USA: Dead Faetus Discovered On American Airlines Flight 1942 At LaGuardia Airport

A dead fetus was found in a bathroom toilet of a commercial plane at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday morning.

The gruesome discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. aboard an out-of-service American Airlines flight at Hangar 5, the sources said.

A cleaning crew found the fetus in the bathroom of the plane, which had landed in New York on Monday night from Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a high-ranking police source.

The fetus was between three to six months along.

American Airlines Flight 1942 departed from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 9:08 p.m. Monday and arrived in Queens about 90 minutes later. It was the Airbus A321’s only flight of the day.

The City Medical Examiner is working on determining how the fetus died.

The OCME can confirm we’re investigating what we believe to be a human fetus found deceased on an airplane, the agency said.

Just before 9 a.m., the airport tweeted about possible delays over the incident.

American Airlines flights at Terminal B may experience some delays due to an out of service aircraft. Please check with @AmericanAir before your departure, the post said.

But a spokesman for the airline said, We have no major impact to our operation this morning while we are working with law enforcement on an investigation.

The airline later said in a statement: As we continue to learn more about this tragic and sensitive situation, we are actively cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation.

The Port Authority deferred questions to the Queens DA’s Office, which said it was looking into the matter.

A traveler who was scheduled to fly out of LaGuardia to Charlotte at 7:55 a.m. was frustrated that her flight was delayed three times without explanation.

They didn’t tell us anything until we were already waiting at the gate, she said. We didn’t find out until about 7:40 a.m. that the flight was going to be delayed.


Tourism Observer

BARBADOS: American Airlines Has Introduced Daily Flights To Barbados From Charlotte

American Airlines has announced the addition of non-stop, daily service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) beginning December 19, 2018.

This announcement comes just weeks after the carrier unveiled its third daily flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Barbados, which is also set to launch December 19.

The island anticipates a demand for additional flight service given the growth in US arrival numbers, which have risen year after year.

In 2017, Barbados welcomed 188,970 US visitors – a 30-year high – and the country is showing no signs of slowing down.

Our airline partners have been instrumental in the growth of visitation from the United States.

This new service signals tremendous confidence in Barbados and constitutes a 100 percent increase in seat capacity into and out of the island said Barbados’ newly appointed minister of tourism and international transport, Kerrie Symmonds.

Increased service to these important cities will help to ensure another year of record passenger arrivals to our destination.

High-level airline partnerships have been a cornerstone effort for the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI). This strategy has led to increased airlift and the introduction of new gateways including Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Newark.

Alfredo Gonzalez, managing director – Caribbean, American Airlines, described Barbados as a destination in high demand and noted.

One month after announcing additional service to Barbados from our Miami hub, we’re thrilled to continue growing our presence in the island with new daily service from our Charlotte hub, both operating during the winter.

As the demand continues to grow over the years, today we’re proud to serve as the leading U.S. airline in the island with up to 28 weekly flights.

Tickets for the new route went on sale June 17.


Tourism Observer

ST MAARTEN & ST MARTIN: Tourism Recovering With New Flights And Hotels Reopening

The tourism industry in St Maarten/St Martin continues to recover at a rapid pace as airlines add new service and hotels reopen following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.

American Airlines recently announced that it has increased seat capacity on its daily flight from Miami upgrading their Miami International Airport (MIA) – Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) route to a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 160 passengers.

In addition, American Airlines will be adding a daily nonstop flight to St Maarten from its hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) starting November 4, 2018, as well as a second daily nonstop from Miami effective December 19, 2018.

Both new flights are currently bookable and will be operated by Airbus A319 aircraft with a capacity of 128 passengers.

St Maarten’s Princess Juliana Airport (SXM) continues to report great progress in terms of improved connectivity as the year progresses.

As of May 2018, two-thirds of all carriers that provided flights to and from the award-winning airport have resumed regular service.

From the United States, travelers can fly to St Maarten with United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, and Seaborne Airlines.

Service from Toronto is available on WestJet, and Dominican carrier Air Century, and Panama-based Copa Airlines have returned as well.

Due to the collaborative efforts by all stakeholders and the community at large, St Maarten has been able to make a quick turnaround, said St Maarten minister of tourism, Cornelius De Weever. We are grateful to the return of all airlines and the reopening of our properties.

This shows the confidence American Airlines has in the comeback of St Maarten/St Martin, the public and private sector have been working continuously with American Airlines to ensure that the flights return in a balanced way complementing the re-opening of various accommodations, added St Maarten’s interim head of tourism, May-Ling Chun.

As of May 2018, there are just fewer than 2,000 bookable rooms available across the entire island.

122 villas and condos are open for business island-wide, boutique hotels and guest houses are ready to accommodate travelers, and several larger properties have conducted soft openings in order to welcome back guests.

Some 87 percent of all on-island activities are also available for guests to enjoy.


Tourism Observer

USA: PSA Airlines Flight Cancellations Continue To Disappointment Of Passengers

A computer problem within PSA Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Monday and Tuesday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.

The problem has plagued American Airlines since last week. On Thursday and Friday, about 675 PSA flights were canceled because of a technical issue, it said.

