The US Justice Department has come out in defence of its actions to seize phone records of The Associated Press. The seizure is believed to be linked to an investigation into whether one of the press agency’s stories about a thwarted terror plot in Yemen was based on leaked…
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson works as stewardess for a day
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Passengers aboard an Air Asia flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur were given a real surprise when founder and chairman of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, formed part of the cabin crew dressed in full high heels and make-up.
Branson was honouring a bet he made with fellow airline owner and motor-racing rival, Tony Fernandes. They had wagered on which one of their Formula One racing teams would cross the line first in their debut season of the 2010 Formula One Grand Prix.
The loser would have to serve as a flight attendent on the winner’s airline.
During the flight, Branson had to pour tea and coffee, serve meals and make in-flight announcements and of course make sure that the passengers were clear about the safety features on board the jet.
Upon arrival in Malaysia he said he was relieved he had carried out the bet.
More about: Air transport, Airlines, Malaysia, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2013 euronews
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Turkish Airlines embroiled in row over red lipstick
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A row has erupted amid a long-running industrial dispute at Turkish Airlines – over the lipstick worn by female cabin crew.
The company wants to alter its dress code – it says in response to “complaints submitted by passengers”.
Critics argue the likes of red lipstick are effectively being banned.
Some secular Turks see it as part of a wider attempt to spread Islamic influence.
“Of course too many tacky colours can be banned because they can affect quality in a negative way and the company is entitled to come up with new rules, but (now) it’s objecting to the lipstick and nail polish that we have been using at Turkish airlines for years,” said former flight attendant Ozlem Altiok.
In February, photos of potential new outfits being considered by the airline were posted on the internet. The traditional look and long dresses were criticised by some for being too conservative.
The uniforms were not adopted.
Turkish Airlines has defended the new policy promoting “simple make-up” and a “natural look”.
The Turkish transport minister dodged the question when asked what he thought. “Red is a beautiful colour, the same colour as the national flag”, he replied.
More about: Airlines, Turkey, Women’s rights
Copyright © 2013 euronews
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Turkish Airlines bans bright red lipstick on employees
Turkish Airlines has banned air hostesses from wearing brightly-coloured lipsticks such as red or pink, a move which has sparked fierce debate as the government is accused of trying to Islamise the country, local media reported Wednesday. Numerous women posted pictures of themselves wearing bright…
Daily Report: Hotels, Airports and Airlines Struggle With Demand for Wi-Fi
More business travelers are streaming movies to their tablets and hosting meetings on their laptops, putting a strain on airlines and travel venues that try to keep up with the craving for bandwidth. … Read More
Well-off people soon to finally be inconvenienced by sequestration
This week, the FAA began keeping ten percent of America’s air-traffic controllers home every day, because of a stupid federal budget argument that turned into a purposefully bad law. Furloughing a bunch of air traffic controllers has a pretty easy-to-predict effect on air travel: It causes delays. Airlines have been sending out automated emails warning travelers to expect as much. The Washington Post yesterday reported on how the first day of furloughs turned out: The New York airports had delays of “one to three hours.” By later in the day, those delays had rippled out to airports in the middle of the country. By late Monday night, LAX was still dealing with delays of more than an hour.I am guessing that over the next few days a lot of Americans are going to hear about these delays, or be personally inconvenienced by them, and think to themselves wait, the sequester thing is still happening? Well yes, it is, because so far it hasn’t been that bad, for certain Americans. Other Americans, though, have been aware of the cuts since when they went into effect.Continue Reading… … Read More
US facing flight delays after sequester furloughs kick in
Staffing of air traffic controllers was reduced by 10 percent across the country, which reduced the efficiency of those maintaining the safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the US. Travelers at New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports reported hour-long delays Sunday night, even though flight conditions were good.“Relatively good weather throughout the country and light traffic helped minimize air traffic delays,” Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown told Reuters. But the more significant delays are expected to begin Monday.Due to the cut in government spending, the agency is required to cut $637 million from its $16 million budget. Furloughs of 47,000 FAA employees and 13,000 air traffic controllers will last through September and save the agency $200 million.About 1,200 to 1,500 US air traffic controllers will stay home each day, Paul Rinaldi, president of the Air Traffic Controllers Association, told Reuters. Controllers handle about 25,000 US flights per day, which a smaller staff will now have to manage alone.Those who will be hit hardest by the furloughs will be travelers passing through busy airports. The furloughs began Sunday night, and caused Los Angeles International Airport to experience a two-hour delay at 10 pm ET and Newark Liberty to experience 28-minute delays. San Francisco saw a 58-minute delay, while Orlando had a 29-minute delay. Throughout the US on Sunday, about 70 flights were delayed by an hour or more, but airport spokesman Marshall Lowe told AP he did not know if all of these were due to the staffing cuts. At least 6,000 flights, which are about a quarter of all US flights, are expected to experience delays on every given day. Mark Duell, an employee at the flight tracking website FlightAware, told AP that the hour-long delays at JFK and LaGuardia were a direct result of the sequester furloughs.Delta Airlines told AP that it was “disappointed” in the government furloughs and warned travelers to expect delays in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Fort Lauderdale in the upcoming days.Last week, the FAA warned that delays may average about 50 minutes per flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport this week, which is “the equivalent of every day being a bad weather day diminishing the capacity of the national airspace system”, the Chicago Tribune reports.Some organizations have even warned the FAA that the furloughs would ultimately take a toll on the US economy, thereby making the budget cuts useless.“Our nation’s economy and businesses will pay a very steep price that significantly outstrips savings produced by furloughs,” the Global Business Travel Association warned the FAA in a letter on Friday. “If these disruptions unfold as predicted, business travelers will stay home, severely impacting not only the travel industry but the economy overall.”A coalition of airline trade groups and pilot unions on Friday sued the FAA to try to stop the furloughs from going into effect on Sunday, claiming that the cuts would delay flights for as many as one third of all air passengers. But the FAA says that with the massive budget cut forced upon the agency, it has no choice but to do so. … Read More
