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News --This is a compilation of news articles related to the aviation industry.
Headlines
- Airlines Offering Same-Sex Benefits
- Y2K Concerns Causing Airlines to Cut Flights on New Year's Eve
- Umprecedented Number of Pregnant Flight Attendants at British Airways
- Tilt The Odds Of Surviving An Airplane Crash
- Some Airlines Allow Cell Phone Use On The Ground
- Small Airlines Struggle For Pilots As Big Airlines Step Up Hiring
- Judge Orders Airlines To Obey Partners Law
- San Francisco Flies High After Domestic-Partner Victory
- Passengers And Flight Crews Exposed To Potentially Dangerous Levels Of Toxic Noise
- A White-knuckle Flight On Air Zimbabwe
- Office In The Sky On Malaysia Airlines
- Airbus Industrie Designing 2-Story, Superjet
- Boeing To Develop Longer Range Jumbo
- Flight Attendants With Foreign Lovers Barred From Working International Flights
- Continental Passenger Sues Over Spilled Coffee
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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- As gay and lesbian workers fight for benefits for their partners, this summer brought good news for those working in the airline industry.
Airlines typically reduce the number of flights on Dec. 31, because experience has taught them that most people have already arrived at their destination by then, in plenty of time to welcome in the new year. But this Dec. 31, a number of airlines are cutting back more than usual.
"It must have been one long good layover."
Passengers were still filing down the aisle. The American Airlines flight attendant had to scoot around them to pounce on the miscreant like a hall monitor cornering a school scofflaw.
Last call before takeoff
When cell phones began proliferating several years ago, airlines noticed that many business passengers held back to make cell phone calls even after boarding was announced. "You had all these passengers using their cell phones near the gate" until the last minute, Kennedy said.
CHICAGO -- U.S. commuter and small national airlines are struggling to find and train more pilots as they increasingly lose their cockpit crews to expanding major carriers.
United says it may appeal decision
In a decision hailed by San Francisco's top political leaders, a judge ruled yesterday that airlines must begin offering certain domestic-partner benefits to unmarried employees.
SEATTLE -- BoeingCo. is seriously studying development of a longer-range 747 jumbo jet with at least 100 added seats, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Condit said in an interview Tuesday.
Hanoi, Vietnam -- If true love knows no boundaries, someone needs to tell Vietnam Airlines. The state-owned carrier is flirting with putting restrictions on flight attendants who date or marry foreigners.
A woman who was burned when hot coffee spilled on her lap during an airplane flight is suing Continental Airlines for $1.75 million.
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Airlines Offering Same-Sex Benefits
Paul Tolme- Associated Press-October 17,1999
In less than two weeks, three major airlines announced they would extend employee benefits to homosexuals. Just like that, the airlines joined the entertainment and high-tech industries as the most visible business sectors to offer such benefits.
United Airlines, the nation's largest, was the first to make the decision, on July 30, followed closely by American Airlines and US Airways. .
Despite the good will the airlines hope the policies will engender among their gay workers and customers, the rush to add benefits was triggered by a court decision. .
In July, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered Chicago-based United to provide employee flight discounts, bereavement leave and medical leave to both same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexuals living together. .
The judge's decision was designed to bring United into compliance with a San Francisco city ordinance. .
Hours after an appeals court upheld that ruling, United announced it would offer all benefits, including health insurance, to partners of employees and retirees nationwide beginning next May. .
US Airways and American said their new policies apply so far only to gay couples. They're still studying extending them to live-in heterosexuals. .
American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, expects to have the new benefits in place by spring 2000, spokesman Tim Kincaid said. .
US Airways, based in Arlington, is discussing the scope of the .
``These policies make good business sense,'' said Kim Mills, spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign, which says about 2,800 companies and 74 Fortune 500s have implemented same-sex benefit policies. .
``In a labor market where unemployment is running at about four percent, it's hard for companies to attract and keep good employees,'' she said. .
The Human Rights Campaign is discussing the policies with other airlines, including Continental, Delta, Southwest and Northwest, officials from the Washington-based nonprofit group said. .
The policies are expected to raise costs for the airlines, but it's difficult to say by how much. .
``We don't know yet how it's going to fall out,'' said American's Kincaid, noting the airline has no idea how many employees are gay and how many will sign up. Because benefits to same-sex partners are taxable income, many employees may not sign up, he said. .
