Flight Safety Information - December 29, 2021 No. 259 In This Issue : Boeing 737 MAX 8 - Ground Collision (U.K.) : ‘Airplane Karen’ taken into custody after attack on Delta flight : UAE Regulator Probes Emirates Flight ‘Incident’ in Dubai : Mom, child had knives inside Darth Vader stuffed bear at Philadelphia airport, TSA says : NTSB shares initial report on moments leading up to business jet crash : U.S., China Holding Talks on Plane Cleaning After Flight Aborted : Japan narrows definition of ‘close contacts’ on airplanes : Singapore Airlines Suspends Flights To Los Angeles : Why isn’t vaccination proof required for domestic flights? : A Tennessee woman who authorities say punched a Spirit Airlines flight attendant and dragged another by the ponytail faces federal charge : SCALE OF UK AVIATION COLLAPSE REVEALED: ONE MILLION FEWER INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS DUE TO COVID : China says its space station dodged Starlink satellites twice this year Boeing 737 MAX 8 - Ground Collision (U.K.) Time: c. 11:00 Type: Boeing 737 MAX 8 Owner/operator: LOT Polish Airlines Registration: SP-LVD MSN: 64069/7013 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) - United Kingdom Phase: Standing Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) Destination airport: Warszawa-Frédéric Chopin Airport (WAW/EPWA) Narrative: A truck hit the ventral strake of the scimitar winglet on the right wing of a LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), preparing for flight LOT282 to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW/EPWA). No injuries were reported and the aircraft sustained minor damage. The flight was cancelled. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/272297 ‘Airplane Karen’ taken into custody after attack on Delta flight Patricia Cornwall physically attacked another passenger and invoked the name of a civil rights icon in a dispute over seating and mask-wearing A pre-Christmas flight got dicey when a woman now dubbed ‘Airline Karen’ got into an altercation with another passenger. The ATL Uncensored Twitter account posted a nearly two-minute video of a woman standing with her mask down below her chin while on Flight 2790 from Tampa, Florida on Dec. 23. The woman repeatedly tells an older male passenger who is seated to put his mask on. The incident reportedly started when 51-year-old Patricia Cornwall was trying to get back to her seat but a beverage cart blocked her way. When told to take an open seat until the cart moved enough for her to return, she allegedly said “Who am I, Rosa Parks?” The passenger seated nearby told her “You’re not Black, this isn’t Alabama, and this isn’t a bus.” That lead to the confrontation recorded by one of the plane’s passengers, which was acquired by ATL Uncensored and went viral. “Sit down, Karen. You’re a god—- Karen, sit down,” the man fires, to the vocal amusement of other passengers. The back-and-forth continues as flight attendants attempt to defuse the situation. When the man calls her a “b—-“, Cornwall strikes him in the face and continues attempting to attack him as an attendant holds her back and the man yells, “That’s assault, now you’re going to jail!” Cornwall then spits on the man and they continue to verbally spar with each other as she’s dragged away by flight attendants and other passengers. A former Playboy model and actress, Cornwall was taken into police and then FBI custody when the flight landed in Atlanta. Per Heavy, she spent Christmas Day in jail and was allowed to fly home to Los Angeles after posting a $20K bond. “This disturbance led to the injury of fellow passengers and Delta employees,” said Atlanta Police. Airlines have had to contend with an multiple incidents involving customers refusing to wear masks or becoming combative while traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. An American Airlines plane from New York to California was diverted in October when a passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant over his refusal to wear a mask, breaking her nose and sending her to the hospital. “The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the airline said in a statement. “This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent.” According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been 5,779 “unruly passenger” reports and 4,156 mask-related incidents this year as of Dec. 21. The federal mask mandate requires passengers to wear a mask when not eating or drinking. https://www.yahoo.com/news/airplane-karen-taken-custody-attack-014000106.html UAE Regulator Probes Emirates Flight ‘Incident’ in Dubai (Bloomberg) -- Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are probing what Emirates described as “technical incident” shortly after one of its aircraft took off from Dubai on Dec. 21. “We can confirm that a technical incident occurred on the departure of EK231 on 20 December 2021,” the state-owned airline said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg on Wednesday. “The flight continued safely to its destination, and after technical clearances the aircraft operated the return flight to Dubai.” The Emirates flight, bound to Washington DC, suffered a close call after the Boeing 777-300ER nearly impacted the ground in a Dubai neighborhood, according to The Air Current, which cited Flightradar24 and a notice to Emirates pilots. The plane came within 175 feet of impacting the ground, according to the news website. The incident may have been due to “incorrect setting” of the autopilot in the plane’s pre-flight setup, it said. