Southwest Tightens The Belt On ‘Customer of Size’ Policy

Southwest Airlines had updated its customer of size policy, making it a bit hard for plus size travelers to claim for second seat refunds. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Could Automotive Lane-Deviation Tech Help Combat Pilot Disorientation?

A team at the University of Maryland is exploring the same technology used in automotive lane-deviation warnings in hopes it could help cut down on spatial disorientation in pilots. FAA statistics show that between 5% and 10% of all general aviation accidents involve spatial disorientation and that 90% of those accidents are fatal. As outlined in a CBS News report, the Maryland researchers are exploring whether using haptic vibration could cue pilots they are losing spatial orientation,… (avweb.com) More...

FAA Flags Unapproved Titanium in Boeing 787 Ram Air Turbines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking regulatory action after discovering that some Boeing 787 Dreamliner ram air turbine (RAT) fittings may have been manufactured using unapproved and potentially inferior titanium. Boeing assembles the 787 series at its facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. (airguide.info) More...

United Airlines 787 Declares Mayday After Engine Failure, Lands Safely

A dramatic in-flight emergency unfolded on July 25 when a United Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to Munich from Washington Dulles International Airport declared a “Mayday” moments after takeoff due to a serious engine malfunction. The crew’s rapid and professional response, including an emergency fuel dump and coordinated return, ensured the aircraft landed safely without injuries. (airguide.info) More...

Travel chaos after radar failure closes UK airspace, grounding flights and leaving thousands facing severe delays

Airports including Heathrow and Gatwick were affected by the outage, with travel hubs as far north as Edinburgh reporting that flights had been grounded shortly after 4pm UK time. Eurocontrol, the EU-wide air traffic control agency, reported that the London control area was “temporarily unavailable due to technical issues”. As thousands of travellers faced cancellations, an update by NATS - a national air traffic control agency - provided more positive news, with the organisation stating that… (www.lbc.co.uk) More...