Northwest Airlines grounds 27 planes to comply with Federal Aviation Administration directive
Northwest Airlines grounded 27 planes Friday after a company audit showed noncompliance with a directive related to landing gear.
Flights on the Boeing 757s were canceled, with about 2,600 passengers affected.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s directive focused on a linchpin in the aircrafts’ landing gear. But Northwest says passengers were never in danger.
Northwest spokeswoman Tammy Lee Stanoch says the problem was fixed on the planes Friday evening. By 10:40 p.m., the FAA had cleared Northwest to begin using the planes again.
Besides putting up some of the affected passengers in hotel rooms, Northwest worked with its new parent company, Delta Air Lines, to find other aircraft to accommodate passengers.
Frontier Raises Baggage Fees, Lowers Fee To Change Tickets
Frontier Airlines said on Friday it was raising baggage fees and reducing a fee to change tickets.
The Denver-based airline said it would begin charging $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, up from $15 and $25. The higher fees are for tickets bought beginning Tuesday and apply to travel beginning Oct. 1.
Travelers with “Classic” or “Classic Plus” tickets can check two bags for free.
Travelers with so-called Economy tickets can change their travel plans for $100 instead of $150. There’s also a $100 fee to switch flights on the same day.
Travelers with Frontier’s Classic tickets can change their ticket, including on the day of travel, for $50.
Denver-based Frontier has been reorganizing under bankruptcy protection. A deal that will make it a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings Inc. is expected to close around Oct. 1.
U.S. Airways Plane Emergency Landing
There were tense moments at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport this afternoon. The cockpit of a U.S. Airways plane in the air started to fill with smoke causing it to land. No one was injured. The plane was headed to Philadelphia, but about 45 minutes into the flight, something went wrong. Everyone on board got out safely.
Passenger Lisa Ehrenreich of Monroe, New York says, “First we thought it somebody had lit a cigarette, that kind of smell. But then it got kind of smoky in the cabin and i think we all just decided to stay very calm.” Enrenreich was one of 32 passengers on the plane. It took off from Newburgh, New York at 12:48 Thursday and was headed to Philadelphia.
Carol Chambers of Poughkeepsie, New York described what it was like inside the plane. “The atmosphere, first it was a little bit of surprise, first you sniff it and you’re like I smell smoke. Then you ask the next person, do you smell smoke? And then they confirm it, and we alerted the stewardess,” said Chambers. It’s not clear why the plane started smoking. Emergency crews were on scene when it landed. Passengers like Sarah Meritt of Rock Tavern said the flight crew handled the incident well.
They just told us it was full of smoke and we were coming to Wilkes-Barre. They were very calm and smooth about it but immediately after saying that we hit turbulence and I have to say it’s the first time I felt fearful on a flight,” said Meritt.
The passengers we talked to were headed to warm weather vacations. They tried to smile but knew their plans could be on hold for a while. We tried to ask about the cause of the smoke, but airport officials didn’t make themselves available to the media. The passengers all tried to either take a late connecting flight to Philadelphia, or take a bus down to that airport.
Continental Airlines Provides Service On-Board Purchases Using Credit And Debit Cards
Continental Airlines announced that its flight crews will begin accepting credit and debit cards exclusively for on-board purchases including Duty-free for all Continental Micronesia flights utilizing new hand-held devices that are more convenient for customers effective April 1.
Continental is making the change in response to feedback from customers and flight crews who expressed interest in using card readers for on-board purchases to eliminate the hassle of fumbling for money and making correct change. The hand-held devices read cards for purchases of alcoholic beverages and headsets during flight in addition to providing valuable sales information to help better manage product inventory.
In-flight purchases made with credit cards that have partnered with Continental Airlines will be credited to the members’ airline mileage accounts. Co-branded Continental Airlines credit and/or debit card members will earn miles on in-flight purchases.
In Guam, these include holders of the Continental Airlines OnePass® Credit and Debit Card from First Hawaiian Bank Continental Airlines first implemented the cashless cabin program on all mainline flights on Dec. 1, 2009 after testing the hand-held devices in the summer of 2009.
Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 135 international destinations.
FAA Reminded American Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Violations
For the second time in a week, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it has proposed fining American Airlines for aircraft maintenance violations.
The FAA revealed Thursday that it sent a letter to American last week proposing a $300,000 civil penalty for the maintenance lapses, which could have endangered the aircraft, flight crew and passengers.
American Airlines maintenance workers, the FAA said, failed to properly document a malfunctioning speed indicator on an MD-82 jet in February 2009.
Not knowing about the defective indicator, crews flew the plane five times, including at night and in inclement winter weather. Such flights are allowed under American’s FAA-approved procedures, but only in daylight and clear weather.
American, as it did March 12, when the FAA proposed $787,500 in fines, said it is reviewing the proposed penalties and will meet with the FAA to discuss them.
“Safety is fundamental to the American Airlines culture and to our success,” spokesman Tim Smith said in a statement. “American is the only U.S. airline that continues to handle the majority of its heavy maintenance with in-house, FAA-certificated mechanics that have met and passed all FAA experience requirements, written tests, and practical examinations.”
The FAA’s latest action involves a failed heater that prevents a pitot tube — an externally mounted sensor that measures the plane’s airspeed — from freezing up and providing faulty readings.
Frozen pitot tubes have been cited as a possible cause of the June 1 crash of Air France Flight 447. The Airbus jet was on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it broke up over the Atlantic Ocean while flying through thunderstorms, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members.
The incident that led to the latest FAA action occurred Feb. 2, 2009, when an American flight crew, upon arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, wrote in the aircraft logbook that a pitot tube warning light was not working properly.
Maintenance personnel determined that the light was faulty and, following American’s approved procedures, deferred repairs. But the next day, another maintenance crew determined that the pitot tube heater itself was faulty.
In the meantime, pilots unaware of the faulty heater had flown the aircraft five times.
The FAA’s recent actions come on the heels of a report last month by the Transportation Department’s inspector general that found that American was not following prescribed maintenance procedures and that faulted the FAA for weak oversight.
The FAA has also proposed over $5 million in fines against American Eagle for improper maintenance.
