sCrew Ups

Airline (public relations) Disasters

Are Cupcakes a Security Threat for Airliners?

December 26, 2011
By
Not the confiscated cupcake (google image)

Airport security confiscates cupcake because icing a security risk TheNewsStar.com PEABODY, Mass. – A woman who just flew back home from Las Vegas says an airport security officer confiscated her frosted cupcake because he thought the icing on it could be a security risk. Rebecca Hains said the Transportation Security Administration agent at McCarran International Airport took her cupcake Wednesday, telling her its frosting was enough like a gel to violate TSA restrictions on allowing liquids and gels onto flights to prevent them...

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Selling on-board ad space big money for airlines, but when is it too much?

October 23, 2011
By
Google image

Airline fee’s aren’t enough, selling ad space is the next big thing for airline revenue. A Lincoln Continental ad shown prior to the safety video, other advertisements appearing on overhead bins, tray tables, snack boxes, and even on flight attendant uniform aprons. Airline passengers, prepare to be bombarded with commercial advertisements while trapped inside the tubular billboard! If I’m a walking advertisement, it’s only fair I be compensated for it. See below article from USA Today: Ads add...

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US Airways, White Male Passenger in Panties OK to Fly but Black Saggy Pants Flyer Booted?

June 22, 2011
By
SFGate.com pic

US Airways let man wearing women’s panties fly From SFGATE.com   Six days before a college football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport in a dispute that began because he tried to board a US Airways jet with sagging pants, a man who was wearing little but women’s undergarments was allowed to fly the airline, a US Airways spokeswoman conceded Tuesday.   A photo of the scantily clad man was provided to The Chronicle by Jill Tarlow,...

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Quadriplegic Forced off Frontier Airlines Flight by Police, Pilot “I want him off this plane”

June 20, 2011
By
"Frontier, you've got some explaining (and damage control) to do!"

Quadriplegic man forced off flight by police after pilot ‘said it was unsafe to fly with him on board’  Story from The Daily Mail UK Online Dallas- A quadriplegic man was humiliatingly escorted off a flight by police after the pilot refused to fly with him on board, it has been claimed. John Morris and his family had just boarded a Frontier Airlines flight in Dallas on Sunday to return home to Fort Collins when he was forced off the...

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How does your airline rate? Or which one sucks the most?

April 10, 2011
By
Google Photo

From USNews.com America’s Meanest Airlines: 2011 Last year was a good one for the airline industry, with U.S. airlines churning out the highest profits in more than a decade. With the exception of American Airlines, every major carrier turned in positive profits for the year. In the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report released on April 4, quality is up as well. But that doesn’t mean airlines deserve high-fives all around. Soaring baggage fees, widespread airfare increases and the elimination...

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Snoozing Air Traffic Controller leaves jetliners to land without clearance at Reagan National Airport

March 23, 2011
By
Google Photo

From ‘The Wall Street Journal’ Air Controller’s Silence Draws Safety Probe Federal air-safety officials are looking into why the lone air-traffic controller on duty at Washington’s Reagan National Airport early Wednesday repeatedly failed to respond to pilots of two approaching aircraft, forcing both jetliners to land without clearance. The veteran controller later acknowledged he may have been dozing, according to people familiar with the matter, just before and after midnight when the incoming jetliners were preparing to land. Pilots...

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Thai Airways Int’l wants a more ‘aerodynamic’ flight attendant staff

March 2, 2011
By
Google Photo

‘Overweight’ Flight Attendants may be grounded According to the Bangkok Post, “flabby” flight attendants are put on notice to shed the pounds or stay on the ground. While most airlines are looking at ways to trim the budget, Thai Airways wants to trim the staff, and we’re not talking lay-offs here! A total of 41 flight attendants are affected (28 of them male). According the the article, flight attendants not meeting the airline’s body mass index and waistline controls imposed last...

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U.K. court convicts would-be flight attendant of conspiring with U.S.-born cleric to blow up airliner

March 1, 2011
By
Google Photo

Airline worker aimed to ‘kill hundreds’ on jet LONDON — A jury convicted a former British Airways computer specialist of plotting with U.S.-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki to blow up an airplane in an attack intended to kill hundreds of people. Rajib Karim, a 31-year-old Bangladeshi man, was found guilty Monday of four counts of engaging in preparation for terrorist attacks. He already had pleaded guilty to five other terrorism offenses, but denied plotting an attack in Britain. A jury deliberated...

