Bag of Sex Toys Incites Panic at Berlin Airport, Bomb Squad Called and Terminal Shut Down
Authorities partially closed Schönefeld Airport in Berlin on Tuesday after they confused a bag of sex toys for a bomb.
U.S. Airlines Are Changing How Their Websites Refer to Taiwan Under Threat of Chinese Retaliation
The mainland Chinese government has demanded U.S. airlines change their websites “to reflect China’s claim on the island territory” of Taiwan, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, and they pretty much plan on doing that rather than risk any kind of retaliation.
Vaping Pilot Trying to Hide E-Cig Cloud Accidentally Sends Passenger Flight Plummeting
An Air China flight crew had to enact emergency protocols during a flight from Hong Kong to the city of Dalian on Tuesday, all because a co-pilot tried to sneak in a vape break.
FBI Warns of 'Alarming' Increase in In-Flight Sexual Assaults
Reports of in-flight sexual assaults committed by passengers against passengers are going up by double-digit margins, according to federal crime statistics, and it’s unclear why.
Government Researchers Say It's Only a 'Matter of Time' Until a Commercial Airline is Hacked
Here’s a fun thing to think about as you plan your next vacation: researchers at a number of government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security believe that a cyberattack against an airplane is inevitable and could lead to a “catastrophic disaster.” Have a nice trip!
Woman Says Poop Fell From Plane and Into Her Sunroof, Splattering Her Face and Giving Her Pink Eye
A woman in Kelowna, British Columbia, says she has pink eye after human feces fell from the sky and through her sunroof, hitting her in the face.
Boeing Loses $20 Billion in Contracts After President Trump Violates Iran Deal
President Trump announced yesterday that he was unilaterally pulling the U.S. out of the so-called Iran Deal, an international agreement that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for the cessation of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But now that the sanctions are being reinstated, some American companies stand to lose…
Report: Metal Fatigue May Explain Catastrophic 737 Engine Explosion on Southwest Flight
National Transportation Safety Board investigators have possibly found a major clue as to why a Boeing 737 engine exploded, sucking 43-year-old passenger Jennifer Riordan partially out of a window shredded by shrapnel, resulting in her death.
One Dead After Engine on Southwest Airlines Flight Explodes, Woman Almost Sucked Out Window [Updated]
Southwest Airlines flight 1380 from New York to Dallas had to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia today. One of the plane’s engines reportedly exploded, breaking a window and causing a woman to nearly be sucked out. One person has been confirmed dead, and passengers are sharing photos and videos from the…
Airbus Wants to Stuff a Bunch of Comfy Beds Into a Plane's Cargo Hold for Long Flights
Airbus apparently didn’t get the memo that air travel is only supposed to get more cramped and uncomfortable year after year. Instead of designing even tinier seats, the company has revealed plans to create swappable modules that turn a plane’s cargo hold into spacious flying dorm rooms packed full of comfy-looking…
Chinese Citizens With Bad 'Social Credit' to Be Blocked From Taking Planes and Trains
China’s terrifying “social credit” system isn’t planned to be fully implemented until 2020, but we’re already seeing facets of it being put in place. In May, people who have committed acts of “serious dishonor” will reportedly be unable to travel on trains or flights for up to a year.
Russian An-148 Jet Crashes After Takeoff From Moscow, Killing At Least 71 People
A Russian An-148 regional jet airliner carrying at least 71 people crashed after takeoff from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, with authorities saying everyone on board was killed, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Woman Flushes Her Emotional Support Hamster Down Airport Toilet and I Have So Many Questions
Belen Aldecosea used to have a dwarf hamster that served as her emotional support animal. Then she tried to fly Spirit, which would not let her hamster on the plane. Then she claims a Spirit employee told her to flush the rodent down the toilet. Then Aldecosea—for reasons privy only to her—flushed that hamster down…
United Airlines Finds Way to Cut Costs That Doesn't Involve Booting Overbooked Passengers
Switching its in-flight magazine Hemisphere to a lighter variety of paper that saved an ounce a copy has saved United Airlines 170,000 gallons of fuel a year, the L.A. Times reported on Saturday, citing an “internal message to employees.” Per the paper, the 11 fewer pounds a flight save approximately 170,000 gallons…
A Computer Error Let Every American Airlines Pilot Take Christmas Off and Now Who’s Gonna Fly Us Home [Updated]
Traveling during the holidays is already a nightmare, but for people flying American Airlines during the last two weeks in December, things may have just gotten a whole lot worse.
Watch These Daredevil Wingsuit Flyers Land in a Flying Plane
Because jumping off a mountain with just a pair of thin fabric wings underneath your arms isn’t already dangerous enough, professional wingsuit flyers Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet decided to do that and then try and land inside an airborne plane, using a side door that was just a few feet from the aircraft’s spinning…
This Pilot Had the Most Spectacular View Flying Into New Zealand
It doesn’t matter what seat you choose on an airplane, your view will never be as breathtaking as what the pilots get to see during your flight. But sometimes the high-altitude scenery is so stunning that pilots feel obliged to share it with the world, like this descent into Queenstown Airport in New Zealand.
Crashing This Flying Tortilla RC Plane Is a Delicious Disaster
Peter Sripol is a talented engineer with an obsession for building RC planes using unorthodox materials. Instead of balsa wood, he’s built working aircraft using Lego, and even Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets. But his masterpiece is successfully turning a tortilla into the world’s first edible aircraft.
Borrowing a Clever Trick From Birds, This Smart Glider Could One Day Fly Forever Without a Motor
While scouring large swaths of land for prey, predators like hawks and eagles will often take advantage of rising thermals to stay airborne and glide for extended periods with minimal effort. Humans have copied this approach which allows sailplanes to fly without a motor, but Microsoft is now teaching an AI how to…
Thanks to a Bankrupt Russian Airline, Trump May Get the Air Force One Deal He Wanted
Donald Trump loves a good deal. And the United States Air Force just found one for the president, sitting in a Mojave Desert boneyard: two brand new Boeing 747-8's, the very same planes that the military plans to convert into the next Air Force One aircraft. These two have an interesting origin story, too.
