Fun Family Travel Vacation

After blowing a tire during takeoff, a US Airway jet had to circle the the San Antonio Airport for an hour. The jet had to circle the airport so that it could lose some fuel before landing. It was originally scheduled to fly to Phoenix, Arizona, but after blowing the tire it was determined that it be safer to try to land as safely as possible. None of the 87 people on board the plane were injured.

Source: Associated Press

An American Airlines plane overshot the runway while landing at the Norman Manley Airport in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday night. 40 people were injured and taken to the Kingston Public Hospital. Flight AA331, a Boeing 737 originated from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. and made a stop at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida before heading to Kingston. At the time of the landing there was heavy rain.

According to a press release by American Airlines:

“The care of our passengers and crew members remains our highest priority, and we are grateful for the professionalism of our crew members who safely evacuated the aircraft,” said Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO of American Airlines.

Anyone who believes they have family members or friends aboard Flight 331 may contact American Airlines at the following toll-free numbers: (800) 245-0999 for calls originating in the United States; for calls originating in Jamaica, use (800) 872-2881. Family members from other locations outside the U.S. may contact American through the AT&T Direct Access system. Callers should dial the local AT&T Access telephone number, which can be found at www.usa.att.com/traveler for the country from which they are calling. Once in the AT&T system, callers can then dial American toll-free at (800) 245-0999. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin islands can call the (800) 245-0999 number directly. Non-family members are asked not to call those numbers so the lines can be kept available for those who truly need them.

Source:Jamaican Observer

More People Rode Amtrak Trains for Thanksgiving Travel

Amtrak said that this past Thanksgiving they saw a 4 percent increase in the amounts of passengers on their trains.  They set a new record in the number of travelers of 685,876, which surpassed its previous record of 666,716 set in 2007.

With high prices of airline tickets for Thanksgiving travel it is no wonder more people chose to travel by train.   You also do not have the baggage fee that many airlines now charge.  Although, Southwest Airlines has said that they now allow you to have 2 free checked bags per traveler.  However, traveling by train may work out a little cheaper depending on your travel destination.

Source: Associated Press