Some companies have balked at such policies because of fears that health insurance premiums would jump if employees' partners with HIV or AIDS had to be covered, Kincaid said. .
In fact, same-sex benefits may be inexpensive because they generally will not have to cover the costs of troubled pregnancies or children, he said. .
``Most companies have found that it's a much lower impact than what was expected,'' he said. .
The high-tech industry pioneered the effort in the late 1980s when Lotus Development Corp. implemented same-sex benefits. Since then, Microsoft (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) and IBM, among others, have followed. .
In the entertainment industry, most of the major studios have added gay-friendly policies, including Fox, Walt Disney Corp. and Sony Pictures. .
Other industries that have seen some companies add same-sex benefits include banking and oil, Human Rights Campaign officials said. Chevron (NYSE:CHV - news), based in San Francisco, was the first oil company to take the leap, and was followed by Shell, BP Amoco and Mobil. .
The San Francisco court decision also caused Bank of America and Wells Fargo & Co. to offer same-sex benefits. .
``A lot of companies want to be second. They don't want to be first,'' Ms. Mills said. .
Not everyone is pleased with the changes. .
``We feel like it's a continuing attack on the traditional family,'' said Herb Hollinger (NasdaqNM:HLGCF - news), spokesman for Southern Baptist Convention. .
The Baptists have been among the loudest critics of same-sex benefits policies. Church leaders urged their 15 million members in 1997 to boycott Walt Disney when Disney announced a similar policy. .
Even so, Hollinger said the Baptists have called for no boycotts of the airlines. .
``I can understand from a business point of view,'' he said. ``We think it's a commentary on our culture, in which it's basically `anything goes.'''
Y2K Concerns Causing Airlines To Cut Flights On New Year's Eve
Edwin McDowell – New York Times – 10/06/99
Their decisions reflect low demand, apparently stemming largely from popular concerns about flying on or around the time the world's computers are scheduled to turn over from 1999 to 2000.
AMR's American Airlines, for example, is reducing flights on Dec. 31 by 20 percent, compared with 12 percent to 14 percent on a typical Dec. 31.
British Airways has canceled more than half of its 99 scheduled intercontinental flights on Dec. 31, including 8 of its 38 flights from the United States to Britain.
Northwest Airlines is not only canceling five flights on Dec. 31, four from the United States to Amsterdam and one between Amsterdam and New Delhi, it is also canceling the return portion of those flights on New Year's Day.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will have only 5 intercontinental flights on Dec. 31, compared with 35 on that date in 1998.
Qantas Airways of Australia has canceled about 13 percent of its international flights on Dec. 31, while Ansett, the country's second-largest airline, has canceled all its flights that day, domestic and international.
Citing "little or no demand to fly on the evening of Dec. 31," and therefore a good opportunity to give employees time off for New Year's Eve, Virgin Atlantic, which flies to eight cities in the United States (nine, as of Nov. 1) is grounding its entire fleet by about midday on Dec. 31 until about noon on New Year's Day.
Japan Travel Bureau, that nation's biggest travel agency, decided months ago not to sell package tours whose flights are scheduled to be in the air at midnight Greenwich mean time on Dec. 31 -- even though Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System successfully completed their Year 2000 computer tests.
The agency said it was concerned that other countries would not be fully compliant, but said it might reconsider if the International Civil Aviation Organization declared the world to be 100 percent safe from computer problems. The organization's report is due soon.
Delta Air Lines, UAL's United Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Continental Airlines are all studying whether to cancel some flights on New Year's Eve. In each case, representatives say, that decision will depend on the number of bookings for each flight.
That is, they will do what American, Northwest, British Airways and the rest have already done -- decide what flights to cancel by calculating how much money they stand to earn or lose by their decision.
The number of passengers on New Year's Eve flights is usually about half those on most other days, according to the International Air Transport Association -- so most flights on Dec. 31 lose money.
The nation's airline pilots are not expecting Year 2000 problems. "I'm sure there will be some members who have concerns about flying that night, but I don't personally know any," said Henry Gasque, a spokesman for the 55,000-member Air Line Pilots Association.
Flight attendants do not appear to be particularly concerned, either. "Most of the comments I've gotten are not safety related, at least not about flying in the United States," said Frank Buddes, a flight attendant for American Airlines and the communications coordinator for its Association of Professional Flight Attendants. "It's mostly what if they work an international flight and find themselves stuck in some foreign country because of a computer problem."
