JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
8 People Killed, At Least 40 Injured In Storms and Tornadoes-By KELLY STEVENSON, BEN STEIN and TOM LIDDY-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS-Good Morning America
Eight people have been killed in storms and tornadoes across the South late Wednesday, with at least 40 more people injured, according to officials.Amongst the dead was a 7-year-old boy and a person, found as a result of a storm in Holly Springs, Mississippi, according to the mayor. No further details about the circumstances were immediately available. At least 15 people were injured there. Search and rescue efforts will continue overnight, Mayor Kelvin Buck told ABC News.Also killed were a husband and wife, both in their 60's and another man in his 60's, according to Benton County Sheriff's Department.Dramatic photos of the storm bearing down on Holly Springs emerged Wednesday night.At least six counties reported damage in Mississippi, where at least 40 were reported injured, and search and rescues were being conducted there.One of the storms, a reported tornado, hit Bellevue, Mississippi, damaging 10-15 homes, at least 7 of which were destroyed, according to the Coahoma County Emergency Management.Five injuries were reported there and 2 additional severe injuries were reported near Shannon Airport, in the Clarksdale, MS area, the department said.In nearby Como, MS, at least two homes were damaged.In Perry County, Tennessee, there are two confirmed fatalities.In Wayne County, Tennessee, there was major structural damage to several buildings and homes in the area, but it was unclear how many, according to Wayne County Sheriff Ric Wilson. There were several injuries as well, he said.In Atkins, Arkansas, police, fire and rescue officials were dispatched to a residence on an entrapment call. High winds and heavy rain had caused a large tree to uproot and fall onto a house. An 18-year-old woman and an 18-month toddler were inside. The toddler was extricated by emergency personnel and transported to an area hospital. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.Some 68 million Americans were forecast to be in the path of the storms Wednesday night.A "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watch was issued from Monroe, Louisiana, to Jackson, Tennessee, meaning there was a good chance of long-track tornadoes.In addition to Mississippi, severe storms were predicted for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama.
Southern U.S. cleans up after severe storms packing twisters kill six-Reuters-DEC 24,15-YAHOO NEWS
(Reuters) - Emergency crews on Thursday were assessing damage after a dangerous storm system packing strong winds and tornadoes tore through the southern and central United States, killing at least six people and leaving several others reported missing.The stormy weather scrambled winter getaway plans in Florida while northeastern states were expected to see unseasonably warm temperatures, with forecasts indicating New York City would be warmer than Los Angeles on Christmas Day. [L1N14A249].More than 20 tornadoes were reported on Wednesday in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said.A large tornado struck a 100-mile stretch of northern Mississippi Wednesday afternoon, demolishing or heavily damaging dozens of homes and other buildings in a six-county area before plowing into Tennessee, authorities said.Three people were confirmed dead from the storms in Mississippi, including a 7-year-old boy, two more in Tennessee and one in Arkansas, according to emergency management and law enforcement officials in the region.Emergency crews in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee were looking for several people reported missing and assessing damage from the destructive winds.Isolated severe thunderstorms were expected to continue early Thursday from Louisiana through Kentucky, up to Washington D.C. and eastern Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said.Gregg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, reported three people were killed and more than 40 injuries in the six hardest-hit counties.In Tennessee, clobbered by multiple twisters, state Emergency Management Agency officials confirmed a 7-year-old boy, and two adults, a man and woman, were killed.An 18-year-old Arkansas woman died and a toddler was injured when a tree crashed into her house after being uprooted by powerful winds, according to emergency officials there.Flooding from the rains would remain a hazard for drivers early on Thursday, forecasters said.More than 100 million Americans were expected to travel during the holiday period beginning Wednesday, 91 million of them by car, according to the American Automobile Association.(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; editing by Jason Neely)
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