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United Airlines Grounds all 757′s to Correct Maintenance Issue

February 15, 2011
By
Getty Image

United Airlines Grounds Entire Fleet Of 757s NEW YORK (CBS 2) — “Unscheduled maintenance” is a phrase that can strike fear into airline passengers. United Airlines was forced to fix its entire fleet of 757 jets on Tuesday night. All the aircraft were grounded, at least temporarily, to take care of a system update, reports CBS 2’s Sean Hennessey. The resulting cancellations left some passengers stuck at LaGuardia Airport. Joseph Rodriguez and his friends were supposed to heading home to...

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Puppy Missing on Delta Airlines Finally Arrives at JFK

February 7, 2011
By
sunset-on-delta

Puppy Arrives At JFK After Delta Airline Mix-Up NEW YORK (CBS 2) — A new puppy finally made it to her new home in the Tri-State area Saturday after a major mix-up at the airlines – and nobody knew where she was for hours. The height of happiness followed the depths of despair felt by Joe DiTomaso of Queens, reports CBS 2′s Dave Carlin. Hours of agonizing uncertainty led up to the moment when airline workers finally handed over his puppy, named Blue....

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Delta apologizes for bumping disabled passenger

February 4, 2011
By
Aghhhhh, the joys of summer air travel.

Delta now says it was wrong to refuse Twin Cities woman because of medical equipment. While her nurses were stowing the 100 pounds of medical equipment she needs to travel with, Carrie Salberg was given a startling order: Get off the plane. Salberg, who has muscular dystrophy, was never told why she couldn’t use the ventilator she requires to breathe on the Jan. 13 flight that was supposed to carry her back home to the Twin Cities from New...

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Kitten Freezes to Death on Delta Flight

January 26, 2011
By
Aghhhhh, the joys of summer air travel.

Kitten Freezes in Cross-Country Flight to Connecticut Heather Lombardi paid nearly $300 to fly Snickers, an 11-week-old, 3-pound hairless kitten, from Utah to Connecticut in climate-controlled air cargo. By the time kitten and owner united, Snickers was icy cold and couldn’t move her head or paws, Lombardi said. The kitten died a short time later. “I feel so guilty. We sat there for nearly an hour. If I’d known, I would have thrown a fit,” said Lombardi, who was flying...

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JetBlue Passenger Picks Up Pistol Packing Pilot’s Backpack!

January 14, 2011
By
Hmmmm..... where's my gun? It was here a minute ago.

Embarrassing JetBlue snafu! Airline pilot loses gun and flight gets grounded Airlines losing luggage is nothing new, but at JFK Airport Thursday, a JetBlue pilot lost his bag - and his handgun. The Transportation Security Administration is probing Michael Connery Jr. after an embarrassing mixup nearly sent his government-issued firearm to Florida, while he was due to fly to Pennsylvania. Connery, who is licensed by the TSA to pack heat in the cockpit, was the scheduled co-pilot on an 8:10 a.m. flight out of JFK to Pittsburgh, law...

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United pilot spills coffee causing hijacking scare and emergency landing

January 5, 2011
By
united-airlines

Coffee spill causes hijacking scare Pilot’s coffee mishap triggers hijack alert Alert sent out after coffee spilt over equipment Plane diverted to Canada as a precaution A PILOT’S spilled coffee accidentally triggered a hijacking alert and caused a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, to make an unscheduled stop in Canada. A Transport Canada report said United Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto and landed safely at Pearson International Airport. The coffee sent out distress signals including code 7500, which...

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Missing Dog Lost by Delta Airlines Found Dead

January 3, 2011
By
Nala

Army officer’s dog lost by Delta turns up dead Nala, the 8-year-old German shepherd that escaped from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport three days before Christmas, was found dead Saturday by a road crew alongside I-75. Delta Air Lines, which was transporting the dog from San Diego to its new home in Germany when Nala escaped, confirmed the discovery, saying in a statement that the dog apparently was hit by a car. A Delta spokeswoman said the airline would be donating $1,000 to...

