Latest news with #Seattle-TacomaInternationalAirport
Axios
2 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Sea-Tac expands global reach with nonstop flight to Rome
A slew of new nonstop routes around the world, including one to Rome, is turning SEA into a true global gateway. Why it matters: Seattle is quickly shedding its status as a secondary international hub with the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport positioning itself as a serious player in the global aviation network. Plus: Seattleites love to travel! Driving the news: Alaska Airlines announced plans this week to launch nonstop service from Seattle to Rome — the first direct flight between the Emerald City and the Eternal City and the airline's first transatlantic route. The route will begin in May 2026 and operate four times a week aboard Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Rome is among the most-requested European destinations by Alaska Mileage Plan members, according to the Seattle-based carrier. It is also the largest in Europe without nonstop service from Seattle. Also, Edelweiss Air began nonstop service to Zurich on Monday, and SAS started nonstop service to Copenhagen last month. Zoom in: Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci, the son of Italian immigrants, called the Rome route "a dream come true." "Our guests have been asking for an easy way to get to Italy for years," he said in a written statement. The big picture: Sea-Tac has added new international service over the past two years, including flights to Taipei, Beijing and Chongqing, Munich, Manila, Liberia, Costa Rica, Toronto, and Tokyo, per the airport. By the numbers: As of this month, Sea-Tac is offering nonstop flights to 36 international destinations, according to spokesperson Perry Cooper of the Port of Seattle. That's up from 26 destinations in 2019. Between the lines: The Rome announcement marks the third new intercontinental destination unveiled by Alaska in the last year. The move is part of a broader expansion strategy following the Seattle-based carrier's acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines' wide-body aircraft, per Alaska. Other European destinations being considered by Alaska include London, Paris, and Berlin.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Marine says he tackled 'unruly' man accused of trying to open exit door on international flight
Jody Armentrout was sitting at an exit row seat on Saturday's All Nippon Airways Flight 114 traveling from Tokyo to Houston when he noticed a man was acting strangely. Armentrout, a sergeant major who has served in the Marines for over 20 years and is based in Japan, has been trained to be vigilant. He said he saw the man take his backpack to one of the bathrooms, then come out and go to another bathroom and then, another bathroom. "He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on," Armentrout, 50, said in a phone interview. But then, Armentrout said, he saw the man eyeing up the emergency exit right next to him. Armentrout said he stood up, putting himself between the man and the exit door. That's when the man turned around, ran through the plane's galley and darted to the exit door on the opposite side, Armentrout said. He knew he had seconds to act. "He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground," Armentrout said. "And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me." Armentrout said flight attendants handed him zip ties, which he placed around the man's wrists and used to secure him to a seat. It was announced that the plane would be diverted to Seattle as a result of the incident, and Armentrout said he sat next to the man until they landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on," Armentrout said. All Nippon Airways Flight 114 departed from Haneda Airport on Saturday morning and was heading to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport when a passenger became 'unruly,' the airline said. Port of Seattle police told NBC News that the passenger was trying to open exit doors during the flight. Police confirmed that passengers and flight crew members restrained the man, who has not been identified. The flight landed at Seattle at 4:19 a.m. PT, and the man was taken off the plane, police said. He was evaluated, and it was determined he was 'having a medical crisis," police said. The man was later taken to a local hospital. Armentrout said he acted out of concern for his fellow passengers, especially multiple babies. "I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk," Armentrout said. Other passengers took the time to thank Armentrout for acting when he did, he said. But the eventfulness of the flight did not stop there. Once they were on the tarmac in Seattle, another passenger who "was frustrated at the flight diversion" punched a bathroom door, according to the FBI's Seattle field office. That person, who has not been identified, was removed from the flight, which eventually landed in Houston at 12:42 p.m. CT, according to After having finally arrived in Houston, Armentrout said he was glad his feet were on the ground. "It was a weird flight," he said, adding that he will return to Japan on Friday and is feeling a little anxious about the journey. Keeping in mind what happened, Armentrout wants others to stay aware of their surroundings. "I want to make sure everybody understands what time we are in in this world nowadays and that they need to be aware of their surroundings all the time," he said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
27-05-2025
- NBC News
Marine says he tackled 'unruly' man accused of trying to open exit door on international flight
