Travel

12:21 PM PT -- A United Airlines spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Our inflight crew thoroughly cleaned the area shortly after customers brought this to our attention. We provided sanitizing wipes and offered travel vouchers to those in the surrounding area."

A United Airlines flight that touched down on the West Coast stunk to high heaven some 30,000 feet in the air ... all because of some dog doo-doo that spilled out into the open.

Check out this footage of UA Flight 498, which was taken Monday night traveling from Denver to Portland ... where a handful of unlucky passengers, we're told, were subjected to the sweet smell of caca right in the middle of the journey, which is visible here.

Here's what we're told happened, per eyewitnesses on the scene ... a woman who'd apparently been flying most of the day -- coming from Cincinnati -- was traveling with a pooch in a crate ... which we're told was a female chihuahua.

At some point in the flight, we're told this woman took the dog out of its crate because it was fussy -- and that's when the pup opened up its bowels and blasted crap all over the place.

This is where the complaints come in -- we're told people on the plane weren't so much bothered by the accident itself (s*** happens after all) ... but the bigger issue we're told passengers were dealing with was the alleged slow response to this whole situation.

Eyewitnesses tell us it took flight attendants a good 10 minutes to even come over and address the fact the dog had pooped -- and that there was feces all over the seats and floor.

We're told people were literally getting sick having to sit through this mess -- and while an attendant eventually came over to deal with it ... eyewitnesses say it took way too long, and just wasn't dealt with properly/in a timely fashion. We're also told passengers in the immediate area were offered flight vouchers between $50-$75 ... and nothing more at the moment.

7:54 AM PT -- King Charles just emerged from his meeting with Prince Harry at Clarence House -- one that only lasted about 45 minutes or so -- and His Royal Highness was all smiles next to Camilla.

This is one of the first times we're seeing the King since word of his cancer diagnosis broke -- and he's surprisingly in very good spirits. Now, he's on his way to Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry has wasted no time hopping on a plane to London to see his dad less than 24 hours after Buckingham Palace announced King Charles has cancer.

Harry flew private from LAX to London's Heathrow Airport and arrived at 12:20 PM London time. He beelined it for Clarence House ... where his father is staying.

It's unclear how to read this ... whether Harry's quick move in any way intersects with the severity of King Charles's diagnosis.

As you know, Harry and his dad have a fractured relationship, although it's more cordial than Harry's relations with his brother, Prince William.

As we reported, doctors discovered the cancer during a procedure for an enlarged prostate. It is not prostate cancer -- though, the Palace was not more specific.

It's unclear how long Harry will stay. We also don't know if there are plans for Harry and William to see each other, but it would seem that would be hard to avoid given that William is probably spending time at Clarence House as well.

BTW ... Meghan Markle did not travel with Harry.

El Príncipe Harry no esperó para subirse a un avión y viajar a Londres para ver a su padre, menos de 24 horas después de que el Palacio de Buckingham informara que el Rey Carlos tiene cáncer.

Harry voló en un avión privado desde el aeropuerto de Los Ángeles al aeropuerto de Heathrow y llegó a las 12:20 PM de Londres. Fue a Clarence House donde se aloja su padre.

No está claro si el rápido movimiento de Harry tiene algo que ver con la gravedad del diagnóstico del rey Carlos, es difícil de interpretar.

Como ustedes saben, Harry y su padre han estado distanciados, aunque su relación es más cordial que la que tiene con su hermano, el príncipe Guillermo.

Como informamos, los médicos descubrieron el cáncer durante un procedimiento por próstata agrandada. No es cáncer de próstata, aunque el Palacio no fue más específico.

No está claro cuánto tiempo se quedará Harry en Londres. Tampoco sabemos si hay planes para que se encuentre con William, pero parece que sería difícil de evitar, dado que es probable que William pase tiempo en Clarence House también.

Gracie Bon's leading the charge for big booty travelers everywhere ... asking for more accessible seating while 30,000 feet in the air -- doubling down on her plea from earlier.

We talked to the Instagram model on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and she absolutely torched the seat sizes on airlines as they currently exist, explaining she's comfy on trains and automobiles -- but there's barely any room for her on planes. Yes, it's a real problem ... so says GB!

As explained to us here, Gracie hasn't seen any airlines offering options to bigger people ... and she suggests putting a couple extra large seats on each plane exactly for people with a bit more junk in the trunk.

