A United Airlines flight out of Frankfurt, Germany, was forced to return to the airport shortly after take-off Friday because of a bomb threat, a law enforcement source tells CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues.
United Flight 902 returned to the airport safely at 3:39 p.m. local time. Some passengers took to social media as the incident unfolded.
A spokesman for the federal police said after the jet returned safely, all luggage and people on board were searched but nothing was found. Nobody was detained in the incident.
Federal police spokesman Christian Altenhofen told The Associated Press on Friday that because the threat specifically named Flight 902 and because of the date – the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks – “it made us take the threat seriously.”
Altenhofen says Friday’s flight was canceled by the airline and has been rescheduled for Saturday.
CBC News
United Airlines reveals new Domestic First seat
CHICAGO, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines is introducing a new, comfortable, custom-designed seat for first-class cabins on more than 200 of the company’s narrowbody aircraft. The seat will debut on an Airbus A319 next week, with retrofits on A319s, A320s and many Boeing 737s and 757s through 2016.
Developed with input from customers whom the airline invited to test seat prototypes, the custom seat United and design firm PriestmanGoode have created features several elements to improve the customer experience, including:
-All-leather seat covers in signature navy and champagne colors;
-A patented-design tray table with tablet holder, enabling travelers to enjoy food and beverages while using their personal electronic devices;
-An articulating seat bottom for greater comfort when reclining and an adjustable headrest;
-In-seat universal A/C power outlets for customers to charge their devices;
-Additional in-seat storage, including two seatback pockets and side stowage for laptops and tablets;
-Dedicated beverage holders; and
-Granite cocktail tables.
At 21.1 inches wide, the new United First seat is wider than the current seat and will have numerous custom-design elements and premium finishes, including the signature United-branded tag.
Each aircraft will continue to have the same number of premium-cabin seats.
“This new seat is directly based on customer testing and feedback,” said Tom O’Toole, United’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “We designed a custom seat that incorporates the features that today’s passengers want and upgrades our cabins.”
United Airlines
Jeff Smisek and two other Senior Officials at United Airlines resign
United Airlines said on Tuesday that its chief executive, Jeff Smisek, and two other senior officials had stepped down amid a federal corruption investigation.
The airline is under investigation by the United States attorney in New Jersey over whether it had improperly sought to influence senior officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The company said it had named Oscar Munoz as president and chief executive to replace Mr. Smisek, the company’s chief executive since it merged with Continental Airlines in 2010. Mr. Munoz, a member of the United board, previously served as president and chief operating officer of the rail giant CSX.
“The departures announced today are in connection with the company’s previously disclosed internal investigation related to the federal investigation associated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,” the company said in a statement. “The investigations are ongoing and the company continues to cooperate with the government.”
United’s executive vice president for communications and government affairs, Nene Foxhall, and the senior vice president for corporate and government affairs, Mark R. Anderson, also resigned, the company said.
In February, federal prosecutors issued subpoenas focused on whether the former chairman of the Port
Authority, David Samson, had pushed United to reinstate flights that he used to travel to and from his weekend home in South Carolina.
Ms. Foxhall and Mr. Anderson were among the United officials whose communications with the Port Authority had been subpoenaed.
The Port Authority runs several airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport, one of United’s biggest hubs.
Mr. Samson was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey in 2010. He stepped down in March 2014 when records showed that several senior aides to Mr. Christie worked with Port Authority officials to close down lanes of the George Washington Bridge under false pretenses to punish a mayor.
Several months ago, United asked the law firm Jenner & Block to conduct an internal investigation into the airline’s dealings with Mr. Samson and the Port Authority.
At the time, lawyers close to the case predicted that this would lead to the resignation of Mr. Smisek and possibly other executives, in the hopes that the airline itself could avoid prosecution.
The resignations also complicate the fortunes of Mr. Christie as he tries to resurrect his once-promising presidential bid, by underscoring the accusations of cronyism that have dogged his administration since the bridge scandal broke in early 2014. The governor has distanced himself from other figures implicated in the scandal, saying that they deceived him. But Mr. Samson, despite his resignation, has remained one of the governor’s closest advisers.
Karen Kessler, a spokeswoman for Mr. Samson’s lawyers, said they had no new information about the federal investigation, and she declined to say what it might mean for Mr. Samson. “This is a United matter,” she said.
The New York Times
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8