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority didn’t immediately respond to an email and calls seeking comment. Emirates declined to comment on the details of the incident due to the ongoing investigation. “The incident is under investigation and we are unable to provide further comment at this time,” said a spokesperson for Emirates. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do and would never be compromised.” https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/uae-regulator-probes-emirates-flight-094218188.html Mom, child had knives inside Darth Vader stuffed bear at Philadelphia airport, TSA says A mom traveling with her child had knives sewn inside a Darth Vader stuffed bear at the Philadelphia International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration said. She told TSA officials the bear was her 9-year-old son’s comfort toy, according to the agency’s Dec. 28 news release about the unlikely discovery. The two knives were “artfully concealed” inside the middle of the Darth Vader bear that triggered an X-ray machine at the airport’s security checkpoint on Dec. 27, the TSA said. “This is a good example of why we cannot assume that something as innocent-looking as a child’s stuffed animal is not a risk to security,” Gerardo Spero, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, said in a statement. “Someone intentionally attempted to conceal two knives inside this 9-year-old boy’s toy for whatever reason.” TSA officers discovered that the back of the bear looked like it was restitched, according to the release, and removed the stitches to confiscate the knives. Two knives were found sewn inside the Darth Vader bear, according to the TSA. The mother, from Cortland, New York, is likely to face a federal civil penalty following the knives’ discovery, the TSA said. “The mother did not provide a statement related to why/how the knives came to be in the stuffed animal,” Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, told McClatchy News via email. The stuffed toy appears to be a Darth Vader Build-A-Bear and McClatchy News has reached out to the company for confirmation. It is unknown whether the stuffed animal was held for evidence or given back to the child, according to Farbstein. The mother and son were allowed to continue on their trip, she said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/mom-child-had-knives-inside-181144265.html NTSB shares initial report on moments leading up to business jet crash EL CAJON, Calif. — The National Transportation Safety Board is in San Diego investigating the jet crash in East County and released their initial findings in a written report Tuesday. According to the NTSB, the pilot of the Learjet 35A, a business aircraft, changed their plans as they approached for landing at Gillespie Field. After initially getting approval to land on the small airport’s Runway 17, the pilot requested a change to Runway 27R. They also changed from what’s called an “instrument approach” to a “visual approach” for the second runway, according to NTSB, meaning they were relying more on what they saw outside of the aircraft to make their landing than a pre-determined path set by their navigation tools. But shortly after the plane was cleared to land on Runway 27R, it tragically crashed in a residential neighborhood, scattering piles of fiery wreckage in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street. The crash site is located approximately 1.4 miles from the approach end of the runway, the report shows. Investigators say they weren’t able to find any survivors from the plane that took off Monday evening from John Wayne Airport in Orange County with Gillespie Field being its intended destination. According to NTSB, local authorities will provide additional information about the victims. Three NTSB investigators were dispatched to the scene with one arriving Tuesday morning and the other two expected later in the day. They plan to be in the El Cajon area for three days to document the site and other perishable evidence. One area of focus for investigators is identifying and recovering a cockpit voice recorder from the aircraft. Once it’s found, it will be taken to NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C., “where investigators will attempt to read it out,” NTSB said Tuesday. “If investigators are able to recover usable audio, a transcript of the recording will be created,” the agency said. