Latest news with #flightdelay
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Snakes on a plane! Airport workers make a hair-raising discovery in the cargo hold after loading passengers' luggage
Passengers on a Virgin Australia flight from Melbourne to Brisbane were delayed for nearly two hours on Tuesday afternoon, thanks to an unexpected stowaway. What's believed to be a green tree snake was discovered inside the cargo hold of Virgin flight VA337 shortly before departure. Cabin crew spotted the reptile and quickly shut the cargo door, locking it inside before calling for assistance. That's when professional snake catcher Mark Pelley, known as 'The Snake Hunter', was called in to deal with the slippery intruder. 'I got a call from Virgin Australia. They said, 'There's a snake on a plane, can you come now?' I raced out there,' Pelley told Daily Mail Australia. He said it took him about half an hour to reach the airport, but getting through security added another delay. 'It took me about 30 minutes to get to the airport, then security took another 15 minutes to let me through.' By that point, passengers had already boarded and were left waiting on the tarmac while the situation was handled. Pelley explained that he only had one shot to catch the snake, warning that it was small enough to disappear into the inner workings of the aircraft. 'If I didn't get it on the first go, it could've escaped behind the panels and into the plane. So I had to rush and get it quickly,' he said. 'Thankfully, it didn't get too far.' It took Pelley just 30 seconds to catch the snake and secure it in a container. He later confirmed the creature was a green tree snake — a non-venomous species native to Queensland, where the plane had flown in from earlier in the day. 'It's likely someone accidentally packed it in their luggage, and it got out during the flight,' he explained. Pelley praised Virgin Australia for their handling of the incident. 'This kind of thing could happen anytime, anywhere in Australia. At no point were any passengers at risk,' he said. The snake will be handed over to environmental authorities and is expected to be returned to the wild in Queensland. While Pelley has responded to airport calls before, this was a first for him. 'I've been called to the airport before, but never into the plane itself. I've dealt with brown snakes in offices, inside infrastructure and support buildings.' 'Once, I even had to clear a snake off the runway. I had to drive my car onto the tarmac to remove it, planes were delayed just to let me do my job.' Flight VA337 was originally scheduled to depart at 4:10 p.m., but didn't take off until approximately 6:23 p.m. It landed in Brisbane at around 8:30 p.m.
Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Independent Singapore
Overweight tourist forcibly removed from plane after he demands emergency exit seat
Photos: CollinRugg/X A Lion Air flight departing from Bangkok experienced an unexpected delay after a passenger became disruptive over a seating issue, forcing authorities to remove him from the aircraft. According to reports from international media outlets including the New York Post, The Mirror, and Viral Press, a British male passenger, described as overweight, expressed dissatisfaction with the legroom in his assigned window seat. Noticing that the emergency exit row offered more space, he requested to be moved but his request was denied by the flight attendants. Frustrated, the man reportedly lost control of his temper and argued with the cabin crew. The situation escalated until law enforcement officers were called in. Footage shared on X showed the passenger, wearing a bright orange Garfield shirt, being forcibly removed from his seat. In the video, his arms are bound as several officers drag him down the plane aisle and escort him off the aircraft. A fellow passenger who captured the video shared that at first, he thought the plane couldn't take off because the man was sick, but it turned out that he just felt that the economy class seats were too crowded and insisted on changing to the emergency exit seat. See also China threatens retaliation for US curbs on 'propaganda' outlets The disturbance caused by the passenger's outburst led to a significant delay, with the flight departing nearly an hour later than scheduled.
