Category Archives: Air transport

Polar vortex: eight dead as Arctic air spreads across midwest

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Thousands of flights canceled, schools close, and post office halts deliveries as Chicago lows approach record

Frozen Arctic winds brought record-low temperatures across much of the US midwest on Wednesday, as a blast of Arctic air known as the polar vortex unnerved residents accustomed to brutal winters.

As of Wednesday evening, at least eight deaths were linked to the system, including an elderly Illinois man who was found several hours after he fell trying to get into his home and a University of Iowa student found behind an academic hall several hours before dawn. A man was struck by a snowplow in the Chicago area, a young couple’s SUV struck another on a snowy road in northern Indiana and a Milwaukee man froze to death in a garage, authorities said.

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Will the 35-day shutdown lead to privatizing government functions?

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For one ideological constituency, the government shutdown may hold the seeds to privatizing functions such as air traffic control and airport security

The US government is open again. For now.

For many liberals, it will read as the spoils of Nancy Pelosi’s finest hour and proof of her superior bargaining acumen. For disappointed conservatives pundits, evidence that Trump is a proper “wimp” in his act of capitulation.

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Search for Emiliano Sala resumes after crowdfunding effort

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Two boats go out looking for Cardiff City footballer after £259,000 raised online

A new search for missing Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala has been launched after more than £250,000 was raised to fund the operation.

An official search and rescue operation for the Piper PA-46 Malibu carrying the Argentinian striker and pilot David Ibbotson was called off on Thursday.

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Emiliano Sala’s sister begs rescuers to restart search for missing footballer

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Romina Sala says she believes he is still alive after plane vanished over Channel Islands

The family of the footballer Emiliano Sala have pleaded for rescuers to continue searching for the player and a pilot after their light aircraft went missing over the Channel Islands.

Sala’s sister, Romina Sala, speaking after the search was called off, said she believed the Argentinian striker and the pilot Dave Ibbotson, from Lincolnshire, were still alive and in the Channel three days after their plane vanished.

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Air traffic controllers’ union issues dire safety warning over shutdown

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‘We cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break,’ representatives write

Union leaders representing air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants issued an urgent warning on Wednesday that the month-long government shutdown was threatening the safety and security of the nation’s air travel system.

“We cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break,” the union leaders wrote. “It is unprecedented.”

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Cathay Pacific sells $16,000 tickets at economy prices – again

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Hong Kong-based carrier says it will honour tickets after second error in a fortnight

Cathay Pacific has accidentally given passengers first-class airline tickets at economy prices – for the second time in a fortnight.

The Hong Kong-based carrier sold first-class tickets from Portugal to Hong Kong, which normally cost about £12,500, for only £1,175 because of an error on its website.

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Snowstorm takes out power in US mid-Atlantic after five deaths in midwest

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A winter storm that contributed to at least five deaths in the US midwest pummeled the mid-Atlantic region for a second day on Sunday, bringing with it an icy mix that knocked out power, cancelled flights and contributed to hundreds of car accidents.

Virginia state police said the driver of a military surplus vehicle was killed late on Saturday after he lost control on Interstate 81 due to slick road conditions.

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Gatwick returns to normality but drone threat remains

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Confusion still hangs over the investigation into airport’s three days of chaos last month

Six days before Christmas, an airport security officer at Gatwick was finishing his shift at about 9pm when he saw something unusual. There were two drones, each in the shape of a cross, flying over the south perimeter road with sharply flashing lights.

The worker reported what he had seen – and chaos ensued. About 1,000 flights affecting 140,000 passengers were cancelled or diverted across three days. Tempers flared, and hearts were broken. Two people were arrested and released without charge. The army was brought in.

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Heathrow and Gatwick invest millions in anti-drone technology

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London airports purchase equipment in wake of incidents that caused around 1,000 flights to be grounded

The UK’s largest airports are set to spend millions of pounds on anti-drone equipment, the Guardian understands, as they seek to protect themselves from future attacks like that which grounded about 1,000 flights into and out of Gatwick airport during the Christmas period.

The country’s two busiest hubs – London’s Heathrow and Gatwick – have brought in their own military-grade anti-drone apparatus. The owners of both airports invested millions of pounds in the equipment after about 140,000 passengers were affected by the unprecedented disruption to Gatwick.

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Cathay Pacific error sees $16,000 flights sold for $675

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Airline says it will honour huge accidental discounts on business and first-class fares

It was the New Year’s Eve travel sale that appeared to be too good to be true: business and first-class flights on Cathay Pacific from Vietnam to New York for $675 (£534), rather than the standard $16,000.

It turned out to be a ticketing error, but the airline promised to honour the sale. “Happy 2019 all, and to those who bought our good – VERY good surprise ‘special’ on New Year’s Day,” the Hong Kong-based carrier tweeted on Wednesday. “Yes – we made a mistake, but we look forward to welcoming you onboard with your ticket issued. Hope this will make your 2019 ‘special’ too!”

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