inaugural flight of our 14-passenger Douglas DC-2 on March 16, 1940. The trip took five hours in those days, and the stewardesses worked in unpressurized, unair-conditioned cabins, but the job had glamour! “You felt like a little celeb,” remembered Sybil Harmon, another of our early flight attendants. “This was so new to people . . . On Sundays they would come out to...
New York Times March 15, 2010 Joe Sharkey LIKE most business travelers, Richard M. Owens has occasionally sat in an exit-row seat on an airplane and wondered what he would do in a real emergency. He got to find out, he told me, on a harrowing approach into Miami about five years ago. A flight attendant sidled up to him, he recalled, and asked him to follow her back to the rear galley. “She told me that, as far...
Written by Jessica Doyle, 9NEWS Now & wusa9.com WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) — We’ve heard about airline delays causes by a number of factors; mechanical issues, weather problems, traffic gridlock at the airport. But earlier this month, one DC resident and regular flier faced a type of airline delay she has never encountered before. Miami to Reagan National Airport, an American Airlines flight Alissa Kempler says she will never forget. She says “At the end of the day I think it...
The company ‘deadheaded’ our crew from Seattle today. For you earthlings, a “deadhead” happens when Pilots and/or Flight Attendants (must) ride as passengers to satisfy operational scheduling needs at the destination. That’s why you’ll sometimes see us occupying passenger seats while in uniform. We’re either deadheading or commuting to/from work. In either case, we’re trying our absolute best to be invisible. Any number of crew can be repositioned to start a trip from a non-base location, or to take over...
Boeing 747 Survives Simulated Flight 253 Bomb Blast 05 MAR 2010 On December 25, 2009 a passenger on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253 attempted to detonate a small explosive device as the Airbus A330 was descending towards Detroit. The man was subdued and arrested after a safe landing. What damage would have been caused had the bomb exploded? A BBC Two documentary (How safe are our Skies? Detroit Flight 253) wanted to answer that question. A controlled experiment was...
March 10, 2010 Due to some very special welcoming words that were captured on video, the chief flight attendant on the December 20, 2009, TACA flight, César Soto has become the newest YouTube sensation in Peru. Minutes after landing at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Soto said the following words to the passengers on the flight originating from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lima: world’s gastronomical capital, land of the ceviche, pisco and pisco sour, as well as the lomo...
In1936, Sarla Thakral, a 21-year-old married woman with a four-year-old daughter, soared into the sky. In the cockpit of a Gypsy Moth, dressed modestly in her saree, Sarla’s flight into the firmament landed her a place in history. She became the first Indian woman to fly. Sarla’s husband and her father-in-law helped her achieve the ambition. CHENNAI: As part of the International Women’s Day celebrations, Air India operated an all-women crew flight on select sectors in international and domestic...
Man Sues Airline for not Looking at His Scrotum By JEAN-PHILIPPE ARCAND, QMI Agency (Toronto Sun) MONTREAL - A Westmount resident’s lawsuit against Air Transat, for failure to provide him with appropriated medical attention during a flight, was dismissed in small claims court this past Tuesday. His illness? Sudden and mysterious bleeding in the area between his legs. The curious incident occurred February 15, 2008 during a flight from Montreal to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Marcel Cote was comfortably seated in business...
The Definitive Guide to US Airport Wireless Connections and Free Airport WIFI Welcome to TravelPost.com’s definitive, comprehensive* guide to airport wireless connections in the USA. From top US airports like Atlanta Hartsfield International to smaller airports like El Paso International, we provide the most complete listing of wireless Internet access, service providers, airport coverage areas, wifi in airline clubs and lounges, and Internet subscription pricing plans available. With TravelPost.com’s guide to airport wifi, travelers can easily determine which airports offer wireless...
You gonna eat that? On a recent flight home to Minnesota out of JFK airport, passenger Kristin Haraldsdottir was traveling with her new puppy (named Monkey, to complicate things). The small, mixed-breed puppy was small enough to fly as a carry-on in an approved crate, and Delta charged its standard $125 pet fee (each way) to transport the pup. On the same flight, another traveler was transporting a live animal as well, one that weighed the same as Monkey...
Thursday, March 04, 2010, by Vivian Nereim, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Doreen Welsh, of Ambridge, a flight attendant on the US Airways flight that crashed into the Hudson River, reflects on her experience. A Beaver County flight attendant who was swept into the spotlight last year after US Airways Flight 1549 crash landed in the Hudson River retired last month, leaving behind four decades of flying. “I’ve known for a while that I couldn’t go back,” said Doreen Welsh, 59,...
CNN — 03/03/2010 Mark Ashley watches with a weary eye whenever flight attendants walk up and down the aisles of a plane to collect the trash on his flights. Items that he would normally separate for recycling at his home and office are often dumped into a single bag on planes. So copious amounts of empty soda cans, plastic bottles and cups, as well as discarded newspapers — all of which could be salvaged — probably end up as...
Air Canada flight cancelled due to giant rat on plane The Boeing 767 was waiting to taxi down the runway when a passenger spotted the rodent / AFP Source: AFP HUNDREDS of passengers were ordered off a plane bound for London from Ottawa moments before it was due to take off after a huge rat was discovered on board. The Boeing 767 was waiting to taxi down the runway when a passenger spotted the rodent in an overhead locker, The Sun...
