Latest news with #HollywoodBurbank
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Southwest flight plummets, injuring flight attendants
A Southwest Airlines plane rapidly dropped in elevation after departing from the Los Angeles area on Friday, with passengers posting online that the pilot was forced to rapidly change course to avoid a potential collision with another aircraft. Flight 1496 from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Las Vegas plummeted rapidly, lifting passengers out of their seats and injuring two flight attendants. The crew "responded to two onboard traffic alerts... requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts", Southwest said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the "incident". It comes less than one week after a similar near-miss. "Ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority," the FAA statement added. Stand-up comedian Jimmy Dore was onboard the plane, and was among the passengers saying that the erratic move was due to a near-miss with another plane. "Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us. Wow," Dore wrote on X. "A flight attendant needed medical attention." His colleague Stef Zamorano added that all the passengers applauded when the plane landed. Caitlin Burdi told Fox News that passengers were "screaming" as the plane rapidly fell. "It was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," she said. She added that the pilot came over the speaker afterwards to say that the plane had almost hit another plane, and that they had lost contact with air traffic control. "I just remember him saying, 'What just happened was we almost collided with another plane, and I had to make the emergency attempt to go under because we lost service with the air traffic controller,'" she said. According to CNN, the plane was nearly intercepted by a privately owned Hawker Hunter fighter jet after less than six minutes in the air. The jet crossed less than two miles in front of it, and within a few hundred feet of its altitude, CNN reported, citing flight tracking data. It had departed from El Pas, Texas and was flying to Oxnard, California. The Southwest statement said that the flight continued on to Las Vegas, "where it landed uneventfully", and that the airline is "engaged" with the FAA "to further understand the circumstances". "We appreciate the professionalism of our Flight Crew and Flight Attendants in responding to this event. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees." It comes less than one week after a Delta regional flight from Minneapolis was forced to make a sudden evasive manoeuvre to avoid a US military bomber. Delta flight makes 'aggressive manoeuvre' to avoid collision with military aircraft
New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
2 Crew Members Are Hurt as Southwest Plane Plunges Abruptly After Takeoff
Two flight attendants were injured when a Southwest Airlines plane suddenly descended after its initial climb from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Southern California on Friday, the airline said in a statement. The abrupt drop happened after two safety alerts sounded in the cockpit, the second such incident involving commercial flights in a week, according to the statement. The pilots of Southwest Airlines Flight 1496 made the maneuver shortly after takeoff, when an onboard system detected another aircraft nearby, setting off two alerts from the collision avoidance system in the plane. The safety alert system is designed to help pilots prevent midair collisions by telling a pilot to either climb or descend to reduce the risk of a collision. No details were immediately available on the other aircraft involved in the episode. 'The crew of Southwest Flight 1496 responded to two onboard traffic alerts Friday afternoon while climbing out of Burbank, Calif., requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts,' a spokesman for the Southwest Airlines said in statement. The extent of the flight attendants' injuries is unknown. No passengers were injured, the airline said. Some people who said they were passengers aboard the Boeing 737 described on social media how travelers had been jolted out of their seats when the plane changed course. They said that the pilot had made an announcement that a collision warning had sounded. Mike Christensen, a spokesman for Hollywood Burbank Airport, said in an email on Friday that there had been no indication of a near miss in the airspace above the airport, as some passengers had characterized it on social media. He referred questions about the episode to Southwest Airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the agency was investigating, adding that 'ensuring the safety of everyone in the national airspace system remains our top priority.' According to FlightAware, an aircraft-tracking site, Flight 1496 briefly lost about 300 feet of altitude around five minutes into the 57-minute journey from Burbank to Las Vegas. On July 18, a regional airline jet operating a code-share flight for Delta Air Lines made an 'aggressive maneuver' to avoid a midair collision with a B-52 bomber over North Dakota. The passenger jet in that instance, SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788, was traveling from Minneapolis to Minot, N.D., when it aborted a landing because the military aircraft was in its flight path. No one was injured, but a passenger said that people had been unnerved by the experience, including the pilot, who made an announcement explaining what had happened. These episodes have continued to raise concerns about the nation's air traffic control system, which drew intense scrutiny when, on Jan. 29, an Army Black Hawk helicopter struck American Airlines Flight 5342, which was landing at Reagan National Airport near Washington, killing 67 people.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Airline that deports ICE detainees suspends west coast operation after furious pro-migrant protests
