Q: Why do the airlines refuse to let passengers deplane in the rain? We sat on a Delta flight for an hour, just 30 feet from the ramp. The pilot said he couldn’t get the plane to the ramp to dock. Is it a safety concern due to a possible lightning strike?
—John Snipes, Decatur
A: Lightning is a concern for airline workers and the presence of it near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport forces the closure of the Airport Operations Area (the ramp area).
“Lightning strikes can and do occur near aircraft on the ground, and while aircraft are designed to safely channel lightning away from the passenger cabin and into the ground, anyone on the ground near this occurrence is in harm’s way,” a Delta spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Flights are kept from unloading until the lightning passes.
“We don’t like the delay to our customers and their bags, but safety is our top priority,” he wrote.
Q: What happened to the young lady named Andrea who used to be on Fox News? What happened to Neil Cavuto?
—Jimmy Driskell, Winston
A: Andrea Tantaros, who hasn't been on the air since April, filed a lawsuit against Fox News last week.
Her suit states: “Fox News … operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny.”
She had been on “Outnumbered.”
Cavuto, a Fox News and Fox Business Network anchor, is scheduled to return to the air on Sept. 6. He underwent heart surgery on June 20.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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