View from the Wing

11 Hospitalized After Los Angeles-Bound Cathay Pacific Flight Aborted Takeoff At High Speed

by Gary Leff on June 24, 2023

Jun 24 2023

Cathay Pacific flight 800 rejected takeoff at high speed from Hong Kong airport on Saturday morning. 11 people out of 293 passengers and 17 crew who had been headed to Los Angeles were hospitalized during the event.

The Boeing 777-300 slowed down on runway 7R and taxied back to the apron, but the event caused three tires to deflate. Crew evacuated everyone from the aircraft, and you can see passengers ignoring instructions not to take their belongings with them as they left the aircraft.

Belarus President Turns Off Plane’s Transponder Over Russian Airspace – Attempted Russia Coup Is Real

by Gary Leff on June 24, 2023

Jun 24 2023

The President of Belarus flew over Russian airspace – but his plane’s transponder was turned off until he had cleared it. Belarus is a vassal state of Putin’s regime. And Putin is facing a coup led by the boss of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

With Prigozhin’s forces targeting military aircraft, VIP aircraft movements taking steps not to be tracked seems… wise.

On This American Airlines Flight The Overhead Bin Wasn’t Full – The Bin Itself Went Missing [Roundup]

by Gary Leff on June 24, 2023

Jun 24 2023

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Is It Time For Autopilots To Replace Co-Pilots In The Cockpit?

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

Pilot unions will fight against this, and as far as replacing them today there’s probably no one willing to push that button. But the technology will arrive that will make travel safer replacing a human at least as co-pilot, even if full automation is farther off.

Can You Guess What This First Class Meal Is? American Airlines Should Be Ashamed [Roundup]

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

[UPDATE] Now British Airways Won’t Skip Most Cleaning Of Planes Between Short Flights

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

If you’re flying British Airways within Europe, bring wipes and hand sanitizer. British Airways now only allocates 6 minutes between flights for cleaning on European trips, no longer wiping down seats and tray tables, or even cleaning lavatories, between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and between Noon and 5 p.m.

Chris Christie Crashes Out On A Plane, Exhausted From Attacking Trump

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

Christie famously fell asleep at a Bruce Springsteen concert (though he claimed he only put his head back and closed his eyes).

Here he’s flying commercial. And he’s crashed out.

Southwest Airlines Raising Fees Starting August 15th

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

Southwest Airlines, the largest U.S. domestic airline, is raising several fees effective August 15, 2023, the carrier has revealed to employees in a document reviewed by View From The Wing. They will be raising pet and unaccompanied minor fees, as well as fees for additional, oversize, and overweight bags. Third and beyond checked bag goes from $75 to 125. Overweight bags go from $75 for up to 100 pounds to $100 for up to 70 pounds or $125 for up to 100 pounds. Oversized bags go from $75 to $125. Unaccompanied minor fees go from $50 to $100. Pets go from $95 to $125 per carrier, with no change to intra-Hawaii pet fees. Southwest still doesn’t charge for seats (they don’t pre-assign seats), don’t have change fees or basic economy fares that are unchangeable, and…

Court Rules On Biden Administration’s Transportation Mask Mandate Appeal

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2023

Jun 23 2023

In April 2022 a federal district judge struck down the Biden administration’s transportation mask mandate. Did you realize that litigation over the mandate, though, was still ongoing?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has issued a ruling dismissing the case as moot.

The FAA Goes After The Points Guy: Who Is At Fault For Airline Delays?

by Gary Leff on June 22, 2023

Jun 22 2023

The FAA is calling out Brian Kelly (‘The Points Guy’) who sold his eponymous website years ago, and no longer manages it, but still represents them in media. He blamed summer 2023 flight delays on FAA staffing, but the FAA points out that weather is a bigger cause of delays.

The FAA also calls out volume of flights and runway capacity as bigger issues with delays than staffing, though this is misleading.

11 Hospitalized After Los Angeles-Bound Cathay Pacific Flight Aborted Takeoff At High Speed

Belarus President Turns Off Plane’s Transponder Over Russian Airspace – Attempted Russia Coup Is Real

On This American Airlines Flight The Overhead Bin Wasn’t Full – The Bin Itself Went Missing [Roundup]

Is It Time For Autopilots To Replace Co-Pilots In The Cockpit?

Can You Guess What This First Class Meal Is? American Airlines Should Be Ashamed [Roundup]

[UPDATE] Now British Airways Won’t Skip Most Cleaning Of Planes Between Short Flights

Chris Christie Crashes Out On A Plane, Exhausted From Attacking Trump

Southwest Airlines Raising Fees Starting August 15th

Court Rules On Biden Administration’s Transportation Mask Mandate Appeal

The FAA Goes After The Points Guy: Who Is At Fault For Airline Delays?

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About Gary Leff

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