Continental

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Crazed Flier Tries to Open Plane Door

Two flights diverted over security concerns

(Newser) - An apparently deranged passenger tried to open a door mid-flight yesterday on a Continental plane en route from Houston to Chicago. An air marshal tackled the flier when a flight attendant screamed, and the plane was immediately diverted to St. Louis. There were no other details about the passenger, but...

Baggage Fees Plump Airline Revenues
Baggage Fees Plump Airline Revenues

Baggage Fees Plump Airline Revenues

Charges aren't going away, even as carriers regain profitability

(Newser) - Extra fees were a way for airlines to combat the severe drop in air travel during the recession, and they've worked—United led the way with $1.9 billion of them last year. Worldwide, airlines collected $13.5 billion in 2009, most of it from baggage fees, a 43% increase...

Security Scare Closes Newark Airport Terminal

Screening resumes, but man who entered through exit still at large

(Newser) - A Newark Liberty Airport terminal has reopened after a man used a screening exit to enter the facility, setting off a massive manhunt and lockdown. The man had not been located as of around midnight ET. Screening of passengers in Terminal C, which mostly handles Continental traffic, resumed at 10:...

More Cuts Await Slumping Airlines

Delta, AA among carriers who can't cover costs

(Newser) - As rising oil prices and sluggish demand continued to hammer the airline industry, Delta, American, and several other carriers forecast further cuts to service yesterday, reports the Wall Street Journal. Despite massive reductions in service, CEOs said at an industry meeting that they still aren't covering costs. "Earnings are...

Plane Plummeted 20 Times Faster Than Normal

Flight recorders found; cause of crash still unknown

(Newser) - Nothing went wrong on Flight 3407 until 26 seconds before the plane slammed into the ground. But in that time, it fell more than 20 times faster than normal, at one point dropping 800 feet in 5 seconds, the Buffalo News reports. Black box recorders found on the ground in...

Carrier, Plane Had Clean Safety Record

Colgan Air has a clean flight record

(Newser) - The operator of the commuter flight that crashed near Buffalo and killed 50 people hadn’t had any major accidents on passenger flights in its 18-year history, the Houston Chronicle reports. Nor does the model of plane that crashed, the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprops, have a record of trouble....

'The Whole Sky Was Lit Up Orange'

'Direct hit' on house caused 50-foot flames

(Newser) - The twin turboprop plane crash outside Buffalo that killed 50 was a “direct hit” on a house 7 miles from Buffalo’s international airport, CNN reports. "I was able to see the underbelly of the plane," said one witness. "It was only about 75 feet above...

9/11 Widow Dies in Buffalo Crash
9/11 Widow Dies in Buffalo Crash

9/11 Widow Dies in Buffalo Crash

Woman was traveling to celebration of husband's would-be 58th birthday

(Newser) - A woman aboard the ill-fated Continental Flight 3407 was the widow of a Buffalo man killed in the 9/11 attacks, the Buffalo News reports. As the co-chair of Voices of September 11, Beverly Eckert fought for a probe into pre-9/11 intelligence failures and pushed for a memorial to attack victims....

Tapes Point to Ice as Crash Factor

Nearby pilots report icy conditions

(Newser) - Icy conditions may have been a factor in the plane crash near Buffalo that killed 50 last night, the Buffalo News reports. Just after the disaster, air traffic controllers asked other nearby pilots about ice. Several confirmed that they had "picked up rime ice." After a long pause,...

FAA Orders Inspections of Boeing 737s

Hundreds of jets to be checked for loose nut that caused China Airlines fire

(Newser) - The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to inspect hundreds of Boeing 737s after a loose bolt punctured a China Airlines jet last week, causing a fire that destroyed the aircraft. Southwest, Delta, Continental, AirTran, Alaska Air, ATA and Aloha Airlines have 24 days to check for loose nuts on...

Planes Packed as Air Travel Soars in July

Record full seats a boon for carriers, a nuisance for passengers

(Newser) - US air travel hit the economic stratosphere in July, crowding the jetliners of seven major carriers with record percentages of filled seats. American, Continental, Delta, US Airways, AirTran, and Alaska Airlines filled up nearly 90% of all seats on domestic flights, more than any month in history.

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