Watercooler Stories

FAA probes ice chunk from the sky

CHICAGO, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the origin of a falling ice chunk that damaged the roof and gutters of a Chicago home.

The FAA said it is looking into whether any of the planes approaching O'Hare International Airport, which is located about 10 miles from the home, Wednesday night had water leakage problems, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Homeowner Paul Dowd said the large ice chunk hit the roof of the house at about 7:52 p.m. He said a police report was filed and he contacted his insurance company. The home is under a flight path used by planes at the airport.

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Scots students take short flight to school

WESTRAY, Scotland, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A Scottish airline said six teenagers on a remote island will be taking 96-second flights to ensure they can attend school while a ferry is out of service.

Loganair said the ferry that usually transports the teens, ages 13-14, will be out of service for refurbishment until the end of the year, so the students will be flown from Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands to nearby Westray to attend school, the Daily Mail reported.

The airline said the students will take a flight each Tuesday, stay with host families while attending classes, and fly home Thursday.

"While it is a popular tourist route for many visitors to Scotland, it's also a vital lifeline to those residents who live, work or do business in the Orkneys and it will make all the difference to ensuring those children who live on Papa Westray can continue their schooling throughout winter," Loganair commercial director Jonathan Hinkles said.

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Couple compensated $514 for fake cake

PEMBREY, Wales, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A Welsh couple whose wedding cake turned out to be a polystyrene fraud won $514 from the bakery in small claims court.

Aimee West, 27, said she and her new husband Tony, 26, discovered the day of their reception in Pembrey, Wales, that bakery Creative Cakes had forgotten about their $447-prepaid cake order, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"They admitted their mistake and said: 'Don't worry, we'll get you a cake.' They turned up that evening and the cake was put on a table for all to see," she said. "We were just about to cut it when someone discovered the cake people had left four layers of sponge cake in the hotel reception. That set alarm bells ringing and when my mother checked the cake she found it was made of polystyrene."

Polystyrene is better known by the brand name Styrofoam.

The small claims court ordered Creative Cakes owner Karen Williams to pay the Wests $514 in compensation.

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Man denied first class due to track suit

DULLES, Va., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A Maryland man said a United Airlines gate agent at a Virginia airport refused to allow him into the first-class cabin because he was wearing a track suit.

Armando Alvarez, a corporate vice president with Best Buy, said he used his United miles to upgrade to first class for his Oct. 26 flight from Dulles International Airport to Connecticut to visit the company's headquarters but the gate agent refused to let him enter the cabin, WTTG-TV, Washington, reported.

Alvarez said the agent told him he was dressed too casually for first class.

"I was humiliated. I was embarrassed and when some of the passengers were boarding behind me they said, 'Hey, what just happened?' And I said the agent just said I wasn't properly dressed to go in first class today. And they said, 'Was he kidding?' I said obviously not because I'm boarding and not getting in first class," Alvarez said.

United Airlines said the gate agent, a contract employee who works for Air Wisconsin, is being interviewed and security footage is being reviewed as part of an investigation into the incident. Officials said United's dress code only stipulates that passengers wear clothes and shoes.