Posts

Airline Mechanic Charged with Sabotaging Plane That Had 150 People on Board

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Thursday, an American Airlines mechanic was arrested on a charge of sabotage after it was discovered he had allegedly purposely disabled a navigation system on a flight with 150 people in July.

The Miami Herald reports that Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, 60, is accused of manipulating the air data module on a plane due to take off from Miami International Airport. The complaint affidavit stated:

Just prior to taking the departure runway, the flight crew increased power to the engines to pre-position the Target Aircraft for takeoff. The action of powering up the Target Aircraft’s engine resulted in an error related to the air data module (ADM) system which, in part, records aircraft speed, pitch, and other critical flight data. The takeoff was ordered aborted and the Target Aircraft was directed to return to MIA’s concourse D, gate 48, for maintenance.

The affidavit continued, “An AA mechanic discovered a loosely connected pitot tube, which connects directly to the ADM. Further inspection revealed the ADM appeared to have been deliberately obstructed with what appeared to be a dark Styrofoam-type material.” . . .

The affidavit also states that Alani claimed his actions were triggered by the dispute between the mechanics’ union and American Airlines, which “had affected him financially.” The affidavit noted Alani claimed he wanted to cause a delay or cancellation so he could gain overtime work. Alani told federal air marshals that he didn’t want to harm the plane or the passengers. (Read more from “Airline Mechanic Charged with Sabotaging Plane That Had 150 People on Board” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Ivy League Economist Interrogated by American Airlines for Being Smart

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Thursday evening, a 40-year-old man — with dark, curly hair, olive skin and an exotic foreign accent — boarded a plane. It was a regional jet making a short, uneventful hop from Philadelphia to nearby Syracuse. . .

The curly-haired man tried to keep to himself, intently if inscrutably scribbling on a notepad he’d brought aboard. His seatmate, a blond-haired, 30-something woman sporting flip-flops and a red tote bag, looked him over. He was wearing navy Diesel jeans and a red Lacoste sweater – a look he would later describe as “simple elegance” – but something about him didn’t seem right to her. . .

That Something she’d seen had been her seatmate’s cryptic notes, scrawled in a script she didn’t recognize. Maybe it was code, or some foreign lettering, possibly the details of a plot to destroy the dozens of innocent lives aboard American Airlines Flight 3950. She may have felt it her duty to alert the authorities just to be safe. The curly-haired man was, the agent informed him politely, suspected of terrorism. . .

Had the crew or security members perhaps quickly googled this good-natured, bespectacled passenger before waylaying everyone for several hours, they might have learned that he — Guido Menzio — is a young but decorated Ivy League economist. And that he’s best known for his relatively technical work on search theory, which helped earn him a tenured associate professorship at the University of Pennsylvania as well as stints at Princeton and Stanford’s Hoover Institution.

They might even have discovered that last year he was awarded the prestigious Carlo Alberto Medal, given to the best Italian economist under 40. That’s right: He’s Italian, not Middle Eastern, or whatever heritage usually gets ethnically profiled on flights these days. (Read more from “Ivy League Economist Interrogated by American Airlines for Being Smart” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Airline Agent Caught on Video Losing It With Cop Passenger, Wife

/0 Comments/in , , /by

By The Blaze. An American Airlines customer service agent recently was caught on video in an argument with a police officer passenger and his wife over missing luggage, saying the officer “might kill me.”

The officer’s wife, Theresia Tirado, told WREG-TV the employee also said, “You’re a cop. That means you’re a killer.” . . .

Tirado told Blue Lives Matter that she, her husband Michael — a New Jersey correctional officer — and their two kids were traveling to Florida when bad weather led to the cancellation of their Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, flight.

So the family was rerouted through Memphis, Tennessee, to Miami, she told the outlet, and when they arrived in Memphis after midnight, they faced a four-hour-plus layover before their next flight.

The American Airlines gate agent suggested they make sure all their luggage made it on their new flight, Blue Lives Matter said. Sure enough, one bag was missing — and so they went to speak to an American Airlines customer service agent in the baggage claim office, the outlet said. (Read more from “Airline Agent Caught on Video Losing It With Cop Passenger, Wife” HERE)

______________________________________________________

Couple Says American Airlines Employee Called Cop ‘a Killer’

By News Channel 3. The family consists of Theresia Tirado, her husband, and their two sons. She says one of their bags didn’t make it to the airport. So they went to customer service and asked an attendant where it was. She claims he wasn’t helpful. . .

She says the attendant got angry and, for some reason, started ranting about how his children are doctors and lawyers. That’s when Tirado’s husband told him he was a police officer.

“And he said, ‘You’re a cop. That means you’re a killer.” . . .

Her husband started recording after that. In the video, you hear the attendant say, “He might kill me.” . . .

“He might kill me because he’s a police officer who called me useless,” the attendant says back. (Read more from “Couple Says American Airlines Employee Called Cop ‘a Killer'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

American Airlines to Allow yet Another Group to Board Planes Early… People Allergic to Nuts

/0 Comments/in , /by

American Airlines announced that it will allow early boarding for people with nut allergies so they can wipe down their seats to avoid allergens.

The airline announced its new policy, which will go into effect Dec. 12, in a Tuesday filing with the U.S. Transportation Department. The change comes in response to complaints that Food Allergy Research & Education and the mother of a highly allergic boy filed against American Airlines in 2017.

“Customers with nut allergies who would like to board flights early to wipe down surfaces may ask to do so at the gate,” an airline representative told Bloomberg. (Read more from “American Airlines to Allow yet Another Group to Board Planes Early… People Allergic to Nuts” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Airline Sending Employees to Compassion Training

/0 Comments/in , /by

. . .The airline recently rolled out a new program called “core4.” Thousands of employees will go through an ambitious four-hour training session that aims to teach workers to be efficient (think on-time departures), ensure operations are safe and do it all with a smile.

