passenger

A COMMON passenger mistake is causing huge problems on flights – and even causing planes to divert.

Earlier this week, a United Airlines flight was forced to land in in Dublin rather than London.

The cause? A laptop sliding down the side of the seat.

While this may not seem like a large cause for concern, airlines warn against any technology that falls down the side of the seat.

This is due to them potentially being damaged if they fall into the seat reclining mechanisms.

If a passenger then damages the laptop by reclining, it can lead to the batteries in them catching on fire.

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And it’s not just laptops, but mobile phones can also cause this problem.

Back in 2018, crew were forced to extinguish a fire onboard a Qantas flight from Melbourne to LA after a plane stuck between seats set on fire.

And in 2020, a British Airways passenger’s phone caught o fire after it slipped down while she slept, and she then reclined without realising.

When it come to laptop issues, just last year a United flight from Zurich to Chicago had to emergency land in Ireland after a laptop got stuck in the seats.

Patrick Smith, a pilot, and author of Ask the Pilot previously warned about the dangers of this.

He said: “If you’re in an electrically controlled lie-flat seat, of the type common in first or business class, there are a number of nooks and crannies into which your phone can slip – beyond your reach and down into the mechanisms that control the seat’s various positions.”

Passengers are urged to alert flight crew if any of their devices fall down the side of the seat.

If they can’t be retrieved, then the seat shouldn’t be reclined until the plane has landed.

In British Airways‘ latest onboard safety announcement, they warn: “If you do lose your device within your seat, please don’t move your seat yourself.

“Ask a member of crew for some help.”

A rise in onboard fires has also been caused by portable charges, leading ot many airlines banning the use of them.

Most recently, power banks are no longer allowed to be used on a number of Australian airlines, and must not be put in the overhead lockers.

Other airlines like Emirates are also not allowing passengers to use them during a flight, and encourages the use of the in-seat charging instead.

Only Korean Air fully bans power banks being taken onboard, after one of their aircraft was decommissioned due to fire damage caused by one.

Back in 2020, a passenger’s laptop was destroyed after someone reclined their seat onto it, crushing the screen.

A Virginia transportation security officer is accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of sex discrimination over a policy that bars transgender officers from performing security screening pat-downs, according to a federal lawsuit.

The Transportation Security Administration, which operates under DHS, enacted the policy in February to comply with President Trump’s executive order declaring two unchangeable sexes: male and female.

According to internal documents explaining the policy change that the Associated Press obtained from four independent sources, including one current and two former TSA workers, “transgender officers will no longer engage in pat-down duties, which are conducted based on both the traveler’s and officer’s biological sex. In addition, transgender officers will no longer serve as a TSA-required witness when a traveler elects to have a pat-down conducted in a private screening area.”

Until February, TSA assigned work consistent with officers’ gender identity under a 2021 management directive. The agency told the AP it rescinded that directive to comply with Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order.

Although transgender officers “shall continue to be eligible to perform all other security screening functions consistent with their certifications,” and must attend all required training, they will not be allowed to demonstrate how to conduct pat-downs as part of their training or while training others, according to the internal documents.

A transgender officer at Dulles International Airport, Danielle Mittereder, alleges in her lawsuit filed Friday that the new policy — which also bars her from using TSA facility restrooms that align with her gender identity — violates civil rights law.

“Solely because she is transgender, TSA now prohibits Plaintiff from conducting core functions of her job, impedes her advancement to higher-level positions and specialized certifications, excludes her from TSA-controlled facilities, and subjects her identity to unwanted and undue scrutiny each workday,” the complaint says.

Mittereder declined to speak with the AP but her lawyer, Jonathan Puth, called TSA’s policy “terribly demeaning and 100% illegal.”

TSA spokesperson Russell Read declined to comment, citing pending litigation. But he said the new policy directs that “Male Transportation Security Officers will conduct pat-down procedures on male passengers and female Transportation Security Officers will conduct pat-down procedures on female passengers, based on operational needs.”

The legal battle comes amid mounting reports of workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees during Trump’s second administration. It is also happening at a time when TSA’s ranks are already stretched thin due to the ongoing government shutdown that has left thousands of agents working without pay.

Other transgender officers describe similar challenges to Mittereder.

Kai Regan worked for six years at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, but retired in July in large part because of the new policy. Regan, who is not involved in the Virginia case, transitioned from female to male in 2021 and said he had conducted pat-downs on men without issue until the policy change.

“It made me feel inadequate at my job, not because I can’t physically do it but because they put that on me,” said the 61-year-old, who worried that he would soon be fired for his gender identity, so he retired earlier than planned rather than “waiting for the bomb to drop.”

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward — a legal organization that has repeatedly challenged the second Trump administration in court — called TSA’s policy “arbitrary and discriminatory,” adding: “There’s no evidence or data we’re aware of to suggest that a person can’t perform their duties satisfactorily as a TSA agent based on their gender identity.”

DHS pushed back on assertions by some legal experts that its policy is discriminatory.

“Does the AP want female travelers to be subjected to pat-downs by male TSA officers?” Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin asked in a written response to questions by the AP. “What a useless and fundamentally dangerous idea, to prioritize mental delusion over the comfort and safety of American travelers.”

Airport security expert and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Sheldon H. Jacobson, whose research contributed to the design of TSA PreCheck, said that the practice of matching the officer’s sex to the passenger’s is aimed at minimizing passenger discomfort during screening. Travelers can generally request another officer if they prefer, he added.

Deciding where transgender officers fit into this practice “creates a little bit of uncertainty,” Jacobson said. But because transgender officers likely make up a small percent of TSA’s workforce, he said the new policy is unlikely to cause major delays.

