After a 13-hour delay on Saturday due to fog, a 73-year-old man died on an Etihad flight bound to Germany from Abu Dhabi.

"Cabin crew were found to have provided all possible assistance," the airline said, according to The National.

Two doctors on the flight who attempted to treat the man observed that he had a scar consistent with heart surgery, the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper reported.

From the evidence currently available, it appears that the man died from natural causes. He was found in his seat and experienced trouble breathing before the doctors and crew administered medical assistance.

NEWS Man dies after 13-hour plane delay on the tarmac on Etihad Airways #EY23http://t.co/LPWzQWPVrspic.twitter.com/dIO125R6a2

— Air News agency (@airlivenet) January 6, 2015

Etihad's on-time rating is very good, but not great. Excessive delays are very rare for the airline.

That said...

Thirteen hours?!

In the US, the Department of Transportation instituted regulations in 2010 that prevented anything even remotely like that. Airlines must now allow passengers to leave the plane after a delay of three hours on the tarmac — or face hefty fines.

Excessive delays don't happen that often, but when they do ... look out! And with a death involved in this case, expect that the US rules may find broader application worldwide.

SEE ALSO: Here's What Air Traffic Control Is Doing When Your Flight Gets Delayed

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After 2014 proved to be a horror year in aviation, Australia’s flying kangaroo, Qantas, has been named the safest airline in the world for 2015.

Aviation ratings site AirlineRatings.com has released its top ten safest airlines and top ten safest low cost airlines for 2015 from the 449 it monitors.

Qantas remains fatality free in recent history and tops out the list. Also making the cut was Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific Airways, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

The site’s rating system considers industry audits as well as government checks and the airlines’ fatality records.

“There is no doubt that Qantas is a standout in safety enhancements and an industry benchmark for best practice,” AirlineRatings.com editor Geoffrey Thomas said.

“Qantas has been the lead airline in virtually every major advancement in airline safety over the past 60 years.”

The airline’s budget service, Jetstar, also made the website’s top ten safest low cost list for 2015.

Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Icelandair, Jetblue, Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly and Westjet also made the budget list.

“Unlike a number of low cost carriers these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) audit and have excellent safety records,” Thomas said. “Low cost does not mean low safety.”

The site examined 449 airlines of which 149 were allocated the top seven-star safety ranking. Nearly 50 received just three stars or less.

But a scary stat: five airlines only achieved one star for safety. These were Agni Air, Kam Air, Nepal Airlines, Scat and Tara Air.

Last year was a tragic one for aviation safety with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 and the downing of its MH17 jet. These two incidents claimed the lives of 537 people.

There were 21 fatal accidents with 986 fatalities in 2014. However, AirlineRatings estimated the world’s airlines carried a record 3.3 billion passengers on 27 million flights.

“Flashback 50 years and there were a staggering 87 crashes killing 1597 when airlines carried only 141 million passengers – five per cent of today’s number,” the report said.

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A weather delay over the weekend in Abu Dhabi stranded not just one but two airliners on the ground for more than 10 hours each.

A 13-hour tarmac delay on an Etihad flight headed for Germany ended when the plane was ultimately sent to another city — after a 73-year-old man died before takeoff.

But a second Etihad plane sat for 12 hours at the same fog-bound airport before making a 16-hour flight to San Francisco.

You do the math: That's a lot of hours. A couple of days, really, when you add it up.

Not surprisingly, Etihad announced on Wednesday that it will review its policies about takeoff waits, according to USA Today.

The US Department of Transportation stipulates that airlines in operating in the US must allow passengers to leave the plane after a three-hour wait. 

Etihad obviously blew through that, but of course, the flights originated in Abu Dhabi. 

Excessive waits are rare in the airline industry, but when you have both a death and two extreme delays on the same day, change is going to come, and it's going to come quickly.

NOW WATCH: These New Luxury Planes Feature $20,000 'Mini Apartments' With A Private Bathroom And A Butler

SEE ALSO: A Man Dies After His Flight Was Delayed For 13 Hours On The Ground In Abu Dhabi

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With 21 fatal accidents and 986 fatalities, 2014 was one of deadliest years in aviation history.

That said, flying is still one of the safest forms of transportation in the world. According to Australian consumer aviation website AirlineRatings.com, the airline industry transportation 3.3 billion passengers on 27 million flights in 2014.