Kevin Smith, director, actor, comedian, asks the question, “does this airplane make my butt look too big?” Airlines grapple with fat flier issue By A. Pawlowski, CNN February 17, 2010 12:26 p.m. EST (CNN) — When film director Kevin Smith was recently kicked off a flight because of his size, he focused his anger on Southwest, but the incident put the spotlight on all airlines and their heavy passenger policies. Smith said that he had no...
HOUSTON, Tex.(NBC) — A British intelligence service says it’s discovered that gel and saline implants may be used by al-Qaeda to terrorize innocent people. British spy satellites have reportedly intercepted terrorist communications from Pakistan and Yemen, talking about women suicide bombers getting explosives put inside breast implants. Former Houston FBI Director Don Clark said he believes U.S. Homeland Security is taking this threat very seriously. “I’m sure we are gathering all the information, intelligence that the government can” he...
Epic Super Bowl parade canceled United flight to Los Angeles By Bruce Nolan, The Times-Picayune February 10, 2010, 4:00PM The New Orleans Saints Super Bowl parade through the streets of New Orleans on Tuesday apparently led to the cancellation of a Los-Angeles bound flight from Louis Armstrong International Airport. Tuesday’s late afternoon Super Bowl parade trapped a United Airlines crew downtown and so delayed their arrival at Louis Armstrong International Airport that the airline was forced to cancel the Los Angeles-bound flight,...
Prior to arriving at the airport, be sure to have the airline’s toll free reservation number entered into your mobile phone ‘contacts’ list. Or dial in the number and push “call”, ending it as soon as the call is engaged. The number will then be registered on your call history, and at your fingertips, should your flight be delayed or canceled. At the first sign of a problem with your flight, do not waste a hot second looking for a line to stand in. Instead, simply push “call” and get queued in to speak with an airline...
You asked politely if you could stand in the already cramped 757 aft galley for a while. Turns out, “a while” would be hours. Yes, you standing there was annoying. And you were in the way a lot, but I overlooked it since you seemed so miserable. I did keep checking in, asking “are you okay?”. Once finding you sitting on the flight attendant jumpseat, I told you that sitting there was not okay. You complied, and were very polite throughout. You didn’t complain, just said you were unable to sit, and very...
Poor Kinman Chan. I mean, what the heck happened? There must be more to the story right? Obviously the marijuana cookies were good, but good enough causing him to go coo-koo on a flight, dropping his drawers, and acting a fool? Haven’t we al experimented with ‘mari-jane’? Okay, mine was a very lengthy experiment. More like a study really, lasting years. But that was a long time ago, long before re-hab (the first time, that is). Now, I can honestly say that I never came close to the behavior this boy displayed...
If you’re flying domestically, you’ll notice that pillows and blankets have all but disappeared from ’economy’ class cabins on US carriers. The airline I fly for has eliminated P & B provisioning for nearly all economy cabins on domestic flights. Be prepared for fluctuating cabin temperatures, especially when returning from warmer climates. You should expect a chilly ride if you’re dumb enough to only wear a tank top, shorts, flip-flops, and a sunburn. Instead of complaining to me, how about taking some responsibility for being a nincompoop? Next time, have a few extra layers packed...
Unruly flight passenger blames double dose of medical pot cookies after fight, diversion PITTSBURGH (AP) — A San Francisco man claims he was high on a double dose of medical marijuana cookies when he screamed, dropped his pants and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to Pittsburgh, the FBI said Wednesday. Kinman Chan, 30, was charged in a criminal complaint with interfering with the duties of a flight attendant on allegations that he fought with crew...
Just what are you handing me? On all flights, passengers aggressively try handing over a wide range of items they no longer wish to keep at their seats. These hand-outs will frequently pop out at us when we least expect them, while at the gate, during boarding, taxi out, and any time between take off and landing. Please understand, I am not always prepared to receive a fully loaded diaper, overly ripe half eaten banana, used chewing gum, dentures, or a barf bag full of the previous nights partially digested Kung Pao Chicken. At that particular moment, I may...
What Would Martha Do? Your thought-provoking questions just keep rolling in! Instead of answering individually, I’ve decided to start a wwmd? ask the 8 Ball advice column. Please submit questions in three easy steps: 1. Scroll down to “Leave a Reply” 2. Drop your question in the “Leave a Reply” box 3. I’ll check the 8 Ball and provide the answer within two shakes of a lambs tail! Viola! You tweet? Tweet Martha or join us on Martha’s Facebook Fan...
“Flying frequently ~ for a living!” ~ Based in beautiful San Francisco, Martha is a well seasoned Flight Attendant for a major US airline. Although friendly service is an important job requirement, Martha works tirelessly maintaining a safe, stable, and secure environment while hosting hundreds of somewhat unstable, often insecure, and not-always-friendly passengers stuffed inside a metal tube hurling through space at over 500 mph. Seems like a crazy life huh? It is. It’s Martha’s life, and she’s living...