“It could be a bit of an inconvenience, but it would not inhibit the operation of the airport security checkpoint,” Jacobson said.

TSA’s policy for passengers is that they be screened based on physical appearance as judged by an officer, according to internal documents. If a passenger corrects an officer’s assumption, “the traveler should be patted down based on his/her declared sex.” For passengers who tell an officer “that they are neither a male nor female,” the policy says officers must advise “that pat-down screening must be conducted by an officer of the same sex,” and to contact a supervisor if concerns persist.

The documents also say that transgender officers “will not be adversely affected” in pay, promotions or awards, and that TSA “is committed to providing a work environment free from unlawful discrimination and retaliation.”

But the lawsuit argues otherwise, saying the policy impedes Mittereder’s career prospects because “all paths toward advancement require that she be able to perform pat-downs and train others to do so,” Puth said.

According to the lawsuit, Mittereder started in her role in June 2024 and never received complaints related to her job performance, including pat-down responsibilities. Supervisors awarded her the highest-available performance rating and “have praised her professionalism, skills, knowledge, and rapport with fellow officers and the public,” the lawsuit said.

“This is somebody who is really dedicated to her job and wants to make a career at TSA,” Puth said. “And while her gender identity was never an issue for her in the past, all of a sudden it’s something that has to be confronted every single day.”

Being unable to perform her full job duties has caused Mittereder to suffer fear, anxiety and depression, as well as embarrassment and humiliation by forcing her to disclose her gender identity to co-workers, the complaint says. It adds that the ban places additional burden on already-outnumbered female officers who have to pick up Mittereder’s pat-down duties.

American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley urged TSA leadership to reconsider the policy “for the good of its workforce and the flying public.”

“This policy does nothing to improve airport security,” Kelley said, “and in fact could lead to delays in the screening of airline passengers since it means there will be fewer officers available to perform pat-down searches.”

Savage writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Flying long-haul can come with its challenges, and one passenger has issued a stark warning after they booked a specific seat on their British Airways flight and found themselves in ‘complete hell’

Checking in for a flight 24 hours ahead of its departure has proven to be a vital step in our travel plans, allowing us to secure our preferred seat, particularly on long-haul flights. However, sometimes, despite our best efforts, we are dealt the short straw.

One passenger discovered this during their 14-hour British Airways flight from Kuala Lumpur (KUL), the capital of Malaysia, to London (LHR) after opting to book the window seat in 41A. Despite a view out of the plane often being favourable among travellers, this passenger labelled it “complete hell” as they had “no window” and limited space on the Boeing 787.

But those weren’t her only issues with the seat.

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In a bid to warn others about booking this specific seat on a BA flight, they shared a photo of their limited leg room, which showed a silver box fixed underneath the seat in front on the left-hand side, thought to be the entertainment system. This forced the passenger in 41A to shift his feet and legs further to the right, bringing him closer to his flight neighbour.

In the Reddit post, the passenger revealed: “I had the misfortune of picking a window seat 41a on the Boeing 787 from KL to London. It’s a 14-hour flight, and I honestly don’t see how this seat could possibly be sold. There’s no window, it’s narrowing as the fuselage narrows, so you get less room to your left, they’ve chucked the entertainment box in your footspace, and then I was sat next to two larger men.

“It was honestly complete hell. I don’t see how any of that is possibly acceptable in the slightest. They shouldn’t even sell the seat at all. Luckily, after on hour, the stewardesses felt so bad for me because I clearly looked incredibly squashed (186cm tall) that they moved me for free. I just wanted to warn people, never ever ever book this seat. Literally would rather fly Ryanair for 14 hours.”

While the passenger was thankfully able to move seats, they titled the Reddit post “A warning to everyone about 41a and 41K.”

The post was met with a flurry of comments as other travellers expressed their sympathy for the situation during a long-haul flight.

One wrote: “I freaking hate those stupid boxes. What a disaster of a design.” A second added: “REALLY old tech too. Could be 1/10th the size with WAY less power draw.”

A third experienced a similar situation as they explained: “Experienced this damned thing for the first time from LHR to Boston yesterday. I’m 6″2 and I’ve flown plenty long haul to the west coast and never been as uncomfortable as I was on this flight.

“The front of my left leg – under my knee cap to halfway down my shin – is still numb right now, even after loads of walking.”

Another expanded: “That box is the IFE box. It’s a mini computer which runs multiple screens. But it’s a bit crap where they placed it. Economy is a challenge at the best of times, especially when you’re in a corner like that. Glad they moved you!”

“The aircraft itself is great, the problem is the airlines that decided to squeeze as many seats as possible. If I’m not mistaken, some Japanese airlines have one less seat per row on the Dreamliner, making the journey much more comfortable,” another traveller noted.

British Airways has been contacted for comment.

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Airports in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The airports impacted cover the busiest across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

The FAA is imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the government shutdown and have been increasingly calling off work.

Controllers already have missed one paycheck and are scheduled to again receive nothing next week as as the shutdown drags on and the financial pressure on them mounts.

The FAA has already been delaying flights at times when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.

Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on travelers. United Airlines said it would focus the cuts on smaller regional routes that use smaller planes like 737s.

Passengers should start to be notified about cancellations Thursday. The AAA recommended that travelers download their airline’s app and turn on notifications. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines both said they will offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly — even if they purchased tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said.

“We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that they would meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.

Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.

The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.

Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.

Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.

But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

Funk and Yamat write for the Associated Press. AP journalist Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.