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A group of about 100 high school students traveling from New York to Atlanta were thrown off a flight, along with their chaperones, after the pilot and crew lost patience with some kids who wouldn't sit down and put away their cellphones. The teenagers, all seniors at the Yeshiva of Flatbush, in Brooklyn, were ordered off the AirTran flight around 6 a.m. Monday as it sat at a gate at LaGuardia Airport. AirTran's parent company, Southwest Airlines, said in a statement that flight attendants asked passengers several times to take their seats and put their mobile devices away. The airline...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Three women were escorted off a New York bound flight at Palm Beach International Airport Monday afternoon by airline staff and Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies. The women claim they did not do anything wrong and that a flight attendant on board was the only one behaving poorly. The women -- a lawyer, a therapist and a retired travel agent -- were complete strangers until they were seated near one another on AirTran Flight 1451 to White Plains, New York. They were buckled in and ready to take off when they said a male flight...

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines is looking more and more like the big airlines it loves to needle. ... Now comes Southwest's boldest move, its $1 billion purchase of AirTran Airways, completed Monday. .. By acquiring AirTran, Southwest increases passenger traffic by 25 percent. It gains AirTran's hub in Atlanta, .. It gains a toehold at Washington's Reagan National and adds gates at New York's LaGuardia,..

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Southwest Airlines plans to acquire AirTran Holdings for $1.4 billion, the airlines said on Monday. Southwest (LUV, Fortune 500) said the deal values AirTran at $7.69 per share, a 69% premium over AirTran's closing price of $4.55 on Friday. AirTran's (AAI) stock surged to $7.27 in pre-market trading. Southwest chief executive officer Gary Kelly said the deal will allow his airline to expand into airports serving major hubs like Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore and New York City. Southwest said the total deal, including AirTran's debt and aircraft operating leases, is valued at about $3.4 billion....

A man who pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew which prompted the military to tail the plane with two jets, has been sentenced to three months in federal prison. Muhammad Abu Tahir, 47, of Glen Allen, Va., pleaded guilty in March in Denver federal court to interfering with a flight crew. On Friday, he was also ordered to pay $14,584 in restitution to AirTran Airways and three years of supervised release. Tahir was arrested Jan. 8 after the plane, flying from Atlanta to San Francisco, was diverted to Colorado Springs. Authorities said he drank five mini-bottles of wine,...

A revealing image on the runway has some AirTran Airways flight attendants fuming. Orlando-based AirTran, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, has adorned one of its Boeing 737 jets with the image of a swimsuit-clad woman in heels, as part of a partnership with Sports Illustrated for the magazine's swimsuit edition. The promotion is ending and AirTran will remove the image from the plane soon, spokesman Christopher White said. The AJC has learned that the Association of Flight Attendants at AirTran voiced its objections in a message to members. "It is our feeling that this is not only contrary...

A passenger on a diverted AirTran Airways flight accused of becoming unruly after he was refused more alcohol was charged Wednesday with interfering with a flight crew. Muhammad Abu Tahir, 47, appeared in federal court with an interpreter. Tahir did not officially enter a plea but said "no" after the interpreter repeated the allegations read by the judge. "No, sir, you don't need to say anything now," U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Tafoya replied, explaining the hearing was only intended to advise him of the charge. He then answered "yes" when asked if he understood the charge. Authorities said Tahir, who...

An AirTran Airways passenger whose actions prompted two military jets to scramble ... Muhammad Abu Tahir, 47, is due in federal court Wednesday in Denver. An initial appearance scheduled Monday was postponed so an interpreter who speaks Tahir's native Urdu could be found. He opened the door twice, once to place his shoes and socks outside the door, according to the affidavit. The second time, the door opened to reveal he was shaving with no shirt on.

Unruly man grounds AirTran flight By Mashaun D. Simon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 9:16 p.m. Friday, January 8, 2010 The unruly and allegedly drunk passenger who forced an emergency landing of an AirTran jet flying from Atlanta to San Francisco Friday is being held over the weekend in anticipation of federal charges being filed Monday. Muhammad Abu Tahir, 46, of Virginia was transported to the El Paso, Co. County jail where he will be detained on a federal hold, said FBI officials. Federal charges for interference with a flight crew are expected to be filed, FBI spokeswoman Kathleen Wright told the...