AirlineRatings.com recently released a list of the 10 safest airlines selected from a pool of 449 carriers around the world. To compile its list, the website evaluates each airline based on its standing with international regulators, its fatality record over the past 10 years, it result from an International Air Transportation Association(IATA) safety audit, and whether the airline's country conform with the International Civil Aviation Organization's 8-point safety parameter. All of the airlines on this list passed those tests with flying colors.

Interestingly, the airlines on the list hale exclusively from Asia, Australia, and Europe, with no carriers from the Americas and Africa making the cut. AirRatings.com didn't list the final finishing order for places 2-10, but did crown a winner.

Air New Zealand has made a fine recovery after a period of financial turmoil in the early 2000s. This renaissance culminated with AirlineRatings.com recently naming it the best airline in the world. Air New Zealand has not suffered any significant incidents in the past couple of decades.

Singapore Airlines is universally lauded for its high quality service and efficient operations. It is also Business Insider's pick for the best airline in the world. The Changi Airport-based carrier has been accident free since 2000.

Finnair: As Finland's national airline, Finnair doesn't get as much attention in the media as some of its Scandinavian counterparts. But don't discount the Helsinki-based carrier. It has one of the best safety records in the business and hasn't suffered any major accidents since the 1960s.

Korean Air's infamous former "Nut Rage" executive, Heather Cho, has been charged by South Korean prosecutors for violating the country's aviation law and obstructing a government investigation.

These charges stem of a December incident at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport where the Cho, 40, forced one of the airline's jets to abort takeoff and return to the gate after reacting violently to being served macadamia nuts in a manner not conforming with company policy.

In addition, Cho — Korean Air's former head of in-flight service — kicked the head flight attendant off of the aircraft.

The former executive's actions caused departure to be delayed by 20 minutes. The flight — an Airbus A380 superjumbo — arrived in Seoul 11 minutes late.

Cho, daughter of Korean Air and Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho, was taken into custody last week, along with another Korean Air executive who is accused of an attempted cover-up. 

Cho is accused of "threatening the safety of the flight and causing confusion in law and order," said prosecutor Kim Chang-hee on Korean television.

An attorney spokesman for the Korean Bar Association told the AP that Cho faces up to 15 years in prison, should she be found guilty of all four charges.

According to the spokesman, the most serious charge levied against Cho is for forcing the flight to deviate from its normal route.

This carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. The three other charges —  the use of violence against the flight crew, obstructing a government investigation, and forcing the aircraft's head flight attendant off the plane — carry a combined total of five years in prison.

In addition to her legal problems, Cho's father announced soon after the incident that she had been fired from all positions within the company. In addition, the elder Cho publically apologized in front of the press for his daughter's actions and for not doing a better job as a parent. 

Korean prosecutors took up the case after a probe by the Country's transportation ministry led to allegations that the younger Cho physically assaulted a pair of flight attendants and ordered senior managers to destroy incriminating evidence against her, reported the Korea Times

According to Reuters, a judge with Seoul Western District Court said in statement, "The necessity for detention is recognized as the case is grave and there has been an attempt to systematically cover up charges from the beginning."

For many Koreans, the "Nut Rage" incident has served as a shocking reminder of the amount power and control family-owned business empires, called "Chaebols," have on the South Korean economy. Other famous Chaebols include such household names as Hyundai, Samsung, and LG.  

The "Nut Rage" scandal has reignited backlash against the family run industrial dynasties. Critics believe Chaebols have an unhealthy amount of influence on South Korea and argue that legislative attempts to curtail them have been weak.

SEE ALSO: 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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Nicosia (AFP) - Cyprus on Friday announced an immediate halt to flights by its national carrier after EU regulators ordered Nicosia to recover illegal state aid granted to the holiday island's ailing airline.

Cyprus Airways ticket-holders will be offered alternative arrangements, the government of the small recession-hit EU member state said.

Finance Minister Harris Georgiades told a press conference Cyprus Airways was no longer "economically viable" after the decision from Brussels and was ceasing operations.

The 68-year-old carrier was to make its last flight Friday night.

"We are saddened by the turn of events, and the government will seek to maintain air links between the island and abroad," said Communications Minister Marios Demetriades.

Demetriades had warned the airline could not survive if the EU decided Cyprus broke the rules by giving it a 31-million-euro ($37 million) capital increase and a 34-million-euro rescue loan.

