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Travel + Leisure
32 minutes ago
- General
- Travel + Leisure
This Trauma Nurse Was on the Denver Flight That Caught Fire—Here Are the 5 Travel Habits She Swears By Now
A dramatic scene unfolded at Denver International Airport on July 26, when an American Airlines jet came to a sudden stop on the runway during takeoff and was forced to evacuate after a mechanical issue sparked a small fire. The Boeing 737 MAX 8—Flight 3023 en route to Miami—was carrying 173 passengers and six crew members. The Denver Fire Department has since said a suspected problem with the aircraft's landing gear led to the emergency. According to Danielle Fette, a Fort Lauderdale resident and former trauma unit nurse on the flight, sheer panic and chaos erupted aboard. 'I could feel the plane pull to left and I could smell the burning brakes,' Fette told Travel + Leisure . 'I could hear the people in the back of the plane, screaming, 'The plane is on fire. We're going to die, get us off the plane.'" While all passengers were safely evacuated using inflatable slides—one person was reportedly transported to the hospital with minor injuries—Fette learned some valuable lessons as both a passenger and a health care provider. And she's ready to put her new lessons into practice. 'I'm not trying to instill fear. The pilots handled everything incredibly well,' Fette said. 'I'm simply sharing what I learned in hopes that it might help others be prepared.' While waiting for the emergency doors to open and the slides to come down, Fette witnessed frightened passengers trying to grab their luggage from overhead bins and even pushing children out of the way. 'You never know how you're going to react in a harrowing situation like this,' she told T+L. 'The trauma nurse in me kicked in, and I wanted to get off as fast as I could and make room for everyone else to get off.' Fette was one of the first off the plane, and from the tarmac she watched some passengers struggle to escape in flip-flops and other open shoes, with a few of them even losing their shoes when going down the emergency slide. She credits wearing tennis shoes and socks with helping her get off the plane quickly. She noted that closed-toe shoes can help prevent burns in certain situations, as the runway was very hot. 'I always wear running shoes and socks. In the past, it was for comfort, and since I'm chronically late, I often have to run through the airport. I never thought it could help me in an emergency,' Fette said. 'My family and I will never wear Crocs or flip-flops again.' A passenger wearing sneakers in the airport. As a frequent flyer, Fette regularly carries her ID, phone, battery pack, and medications in a cross-body bag, which she stores in the front seat pocket so she can easily grab it and go. That's exactly what she did when running off the plane, instead of slowing down the emergency process by trying to grab her carry-on from the overhead bin. 'I saw so many people trying to grab their bags, and even pushing past children in the panic,' she said. Fette also pointed out that she wishes she used the restroom and had a snack before boarding the flight—something she now plans to do every time. 'We were on the tarmac for quite some time, waiting for the buses, and kept in quarantine while waiting for our belongings,' she explained. (Her bonus tip from this experience is to always label your carry-on with your contact information, so airline officials can return your belongings to you.) Lastly, she urges passengers to seriously reconsider the responsibility of sitting in an exit row seat. 'I'll often grab an exit row so I can have extra leg room,' she said. 'But after this experience, I'm reevaluating whether I could really push open those doors.'
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Why did Munich-bound United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight declare ‘Mayday' after take-off?
A Munich-bound United Airlines flight faced a mid-air emergency on Friday (July 25), declaring a 'Mayday' call shortly after take-off from Washington. After issuing the 'Mayday' alert, the flight continued to circle northwest of Washington.(AFP) The flight was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with callsign UA108. This comes days after US manufacturing company Boeing faced heat after an Air India flight travelling to London's Gatwick Airport crashed after takeoff in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. The incident, which marked the first fatal crash of a 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, claimed the lives of 260 people. Why did the flight declare 'Mayday'? The United Airlines flight's left engine failed moments after taking off from Washington. The engine malfunctioned at an altitude of around 5,000 feet on July 25. Following this, the pilots informed the air traffic controllers about the situation and initiated emergency procedures to land safely at the airport. After issuing the 'Mayday' alert, the flight continued to circle northwest of Washington in a holding pattern. This was done to safely dump the fuel before landing back at the Washington Dulles Airport. The flight was air-bound for 2 hours 38 minutes before it landed back at the airport, data from FlightAware showed. The incident comes days after an emergency situation unfolded in an American Airlines flight at the Denver International Airport. The passengers aboard the American Airlines flight AA 3023 were evacuated from the aircraft through emergency slides after they experienced smoke in the cabin. The aircraft, which was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 travelling to Miami, was involved in a 'possible landing gear incident', according to the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The airline later clarified that the issue was caused due to an aircraft tire. The American Airlines pilots also called for fuel dumping and coordinated with the ATC operators to ensure safe separation from the air traffic in the region in order to safely discharge the fuel, an Aviation A2Z report stated.