Gracie says she needed two economy seats to fly to Rome, where she called us to do the interview ... and even that wasn't comfortable for her. Check out the vid -- she's clearly doing her best, but the makeshift bench ain't supporting her big behind, the way she needs.

Harvey and Charles also asked asked Bon about some rumors/assumptions that she's had butt implants ... making the size of her caboose her choice, but Gracie set the record straight. She said she's never enhanced her ass -- instead, she just downsized the rest of her bod.

As Gracie tells it, she used to weigh 300 pounds, but she got surgeries to manage her weight in her belly and arms, so she looks small up top. When it comes to her thighs and butt though ... the good docs left all that intact.

Now, she's not hating on girls who've gotten surgery though ... saying the airlines should accommodate every passenger they can to give people of all body types the same experience.

Bon's opened up about her body to us a lot in recent days. We spoke with Gracie Thursday too, and she told us pretty much the same thing -- adding she's serious about petitioning airlines for more equitable accommodations.

Gracie Bon's goal to get bigger seats in airplanes to accommodate her huge ass might've gotten a laugh on social media -- but she's not chuckling ... telling us she's dead serious.

We talked to the Instagram model about her recent viral "petition" about rejiggering the configuration of flights -- so that seating areas are larger, for people of size to fit comfortably -- and while she admits it was half-jokey ... there was some truth to what she was arguing for.

As she explains to us here ... this issue is actually quite pervasive, and it often gets turned into one big punchline at the expense of people who are truly struggling with it.

Yes, she's got a big butt ... something she says she can't help, and for which she shouldn't be punished either -- that's her argument anyway.

She also says people chiming in with mean/hurtful comments aren't helping either ... and she thinks companies should be more thoughtful about customers of shapes and sizes.

Gracie says she's actually used to buying two seats to deal with this problem -- and figured a first-class flight would solve it -- but to her dismay, it didn't ... and she now realizes that some major changes need to be instituted to address this very real problem. No, she's not kidding.

El objetivo de Gracie Bon de conseguir asientos más grandes en los aviones para acomodar su enorme trasero podría haber conseguido una risa en las redes sociales, pero ella no se ríe... nos dice que es muy en serio.

Hablamos con la modelo de Instagram sobre su reciente "petición" viral para modificar la configuración de los vuelos de modo que las zonas de asientos sean más grandes para que las personas de su tamaño quepan cómodamente, y aunque admite que fue un poco chistoso... había algo de verdad en lo que estaba diciendo.

Como ella nos explica, este problema es en realidad bastante generalizado, y que a menudo se convierte en un gran chiste a expensas de las personas que están realmente luchando con ella.

Sí, ella tiene un gran trasero, algo que ella dice que no puede evitar, y por lo que no debe ser castigada tampoco.

Ella también dice que las personas que intervienen con comentarios hirientes no están ayudando tampoco, y ella piensa que las empresas deben ser más considerados con los clientes de todas formas y tamaños.

Gracie dice que en realidad está acostumbrada a comprar dos asientos para hacerle frente a este problema y pensó que un vuelo en primera clase lo resolvería, pero para su sorpresa, no lo hizo, y ahora se da cuenta de que algunos cambios importantes deben ser instituidos para hacerle frente a este problema muy real. No, ella no está bromeando.

Boeing's 737 planes are being given the green light to get back up into the sky -- but a guy who used to do quality assurance for them says ... it might be too soon, not safe enough.

We talked to former Boeing quality manager John Barnett -- who came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss the fact that his old company has said their 737 Max 9 aircrafts are ready to hit the runway again ... this just a few weeks after the Alaska Airlines incident.

The speed at which this has all unfolded has alarmed many, and John here is right there with them in the concerned department ... and his reasoning lies in his personal experience.

Watch what he has to say for yourself -- John explains how things ran when he was in the field and how they've allegedly changed. Based on what he's claiming here, it's troubling, 'cause he suggests cutting corners is something the industry at large has leaned into.

John claims that inspection operators and experts have been getting slashed from assembly lines in recent years -- an awful trend that he suspects has only continued since he left.

With this in mind, he questions whether the 737s are, in fact, as good to go as Boeing insists ... because in his mind, he thinks more due diligence is warranted -- just in case, of course.

