On May 28, 2023, an Air France A350-900 flying the AF291 route between Osaka-Kansai (KIX) in Japan and Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) was forced to declare an emergency and land at the departure airport after presumably suffering damage to its nose cone from a bird hit.
The pilots reported a technical issue impacting the aircraft’s weather radar and speedometer about 30 minutes into the flight, by which time the aircraft had already reached its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.
Pictures of the A350 taxiing at Osaka-Kansai following the emergency landing have surfaced on social media; the aircraft’s nose cone is clearly damaged, most likely as a result of the bird strike experienced during takeoff.
The aircraft, with the registration F-HTYO, had only recently begun operation with Air France and was carrying 324 passengers in addition to the crew when the event occurred.
A woman complained on social media about United Airlines downgrading her fiance from business class to ‘coach’ so that a flight attendant could take a nap in his seat.
Together with her boyfriend, Danielle Schwab was flying from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
In a TikTok post uploaded on May 24, 2023, Schwab, under the username @watergirl8396, ranted about the couple’s poor experience with United Airlines.
According to Schwab, her fiance was “all of a sudden” relocated to coach (economic class) by the airline so that a member of the crew could take a nap in his seat.
“We had booked and paid for our seats ahead of time. This is not customer service,” Schwab said.
A gate agent entered the aircraft when Scwab and her fiancé were already on board and sitting in their United Business Class Polaris seats, according to Scwab.
The agent told them that they will need her fiance’s seat for a flight attendant.
Additionally, Schwab added that, contrary to what she said in the initial video, her fiance had been transferred to the premium economy rather than coach or economy.
Four seats in total had to be given up by United for the cabin staff. The other woman, whose seat was also given up to the crew, was reachable by Schwab’s father, who was traveling with them.
Schwab later learned that the other two passengers agreed to be removed and take the same flight the next day in exchange for rewards from United Airlines.
Did United Airlines really downgrade a passenger?
The short answer is yes. However, there is a reason for the downgrade.
United Airlines provided the following justification:
“The seats we normally reserve for crew members to take their required rest breaks weren’t working on this flight, so we, unfortunately, had to reassign two customers to Premium Plus rather than cancel the flight. We understand the customer’s frustration and are refunding the price difference for their seats and giving them each a $1,500 certificate for future travel.”
Schwab said that they received no reimbursement from the airline in her most recent statement. When the flight landed, she claims a United Airlines customer service representative greeted them at the airport, apologized, and urged them to provide comments using the airline’s app.
They were informed by the airline staff that a different department was in charge of compensation when they inquired about it.
“We understand that this is a first-world problem but this was horrible customer service that should have never happened,” Schwab said.
All Air Canada and Rouge flights in the United States (US) were temporarily grounded due to “internal computer issues”.
On Thursday, May 25, 2023, after 11:00 am ET, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a ground stop stating that all Air Canada and Rouge flights were suspended.
A little under an hour later, the ground stop was lifted, allowing for the restart of flights.
“Air Canada experienced a temporary technical issue with its communicator system, one of the systems that it uses to communicate with aircraft and monitor operational performance,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
“There have been some delays as a result, but the system is now returning to normal and the precautionary ground stop has been lifted.”
Soon after services resumed, Air Canada appreciated its customers for their “understanding” in a tweet.
“We continue to recover from this morning’s IT issue and temporary ground stop program,” the airline wrote.
Penelope Cruz, an Oscar-winning performer from Hollywood, has recently been named the newest brand ambassador for Emirates, a Dubai-based airline.
Cruz, who had previously traveled with the airline and developed a strong relationship with the company, said she was “thrilled” to have the opportunity to work with Emirates.
The actor from Vanilla Sky and Pirates of the Caribbean will star in a number of brief commercials and promo spots that will start appearing on TV news networks around the world in June.
Emirates has already posted a few promotional videos on its social media pages, and the airline says more Cruz-related activities are scheduled for later this year.
The Spanish actor has filmed a number of brief promotional videos that showcase Emirates’ First and Business Class cabins as well as the brand-new Premium Economy experience. The videos were made in both English and Spanish.
Under Emirates’ long-running “Fly Better” campaign, the new partnership’s slogan is “Travel is not just about the end destination; it’s also about how you get there.”
“Emirates is all about Flying Better, where the journey to your destination matters as much as the place itself,” commented Richard Billington, the airline’s SVP of brand and advertising, shortly after the big reveal.
“We take care of every detail in the Emirates experience and wanted a brand ambassador who reflects the Emirates brand – it needed to be someone classy, stylish, and having modern global appeal. Penelope was the perfect fit,” Billington continued.
In 2015, Emirates was able to secure ‘Friends’ actress Jennifer Aniston for a historic TV commercial that increased the airline’s brand recognition in the US. The commercial was also a huge success in the UK, France, and Germany.
In fact, Anniston was such a success that she appeared in a follow-up advertisement in October 2016 that highlighted the amenities of Emirates’ Economy Class.
Emirates signed up a big-hitting director for its latest collaboration, employing double Oscar-winning Hollywood director Robert Stromberg for the job. Emirates said Stromberg managed to convey the airline’s “thoughtful luxury” along with Cruz’ “cheeky sense of humour”.
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, a Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento (SMF) to San Diego (SAN) experienced a minor delay when the pilots were unable to access the cockpit.
After a passenger accidentally locked the flight deck door while attempting to use the restroom during the boarding procedure on Thursday, a Southwest pilot had to enter the cockpit through the right-side window.
During the boarding procedure, as the scheduled pilots were getting ready to board the aircraft, a passenger unintentionally closed the Flight Deck door, which then locked, while passengers and flight attendants were already on board.
Since the pilots had not yet entered the cockpit when the door was accidentally closed, there was no one inside. It is not uncommon for passenger boarding to commence before the pilots arrive, especially on Southwest, as the airline frequently operates “direct” flights with intermediate stops, allowing passengers to remain on the plane without disembarking.
A Southwest pilot was forced to climb through the cockpit window after a passenger accidentally locked the flight deck door as they tried to use the lavatory during boarding. The Sacramento bound flight left 8 minutes late. pic.twitter.com/0dKWgNhPzl
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.