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office cleared the crash site Tuesday afternoon with all road closures expected to be lifted by Wednesday night, the county Sheriff’s Department said. Department officials thanked the community for its patience Tuesday as Pepper Drive was closed from Topper Lane to North 2nd Street. “It will take @NTSB some time to process the plane crash site,” officials said in a tweet. “We send our heartfelt sympathies to those affected by this incident.” A preliminary report from investigators is expected to be released in “several weeks” with the final report usually completed in 12 to 24 months, the NTSB said. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has relevant video of any aspect of it is being asked to contact investigators by email at witness@ntsb.gov. https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/ntsb-shares-initial-report-on-moments-leading-up-to-business-jet-crash/ U.S., China Holding Talks on Plane Cleaning After Flight Aborted Talks are underway between the U.S. and China on possible changes to apparent new aircraft-cleaning requirements that prompted a Delta Air Lines Inc. flight to turn back to Seattle and that could upend air travel into the Asian nation. The discussions were confirmed Tuesday by a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. China’s new sanitation mandates -- spurred by the spread of Covid-19 -- significantly extend the time planes are on the ground and largely copy steps that U.S. airlines already take to clean between flights, representatives for the industry said. There also is a shortage of available workers to carry out the added steps, they said. The new requirements are part of the changes that countries and industries are making to try to slow the spread of the highly contagious omicron coronavirus variant. China is committed to a zero tolerance policy toward Covid, which uses border curbs and increasingly stringent restrictions to try and keep out all cases of the virus. Vigilance has increased with the detection of the new omicron variant and with the Beijing Winter Olympics set to start in early February. Hong Kong, which follows a similar ‘Covid Zero’ strategy, is mandating a three-day hotel quarantine for air-cargo crews to thwart transmission of omicron. The U.S. is seeking changes to the new Chinese cleaning mandates, since rigorous disinfecting procedures are already performed between flights by carriers globally, the State Department official said. Airlines put in place extensive on-board cleaning protocols early in the pandemic. Delta’s service to China “remains very fluid” as it evaluates the change in procedures that caused it to turn around a Dec. 21 flight to Shanghai, returning the plane to where it took off in Seattle. The carrier is assessing its twice-weekly trips from Detroit and Seattle to Shanghai on a flight-by-flight basis, a spokesman said Tuesday. Detailed Protocols It wasn’t immediately clear what sanitation procedures authorities in China recently put in place. A spokesman for Shanghai’s airport declined to comment, while a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC, referred to a Covid control protocol issued in September. In a government health briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, CAAC official Han Guangzu told reporters that China had laid out in September detailed plane-cleaning protocols aimed at preventing Covid’s spread through aircraft. Preventative disinfection needs to be undertaken at least once a month and on every day on planes that stop in medium or high-risk cities, Han said, citing the protocols. Cargo planes need to be disinfected if they contain goods that could spread disease, and a “thorough disinfection” of an aircraft needs to be done if it lands in China with an infected passenger on board. Other airlines are also responding to the apparent shift. United Airlines Holdings Inc. said it’s working to comply with the mandate put in place last week and hasn’t canceled any of its four weekly flights between San Francisco and Shanghai. American Airlines Group Inc.’s twice-weekly flight between Dallas-Fort Worth and Shanghai also is affected, the carrier said, without providing further details. Airlines for America, the lobbying group for major U.S. carriers, declined to comment. The new rules apply to any airline flying into China. In Asia, ANA Holdings Inc. has delayed departure times for flights out of Shanghai and Guangzhou since Dec. 22 to allow for the time it takes to clean planes, a spokesman for the Japanese carrier said. Japan Airlines Co.’s passenger flights to and from China are operating normally, although inbound air cargo into the country has been restricted, according to a spokesman. U.S. carriers flying from the States stop first in another city, like Incheon in South Korea, and change crews before going on to China. The procedure ensures that flight crews don’t surpass the legal number of hours they can work and allows them to avoid an overnight stay that could trigger additional Covid protocol requirements for the aircraft or crew, airline representatives said. Delta’s Flight 287 returned to Seattle after the carrier learned of the change in cleaning requirements midflight, the Atlanta-based carrier has said. In addition to the time required, the new procedures “are not operationally viable,” Delta