Old Planes May Be Safe, But Cost Carriers More

Congress Debates Passengers’ Bill of Rights

The Dangers of Outsourcing Passports

“Open Skies” May Intensify Crowds at Heathrow

Easter Island Statue Vandalized By Finnish Tourist

OLD PLANES MAY BE SAFE BUT COST CARRIERS MORE – Los Angeles Times
Not only are the nation’s aging airline fleets slapped with increasing fuel costs and exceeding passenger demand, but American Airlines and Delta Air Lines also were encouraged to cancel hundreds of flights for reinspections, in order to comply with federal maintenance rules. Although airlines grounding part of their fleets does not indicate that they are unsafe, aging aircraft and schedule reductions leave carriers with fewer options. According to Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, US Airlines flies some of the oldest aircraft in the nation, and Northwest Airlines operates the nation’s oldest fleet of planes. The age averages about 20 years. Operating older planes is disadvantageous for U.S. carriers, as some foreign carriers, like Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa are more quickly adding new planes to their fleets, and older planes burn more fuel.

Link: Los Angeles Times

CONGRESS DEBATES PASSENGERS BILL OF RIGHTS – The New York Times
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the federal government—not states—are responsible for regulating the airline industry, thus overturning a New York state law forcing airlines to provide basic services to passengers trapped in airplanes for hours on tarmacs. Barbara Boxer (Sen. D-Calif.) said the court’s ruling “reinforces the need to move forward at the federal level to protect the flying public.” The Senate created passengers rights provisions, but disagreements between the Finance and Commerce committees regarding how modernizing the FAA should be paid for have stalled the Senate’s version. Kate Hanni, a California real estate agent who created the Coalition for an Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights after being trapped aboard a grounded plane for more than eight hours, said with hope, “I do believe that Congress is going to take it up. I think they realize that enough is enough … airlines are tired of seeing themselves in the evening news.”

Link: The New York Times

OUTSOURCING PASSPORTS TO FOREIGN HANDS – United Press International
The U.S. government discovered a way to cut corners by entrusting foreign firms to create new e-passports, and the double whammy? It even is overcharging for them, as reported by the Washington Times. The newspaper’s investigation found that the Government Printing Office outsourced the manufacturing of U.S. passports to foreign firms and charged the U.S. State Department nearly twice what it cost GPO to create them. According to the GPO’s inspector general, J. Anthony Ogden, “significant deficiencies” exist in the security of the manufacturing process. Blank passports are sent to Europe, where a microchip is embedded in the back cover. Then the passports travel to Thailand, where they are given a radio antenna. The Netherlands company that creates the covers for passports said in October that China stole the technology for the microchips.

Link: United Press International

“OPEN SKIES” MAY INTENSIFY CROWDS AT HEATHROW – Associated Press

Already notorious for its large crowds, London Heathrow is getting ready to cope with all carriers making flights in and out of Europe under the new Open Skies deal, which will commence on Sunday. Now possibly a harbinger of even larger crowds for Heathrow, the agreement will forgo 30-year old rules that have kept transatlantic flights from Heathrow to the U.S. restricted to British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and American Airlines, thus making the previously elusive transatlantic ethers the most coveted item in the aviation industry’s buffet line of markets. The lucrative transatlantic route between Heathrow and the United States can run a passenger flying first-class on a BA return ticket nearly $14,000 dollars. According to data from BAA, Heathrow services 68 million passengers a year, and it is the world’s third largest airport in terms of total passengers.

Link: Associated Press

EASTER ISLAND STATUE VANDALIZED BY FINNISH TOURIST – USA Today
The mayor of Easter Island has called for the ear of the Finnish tourist responsible for chipping off part of an Easter Island statue. “If an ear is cut off, then an ear gets cut,” said the enraged Mayor Edmunds Paoa. “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth: That would be my form of justice.” Tourist Marko Kulju, 26, issued a public apology in a Chilean newspaper yesterday and regretted stirring up such a raucous. Kulju was attempting to take a piece of the statue as a souvenir. Consul Patricia Loflund, from the Finnish Embassy in Santiago, said he will remain under house arrest at his hotel for 13 days before paying a fine. “It’s very unlikely he will be given a prison sentence but we can’t be sure, of course,” Loflund said.

Link: USA Today

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