Pilot on Ebola rescue mission was company general counsel

One of the pilots who flew to Liberia to pick up an American missionary stricken with Ebola was the general counsel of the transport company hired for the mission. Randall Davis is vice president and general counsel of Phoenix Air Group Inc. in Georgia. He tells the Daily Report (sub.…

Aug 8, 2014 12:44 PM CDT

Arrested Monday in LA as airline stowaway, woman is released Wednesday, arrested again Thursday

A California woman who seemingly is fixated on ticketless airline travel is no longer a problem for San Francisco airport officials after succeeding in stowing away on a Monday night flight to Los Angeles. Marilyn Jean Hartman, 62, is now in the news again after being found at LAX on…

Aug 7, 2014 10:40 PM CDT

On probation for stowaway attempts, woman flew from San Jose to LA sans ticket, officials say

Airport security screening may be effective at preventing terrorism. But it didn’t stop a 62-year-old woman already on probation for repeated stowaway efforts at a nearby airport from boarding a flight to Los Angeles from San Jose, Calif., without a ticket, officials say. Discovered Monday night when Southwest flight attendants…

Aug 6, 2014 6:50 PM CDT

TSA bans uncharged cellphones and laptops on some international flights

Those planning international travel should take note of a new TSA rule. Concerned about potential terrorism, the federal agency is requiring airline passengers headed to the U.S. from the Middle East and Europe to demonstrate that their cellphones and laptop computers can turn on before boarding, according to the Associated…

Jul 7, 2014 4:35 PM CDT

Proposed new FAA rules set stage for stricter enforcement against business use of drones

Apparently setting the stage for stricter enforcement against commercial drones and other unmanned small flying machines used in business operations, the Federal Aviation Administration has drafted new rules for “model aircraft” and is inviting public comment. Its interpretation (PDF) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 provides specific…

Jun 24, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Can TSA agent who leaked information invoke whistleblower law? SCOTUS to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a former federal air marshal is entitled to assert whistleblower protections for revealing plans to cut security on some flights. The former air marshal, Robert MacLean, was fired three years after he spoke to MSNBC about a plan to stop deploying…

May 19, 2014 5:51 PM CDT

Airlines and World Trade Center leaseholder don’t have to pay cleanup costs for 9/11 attacks

An appellate court has upheld a decision shielding American Airlines, United Airlines and the World Trade Center leaseholder from paying environmental cleanup costs relating to the 9/11 attacks in New York City. According to Reuters, a unanimous three-judge panel for the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held…

May 2, 2014 9:36 PM CDT

Nursing mom wins $75K settlement from TSA over airport incident

A California woman who says airport security screeners working for the federal Transportation Security Administration violated the agency’s own rules and prevented her from traveling with pumped breast milk has won an agreement to settle the case for $75,000, her lawyer says. Stacey Armato, a lawyer who was traveling in…

Apr 24, 2014 12:15 PM CDT

SCOTUS rules against frequent flier suing over revocation of elite status

Ivan Cholakov / Shutterstock.com The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a frequent flier who sued after Northwest Airlines revoked his “platinum elite” status. In a unanimous ruling (PDF) by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the court ruled against Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg of Minnesota on pre-emption grounds. Ginsberg had…

Apr 2, 2014 5:12 PM CDT

An uptick in service animals on airplanes is sparking controversy

Apr 1, 2014 9:50 AM CDT

Court filing seeks information about missing Malaysia Air flight

AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA / Shutterstock.com Updated: In an opening salvo in what is expected to be a barrage of litigation over the disappearance of Malaysia Air Flight 370 earlier this month, a Chicago law firm has made an Illinois court filing seeking information that could help explain what happened to…

Mar 25, 2014 10:40 PM CDT

Potential liability for missing Malaysia Air flight depends, in part, on finding plane

AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA / Shutterstock.com Updated: More than two weeks after a Malaysia Airlines flight disappeared en route to Beijing, it is now thought to be at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth, Australia. All 227 passengers and 12 crew members are presumed dead. What happened and…

Mar 25, 2014 4:10 PM CDT

Drone operator gets $10K fine tossed

A drone operator fined $10,000 for allegedly flying his unmanned craft too low has won dismissal of the fine. Administrative Law Judge Patrick Geraghty ruled on Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration could not ban commercial, low-flying drones based on a policy statement adopted outside the formal rule-making process, Reuters…

Mar 7, 2014 7:21 PM CST

Suit says NASA was ‘recklessly negligent and bizarre’ for failing to investigate Mars rock

The author of a book on alien life is asking a judge to compel NASA to take a closer look at the unusual Mars rock that is said to look like a jelly doughnut. Rhawn Joseph identifies himself as an astrobiologist in the petition for a writ of mandamus filed…

Jan 29, 2014 3:22 PM CST

SCOTUS overturns pilot’s $1.2M defamation award against airline for mental instability report

The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a $1.2 million award to a pilot who sued over an airline’s report to the Transportation Security Administration that managers were concerned about his mental stability and he may be armed. The court ruled (PDF) against William Hoeper, who sued Air Wisconsin for making…

Jan 27, 2014 5:10 PM CST