Jane F. Garvey, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, is booked to fly on New Year's Eve on American Airlines from Washington to San Francisco. Her flight is scheduled to arrive seven minutes into the New Year. Her purpose, she said, "is to express my confidence that the nation's air space system will make a safe and proper transition to Jan. 1, 2000."
Words of Bob Kenia on the Umprecedented Number of Pregnant Flight Attendants at British Airways
Newsweek - August 30, 1999
-Bob Kenia,Vice-president of the Association of Flight Attendants
Some Airlines Allow Cell Phone Use On The Ground
Joe Sharkey - New York Times/Minneapolis Star-Tribune – 7/12/99
"Sir, you put that away immediately!" he barked.
The passenger, who had just completed a quick cell phone call to check his office voice mail, already was putting the phone away. But he told the flight attendant that he had thought it was permissible to use a cell phone on an airplane at the gate when the doors were still open.
"It's strictly against federal law," the flight attendant declared.
"Federal law or airline policy?" the passenger asked.
The ensuing discussion ended when the flight attendant threatened to have the passenger removed from the plane for questioning the source of the policy.
The answer, incidentally, is that individual airlines, not federal regulations, set policies about the use of cell phones while an aircraft is still at the gate with its doors open. But those policies are changing.
While most airlines still prohibit the use of cell phones at any time on an aircraft, others have begun to loosen the rules and allow passengers to use the electronic devices until the plane's doors are shut. Some industry officials predict that the trend soon will encompass all major carriers.
The latest carrier to allow cell-phone use on board at the gate, Delta Air Lines, changed its policy in June after an eight-month study of the potential for cell-phone interference with preflight preparations in the cockpit.
"We concluded it was safe," said John Kennedy, a spokesman for Delta. "All the airlines have been looking at this for some time. We just did not know how cell phones might interfere with all the other communications that are going on in an aircraft" while it is still boarding passengers.
Besides improving customer satisfaction, especially among business travelers, the policy change has the effect of expediting the boarding process and departure times, because those who have to make a call know they now can do it on board.
Only a handful of airlines, including Delta and Northwest, now allow cell-phone use at the gate. But policies can change fast once one of the major airlines takes a step that customers like.
"The airlines are gradually coming out and saying, it looks OK, cell phones appear not to interfere with safety while the plane is at the gate," Kennedy said. "It's happening quickly. I would imagine ultimately we'll all be on board with the same program."
There is no indication of when -- or whether -- cell-phone use might ever be allowed on airlines in flight.
Though no airline official likes to discuss this, on-board telephones available at airline seats generate revenue that is lost when customers use personal phones.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), meanwhile, is continuing to study the possible interference posed by cell phones and other devices to aircraft navigation systems. Right now, the law is clear.
"Cell phones and other personal electronic devices, everything from laptops to Furbys, cannot be used in the critical phases of flight, which are defined as 10,000 feet and below, and during takeoffs and landings," said Kathryn Creedy, a spokeswoman for the FAA.
Although FAA law does not address it, airlines are free to enforce their own policies for cell phone use on the ground. "At the gate is a gray area," Creedy said.
Small Airlines Struggle For Pilots As Big Airlines Step Up Hiring
Lynne Marek - Bloomberg News – 7/05/99
The demand for pilots is starting to take a toll at the smaller carriers.
Midway Airlines Corp. recently said its second-quarter and full-year earnings would be below analysts' estimates, in part because of pilot attrition. Midwest Express Holdings Inc. and Mesaba Holdings Inc. say they've canceled some flights because there are too few trained pilots.
The big airlines are snatching more pilots from their smaller counterparts because there are fewer out-of-work and former military pilots available. That has left the smaller carriers battling high attrition just as they're trying to expand with new regional jets. To stem the exodus, they're pairing with aviation schools, lowering recruitment criteria and raising pay.
"There's certainly a lot of poaching going on," said Kit Darby, president of the pilot consulting firm Air Inc.
Hiring by the top 14 major airlines, which generally say they're finding plenty of qualified applicants, could jump 35 percent this year over last year to 4,886 recruits, according to Air Inc. Overall, the industry may hire as many as 15,477, up from 14,143 last year, Air Inc. said.
