American Morning
Woman kicked off AirTran plane by 'bully' flight attendant – she tells her story on American Morning
Three women were kicked off AirTran flight 1451 on Monday at Palm Beach International Airport. One of the women says she told a flight attendant to be careful with her carry-on bag because she had breakables in it and he wanted to move it. Then another woman told the same flight attendant her seat was broken. The flight attendant then allegedly got angry and ordered the two women to leave the plane. A third woman who spoke out in defense of the two and was also asked to leave.
Alina Cho sits down with one of the women tossed of the plane, Carol Gray, to get her side of the story. Cho also speaks with "Executive Travel" Magazine editor Janet Libert to discuss passenger rights in these situations.
Airline doubted flying ability of pilot involved in 2009 Buffalo crash
New questions are emerging about whether the pilot behind the controls in a deadly 2009 crash near Buffalo, NY could handle the plane he was flying. Lawyers for the victims' families have released emails from Colgan Air that they say are the "smoking gun" – proof that the airline had doubts about this pilot's ability.
On American Morning today, Alina Cho speaks with Hugh Russ, an attorney representing five families of victims to the crash, to discuss these emails and what they mean for the future of this case.
JetBlue CEO discusses the state of the airline industry
JetBlue is launching their kids' summer reading program today, aimed at keeping kids reading over their summer vacations.
JetBlue CEO Dave Barger joins Christine Romans this morning to talk about the company's new program and to comment on the state of the airline industry, the impact of oil prices on airfare costs, and the nature of summer air travel.
Pilot: JFK collision shows airports need to revisit jumbo jet safety
What likely went wrong when an Air France jumbo jet’s wing plowed into a smaller commuter plane at John F. Kennedy Airport on Monday night?
Can JFK safely coordinate the arrivals and departures of the massive Airbus 380 planes that seat 525 passengers, or are they just too big to land at such a busy airport?
Today on American Morning, John Lucich, a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor who has landed at JFK before, analyzes the incident with Kiran Chetry and Christine Romans. He describes the feasibility of landing jumbo jets at bigger airports.
Emergency 737 inspections broaden talk of aging aircraft
(CNN) - The Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive Tuesday mandating operators of at least 80 older Boeing 737s to conduct inspections for wear and tear. The order comes days after a Boeing 737 flown by Southwest Airlines made an emergency landing with a hole in its fuselage. The planes must be inspected every 500 cycles, which are take-offs and landings, until more can be learned about a Friday incident when a Southwest Airlines plane landed with a hole in its fuselage.The FAA mandate affects about 80 U.S.-registered 737-300s, 737-400s and 737-500s, mostly operated by Southwest. Another 95 or so aircraft are registered outside the United States.
How safe are our planes? Do low-cost carriers planes that fly frequent, shorter flights need more maintenance? Today on American Morning Peter Goelz, former National Transportation Safety Board managing director, explains the meaning behind the emergency inspections.
Aircraft cracks not found in routine inspections
Southwest Airlines canceled 100 flights Monday and about 600 over the weekend to conduct inspections, following an incident Friday when a hole opened in the roof of one of the company’s Boeing 737 planes during flight and caused an emergency landing in Arizona.
Initial inspection of the plane and the 5-foot by 1-foot hole showed cracking in the plane’s skin, which the National Transportation Safety Board says would likely not be visible during routine inspections. Weekend examinations of other aircraft found found “small, subsurface cracks” or indications of cracks in three other planes.
Why are Southwest planes having this problem, and is it specific to the airline's fleet? Today on American Morning, former FAA chief of staff Michael Goldfarb talks about the Boeing 737-300 plane's maintenance track record with AM’s Ali Velshi.
Flying Southwest? The company says to check its site to see if your flight is among the canceled trips. http://www.southwest.com/html/travel_center/delays_cancellations.html
Read CNN's coverage of Friday's emergency landing here.
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