Turboprop crash plane one of the safest

The turboprop plane that crashed in New York state, killing all 48 people on board and one on the ground, was one of the safest and most sophisticated aircraft of its type, according to an aviation industry expert. The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was less than one year old and had flown for only about 1,500 hours, said Kieran Daly, of the online aviation news service Air Transport Intelligence. The Continental Connection Flight 3407 was operated by Colgan Air between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo.

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Virgin Atlantic passenger’s "culinary journey of hell"

A six-page rant to Virgin Atlantic’s Sir Richard Branson about a woeful in-flight meal attracted so much attention on the Internet that it was rumored to be a clever marketing stunt. The author was reported to be Oliver Beale, a 29 year old art director who works at a London advertising agency. Both he and Virgin have insisted the letter, described as possibly “the world’s best passenger complaint,” is authentic

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49 die after plane crashes into house in suburban Buffalo

A Continental Airlines plane crashed in suburban Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing 49 people. There were 44 passengers and four crew members killed on board and one on the ground, according to authorities. Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, when it went down, said Bill Peat with New York State Emergency Management in Albany.

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In-flight food: Heaven or hell on a tray?

The "crime scene cookies", "baaji custard" and "sponge shafts" depicted in Oliver Beale’s letter of complaint to Virgin Atlantic struck a chord worldwide. The missive he sent to Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson about a meal he received on board a Virgin flight from Mumbai to London in December spread across the web and email with a vengeance. Not only was this a complaint letter par excellence, but it hit upon one of the most emotive subjects of long-haul air travel: the in-flight meal

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Airport uses radar, noise to prevent bird strikes

The next time you land safely in Seattle, you may want to thank Steve Osmek. He’s the wildlife biologist whose job is to make sure that birds don’t get in the way of airplanes arriving and departing Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Even though the bird strikes that recently caused US Airways Flight 1549 to lose both engines and land in New York’s Hudson River has brought greater urgency to the issue, the danger presented by avian life is nothing new to Sea-Tac.

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