airline news stories on Newser

Russian Jet Vanishes Mid-Flight

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:53:29 CDT

A Russian Sukhoi SuperJet-100 disappeared during a demonstration flight in Indonesia today, vanishing from radar screens while it was still at high altitudes and failing to land at its appointed time. The plane was last heard from when it requested, and was granted, permission to descend from 10,000 feet...

Delta Buys Own Oil Refinery

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:36:16 CDT

Delta Air Lines is pocketing a Pennsylvania oil refinery in an industry-first move to clip its ever-burgeoning jet fuel costs, which soared to $12 billion last year. The $150 million deal—about the cost of a new jetliner, notes Reuters —is set to satisfy 80% of the airline's US fuel...

JetBlue Flight Diverted After Pilot's Meltdown

Matt Cantor — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:14:10 CDT

A pilot tore through the cabin of a JetBlue plane yelling about terror threats, warning passengers about al-Qaeda and bombs on board, passengers tell the Amarillo Globe-News . The captain started "shouting, ‘Iraq, al-Qaeda, terrorism, we’re all going down,'" witnesses said. Passengers tackled him and held him down, and the...

Bankrupt Air Australia Strands Thousands

Matt Cantor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:20:05 CST

An Australian airline has gone bankrupt—leaving some 4,000 passengers stranded in spots like Indonesia and Hawaii. "It currently appears that there are no funds available to meet operational expenses so flights will be suspended immediately," Air Australia and its new administrators said today, according to CNN . "It also...

Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash

Matt Cantor — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:16:05 CST

It's 3am and you're snoozing on an overnight flight to London when a message plays over the PA: This plane may be about to crash. That's what happened to passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami last week, before the cabin crew told everyone it had just been a...

5 Must-Have Apps for Fliers

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:34:57 CST

Every air traveler armed with a smartphone should load up on these five apps, says the Travel section of USA Today: SkyScanner (Free): This app will hunt down the best price for your ticket. It scans not only all of the airlines' websites but all of the online travel agencies...

Utah Professor Watched Child Porn on Flight: Police

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:50:00 CST

An engineering professor from the University of Utah was busted on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City on Saturday after a fellow passenger sent a message to alert police that he was viewing child pornography on his laptop, according to investigators. A passenger behind Grant Smith in the first-class...

Fliers Taken Off Plane to ATMs, Forced to Pay $31K

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:58:26 CST

Flying: It’s just not what it used to be . The latest example? A plane was grounded in Vienna for six hours as the airline forced passengers to come up with an additional $31,000. Apparently charter airline Comtel is in financial trouble and hadn’t paid "landing fees or taxes," one...

Qantas Grounds Entire Fleet in Labor Dispute

John Johnson — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:21:29 CDT

Be glad you're not booked on a Qantas flight. The Australian airline abruptly grounded its entire fleet today because of a nasty labor dispute, reports the BBC . The move came so suddenly that some planes turned around while taxiing on the runway, notes AP . Qantas is paying for people to...