Tag: airlines

Japan flight returns to Tokyo after destination airport closed

A Japan Airlines plane was forced to return to Tokyo this week after being refused at a regional airport for arriving 10 minutes after the cut-off time.

Flight JAL 331 left Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 8 p.m. on February 19 – over an hour after its planned departure. 

The plane, which was expected at 8:30 p.m., did not arrive at Fukuoka until around 10:10 p.m.

But because Fukuoka Airport enforces a strict 10 p.m. cut-off time, JAL 331 was not cleared to land and was forced to make a nearly 5-hour journey back to Tokyo.

Fukuoka’s curfew is intended to curb noise pollution. JAL 331 also had to stop at Osaka’s Kansai Airport to refuel, adding to passengers’ and crew members’ misfortune.

According to Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, there were reportedly 335 passengers on the Japan Airlines plane.

Japan Airlines arranged for the passengers to stay in a hotel after they returned to Tokyo. The passengers boarded a flight the next morning and eventually landed at Fukuoka Airport on Monday.


A Japanese Airlines passenger jet takes off at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Feb. 2, 2023.
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Fukuoka and Tokyo are located on opposite sides of Japan. The cities are over 550 miles apart.

It is unknown why JAL 331 departed from Tokyo late on Sunday evening. According to Asahi Shimbun, officials say that planes that land late due to “unavoidable” circumstances, such as stormy weather or congestion, are usually allowed to land past 10 p.m.

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Man saves woman with medical emergency on Jetblue flight

A passenger aboard a flight from New York City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is being credited with saving a fellow passenger’s life after she experienced a medical emergency.

The routine JetBlue flight from LaGuardia Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport took a terrifying turn when a woman suddenly fainted in the aisle as the crew was handing out drinks.

A passenger on the plane said the woman collapsed about an hour into the flight and the pilot was preparing to make an emergency landing when a man stepped up to help the ailing woman. 

Photos obtained by Simon Gifter and shared with Fox News Digital show a man wearing blue gloves assisting a woman lying on the floor of the plane. The woman can be seen with an oxygen mask on her face.

The man can be seen rendering aid as other concerned passengers gather around.

The passenger who took the photos said the man was a trained Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and was able to get the woman stabilized, so the flight could continue to its destination.


A passenger aboard a JetBlue flight helped save a fellow passenger after sufferings from a medical emergency.
Twitter/@nycphotog

According to another passenger on the flight, the man was a trained EMT and was able to get the woman stabilized.
Twitter/@nycphotog

The woman was said to be conscious and talking when the plane landed. An ambulance reportedly met the plane after it landed, and emergency personnel boarded the flight to take the woman off first.

According to FlightAware, the plane landed one hour and 35 minutes late. 

Fox News Digital reached out to JetBlue for more information on the incident but has not yet heard back.



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Spirit Airlines shareholders approve $3.8B merger with JetBlue

Spirit Airlines shareholders voted Wednesday to accept a $3.8 billion buyout from JetBlue Airways, but the deal could still face a challenge from federal antitrust regulators.

JetBlue emerged as the winner in a bidding war with Frontier to acquire Spirit, the nation’s biggest budget airline.

Spirit announced the outcome after a brief meeting, which was held online. Spirit said only that the JetBlue deal was supported by a majority of shares voted; it promised an exact count within four business days.

Wall Street widely expected shareholders to approve the sale after they forced Spirit to drop a proposed merger with Frontier Airlines in favor of JetBlue’s richer, all-cash offer.

“This is an important step forward on our path to closing a combination that will create the most compelling national low-fare challenger to the dominant US carriers,” Spirit CEO Ted Christie said after the vote.

JetBlue issued a statement calling the vote “a major milestone in our plan to join with Spirit to create a high-quality, low-fare national challenger to the Big Four airlines” — a reference to American, United, Delta and Southwest. JetBlue vowed to work through the regulatory process.

JetBlue is expected to repaint Spirit planes and fold its pilots and other employees into the JetBlue workforce. The deal would make New York-based JetBlue the nation’s fifth-biggest airline with more than 450 planes and about 7,000 pilots and — it hopes — help it win customers from the bigger airlines.