Los aviones 737 de Boeing tienen luz verde para volver al cielo, pero un tipo que solía estar a cargo de garantizar la calidad de los aviones dice que podría ser demasiado pronto y no lo suficientemente seguro.

Hablamos con el ex gerente de calidad de Boeing John Barnett, quien se unió a "TMZ Live" el miércoles para discutir que su antigua compañía haya informado que los aviones 737 Max 9 están listos para golpear la pista de nuevo. Esto, a solo unas semanas de que ocurriera el incidente de Alaska Airlines.

La rapidez con la que todo ha ocurrido ha alarmado a muchos, incluido John, y su razonamiento radica en su propia experiencia personal.

Mira lo que nos dijo, primero explica cómo funcionaban las cosas cuando estaba en la empresa y cómo supuestamente han cambiado. Si nos basamos en lo que dice, es preocupante, porque sugiere que tomar atajos es algo que la industria ha estado haciendo.

John afirma que los operadores y expertos en inspeccionar los aviones han sido recortados de las líneas de montaje en los últimos años, una tendencia horrible que sospecha solo ha continuado desde que se fue.

Con esto en mente, se pregunta si los 737s son realmente tan buenos como para que Boeing insista en ello, porque desde su perspectiva, está justificada una mayor diligencia en este caso, por si acaso, por supuesto.

Love is in the air for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce -- and now their fans can be too ... 'cause airlines are cashing in on the celeb romance for the Super Bowl!

Ahead of the big game two Sundays from now, American Airlines has announced direct flights between Kansas City, Missouri, and Sin City with the number "1989" -- which Swifties will immediately recognize as the 2014/2023 re-recorded album of hers.

Following the game, flight AA 87 will be your ticket home to TK's hometown, an obvious nod to his jersey number. Yes, AA went all out with this gimmick-y flight path ... creative, indeed.

They're not the only airline hopping on the T-Swift bandwagon, BTW ... United's doing it too.

UA has added similar flight numbers as well -- including UA 2287 referring to Tay Tay's song "22" and Travis' jersey number. Plus another flight UA 1587 merges Kelce and fellow Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes' jersey numbers. The airline's schedule also includes special flights from San Francisco to Vegas.

Tickets are now available from the airlines' website and their apps -- and you better believe these airlines are banking on people hopping aboard. On its face, this seems to be one mile high club everyone will be scrambling to be a part of!

It's only fitting that these companies are trying to capitalize on the whole frenzy that's blown up among the football couple's super fandom, which kickstarted back in September when Taylor first came out to cheer on Travis, sitting alongside his mamma, Donna Kelce at the time.

Months later, it feels like the gridiron is now a second home for her -- and she's truly become a big NFL consumer/advocate through her romance. In fact, she was seen hugging TK to celebrate the Chiefs bagging a coveted spot at Super Bowl LVIII after they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 Sunday ... and he appeared to say the "L" word. We think.

Of course, if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, there's no way he can't say those three coveted words to his lucky charm: Taylor. Fasten your seatbelts ... the declaration of love may soon be coming!!

Anyway, go ahead and book those plane tickets if you're inclined -- AA and UA are ready to take your cash and send you on your way.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

An Instagram model famous for her big booty wants to make them bigger ... but Gracie Bon's not talking about her cheeks, she's talking about airplane seats.

Gracie's petitioning the airlines to expand their seating situations ... she says she's having trouble getting settled for takeoff, even when she's flying first class.

The busty poser lays out her air travel problems in an informative video -- a PSA, if you will -- demonstrating how her butt is way too big for a traditional plane seat.

Seems like legroom's not the big sticking point here ... Gracie either wants the seats to be wider, or deeper. She's still able to buckle, courtesy of a seatbelt extender.

Gracie says it's on the airlines to accommodate "big girls like me," and proudly adds ... "It's not my fault to have an ass this big."

The whole thing is pretty ridiculous to lots of folks watching Gracie's video plea -- several comments claim it actually is her fault she has such a big booty, accusing her of surgically doctoring her look.

Una modelo de Instagram famosa por su gran trasero está pidiendo ayuda para agrandar aún más.... ¡¡los asientos de los aviones!!

Gracie le está pidiendo a las aerolíneas que amplíen el tamaño de sus asientos, pues está teniendo problemas para acomodarse en el despegue e incluso al volar en primera clase.