Pay for pilots at regional airlines ranges from about $15,000 to $45,000 a year. Pilots who get jobs at the majors, often after they've gained the prerequisite flight experience at smaller airlines, can make anywhere from $32,000 to $170,000.
Judge Orders Airlines To Obey Partners Law
Yumi Wilson
San Francisco Chronicle – 7/03/99
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken of Oakland ruled that United Airlines, Federal Express and several other airlines had failed to show that nonhealth benefits -- such as fare discounts, bereavement and family medical leave -- would hurt their bottom line or employee morale.
"The record indicates, however, that employee morale currently is being harmed by the failure to provide benefits pursuant to the ordinance,'' she wrote.
The airlines have 30 days to appeal Wilken's ruling.
Jay Silverberg, a spokesman for the airlines, said a decision on whether to appeal will be made next week.
"The airlines feel that the legal precedent that has protected their business rights to fly from city to city is absolute,'' Silverberg said.
Assistant City Attorney Dennis Aftergut, flanked by Mayor Willie Brown, Treasurer Susan Leal and Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano, said the ruling moves gays and lesbians "one giant step closer to equal treatment under the law.''
"With this ruling, a federal judge has said that unlawful discrimination against airline employees with domestic partners must stop,'' said Aftergut, the lead city attorney in the case. "This is the ruling we have been working on for two years.''
In 1997, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to require companies doing business in the city to offer benefits to gay and lesbian couples -- just as they would for married couples.
Since then, more than 2,300 companies have taken steps to comply with the city ordinance. But United Airlines, Federal Express and the Air Transport Association -- a group representing 20 other airlines -- have sued the city, saying the federal government -- not the city -- can tell air carriers what to do.
Two months ago, Judge Wilken issued a summary judgment against a portion of the law that would have forced airlines using San Francisco International Airport to provide health and pension benefits.
In the same decision, Wilken ruled that the city could force airlines to offer nonhealth benefits such as paid bereavement leave, unpaid family medical leave and travel discounts.
The airlines, however, appealed that portion of the ruling and asked for a preliminary injunction until the case was argued in court.
But Wilken yesterday denied the request for a preliminary injunction, saying that she was not convinced that the law would disrupt business, harm employee morale and disrupt the collective bargaining process.
"In this case, the public has a strong interest in preventing discrimination, and the denial of equal compensation causes significant injury both to the public and to the individuals employed by the plaintiffs,'' Wilken wrote.
But Silverberg downplayed the ruling, saying that "we see it as only one small part in the legal process to preserve the rights of airlines to fly in and out of San Francisco.''
"What the city is ignoring is that the judge (in an earlier ruling) declared large parts of the law unconstitutional,'' he said. "That's important for the city to understand. This is not a sweeping victory by any imagination.''
But Jeff Sheehy, one of the authors of the ordinance, called the judge's decision nothing short of a miracle. Supervisor Leslie Katz, another key supporter, added that she hopes United -- the city's biggest airline -- will "come back to the negotiating table.''
San Francisco Flies High After Domestic-Partner Victory
Helen Vozenilek- The Advocate- July 6,1999
Spurred by a victory in federal court May 27, a San Francisco city attorney said he now will try to force United Airlines to comply with the city's domestic-partnership ordinance.
"These rulings are a green light for equal benefits," said city attorney Dennis Aftergut. "We have a federal judge telling a copany they can't discriminate against employees based on sexual orientation...It doesn't get much better than this."
U.S. district court judge Claudia Wilken upheld parts of the 1996 ordinance, saying airlines must provide "noneconomic" benefits, such as bereavement leave, familty leave, and flight benefits, to employees' domestic partners. She also said the airlines, because they are federally regulated, do not have to provide "economic" benefits, such as health care.
The city ordinance was being challenged in court by Air Transport Association, which represents the airline industry, and the right-wing American Center for Law and Justice. Both groups say they will consider appealing Wilken's rulings.
