Latest news with #USAirways
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starlux: Taiwanese airline company plans to launch non-stop Phoenix-Taipei flights
The Brief Taiwan's Starlux Airlines intends to operate non-stop flights from Phoenix to Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. The route is scheduled to be launched in early 2026, pending government approval. This marks the first time there have been direct flights between Sky Harbor and Asia since the early 1990s. PHOENIX - Officials with the City of Phoenix announced that an airline company could soon offer flights between Sky Harbor and Asia. What we know Per a statement released on May 20, Starlux Airlines intends to begin non-stop flights between Sky Harbor and Taoyuan Airport. According to Starlux's website, plans to launch the company were announced in 2016, and the company received its air operator certificate and air route certificate from Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration in December 2019. The company flew its inaugural flights in January 2020. Per a statement Starlux released on Feb. 11, 2025, the airline has routes from Asia to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, with a route to Ontario, Calif. scheduled to launch on June 2. What's next "The service, pending final government approvals, would begin early next year, with three to four flights a week," read a portion of the statement released by the City of Phoenix. "Service will initially begin with an A350-900 aircraft that has 306 seats. Tickets will go on sale once government approval is formalized." Dig deeper Taoyuan Airport is located in Taipei, which is the capital city of Taiwan. The Asian country is also known as the Republic of China. According to an unrelated Associated Press report published on April 18, Taiwan is a self-governed island with a democratic form of government, despite claims by the People's Republic of China that Taiwan is its territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. The backstory While city officials are calling this the "first nonstop air service to Asia for Phoenix and Arizona," this is not the first time there have been services between Phoenix and Asia. According to a brief statement from Sky Harbor Airport, America West Alines used to operate non-stop flights between Phoenix and Honolulu, and between Honolulu and Nagoya, Japan. Per a post the airport made on its X account in 2024, the routes were discontinued in the 1990s. America West would merge with US Airways in 2005, and US Airways would go on to merge with American Airlines in 2013. Dig deeper Per Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport's website, nonstop service is currently offered to dozens of destinations outside the United States. They include: Calgary, Canada Cancún, Mexico Culiacán, Mexico Edmonton, Canada Guadalajara, Mexico Hermosillo, Mexico Kelowna, Canada London (Heathrow Airport), United Kingdom Loreto, Mexico Manzanillo, Mexico Mazatlán, Mexico Mexico City, Mexico Monterrey, Mexico Montreal, Canada Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport), France Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Regina, Canada San José del Cabo, Mexico Saskatoon, Canada Tijuana, Mexico Toronto, Canada Vancouver, Canada, Winnipeg, Canada Zijuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Coast Guard veteran critically injured on I-4 while fixing flat tire
The Brief A 20-year Coast Guard veteran was hit by a distracted driver while fixing a flat tire on I-4 in Deltona, authorities say. He remains hospitalized with traumatic brain injuries and cannot speak or walk. His wife is urging drivers to put down their phones and stay alert. ORLANDO, Fla. - A 20-year Coast Guard veteran was hit by a distracted driver while fixing a flat tire on Interstate 4 in Deltona, authorities say. What we know Dana Rocque, a 20-year U.S. Coast Guard veteran turned truck driver, is hospitalized with traumatic brain injuries after being hit by a pickup truck while fixing a flat tire on I-4. The crash happened on March 31 near exit 111 in Deltona as he was preparing for an out-of-state delivery. Rocque had pulled off under an overpass in broad daylight and placed cones to warn other drivers when he was struck by a distracted driver who lost control of their pickup truck hauling a trailer. Since the crash, Rocque has remained hospitalized for over a month. He cannot speak, is on a feeding tube, and has a tracheostomy. His family cannot yet determine if he recognizes them. What we don't know It remains unclear whether the driver who struck Rocque will face any charges. Details about the driver's identity, potential citations, or legal proceedings have not been released. There is also uncertainty around Rocque's long-term prognosis. Medical staff have yet to confirm how much cognitive or physical function he may regain—or if he will fully recover at all. The backstory Rocque devoted two decades of his life to serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, including deployments in Michigan, Alaska, and New York City. Notably, he was part of the emergency response team during the "Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. After retiring from military service, Rocque began working as a truck driver. On the day of the crash, he was en route to deliver materials up north. A routine tire blowout forced him to stop, and moments after alerting his wife via text, tragedy struck. What they're saying