La influencer expuso sus problemas en un video informativo, en donde demuestra que su trasero es demasiado grande para un asiento de avión tradicional.

Parece que el espacio para las piernas no es el problema, Gracie quiere que los asientos sean más anchos o profundos, aunque sí puede abrocharse el cinturón gracias a un extensor.

Gracie dice que está en las aerolíneas para dar acomodar a "chicas grandes" como ella y añade con orgullo: "No es mi culpa tener un culo tan grande".

Todo el asunto es bastante ridículo para muchas personas que están viendo el video de Gracie. Varios comentarios dicen que en realidad es su culpa tener un botín tan grande y la acusan de manipular quirúrgicamente su aspecto.

Meghan Markle y el príncipe Harry hicieron una inesperada aparición pública en Jamaica para asistir al estreno de la nueva película de Bob Marley, lo que es interesante.

El duque y la duquesa de Sussex volaron hasta Kingston el martes por la noche para ver la película biográfica sobre el fallecido cantante, y sí, estaban vestidos de punta en blanco y sonriendo de oreja a oreja y al parecer bastante contentos de estar allí.

Como hemos dicho, la pareja real no sale mucho, por lo que aparecer en esta película tal vez habla de un par de cosas diferentes, suponiendo que ustedes quieren leer sobre ellas.

Para empezar, vale la pena señalar que Jamaica como nación ha estado pidiéndole a la monarquía británica en el último tiempo que les permita convertirse en una república independiente, similar a Barbados, que se separó en los últimos años.

De hecho, el Primer Ministro de Jamaica ha hablado sobre esto con firmeza, con nada menos que el príncipe William y Kate Middleton durante una gira por el país en 2022.

Por eso también llamó la atención la presencia del Primer Ministro en el estreno, sobre todo porque Meg y Harry posaron con él y se mostraron muy cariñosos. Te hace pensar...

Teniendo en cuenta su propia historia, podríamos imaginar que Meghan Markle y el Príncipe Harry están en consonancia con lo que Jamaica quiere, por lo que estar de pie, hombro con hombro, con Andrew Holness dice mucho.

El otro elemento es que esta película de Bob Marley está siendo distribuida a través de Paramount, y un jefe del estudio, el presidente de Nickelodeon, Brian Robbins, también estuvo allí y también posó con Meghan y Harry en un momento durante su visita.

Sabemos que estos dos (Meg y Harry, a saber) están en busca de nuevas oportunidades en el mundo del espectáculo después de tomar algunos bultos el año pasado, y esto casi parece como si estuvieran arrimándose al equipo de la montaña y las estrellas.

Eso, o solo son grandes fans de Bob Marley. Es difícil de decir.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a rare public appearance all the way down in Jamaica -- hitting up the premiere for the new Bob Marley movie ... which is interesting.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew down to Kingston Tuesday night, where they were in attendance to watch the biopic about the late singer -- and yes, they were dressed to the nines and smiling from ear to ear ... looking pretty dang happy to be there.

Like we said, the Royal couple doesn't really get out all that much ... so the fact they surfaced for this film, specifically, perhaps speaks to a couple different things -- assuming you wanna read into it.

For starters ... it's worth noting Jamaica as a nation, of late, has made it clear it wants to step out from under the British Monarchy and become an independent republic -- similar to Barbados, which broke off on its own in recent years.

In fact, the Jamaican PM has spoken on this firmly ... to none other than Prince William and Kate Middleton during a tour of the country in 2022.

That's why the Prime Minister's presence at the premiere was also eye-popping, especially since Meg and Harry posed with him and appeared chummy. It makes ya rub your chin.

Considering their own history, you'd figure MM and PH are in alignment with what Jamaica wants ... so them standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Andrew Holness speaks volumes.

The other element here is the fact that this Bob Marley movie is being distributed through Paramount -- and a head honcho from the studio, Nickelodeon Prez Brian Robbins, was also there ... and he, too, posed with Meghan and Harry at one point during arrivals.

We know these two are in search of new opportunities in showbiz after taking some lumps last year ... and this almost seems like they're cozying up to the star/mountain crew.

It's that ... or they could just be huge Marley fans -- hard to say.

In any case, Meg and Harry were enjoying themselves ... even though they technically have nothing to do with this flick. Maybe this is the first sign of their redemption song in the biz.

