Tag Archives: air travel

Outage Forces FAA Ground Stop At Newark Airport

CNN reports: Another air traffic control equipment outage caused the FAA to implement a ground stop for Newark International Airport-bound flights Sunday morning. The ground stop, which means flights heading to Newark could not take off, lasted about 45 minutes, according to FAA air traffic advisories. It comes after a 90-second-long radar and radio outage early Friday morning in the …

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Duffy To Raise Retirement Age For Air Traffic Controllers

The Hill reports: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he plans to extend the retirement age for all air traffic controllers, increasing the mandatory age from 56 to 61 years old. During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked Duffy whether he had asked Congress to extend the retirement age. Duffy replied that Congress had already given …

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Newark Airport Suffers Another Flight Control Outage

The New York Times reports: An air traffic control facility that guides planes at Newark Liberty International Airport suffered a brief radar outage on Friday morning, the latest technological disruption at one of the nation’s busiest airports. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the outage, which affected communications and radar displays at the facility in Philadelphia, occurred just before 4 a.m. …

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Two United Airlines Planes Collide At SFO Gate [Video]

San Francisco’s ABC affiliate reports: United Airlines officials said that two of their planes were involved in a collision on the ground at the gate at San Francisco International Airport overnight Monday. The FAA says while United Airlines Flight 863 was pushing back from the gate at SFO, its right wingtip struck the left wingtip of United Airlines Flight 877. …

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Mayhem At Airports Likely As Real ID Goes Into Effect

Axios reports: After years of delays, the Real ID deadline looks set to be finally, actually happening — and it could cause chaos at airports this week even after tons of warnings from the government, airlines, etc. Nearly 47% of Americans lack a valid passport as of fiscal 2024, per estimates from the Center for American Progress, a think tank. …

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FAA Orders Ground Delay For Newark Airport Amid Reports That Controllers Lost Contact With Aircraft

CNN reports: Air traffic controllers who lost communication with aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, leading to hundreds of delays for more than a week, are taking special government leave for traumatic situations to recover from the stress. The controllers in Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which coordinates planes arriving at Newark, “temporarily lost radar and communications …

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Air Traffic Controller: Newark Airport Is “Not Safe”

The Daily Beast reports: An air traffic controller warned Friday that Newark Liberty International Airport is unsafe for travelers due to staff shortages, according to MSNBC correspondent Tom Costello. “He said, ‘It is not safe. It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public,’” Costello said of his conversation with the air traffic controller, which he described …

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State DMVs See Last-Minute Rush To Get “Real IDs”

The New York Times reports: Some have logged on late at night. Others have driven for hours. And some have just given up. All in the hunt for a coveted appointment for a Real ID. Starting on Wednesday, travelers in the United States will need a Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document to board domestic flights, a requirement …

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United Removes Newark Flights From Daily Schedule After Air Traffic Controllers Walk Out Over Tech Issues

CNBC reports: United Airlines will cancel 35 roundtrip flights a day from its schedule at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after thousands of passengers faced hourslong delays this week, CEO Scott Kirby said Friday, blaming the disruptions on air traffic controller staffing shortages and the FAA’s technology problems. More than 300 flights in and out of Newark were …

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FAA Offers Bonuses To Boost Air Traffic Control Staffing

Spectrum News reports: During a news conference Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department will offer financial incentives for air traffic controllers eligible for retirement who stay on the job, as well as bonuses for those who complete the FAA Academy and controllers who agree to work in “harder to fill” locations. Federal officials are looking to address a …

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Delta Flight Catches Fire On Orlando Runway [VIDEO]

USA Today reports: A Delta Air Lines flight caught fire on the ground in Orlando and was safely evacuated. According to the airline, flight 1213 was scheduled to travel between Orlando and Atlanta on Monday when flames were spotted in one of its engine tailpipes. A Delta spokesperson said there were 282 customers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots aboard …

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Southwest Engine Fire Forces Emergency Landing

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: The Houston Fire Department said that at about 11:15 a.m., the plane departing from Hobby was returning due to a reported engine fire. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, including a small grass fire that ignited near the runway. The Boeing 737 was headed to Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico, according to the FAA. …

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“Rabbit Strike” Causes Emergency Landing [VIDEO]

Denver’s ABC affiliate reports: An unusual animal encounter causing a scare in for passengers on a United Airlines flight. A rabbit somehow made it into the right engine of flight UA2325 from Denver to Edmonton on Sunday. The possible wildlife strike happened as the Boeing 737 with 159 people on board was taking off. “There was a loud bang and …

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Planes Bump On DCA Runway, House Reps Onboard

Washington DC’s Fox affiliate reports: A plane hit another plane’s wing while on the runway at Reagan National Airport Thursday afternoon, according to members of Congress who say they were onboard. Two American Airlines planes clipped wings at Reagan Airport, according to the FAA. One flight was bound for JFK International Airport and the other was headed to Charleston International …

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United Flight Strikes Kite Near Washington DC Airport

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A United plane made contact with a kite while attempting to land at Reagan National Airport Saturday afternoon, witnesses told WUSA9. The pilot of United Airlines Flight 654 from Houston can be heard over air traffic radio, giving details about the kite to an air traffic controller. “You were telling me those details about the …

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Delta Flight Has “Close Call” At DC Airport [VIDEO]

CNN reports: A close call between a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and a US Air Force T-38 jet, often used by the military for training, sounded alarms in the cockpit of the passenger plane Friday. Delta 2983 was departing Reagan Airport around 3:15 p.m. and heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport …

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Southwest Flight Mistook MCO Taxiway For Runway

NBC News reports: A Southwest Airlines flight nearly took off from a Florida taxiway on Thursday before an air traffic controller stopped the potentially dangerous departure, officials said. The incident involving Flight 3278 unfolded at Orlando International Airport at 9:30 a.m. as the plane attempted to depart for Albany, officials said. Southwest Airlines said its crew “mistook the surface for …

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Heathrow Closed By Fire, Travel Disrupted Globally

The BBC reports: Heathrow Airport will be closed throughout Friday after a fire at an electrical substation halted all flights with local residents evacuated from their homes and schools shut. Almost 5,000 homes remain without power after two explosions and a fire at the substation in Hayes, west London, and 150 people have been evacuated from surrounding properties. Emergency services …

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Wing Of Airliner Clips Runway During LGA Landing

ABC News reports: The wing of a Delta plane struck the runway as it was coming in for a landing at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening, according to the FAA. At approximately 10:10 p.m. on Sunday, the plane’s “left wing struck the runway while landing” and the pilots then “executed a go-around,” according to the FAA. A go-around is a …

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VIRAL VIDEO: Man Knocks Out Dulles Gate Agent

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A Frederick man punched a United Airlines gate agent at Dulles International Airport Thursday night, hospitalizing him. The shocking swing was caught on camera in a video shared with WUSA9. Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, from Frederick, Maryland, was arrested Thursday, and charged with assault and disorderly conduct according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. In the …

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