He said the government was looking into the prospects of creating a new airline if they could find serious investors and had already bought the Cyprus Airways logo for such a scenario.

"Following today's decision for immediate termination of the flight programme of Cyprus Airways, the Cyprus government decided to offer alternative arrangements to all passengers who have in their possession tickets of Cyprus Airways flights," an official statement said.

It listed the alternatives as the use of chartered airplanes or passengers being switched to another airline, perhaps with transits, with the Cypriot government footing the bill.

In Brussels, EU regulators ordered Cyprus to recover from Cyprus Airways about 65 million euros ($77 million) in illegal state aid.

"Following an in-depth investigation, the European Commission has concluded that a restructuring aid package... for Cyprus' ailing flag carrier Cyprus Airways gave the company an undue advantage over its competitors in breach of EU state aid rules," Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

"Cyprus Airways has received large quantities of public money since 2007 but was unable to restructure and become viable without continued state support," Vestager said.

- Last-ditch survival bid -

The carrier, 93 percent state-owned, has struggled to survive against intense competition on its most popular routes to Greece and London.

Several cost-cutting plans as part of last-ditch survival efforts failed to stem losses.

It posted a net loss of 55.8 million euros in 2012, more than double the 23.88 million euros of the previous year.

The government launched a search for potential buyers of the carrier last year but failed to receive any serious interest.

Ireland's budget airline Ryanair and Greece's Aegean were whittled down from an initial 14 suitors when expressions of interest for Cyprus Airways were launched last July.

But the interested parties were reportedly concerned about the European Commission investigation of a breach of EU state aid rules.

A Cyprus Airways back-up plan would reportedly have seen the carrier reduced to three aircraft and its staff cut to 230 from the current 560.

The national carrier also sold off assets, including three slots at London's Heathrow airport, and reduced its fleet to six aircraft.

SEE ALSO: 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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This week, American Airlines applied to the US Department of Transportation for permission to offer nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

Hawaiian Airlines filed a similar application to fly from Kona.

Normally, this news wouldn't be a big deal. But in this case, there's a catch. The Haneda Airport landing slot American and Hawaiian covet already has an owner: Delta Airlines.

According to the Dallas Morning News, a US-Japan bilateral agreement limits US airlines to just four daily round-trip flights to Haneda.

The four flights are currently operated by Delta from Seattle and Los Angeles, Hawaiian from Honolulu, and United from San Francisco. 

So why are airlines fussing over Haneda when Tokyo also has Narita International Airport, another world-class facility?

Haneda is located much closer to downtown Tokyo and is the preferred destination for the first-class and business travelers airlines crave.

In fact, according to Nikkei, even a single low-cost domestic route out of Haneda can generate $19.3 million in annual revenue for an airline. The amount of cash that high-priced international routes can generate is even greater. 

This week's application is American's second attempt to dislodge Delta from its Haneda slot since Delta reduced the frequency of its flights from Seattle. American and Hawaiian accuse Delta of underutilizing the route by operating what they call "seasonal service." American says its flights from LAX will offer steady service year-round.

"With only four authorized daily flights for US airlines between Haneda and the United States, it is imperative that American be allowed to compete," American Airlines President Scott Kirby said. "We are the only US global network carrier without the authority to operate our own aircraft at Haneda." 

Should Delta lose its Seattle-to-Haneda slot, the airline will still have a significant presence in the Japanese capital. The Atlanta-based carrier will continue to operate its LAX-to-Haneda route, in addition to numerous flights in and out of Tokyo's Narita International Airport.

NOW WATCH: These New Luxury Planes Feature $20,000 'Mini Apartments' With A Private Bathroom And A Butler

SEE ALSO: 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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Recently, we've seen some discussion of widebody airliners flying at near-supersonic speeds by riding a tail wind courtesy of the jet stream — the vast river of air that flows west to east at roughly 25-30,000 feet.

Flyers have been wowed by quick 5-hour and 15 minutes long flights from New York to London and impressive 700 mph-plus speed readings.

On a Boeing 777!

Not since the Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde — capable of cruising at twice the speed of sound — has any commercial airliner been able to sustain supersonic performance. 

But can the average commercial airliner reach supersonic or even near-supersonic speeds? 

According to a retired Boeing 777 and Airbus captain and current airline flight instructor Lim Khoy Hing, the answer is no.  