His wife, Crystal Rocque, has stayed by his bedside since the accident, speaking emotionally about his condition and his legacy of service. "He loved serving his country. He was very patriotic," she said. Describing his present condition, she said, "He still cannot talk. He has a trach in, he has a feeding tube in. We're still, can't even assess if he knows who we are." "He had a blowout tire, so he pulled off well off the road under an overpass, broad daylight and got out to assess the damage, put out some cones and a distracted driver hit him," she said. "My husband was put into a coma from there and he was critical for weeks." Reflecting on his heroism, she shared, "He responded as a small boats driver [to the Miracle on the Hudson]... it was a huge thing, you know, at the time — a big old plane land on the water like that." But she also underscored the cruel irony. "Many of the things he did throughout his career were so much more dangerous." And her plea to drivers is urgent. "The reason why I decided to speak to you today is because this message is so important." Big picture view Rocque's case is a tragic example of the dangers posed by distracted driving, especially for those stopped on the roadside. It's also a sobering reminder that even decorated service members who've survived high-risk missions are vulnerable to everyday risks when others aren't paying attention behind the wheel. What you can do The family is fundraising for Rocque's recovery through a GoFundMe campaign, seeking support from those moved by his story and service. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information reported by FOX 35's Kelsie Cairns.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Forbes
An American Airlines Flight Attendant Was Assaulted, Then Fired
Tillman Robinson joined US Airways in 2000 and is pictured in the airline's uniform around 2008. The case of Tillman Robinson is an unusual one that involves a flight attendant who was fired after he was assaulted by a passenger. Moreover, Robinson, 51, a 25-year Charlotte-based American Airlines flight attendant, who began his career with US Airways in 2000, says he was suspended twice, and called back twice, before he was fired for good in May 2024. He has the support of many co-workers, who have begun a GoFundMe page that so far has raised about $17,052 from 344 donations. In interviews this week, he said, 'The outpouring from not only my American Airlines family but other friends, family and even complete strangers have really given me fresh air to breath in my lungs and wind against my sails. It has really gotten me through my darkest of hours. I feel so much better today than I did three weeks ago.' However, he lost a job that pays about $80,000 annually and he now works parttime as a security guard at youth football game. After two hearings, he awaits an arbitration hearing sought by his union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. No date has been set. Neither the union nor the airline has much to say about Tillman's case: their brief statements are included later in this story. Here is a review of the incident, based on the interview with Robinson, who is about 6'2' and 250 pounds. Perhaps his size weighed against him in the airline's evaluation of the case. On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2023, Tillman was one of four flight attendants on an American Airbus 321 flying Charlotte-Las Vegas. When boarding started, he screened passengers as they boarded. He noticed a white man, medium build, bearded, with a hat pulled down over his face. The man, mouthing the word 'bathroom' repeatedly, made his way against traffic to the forward lav. Tillman asked him to allow passengers to board. The man complied. So nothing special happened, but a few hours later, as Tillman and another flight attendant served drinks, the man, seated in Row 18, ordered a small bottle of rum, drank it straight, and shoved the bottle back at the other flight attendant, who was not collecting trash at the time. 'I told her that was the same guy I was dealing with at boarding.' Tillman said. On landing in Las Vegas, 'people were in a festive mood,' Tillman said. The passenger and his female companion disembarked with considerable separation between them. As the passenger reached Tillman, standing in row eleven near the flight attendant jump seat, 'He turns to me sharply, sticks his finger in my face, and said, 'I should – you up, that was so – unnecessary.' I said, 'Back away, get off the plane.' He had his finger in my face. I used the back of my hand to move his finger out of my face. He pushed me; I pushed him back. 'Then he started trying to slug me. I was boxed in a corner: I had the jump seat to my right, passenger seats to my left. My only recourse was to protect myself in a defensive posture: in recurrent training they teach you self-defense so that when we need it, we can utilize it. Other passengers on the plane were yelling to the guy 'Leave him alone, get off the plane.' 'When he got to the front, I walked up there to make sure he got off with his female friend. The pilots were gone and the cockpit door was open and there was a female flight attendant at the front and it was my responsibility to protect the integrity of the aircraft. As I got close to the door, instead of stepping off, he turns around, his finger in my face again, and he continues his assault on me. He starts taking swings. So I started swinging back. One of the passengers broke it up. But then the passenger came at me again and the fight spilled onto the jet bridge. It was broken up again and he left. I asked the other passengers to let the gate agents know to send the police down. The police came. They asked me if I wanted to press charges: I did. They asked for a description and they found him in baggage claim. 