said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-28/china-s-plane-cleaning-rule-spurs-u-s-talks-after-aborted-trip Japan narrows definition of ‘close contacts’ on airplanes The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has narrowed its definition of people who were in close contact with infected persons on planes arriving from overseas, in response to the spread of the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. Previously, all passengers on board a plane with an infected person were designated as close contacts. This was changed from Tuesday to passengers in five rows: the row containing the seat of the infected person and the two rows in front and behind. The ministry’s decision was aimed at reducing the burden on local governments, which are dealing with an increasing number of close contacts. All passengers on board a plane carrying an infected person were deemed to be close contacts from the end of November, as a frontline measure to slow the spread of the omicron variant in Japan. However, more infections with the variant have been detected at airport quarantine facilities, and the number of close contacts reached about 7,000 as of midnight Monday. Airport facilities are under increasing strain, and Chiba Gov. Toshihito Kumagai and others had asked the government to review the measures. According to the health ministry, only 0.1% to 0.2% of close contacts on board planes have been found to be infected themselves. “The percentage [of infections on board planes] is extremely low even for the omicron variant,” health minister Shigeyuki Goto said. This led the ministry to narrow the definition of close contacts to passengers in the five rows, as with other coronavirus variants. Those who sat in other seats will be asked to stay at home for 14 days. If a passenger has been in a country or region where the omicron variant is prevalent, they will be asked to stay at a government-designated facility for 3 to 10 days and the remainder of the 14-day period at home. The new standard is being applied to flights arriving from Tuesday on. Close contacts already staying at accommodation facilities are being asked to remain in the same place. In addition, the health ministry will accelerate the identification of close contacts from Tuesday, as 80% of the coronavirus infections being confirmed at airport quarantine facilities are with the omicron variant. If a person tests positive, they will be treated as a “suspected omicron patient” and passengers in the relevant five rows will be informed that they are close contacts. If communication is made swiftly enough, people could be contacted while they are still in the airport, which should help prevent the spread of infection. According to the ministry’s announcement Monday, 59 new cases of the omicron variant had been confirmed at airport quarantine facilities, bringing the total number of confirmed omicron cases at such facilities to 247. “The omicron variant is more infectious than other strains, so all passengers were supposed to be considered close contacts,” said Atsuo Hamada, a special-appointment professor of travel medicine at Tokyo Medical University. “The government needs to carefully explain such things as the distance between the seat of an infected person on a plane and the seat of a close contact who is later found to have the virus, so that the sudden change in policy will not cause anxiety among the public.” https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0008136281 Singapore Airlines Suspends Flights To Los Angeles Singapore Airlines will be suspending operations from Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan beginning mid-February — the end of the airline’s winter schedule. According to sources close to the airline, the last flight from Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan’s Taoyuan Airport, SQ 35, will operate on Feb. 16. Singapore Airlines Singapore to Los Angeles flight via Taipei, Taiwan currently operates three times a week, flying eastbound on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flights operate westbound on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Due to Taiwan’s ongoing transit ban due to Covid-19, the fifth freedom flight exclusively carries travelers between Singapore and Taipei or between Taipei and Los Angeles and doesn’t carry people between Singapore and Los Angeles. All flights operating to Taiwan can only carry single-sector travelers with this ongoing ban. Singapore Airlines, however, does fly daily non-stop to Singapore from Los Angeles using its three-cabin Airbus A350-900 in a 3-class configuration, including economy class. The airline’s Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan service has operated for less than 6 months since the service’s reinstatement earlier this year on Aug. 25. Seeking to capitalize on passenger and cargo demand outside its home base, Singapore Airlines reinstated flights between Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan last summer after a 13-year hiatus. The airline’s fifth freedom route was relaunched due to the strong demand for travel to the United States from Taiwan for vaccination tourism