Southwest Airlines crew declares emergency

The crew of a Southwest Airlines flight declared an emergency en route from Orlando, Florida, to Milwaukee, because of an electrical smell in the back of the plane.

Flight 663, which carried 127 passengers and five crew members, landed as scheduled in Milwaukee without incident about 10:15 a.m.  Sunday.

WISC-TV reports  declaring an emergency moved the flight up in the landing order to get on the ground faster.

The flight was supposed to continue to Los Angeles, but another plane was brought in to complete that leg of the trip. Southwest said it was investigating a possible mechanical problem.

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Man threatened to blow up plane on London-Hawaii flight

A passenger on a plane travelling from London to the US threatened to kill flight attendants and blow up the aircraft, it has emerged.

The FBI said Kevin Mosele, 20, of Kihei, Hawaii, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a flight crew and could receive 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to the criminal complaint, Mosele told investigators he had several drinks in London before boarding the plane.

On the plane he became agitated, spitting water at the crew and saying he would kill them, then saying he was “going to set off a bomb”.

The FBI said he had to be restrained and was arrested when the plane landed on Monday for a stopover in Los Angeles. It had been headed to Hawaii.

Mosele is free on $10,000 bail.

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Etihad to LA: Dh25,000, 16.5 hours and stunning views of the North Pole

At a whopping 16 and a half hours, Etihad’s new direct route from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles is the longest the airline offers, flying almost as far as a plane can go non stop around the world.

The airline is hoping strong trade connections between LA and the UAE and the wealthy clientele likely to make use of the route – as well as the sheer distance – will attract a larger share of business class passengers than other routes. As a result, they are offering 40 business class seats on this route rather than the usual 24.

But you will need to spend Dh25,000 to secure a business return seat on this flight - that’s in comparison to an economy class fare of Dh7,000 return.

Currently the route is operated by an A340 aircraft but next month the company says it plans to upgrade to a Boeing 777 200 long range aircraft.

And the company has been heavily promoting the new route with brand ambassador Dannii Minogue declaring at the launch party last week that the flights were so good passengers wouldn’t want to get off.

So, what’s it like as a flying experience?

Firstly the route itself is the key attraction. To fly directly from Abu Dhabi to LA, Etihad flights actually fly over the North Pole so on a clear day anyone with a window seat can be treated to hour after hour of breathtaking scenery of polar ice, snow covered grey mountains and long flat planes of ice.

For those not lucky enough to secure a window seat, the only other way to enjoy the spectacular views without disturbing fellow passengers is to peer through the bathroom window.

For the rest of those 16 hours, the entertainment options are pretty pleasant too.

Business class seats on the route can recline to a fully flat position making it easy to sleep during your time on board.

And each seat is designed with a permanent footrest under which you can store hand luggage leaving plenty of room to relax during the long flight.

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American Airlines to launch new domestic and international destinations from LAX

American Airlines will continue expanding its domestic and international service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), further strengthening one of its key hubs and providing more access for customers across its growing global network. New service between Los Angeles and the following markets will be available for booking beginning this Saturday, June 21.

Edmonton, Alberta operated daily, beginning Oct. 2

San Antonio operated twice daily, beginning Oct. 2

Tampa, Florida operated daily, beginning Nov. 6

Vancouver, British Columbia operated twice daily, beginning Oct. 2

"Providing service from Los Angeles to these destinations strengthens our LAX hub which plays a vital role in our domestic and international network strategy," said Chuck Schubert, vice president – network and schedule planning. "As we continue work to integrate our two great global networks, we are committed to growing our presence in our hubs to offer customers the most convenient access to the most important global business and leisure destinations."

Service between LAX and Edmonton, San Antonio and Vancouver will be operated as US Airways Express with a two-class Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft. The new route between LAX and Tampa will be operated by American Airlines with a two-class Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

With these new markets, American will serve 53 domestic and international destinations from its LAX hub. Customers have access to even more global destinations through partners British Airways, Iberia, Qantas, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and LAN, all of which offer convenient connections from Los Angeles.

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One Arrested After Hand Grenade Found in Los Angeles Airport

A hand grenade found in a carry-on bag at Los Angeles International Airport prompted officials to delay five flights and disrupt travel plans for some 800 passengers for a couple of hours, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Officials arrested one person in relation to the incident, according to a TSA statement on Friday. It was not immediately clear when the incident occurred.

"The Terminal 1 checkpoint was closed while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team transported the grenade to an offsite location to be disrupted," the statement added. "Five flights were delayed 2 hours, 19 minutes, affecting 800 passengers."

"We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis," according to the TSA. "Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a real bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited."

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Delta Airlines Cabin Cleaners Protest at LAX

Nearly 100 airport workers who provide cabin-cleaning services for Delta Airlines rallied at LAX on May 6 to protest the hiring of a contractor they say plans to cut worker pay and benefits.

Delta Airlines recently contracted with Gate Gourmet to provide cleaning services for the air carrier.

Tim Maddox, an airport worker and a SEIU member, said he is concerned because Gate Gourmet plans to drop workers’ pay from as high as $14.80 to as low as $8.75 and wants to change to a healthcare plan with higher out-of-pocket costs.

“We already have fought for standards here,” Maddox said at the rally. “The union has allowed us to have decent standards with family healthcare and some vacation time.”

A Delta Airlines spokesman said in a statement that Gate Gourmet has assured the airline it will remain in compliance with all applicable laws and the terms of existing collective bargaining agreements.

“We understand that the SEIU was certified to represent the employees at the prior contractor, but a different union is certified to represent the employees of Gate Gourmet,” Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said. “Delta is not in a position to influence which union represents the employees of specific contractors.”

Airline workers said during the rally they do not want to go backward at a time when fast food and other service workers are fighting for a $15 per hour minimum wage.

“We want to do the same here at LAX,” Maddox said.

The cabin cleaners are considering holding a strike vote early next week if they feel the dispute is not resolved, according to the union.

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Los Angeles airport baggage thefts probed by police

A $15,000 camera, Gucci bags, name-brand clothing, electronics and jewelry are among the thousands of dollars in valuables stolen by baggage handlers at Los Angeles International Airport, police said Thursday. Police served more than two dozen search warrants and made six arrests Wednesday night after a months-long

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Qantas A380, Boeing 747 Collide at Los Angeles Airport

An Airbus A380 superjumbo belonging to Australian airline Qantas collided with a Boeing 747-400 jumbo from the same airline while being towed at Los Angeles International airport late Thursday.

No passengers were onboard either of the large jets, but the wingtips of both aircraft were damaged and two long-haul flights to Australia were cancelled, the airline and airport said.

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