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A flight crew member inadvertently captured the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from a plane passing Cape Canaveral, sharing the "once in a lifetime" video on TikTok. The awe-inspiring footage garnered over 28,000 comments, with viewers expressing amazement and sympathy for passengers on the opposite side of the plane. In related news, SpaceX has achieved a milestone with Starlink's 'Direct-to-Cell' satellites, while its Crew-7 mission has successfully concluded with the return of the Dragon spacecraft to Earth.
A Frontier Airlines passenger, 60-year-old Dulce Huertas, faces charges of simple assault, interference with a flight crew, and indecent exposure after allegedly pulling down her pants and squatting in the aisle while threatening fellow passengers. The incident occurred when she was not allowed to use the bathroom during landing on a flight from Orlando to Philadelphia. If found guilty, she could face up to 21 years in prison.
Angela Siddell, a 74-year-old grandmother, claims she was assaulted by JetBlue flight crew after a dispute over disposing of her teacup and spoon during a flight from JFK Airport to Costa Rica. The situation escalated when she was accused of throwing the cup in the galley, leading to a physical altercation that left her with a black eye and shoulder injuries. The flight was diverted to Orlando, where she and her travel partner were removed from the plane, and Siddell is now seeking unspecified damages in a lawsuit against the airline.
An American Airlines passenger has been ordered by a federal district court in Arizona to pay the carrier $38,952 after pleading guilty to interfering with a flight crew member. The passenger's disruptive behavior, which included using profanity and threatening flight crew members, caused the captain to return the flight to Phoenix. In addition to the fine, the passenger received a sentence of 3.6 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which she will require prior authorization to fly on a commercial aircraft. The incident highlights the increasing enforcement around air rage incidents, which have risen significantly during the pandemic.
Jonathan Dunn, a former Delta Air Lines co-pilot, who was charged with interfering with a flight crew for allegedly threatening to shoot a commercial aircraft's captain, had previously challenged a COVID vaccine mandate in a failed U.S. Supreme Court case. Dunn, who also served in the U.S. Air Force, sought to stop disciplinary action for refusing the vaccine on religious grounds but lost the case. In the August incident, Dunn allegedly threatened to shoot the captain multiple times if the flight was diverted due to a passenger's medical issue.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is urging passengers to respect flight crews and fellow passengers after a rise in incidents of unruly behavior on airplanes this summer. The FAA has reported an increase in incidents compared to last summer, although numbers are still lower than during the pandemic. The agency has been issuing fines and referring serious cases for criminal prosecution. Buttigieg also highlighted efforts to reduce dangerous close calls on runways but noted that there is no single cause for these incidents.
MLB pitcher Anthony Bass criticized United Airlines crew for making his pregnant wife clean up his children's popcorn mess on a flight, sparking a national conversation on parenting and airline etiquette.
An off-duty pilot helped fly a Southwest Airlines flight to Columbus after one of the pilots experienced a medical emergency. The flight had taken off from Las Vegas when the incident occurred. The incapacitated pilot was able to walk off the aircraft with assistance and was transported to a medical facility. No other injuries were reported, and the incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
An off-duty pilot who was a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight stepped in to help the flight crew after one of the on-duty pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight. The flight returned to Las Vegas and a backup crew boarded before continuing to Columbus. The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.