A drunk who sparked panic by claiming the plane passenger next to him was a suicide bomber was yesterday jailed for three years.
James Glen, 38, was flying to Heathrow from Australia when he told a stewardess Ali Ghazanfar had a gun and would let off a bomb unless he was given £20,000.
Innocent Mr Ghazanfar was searched, before Glen was charged with making a bomb hoax. He pleaded guilty.
source: Mirror
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha have flown to Spain on a budget airline for a two-day break to celebrate her 40th birthday.
The couple travelled to Spain on a “‘low-cost airline'”, although he denied Spanish press reports that it was an easyJet flight.
Spain’s El Pais daily said they arrived in southern Spain late Wednesday and then went on by car to the historic city of Granada, the site of the sprawling Alhambra fortress-palace, built by Spain’s medieval Moorish rulers.
source: AFP
Southwest Airlines is willing to expand inspections for its older Boeing 737 aircraft but sees no reason for concern a week after one of its jets made an emergency landing with a hole in its fuselage, the discount carrier’s chief executive officer said on Friday.
An older-model Southwest Airlines 737-300 was forced to make an emergency landing in Arizona on April 1 when a 5-foot (1.52 meters) tear opened up in its fuselage 20 minutes after takeoff.
The incident prompted Southwest, the largest domestic airline by passengers flown, to ground planes and cancel hundreds of flights over the weekend so it could inspect more than 70 of its older model 737-300s.
source: reuters.com
One in five pilots suffer from fatigue in the cockpit at least once a week, a study carried out by University College London (UCL) suggests.
The British pilots’ union Balpa is worried the situation will get worse if European proposals regarding flying hours come into force.
But European authorities claim the proposed changes will not lead to a reduction in safety.
source: Independent.co.uk
Airlines with operations throughout the Far East are reviewing their flights as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan, a situation that has been compounded by the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
Airlines have been seriously impacted by declining numbers of passengers traveling to Japan – both on business and for leisure – while the triple-layered disaster has caused staffing and supply concerns for air operators.
The result is likely to be widespread disruption for travelers in the region, although airlines have stated that they hope any inconvenience will be short-lived.
source: Independent.co.uk
US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker said he wants the airline to be a strong stand-alone carrier but be ready to merge with another major carrier if the opportunity arises.
Speaking at a company media event, Parker, a long-time proponent of airline mergers, said consolidation has made the industry stronger.
source: Reuters
Holidaymakers who fear that the impending strike action by British Airways cabin crew will disrupt their travel plans still have time to take out travel insurance.
Around 5,800 BA employees who are members of the Unite union have voted in favour of a series of strikes over pay and conditions, but Unite has not yet set any dates – meaning insurance that covers strike action will still be valid.
The strike action must take place between 4 April and 25 April – with Easter the most likely time for it – meaning prospective travellers who are worried about their flights have a limited time in which to organise cover for themselves.
Under EU rules, industrial action is categorised under “‘extraordinary circumstances'”, which means BA is not obliged to pay the £600 compensation that would usually be due if a flight is cancelled, though it will pay for meals and refreshments if you find yourself stranded at the airport.
source: Guardian.co.uk
In what could be a thawing in a cold war over how airline tickets are sold, Expedia Inc. settled its dispute with American Airlines Inc. Monday and put the Fort Worth-based carrier’s fares and schedules back on its online travel site.
Expedia had pulled American’s inventory from its Expedia.com travel portal Jan. 1 after American yanked its fares from Expedia rival Orbitz.com. At issue was how the travel sites obtained American’s fare information.
The new agreement, its terms undisclosed, restores American’s flights to Expedia immediately.
In a joint statement, the two said Expedia will use Direct Connect, but by using technology provided by a traditional global distribution system, or GDS.
source: Dallasnews.com
The European low-fare airline easyJet celebrates the royal wedding looking for the best doubles of Will and Kate all over Europe.
Anyone who believes to look like Prince William or Kate Middleton can send a photo to have the opportunity to take part in the celebrations for the wedding. Ten couples (10 William and 10 Kate) will fly to London for the final evaluation and will remain there to attend the celebration. A sole, lucky, couple will win and both will fly free for one year.
To take part in the competition go on the website www.ilooklikearoyal.com
source: avionews.com
Ryanair has announced that it will add 2 euro (£1.76) to the price of all bookings from Monday.
The increase is designed to cover the cost of cancellations and delays.
The budget airline blamed the rise on “‘unfair and discriminatory'” EU legislation which holds airlines responsible for the welfare of passengers during such events.
Ryanair lost over 100m euros (£88.5m) last year due to unexpected events such as the Icelandic ash cloud.
source: BBC.co.uk
