Aviation

Passenger bites flight attendant on US-bound Flight

In a shocking incident aboard an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight bound for Seattle, an American airline passenger allegedly bit a female cabin crew member, prompting the aircraft to return to Tokyo.

The flight, ANA 118, took off from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 9:47 p.m. local time but made an unexpected turnaround just over an hour into the journey, as reported by the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The 55-year-old male passenger, described as heavily drunk, reportedly bit the crew member’s arm, causing mild injuries. The incident led the pilots to decide to return to Haneda Airport, where the unruly passenger was handed over to the local police, according to ANA.

Upon landing in Tokyo, the American passenger was detained by authorities, and subsequent investigations revealed that he had no recollection of his behavior, attributing it to the influence of a sleeping pill he had taken. The airline spokesperson reported that the man was fined $81,950, marking one of the largest penalties ever imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) against an individual passenger for disruptive behavior on an aircraft.

The incident, which left the flight attendant injured, garnered attention on social media, with some users drawing parallels in mock horror to the “beginning of a zombie movie.”

Aviation

Airbus Plans Cockpit Toilet to Make Single-Pilot Operations a Reality

In a bold move aimed at cutting costs, Airbus is exploring the possibility of installing a potty-style toilet right behind the Captain’s seat on its A350 long-haul aircraft. According to the reports from paddleyourownkanoo.com

This proposal is part of the ongoing effort to implement Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO), a concept that could revolutionize the aviation industry by reducing the number of pilots required on ultra-long-haul flights.

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Currently, on long flights, two pilots stay in the cockpit while the others rest in a separate compartment. However, under eMCO, one pilot could be alone in the cockpit for up to three hours while the other sleeps. The goal is to reduce crew costs and improve airline efficiency, as fewer pilots would be needed for these flights.

But this proposal has raised concerns from pilot unions, who worry about safety and the challenges of single-pilot operations. To address the issue of bathroom breaks, Airbus suggests installing a radio-equipped toilet in the cockpit, allowing the pilot to use it without leaving their seat.

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If the pilot needs to use the toilet, the second pilot would have to be woken up, terminating the eMCO process temporarily.

If successful, Airbus plans to begin testing this system on its A350 aircraft as soon as 2027, with single-pilot operations possibly being introduced on freighter Airbus A320s within the next five years.