The unruly and allegedly drunk passenger who forced an emergency landing of an AirTran jet flying from Atlanta to San Francisco Friday is being held over the weekend in anticipation of federal charges being filed Monday. Muhammad Abu Tahir, 46, of Virginia was transported to the El Paso, Co. County jail where he will be detained on a federal hold, said FBI officials. Federal charges for interference with a flight crew are expected to be filed, FBI spokeswoman Kathleen Wright told the AJC Friday night. The incident occurred on AirTran flight #39 as the plane neared Colorado Springs, Co. AirTran...

Neil Cavuto just read news crossing the wire. Two fighter jets were launched by NORAD from Tyndall AFB in FL due to an issue with an unruly passenger on an Air Tran flight from Atlanta to San Francisco. Hopefully, more follows soon. Plane has landed at Colorado Springs airport. A young man was taken into custody after the flight was diverted. The man was thought to be intoxicated and locked himself in the bathroom. The crew radioed the situation, and the fighters were launched. Everyone's safe on the flight .. the passenger is in custody.

Airtran flight 39, Atlanta to San Francisco, unruly passenger on board. Fighters launched to escort plane, landed in Colorado Springs. Info per Neil Cavuto on Fox News; no link yet.

In this True Crime post, theft of money from the U.S. treasury to pay off campaign debts is a crime although Obama likely won't get charged. Same for appointing a pervert for "Safe School Czar". We close the door on Amanda Knox with some final thoughts, A couple of intriguing incidents involving airplane behavior by Muslims and TSA Internet posts that could be way more sinister than we know. Of course, there's some Tiger Woods commentary. Much more...all with pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/21890485/index.html

Like Climategate, there is another story the national mainstream media has either missed or largely ignored, and that is the story of what really happened November 17th on Airtran's Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston. Much confusion remains about exactly what transpired that afternoon on a plane preparing for takeoff at Hartsfield International Airport. By every account the undisputed facts are a large group of men disturbed procedures and upset the flight crew to the point it caused the flight to be delayed. At least one passenger allegedly refused to comply with repeated requests from flight attendants to discontinue his...

Cover-up hinted as case recalls 'flying imams' Evidence that an incident on an Air Tran flight from Atlanta to Houston could have been a "dry run" for a possible hijacking is mounting, with analysts hinting at a cover-up because of an airline gag order on employees and more witnesses coming forward to say they were afraid. The airline, meanwhile, is sticking to its prepared statements that there was an issue with a passenger and a cell phone but the matter is considered closed. ... Charges of suppressed information now are being leveled. "Two and a half weeks later, the incident...

TV interview of Brent Brown, head of Chesley-Brown of Atlanta, and a passenger on AirTran Flight 297. He is very well spoken and answers questions that have been brought up on the Flight 297 threads "If there is a secur He addresses the email in beginning @ 3:00 and again later. As he points out at 8:15, there is no need to embellish an already incredible story. @4:55 -- The passengers were walking around refusing to cooperate; not staying in their seats, against FAA rules, pilot turned plane around to secure the cabin. It was extremely tense, never experienced anything...

Thanks again, Marietta Daily Journal, for doing what news organizations are supposed to do: investigate and inform.

Rumors continued to circulate Monday via e-mail and the Internet about what exactly happened on an AirTran flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in November. At the time, AirTran told Channel 2 Action News that an unruly passenger on a cell phone forced the pilot to take the plane back to the gate. Monday, a passenger said the situation went well beyond that. “It was extremely intense. I’ve never experienced anything like that,” said passenger Brent Brown. Brown runs a security consultant company and is a frequent flier. But even for him, he said the events of Flight 297 were...

In the age of balloon boys and party crashers, regular people just don't know what to believe any more. Last week, I spent more than my share of hours trying to track down the truth about an incident on an AirTran flight out of Atlanta on Nov. 17. Flight 297 to Houston, with about 70 passengers onboard, departed gate C-16 at 4:43 p.m. Until something happened that caused the pilot to turn around and come back. Two and a half weeks later, the incident is in high dispute, thanks to some passengers who have spoken out on the Internet about...