Passengers And Flight Crews Exposed To Potentially Dangerous Levels Of Toxic Noise
Interline Adventures- Noteworthy- June 1999
Hearing-health activist John Wheeler says airplane passengers and flight crews may be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of "toxic noise" during flight. Wheeler, activist and president of the National Campaign for Hearing Health, is calling for a scientific study of the noise airplane passengers and crews are exposed to during flight. The Federal Aviation Administration has studied the effects of noise on communities around airports and on pilots; but they have not looked into noise in the airplane's cabin. An FAA spokesperson has said that the agency sees it more as a comfort issue and that it's never been brought to their attention as a health issue. the Environmental Protection Agency's chief noise scientist wonders why. He says that while no independent studies have been made, it's clear that some of the loudest planes (mainly turboprops) pose a risk.
Some flight attendants have complained about their noisy work environment. But since there are no FAA regulations on the matter, it's hard to get airlines to consider the complaints, Candace Kolander, air safety and health coordinator for the Association of Flight Attendants, told the press. The FAA says they would study the matter if someone brought it to their attention as a major health issue.
In the meantime, Wheeler wants all flight attendants to have their hearing tested and every airline to offer earplugs to all passengers. His hearing-health campaign, which also focuses on other potential causes of hearing damage is giving away foam earplugs for protection against "toxic noise."
For your FREE pair, call 800-829-5934 or visit www.hearinghealth.net.
A White-knuckle Flight On Air Zimbabwe
Gaby Plattner - Chicago Tribune
When I joined a back-packing safari in Zimbabwe last October, I never expected the biggest adranaline rush to come from the flight at the end of our safari. Our group of five had spent two weeks backpacking through nature reserves in the east of the country. After our adventures in Matusadona Park and Spurwing Lodge, we headed to Victoria Falls via Hwange Park. Hwange is a nature reserve in the west of Zimbabwe, bordering against Chobe Park in Bostwana. We werw looking forward to a relax day before starting our trekking again.
Early in the morning we left Spufwing and drove to Kariba airport. Our flight was delayed, so we settled down to wait. And wait. Three hours later, we were finally told the plane was ready to board.
Air Zimbabwe bought many of its planes second-hand from other airlines, and the one we got was no exception. Dirty and ancient, the mid-size jetliner was clearly one that no one else had wanted.
Inside, we settled into the seats with 80 or 90 other passengers and waited. And waited some more. Finally, the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker. "We're all ready to go ladies and gentlemen. However, we've been waiting for the copilot, and he still hasn't arrived. Since we've already waited so long, we're just going to be flying without a copilot today."
There was a nervous buzz through the cabin.
He continued, "If any of you feel uncomfortable with this, feel free to disembark now and Air Zimbabwe will put you on the next available flight to Hwange." Here he paused. "Unfortunately we are not sure when that will be. But rest assured, I have flown this route hundreds of times, we have clear blue skies, and there aro no foreseeable problems."
Great. Our group looked at one another. We didn't want to fly this way, but then, who knew when the next flight would be? And we had already lost nearly four hours in waiting. We decided to stay. No one got off the plane, and we took off a few minutes later for the one-hour flight.
Once we reached cruising altitude, the pilot made another announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am going to use the bathroom. I have put the airplane on auto-pilot, and everything will be fine. I just don't want you to worry." That said, he came out of the cockpit and fastened the door open with a rubber band to a hook in the wall. The he went into the bathroom.
I was seating on the aisle and had clear view of the sky through the open cockpit door. Sure enough, it was blue skies as far as you could see.
Suddenly, we hit a patch of turbulence. Nothing much, hte cabin just shook a little for a moment. but the rubber band holding the cockpit door open snapped off with a loud "ping" and went sailing down the aisle. The door promptly swung shut.
A moment later, the pilot came out of the bathroom. When he saw the closed door, he stopped cold. I watched him from the back and wonder what was wrong. The stewardess came running up, and together they both tried to open the door. But it wouldn't budge.
It slowly dawned on me that our pilot was locked out of the cockpit. Cockpit doors lock automatically from the inside to prevent terrorists from entering. Without a copilot, there was no one to open the door from the inside. By now, the rest of the passengers had come aware of the problem, and watched the pilot, horrified. What would he do?
After a moment of contemplation, the pilot hurried to the back of the plane. He returned holding a big ax. Without ceremony he proceeded to chop down the cokpit door. We were rooted to our seats as we watched him.
Once he managed to chop a hole in the door, he reached inside, unlock the door, and let himself back in. Then he came back on the loudspeaker, his voice a little shakier this time than before. "Ah, ladies and gentlemen, we just had a little problem there, but everything is fine now. We have plans to cover any eventuality, even pilots getting locked out of their cockpits. So relax and enjoy the rest of our flight. We should be landing in about 20 minutes."