In a blog post from 2011, one curious flyer asked whether supersonic speeds had been reached on a flight to London onboard a 777.

The flyer asked if the aircraft's 760-mph ground speed meant that the plane surpassed Mach 1 — 761 mph at sea level. 

Captain Lim explained:

Even if there is a strong tail wind pushing the plane forward and the ground speed may have exceeded the theoretical speed of sound, in reality, the plane has not gone supersonic.

The confusion arises between the understanding of ground speed and the plane’s speed. The ground speed is the speed at which an object travels relative to a fixed point on the Earth's surface. The difference between ground speed and airspeed is caused by the influence of winds on the overall speed of the aircraft. 

This is analogous to you walking at 2 mph along a [moving sidewalk] that is moving at 2 mph. Your actual movement towards your plane at the gate is pretty fast at 4 mph (2 + 2) but as far as you are concerned, you are still walking at 2 mph!

So there you go. Even if your flight is fortunate enough to have a helpful push from the jet stream, it's not about to go near supersonic speeds in level flight.

Which means you'll have to join the Chuck Yeager club some other time — and on some other plane!

SEE ALSO: 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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(Reuters) - United Airlines <ual.n> has paid a premium to dump old losing bets on higher oil prices, and is reviewing its strategy for insulating itself from oil market volatility, in a sign of how some airlines' efforts to hedge their fuel costs have backfired.

The Chicago-based carrier reported Friday that it has shrunk its hedge position to cover 22 percent of the fuel it consumes in 2015, down from the 24 percent it had anticipated when oil prices were higher.

The airline said it did so at a cost, raising its average fuel expenses last quarter to $2.83 per gallon from up to $2.76 per gallon, the price it had estimated on Dec. 8.

This move represents just one step of a broader effort parent company United Continental Holdings Inc has taken to evaluate its fuel hedges, a United spokesman told Reuters.

At stake for United and its rivals are potentially billions of dollars in gains or losses that could flow from what amount to sophisticated bets on the future of oil and jet fuel prices. Guessing wrong could hurt profits and leave an airline vulnerable to competitive pressure from rivals that guess right, and have more cash to spend on new planes or better-appointed airport facilities.

Oil is the largest variable cost for airlines, often representing a third or more of their operating expenses. Plunging oil prices, down more than 55 percent since June, overall have buoyed airline profits and sent their shares soaring.

But the oil price drop caught many carriers off guard, as they had purchased financial instruments that protected against rising prices and that required them to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in collateral when prices fell.

United Airlines now must decide whether the cost of closing more of its existing hedges outweighs the risk of posting more collateral if prices continue to fall.

NEW HEDGES

Company officials have met to discuss whether United should unwind its hedges more than it announced Friday, the spokesman said.

They have also frequently discussed whether prices have bottomed out enough for them to make new hedges that could cover multiple years of fuel consumption, although they have yet to make any decisions and are keeping all options on the table.

A multi-year bet by Southwest Airlines Co <luv.n> more than a decade ago protected the airline while oil costs for the industry soared.

"Southwest looked clairvoyant when they hedged at $30 (per barrel), and then the price shot up to $70 or $80," United's Chief Financial Officer John Rainey said in one section, reviewed by Reuters, of a recent memo to the carrier's pilots.

"We're mindful of this possibility and are closely evaluating our options."

Yet locking in prices long-term comes at a premium, with $50 call options nearly twice as expensive when they expire in Dec. 2017 than those that last until Dec. 2015, for example.

And losses from a bad bet would be significant, as a $1 change in the price of oil amounts to $100 million for United, according to the memo.

"It's prudent to be a little bit cautious here, and we'd like to see if there's a new trading band that forms," Rainey said.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Catherine Ngai in New York. Editing by Joe White and Christian Plumb)

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Paris (AFP) - Long-haul Airbus A350 and A380 passengers jets will soon come equipped with ejectable black boxes that can float, making them easier to find in an air crash at sea, aviation sources said Monday.

"At the end of last year Airbus got the green light from EASA (European Air Security Agency) to work on the necessary modifications to its planes in order to install these new black boxes in the rear of the planes," one of the sources told AFP.

An EASA spokesman confirmed that the agency was working on changing the necessary certification to allow Airbus to equip its planes with the new flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

"The change is generally quick," the spokesman added.

