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EU sanctions targeting Russia over its role in Ukraine’s conflict have hit Aeroflot’s low-cost domestic airline Dobrolet, forcing it to cancel all its flights because of scrapped leasing deals for Boeing aircraft.

Dobrolet said in a statement on its website that “‘due to the sanctions imposed by the EU we are forced to temporarily suspend flights on all routes from August 4, 201’4”.

Dobrolet, unveiled late last year as a budget airline for domestic Russian destinations, carried out its first flight in June, from Moscow to Simferopol.

Lufthansa passengers face widespread flight disruption from Friday after cabin crew representatives said they would start a series of strikes over pay and cost-cutting measures at Germany’s largest airline.

The UFO union, which represents around two-thirds of Lufthansa’s 19,000 cabin crew, late on Thursday called on its members to strike from 0300 GMT to 1100 GMT on Friday in Frankfurt.

Lufthansa plans to cancel 64 flights, or 25 percent of the flights during the duration of the strike, a spokesman said.

source: Reuters

U.S. airline, rail and transit systems in New York and other eastern cities initiated sweeping weekend shutdowns and slowdowns on Saturday as Hurricane Irene bore down on the region.

Tens of millions of air travelers, train passengers and subway and bus riders scrambled to adjust their routines, work commutes and vacations as transportation networks gradually scale back operations to minimize disruptions.

Coordinated transportation-related closures or slowdowns, often seen during winter storms in the Northeast, were mostly announced on Friday to give travelers enough time to adjust and ensure they stay away from Irene’s fury.

source: Reuters

Stiff winds blew ash from a Chilean volcano Tuesday in a widening arc across Argentina to the capital, grounding most air travel to and from the country for much of the day.

Since airborne ash can severely damage jet engines, Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral, the country’s state-owned international and domestic airlines, canceled all flights within Argentina as well as to and from other countries. At least six international carriers also suspended flights between Buenos Aires and cities in the United States, Europe and South America, and flights from Chile over Argentine territory also were suspended.

source: msnbc.com

Airline passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday as a gap in the ash cloud from Iceland’s latest volcanic eruption allowed almost disruption-free travel.

Seismologists reported that Grimsvotn’s eruption had died down, with no ash plume seen since 3am GMT yesterday.

But there were warnings that clouds of ash already in the sky could return to Britain tomorrow in time for the start of any bank-holiday getaways.

Across Europe, just under 1,000 flights have been disrupted by the Grimsvotn eruption – a fraction of the chaos caused last year when Eyjafjallajokull erupted.

source: Independent.co.uk

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

The‘ Foreign Office’ has advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the north of Japan, while airlines last night warned customers still travelling to expect cancellations and delays.

Although Tokyo has been largely unaffected by the 8.9-magnitude quake, transport has been severely disrupted, with little or no public transport running from Narita and Haneda airports to the capital.

The Foreign Office warned travellers to expect widespread power cuts and aftershocks from the quake.

In a statement, it said: “‘We advise against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the north-east of Japan whilst we assess the damage caused by the 11 March earthquake.'”

source: scotsman.com

An Alaska Airlines flight had to return to the gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when a rat was spotted on the plane.

Flight 676 was headed to Denver and had just pulled away from the gate at Sea-Tac when a passenger reported seeing the rat scurrying around the cabin.

The 737 aircraft returned to the terminal, and the crew and passengers boarded another plane for Denver about 90 minutes later.

source: Aol

A JetBlue pilot lost his government-issued handgun after a passenger mistakenly picked up his carry-on luggage, authorities said Friday.

The pilot was waiting for his New York-to-Pittsburgh flight at Kennedy Airport on Thursday morning when a passenger who was traveling with children mistakenly picked up his backpack along with her family’s bags.

TSA is still investigating, noting that pilots are “‘required to follow strict protocols for securing their TSA-issued firearm.'”

source: msnbc.com

Some airlines’ behaviour towards passengers during the snow-disrupted Christmas getaway was ”unacceptable”, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as passengers were misled about their rights in some cases.

During the disruption many passengers ended up sleeping in terminal buildings or making their own travel arrangements.

Under European regulations, they were entitled to various rights, even though the snow and sub-zero temperatures were beyond the control of the airlines.

These passenger rights include:

• A refund within seven days if a flight is cancelled, or
• Re-routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity or at a later date
• Meals and refreshments if they choose to wait for the next available flight
• Hotel accommodation if this means an overnight stay
• Two telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or e-mails for those waiting for the next available flight

source: BBC