An airline which has been operating deportation flights for the Trump administration has announced major closures after furious pro-migrant protests at several airports. Texas-based budget carrier Avelo Airlines said this week that it will close down its west coast operations at Hollywood Burbank Airport as it struggles financially. The company said it will reduce its operation at the airport to one aircraft until December 2 and then close the base which currently serves 13 routes. Avelo said the protests and its contract with DHS did not have any effect on its decision to close the base and have not impacted its business. 'We believe the continuation service from (Burbank) in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' the company said in a statement. However, the airport has been the target of several fiery rallies by pro-migrant protesters who have hailed the closure as a response to their calls for a boycott. They include Nancy Klein, from Hollywood, California, who organized seven protests with activist groups CA27Indivisible and East Valley Indivisible in Southern California. 'This change in Avelo's business operations is some evidence that being on the right side of history, while being principled and persistent, can make a difference,' Klein said, adding that another protest is planned at Burbank Airport on July 27. The airline signed a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security in April to transport migrants to detention centers inside and outside America. It faced backlash from customers and employees over its partnership with the DHS. Protests unfolded across the country from outside the Burbank Airport to their hub in New Haven, Connecticut, calling on the airline to end its partnership with the DHS and for customers to boycott the carrier. Susan Auerback slammed Avelo for using migrant deportations 'for their economic benefit' during a protest at Burbank airport earlier this year. 'We will not stand for these mass deportations and we will intervene wherever we can to stop the operation of them,' she told ABC7 reporters at the scene on April 28. 'Protesting an airline that has just decided that this is for their economic benefit to be part of this unjust policy is why we're here.' Avelo's CEO, Andrew Levy, defended the decision at the time, adding that the airline also operated deportation flights under the Biden administration. Texas-based carrier Avelo Airlines signed a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security in April to transport migrants to detention centers inside and outside America 'We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,' Levy said in a statement. 'After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come.' Avelo said it had made several changes over the past few years to its West Coast operations but they did not produce the results necessary to continue presence there. The Daily Mail has contacted Avelo for more information on the DHS operations.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Southern California DMVs prepare for last-minute Real ID rush as deadline approaches
Department of Motor Vehicles airports are seeing a last-minute push from people to become Real ID compliant before the deadline on Wednesday. Darran Matthews hoped to speed up getting his Real ID by doing the paperwork online. Department of Motor Vehicles across Southern California will see an increase in last-minute Real ID applications as the deadline approaches. Getty Images "Filled out all the information you have to provide… put that in and I still have to come down to the DMV," Matthews said. The DMV extended most office hours this past month, knowing many people had put off becoming compliant and are up against that May 7 deadline. "We're just going to walk up, I know it takes a little longer, but hopefully it won't be that long," said a man helping his mom get her Real ID in Van Nuys. People with valid passports will still be able to use them to get through TSA checkpoints and into federal buildings. Some forms of government ID will work too, so some might want to hold off updating until it's renewal time or lines die down. Over at the Hollywood Burbank Airport, leaders are bracing for longer lines and delays when the requirement kicks in Wednesday. Some travelers didn't need it to fly out, but will on their way back. "I'm going on a work trip, and it's being instated when I come back," said Katie Clem. TSA officers said they will initially use a secondary process to try and confirm the identity of flyers who do not have compliant IDs, but if they can't do so, they won't be able to fly. Local airport leaders stress that all travelers should expect to feel the impact of this change Congress mandated more secure IDs 20 years ago in the wake of 9/11. A Real ID can be identified by a gold or black star in the bear at the top corner of the card. "Even if you do have your REAL ID plan to come to the airport early because there could be a trickle-down effect," said Mike Christensen with the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Christensen said people should treat this week like a holiday travel period and arrive at least 90 minutes early. He also added that the airport will be staffed up for the next couple of weeks to help ease the transition. Before going to the DMV in-person you should check the website and ensure you have all the proper documents needed. Use this link to access the Real ID application.
