AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*The controversial new carry-on bag fee goes into effect today on all SPIRIT AIRLINES flights. The Airline sparked the controversy in April when it announced plans to charge for carry-on items. Passengers who pay in advance, either online or by phone, have to pay $30 per bag. For those who don't pay before arriving at the boarding gate, the fee jumps to $45 per bag. Members of Spirit's special fare club will only pay $20 for a carry-on. And any bag small enough to fit under a seat flies for free. Spirit has about 150 daily flights and most carry holidaymakers from major Airports in the US through Fort Lauderdale and on to Latin America. Spirit is the 1st Airline to charge passengers for carry-on items. New York Sen. Charles Schumer has extractd a promise from 5 of the nation's biggest Airlines, including AMERICAN and DELTA, that they wouldn't charge for carry-on bags. A Spirit spokeswoman said the Airline wants to ensure an easy transition for customers and employees. "We'll have to see how things go over the next week or so," she said.

*An ALITALIA A320 suffered a bird strike, yesterday, July 31. Flight 495 was on International Service from Bucharest, Romania, to Rome, Italy, with 92 passengers and crew onboard. The crew rejected takeoff at high speed from Bucharest after a hawk was ingested into an engine. The aircraft was brought to a stop on the runway and taxied to the apron of its own accord. The A320 was then removed from service for a full damage assessment.

*A TRANSAERO Boeing 767 suffered an engine fire after landing, yesterday, July 31. Flight 9461 was on International Service from St Petersburg, Russia, to Larnaca, Cyprus, and had just landed in Larnaca, when the tower reported smoke coming from an engine. The crew shut the engine down and activated the fire supression system. Emergency Services were deployed and reached the airliner within 1 minute. They foamed down the engine and were able to extinguish the fire. Fire trucks escorted the 767 as it was towed to an apron and passengers offloaded. No one onboard was injured in the incident. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection and repairs. Cypriot aviation officials are investigating.

*A SINGAPORE AIRLINES Boeing 777 and an AIR CHINA Boeing 737 suffered minor damage when they suffered a collision on the ground in Beijing, China, yesterday, July 31. Singapore Flight 803, on International Service from Beijing to Singapore with 248 passengers and crew onboard, was on taxi for departure, when its right wing tip struck the tail of the stationary Air China 737. It is not known if the Air China aircraft was empty at the time of the collision. According to media reports, the weather at the time of the incident was said to be foggy with low visiblity. No one was injured in the incident. The Singapore airliner returned to the gate and offloaded all passengers and crew. Both aircraft were removed from service for a full damage assessment and Chinese aviation officials have opened an investigation.

*A CANADIAN NORTH Boeing 737 had to make an emergency return, on Friday, July 30. Flight 438 was on Domestic Service from Yellowknife, NT, to Rankin Inlet, NU, Canada, with 35 passengers and crew onboard. While climbing out of Yellowknife, and about 20 minutes into the flight, the crew reported that the starter valve of an engine was open. They leveled off at 29000 feet, shut the engine down, and then descended down to 23000 feet. The 737 landed back at Yellowknife about 45 minutes later without incident and was then removed from service for inspection and repairs.