Whale carcass closes popular Cape Town beach amid shark concerns-Reuters-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A South African beach popular with Christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday.Local media described it as a humpback whale measuring over 14 meters (46 feet) in length and said two sharks had been spotted in the area."The immediate area around the whale carcass has been cordoned off and this area is closed to members of the public ... The blood and debris from the carcass can attract sharks to the area," the city said in a statement.The affected area was the Strand Beach, a stretch of sand east of Cape Town.Great whites, the largest predatory species of shark, are common in the cool Atlantic waters off Cape Town and sometimes attack surfers or swimmers. They would not be expected to attack a whale and it was not immediately clear how the humpback had died.(Writing by Ed Stoddard; editing by Ralph Boulton)
KNOWLEGE INCREASED AND WORLD TRAVEL (IMMIGRATION) INCREASED
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION FROM FLEEING WARS) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
Airlines prep for holiday crush: More flights, bigger planes-Airlines hope to repeat smooth Thanksgiving performance over peak Christmas-travel period-Associated Press By David Koenig, AP Airlines Writer-YAHOONEWS-DEC 24,15
DALLAS (AP) -- Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend. Success or failure could all depend on the weather and Mother Nature isn't making it easy on airlines.Rain and fog in the Northeast caused delays and cancellations Wednesday in Boston, New York and Washington — the busiest part of the country's airspace. Rain in Chicago and Atlanta caused some delays in those cities too. Severe storms that ripped through Mississippi and Alabama, however, had little impact on air travel since no major airports are in those states.Weather wasn't the only culprit for travel headaches. A Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis had clogged roads around the airport and temporarily blocked access to one of the two terminals. Passengers were moving through security again as of 4:30 local time. There were about 5,300 delays and 430 cancelations around 8:15 p.m., according to flight tracking site FlightAware. That's double the number of normal cancellations. The majority of flights canceled were smaller regional jets that carry 50 to 76 passengers. More than 28,000 flights were scheduled for Wednesday and a typical day sees about 150 cancelations and 4,000 delays.The catch: flights are extremely full over the holiday period, with most travelers unable to make changes in their schedule.Airlines expect about 38 million passengers over a 17-day period spanning Christmas and New Year's, an increase of about 3 percent, according to an industry trade group, Airlines for America. The group says the average flight could be 90 percent full.Crowds like that mean that any hiccup in the system — delays at a major airport, a technology glitch — can ripple across the country and leave tens of thousands of passengers standing in airport lines." The biggest factor is always weather," said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein.Back-to-back storms led to more than 4,300 canceled flights around Christmas 2012. This time the Northeast corridor not only should be free of snow and ice, it should be relatively balmy with temperatures on Christmas Day in the 60s from New York to Boston. But rain and snow are forecast through Thursday in parts of the West, and the South and Ohio Valley could see severe storms before Christmas.Airlines have been helped recently by the El Niño pattern that has brought above-average temperatures to northern states. "We saw that through the Thanksgiving holiday season, and we've seen that through November and December," said Steve Hozdulick, Southwest Airlines' managing director of operational performance.United posted its lowest flight-cancellation rate ever for a Thanksgiving week, and Southwest had its best on-time performance ever for the day before the holiday, which helps reduce other problems such as lost or delayed bags.From 9 percent to 19 percent of flights were delayed over the peak five-day Thanksgiving period, according to tracking service FlightAware.com. A year earlier, when the weather was worse, delays ran between 12 percent and 31 percent.Besides the vagaries of weather, airlines in recent years have done a better job of adjusting schedules for peak holiday periods.According to Mark Duell of FlightAware, U.S. airlines added up to 700 flights a day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, compared with the same days last week. They cut about 4,400 flights on Christmas Eve and 5,700 on Friday, Christmas Day, when fewer people want to travel, he said.Delta Air Lines and its Delta Connection affiliate scheduled 5,253 flights next Sunday, compared with fewer than 5,000 on a typical winter Sunday. Southwest expected Wednesday to be its busiest day, with more than 3,800 flights.The peak day was last Friday for American, with 6,900 flights, and United, nearly 5,000, but both will also operate increased flights each of the next two Sundays.Some of the additional flights are late at night, which gives travelers more options — and sometimes a lower fare. American and United successfully used the redeye tactic over Thanksgiving."Hubs like Houston, Chicago and Denver will see large increases of flights departing after 10 p.m. — very similar to what we did over Thanksgiving," said United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart. American added night flights at Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Charlotte.At