Airline Passengers

After helping deliver the District of Columbia's first baby of 2009, Dr. Kashif Irfan boarded a flight to Orlando, Fla., with his wife, three children and other relatives to participate in a weekend retreat on the peaceful practice of Islam. But instead of taking off as scheduled, Irfan and his family were suddenly ordered off the plane, detained in the airport and refused passage by the airline after they were cleared by the FBI.

Commercial and private pilots report thousands of incidents a year where birds hit their aircraft, but the vast majority of the potentially dangerous encounters do not result in substantial damage or serious crashes. Birds are being investigated as the possible cause of Thursday's US Airways incident. Authorities said the pilot of the Airbus A320 reported a "double bird strike" during takeoff, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River as both engines lost power.

Moments before steering US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River, Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III warned the cabin: "Brace for impact." Denise Lockie, in seat 2C, put her head between her knees. Tracey Wolsko, who had been listening to her iPod and reading a romance novel, removed her glasses and high heels and placed an airline pillow between her face and the seat back in front of her.

U.S. airline delays in November fell for the third consecutive month as carriers took steps such as canceling flights rather than let late-arriving planes clog airports. The on-time arrival rate was 80%, up from 77% a year earlier, according to a U.S. Transportation Department report Thursday. "It looks like the airlines are acting more proactively to the snowstorms," said Jack Kies, who oversaw national airspace for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Flying to Tokyo this spring? United Airlines last week offered a round-trip flight for as little as $400 -- plus $300 in fuel charges. With oil prices high, fuel surcharges on many international flights have climbed in recent months to nearly half the price of a ticket. U.S. visitors to Spain can expect to pay up to $390 in fuel surcharges for a round-trip flight. Air New Zealand imposes up to $360 in fuel fees. There doesn't seem to be any relief in sight as fares surge with the price of fuel.

United Airlines will begin charging some passengers $50 to check in a second piece of luggage on domestic round-trip flights, becoming the first big carrier to impose a fee for a service that has long been included in the price of a ticket.

A British judge has ordered budget airline Ryanair to pay $7,850 to members of a calypso band who were ordered off a plane at gunpoint after another passenger said they were acting suspiciously. Five members of the London-based Caribbean Steel International band were aboard a flight waiting to go from the Italian island of Sardinia to London on Dec. 31, 2006, when a passenger alerted the crew.

Long-troubled Aloha Airlines, saying it was unable to find a buyer or financing to stay in business, will end passenger service today, grounding the only carrier offering nonstop flights from Orange County to Hawaii. The Honolulu-based carrier, which had filed for Bankruptcy Court protection less than two weeks ago, announced the move on its website Sunday and said it had canceled today's flights from Hawaii and several cities in California and Nevada, including service to John Wayne Airport.

Travelers with visions of Waikiki, sandy beaches and island cruises were stranded Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport and across the nation as low-fare carrier ATA Airlines Inc. abruptly grounded all flights and ceased operations. A single sheet of paper posted at an empty ticket counter at LAX delivered the bad news for travelers on the carrier's three scheduled daily flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Passengers scrambled -- with limited success -- to make alternative arrangements.

The nation's air travelers may be wondering whether last week's three airline shutdowns signal more trouble ahead. But a bigger concern this spring may be the likelihood of more flight delays, jammed planes and even higher ticket prices. With rising fuel costs, fewer planes in the sky and heightened safety concerns with aging aircraft, travelers can expect flights to be more expensive, crowded and late, giving passengers more reasons not to fly this year.