Not to stir anything up, of course!

Un vuelo de Virgin Atlantic que debía salir del Reino Unido nunca despegó después de que los pasajeros detectaran un posible peligro...

Así es la cosa, la semana pasada, estaba previsto que este avión saliera de Manchester a Nueva York, pero antes de que pudiera siquiera llegar a la pista, los huéspedes con ojos de águila a bordo se dieron cuenta de que algo estaba mal en una de las alas fuera y lo señalaron al personal.

Basicamente pensaron que faltaban algunos tornillos... resulta que faltaban cuatro piezas, las cuales tuvo que poner un trabajador de mantenimiento.

Ese es el video que estás viendo... el tipo está literalmente taladrando los tornillos que aparentemente se habían caído y como puedes imaginar, todo el mundo a bordo estaba conmocionado por este aparente descuido. Ahora, en términos de la seguridad de todo esto, la aerolínea insiste en que nadie estaba en riesgo.

Un representante de Virgin Atlantic le aclaró a TMZ el lunes que los pernos que faltaban eran en realidad parte de un panel en el avión que solo afectó a los niveles aerodinámicos de esa pieza específica y NO tuvo ningún impacto en la integridad de la aeronave en general.

Y añaden: "El vuelo VS127 de Manchester a Nueva York JFK del 15 de enero, que operaba con un Airbus A330, se canceló para dar tiempo a realizar comprobaciones preventivas adicionales de mantenimiento de ingeniería, lo que permitió a nuestro equipo disponer del máximo tiempo para completar sus inspecciones. La seguridad de nuestros clientes y tripulación es siempre nuestra máxima prioridad y no se vio comprometida en ningún momento".

La empresa Airbus nos dice que en realidad hay 119 sujetadores en esta parte del avión y los cuatro que faltaban no habría hecho el vuelo más peligroso, dicho esto, se aseguraron de que se sometiera a un mantenimiento adicional solo para estar seguros, además, señalan que los sujetadores fueron reemplazados.

A Virgin Atlantic flight that was supposed to leave the UK never took off after passengers spotted a potential safety hazard ... which makes up the nuts and bolts of this story.

Here's the deal ... last week, this VA plane that was due to depart from Manchester to New York -- but before it could even get on the runway, eagle-eyed guests onboard noticed something was amiss on one of the wings outside, and they flagged it to the staff.

Basically, they thought they saw some screws missing -- and as it turns out, there were, in fact, four missing fasteners that needed to be attended to by a maintenance worker.

That's the video you're seeing here ... the guy is literally drilling in the fasteners/bolts that had apparently fallen off -- and as you can imagine, everyone onboard was shocked by this apparent oversight. Now, in terms of the safety of all this ... VA insists nobody was at risk.

An Airbus rep clarified to TMZ Monday that the missing fasteners/bolts were actually part of a panel on the plane that only affected the aerodynamic levels of that specific piece -- and did NOT have any impact on the integrity of the aircraft at large.

Virgin Atlantic tells us, "The VS127 from Manchester to New York JFK on 15 January, operating on an Airbus A330, was canceled to provide time for precautionary additional engineering maintenance checks, which allowed our team the maximum time to complete their inspections. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and this was not compromised at any point."

The Airbus company that actually handles the plane itself tells us there are actually 119 fasteners on this part of the plane -- and notes the 4 missing ones wouldn't have made the flight any more dangerous ... with that said, they made sure it underwent additional maintenance just to be safe -- and they also note the fasteners were replaced.

A cargo jet went up in flames as it was flying over Miami Thursday night, creating a frightening and potentially deadly scenario that was all caught on video, but, thankfully, nobody was injured in the end.

The Atlas Air Boeing 747 plane took off from Miami International Airport for Puerto Rico at 10:32 PM – and just minutes into the flight one of the engines caught fire.

As the airliner was streaking through the sky, one woman on the ground turned on her phone camera and started recording the fireball.

Check it out ... Sparks shoot out from the rear of the jet as the woman expresses utter shock, "Oh my god. It's on fire. Oh my god."

She then calls over her mom, while stating, "Holy s**t. I hope they're ok."

After a few more seconds, the video cuts off as the plane appears to be on a downward trajectory.

A rep for Atlas Air told TMZ that while the plane experienced an engine malfunction, the crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to Miami International Airport.