U.S. investigating case of suspected stowaway It says an off-duty US Airways flight attendant may have been aboard a flight in violation of U.S. rules. By John Hughes BLOOMBERG NEWS A US Airways Group Inc. flight attendant who was off duty may have stowed away on an Oct. 13 flight, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident as a possible violation of U.S. rules. "We could seek a federal penalty against the airline," agency spokeswoman Alison Duquette said. FAA rules require all passengers and crew members to have seats during flights and to have seat belts fastened during takeoffs and landings, she said. The attendant may have hidden in a bathroom for part of the flight, Duquette said. Arlington, Va.-based US Airways, which reported the incident to the agency, fired the off-duty attendant and two other attendants who were working during the Philadelphia-Boston flight, company spokesman David Castelveter said. A third attendant on duty during the flight was suspended, he said. The airline and the FAA would not identify the attendant suspected of stowing away. Castelveter also would not give the names of the other attendants. The flight's attendants should have reported the off-duty worker's presence to the captain, and none apparently did, Duquette said. "We view something like this to be a very serious matter" and will cooperate with the U.S. agency, Castelveter said.