Aviation News

Which airlines should you use for your four-legged friends? PetFinder.com takes a look.

The most pet-friendly airline in North America is one that should hold that title forever, literally: Pet Airways, a new airline dedicated solely to transporting your furry friends.

That honor comes from Petfinder.com, a pet adoption website that looked into how the major carriers stack up in making the skies friendlier for nonhumans. The site also gave the nod to Pet Airways as the best airline for specifically transporting big dogs such as mastiffs and Great Danes, as it has a maximum height allowance of 34 inches. The pets have a plane all to themselves and travel in the main cabin rather than in a cargo hold.

Still, the airline flies out of only 10 cities, and some people might not be inclined to put their dog on a plane unaccompanied. Fortunately, some traditional airlines also qualify as pet-friendly. JetBlue gets praise from PetFinder for the amenities it provides to pet owners as part of its JetPaws program, which includes a travel “petiquette” guide and an e-booklet guide to pet services in the destination city.

Frontier Airlines likewise gets high marks in the survey. The site notes that Frontier allows the greatest variety of pets in the cabin, including rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and birds. And if you have a big family of pets along for the ride, every member of your group is allowed to bring a small pet carrier with them, for up to 10 total pets.

Finally, there are a few picks for budget-conscious pet owners. WestJet, a Canadian carrier, allows small pets to travel in the cabin for $50 each way. And for travel within the U.S., your best bet is AirTran, which allows dogs, cats and birds in the cabin for $69 each way.

Source: http://www.thestreet.com

VIRGIN Australia has been accused of not warning its baggage handlers about a bomb threat to one of its planes at Sydney Airport on Thursday before they were asked to offload bags so they could be checked for explosives.

Virgin denies the claim, but the senior airline official from the Transport Workers Union, Mick Pieri, has sent a letter of complaint to the airline and to WorkCover saying the baggage handlers had been placed in direct danger without a caution.

”The operation at Sydney Aiport was in stark contrast to the way the bomb threat was handled at Mosman this week,” he said.

He said the Virgin baggage handlers should have been given the option as to whether they wanted to take the risk.

But a spokesman for Virgin said those asked to offload the bags were thoroughly briefed about the situation and there was no danger to the aircraft.

A passenger made the bomb threat as flight DJ402 from Sydney to Adelaide was taxiing to the runway ahead of taking off, about 6.45 am on Thursday. A woman, 32, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police, who said there was no threat to the public.

A spokesman said the aircraft had been searched and at no time were any baggage handlers or staff endangered.

Hong Kong – Cathay Pacific Airways launched an investigation into photographs circulating among staff that allegedly show a flight attendant performing oral sex on a man aboard a Cathay plane, a report said Saturday.

There were rumours that a video of the encounter had been posted on the internet, the South China Morning Post said.

‘One of the photos appears to have been taken inside an aircraft cockpit,’ an airline spokesman said. ‘There is no way to tell conclusively whether the photo was taken while the aircraft was on the ground or airborne.’

He said the airline was trying to identify the woman who was dressed in what appeared to be a Cathay Pacific cabin crew uniform.

‘As we have more than 8,000 cabin crew, some in Hong Kong and some elsewhere, this process will take time. The male in the photo is not identifiable as the face is not shown. There is no evidence whatsoever that he is a pilot on duty. His clothing does not appear to be Cathay Pacific pilot uniform,’ the spokesman said.

Becky Kwan Siu-wa, a former chief of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union, said, ‘I don’t think this happened on the plane. It is just someone trying to be malicious who has sent these photographs around out of spite.

‘These photographs could have been taken anywhere and people can dress up to look like a flight attendant. This has happened before where photographs of this kind have been circulated like this, but they have always been discredited. Certain people may have a grudge against the airline or the people involved and carry out these actions to get back at them.’

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines says its flight to Los Angeles carrying 427 passengers has been diverted to northern Japan due to an exhaust fan malfunction.

It says all passengers have been accomodated in hotels while waiting for the aircraft to be cleared for flight.

The airline said Flight PR 102 left Manila Thursday evening and was diverted early Friday, after the crew noticed a malfunctioning exhaust fan in the flight deck area.

It says the pilots decided to land in Chitose Airport in Saporro to prevent possible overheating of aircraft components and to ensure passenger safety.

The plane is expected to leave Saturday afternoon and arrive in Los Angeles in the morning of the same day.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com