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Delta Airlines Loses Another Dog. Help Find “Nala”

December 31, 2010
By
Nala

See below for update from Angels Rescue………. Military Family’s Dog Lost Thousands of Miles From Home A woman from San Diego is on a mission to find her missing dog … which is believed to be thousands of miles from home and a continent away from where she should be. Nala boarded a Delta flight in San Diego, headed for a new home in Germany with her owners. The German shepherd mix somehow “vanished” from her locked crate during a layover...

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Day Four, Passengers Still Stranded at Newark Liberty Airport

December 30, 2010
By
EWR-stranded-passengers

Many Passengers Still Stranded At Newark Airport NEWARK (CBS 2) – It’s been four days since the weekend blizzard, and some airline passengers still found themselves stranded on Thursday. The problems at Newark Liberty International Airport don’t end there, though – there are also hundreds of bags that haven’t been claimed. Passengers stranded during the blizzard spent the day looking through rows and rows of bags at Newark Liberty. “I just found out three pieces, they decided to deliver to Philly this morning,”...

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JFK International arriving passengers stranded on tarmac. Apparently customs officials went home.

December 28, 2010
By
google photo

Passengers endure delays of up to 7 hours on JFK tarmac New York (CNN) — Hundreds of travelers spent up to seven hours stranded in cramped planes stuck on the tarmac at JFK International Airport early Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear why they were not allowed to deplane. A British Airways spokesman blamed a lack of gate space for a seven-hour ordeal for passengers on a flight from London, while a Port Authority spokesman suggested buses could...

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Businessman clears security with a loaded snub nose pistol. Apparently he’s not the only one.

December 16, 2010
By
glock-handgun

Gaping Holes in Airline Security: Loaded Gun Slips Past TSA Screeners Secret Tests At LAX, O’Hare, Newark Show TSA Screeners Missed Guns, Bombs ABCNews.go.com Last fall, as he had done hundreds of times, Iranian-American businessman Farid Seif passed through security at a Houston airport and boarded an international flight. He didn’t realize he had forgotten to remove the loaded snub nose “baby” Glock pistol from his computer bag. But TSA officers never noticed as his bag glided along the...

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Three Aeromexico Flight Attendants Busted With 300lbs of Cocaine

December 9, 2010
By
aeromexico

Three Aeromexico flight attendants arrested in Madrid airport drug bust www.newkerala.com MADRID, SPAIN : The Spanish police on Thursday announced that three Aeromexico flight attendants were arrested at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain after they were found in possession of 140 kilograms (308 pounds) of cocaine. The three Mexican nationals, aged 27, 28 and 40, were detained on Tuesday after police officers noticed that they were carrying three identical suitcases. Police found 132 packages shaped as bricks that contained...

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Ex-JetBlue Sliding Slater in Queens Court Today for Progress Report

December 9, 2010
By
slater--300x300

Ex-JetBlue worker tells court he feels ‘overwhelmed’ New York Post Quitting his job in dramatic style hasn’t eased the stress for former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater. “I am a little overwhelmed,” Slater said in Queens Criminal Court today, where he updated a judge on the progress of his substance abuse treatment. Slater, 38, pleaded guilty in October of two counts of criminal mischief — one of them a felony — for an incident last August when he deployed...

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Continental Airlines Guilty of Manslaughter in Air France Concorde Crash

December 6, 2010
By
concorde-crash

CONTINENTAL Airlines was today found guilty of manslaughter over the Concorde crash which killed 113 people a decade ago. The disaster, which happened minutes after take-off from Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, effectively ended the era of supersonic air travel. The victims of the accident — 109 on board the plane and four on the ground — were mostly German tourists. Prosecutors at a French court claimed the New York-bound plane was brought down by a strip of...

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Verdict Expected Monday in July 2000 Fatal Air France Concorde Crash

December 5, 2010
By
concorde-arriving-jfk

French court to rule on fatal Concorde crash in 2000 By Hugh Schofield BBC News, Paris A Paris court is set to give its verdict in a trial to determine any criminal responsibility in the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet 10 years ago. US airline Continental is accused of involuntary homicide after a report found a piece of metal from one of its planes caused a tyre-burst in the jet. The jet caught fire shortly after take off...