at that time. The only other dominant carriers flying non-stop between the United States and Taiwan are Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Air. Taiwan’s new Starlux Airlines is expected to launch service to Los Angeles in 2023. Current Restrictions Since the U.S. federal government’s stricter travel requirements for vaccination and pre-flight testing for non-citizens traveling to the United States were enacted in November, passenger numbers from Taiwan have plunged significantly. Furthermore, all Taiwan-bound travelers, including those that are vaccinated, are still required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival, a rule that has been in effect since the start of the pandemic. Taiwan still does not allow foreigners to enter the country without special permission or residency and is quarantining for 14 days everyone arriving, including those that are vaccinated. Taiwan travelers can either exercise quarantine for 14 days in a government-approved hotel, or for those that are vaccinated, quarantine for seven days in a government-approved hotel and another 7 days in their own home. As vaccination rates rose this past year, Taiwanese were hoping their government would ease quarantine requirements for the upcoming Lunar New Year with the likes of other Asian nations such as Singapore and Thailand. On the contrary, the Taiwanese government only allowed vaccinated travelers to do part of their quarantine at home to save on accommodation expenses — continuing a strict “zero covid” policy. Singapore Airlines’ Los Angeles to Tokyo flight — the only other fifth freedom route from Los Angeles — will still continue to operate past the end of the winter schedule. The route was resumed in June 2020. https://airlinegeeks.com/2021/12/29/singapore-airlines-suspends-flights-to-los-angeles/ Why isn’t vaccination proof required for domestic flights? To go into restaurants, visit gyms, go on a cruise or see the new “Spider-Man” movie in theaters, you need to show proof of vaccination in many parts of the country. But you don’t need proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to board a commercial flight within the U.S. With coronavirus cases rising and airlines canceling thousands of flights due to outbreaks among staff, there is mounting pressure to change that. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top infectious disease advisor, told MSNBC news Monday that it would be “reasonable to consider” a vaccination requirement for domestic airline passengers. He did not say whether he had made this recommendation to Biden. “When you make vaccination a requirement, that’s another incentive to get more people vaccinated,” Fauci said. “If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that’s something that seriously should be considered.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) went a step further last week, asking that the Biden administration require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result for all domestic air travel. “Travel at our nation’s airports has essentially returned to pre-pandemic levels but the risk from COVID-19, including from its new variant Omicron, continues to present a major public health threat,” the members said in a statement. “Requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for domestic flights would improve public health and address concerns that passengers have about flying.” In November, 36 members of Congress, including Feinstein, signed a letter to Biden asking that he require such proof or a negative test results for all domestic flights as well as updated safety protocols for trains and other modes of travel. NCJW is committed to advancing economic justice and equity for women and their families by providing direct financial aid services to uplift people’s lives. “This is a necessary and long overdue step toward ensuring all Americans feel safe and confident while traveling and reduce the chances of yet another devastating winter surge,” the members of Congress said in the letter. The Assn. of Flight Attendants, which represents about 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, said requiring a proof of vaccination for domestic travelers “makes sense” as long as the process of verification doesn’t put an undue strain on airlines and flight attendants. The Biden administration on Nov. 8 began requiring inbound travelers to the U.S. to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, which several airlines were able to accomplish by requiring passengers to upload the information electronically through their boarding apps. But Biden told ABC News last week that although vaccine requirements for domestic air travel has been considered, “the recommendation I’ve gotten is [that they are] not necessary.” Despite COVID-19 outbreaks forcing the cancellation thousands of flights over the holiday travel season because of cases among airline employees, the industry appears set against vaccine requirements for domestic travel. Airlines for America, a trade group that represents the nation’s airlines, agrees with Biden that the requirement is not needed. A spokesperson