An additional 50 flights were canceled on Saturday, and a ground stop was issued until 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Charlotte airport.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that while it had stabilized its computer systems, it would take time to get back to normal operations.

The regional carrier, which operates 12 percent of America's 6,700 daily flights, canceled all flights the morning of Tuesday, June 19th, as it works though schedules, getting aircraft and crews where they need to be to resume operations, American Airlines said.

PSA will operate a reduced schedule over the next few days as it restores full service.

It added: We understand that these cancellations have been frustrating for our customers, and teams from PSA and American have been working around the clock to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

The cancellations have been particularly disruptive because Charlotte Douglas International Airport is American Airlines' second-busiest airport, with more than 120,000 passengers cycling through on a given day, it said.

PSA flights to and from Philadelphia and Reagan National Airport in Washington have also experienced delays or cancellations.

It started on Thursday, and they thought they had it fixed, and it's kind of slowly still becoming an issue, Katie Cody, an American Airlines spokeswoman, said.

Cody said the issue seemed to be technical, involving hardware for scheduling and tracking pilots and flight attendants.

PSA, founded in 1995, is a smaller offshoot of American Airlines' main operations.

It flies a fleet of Bombardier jets seating 50 to 79 passengers per plane under the American Eagle brand in the Midwest and the East Coast.

Some people affected by the cancellations have expressed their frustrations on Twitter.


Tourism Observer

USA: American Airlines Increase Toledo-Charlotte Capacity By Adding Larger Aircraft

Due to strong demand, American Airlines will soon increase capacity by 26 percent out of Toledo Express Airport (TOL) by adding larger aircraft that will offer first class seats when flying to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

The new aircraft, Bombardier CRJ-700s, are equipped with 63 seats, which include nine first class seats, eight main cabin extra seats and 46 main cabin seats.

The first CRJ-700 flight to CLT is scheduled to depart TOL at 1:37 p.m. on Sept. 5.

The addition of CRJ-700s to Toledo Express Airport marks the first time an airline has made first class seating available since July 2001.

Due to the success of the new Charlotte route and the overwhelming response from the Toledo Region, American Airlines has answered the community’s call for additional capacity in the market, said Paul Toth, president and chief executive officer of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

The addition of larger aircraft in the market builds on the significant investment American Airlines made in Toledo when it launched Charlotte service in August 2017.

Last month, 19,931 passengers flew through the airport, which is a 42 percent increase over the same month last year.

American Airlines showed a 98.6 percent increase for the month of May when compared to May 2017, largely due to the addition of the new twice daily route to Charlotte.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Flight LH428 In Emergency Landing

Lufthansa LH428 non stop flight from Munich, Germany to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina, USA took off Sunday at 12.40h Munich time.

The captain of the Lufthansa Airbus 330-343 declared an emergency when approaching Irish Airspace and turned around.

The flight was diverted to Glasgow due to an unknown emergency.

The plane lowered altitude to 15,000 feet and stayed at this altitude bypassing Glasgow, bypassing Birmingham, crossing over to the Netherland, Belgium and just crossed back into German airspace at 15.57 German time – all keeping a low altitude of 15,000 feet, less than 5000 meters.

Lufthansa Public Relations shortly after LH428 was in emergency mode.

LH428 was approaching Munich at 16.25 and Lufthansa putting an end to the mystery around this fight.

Lufthansa flight LH428 en route from Munich to Charlotte had to return to Munich today as a purely precautionary measure due to a momentary unusual smell in the cabin.

The safety on board was not impacted at any time.

Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience caused and will provide an alternative aircraft that will fly the passengers to Charlotte tomorrow.

The safety of our passengers and crew members is our top priority at all times.



Tourism Observer

USA: Woman Walked Through Airport Security With A Gun?

A woman claims she walked right through security at a Charlotte airport with a loaded handgun in her purse before realizing her mistake.

The unidentified woman had passed through a security checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when she discovered that she never removed her loaded revolver from her purse.

While the woman initially wanted to tell security officers about the gun, she knew she would face serious repercussions.

Instead, she called her mother, who works in the airline industry.

Her mom said to take the weapon to the bathroom, unload it and then board the plane with the hope of no one discovering the gun.

The woman followed her mother’s advice and boarded her flight with the gun still in her purse, flying all the way to her destination in Texas without incident.

“It was really scary how easy it was to get a gun past TSA,” the woman said.

“It was disturbing to know that a loaded revolver, which is a pretty, I mean, it’s a small revolver, but it’s heavy and it’s metal, that that got through the scanner.”

“People make mistakes.

Obviously, I’m not the only one that in the rush of getting to the airport forgot to take their gun out,” the woman continued.

“Take your time, in the rush of getting to the airport to make sure that is left at home and locked up.”

If a gun is discovered by Transportation Security Administration officers, they are required to call the police.

Not only are the authorities able to determine if criminal charges should be levied, but TSA agents are also able to hand out a civil penalty of up to $11,000.

TSA officials are reportedly testing new scanners for carry-on bags that would produce a 3D image able to detect explosives, liquids and gels.

The technology is still in the testing phases.