Free Republic

Save the crop tops for Florida's beaches and keep your feet in your shoes as Spirit Airlines is cracking down on 'inadequate' clothing on its flights. On Wednesday, the company quietly updated its contract of carriage for passengers, which includes updating its dress code for passengers flying the budget airline. The new rule dictates that a guest 'shall not be permitted to board the aircraft' if they are 'barefoot or inadequately clothed.' Among the examples of inappropriate travel outfits include: see-through clothing, exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts; lewd, obscene, or offensive clothing and tattoos. The new regulation comes...

A federal judge in Texas ruled against American Airlines after the company centered employee retirement plans on environmental, social, and governance factors, also known as ESG. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor concluded on Jan. 10 that American Airlines failed to exercise its fiduciary duty to make investment decisions for retirement accounts based on the best interests of the beneficiaries, according to a report from Reuters. O’Connor added that American Airlines had inappropriate ties to BlackRock, the asset management behemoth which has long been a leading advocate for the ESG investing movement. ... The evidence made clear that [American’s] incestuous relationship...

A SpaceX Starship prototype failed in space minutes after launching from Texas on Thursday, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course to avoid falling debris and setting back Elon Musk's flagship rocket program. SpaceX mission control lost contact with the newly upgraded Starship, carrying its first test payload of mock satellites, eight minutes after liftoff from its South Texas rocket facilities at 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT).

ESG investments tend to underperform traditional funds by approximately 10 percent, the judge observed.A district court has ruled that American Airlines failed to prioritize the financial interests of its employees’ retirement funds by enabling fund managers to pursue environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments.The judgment came as part of a 2023 lawsuit filed against American Airlines and the company’s Employee Benefits Committee. The class action alleges that the defendants violated their duty of loyalty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which states that fiduciaries managing retirement investments must act in the best financial interest of the participants.The defendants are...

International air traffic increased steadily in 2024, with global demand growing 7.1% year-on-year as the aviation industry continues to recover post-pandemic.Amid this steady increase in passenger volume, punctuality has become more important than ever, distinguishing top-performing airlines from the rest.This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Kayla Zhu, shows the 10 airlines with the highest percentage of on-time arrivals in 2024 and their total number of flights. Data comes from Cirium.Which Airline was the Most Punctual in 2024?Below, we show the top 10 airlines by on-time arrival rate in 2024, along with their total flights last year.Aeroméxico tops the list with the...

Two people were found dead in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane after it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. The bodies, which have not yet been publicly identified, were discovered Monday evening during a "routine post-flight maintenance inspection" at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the airline said. "At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation," JetBlue said. "This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this...

The leader of Azerbaijan directly blamed Russia on Sunday for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet last week, calling on Moscow to accept responsibility and offer compensation to victims. President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijan’s national broadcaster that a vague apology issued by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a day earlier would not suffice to preserve friendly relations between the two former Soviet states. ...“We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia,” Mr. Aliyev said in the interview, according to a summary published in English by Azerbaijan’s state news...

The transport ministry ordered Japan Airlines Co. to clean up its act after a drinking episode involving a pilot and his co-pilot that was uncovered after an international flight. The ministry issued a business improvement recommendation, a form of administrative guidance, to the company on Dec. 27. According to the ministry and the company, the captain and his co-pilot began drinking at a restaurant on the day before an international flight from Australia to Japan and ended up consuming three times the company’s legal limit. It emerged they then later conspired to pretend that their alcohol intake was within the...

Russia reportedly attempted to make the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in to the sea by refusing permission to let it land after a missile attack before jamming its navigation system. A Russian surface-to-air missile struck the flight on Christmas Day, causing the airliner to crash in Kazakhstan - a tragedy which claimed the lives of 38 people. Sources told Euronews that the missile was fired at Flight 8432 amid drone air activity above Grozny, the Chechen capital, citing a preliminary investigation. They said the pilot was blocked from landing at any Russian airports despite making emergency pleas, and was instead...