However it would also eliminate Spirit, the nation’s biggest budget carrier, and that might not sit well with regulators, who appear to oppose any further consolidation in the airline industry after a round of mergers between 2005 and 2016.

The Justice Department is currently fighting to kill a partnership in New York and Boston between JetBlue and American, which the airlines call the Northeast alliance or NEA. Department lawyers say the alliance is anti-competitive and will drive up prices for consumers. A trial that began last month in federal court in Boston resumes Monday.

The outcome of the NEA trial could have a huge impact on whether the Justice Department lets JetBlue buy Spirit or sues to block the sale, according to Florian Ederer, an antitrust expert and economics professor at Yale University.

The Justice Department is currently fighting to kill a partnership in New York and Boston between JetBlue and American, which the airlines call the Northeast alliance.
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“If (JetBlue and American) win the case, and the judge thinks the NEA does not harm consumers enough, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be an antitrust challenge to the Spirit acquisition,” Ederer said.

JetBlue argues the alliance with American should be allowed because it’s not a merger. The acquisition of Spirit, however, would merge two airlines.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes has said he is confident of winning regulatory approval to buy Spirit. The airlines hope to close the sale in the first half of 2024.

Spirit and Frontier announced their planned merger in February. Both are so-called ultra-low-cost carriers that charge lower fares than other airlines but tack on more fees to make up some of the difference.

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Airlines commit to free meals, lodging for delays ahead of Labor Day

Several major US air carriers caved to public pressure by confirming they will pay for meals and lodging to passengers who endure delays or cancellations ahead of the potentially chaotic Labor Day travel weekend.

The move by the carriers comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg demanded airline CEOs provide free meals and hotel rooms for lengthy delays “at a minimum” due a period of widespread flight disruptions and cancellations.

Most US airlines already offered meal vouchers or complimentary lodging to passengers in the event of delays, but the benefits were not explicitly detailed in plans on their website or other public-facing areas.

As a result, some customers had to be aware in advance about the existence of the vouchers in order to take advantage of the benefit.

Airlines are alerting customers they are eligible for free meals and lodging in the event of some flight delays or cancellations.
Bloomberg via Getty Images

“For cancellations or delays within our control, like mechanical issues, that result in your waiting for more than three hours, we’ll give you a digital or printed meal voucher,” United said in a customer commitment plan that took effect on Tuesday.

“This voucher can be used for the reasonable cost of a meal at airport food vendors. If you don’t automatically get one, just ask us.”

JetBlue noted that passengers stuck waiting 3 hours or more due to “controllable cancellations” will receive meal vouchers of $12 and hotel accommodations for overnight cancellations.

Airlines are scrambling to meet surging travel demand this year.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Southwest’s customer service plan includes similar language, though it notes in bold that the free meal vouchers and lodging apply to flight delays or cancellations “within our control.”

The Post has reached out to the airlines for comment on the updated customer service policies.

“US airlines are committed to offering a high level of customer service and providing a positive and safe flight experience for all passengers,” Airlines for America, a trade group representing major carriers, said in a statement.

Flight disruptions have skyrocketed this year.
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“Carriers continue to post their customer service plans on their websites and welcome opportunities to simplify, clarify and increase transparency for travelers,” the statement added.

In letters to major US airline CEOs earlier this month, Buttigieg referred to ongoing travel chaos and flight disruptions as “unacceptable” ahead of the Labor Day holiday. The letters also demanded that airlines update their customer service plans to reflect assistance available to impacted travelers.

Buttigieg said the Department of Transportation was “contemplating” more regulations that would “further expand the rights of airline passengers.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had urged airlines to offer the benefits “at a minimum.”
AFP via Getty Images

“As you know, these aren’t just numbers, these are missed birthday parties, graduations, time with loved ones and important meetings,” Buttigieg said.

Airlines have been struggling to meet surging travel demand this year while contending with labor shortages and supply chain issues. Mishandled baggage complaints and flight delays have spiked during the tumultuous period.

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