Passengers on an American Airlines flight intervened after a man traveling in first class reportedly became violent towards his female travel companion. Footage from the incident shared on social media showed several passengers and stewards gathered around the front row seats of the aircraft, which was traveling from Florida to North Carolina on Wednesday. The incident is the latest in bad behavior on planes, with videos of the interactions often going viral. In the video, three men leaned over the seat to confront the man, with one shouting “Do not f***** touch her.” The man seems to protest before another man responds “I don’t give a f***. “Look at me, you f***** up… Get your f****** hands off of her right now,” he yelled. “You touch her again, you’re gonna get f****** arrested.” It is not clear what prompted the altercation between the two travelers, but the woman is heard to claim that she put her hand over the man’s mouth to stop him from talking. The woman is asked by other passengers if she is alright before being told to move to an empty seat away from the man. The alleged aggressor loudly protests that he was assaulted by the woman and claims that she slapped him, according to the footage. “No, you weren’t assaulted,” the woman responds. “I put my hand over your mouth to make you shut up.”<br/>
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Taiwan-based luxury carrier STARLUX Airlines announced the launch of its codeshare partnership with Alaska Airlines, enhancing its network in North America. The codeshare is STARLUX’s first, and provides a seamless travel experience and flexibility for passengers of both carriers. Reservations are now open for booking through STARLUX Airlines official website and app. The codeshare flights initially cover eight domestic routes including Salt Lake City, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, Las Vegas, Dallas, Denver, and Austin–all to Seattle, operated by Alaska Airlines. Customers are now able to book from the eight cities and the connecting flights from Seattle to Taipei operated by STARLUX on a single ticket, making check-in and luggage transfer faster and easier. “We are thrilled to unveil our inaugural codeshare flights in collaboration with Alaska Airlines, marking a pivotal expansion of our North American network,” said Glenn Chai, CEO of STARLUX Airlines. “This codeshare makes it easier for passengers to book connecting flights and travel seamlessly between these destinations using both airlines. STARLUX will continue to forge strategic partnerships with airlines to further expand our passenger networks, fostering mutual growth and success for all involved.”<br/>
British Airways’ customers have suffered a doubling of flight delays and cancellations to and from the airline’s London’s hub Heathrow since the Covid pandemic, a Financial Times analysis shows. The airline, which has been grappling with operational problems, including air traffic control delays and engine shortages, saw 9% of its Heathrow flights cancelled or delayed by more than 61 minutes in the 12 months to July this year, compared with 4.5% over the same period in 2019. Other airlines flying via the hub saw disruptions increase by less than a fifth over the same period to 7.5%. BA’s senior management told staff last week that the airline had faced a “difficult” summer, mainly because of disruption caused by air traffic control restrictions. They also warned of further problems to come because of delays receiving engines and other spare parts from Rolls-Royce for its Boeing 787 long-haul aircraft. About five of BA’s 40-strong fleet of 787s are currently grounded. “BA is facing significant external challenges, creating both poor punctuality and high cancellations,” said John Strickland, an aviation consultant. “It needs to make this an overriding internal focus to get back to the performance which should be expected”. Strickland added he believed BA’s management, including its CE Sean Doyle, are aware of the problems and giving them “the required focus”. <br/>