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Citi ThankYou Points Take Flight With American Airlines
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. The world of travel rewards just opened up in a big way. Coinciding with the launch of the all-new Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, Citi ThankYou® Points can now be transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage miles at a 1:1 ratio. Citi is a Forbes Advisor partner. That's a major upgrade for select Citi cardholders, who now have access to powerhouse awards on American Airlines and its extensive network of partners. This also shifts the playing field for flexible points in general: As the exclusive transfer option to AAdvantage, this tips the scales toward Citi credit cards as a competitive player. Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed. Why American Miles Matter American Airlines AAdvantage miles are highly sought after for their global reach and fair pricing. It's not uncommon to find one-way flights in economy throughout North America for 10,000 miles or less, making free travel accessible even for someone with more modest point balances. But AAdvantage also opens doors to aspirational travel. As a member of the Oneworld alliance, customers can redeem miles for experiences such as Qatar Airways Q Suites business class, Japan Airlines' exceptional new first class or trips to destinations served by nonalliance partners like Air Tahuiti Nui. The breadth of options makes AAdvantage miles a powerful currency, and its new partnership with Citi ThankYou Points extends value to your credit card points, too. Earning Citi ThankYou Points American Airlines credit cards can be a fantastic way to access benefits during travel, but the earning rates are mostly underwhelming. Earning American miles indirectly via ThankYou Points is a strategic yet easy way to increase your earning potential from card spending. The Citi Strata Premier® Card offers strong multipliers on travel and everyday spending for a mere $95 annual fee: 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on 3 points per dollar on restaurants, supermarkets, gas & EV stations, air travel and other hotel purchases 1 point per dollar on all other purchases The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card offers higher earning rates but in fewer, more niche categories: 12 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on 6 points per dollar spent on air travel booked on 6 points per dollar spent at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET; 3 points per dollar spent any other time 1.5 points per dollar spent on other purchases The annual fee on the Strata Elite is much higher ($595 per year), but comes with annual benefits that could be extremely valuable to American Airlines' flyers, including four Admirals Club day passes, up to $200 in Splurge Credit valid toward eligible American Airlines purchases and up to $300 in hotel credit when booking stays of two nights or more through Citi Travel. Transferring Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines AAdvantage To transfer Citi ThankYou Points, you'll need a ThankYou card with full transfer capabilities, like the Strata Elite, Strata Premier or the Citi Prestige® Card (closed to new applicants). Requesting a transfer is a simple process: Log in to your Citi ThankYou account Navigate to the Points Transfer redemption section Select an American Airlines transfer and input your desired transfer amount (in increments of 1,000) and your AAdvantage member number Transfers may take up to five business days to process, though many are completed within seconds. Since transfer times are quick, you can wait to move points until you have a specific award you're ready to book. This allows you to retain maximum redemption flexibility. Here's the full list of Citi ThankYou Points transfer partners for premium cards: Airline Partners Hotel Partners Retail Partner Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs. This robust deepening of the Citi-AAdvantage partnership isn't news to sleep on. It's a major win for consumers who want to use their rewards toward global travel. If you've been sitting on a stash of Citi ThankYou Points, this could be your boarding call. With the ability to book anything from short hops and weekend getaways to once-in-a-lifetime luxury adventures, ThankYou Points just became a lot more versatile. Was this article helpful?