The technology, which has already been approved for military aircraft, has not been used in civil aviation because up until a few years ago air accidents have mainly happened during take-off or landing. Black boxes are generally found easily on land.

But in recent years passenger jets have crashed into the ocean raising the need for new technology to help find the black boxes. 

These recorders are critical in air crash investigations as they provide information on how the planes were operating and the conversations of the pilots. Investigators say they help explain 90 percent of crashes.

In 2009 an Air France jet travelling from Rio to Paris with 228 people on board went down in the Atlantic and the search for the black boxes at the bottom of the ocean took nearly two years.

In March last year a Malaysia Airlines disappeared over the Indian Ocean and its black boxes have still not be found.

Then last month an AirAsia plane crashed into the Java Sea and so far divers have found the flight data recorder but not yet the cockpit recorder.

"The idea is to modify the black boxes so that each one records the flight details and (cockpit) conversations. One would be ejectable, the other not," a source close to Airbus explained to AFP.

An ejectable black box would be equipped with an airbag system so it could float on the surface of the water in the event of a crash at sea. It would also help to indicate the exact point of impact at the time of the crash and to find the wreckage.

The Toulouse-based aircraft maker plans to install the ejectable black boxes first on its long-haul A350 and A380 jets since they are used in flights over oceans.

The International Civil Aviation Organization is set to vote next month on a recommendation of one its working groups to equip commercial airliners with the technology.

ICAO spokesman Anthony Philbin said: "We will certainly be supportive of its efforts to improve the ability of its aircraft to be located in distress situations" as long as the new systems meet or exceed its standards.

- Other solutions -

For its part, Boeing, Airbus's main rival, said that while it supports industry efforts to improve the ability to find aircraft and recorders, more research is needed into ejectable recorders. 

"Deployable recorders as a means of quicker recorder recovery needs further study, particularly with regard to mitigating unintended consequences," said a Boeing spokesman.

"It's worth noting that several improvements to increase the likelihood of finding an airplane or recovering a data recorder more quickly have recently been implemented or are planned in the near future," added the spokesman.

Since the 2009 crash of an Air France jet travelling from Rio to Paris black boxes have upgraded to be able to send an underwater location signal for 90 days instead of the previous 30 days, although airlines are not under any obligation to install the new recorders.

The ICAO is also set to endorse next month requiring commercial aircraft to automatically report their position every 15 minutes, up from the current 30 requirement minutes, and every minute in case the aircraft veers from its flight plan.

Modern commercial airliners already send data during flight via satellite regarding performance of the aircraft to improve maintenance on the ground, so the changes are not difficult to implement.

Some airlines have moved forward on their own in this regard. Air France has it airliners report their location every 10 minutes and every minute in case any anomalies.

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Delta Airlines flight 2116 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after a midair mechanical scare forced the flight to turn around.

The Boeing 757-200 — registration N757AT— was headed to Minneapolis when pilots reported a "mechanical emergency," reports KTLA.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the flight took off from LAX Tuesday morning at about 8:30 local time with 146 passengers and six crew on board.

The 30-year-old Boeing jet soon reported a mechanical problem and was forced to turn back. The aircraft spent about an hour circling over the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles before touching down successfully.

Delta released the following statement:

The crew of Delta flight 2116 from Los Angeles to Minneapolis/St. Paul followed procedures to return to Los Angeles International after a potential systems issue was observed.  The aircraft landed safely without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power. Delta is currently working to accommodate customers while technicians examine the aircraft. Safety is always Delta’s top priority and apologizes to customers for the inconvenience.

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SEE ALSO: 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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The low-cost airline business model has only been around for a couple of decades, but it has developed a major presence in the airline business.

According to PWC, low-cost airlines account for more than 25% of the world's aviation business.

From a pool of 449 carriers around the world, AirlineRatings.com selected the 10 safest low-cost and leisure charter airlines in the world. 

To compile its list, the website evaluated each airline based on its standing with international regulators, its fatality record over the past 10 years, its results from an International Air Transportation Association(IATA) safety audit, and whether the airline's country of origin conforms with the International Civil Aviation Organization's 8-point safety parameters.

All of the airlines on this list passed those tests with flying colors.

Aer Lingus — Ireland's national carrier — operates a hybrid low-cost model that offers some of full service luxuries on its long-haul routes. The airline has not suffered a fatal accident since the 1960s.