Airlines face near-instant backlash from consumers as on-board incidents go viral thanks to ubiquitous smartphones.

United was embroiled in a public relations disaster last year when passenger David Dao was violently dragged off a flight to make room for a commuting crew member. Its handling of the incident, including a botched apology, drew further ire on social media.

As it is trying to improve its image and how employees treat customers, United is also trying to remain as efficient as possible to convince skeptical investors that it can grow its operations and expand profit margins.

Roughly 30,000 customer-facing employees such as flight attendants will be required to take the course. Core4 draws its name from the four characteristics: caring, safe, dependable and efficient. (Read more from “Airline Sending Employees to Compassion Training” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

American Airlines Rips Lena Dunham’s ‘Transphobic Talk’ Claim

/0 Comments/in , /by

American Airlines is disputing Lena Dunham’s claims that she overheard two female airline employees having a “transphobic talk” at the airport on Wednesday, saying the time stamps of her claims don’t add up.

A spokesperson for the airline told TheWrap that they are unable to substantiate the allegations made by the creator and star of HBO’s “Girls.” Dunham tweeted around 3 a.m. ET, said the airline spokesperson, when American’s last departure/arrival at JFK was around 1:45 a.m. ET.

Additionally, a video that Dunham posted around the same time showed that the actress was flying on Delta Air Lines, which according to the spokesperson, doesn’t operate out of Terminal 8, whereas American Airlines does. The two are not connected, argued the spokesperson. You can see a map of the terminals here. (Read more from “American Airlines Rips Lena Dunham’s ‘Transphobic’ Talk Claim” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Cocaine Worth $434K Found in Nose Gear of American Airlines Plane

/0 Comments/in , /by

Authorities say 31 pounds of cocaine that was accidentally discovered stashed in the nose of an American Airlines aircraft in Tulsa is worth around $434,000.

Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Justin Green says the plane arrived in Miami from Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday. It was flagged for maintenance and sent later that day to Tulsa International Airport, where American Airlines has a maintenance base.

While working on the nose gear, an airline employee noticed what looked like a clump of insulation or a brick-like object and called the sheriff’s office to inspect the suspicious find. (Read more from “Cocaine Worth $434K Found in Nose Gear of American Airlines Plane” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Mystery Illness Forces American Airlines Flight to Return to London

/0 Comments/in , /by

An American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles was forced to return to London’s Heathrow Airport Wednesday after at least six people on board fell ill.

The Daily Telegraph reported that one member of the Boeing 777’s cabin crew fainted and five others complained of feeling unwell. With the aircraft, Flight 109, in the air over southwest Iceland, the captain made the decision to return to Heathrow.

Paramedics and fire crews surrounded the plane as it landed approximately five hours after it had taken off. The Telegraph reported that the passengers’ luggage was briefly taken away for inspection before being returned to them.

“About 2.5 hours into the flight just as we were passing Iceland we had a Tannoy announcement asking for any doctors, nurses or medical professionals on board to report to the boarding doors to assist with unwell passengers,” passenger Lee Gunn told The Daily Mirror. “The lights then came on in the cabin and there was lots of commotion.” (Read more from “Mystery Illness Forces American Airlines Flight to Return to London” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Watch: American Airlines Passenger Thrown off Plane by Flight Attendant Speaks Out

/1 Comment/in , /by

Tiania Fough was boarding her connecting flight home to Oregon when she was abruptly kicked off her American Airlines (AAL) flight. During an interview with FOX Business Network’s Sandra Smith, Fough shared her side of the story.

“I start to walk on like everybody else and I’m chatting with the lady in front of me. As her and kind of four other people in front of me make their seats, there [was] one flight attendant and me… we are probably about 5 seats away from each other and he just starts yelling at me… and at that point I was just like ‘oh my gosh, what’s going on?’ and I just looked over at this guy and the flight attendant says to me, ‘I asked you three times to stay right there’ and I looked over at the guy and he goes, ‘well obviously you didn’t hear him’… There was people in front of me I had no visual sight of the man until everybody had sat down.”

The scene, captured on a cell phone from another passenger, showed Fough being scolded and suddenly being removed from the plane while crying . . .

When asked why she thought the flight attendant took issue with her she said: “there could be a lot of stuff going on in his life maybe. There was another flight attendant I guess up in the first class that I never even made contact with — I never even talked to him… He is allegedly saying that I said some profanities to him and he is trying to cover up for his buddy’s mistake of blowing up in my face and kicking me off the plane.” (Read more from “Watch: American Airlines Passenger Thrown off Plane by Flight Attendant Speaks Out” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

American Airlines Captain DIES While Flying Plane With Over 100 Passengers

/0 Comments/in , /by

An American Airlines pilot died after becoming ill on an overnight “red eye” flight from Phoenix to Boston, American Airlines confirmed to Today in the Sky.

The incident occurred about four hours into Flight 550, which then diverted to Syracuse and landed there around 7:10 a.m. Monday morning, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware . . .

While the death of a pilot during a flight could raise concern among uneasy fliers, the captain and first officer are each capable of flying commercial airliners alone. The Federal Aviation Administration requires two crew members in the cockpit at all times for just such an emergency.

“Pilots train for the incapacitation of another crew member,” said John Cox, a former airline pilot and now a consultant as head of Safety Operating Systems, “This would have been something the first officer was trained to deal with” . . .

Flight 550 was on an Airbus A320 and had 147 passengers and five crewmembers, according to American. The flight spent about four hours on the ground in Syracuse and then continued on to Boston after a replacement crew arrived to the aircraft in Syracuse. (Read more from “American Airlines Captain DIES While Flying Plane With Over 100 Passengers” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.