I watched the sky for the rest of the flight through the shreds of the cockpit door. You have never seen people so thankful to get off a plane as when we landed at Hwange airport.
Office In The Sky On Malaysia Airlines
Business Traveler- March 1999
Malaysia Airlines airborne Business Communications Center is the ultimate mobile office. From it, a passsenger can print a document, fax it via satellite and make a follow-up phone call, all while flying over the Pacific.
The office, wich is roughly the size of an airline lavatory, is available on Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400 and 777 models. Each unit includes a printer, wall mounted fax machine and satellite phone, The passenger sits in a jump seat opposite a fold-down desk that can hold a laptop computer. Faxes and phone calls charges cost $8.70 a minute.
The center, while slightly claustrophobic, allows passengers to work in privacy, away from in-seat distractions such as in-flight entertainment and meal service. The airline also provides direct-current, in-seat power and stocks adaptors for the most popular laptop models.
Airbus Industrie Designing 2-Story, 600-Seat Superjet
David Field- USA Today- April 28, 1999
Airbus hasn't signed off on building the plane -- wich would be the largest passenger jet in the sky -- but a top company executive announced yesterday that 600 people are working on plans for the $10 billion project, and he sounded committed to seeing the plane built.
The A-3XX, which does not yet have a complete name, would have an upper deck running from its cockpit to its tail, allowing it to seat 550 to 650 passengers. That's up to 200 more that the Boeing's 747, now the largest commercial plane in the sky.
The two stories also would open up a range of possibilities not fully enjoyed in commercial aircraft, including the installation of a gym, shops and sleeping berths. Those amenities would be important distractions on the plane's target routes, longhaul trips accross the Pacific and throughout Asia.
Boeing Seriously Studies Development Of Longer-Range 747 With Added Seats
Jeff Cole - Wall Street Journal - April 28, 1999
Senior officials of Boeing's airplane group have said the new version could cost as much as $3 billion.
Mr. Condit's comments come as specutation continues to swirl aroun Boeing's plans for broadening its big-jet lines. That's partly because rival Airbus Industrie of Europe is pressing ahead with plans to develop a new "A3XX" jet with 550 to 800 seats. The Airbus projects, which still needs partners, commitments from initial buyers and financing, could cost $10 billion or more.
Flight Attendants Say Vietnam Airlines Is Flying In The Face Of True Love
Michelle Levander and Samantha Marshall - Wall Street Journal - April 28,1999
This month, more than 20 flight attendants were barred from working international flights, unless the flight returned to Vietnam the same day, according to several flight attendants and the husband of a flight attendant.
Crew members are protesting the move. They say the airline has promised a final decision by Thursday. Like so much in Communist-run Vietnam, the reason behing the ruling is "a secret," a flight attendant says during a recent flight to Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City.
The rule may reflect Hanoi's recent emphasis on "social stability," which amounts to a periodic crackdown on foreign influences. A flight Attendant speculates the rule was prompted by a few flight attendant defections in recent months. But since one of those was a male flight attendant with no foreign girlfriend seh gripes, "It's unfair to single us out,"
Vietnam Airlines has frowned upon fraternization with foreigners before. For two years it has required air crew to seek permission from their boss if they want to marry a foreigner, However, they mostly "married the foreigners anyway," says the non-Vietnamese husban of a flight attendant. Aboard the Hanoi-bound plane, a young male flight attendant confirms that the rule applies to him too. Asked the if love shouldn't be international, he reflects. "It's difficult to say," but then he adds abruptly, "It's forbidden,"
Continental Passenger Sues Over Spilled Coffee
Wall Street Journal - April 29, 1999
Elizabeth Espaillat is suing the airline for physical and emotional injuries she suffered during a June 1998 flight from Newark to Rochester.
The lawsuit claims a flight attendant placed the coffee, without a cover, on Ms. Espaillat's seat tray, and airplane turbulence then caused the coffee to spill onto the woman's stomach and thighs. After the airplane landed, Ms. Espaillat was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital. She claims she was confined to her bed for almost a month and was unable to work for three months. The lawsuit also says a stewardess refused her request for ice or cold water. A Continental official said the airline would not comment on pending litigation.
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