Computer "Glitches" Shut Down New York Stock Exchange, United Airlines, WSJ

CNN reports:

The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading 11:32 a.m ET Wednesday. In a brief announcement, the exchange said it was experiencing a "internal technical issue" and said on Twitter that it's "not the result of a cyber breach." "We will be providing further updates as soon as we can, and are doing our utmost to produce a swift resolution, communicate thoroughly and transparently, and ensure a timely and orderly market re-open," the NYSE said. The Department of Homeland Security told CNN that there is "no sign of malicious activity" at the NYSE or with an earlier outage experienced by United Airlines. The Wall Street Journal's homepage stopped functioning around the same time that the NYSE went down. The Journal was able to restore a limited homepage by 12:18 pm ET with the message "WSJ.com is having technical difficulties. The full site will return shortly."

More about United:

United Airlines said on Wednesday it was restoring operations after all its flights were grounded for about two hours due to computer problems. Earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all of United's flights following a systemwide computer glitch, which was resolved, the agency said. The grounding order began at 8 a.m. EDT and ended at 9:47 a.m. About 260 flights were delayed, or 12 percent of all United flights, according to website FlightAware, while seven flights canceled. United in a statement said "We are recovering from a network connectivity issue this morning and restoring regular flight operations." United said it would rebook flights for affected passengers without charge.

JMG reader Tom points us to a tweet sent last night by an account associated with Anonymous.

United Diverts Flight After Passenger Fight Over Device That Prevents Seat Reclining

United Airlines diverted a flight from Newark to Denver after two passengers got into a fight over the Knee Defender, which prevents the seat in front of you from reclining.

The fight started when the male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the Knee Defender to stop the woman in front of him from reclining while he was on his laptop, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak. A flight attendant asked him to remove the device and he refused. The woman then stood up, turned around and threw a cup of water at him, the official says. That's when United decided to land in Chicago. The two passengers were not allowed to continue to Denver. Both passengers were sitting in United's Economy Plus section, the part of the plane that has four more inches of legroom than the rest of coach.

Both passengers were booted off the plane in Chicago. No charges have yet been filed. United Airlines forbids the use of devices like the Knee Defender and the FAA has said that decision is up to each carrier.

FAA Bans US Flights To & From Tel Aviv

Via the Washington Post:

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday afternoon ordered U.S. carriers to stop flying to or from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, prohibiting them from traveling through Israel’s largest airport after a rocket landed nearby. Airlines were banned from flying to Tel Aviv for a 24-hour period beginning on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. The FAA said it will issue additional guidance by the end of that period.  This prohibition came after a rocket landed about a mile away from the airport, the FAA said. “The FAA immediately notified U.S. carriers when the agency learned of the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing [the notice],” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.” Even before the FAA’s notice was sent out, several U.S. airlines began canceling flights on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

United has suspended all service to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

Fly The Friendly Skies

The man has been restrained by fellow passengers and FBI agents are waiting at the United terminal. Flying really does seem to push unstable people over the edge, especially lately.

United And Continental Airlines To Merge

United and Continental Airlines have announced their intent to merge. The merger will create the world's largest airline in annual passenger traffic.

United’s name and Chicago headquarters will be retained, while Continental Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smisek, 55, will become the CEO and United’s Glenn Tilton, 62, will be non- executive chairman, the companies said today in a statement. Each Continental share will be exchanged for 1.05 UAL shares. United and Continental together would take the top spot in global traffic from Delta Air Lines Inc., with hubs in New York and Washington and the most traffic among U.S. carriers on high- fare Atlantic and Pacific routes. The airlines reignited merger talks last month after negotiations collapsed two years ago. “With the recovery of the economy, fuel prices moderating, capital markets opening and both companies having solid liquidity, it was the right time to get involved in merger discussions,” Smisek said today in an interview.

The new company will operate under the United name, but the planes will have the Continental logo and colors. The agreement is subject to approval by shareholders and federal regulators.

Airline Baggage Fees Rise

United joins the fee increase.

Bloomberg News is reporting that United Airlines plans to start charging $23 for a first piece of checked luggage, a 53 percent increase, to match fees by competitors Delta and Continental. A second bag will cost $32, up from $25, Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based parent UAL Corp. told Bloomberg. The prices apply to online check-ins only, with airport transactions $2 more for the first bag and $3 more for the second. American Airlines and US Airways says they too are considering raising rates.

Southwest is the last major carrier without baggage fees.