There are weeks like last where we nearly run out of space reporting on airport related news and then there are those like this week were only relatively minor bits appeared on our news radar. Here’s what we found:
- Qantas collision at LAX
- Delta flight evacuated
- Worlds’ most scenic airport approaches
- Oscar’s 2014: dresses lost at LAX
The news of two Qantas jets colliding on the ground at LAX was quite telling for how the Australian airline currently feels like: a bit broken. On Thursday Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced he will axe 5,000 jobs, ditch unprofitable routes and replace old, gas-guzzling planes due to the airline’s mounting losses – quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald. The very next day the news of the 2 colliding Qantas planes reached us, almost as if the pilots were distracted by all the commotion around their employer. NBC News wrote that no passengers were on board either of the large jets [an Airbus A380 and a Boeing 747], but the wingtips of both aircraft were damaged and two long-haul flights to Australia were cancelled [QF 94 to Melbourne and QF 16 to Brisbane], the airline and airport said in the article.
Then, on Wednesday night at the Oakland International Airport (OAK), passengers said a flight had to make an emergency evacuation at the gate after it safely landed because of smoke in the plane. The video was shot by Linton Johnson and published by ABC News, a passenger on board the Delta connection Flight 4454, which was operated by SkyWest. Johnson said on his Facebook page that the plane’s cabin filled with smoke and that the flight attendants yelled at passengers to exit the plane. The video shows a chaotic scene. The passengers were told to quickly evacuate the plane at the gate. There were 75 passengers were on board and there were four crew members. No one was injured.
Much more pleasant was the article we discovered in CNN this week that asked which airport approaches are the world’s most scenic? A panel of travel editors, seasoned pilots and other industry experts has drawn up a shortlist of the world’s most scenic airport approaches for users of a private-jet charter firm to vote on. Voting is still open and can be done through the company’s website.
And to finish the week off, a little gossip from Los Angeles where The Telegraph reported this week that Donna Karan red carpet dresses get lost at LAX airport. According to the article Donna Karan’s head PR girl, Aliza Licht, records the stress of losing and then recovering two Oscars gowns at Los Angeles airport live on her Twitter account. We leave you to decide whether you actually want to read the full story.
On this note, have a great new week and safe travels!
[Photo from Fotopedia/happyrelm on Flickr]