A Delta plane heading to Minneapolis had to abort its journey from Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport today as one of the plane’s engines broke apart in the air.
Pieces of the engine from the plane fell over Port Everglades where they are being recovered by investigators from the Broward Sheriff’s Department after the 7:30am attempt to take off. The plane quickly returned to the airport, making an emergency landing with no injuries reported.
Photo: Delta Airlines
In a massive case of cultural insensitivity, London Luton based EasyJet has been forced to issue an apology to its Jewish customers on the London–Tel Aviv route.
On a recent flight,the available dinner options were bacon baguettes and ham melts. Needless to say, this did not go down too well with its passengers.
Accountant Victor Kaufman says he couldn’t beleive his ears when he heard the options – and wrote a complaint letter to the airline after his flight.
When EasyJet launched their new Tel Aviv route, they had advertised a full range of kosher meals on their planes, offering dishes like salmon bagels and egg and tomato sandwiches. Their policy prohibits the catering company from loading any pork products on the plane. Obviously, in this specific event, someone messed up.
According to EasyJet, the wrong catering carts had been loaded, and they issued an apology for the screw up. As usual, they say they’ll do everything they can to prevent this from happening in the future.
What better way to end the work week than snagging twenty free song downloads from iTunes, courtesy of Southwest Airlines?
To celebrate forty years of flying and the launch of their new InAirtainment portal, Southwest put together a list of artists “about to fly”. In the lineup, you’ll find songs from artists like Laura Jansen and a personal favorite of mine – Ellie Goulding.
To get your iTunes promo code, head on over to the Southwest Airlines InAirtenment page and click on the large iTunes banner. You can read more about the promo on the excellent Nuts About Southwest blog.
Tilt-shift is a technology that’s been around for the last few years, but it’s just now being applied to the video world, and the results are pretty wild. The below video was shot overlooking Manchester Airport in England, and using the blurred effects of tilt-shift it looks like everyone working at the airport is a small doll moving around a series of toy planes.
If you’re interested in trying out the technology on your own time, Gadling has a few suggestions to save you some time.
Compared to some other carriers, inflight services on United Airways have always been a little lacking. They don’t have a neat touch-screen entertainment system, limited inflight WiFi and no live TV or radio. Thankfully, they do have two perks you don’t find on any of the other domestic carriers – increased legroom in part of the cabin and the ability to listen in on cockpit communications.
As part of their merger with Continental, the new airline plans to introduce their Economy Plus seating to Continental aircraft.
Economy Plus is by no means a replacement for a business class cabin, but the 5 extra inches of leg room are usually quite welcome. What was once a perk reserved for their frequent fliers, has quickly become a new way for the airline to make money – charging up to $425 a year for unlimited access to the extra legroom. Individual flight upgrades to Economy Plus start at just $9 (for short flights).
Still, the airline has to be applauded for committing to this decent perk. The full press release is after the jump.
Multi-year conversion brings Economy Plus to the new United
CHICAGO, Feb. 17, 2011–United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) today announced that it will retain United’s popular Economy Plus® seating on United flights and expand the option to Continental aircraft beginning in 2012, providing more opportunities for customers to enjoy additional legroom and comfort.
“Our customers value Economy Plus and the additional personal space that it provides,” said Jim Compton, chief revenue officer of United Continental Holdings. “Customers who sit in Economy Plus are significantly more satisfied with their travel experience, as are travelers who choose other options that enable them to tailor their travel to their liking.”
The decision to maintain and expand Economy Plus across the combined fleet marks a significant milestone in the product integration of United and Continental. It also demonstrates the company’s commitment to provide innovative options to customers that enable them to customize their travel experience with superior products they value.
Today, United offers Economy Plus on all 359 mainline aircraft and more than 150 larger regional jets operated by United Express® carriers. When the multi-year conversion process is complete, the company plans to offer Economy Plus on more than 700 mainline aircraft, including all Continental mainline aircraft, as well as larger regional aircraft. When fully deployed, the new United’s fleet will include more than 40,000 Economy Plus seats, providing more than 122,000 Economy Plus seats each day, the largest amount of extra legroom economy seating available to customers of any airline in the world.
United introduced Economy Plus in 1999, offering up to five inches of additional legroom to customers seated in the forward section of United Economy®. Customers with elite status in United’s Mileage Plus and Continental’s OnePass frequent-flyer programs may confirm seat assignments in Economy Plus, when available. Customers may also purchase seat assignments in Economy Plus when making reservations via united.com and continental.com, through a reservation agent, or during the check-in process at home or at the airport.
Continental currently offers extra legroom seats and will continue to offer that option to travelers until those aircraft are reconfigured with Economy Plus seating. OnePass and Mileage Plus elite members may confirm extra legroom seats at no charge, and other customers may purchase seat assignments for extra legroom seats.
The expansion of Economy Plus reflects United’s focus on its product and customers. The airline continues to reconfigure United and Continental aircraft with new lie-flat seats in first and business class – with the new lie-flat product already on 112 aircraft in the combined fleet, more than any other U.S.-based carrier. In addition, more than 160 Continental aircraft feature DIRECTV®.