'We all went to the station, I filed a police report. A passenger who witnessed everything gave a report. He appeared in court, was found guilty, and pled his case down: he had to take an anger management class and he was put on probation for a period of time and then everything was wiped clean.' As for Robinson, his trial continues, 15 months after the incident. The day after the incident, he deadheaded back to Charlotte. When he arrived, an inflight manager gave him a suspension letter. He was brought back to work a week later, then suspended on March 26, then brought back to work on May 1, then suspended on May 2. He was terminated on Oct. 15. A few days after the incident, Robinson filed an ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Program) report, which enables airline employees to voluntarily report safety incidents. It was accepted by a committee representing the airline, the union and the Federal Aviation Administration. Robinson had two hearings, the first on March 20 and the second on Nov. 26. He attended the first along with representations from APFA and the carrier. He did not attend the second. Now he awaits an arbitration hearing. How does Robinson explain the airline's actions? It is possible that his size weighs against him. Also, as a 25-year flight attendant, he is relatively highly paid and could be replaced by someone younger. Another factor, Robinson said, is that he did not get along with the Charlotte-based flight attendant who worked the Las Vegas flight as the lead: she has spoken against him in describing the incident to the airline, he said. Additionally, he said, 'My union feels like the company is using me as a sacrificial lamb to make a point after the union sent a letter to the FAA complaining about how little American does for flight attendants in cases of assault. There are so many incidents. They felt like America is always trying to sweep things under the rug because assaulting a flight attendant is supposed to be a federal offense. ' 'American doesn't protect their flight attendants in the way you would think they would,' he said. 'From my perspective, when they say they have your back, they must be way back.' In an email, American said, 'We take these matters incredibly seriously. After conducting a thorough internal investigation, it was determined the former team member acted in a manner inconsistent with our expectations and defined policies — prior to the altercation and throughout.' APFA said, in an email, 'This case is still ongoing and currently moving through the grievance process with the System Board of Adjustment. To respect Tillman's privacy and protect the integrity of the case, we're not able to share details or comment.'
South China Morning Post
10-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Helicopter crashes into river in New York
A helicopter crashed into the Hudson river in New York on Thursday, police said without confirming any fatalities, as marine emergency responders attended the scene. Advertisement Images showed the chopper's landing skids protruding from the river beside Manhattan's West Side Highway as several boats clustered around the impact site. At least four people were retrieved from the water and taken to hospital in New Jersey, the NBC4 broadcaster reported citing law enforcement at the scene. The river is a busy shipping channel and was the scene of the dramatic 2009 incident when a US Airways aircraft safely landed in the water with all 155 people on board escaping with their lives and was dubbed 'Miracle on the Hudson'. 'Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,' the New York Police Department wrote in a statement. Advertisement A fire service spokesperson said that 'we got the call at 3.17pm' about a 'helicopter in the water', but was unable to give other information.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How America became one of the worst places in the world to fly
'Bags fly free' was US carrier Southwest's calling card. It was so important to the airline's appeal that it trademarked the phrase. Now the slogan is gone. From May, almost all customers who book an economy-class seat on Southwest will have to pay to check a bag. Likely $25 (£19) a pop (though travellers with top-tier loyalty status are exempt). US commentators – and frequent Southwest flyers – have lamented the move as the end of an era. They're not wrong. From May, no US carrier will offer a free checked bag to all those in the cheap seats. How different things are in Europe. Book most economy-class fares on all but the low-cost carriers – Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz – and you will be able to check a bag for free on short and long-haul flights. Advance up the cabin towards the pointy end and things get better still. The premium economy, business and first-class cabins on European carriers outclass those on US carriers by miles, with plusher seats and suites, better food and wine, and branded amenity kits. Shift to the Gulf carriers and Singapore Airlines and things go up yet another notch, with more legroom as standard in economy and good food