Alaska Airlines: According to AirlineRatings.com, the Seattle-based airline has had the best on-time performance of any North American-based carrier three years running. Alaska Airlines has not had a fatal accident since 2000.

Icelandair: The Reykjavik-based carrier operates a hybrid low-cost business model using a fleet of Boeing 757 jets. Complementary meals are offered on economy comfort and its business class, but not in economy. Icelandair has not had a fatal accident since the late 1970s.

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Just over a century ago this month, commercial aviation was born.

The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line operated the first scheduled airline flight, a 23-minute hop across Tampa Bay that covered 18.6 miles.

It flew on January 1, 1914.

The first customer was the former mayor of St. Petersburg, Abram Pheil, who paid $400 at auction for the ticket.

He wore a raincoat. 

Tony Jannus piloted an airboat built by Thomas Benoist, flying just 15 feet above the water, according to an account by the Florida Aviation Historical Society.  

Oh how far we have come! Flash forward ten decades: 52 commercial flights take off every minute.

Commercial aviation is a $13 billion industry, carrying 3.1 billion passengers. By 2016, the International Air Transport Association predicts that number will rise to 3.6 billion.

Here's a look at what the dawn of air travel was like. This is the aircraft taking off: 

From left to right: Percival Elliott Fansler, who organized the funding for the airline; passenger Abram Pheil; pilot Tony Jannus.

[An earlier version of this article was written by Alex Davies.]

SEE ALSO: Flying Today Is So Much Better Than It Was In The 'Golden Age' Of Aviation

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Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, is a big believer in the airline’s traditional markets, the US and the UK.

He says the Chinese market has huge opportunities but so far it’s still a market with low yield and high volume.

“The greatest growth for Qantas over the next three to five years – we still believe – is in the traditional markets,” he says in an interview for PwC’s annual Australian CEO survey.

“The United States is a huge market for Qantas. We’ve added extra capacity: about 100 frequencies over the peak period, because we see good strength coming out of the US market.

“We still have a big operation into London and we see the UK market also as an area of potential growth going forward.”

Qantas is expected to hit profit of between $300 million and $350 million in the six months to the end of December 2014.

The strong turnaround is being driven by rapid progress in a $2 billion restructuring program including a loss of 5,000 jobs. Qantas says all targets have been either met or exceeded.

The airline is also benefiting from fall oiling prices.

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Airplane delays happen. It's a part of flying. 

But there are times when the delays get ridiculous.

Earlier this month, a pair of Etihad jets each spent more than 12 hours stuck on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi. On one of the flights an elderly passenger died during the delay. 

Sometimes the ridiculousness of the delay isn't due to the length but rather the conditions under which the delay occurs. This week, 130 passengers on board a Gol Airlines jet were delayed an hour on the ground in Rio de Janeiro while waiting to take off for a flight to Sao Paulo, the Daily Mail reported.

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But in this case, Rio was in the midst of heat wave and the air-conditioning on the jet failed.

Although the passengers on the Etihad flights seemed to take things in stride, the Gol passengers, and some cabin, crew revolted. According to the Daily Mail, passengers compared the cabin to a sauna. They even resorted to opening emergency doors to get some fresh air and escape the 100-degree heat.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month on board a China Eastern Airlines Jet in Kunming, China — 153 passengers were subjected to a seven-hour delay after their 8:45 p.m. flight was not cleared to take off until 3:17 a.m. The plane then spent the next half-hour getting deiced. The captain shut off the jet's ventilation system to keep the fumes from the deicing fluid from entering the cabin. 

According to the Daily Mail, the fed-up passengers then opened three of the aircraft's emergency doors as the jet was taxing toward the runway, forcing the plane to return to the gate.

The newspaper reports that a total of 25 passengers were detained for questioning and that two of them were arrested for opening the jet's doors. 

Sometimes inappropriate passenger behavior isn't due to lengthy delays or an insufferable heat wave. Sometimes it's due to inexperience.

A passenger on board a Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737 opened an over-wing emergency door to get fresh air as the aircraft was preparing for take off. 

According to the Guardian, officials attributed the incident to an honest mistake by a first-time flier.

Other instances can be attributed to pure selfishness. For example, a passenger recently deployed the emergency slide on a China Eastern Airlines Airbus A321 in Sanya, China. The reason for this behavior? The passenger simply wanted to get off of the plane quicker. 

