Jet Lands Safely After Spilling Fuel Over Lake Michigan
US Government Pockets Fees on Unused Tickets
Does Your Hotel Know Your Dirty Secrets?
Airlines Hedge Against Rising Fuel Costs
Machu Picchu Endangered By Tourists?
JET LANDS SAFELY AFTER SPILLING FUEL OVER LAKE MICHIGAN – Chicago Tribune
An airliner bound for Japan safely landed at O’Hare International Airport Monday after one of its engines failed over northwest suburbs, and it was forced to drain some of its fuel load over Lake Michigan. The right engine of the All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300ER suffered from “metal fatigue,” and according to a spokesperson for the FAA, it was thought that the engine “may have ingested some birds.” The true cause of the engine malfunction has yet to be determined. In order to safely land the jetliner and 189 passengers, the pilot had to navigate over the lake, dumping nearly 1,450 gallons of jet fuel. A small amount of the fuel made it to the water, and officials say that the water is safe for drinking and swimming.
Link: Chicago Tribune
U.S. GOVERNMENT POCKETS FEES ON UNUSED TICKETS – The Wall Street Journal
Hoping to get the taxes and user fees refunded on a nonrefundable airline ticket you didn’t use? Well, tough luck if you’re flying within the U.S. because the government prohibits the aforementioned refunds. You will still be charged a Passenger Facility Charge for each airport from which you would have been departing. The government is “confiscating fees for services not performed,” said Mr. Shecter, a personal financial consultant in Nashville. This law “represents to me a nasty, backdoor method of taking money from our pockets,” he said. Thankfully, several foreign carriers do, in fact, refund taxes, fees, and even those pesky, ever-increasing fuel surcharges. “Just the fare itself is not refundable,” said a Lufthansa spokesperson.
Link: The Wall Street Journal
DOES YOUR HOTEL KNOW YOUR DIRTY SECRETS? – The Times (UK)
If you think the hotel maid is snoopy, you might be right. Some hotels could be violating data protection laws when they store personal information about guests on computer files. These details may include anything from guests’ home life or even if they had one too many drinks at the hotel bar. Although Britain hoteliers say they keep this private information to improve service, data protection regulators believe a guest would be upset if he or she knew what juicy details the hotel was storing. The Information Commissioner’s Office is investigating as to whether this practice is breaching the Data Protection Act. “Doormen don’t just know guests’ names, they have their resumes. We Google it. We build a profile on all guests: their job, family, how many days they usually stay,” said Derek Picot, Jumeirah Hotels’ regional general manager for Europe.
Link: The Times (UK)
AIRLINES HEDGE AGAINST RISING FUEL COSTS – Houston Chronicle
Airlines like Southwest track the future of oil prices months in advance, but unfortunately it appears that there is no letup on the horizon for jet fuel. Scott Topping oversees the carrier’s program to control rising fuel costs, the most successful program of its kind in the industry. When American Airlines paid $2.73 and United paid $2.83 per gallon for fuel during this year’s first quarter, Southwest only paid $1.98. As of 1999, the airline has saved $3.5 billion due to hedging, a financial strategy that allows airlines to lock in a price for fuel. By signing contracts for crude oil or unleaded gasoline, they have the chance of gaining profits if prices increase.
Link: Houston Chronicle
MACHU PICCHU ENDANGERED BY TOURISTS? - MSNBC
As the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is inundated with tromping tourists, conservationists worry that it is threatened and should be included in UNESCO’s endangered World Heritage sites. Traffic to the site has doubled since 1998 to 800,000 people, and on top of that, landslides, fires and edging development further threaten it; however, Archaeologist Piedad Champi, who manages conservation efforts, said UNESCO praised the monuments’ preservation just last year. Unregulated tourism could destroy the ruins, and as Machu Picchu expert and archeologist Luis Lumbreras noted, “Machu Picchu was never made for lots of people,” especially people who are running, jumping and climbing on the site.
Link: MSNBC
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