Delta, some extra flights will connect big cities that get heavy traffic all the time, while others will go to warm-weather destinations, said spokesman Morgan Durrant. Delta will occasionally use bigger planes. Through Jan. 3 there is an Atlanta-Salt Lake City round trip using a 293-seat Airbus A330 instead of smaller planes such as Boeing 737s with just 160 seats.The airlines say they will have enough employees on hand to handle the extra passengers.The Transportation Security Administration is also adjusting staffing, said spokesman Mike England. Wait times at security checkpoints have increased this year, and passengers can expect longer delays during the holidays, he said. Holiday travelers slow the process when they overstuff carry-on bags, which makes them harder to screen.Many travelers are bound to be stressed out. Patience will be a valuable commodity. Along with portable chargers for phones and other gadgets.___With reports from Scott Mayerowitz in New York.___David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
Southwest flight makes emergency landing at Oakland airport-Associated Press By JANIE HAR-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A Southwest Airlines flight made what appeared to be a normal landing Wednesday after circling for several hours over the Oakland airport due to possible landing gear problems.TV helicopter video showed Southwest flight 2547 landing at Oakland International Airport with a puff of smoke from its tires.The Chicago-bound flight took off from Oakland at about 6 a.m. and landed just over four hours later. There were 139 passengers on the plane. No injuries were reported, but some passengers were panicking at the end of the ordeal."People were holding hands. Everyone was on their phones, I'm sure sending messages to loved ones," passenger Ashley Stasio, 34, told The Associated Press. "I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it was scary."KRON-TV reported a front tire on the landing gear had blown out.Stasio, of San Francisco, said the captain reported soon after takeoff that there were issues with the plane. Later, he told passengers that the plane would not be going to Chicago and would burn fuel over Oakland for about an hour.Ninety minutes later, he said 6,000 more pounds of fuel had to be burned. He did not explain further until the plane was ready to land, and by that time passengers were watching the news online, Stasio said.It was a smooth landing, she said.A short statement from Southwest Airlines said the captain returned to Oakland because of a reported maintenance issue. It did not elaborate.Airport spokeswoman Keonnis Taylor declined to comment on the incident, except to say the plane landed safely without injuries.The airport expects more than 600,000 passengers this holiday season.
STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
8 People Killed, At Least 40 Injured In Storms and Tornadoes-By KELLY STEVENSON, BEN STEIN and TOM LIDDY-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS-Good Morning America
Eight people have been killed in storms and tornadoes across the South late Wednesday, with at least 40 more people injured, according to officials.Amongst the dead was a 7-year-old boy and a person, found as a result of a storm in Holly Springs, Mississippi, according to the mayor. No further details about the circumstances were immediately available. At least 15 people were injured there. Search and rescue efforts will continue overnight, Mayor Kelvin Buck told ABC News.Also killed were a husband and wife, both in their 60's and another man in his 60's, according to Benton County Sheriff's Department.Dramatic photos of the storm bearing down on Holly Springs emerged Wednesday night.At least six counties reported damage in Mississippi, where at least 40 were reported injured, and search and rescues were being conducted there.One of the storms, a reported tornado, hit Bellevue, Mississippi, damaging 10-15 homes, at least 7 of which were destroyed, according to the Coahoma County Emergency Management.Five injuries were reported there and 2 additional severe injuries were reported near Shannon Airport, in the Clarksdale, MS area, the department said.In nearby Como, MS, at least two homes were damaged.In Perry County, Tennessee, there are two confirmed fatalities.In Wayne County, Tennessee, there was major structural damage to several buildings and homes in the area, but it was unclear how many, according to Wayne County Sheriff Ric Wilson. There were several injuries as well, he said.In Atkins, Arkansas, police, fire and rescue officials were dispatched to a residence on an entrapment call. High winds and heavy rain had caused a large tree to uproot and fall onto a house. An 18-year-old woman and an 18-month toddler were inside. The toddler was extricated by emergency personnel and transported to an area hospital. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.Some 68 million Americans were forecast to be in the path of the storms Wednesday night.A "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watch was issued from Monroe, Louisiana, to Jackson, Tennessee, meaning there was a good chance of long-track tornadoes.In addition to Mississippi, severe storms were predicted for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama.
