flight news stories on Newser

Woman's Claim of Implanted Device Diverts Plane

Matt Cantor — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:31:33 CDT

A US Airways flight from Paris to North Carolina was diverted to Maine after a woman claimed to have a device implanted in her body. Authorities have since determined that she posed "basically no threat," but the flight was halted "out of an abundance of caution," according to the TSA....

Best Time to Buy Your Flight Ticket Is ...

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:32:15 CST

Flying anytime soon? With any luck your trip is a month and a half from now—because a new study says travelers can find the lowest airfares 6 weeks before flying, the Los Angeles Times reports. The price difference: 6% lower than average, according to a company that analyzed millions...

The Ability to Fly: Yours for $100K

Kate Schwartz — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:50:05 CST

Traveling by boat is just so ... pedestrian. For those looking for a more luxurious—and unusual—way to travel by sea, Florida's JetLev Technologies has just the thing: a $99,500 water-powered jet pack (pay another $3,500 for a premium color). The company tells the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that...

Couple Sues AirTran Over Roaches on Flight

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:22:05 CST

So you settle into your flight with a good book, some music... and a few cockroaches scurrying out of the airplane vents. That's what one couple says happened on an AirTran flight in September from Charlotte to Houston, and they're suing the airline for more than $100,000, the Daily...

Enjoy Your Flight, But Good Luck Escaping Ads

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:25:46 CDT

Your next flight could feel like being stuck inside a commercial. Various US airlines, desperate for revenue, are beginning to cram advertising into every corner of their planes, including overhead bins, seat backs, napkins, flight attendants' aprons, and even through crew announcements and in-flight safety videos, reports USA Today . Delta,...

Toddler Stashed in Overhead Bin on Virgin Flight

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:57:00 CST

A mom is still sputtering in fury after a Virgin Blue airlines steward stashed her baby boy in an overhead bin during a flight from Sydney to Fiji. Natalie Williamson says the flight attendant placed her 17-month-old son, Riley, in the bin and closed the latch, leaving him in there...

Passenger: I Warned Crew About 'Two-Faced' Flier

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:00:00 CST

A passenger warned the flight crew about a disguised "two-faced" flier who slipped on board and rattled security staffs around the world—but they shrugged off her concerns, she says. Passenger Nuray Kurtur-Balas said she immediately spotted something amiss and feared the 22-year-old, dressed as an old man, planned "to...

Solar Plane Completes 24-Hour Flight

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 06:24:15 CDT

An experimental solar-powered plane landed safely today after completing its first 24-hour test flight, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night. Pilot Andre Borschberg eased the Solar Impulse onto the runway at Payerne airfield in Switzerland at exactly...

Stinky Flyer Booted Off Plane

Rob Quinn — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:57:55 CST

A too-smelly-to-fly controversy has followed hot on the heels of Kevin Smith's too-fat-to-fly kerfuffle. A passenger was escorted off an Air Canada regional flight this week after passengers complained about his overwhelming body odor. "People were just mumbling and staring at him,” one passenger told the Prince Edward Island Guardian...