airlines

Simon the giant rabbit, destined to be world’s biggest, dies on United Airlines flight

Scandal-hit United Airlines is facing a new PR disaster — after a valuable giant rabbit died mysteriously on one of its planes. Three-foot Simon, destined to be the world’s biggest bunny, died in the cargo section of a Boeing 767 after flying out of Heathrow to a new celebrity owner in the US. Breeder Annette Edwards, of Stoulton, Worcs, said: “He was fit as a fiddle. I’ve sent rabbits round the world, nothing like this happened.” United’s reputation is at rock bottom after film of a doctor being dragged from a jet went viral. Edwards, 65, said 3ft Simon, expected to grow to be the world’s biggest rabbit, and was healthy when placed in the cargo hold. But Simon, heading to a new celebrity owner in the US, was found dead after the Boeing 767-300 landed at O’Hare — the airport where a doctor was violently dragged off a UA plane. Annette said: “Simon had a vet’s check-up three hours before the flight and was fit as a fiddle. “Something very strange has happened and I want to know what. I’ve sent rabbits all around the world and nothing like this has happened before.” Annette, of Stoulton, Worcs, added: “The client who bought Simon is very famous. He’s upset.”

As many of you know, we tend to avoid human interest stories here at The Daily Buzz, as there are so many other outlets for that sorta thing.  But, this latest “PR disaster” for United was worth sharing.  To be fair, there is an investigation into the mysterious demise of this giant rabbit.  So, we don’t know if United did anything that might have contributed to it’s death.  BUT, talk about bad timing!  Wow..  To read the rest of this story, and see a photo of this critter, click on the text above.

These are the best and worst airports in the US

Phoenix, Ariz. has beautiful weather, lots of sun– and the best airport in the U.S. According to a new study of the country’s best and worst airports conducted by ThePointsGuy.com, Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International airport received top marks in several categories including having the shortest driving time from the city center and cheap parking. New York’s LaGuardia airport was the worst airport in the country according to the review. The study analyzed several data points including an examination of the 30 busiest U.S. airports and information from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, J.D. Power, Google Maps, iFly.com and the airports’ official websites. The review placed an emphasis on how effective airports are in getting passengers to their destination on time. They also reviewed how easy it is to reach the airport by car or public transportation. Finally, they reviewed amenities like restaurants and Wi-Fi access, as well as fees for parking. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International airport consistently ranked well in several categories. It was ranked third for the most bars and restaurants per capita and fifth for the fewest flight cancellations. Travel to the northeast however, is a different story. In addition to LaGuardia (which had the most flight delays and cancellations during the period studied and the most expensive parking among the 30 airports surveyed) other New York City airports didn’t fare much better. John F. Kennedy International airport has the longest average security wait time and the longest driving time from the city center while Newark had the second-most flight delays and cancellations and the third-longest average security wait time.

To see the top 5, and worst 5, according to this web site and the criteria mentioned, click on the text above..

Southwest Airlines plane evacuated after smoke from Samsung device

An overheated Samsung device created smoke that caused a plane to be evacuated at Louisville International Airport on Wednesday, an official said. The smoke prompted Southwest Airlines to evacuate the plane before it departed for Baltimore, Louisville Metro Arson Capt. Kevin Fletcher told news outlets. A total of 75 passengers and crew were evacuated from the flight, and no one was injured, said airport authority spokeswoman Natalie Chaudoin. Fletcher said there was minor damage to the plane’s carpet where the device was dropped. U.S. safety regulators announced a formal recall last month of Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 smartphone after a spate of fires led to injuries and property damage. Sarah Green, of New Albany, Indiana, was quoted by The Courier-Journal as saying that her husband, Brian, told her his Galaxy Note7 made a popping noise and started smoking after he powered it down. Green said the phone had been replaced about two weeks ago due to the recall. She said he called her from another person’s phone to tell her what happened. Fire department Capt. Sal Melendez said the device overheated during the flight crew’s safety demonstration. Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration took the unusual step of warning passengers not to use or charge the Galaxy Note 7 phones while on board, and not to place them in checked bags. Southwest warns on its website that passengers with the Samsung device must carry them on the plane instead of checking them in luggage. They should keep the phone turned off and disconnected from power sources, and passengers should make sure that the power switch can’t accidentally be moved to the “on” position. The advisory does not apply to phones that have a green battery icon, which, according to Samsung, indicates that the phone is a post-recall model. Samsung said in a statement that the company can’t confirm that the new Note7 was involved in the incident and is working with authorities to recover the device and confirm the cause.

More bad news for Samsung’s Galaxy Note7.