For the second time in a month a stowaway was caught on a Delta Air Lines flight, sparking concerns.The flight, from Seattle to Honolulu, was preparing for takeoff when crew members discovered the unticketed passenger onboard, leading to the plane returning to the gate on Christmas Eve on Tuesday, Dec. 24. Delta Airlines said that safety protocols were followed, resulting in the passenger’s removal and subsequent detention by law enforcement. The identity of the person has not been released. “As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed...

This is the heartbreaking moment a man sent a last message to his wife seconds before the Azerbaijan Airlines was reportedly shot down before a crash that killed 38. The passenger identified as Subkhon Rakhimov started filming a video for his wife as soon as he realised the plane was losing altitude, telling her that the plane tried to land several times, after which the people on board heard a loud bang. His footage shows oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling and passengers can be heard crying and praying, with damage visible inside the cabin minutes before the plane crashed...

An investigation is underway after a body was discovered in the wheel well of an airplane that landed in Maui after taking off from Chicago. A statement from United Airlines to WGN News confirmed the body was located in the wheel well of the main landing gears of Flight 202. According to United’s website, flight 202 departed O’Hare Airport at 9:30 a.m. on Dec 24 and landing at Maui’s Kahului airport at 2:12 p.m. local time. “The wheel well was only accessible from outside of the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed...

A "technical issue" disrupted American Airlines flights nationwide early on Tuesday, the airline said, at the start of a busy Christmas Eve for travelers around the country. The Federal Aviation Administration said American requested a ground stop for all its flights. "We're currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights," the airline wrote in a post to X. The post added, "Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we'll have you safely on your way to your destination." Replying to questions from other social media users, the airline said it was not able to estimate...

An American Airlines Boeing plane that was headed from Chicago to Las Vegas was forced to divert back following a mid-air emergency. On Sunday, a Boeing 737-800 jet has to return to O’Hare airport after receiving multiple door warning light indications. The airline stated that the return was the result of a “possible maintenance issue.” “Flight 1047 returned to ORD for a possible maintenance issue,” an American spokesperson told Fox Business. “The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate.” According to Flightaware, the flight took off a second time for Harry Reid International Airport just after noon, and was...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport, one of the nation’s busiest, went on strike Monday during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to demand higher wages. The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” The strike was expected to last 24 hours, said union spokesperson Sean Keady. Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte...

It's currently unclear how many times the aircraft was hit. DALLAS — A Southwest airplane was reportedly struck by gunfire at Dallas Love Field Friday night, according to the airline. A Southwest spokesperson said the plane was hit while preparing for departure to Indianapolis and no injuries were reported.

An American Airlines flight nearly crashed into a mountain range in Hawaii — but escaped tragedy when it was ordered to rapidly gain altitude, officials said Friday. Los Angeles-bound Flight 298 had just taken off from Honolulu at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when the air traffic controller ordered the crew to “expedite your climb” — meaning quickly ascend to avoid danger, according to audio broadcast by the website LiveATC. “Number 298 turn right, expedite your climb through terrain and then turn right,” the traffic controller said, ... The dramatic elevation gain — which came after the pilot failed to make a...

DENVER (KDVR) — Passengers of a Southwest Airlines flight sitting at a Denver International Airport gate had to evacuate after a cell phone battery caught on fire. According to a statement Southwest sent to FOX31, Southwest Airlines Flight 3316 was scheduled to fly to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston on Friday morning. However, all 108 passengers had to evacuate after a phone caught a seat on fire. Per preliminary reports, one person suffered a minor injury during the evacuation and the passenger whose phone caught on fire was being treated for burns, Southwest said. ... Southwest said the passengers...

Spirit airlines are going through it. From Bankruptcy to a shooting on a plane , to disagreements at work in front of customers. Spirit is now forced to file Bankruptcy.

A Spirit Airlines plane was raked with gunfire and hit multiple times as it was trying to land in Haiti Monday — leaving at least one flight attendant wounded. The ordeal unfolded at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, the Miami Herald reported, citing sources. The flight attendant was grazed by a bullet when the gunfire erupted. Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the overhead bins and a plane door in the aftermath, footage obtained by local outlet Media Libre Haiti showed. The plane, which was en route from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had to be diverted to an...