and drink. (Top tip: always have the curry). In the Gulf, business and first-class passengers enjoy a chauffeur service to and from the airport and caviar with vintage champagne on board. You can even shower before you land, as Jennifer Aniston pointed out in her TV commercial for Emirates, much to the irritation of the US airlines she lampooned. American carriers used to be big and beautiful. Pan American Airways put the glamour into flying, coining the term 'the jet set'. It was the first airline to operate Boeing's 747, 'the Queen of the Skies', in 1970. How things have changed. When Telegraph Travel conducted an in-depth analysis of 90 major airlines last year, comparing them across more than 30 criteria, from legroom to punctuality, no American carrier made the top 20 (Alaska and Delta were the closest, at 23rd and 24th). American Airlines came 32nd; Southwest 45th; a trio of US low-cost carriers – Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier – came 87th, 88th and 89th, respectively. So why are US airlines now so much worse than others? Economic pressures have led to a consolidation that has stifled competition, driving down standards. Pan Am collapsed in 1991, brought low by rising oil prices and its failure to develop domestic services to feed passengers onto its long-haul routes. After the 9/11 terror attacks sparked a slump in demand, TWA fell into bankruptcy and Northwest was absorbed into Delta. USAirways was bought by a low-cost start up called America West, which then adopted the USAirways name. The new USAirways then bought American Airlines and promptly rebranded itself American. The consolidation applied to more than simply the airlines, it affected airports too. Delta, American, and United developed regional hubs across the US routes to and from which they now dominate. AA's 'home' is Dallas, Delta 'owns' Atlanta and United is synonymous with Newark Liberty. The result is that the four core supercarriers – American, Delta, Southwest and United – and their affiliate regional airlines now control 80 per cent of the routes in the United States, with strong regional dominance. This leaves them with 'little incentive to invest in product or service or to be more innovative in order to capture and keep customers in the US,' says Henry Harteveldt, a leading US aviation analyst and president of the San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group. Compare that with Europe, where each country has an international flag carrier which competes with the others on the continent, plus the budget airlines. The UK has two national full-service airlines – BA and Virgin Atlantic. It's the same story in the Gulf where Emirates scraps with Qatar Airways, Etihad and soon Riyadh Air. In the Asia-Pacific market, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean and Qantas duke it out on domestic and international routes. Those brave souls that have tried to improve things in the US – notably Sir Richard Branson, who launched Virgin America with mood lighting, Wi-Fi and power sockets in every seat – have been stifled. Alaska Airlines made Branson an offer to buy the airline that he could not refuse – and, after the deal was signed, closed down the airline and rebranded all its jets Alaska. You might think that US carriers would raise their game on lucrative international routes where they compete with European, Gulf or and Asian airlines, but, once again, lack of competition nixes it. Most Americans fly with one of the big three US international carriers – Delta, American and United – since they are locked into one of those airlines' loyalty programmes which penalises them if they fly on a partner airline. That's why very soon no US carrier will offer a first-class service from London to the US. The American carriers are not competing with BA and if two no longer offer first class – Delta and United – American Airlines might as well phase it out, too. Which is what it is doing. Lack of competition is compounded by the demands of Wall Street. As public companies, American carriers have to report detailed financial earnings every quarter and these are closely scrutinised by investors and analysts. This can mean US airlines end up being 'far more short-term focused than foreign-flag competitors, such as the Lufthansa Group carriers, the Air France/KLM Group, and IAG, which comprises British Airways and Iberia,' says Harteveldt. The desire to drive down costs and flatter the bottom line also explains why many US carriers have fewer cabin crew than European, Gulf or Asian airlines and why food and wine are below par. Airline executives counter their critics by pointing out that fares in the US can be ultra-low, compared with flying in many other parts of the world. There is one sign of improvement for long-suffering Americans. Some US carriers, notably Delta, are investing in their lounges. The new Delta One lounges give Virgin's Clubhouses a run for their dollar. My advice, if you really have to fly on a US carrier? If you are locked into the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club loyalty programme and have a silver or gold frequent-flyer card, fly Delta (a Virgin codeshare partner in the US) and make sure you book the extra legroom seats if you are at the back of the bus. If you are a BA loyalist, choose AA but try to connect through its Dallas hub which has great restaurants and its best lounge. Good luck Stateside. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
