Page 5 - atoday
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Southwest operations appear on track after rash of delays
DAVID KOENIG sengers might still want to
print boarding passes at
AP Airlines Writer home in case of long lines
at airport ticket counters.
DALLAS (AP) — A day after On Sunday, Southwest suf-
fered intermittent techni-
technology problems de- cal issues on its website,
mobile app and in its
layed hundreds of South- phone centers and airport
check-in systems.The air-
west Airlines flights, the line said that about 800 of
its 3,355 scheduled flights
carrier’s operations were were delayed at least 15
minutes Sunday.
running more smoothly Passengers reported long
lines at several airports in-
Monday. cluding major hubs like
Los Angeles Internation-
Southwest spokesman al, where airport workers
handed out water and
Brad Hawkins said workers provided shade canopies
to travelers stuck in lines
fixed a failed software ap- outside the terminal.
On Monday morning, Balti-
plication that had caused more-Washington Interna-
tional Thurgood Marshall
the problems. He did not Airport tweeted that op-
erations were returning to
provide more details or de-
scribe the application but
said there was no indica-
tion that hackers were to A Southwest airlines jet takes off from a runway at Love Field in Dallas. A day after technology
problems delayed hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights, the carrier’s operations were running
blame. more smoothly Monday.
The Dallas airline had been (AP Photo/LM Otero)
warning passengers early
Monday morning to print normal with few delays and passengers a year within months of 2015, 78 percent
shorter lines. Flight-tracking the United States, more of Southwest flights arrived
boarding passes ahead of services indicated few if than any other airline. On on time, ranking seventh
any Southwest delays by most days, its on-time per- among the 13 largest air-
time and arrive at the air- noon Eastern time. formance is about aver- lines whose performance is
Southwest Airlines Co. car- age for a U.S. airline. reported by the U.S. Depart-
port two hours early. Airline ries more than 100 million Through the first eight ment of Transportation.q
officials said later that there
was no longer a need to
arrive early but that pas-
Engine fire leads to evacuation of Allegiant flight in Vegas
SALLY HO ported the fire as the plane The airline said it is con- The McDonnell Douglas ent company of the MD-80.
Associated Press was rolling down the run- ducting an investigation MD-80 plane registered to Sunday’s fire is the latest
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Cal- way after indications of into the cause of the fire. the carrier was built in 1991 in a string of issues for the
ifornia-bound Allegiant a mechanical issue. The The National Transportation and was most recently cer- Vegas-based company in
flight was evacuated in plane taxied to a remote Safety Board said it is gath- tified in March 2011. The recent months and comes
Las Vegas after an engine area and was met by fire- ering information but has engine was made by Pratt after a British Airways plane
caught fire on the tarmac, fighters. not launched an investiga- & Whitney, according to caught fire at the airport in
the second plane fire at the Christine Crews, a McCar- tion. the FAA. Boeing is the par- September.q
airport in as many months ran spokeswoman, said 11
and the latest in a string of firefighters from the Clark
issues for the low-fare car- County Fire Department
rier. put out the fire within 30
Allegiant Air flight 516 was seconds of the response.
preparing to take off for Emergency slides were
Fresno at McCarran Inter- deployed but passengers
national Airport Sunday af- used the stairs at the back
ternoon when a fire was re- of the plane to avoid the
ported in the right engine. risk of the slides, such as
None of the 160 passen- burns and bruises.
gers and six crew members “The fire was out,” Crews
was injured. All were bused said.
back to the terminal and
passengers were put on a “There wasn’t imminent
different plane that later threat of harm.”
departed Las Vegas. The incident did not disrupt
The airline said the pilot the airport’s operations
aborted takeoff and re- and all runways stayed
open and functional.