New York Times
4 days ago
- New York Times
American Airlines Flights Snarled by Computer Glitch
Some American Airlines flights were temporarily grounded on Friday after a technology outage took a number of the airline's systems offline. A spokesman for the airline confirmed in a text message just before 4:30 p.m. Eastern time that the outage had been resolved and systems were 'all back to normal.' Passengers across the United States began posting on social media shortly after noon that their flights had been delayed because airline staff were unable to use computer systems needed to complete predeparture tasks. According to the posts, problems included gate agents being unable to board passengers and pilots being unable to gain access to flight plans. In a statement on Friday afternoon, American Airlines acknowledged that 'a technology issue is affecting connectivity for some of our systems,' and said it was working to resolve the issue. No flights were canceled as a result of the outage, the statement said. About 28 percent of American Airlines flights were delayed as of 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking platform. That number is near the high end of the normal range of delays, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Charlotte Douglas International, Chicago O'Hare and Dallas Fort Worth International, the airline's major hubs, were reporting minor or no delays as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to FlightAware. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
Tourist dragged off plane by police after demanding to sit in exit row
A plus-size tourist has been dragged out of a plane by the belt after allegedly demanding an emergency aisle seat for his bigger frame. The unidentified passenger reportedly complained there was not enough room in his window seat on the Thai Lion Air flight from Bangkok on Wednesday. The man – seen wearing an orange Garfield shirt with the words 'too busy doing nothing' – allegedly threw a tantrum after his request to be transferred to the emergency exit seat was denied. The man's outburst was said to have delayed the flight by around an hour before police arrived to drag him off the Boeing 737 aircraft. Extraordinary footage shows officers yanking the stubborn passenger out of his seat before he then lies down, blocking the aisle in protest. Furious passengers can be heard screaming at him to 'get out of the way' and 'get off the plane' while another calls him 'selfish' while undergoing the drag of shame. Eventually, police were able to remove the man from the aircraft by carrying him by his arms, legs and belt. An onlooker who caught the moment on video said: 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill. It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. 'The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to co-operate.' The flight took off around an hour later from the Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). The clip, which has since gone viral, has gathered thousands of comments from furious viewers. 'How embarrassing!' said one viewer. 'More and more adults are acting like toddlers on planes,' said another. has contacted Thai Lion Air for comment. The incident has once again reignited the debate about plus-size travel, with a growing number of people calling for more inclusive airline policies. In 2023, American influencer Jaelynn Chaney launched a campaign for plus-sized travellers to be given free airline seats so they can fly comfortably. Ms Chaney started a petition calling for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 'mandate that all airlines have a comprehensive customer-of-size policy that prioritises the comfort and wellbeing of ALL passengers'. The petition, which had a goal of 50,000 signatures, reached just over 39,000. U.S. based airline Southwest has had a longstanding 'customer of size' policy that aims to 'protect the comfort and safety of everyone on board.' The policy allows plus-size passengers to purchase additional seats ahead of time and then contact the airline for a refund of the cost of the additional seating after travel. After going viral on social media in 2023, a heated discussion was sparked over the 'fairness' of the 30-year policy. 'I'm overweight and I don't agree with this,' wrote one user. 'Why should other passengers have to foot this bill?' wrote another. Others, were all for the initiative, branding it 'inclusive and ahead of its time.' 'Every airline should be doing this,' said one. 'Other airlines should learn from them!,' agreed another. 'Absolutely love this,' said a third.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Flight Forced On 8-Hour Detour After Missing Munich Airport Curfew By 10 Seconds
The passengers on Condor Flight 1513 earlier this month were mere seconds from touching down before their trip was suddenly extended by eight hours. The German airline's Airbus A321 was on final approach to Munich Airport with its landing gear down when the flight crew was denied permission to land. The flight had missed the last possible landing time after a midnight curfew by just ten seconds and was forced to land at a diversion airport 233 miles away. Admittedly, the debacle was sparked by the Condor flight running extremely late due to a prior delay with the plane, according to One Mile At A Time. Departure from Palma de Mallorca Airport in Spain was originally scheduled for 8:35 p.m. but didn't take off until 10:52 p.m., 12 minutes after its planned arrival. The flight received a 30-minute extension to allow for a 12:30 a.m. landing but fell just seconds short. Hahn Airport, 75 miles outside of Frankfurt, was the closest diversion without a curfew. Condor Flight 1513 finally landed at 1:13 a.m., where the passengers endured a lengthy deplaning process. By 3:00 a.m., they were loaded onto a bus for a 90-minute trip to Frankfurt Airport. Condor then booked the passengers on a 6:50 a.m. flight to Munich. Read more: Cars, Trucks And SUVs Most Likely To Last 200,000 Miles Or More, According To Consumer Reports The passengers of Condor Flight 1513 reached Bavaria's capital at 8:00 a.m. after traveling for the entire night. Surprisingly, Condor was able to get the diverted flight's Airbus A321 to Munich by 5:47 a.m., over two hours before the passengers made it there. While one can attribute a portion of the blame to German aviation regulations, Condor's operations didn't help itself in this scenario. With such a tight window to complete the flight, the airline should have just cancelled the service and put the passengers up in a hotel overnight. Poor airline scheduling isn't anything new. Southwest Airlines still holds the infamous crown in that category for its complete meltdown in December 2022. The Dallas-based carrier cancelled around 16,900 flights over the holiday season. The U.S. Department of Transportation levied a record $140 million fine against Southwest in the meltdown's aftermath. The penalty was in addition to nearly $600 million in refunds and reimbursements. The nationwide incident led the Biden administration to reform airline passenger protection laws, making refunds for cancellations and severe delays automatic. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
