Via CBS Atlanta, this is quite possibly the greatest reason ever for a diversion for a flight from Los Angeles to New York:

The American Airlines flight made an emergency stop at Kansas City International Airport due to an unruly passenger, authorities said.

The woman disrupted the flight in part by belting out Whitney Houston songs. And based on the video posted by a passenger on the flight, the woman won’t be getting a golden ticket onto the American Idol competition anytime soon.

…

As she was leaving the plane, she crooned, “I will always love you,” which was written by Dolly Parton and sang by both Parton and Houston.

And if you click the link there’s even a video!

The part that’s most puzzling is that when the aircraft diverted the lady was interviewed and released without charges. If she was actually “interfering with the flight crew,” am I wrong to think she’d be charged with something for that?

So yeah, it sounds to me like her only crime was singing Whitney Houston songs poorly… which is awesome.

My last question is, did American accommodate her from Kansas City to New York? If so, did she get to connect? So is this what it takes to get three segments on a domestic mileage run?

In what has to be one of the most bizarre stories I’ve read in a while, a man flying Emirates business class between Bangkok and Hong Kong claimed the emergency exit door opened mid-flight in an explosion, per news.com.au:

Briton David Reid and his son Lewis feared a bomb had gone off after hearing a “massive explosion” two hours into their flight on the brand new $376 million Emirates Airbus A380.

Freezing air blasted in and the cabin pressure plunged after the door in business class came nearly four centimetres ajar, leaving a gaping hole, Mr Reid told the Daily Mail.

As passengers wept in terror, he said, a petrified stewardess ran down the aisle and screamed “the door’s going to go” before cowering behind her seat.

Only instead of making an emergency landing they kept flying, and they stuffed the hole with tape, pillows, and blankets. Perfectly logical fix at 30,000 feet at 550 miles per hour. Oh, and of course the guy suffered a chest infection as a result of the situation.

Emirates and Airbus simply said:

“We can confirm there was a whistling noise emanating from one of the doors on the A380 upper deck on flight EK384 between Bangkok and Hong Kong on Monday, February 11. At no point was the safety of the flight in jeopardy,” an Emirates spokesman said: .’

An Airbus spokesman said: “It is not possible for a cabin door to open on an A380 or on any aircraft whilst in flight, as doors open inwards and have locking mechanisms.”

Truly bizarre on so many levels. Did this guy totally make the situation up, or…?

British Airways seems to be having a really bad month when it comes to the behavior of their off duty crew members. Last week a drunk off duty pilot decided he wanted to f*&^ another passenger, and now the Daily Mail reports that off duty staff on a London to Washington flight went on a drunken rampage:

A drunken British Airways cabin crew ran amok while off-duty on a flight sparking angry complaints from passengers, it emerged today.

Stewards and stewardesses were seen downing bottles of champagne and red wine in front of stunned onlookers in First and Club premium cabins.

Passengers said the BA staff began screaming and shouting ‘like spoiled brats’. Some reported them kissing and ‘heavy petting’.

Ouch! This is one of those instances where I wish someone had taken a video…

(Tip of the hat to Wes)

What better way to end the week than to read about the 47-page handbook that the Abercrombie & Fitch CEO has for models staffing his private jet? It includes good stuff like:

Crew members are provided with a specific uniform by Abercrombie & Fitch: jeans, boxer briefs, polo shirts and flip flops. When it is 50 degrees or colder outside, all crew members are required to wear winter coats. The jacket should be zipped up to the “forth button from the bottom,” the manual specifies. “The lowest button should be left undone,” it says.

And:

Michael and Matthew’s dogs Ruby, Trouble and Sammy are nearly as picky as their owners, it seems. The manual outlines a five-point instruction set for seating the pets. “When Ruby and Trouble travel, Ruby will sit opposite Michael in the cabin, in Sammy’s seat,” it says. “When Sammy travels, Ruby will sit in Trouble’s seat.”

Thanks for giving me another reason not to shop here. And to the CEO, Mike Jeffries, you’re 68 — stop trying to dress like a 20 year old.

American’s operations have been a mess for the past couple of weeks as their pilots staged “sickouts” as a way of protesting American’s “last best and final offer” of their contract (and their general frustration with the airline). One pilot wrote a letter to Bob Crandall, American’s former CEO, and received a very interesting response. I highly recommend checking out both of the letters here, as it’s a very interesting read.

I actually ran into Bob Crandall at the Admirals Club in Chicago last year, and to say he got a warm reception would be an understatement.