Train Collision in Eastern China Kills 70, Injures 247
Bumped from Your Flight? You May Get $800
Vanguard Car Rental Files Suit Against Orbitz
Eos Demise: The End of Affordable Business Travel?
“Mother of All Airports” in Berlin to Shut Down
TRAIN COLLISION IN EASTERN CHINA KILLS 70, INJURES 247 – The New York Times
During one of the deadliest railway accidents in current years, at least 70 people died and 247 injured when two passenger trains in Eastern China collided yesterday. One train was heading from Beijing to Qingdao, and the other one was en route to Xuzhou from Yantai when they crashed into one another in Zibo, Shandong Province. According to witnesses, one train derailed as it was traveling on a bend and rammed into the other, and at least three cars fell into a ditch. The crash might have occurred due to a new timetable that was introduced that today. More than 82 patients were brought to People Liberation Army’s No. 148 Hospital, with injuries such as lower back and chest fractures and broken legs.
Link: The New York Times
BUMPED FROM YOUR FLIGHT? YOU MAY GET UP TO $800 – San Jose Mercury News
Someday you actually might be able to receive compensation if your airline bumps you due to it overbooking a flight, and that’s no fairytale. Beginning in May, the new rule will require that airlines pay up to $400 if they reschedule the passenger within two hours of their original schedule. Better yet: If passengers’ schedules are delayed more than two hours, the airlines will have to fork over up to $800. This news comes to the relief of numerous passengers, especially since bumping percentages have grown lately. The new rule is an amendment to an old one, but many old limits and exemptions still apply, so be sure to read the fine print and even bargain with the airline representative. It may be more beneficial to be bumped voluntarily, rather than involuntarily.
Link: San Jose Mercury News
VANGUARD CAR RENTAL FILES SUIT AGAINST ORBITZ - Forbes
Vanguard Car Rental filed a lawsuit against Orbitz Worldwide Inc., which Orbitz called “baseless” yesterday. Vanguard owns Alamo and National car rentals, and it claims that Orbitz “inappropriately demanded” a $1.5 million payment for a listing agreement. After Alamo and National refused to pay the fee, Orbitz removed them from its main chart which allows customers to compare prices between companies. The two companies do, however, show up in an extended version of the grid. In a statement Orbitz said, “The bottom line is that Vanguard is trying to use a lawsuit to get a sorting result from Orbitz that Vanguard and Orbitz did not agree to.” It is being accused of breaching the contract, interfering with potential business relationships, misleading its consumers, wrongful trade practices and unfair competition.
Link: Forbes
EOS DEMISE: THE END OF AFFORABLE BUSINESS TRAVEL? - The Times (UK)
Now that all-business-class airline Eos has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, does this signal the end of affordable transatlantic business travel? The airline’s grounding follows the demise of Maxjet last December, and the news that Silverjet is looking for a bailout from new investors. There is no official word on the state of L’Avion, which flies between Paris and New York, but this airline is also thought to be struggling. High fuel prices and a struggling economy have reduced demand for all-business-class-class travel. None of the British-based carriers have ever made a profit, and New York-based Eos reported that it lost $37 million in the first nine months of last year.
Link: The Times (UK)
“MOTHER OF ALL AIRPORTS” IN BERLIN TO SHUT DOWN – International Herald Tribune
Famed for its history and being the primary scene of the Berlin Airlift during the Cold War, the Tempelhof airport’s days are numbered due to a referendum not gathering enough support. Normon Foster referred to the airport as “the mother of all airports.” City Hall plans for the airport to be closed by October, and flights and operations will be transported to a refurbished airport near the city’s outskirts. The terminal was once one of the world’s largest buildings when the Nazis completed it in the 1930s. The airport was dismissed as a transit point for “rich VIPs” by the city government of Social Democrats and the Left Party.
Link: International Herald Tribune
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