for the group declined to elaborate. “We have been informed by the administration that there is no imminent policy proposal regarding a domestic travel requirement and echo concerns expressed by the administration about the implementation and enforcement of such a policy,” the group said in a statement. Industry experts say airlines have logistical and financial reasons to oppose vaccination requirements for domestic flights. Airlines are worried about having to process and verify hundreds of thousands of vaccination records and spot any fraudulent ones, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. “To have to show those documents to the airlines or the TSA security at airports will slow down the check-in process or security screening,” he said. A study conducted by Atmosphere Research Group found that 14% of airline passengers were not vaccinated, which means they would be unable to fly if vaccination proof were required, Harteveldt said. Such a reduction would hurt airlines financially at a time when they trying to rebound from their worst financial crisis since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks, he said. That’s assuming a vaccination requirement would not allow an exemption for those who provide a recent negative COVID-19 test. Those who arrive in the U.S. on international flights must show proof of a negative test result taken within a day of departure. Airline executives have also spoken out against the requirement that passengers wear masks on planes, a mandate that the Transportation Security Administration has extended through March 18, 2022. Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly told a Senate committee last month that he thinks masks “don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment.” He suggested that the HEPA air filtration systems in commercial aircraft make the cabins safe against the spread of the virus. Studies have shown that HEPA filters on planes help reduce the risk of getting infected but do not eliminate the chances of contracting the virus entirely. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-12-28/airline-vaccination-rules-covid-omicron-fauci A Tennessee woman who authorities say punched a Spirit Airlines flight attendant and dragged another by the ponytail faces federal charge • Federal prosecutors have charged a 43-year-old Tennessee woman with interfering with a flight crew. • A criminal complaint alleged Amanda Henry disrupted a Spirit Airlines flight and punched and kicked flight attendants. • The charge comes amid the Justice Department's crackdown on unruly or violent passengers aboard commercial aircraft. Federal prosecutors in Tennessee announced Tuesday that they charged a woman with interfering with a flight crew, accusing her of kicking and hitting flight attendants and screaming that she wanted to get off the plane. The incident, aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Nashville, occurred on November 27 after two airline passengers asked to change seats because a women's "disruptive behavior made them feel uncomfortable," according to a criminal complaint. The woman, 43-year-old Amanda Renee Henry, had "acted flirtatious" and "made lewd sexual advances" towards the passengers, placing her hands on both of them and even laying her head on one passenger's shoulder, the complaint said. A flight attendant told federal authorities that Henry — who appeared drunk — grew "irate and belligerent" once the men moved to different seats. The complaint said Henry grew even more disruptive when the flight attendants asked her to move to a different row, away from the emergency exits. Henry then grabbed her carry-on luggage, ran down the length of the cabin towards the front of the plane, and screamed, "I'm getting off this plane," according to the complaint. When the two flight attendants attempted to restrain her, Henry kicked and screamed at them, dragged one by her ponytail, and punched the other in the face, the complaint said. The flight attendants ultimately placed flex cuffs around Henry's feet, but failed to cuff her wrists, according to the complaint. A passenger who identified himself as a firefighter, and said he was "used to speaking with individuals under the influence," offered to sit next to Henry and calm her down until the plane landed. "Henry's actions while seated in the exit row required Flight Attendants 1 and 2 to forego their other duties to relocate Henry and other passengers for aircraft safety," the complaint said. "Flight Attendants 1 and 2 were also forced to neglect their normal duties as they restrained Henry as she ran through the aircraft, was returned to her new seat, and withstood her physical assaults while they tried to secure her in her new seat." Henry was arrested by police officers from the Nashville Airport Department of Public Safety and charged with public intoxication, but court records show that the charge was later dismissed. Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond Tuesday to Insider's request for comment. It was unclear whether Henry had a lawyer, and none was listed for her in local or federal court documents. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced last month that the Department of Justice would crack down on passengers who commit federal crimes aboard commercial aircraft, amid an apparent uptick in unruly or violent incidents that have garnered media attention. The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced a bevy of fines against eight different passengers accused of "unruly behavior involving alcohol." The agency said it's received nearly 300 reports of alcohol-related "passenger disturbances" since the beginning of the year. https://www.businessinsider.com/feds-accuse-woman-of-punching-spirit-flight-attendant-grabbing-ponytail-2021-12 SCALE OF UK AVIATION COLLAPSE REVEALED: ONE MILLION FEWER INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS DUE TO COVID Busiest route was London Heathrow to New York JFK, despite the US travel ban that ended only in November Seven out of 10 international flights that started or ended in the UK were cancelled in 2021, compared with 2019, new data shows. As Covid-related travel restrictions continued to dampen demand for aviation, airlines have seen a 71 per cent collapse in the number of international departures since 2019. The aviation analyst Cirium says just 406,060 international flights served the UK in 2021, compared with 1,399,170 two years ago – a fall of almost one million. London Heathrow saw the most flights, with almost 79,000 in 2021 – though it handled fewer passengers this year than in 2020. In second place was London Stansted with 32,000 flights, followed by Manchester with 29,700. London Gatwick slumped from second to fourth place with 26,000, while a fourth London airport, Luton, was fifth with almost 20,000. The prime international route in 2021 from the UK was between London Heathrow and New York JFK. This is despite the face that the US only admitted British visitors from 8 November onwards, following a 19-month ban. In second place was London Heathrow to Dublin. All but one of the remaining top 10 destinations were from Heathrow, with Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in third, fourth and fifth place. Gatwick to Dublin is the only top 10 route that was not from Heathrow. The largest carrier by UK flights was Ryanair, with 101,420 flights in 2021. In second place was easyJet with 82,580 flights. British Airways, Loganair and Jet2 took third, fourth and fifth places. UK domestic flights were down nearly 60 per cent compared with 2019. The busiest in terms of departures – but not passengers – was between Land’s End in Cornwall and St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. The 31-mile link saw around 2,330 one-way flights in 2021 – all operated by Isles of Scilly Skybus’s fleet of seven aircraft. Second busiest was Heathrow to Belfast City (1,590 flights). Heathrow to Edinburgh was third at 1,530. Loganair was the largest airline for domestic flights with 32,830 services in 2021, just 30 ahead of easyJet. Both carriers operated more than twice was many as British Airways (15,390). Flybe topped the list of domestic flights in 2019, with a total of 87,020 departures. The airline collapsed in March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic began. All Nippon Airways was named as the most punctual airline globally, with Vueling – sister airline of British Airways – most reliably on-time in Europe. https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uk-airlines-flights-covid-collapse-b1983663.html China says its space station dodged Starlink satellites twice this year Astronomers aren't the only ones taking issue with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. As CNET reports, China has filed a complaint with the United Nations over two reported near-collisions between the in-progress Tiangong space station and Starlink vehicles. According to Chinese officials, the station had to perform evasive maneuvers on July 1st and October 21st this year to minimize the chance of a collision. The accusations line up with astronomer Jonathan McDowell's conjunction observations for both days. China further argued that SpaceX's satellites weren't always predictable. During the October incident, the Starlink craft was "continuously" manuvering in a way that made it difficult to predict the orbital path. We've asked SpaceX for comment. China has already demanded action, however. In its complaint, the country asked the UN Secretary-General to remind countries (read: the US) that parties in the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for incidents beyond Earth, even if they involve private companies. China has created its own share of incidents in the past. A 2007 anti-satellite missile test created debris that poses threats to the International Space Station and other spacecraft to this day. All the same, the complaint suggests the privatization of space is making these near-accidents more commonplace — particularly when SpaceX, Amazon and others are launching internet services that depend on huge satellite constellations. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/china-spacex-starlink-un-complaint-221835093.html Curt Lewis