A passenger on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston was arrested on Sunday after he tried to open an emergency exit door while the plane was in flight and then attempted to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken spoon, the authorities said. The passenger, Francisco Severo Torres, 33, of Leominster, Mass., was arrested after other passengers tackled him and the flight landed safely at Boston Logan International Airport, the authorities said. Torres was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He made an initial appearance on Monday in Federal District Court in Boston, and was detained until a hearing on Thursday, prosecutors said. The federal public defender who represented him did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. United Airlines said in a statement that “thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was restrained after becoming a security concern,” on Flight 2609. No serious injuries were reported, the airline said. “We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United pending an investigation,” the airline said, adding that it was cooperating with the investigation. Flight 2609 had left Los Angeles at about 8:20 a.m. and was about 45 minutes from Boston when an alarm in the cockpit warned that a side door between the first class and coach sections had been disarmed, a Boston Police detective assigned to an F.B.I. task force wrote in a sworn statement filed in court. A flight attendant who went to investigate found that the locking handle on the door had been moved about one fourth of the way toward the unlocked position, the statement said. The arming lever for the emergency slide had also been moved to the “disarmed” position, the statement said. Story has full details.<br/>
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Two flights scheduled to depart from Boston Logan International Airport on Monday morning made contact with each other near the gate area, federal aviation and airport officials said. United Airlines Flight 515 was being pushed back from the gate by a tow tug when its right wing struck the tail of United Airlines Flight 267 parked at a neighboring gate around 8:30 a.m., according to preliminary information released by the Federal Aviation Administration. Both jets were Boeing 737s. No injuries were reported. Flight 515 was heading to Newark, and Flight 267 was scheduled to fly to Denver, airport officials said. Both jets were taken out of service, United said in an emailed statement. "Customers on both aircraft deplaned normally and we've made arrangements to get them to their destinations on different aircraft," United said. Both flights were rescheduled for later in the day. The investigation is ongoing.<br/>
United Airlines has a new "chief trash officer," and his name is Oscar the Grouch. That's right: the Chicago-based carrier paired up with Sesame Workshop on an education campaign to help travelers better understand how sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) works, especially focusing on how SAF can be made from onboard waste. United executives said that sustainable aviation fuel can be complicated to understand and that the partnership will go a long way toward helping make the technology more comprehensible to the average traveler. Sesame Workshop has a long history of explaining complex topics in easy-to-understand terms, executives said on a press call announcing the campaign. "Every airline burns jet fuel to run their business, but no airline will solve climate change on its own. So United has enlisted Oscar to help us educate the traveling public of all ages about SAF and rally them to the cause of fighting climate change," United chief communications officer Josh Earnest said in a statement. "From banana peels to fryer grease, Oscar is uniquely qualified to help us explain why trash could be the treasure that fuels the jets of the future." The campaign should run through at least the end of the year and will include social media promotions, digital advertisements and other installations. “This campaign provided a special opportunity to showcase an iconic Sesame Street character, Oscar the Grouch, celebrating what he loves best – trash," Sesame Workshop's vice president of global strategic partnerships and themed entertainment Jennifer Ahearn said. "The amazing collaboration helps United Airlines explain in simpler terms the technology of turning trash into fuel in a fun and engaging manner."<br/>
Portugal’s government has sacked the CE of the state-owned airline TAP in the wake of a scandal involving an irregular severance payment of 500,000 euros to a former executive board member, Finance Minister Fernando Medina said on Monday. He told a news conference CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener, who is French, as well as chairman Manuel Beja, were dismissed with just cause after the general finance inspectorate established that the payment made to Alexandra Reis, a former government official, was illegal, meaning Reis must return the money. Luis Rodrigues, current CEO of the Azores regional airline SATA, will take over as both chairman and CEO. “This episode has shaken the confidence of the Portuguese in TAP and it is essential, above all, to recover the bond of trust between the country and the company,” said Medina, who himself has been the target of sharp criticism over the payment made by TAP, which received a taxpayer-funded bailout. In December, Reis, who had just become the treasury secretary of state, had to quit and the scandal also forced Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos to resign. Medina said that “the path of stabilisation and privatisation of part of its (TAP) capital is not in question”. “The government expects to open the process of privatisation of the company soon,” he said.<br/>