Southern U.S. cleans up after severe storms packing twisters kill six-Reuters-DEC 24,15-YAHOO NEWS
(Reuters) - Emergency crews on Thursday were assessing damage after a dangerous storm system packing strong winds and tornadoes tore through the southern and central United States, killing at least six people and leaving several others reported missing.The stormy weather scrambled winter getaway plans in Florida while northeastern states were expected to see unseasonably warm temperatures, with forecasts indicating New York City would be warmer than Los Angeles on Christmas Day. [L1N14A249].More than 20 tornadoes were reported on Wednesday in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said.A large tornado struck a 100-mile stretch of northern Mississippi Wednesday afternoon, demolishing or heavily damaging dozens of homes and other buildings in a six-county area before plowing into Tennessee, authorities said.Three people were confirmed dead from the storms in Mississippi, including a 7-year-old boy, two more in Tennessee and one in Arkansas, according to emergency management and law enforcement officials in the region.Emergency crews in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee were looking for several people reported missing and assessing damage from the destructive winds.Isolated severe thunderstorms were expected to continue early Thursday from Louisiana through Kentucky, up to Washington D.C. and eastern Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said.Gregg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, reported three people were killed and more than 40 injuries in the six hardest-hit counties.In Tennessee, clobbered by multiple twisters, state Emergency Management Agency officials confirmed a 7-year-old boy, and two adults, a man and woman, were killed.An 18-year-old Arkansas woman died and a toddler was injured when a tree crashed into her house after being uprooted by powerful winds, according to emergency officials there.Flooding from the rains would remain a hazard for drivers early on Thursday, forecasters said.More than 100 million Americans were expected to travel during the holiday period beginning Wednesday, 91 million of them by car, according to the American Automobile Association.(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; editing by Jason Neely)
DEAD ANIMALS
HOSEA 4:1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,(EARTH) because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
Whale carcass closes popular Cape Town beach amid shark concerns-Reuters-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A South African beach popular with Christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday.Local media described it as a humpback whale measuring over 14 meters (46 feet) in length and said two sharks had been spotted in the area."The immediate area around the whale carcass has been cordoned off and this area is closed to members of the public ... The blood and debris from the carcass can attract sharks to the area," the city said in a statement.The affected area was the Strand Beach, a stretch of sand east of Cape Town.Great whites, the largest predatory species of shark, are common in the cool Atlantic waters off Cape Town and sometimes attack surfers or swimmers. They would not be expected to attack a whale and it was not immediately clear how the humpback had died.(Writing by Ed Stoddard; editing by Ralph Boulton)
KNOWLEGE INCREASED AND WORLD TRAVEL (IMMIGRATION) INCREASED
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION FROM FLEEING WARS) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
Airlines prep for holiday crush: More flights, bigger planes-Airlines hope to repeat smooth Thanksgiving performance over peak Christmas-travel period-Associated Press By David Koenig, AP Airlines Writer-YAHOONEWS-DEC 24,15
DALLAS (AP) -- Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend. Success or failure could all depend on the weather and Mother Nature isn't making it easy on airlines.Rain and fog in the Northeast caused delays and cancellations Wednesday in Boston, New York and Washington — the busiest part of the country's airspace. Rain in Chicago and Atlanta caused some delays in those cities too. Severe storms that ripped through Mississippi and Alabama, however, had little impact on air travel since no major airports are in those states.Weather wasn't the only culprit for travel headaches. A Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis had clogged roads around the airport and temporarily blocked access to one of the two terminals. Passengers were moving through security again as of 4:30 local time. There were about 5,300 delays and 430 cancelations around 8:15 p.m., according to flight tracking site FlightAware. That's double the number of normal cancellations. The majority of flights canceled were smaller regional jets that carry 50 to 76 passengers. More than 28,000 flights were scheduled for Wednesday and a typical day sees about 150 cancelations and 4,000 delays.The catch: flights are extremely full over the holiday period, with most travelers unable to make changes in their schedule.Airlines expect about 38 million passengers over a 17-day period spanning Christmas and New Year's, an increase of about 3 percent, according to an industry trade group, Airlines for America. The group says the average flight could be 90 percent full.Crowds like that mean that any hiccup in the system — delays at a major airport, a technology glitch — can ripple across the country and leave tens of thousands of passengers standing in airport lines." The biggest factor is always weather," said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein.Back-to-back storms led to more than 4,300 canceled flights around Christmas 2012. This time the Northeast corridor not only should be free of snow and ice, it should be relatively balmy with temperatures on Christmas Day in the 60s from New York to Boston. But rain and snow are forecast through Thursday in parts of the West, and the South and Ohio Valley could see severe storms before Christmas.Airlines have been helped recently by the El Niño pattern that has brought above-average temperatures to northern states. "We saw that through the Thanksgiving holiday season, and we've seen that through November and December," said Steve Hozdulick, Southwest Airlines' managing director of operational performance.United posted its lowest flight-cancellation rate ever for a Thanksgiving week, and Southwest had its best on-time performance ever for the day before the holiday, which helps reduce other problems such as lost or delayed bags.From 9 percent to 19 percent of flights were delayed over the peak five-day Thanksgiving period, according to tracking service FlightAware.com. A year earlier, when the weather was worse, delays ran between 12 percent and 31 percent.Besides the vagaries of weather, airlines in recent years have done a better job of adjusting schedules for peak holiday periods.According to Mark Duell of FlightAware, U.S. airlines added up to 700 flights a day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, compared with the same days last week. They cut about 4,400 flights on Christmas Eve and 5,700 on Friday, Christmas Day, when fewer people want to travel, he said.Delta Air Lines and its Delta Connection affiliate scheduled 5,253 flights next Sunday, compared with fewer than 5,000 on a typical winter Sunday. Southwest expected Wednesday to be its busiest day, with more than 3,800 flights.The peak day was last Friday for American, with 6,900 flights, and United, nearly 5,000, but both will also operate increased flights each of the next two Sundays.Some of the additional flights are late at night, which gives travelers more options — and sometimes a lower fare. American and United successfully used the redeye tactic over Thanksgiving."Hubs like Houston, Chicago and Denver will see large increases of flights departing after 10 p.m. — very similar to what we did over Thanksgiving," said United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart. American added night flights at Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Charlotte.At Delta, some extra flights will connect big cities that get heavy traffic all the time, while others will go to warm-weather destinations, said spokesman Morgan Durrant. Delta will occasionally use bigger planes. Through Jan. 3 there is an Atlanta-Salt Lake City round trip using a 293-seat Airbus A330 instead of smaller planes such as Boeing 737s with just 160 seats.The airlines say they will have enough employees on hand to handle the extra passengers.The Transportation Security Administration is also adjusting staffing, said spokesman Mike England. Wait times at security checkpoints have increased this year, and passengers can expect longer delays during the holidays, he said. Holiday travelers slow the process when they overstuff carry-on bags, which makes them harder to screen.Many travelers are bound to be stressed out. Patience will be a valuable commodity. Along with portable chargers for phones and other gadgets.___With reports from Scott Mayerowitz in New York.___David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
Southwest flight makes emergency landing at Oakland airport-Associated Press By JANIE HAR-DEC 24,15-YAHOONEWS
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A Southwest Airlines flight made what appeared to be a normal landing Wednesday after circling for several hours over the Oakland airport due to possible landing gear problems.TV helicopter video showed Southwest flight 2547 landing at Oakland International Airport with a puff of smoke from its tires.The Chicago-bound flight took off from Oakland at about 6 a.m. and landed just over four hours later. There were 139 passengers on the plane. No injuries were reported, but some passengers were panicking at the end of the ordeal."People were holding hands. Everyone was on their phones, I'm sure sending messages to loved ones," passenger Ashley Stasio, 34, told The Associated Press. "I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it was scary."KRON-TV reported a front tire on the landing gear had blown out.Stasio, of San Francisco, said the captain reported soon after takeoff that there were issues with the plane. Later, he told passengers that the plane would not be going to Chicago and would burn fuel over Oakland for about an hour.Ninety minutes later, he said 6,000 more pounds of fuel had to be burned. He did not explain further until the plane was ready to land, and by that time passengers were watching the news online, Stasio said.It was a smooth landing, she said.A short statement from Southwest Airlines said the captain returned to Oakland because of a reported maintenance issue. It did not elaborate.Airport spokeswoman Keonnis Taylor declined to comment on the incident, except to say the plane landed safely without injuries.The airport expects more than 600,000 passengers this holiday season.