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Sacked Overweight Air India Flight Attendants Invited Back

December 1, 2010
By
Air India Flight Attendants (Photo credit RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Yes, you will have to be more “svelte” since “we are not relaxing our standards”. Oh, and another thing. The company will soon be out of cash and unable to pay staff. Welcome back! Below story from www.adelaidenow.com.au Air India bosses give sacked overweight flight attendants jobs back INDIA’S embattled state carrier has invited back former flight attendants it fired for being overweight because it is suffering a severe shortage of cabin crew. Air India approached nine to 10...

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“Pilot snoring so heavy it was picked up by the in-flight-recorders”

November 17, 2010
By
air-india-express-crash

Pilot of crashed plane was asleep for more than half the flight The pilot at the controls of an Indian jet that crashed earlier this year, killing 158 passengers, had slept for more than half the flight and only drowsily rallied himself when it was time to land the plane, investigators have found. At times his snoring was so heavy it was picked up by the in-flight recorders. Zlatko Glusica, a Serbian pilot, had more than 10,200 hours of...

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Ryanair Flight Diverted, passengers refuse to leave plane even after crew abandons them

November 17, 2010
By
ryanair-cabin

Ryanair passengers stage four hour plane sit in after flight is diverted Over 100 angry passengers refused to leave a Ryanair flight for four hours after it was diverted from France to Belgium leading aircrew to switch off the lights and lock the lavatories. There were frantic negotiations between police and passengers early on Wednesday morning after the mutineers staged the sit-in on the runway of Bierset-Liege airport, refusing to disembark and demanding to be taken home to France. Reda...

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Alice Cooper Arrives in London. Despite Blood Loss, Show Must Go On

October 28, 2010
By
Alice Cooper distraught over blood loss

London Express reports that rocker Alice Cooper arrived in London but may need a transfusion and limbs replaced, thanks to British Airways losing luggage. Alice Cooper is aghast after his fake blood was misplaced on route to the UK. As the star flew in from the United States yesterday for his Halloween Night Of Fear shows on Sunday and Monday at the Roundhouse, North London, he discovered that British Airways had lost his bags. He then had to describe the...

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Former Airtran Flight Attendant in Court. Busted for Four Legged Furry Baby

October 14, 2010
By
Not actual Dog-Baby. Just a cute pooch from Google Images.

You cannot make this stuff up.  Below from actual court documents………. SMITH v. AIRTRAN AIRWAYS, INC. KERSAUNDRA SMITH, Plaintiff,v.AIRTRAN AIRWAYS, INC., Defendant. Case No. 3:09-cv-582-J-32TEM. United States District Court, M.D. Florida, Jacksonville Division. October 12, 2010. ORDER TIMOTHY J. CORRIGAN, District Judge. Former flight attendant, Kersaundra Smith,1 sues her previous employer, AirTran Airways, Inc., claiming that her termination for dishonesty was, in fact, racially motivated or retaliatory and that she was subjected to a hostile work environment.2 This case...

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UK Farmer Surprised With Human ‘Fertilizer’ Drop From Passenger Jet

October 7, 2010
By
Horrified: Ian Clegg found human faeces and sanitary towels dumped in his fields when he went to tend to his livestock. He was ordered to burn £8,000 of crops.

Farmer forced to burn £8,000 worth of crops after ‘aeroplane scatters human waste across 25 acres of land’ The Daily Mail Recorder UK A farmer was ordered to burn £8,000 worth of crops after human waste was found strewn across his land. Ian Clegg was horrified to discover faeces and sanitary towels dumped in his fields when he went to tend to his livestock. He believes it may have fallen from an aeroplane. An investigation has now been launched...

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Standing Room Only for Six Passengers on 5 Hour Flight!

September 30, 2010
By
Tatarstan Airlines 737

Passengers Forced to Stand During 5 Hour Flight Airline Says The Flight Was Overbooked KTLA News 5:25 PM PDT, September 30, 2010 MOSCOW — Six passengers on a crowded jet had to stand for most of a five-hour flight According to a report in London’s Daily Mail, the jet in question was operated by Russia’s Tatarstan Airlines. The Boeing 737 has a capacity to carry 142 passengers. But on September 24th, the jet flew from Antalya to Ekaterinburg, Russia...

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