4 hours ago
- General
NTSB hearings will focus on fatal Army helicopter-passenger jet crash. Here's what to know
WASHINGTON -- The National Transportation Safety Board will hold three days of hearings starting Wednesday on January's midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter over the nation's capital that killed 67 people. The goal: Pinpoint exactly what went wrong and what can be done to avoid similar midair crashes between passenger planes and military aircraft. The accident was the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. The hearings in Washington will involve NTSB board members, investigators and witnesses. Panels will focus on military helicopter routes in the Washington area, collision avoidance technology and training for air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan National Airport, among other subjects. NTSB officials have already said the FAA failed to recognize a concerning pattern after there were 85 near misses in Washington airspace in just three years. The FAA has since banned some helicopter routes to make sure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace, but there have still been additional near misses in recent months. Investigators have also said that the Army helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. Meanwhile, federal officials have raised concerns over the nation's overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system. During January's mid-air crash above Washington, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport. The hearings come at a time of heightened scrutiny of the safety of air travel amid the growing list of aircraft tragedies, mishaps and near misses in 2025. They include an Air India plane crash in June that killed at least 260 people as well as two unrelated close calls in the U.S. this month in which passenger jets took evasive action to avoid military planes. Here's a look at the crash, the investigation so far and other notable aircraft incidents this year. American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members as it approached to land on a clear night at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Nearby, the Army Black Hawk, with three soldiers on board, was practicing emergency evacuation routes that would be used to ferry out key government officials in an emergency. Investigators have said the helicopter crew was wearing night-vision goggles that would have limited their peripheral vision. A few minutes before the twin-engine jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked if it could use a shorter runway. The pilots agreed, and flight-tracking sites show the plane turned to adjust its approach. The FAA has since permanently banned that particular helicopter route when planes are using that runway. Shortly before the collision, a controller got an alert saying the plane and Black Hawk were converging and asked the helicopter if it had the jet in sight. The military pilot said yes and asked for 'visual separation' with the jet for a second time, allowing it to fly closer than if the pilots couldn't see the plane. Controllers approved the request roughly 20 seconds before the collision. The NTSB has said there were 85 dangerous close calls between planes and helicopters near Reagan National in the three years before the crash, and collision alarms had been ordering pilots to take evasive action at least once a month since 2011. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters in February that the Black Hawk's cockpit recorder suggested an incomplete radio transmission may have left the crew unable to hear air traffic control tell them, just before the crash, to move behind the jet. She said the crew was unable to hear the words 'pass behind the' because its microphone key was pressed. The radio altitude of the helicopter was 278 feet (85 meters) at the time, which would put it above its 200-foot (61-meter) limit for that location. Cockpit conversations a few minutes before the crash indicate that the crew may not have had accurate altitude readings, with the helicopter's pilot calling out that they were at 300 feet (91 meters) but the instructor pilot saying 400 feet (122 meters), Homendy said. That generation of Black Hawks typically has two types of altimeters: one relying on barometric pressure and the other on radio frequency signals bounced off the ground. Helicopter pilots typically rely on barometric readings while flying, but the helicopter's black box captures its radio altitude. Almost immediately after the crash, President Donald Trump faulted the helicopter for flying too high. He also blamed federal diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly regarding air traffic controllers. When pressed by reporters, the president could not back up those claims. A few days later, he blamed an 'obsolete' air traffic control system. January's crash prompted the Federal Aviation Administration in March to announce that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. However, concerns over Washington's airspace have persisted. On May 1, military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on a flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings. After that incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. The Army identified the Black Hawk crew as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, 28, of Durham, North Carolina; Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland. O'Hara was the crew chief, and Eaves and Lobach were pilots. Among the jet's passengers were several members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from a development camp for elite junior skaters that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. A figure skating tribute event in Washington raised $1.2 million for the crash victims' families. Others included a group of hunters returning from a guided trip in Kansas; four members of a steamfitters' union in suburban Maryland; nine students and parents from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia; and two Chinese nationals. Besides the midair collision above Washington, a string of other recent crashes have brought attention to air travel, which remains overwhelmingly safe. The crashes include: On Jan. 31 a medical transport jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven. On Feb. 6 a small commuter aircraft went down off western Alaska, killing 10. On Feb. 17, a Delta plane crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto but everyone survived. Two small planes collided in midair in Arizona on Feb. 19, killing two people. On April 10, a New York City sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists. On April 11, three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida. The crash of the Air India passenger plane in June occurred in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, killing more than 240 people bound for London and others on the ground, officials said. A single passenger survived. The same month, a small plane crashed off the San Diego coast shortly after takeoff, killing all six people on board. July included at least three fatal plane crashes. Two student pilots died when their single-engine planes crashed in midair south of Steinbach, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport, killing four people. A North Carolina family of four, including two school-age children, died when their small plane crashed as they flew back from Florida.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
