An Alaska Airlines flight was canceled Monday night after two flight attendants became ill. The carrier said the cause was likely an "unknown odor" in the rear of the plane. Flight ASA 828, which was to depart from Honolulu at 11:45 p.m. to Anchorage, was in its boarding process when two female crew members reported feeling sick. At around 11:15 p.m., Honolulu Emergency Medical Services treated and transported them to the emergency room in "serious condition," a spokesperson for Honolulu EMS told USA TODAY. "This incident was properly reported to the appropriate agencies for further action," Alaska said. The two crew members have since been medically cleared to resume flying. Nearly all airplanes have ventilation systems designed to bring fresh air through the engines without using a filter. Sometimes toxic fumes from other parts of the plane can get sucked into the main cabin and, since there's no filter, contaminate the air. Exposure to toxic fumes can cause people to feel dizzy, nauseous, or experience headaches or cramping. Research has found toxic fume incidents on planes to be rare, happening between 0.09 and 3.9 per every 1,000 flights. That's about two to three incidents per day in the U.S.<br/>
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American Airlines Group Inc.’s unionized flight attendants are threatening to strike after the latest round of talks with the company concluded without an agreement on a new contract. “All American Airlines flight attendants should prepare for an upcoming strike,” the union said Thursday in an email. It added that “we remain apart on the key issues,” such as the date of a signing wage increase and retroactive pay. The union said it didn’t believe that further negotiations will be scheduled by the National Mediation Board, which has overseen talks by the two parties. The union is restricted from walking off the job while in mediation. If the board declares talks at an impasse, it would trigger a 30-day “cooling off” period prior to a possible strike. American Airlines said it expects the NMB to schedule additional dates for negotiations, saying a deal is “within reach.” “We made good progress in negotiations this week, adding even more to the industry-leading proposal we’ve had on the table for months,” the company said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing negotiations so our flight attendants can benefit from the contract they deserve.”<br/>
Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that its Flight MH199 from Hyderabad to Kuala Lumpur on June 20 was forced to return to India due to an issue with one of the aircraft’s engines while climbing after taking off. In a brief statement on June 20, Malaysia Airlines said the aircraft landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 3.21am. “All passengers and crew disembarked safely. Affected passengers will be reallocated to other flights for their continued journey. “The aircraft is currently on the ground for further inspection. Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines,” the statement said. <br/>