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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

Hundreds of flights in Europe have been cancelled after heavy snow has closed airports, stranding thousands of passengers.

Germany was particularly hard hit as 450 flights were grounded. Snowstorkms saw schools across the country close as traffic on the roads was brought to a standstill.

Airports in the Netherlands were also closed causing at least 30 flight cancellations at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Swiss airports at Geneva and Zurich were facing significant delays.

source: britainnews.net

Tropical Storm Hanna has flooded highways, delayed flights and halted the U.S. Open Tennis tournament. The storm has dropped more than a month’s worth of rain on much of the New York metropolitan area, but officials aren’t reporting any major damage.

source: abc.com

A noreaster battered the East with strong wind and pouring rain Sunday, grounding hundreds of airline flights, downing power lines and threatening severe coastal flooding.

The storm flooded people out of their homes in the middle of the night in West Virginia and trapped others. Some New Jersey shore residents evacuated, and officials in Connecticut urged some residents along the Long Island Sound to do the same. Inland areas from eastern New York to Maine faced a threat of heavy snow.

source: Forbes

Small tsunami waves have hit northern Japan, according to the country’s meteorological agency (JMA).

The JMA initially expected a tsunami of at least two metres (6.5 feet) high after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Kuril Islands, north of Japan.

Tsunami warnings for the area and for Russia’s Pacific coast were later called off.

source: BBC

Some flights from San Diego to Hawaii were canceled Sunday in the wake of a magnitude 6.6 earthquake near Hawaii that caused a power outage at Honolulu Airport, authorities said.

American Airlines canceled all flights to the state Sunday and some for today until electrical problems are resolved, an airline employee said.

Flights already en route to the airport when the earthquake and several significant aftershocks occurred were allowed to land, but none were allowed to take off, the employee said.

Typhoon Xangsane is unleashing fierce winds and rains as it slams into northern and central Philippines on Thursday, killing at least four people and shutting down the capital amid widespread floods, officials say.

The Manila airport general manager suspended all flights around noon (0400 GMT) because of electric power outages.

source: CNN

Hurricane John lashed the main city in the southern part of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula with fierce winds and rain early today after sparing the tourist resorts of Los Cabos a direct hit. The storm made landfall as at Category 2 storm about 40 miles northeast of San Jose del Cabo, but slipped to Category 1 status with 85 mph winds this morning.

fuente: CNN