NTSB hearings will focus on fatal Army helicopter-passenger jet crash. Here's what to know
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold three days of hearings starting Wednesday on January's midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter over the nation's capital that killed 67 people. The goal: Pinpoint exactly what went wrong and what can be done to avoid similar midair crashes between passenger planes and military aircraft. The accident was the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. The hearings in Washington will involve NTSB board members, investigators and witnesses. Panels will focus on military helicopter routes in the Washington area, collision avoidance technology and training for air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan National Airport, among other subjects. NTSB officials have already said the FAA failed to recognize a concerning pattern after there were 85 near misses in Washington airspace in just three years. The FAA has since banned some helicopter routes to make sure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace, but there have still been additional near misses in recent months. Investigators have also said that the Army helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. Meanwhile, federal officials have raised concerns over the nation's overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system. During January's mid-air crash above Washington, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport. The hearings come at a time of heightened scrutiny of the safety of air travel amid the growing list of aircraft tragedies, mishaps and near misses in 2025. They include an Air India plane crash in June that killed at least 260 people as well as two unrelatedclose calls in the U.S. this month in which passenger jets took evasive action to avoid military planes. What happened? American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members as it approached to land on a clear night at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Nearby, the Army Black Hawk, with three soldiers on board, was practicing emergency evacuation routes that would be used to ferry out key government officials in an emergency. Investigators have said the helicopter crew was wearing night-vision goggles that would have limited their peripheral vision. A few minutes before the twin-engine jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked if it could use a shorter runway. The pilots agreed, and flight-tracking sites show the plane turned to adjust its approach. The FAA has since permanently banned that particular helicopter route when planes are using that runway. Shortly before the collision, a controller got an alert saying the plane and Black Hawk were converging and asked the helicopter if it had the jet in sight. The military pilot said yes and asked for 'visual separation' with the jet for a second time, allowing it to fly closer than if the pilots couldn't see the plane. Controllers approved the request roughly 20 seconds before the collision. The NTSB has said there were 85 dangerous close calls between planes and helicopters near Reagan National in the three years before the crash, and collision alarms had been ordering pilots to take evasive action at least once a month since 2011. The investigation NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters in February that the Black Hawk's cockpit recorder suggested an incomplete radio transmission may have left the crew unable to hear air traffic control tell them, just before the crash, to move behind the jet. She said the crew was unable to hear the words 'pass behind the' because its microphone key was pressed. The radio altitude of the helicopter was 278 feet (85 meters) at the time, which would put it above its 200-foot (61-meter) limit for that location. Cockpit conversations a few minutes before the crash indicate that the crew may not have had accurate altitude readings, with the helicopter's pilot calling out that they were at 300 feet (91 meters) but the instructor pilot saying 400 feet (122 meters), Homendy said. That generation of Black Hawks typically has two types of altimeters: one relying on barometric pressure and the other on radio frequency signals bounced off the ground. Helicopter pilots typically rely on barometric readings while flying, but the helicopter's black box captures its radio altitude. Almost immediately after the crash, President Donald Trump faulted the helicopter for flying too high. He also blamed federal diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly regarding air traffic controllers. When pressed by reporters, the president could not back up those claims. A few days later, he blamed an 'obsolete' air traffic control system. January's crash prompted the Federal Aviation Administration in March to announce that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. However, concerns over Washington's airspace have persisted. On May 1, military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on a flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings. After that incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. The victims The Army identified the Black Hawk crew as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, 28, of Durham, North Carolina; Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland. O'Hara was the crew chief, and Eaves and Lobach were pilots. Among the jet's passengers were several members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from a development camp for elite junior skaters that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. A figure skating tribute event in Washington raised $1.2 million for the crash victims' families. Others included a group of hunters returning from a guided trip in Kansas; four members of a steamfitters' union in suburban Maryland; nine students and parents from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia; and two Chinese nationals. What about other crashes this year? Besides the midair collision above Washington, a string of other recent crashes have brought attention to air travel, which remains overwhelmingly safe. The crashes include: On Jan. 31 a medical transport jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven. On Feb. 6 a small commuter aircraft went down off western Alaska, killing 10. On Feb. 17, a Delta plane crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto but everyone survived. Two small planes collided in midair in Arizona on Feb. 19, killing two people. On April 10, a New York City sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists. On April 11, three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida. The crash of the Air India passenger plane in June occurred in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, killing more than 240 people bound for London and others on the ground, officials said. A single passenger survived. The same month, a small plane crashed off the San Diego coast shortly after takeoff, killing all six people on board. July included at least three fatal plane crashes. Two student pilots died when their single-engine planes crashed in midair south of Steinbach, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport, killing four people. A North Carolina family of four, including two school-age children, died when their small plane crashed as they flew back from Florida.
