Final Call: Are Boeing and Airbus Building Too Many Planes?
Tags: air traffic controllers, Airbus, Boeing, Continental Airlines, FAA, London Heathrow (LHR), MegaDO, oneworld, security incidents, Thames Estuary Airport, United Airlines
• After refusing to extinguish his electronic cigarette on a Houston-bound United/Continental flight, a Middle Eastern man began screaming at a flight attendant and chanting “Allah Akbar,” the Arabic for “God is great.” He was subdued by several passengers and the flight diverted back to Portland where he was arrested. [KHOU]
• Riding along with the OneWorld MegaDO, aka plane geek fantasy camp. [Associated Press]
• A network failure knocked out some communications lines between the FAA’s Boston TRACON and Boston Center air traffic control facilities on Wednesday. [CBS Boston]
• Continental’s name will be phased out almost completely on March 3rd. While some planes will still be painted in Continental livery, from that day on, all flights will be operated by United. [Houston Chronicle]
• Famed architect Lord Norman Foster has published his firm’s plan for a new Thames Estuary Airport in London. It would feature four parallel runways and handle twice as many passengers as Heathrow. And it would cost about $80 billion. [Airport World]