Jody Armentrout was sitting at an exit row seat on Saturday's All Nippon Airways Flight 114 traveling from Tokyo to Houston when he noticed a man was acting strangely. Armentrout, who has served in the Marines for over 20 years and is based in Japan, has been trained to be vigilant. He said he saw the man take his backpack to one of the bathrooms, then come out and go to another bathroom, and then, another bathroom. "He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on," Armentrout, 50, said in a phone interview. But then, Armentrout said, he saw the man eyeing up the emergency exit right next to him. Armentrout said he stood up, putting himself between the man and the exit door. That's when the man turned around, ran through the plane's galley and darted to the exit door on the opposite side, Armentrout said. The sergeant major knew he had seconds to act. "He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that time is when I took him and slammed him, put him on the ground," Armentrout said. "And then there was an older gentleman sitting on that side that woke up, and he got up and kind of helped me." Armentrout said flight attendants handed him zip ties, which he placed around the man's wrists and used to secure him to a seat. It was announced that the plane would be diverted to Seattle as a result of the incident, and Armentrout said he sat next to the man until they landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on," Armentrout said. All Nippon Airways Flight 114 departed from Haneda Airport Saturday morning and was heading to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport when a passenger became 'unruly,' according to the airline. Port of Seattle Police told NBC News that the passenger was attempting to open exit doors during the flight. Police confirmed that passengers and flight crew restrained the person, who has not been identified. The flight landed at Seattle at 4:19 a.m. PT, and the man was taken off the plane, police said. He was evaluated and it was determined he was 'having a medical crisis," according to police. The man was later taken to a local hospital. Armentrout said he acted out of concern for his fellow passengers, especially multiple babies who were on board. "I just knew he was up to something crazy, and at the end of the day, I was willing to take the risk of him saying, 'I'm not doing anything' and then just them making him go sit back down, than me allowing him to do anything that's going to put anybody at risk," Armentrout said. Other passengers on the flight took the time to thank Armentrout for taking action when he did, he said. But the eventfulness of the flight did not stop there. Once on the tarmac in Seattle, another passenger who "was frustrated at the flight diversion" punched a bathroom door, according to the FBI's Seattle field office. That person, who has not been identified, was removed from the flight, which eventually landed in Houston at 12:42 p.m. CT, according to After finally arriving in Houston, Armentrout said he was glad his feet were on the ground. "It was a weird flight," Armentrout said, adding that he will be returning to Japan on Friday and is feeling a little anxious about the journey. Keeping in mind what happened, Armentrout wants others to stay aware of their surroundings. "I want to make sure everybody understands what time we are in, in this world nowadays, and that they need to be aware of their surroundings all the time," he said.
Qatar Tribune
26-05-2025
- Qatar Tribune
Japan flight from Tokyo to Texas makes emergency landing after passenger tried opening door
A Japanese plane headed from Tokyo to Texas had to make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to open one of its doors during the flight. All Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight 114 was diverted to Seattle hours after taking off on Saturday 'due to an unruly passenger', the airline said. Port of Seattle police told media they had been notified of a man who 'attempted to open exit doors during the flight'. The man, who was not identified, was 'having a medical crisis' and had to be restrained by other passengers and flight crew, police said. He was later taken to a hospital. It is unclear if he will face any charges. 'The safety of our passengers and crew are our top priority and we applaud the efforts of local law enforcement for their support,' ANA said in a statement. While the plane was waiting on the tarmac of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a second person was removed from the flight for 'unruly behaviour', authorities said. Flight data shows that the plane made it to its destination, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, on Saturday around 12.40 local time - four hours after its scheduled arrival time. This is the latest in a string of similar incidents. In April, a Jetstar flight from Bali, Indonesia was forced to turn around during its journey to Melbourne, Australia, after a passenger similarly tried to open a plane door in the air. (Agencies)
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Houston-bound plane diverts to Seattle after passenger tries opening exit door mid-flight, airport confirms
The Brief A Seattle Airport official says a flight traveling from Tokyo was diverted on Saturday. A passenger who tried to open a plane door was restrained on the flight. The passenger was taken to a Seattle hospital. SEATTLE - A passenger was taken from a Houston-bound flight after allegedly trying to open a plane door mid-flight. What we know The incident reportedly happened on flight NH0114, which was set to fly to Houston from Tokyo early Saturday morning. According to an official with the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the flight was diverted to Seattle and police had to board the plane. Officers were called about a passenger who allegedly tried to open the exit doors during the flight. The passenger was reportedly restrained by other passengers and the flight crew. The Seattle Airport official says the passenger was determined to have been suffering from a medical crisis. The passenger was then taken to a Seattle hospital. According to Flight Aware, the flight eventually made it into Houston on Saturday afternoon. What we don't know The passenger has not been identified and there is no information available on the person's condition. It's not clear if the person has been charged in this case. What they're saying Ashley, the passenger who sat right in front of the man in question, took several videos of two passengers zip-tying him to his seat. She said another man was acting strange once the plane landed and officials also escorted him off the flight. Ashley said there were about four hours left in the flight when the man attempted to open the emergency exit, and he sat zip-tied behind her for about an hour and a half before the flight landed in Seattle. She also says both of the Good Samaritans are military veterans. "He actually got up from his seat and crawled over the people next to him," Ashley said. "He got up in a hurry and thought he was sick." "It was incredible," she said. "I do want to say thank you to those kind citizens who stood up and took control. I wouldn't know what to do." FOX 26 reporter Abigail Dye spoke to a passenger who was onboard the flight and filmed video of the incident. You can watch the interview on FOX 26 News at 9. The Source Spokesperson from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