Unpleasant experiences aren't really anyone's fault. They're usually the result of a series of unfortunate decisions made by the people who fly the planes along with the passengers who are flying on them.

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Emirates is not only the A380's biggest customer, it can be argued that the airline is the superjumbo's only customer that matters.

And what the customer wants, the customer gets. At least that's what Emirates is hoping for.

Emirates wants an A380 "neo"— a superjumbo with newer, more fuel-efficient engines.

("Neo" is the designation that Airbus gives to aircraft models that have had their engines and aerodynamics upgraded.)

As Business Insider reported last September, Emirates' CEO Tim Clark said the airline could order another 60-70 non-neo superjumbos, valued at a whopping $29 billion.

This figure seems to have changed.

This week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the outspoken airline boss said that his company would up the potential order to 100 additional A380s, if a new engine option becomes available, Bloomberg reported. 

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Clark essentially told Airbus that "if you build it, we will buy it."

The total value of those 100 superjumbos? $43 billion.

Although some airlines have had a hard time filling the seats on the massive double-decker plane, Emirates doesn't seem to be one of them. 

According to Bloomberg, flights on the airline's fleet of A380s are putting money in the bank. Routes to popular destinations, such as London, are operating at 90% capacity. Emirates is also increasing A380 flights on its US and South Asia routes.

Clark believes upgraded engines could save his airline 10-13% in costs. 

This latest development should comes as welcome news to the Airbus superjumbo program.

In short, the A380 is struggling.

Airbus didn't sell a single superjumbo to an airline in 2014. And Amedeo, the leasing company that did buy 20 A380s in 2014, can't seem to find anybody to rent them to.

Fortunately, Airbus has Emirates. Of the 317 A380s ever ordered, 140 of them have been by the official airline of Dubai.

And of the 152 aircraft that have actually been delivered, 57 have gone to Emirates. The airline has even agreed to take delivery of its A380s early, in order to give Amedeo more time to find customers willing to lease the superjumbo.

Which makes Emirates a critical partner in the future of the A380. If Airbus wants to keep its superjumbo program going, it's going to need Emirates.

And what about that $43 billion price tag?

That's just the sticker price. With Emirates quite literally flying the plane on the deal, don't expect Tim Clark's airline to pay anything more than $30 billion.

Under the circumstances, that would be a great outcome for both parties.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Safest Airlines In The World

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First-class airline tickets are expensive. Prices can easily reach $15,000 per flight, and that's not even for the really opulent first-class suites that have become more prevalent on the most prestigious carriers.

Those go for as much as $30,000.

Just for the sake of comparison, Mercedes-Benz is offering its CLA sedan — an entire car — for $29,995.

For that kind of money, passengers in first class expect a fine glass of champagne, in-flight entertainment, and an environment free from ... dried-on stains and thick layers of dust.

That's why a YouTube video posted by British journalist Owen Thomas last weekend was so shocking. (CNN originally reported Thomas' experience.)

In the 29-second video — which has garnered more than 1 million views — Thomas documented his "filthy" first-class experience onboard a British Airways jet from London to St. Lucia.  Thomas grows increasingly annoyed as he shows off the "cheap, motel-esque" dried stains and deep layers of dust that encrust his very expensive seat.

"This is British Airways first class and it is absolutely filthy," the enraged journalist says in the video. "You see the marks on here you can just scrape off with your finger."

"It’s when you open your seat, the real horror begins. This is first class. This is British Airways first class. It’s disgusting," Thomas added.

British Airways didn't let the video pass without comment.

"We have contacted our customer to apologise. We are very sorry that on this occasion we have fallen short of our usual high standards," a representative for the airline told The Telegraph.

"We pride ourselves on delivering a relaxing and pleasant experience in first class, and are taking immediate action to address this issue."

Thomas' encounter with what looks like a fairly offensive level of filth is alarming, given that BA has built a solid reputation in recent years for quality service, especially in the first-class cabins. After all, the airline's motto is "To Fly, To Serve."

But this incident seems to be the exception rather than the rule. British Airways is a Skytrax four-star airline, and reviews for the carrier's service are generally positive.

And besides, it's not as if YouTube is jammed with videos about poorly cleaned first-class seats — on BA's planes or anyone else's. 

Here is the complete video:

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