British Government Extends Help to Alleviate Problems at Terminal 5
Northwest Implements Second-Bag Fee, Ups Other Fees
Merger Talks Reignite Between Northwest and Delta
Would a Plane Crash From a Bullet Hole?
Places to See Before They’re Gone
BRITISH GOVERNMENT EXTENDS HELP TO ALLEVIATE PROBLEMS AT TERMINAL 5 – International Herald Tribune
After Heathrow’s Terminal 5 grand opening flop, Britain’s transport secretary offered to troubleshoot the terminal’s glitches. The terminal’s first days were plagued by flight cancellations, thousands of lost bags and national embarrassment. British Airways, the sole carrier in T5, announced that it expected more cancellations Monday and Tuesday. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said, “Everything possible must be done to deliver a better service for passengers who are unfortunately still facing disruption and delays to their journeys.” BA chief executive Willie Walsh extended his apologies again and also said that more than 400 employees arrived at work on their day off Sunday to help alleviate T5 dilemmas.
Link: International Herald Tribune
NORTHWEST IMPLEMENTS SECOND-BAG FEE, UPS OTHER FEES – Business Travel News
As predicted, more airlines are joining the second-bag fee trend. Northwest Airlines on Friday announced it will charge $25 for passengers checking a second bag of luggage for those booking flights on or after March 29 for travel beginning May 5. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways also recently increased the second checked bag fee. Like these carriers, Northwest exempts its elite level passengers from the fee. Northwest also boosted its baggage charges for three or more checked bags—from $80 to $100—and bags weighing more than 50 pounds will now cost $50, instead of $25.
Link: Business Travel News
MERGER TALKS REIGNITE BETWEEN NORTHWEST AND DELTA – Associated Press
Northwest Airlines has proposed to Delta to continue with merger sans a prearranged deal with pilots, but Delta has turned down the notion. Though neither airline commented on the merger development, Delta said it supports “industry consolidation as a vehicle to ensure Delta remains an industry leader.” Northwest and Delta decided to approach a merger in an alternative fashion by first securing a joint union contract with the pilots in an attempt to expedite the merger. The two groups, however, could not reach an agreement regarding seniority. Northwest pilots said they would consider letting an arbitrator decide seniority, but Delta pilots have rejected the idea.
Link: Associated Press
WOULD A PLANE CRASH FROM A BULLET HOLE? – Salon.com
As part of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, established after September 11, 2001, a number of airline pilots carry firearms, and on March 22, a .40-caliber handgun accidentally discharged in the cockpit of a US Airways flight. Clarifying two wire stories from the Associated Press, pilot Patrick Smith stated that navigators no longer fly on carriers, so they therefore do not carry firearms onboard. Also, Smith pointed out that contrary to aviation consultant Michael Boyd’s comment: “If that bullet had compromised the shell of the airplane … the airplane could have gone down,” an episode of MythBusters on The Discovery Channel proved that even if an entire window were to have been blown out, the resulting damage would not have caused lager tears in an aircraft’s structure.
Link: Salon.com
PLACES TO SEE BEFORE THEY’RE GONE – Miami Herald
Several travel destinations are soon to disappear due to the supposed culprit global warming. The coral in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia may largely be gone by 2050, according to a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Rising temperatures is affecting skiing destinations, like the Alps, and instead of relying on natural snow, operators have resorted to investing in more snowmaking equipment. According to Ann Mack, director of trend-spotting for advertising firm JWT, “… increasingly, people are wanting to see these sights of the world before they change shape or change form. As global warming is rising up the world’s agenda, ecotourists are flocking to previously ignored places.”
Link: Miami Herald
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