A plane that was isolated on the taxiway and searched at Washington Dulles International Airport after a beeping sound was heard coming from the cargo hold has been cleared by police, according to a statement from the airport. Frontier flight 4708 arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport around 2:35 p.m. ET, Frontier told CNN in a statement. The aircraft was parked away from the main terminal while it underwent a “precautionary security search” after a “beeping noise” was heard coming from the cargo hold during flight. Passengers got off the plane after the crew reported the possible security incident on the flight, which departed from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. “The aircraft and all passenger baggage has been cleared,” Frontier said in an updated statement. “Passengers have been reunited with their bags and the aircraft has been returned to operation.” The airport and airline did not provide information on the possible source of the sound. The FAA announced it was investigating the incident. The plane is an Airbus A320, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.<br/>
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A 76-year-old woman says she’s stuck in Puerto Rico after Frontier Airlines wouldn’t let her fly back home to New York with her “emotional support” parrot. Maria Fraterrigo told CNN affiliate WCBS she was warned “if you want to get on the flight, get rid of the bird,” while trying to leave after a trip to her vacation home in Puerto Rico. “I feel like I’m abandoned. My medicine is home, my doctor’s appointment, everything. It’s just a nightmare,” she said. It was the first time she had gone back to the island since her husband died in 2019. The bird, named Plucky, provided her comfort following her grief, her son, Robert, told WCBS. To get to Puerto Rico, Fraterrigo says she was allowed to board a Frontier flight out of John F. Kennedy International Airport with her bird, but the airline later told her that was their mistake and she should have never been allowed to bring the bird in the first place. Her son, who booked the plane ticket, says he was never told there were exclusions to what types of birds passengers could bring. Frontier’s website says “small household birds” may be carried on flights within the United States but large birds like parrots or cockatoos are not accepted.<br/>
Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed it will return for its seasonal service to Auckland later in the year. The US carrier will finish its 2024-2025 seasonal flying at the end of April but will return on November 18. It will fly three times a week to Honolulu and said there has been strong demand from Kiwis heading to Hawaii and beyond, as well as US visitors coming to NZ. “We have also welcomed significant growth in travellers originating from the US mainland – especially the Pacific Northwest – following our combination with Alaska Airlines,” said Hawaiian Airlines country director Russell Williss. The airline will use its 278-seat Airbus A330 aircraft on the route. Air New Zealand currently flies three times per week between Auckland and Honolulu.<br/>
A flight out of Dublin was stopped from taking off after inspectors carrying out random checks found one pilot with alcohol levels “considerably over” the limit. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) undertook a random inspection on 17 September 2024 at Dublin Airport, Ireland’s busiest airport which sees more than 30m passengers pass through its hub annually. The IAA inspectors boarded a cargo aircraft flown by an unnamed international cargo operator and sought a copy of the pilot licences and the aircraft's mandatory documents. The inspectors then carried out a routine breathalyser test for alcohol, which revealed that one of the pilots had blood alcohol levels considerably over the prescribed limits. The pilot was therefore “not in a fit condition to operate the aircraft,” the IAA said. The inspectors then immediately instructed that the aircraft would not take off and directed that the pilot be removed from the cockpit and prevented from flying the plane. The IAA issued proceedings in the Dublin District Court and reported the incident to the US Federal Aviation Administration, which has in turn said the pilot’s license has been revoked. “The IAA will continue to conduct unannounced checks on foreign aircraft operating in Irish airports and conduct breathalyser tests on the flight crew, which includes pilots and cabin crew,” the authority added. Flights can often be delayed or cancelled if members of the crew turn up to work with too much alcohol in their system, often leading to losing their jobs.<br/>
Oman Air has announced the return of its double-daily flights between Muscat and London, starting October 26. The second flight will initially be added on four days of the week, providing greater convenience and choice to guests, while enhancing connectivity to key onward destinations served by its oneworld Alliance partners, particularly in North America. By summer 2026, the airline will be operating 14 return flights per week from Muscat to London. Con Korfiatis, CEO of Oman Air, said, “We’re proud to restore our double-daily service to meet the robust demand from our guests. London has always been a cornerstone of our international network, and the UK represents one of our largest inbound tourism markets, so this enhancement not only strengthens our presence on this key route but also supports Oman’s wider tourism ambitions. As we continue to grow, and particularly as we prepare to join oneworld, we remain focused on unlocking market potential, while consistently delivering an exceptional travel experience.”<br/>
Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet said on Thursday it has signed an agreement worth $300m with AV AirFinance, a partner of investment fund KKR, to fund the expansion of its fleet. Thursday's announcement confirmed a Reuters report last week on the finance deal done between Vietjet and AV AirFinance during a visit to the U.S. by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc for reciprocal tariff negotiation. The deal value was initially reported at $200m. The agreement with AV AirFinance is the latest in a string of financing agreements worth $4b that have been signed with U.S. partners, Vietjet said in its statement. Vietjet has also agreed to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets in a deal first signed in 2016 and revised during Trump's Vietnam visit in 2019. No jets have been delivered yet, though. The airline is looking forward to receiving the first jets this year and is in talks to expand the order, it said in the statement.<br/>
Indonesia AirAsia will fly to Adelaide for the first time with the launch of a new Denpasar service later this year. Starting 25 June, the low-cost carrier will operate four flights a week to Bali using its 180-seat A320-200 aircraft, adding more than 74,000 seats per year on the route. The service will put Indonesia AirAsia in competition with Jetstar, the only other airline operating Adelaide-Bali flights. Flights will leave Adelaide every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and return every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Veranita Yosephine, CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, said the airline is “thrilled to touch down in Adelaide and South Australia soon for the very first time”. “Australia is one of our most important growth markets with the recent addition of Cairns and Darwin to our network as well as Perth,” she said. “While we all know Bali is a number one holiday destination for Australians, we are also connecting South Australia to the world of AirAsia with over 130 destinations across Asia and beyond, using Bali as a key hub to look to fly somewhere different at great value prices. At the same time, Adelaide will now be on the map as a new location for the many millions of AirAsia guests who fly with us each year which they can connect to via Bali.”<br/>
Philippine Airlines has confirmed that it will begin cabin retrofit works on its Airbus A321s in May, as it unveils network expansion plans at its Cebu hub. The national carrier does not indicate how many A321s will undergo the retrofit, except to state the narrowbodies, which will serve short-haul international routes, will have new seats, in-flight entertainment, and Wi-Fi. PAL had 22 A321s in operation as at 31 December 2024, including four that operate with low-cost domestic unit PAL Express. The aircraft are configured with 199 seats. The retrofit comes as the airline reportedly faces delays in new aircraft deliveries, including the first of nine A350-1000s it ordered in 2023. According to media reports that cite airline executives, PAL’s first A350 is being delayed by three months and will only be delivered in the fourth quarter of the year. The airline’s orders for 13 A321s are reportedly also delayed beyond 2026. PAL also disclosed an acquisition of two mid-life Boeing 777-300ERs, purportedly to mitigate the delivery delays, and these will operate on its North American flights. Separately, the airline is expanding its capacity for its Cebu operations amid expectations of strong travel demand in the summer. It will increase domestic frequencies by about 10% by April – to about 287 weekly flights – and up-gauge several flights from De Havilland Dash-8s to A321s.<br/>
Virgin Australia is offering refunds to more than 60,000 passengers, after an internal error led to inflated itinerary change fees being charged over the past five years. The airline has apologised and launched an itinerary change claim program, as it begins informing passengers who are eligible for refunds over the incorrect fees charged to customers making changes to their bookings between 21 April 2020 and 31 March this year. A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the company recently discovered the issue and launched an internal investigation, which has found about 61,000 customers – or about 0.1% of all bookings processed in the five-year window – incurred the incorrect charges. The airline has since taken issue to prevent the charges from occurring in the future, while appointing Deloitte to conduct the refund claim process. It has launched an online portal for the program. The average refund amount is $55 per guest. Guardian Australia is aware of customers who have been told they are eligible for as much as a $200 refund. Virgin’s spokesperson said “we sincerely apologise to those affected guests” and noted the airline had launched the refund program proactively. It has informed the consumer watchdog of the initiative. The refund program is open for 12 months. Eligible customers will be contacted by the airline.<br/>