02

Sep

How To Get Troug Airport Security

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Save $100 on All-Inclusive Packages to Mexico and the Caribbean

Back by popular demand, US Airways (NYSE: LCC) Vacations is offering customers more ways to save when booking an all-inclusive beach vacation. From no-frills to luxury, US Airways customers can escape to warm, sandy beaches with cool ocean breezes and save $100 at more than 100 all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico when booking air and hotel packages through US Airways Vacations. Customers can enjoy their vacation knowing their transportation, food, drinks and entertainment at popular vacation destinations such as Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico are all covered at one price that meets their budget.

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"All-inclusive vacations are a stress-free way to enjoy a family vacation, and our customers appreciate knowing the price of their trip up-front," said Chris Ames, director of product and sales for US Airways Vacations. "There are hundreds of options for travelers seeking to head to the beach, and getting there is easy with direct or one-stop service through the airline's hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix."

Customers who book a five-night, all-inclusive package from US Airways Vacations can now get $100 off when purchasing their package online at www.usairwaysvacations.com/allinclusive and using promo code AI100. Travel must be booked before Sept. 7 and completed before Dec. 20.

About US Airways Vacations

US Airways Vacations offers customers a one-stop shop to book vacation packages to dozens of exciting destinations, including Las Vegas, the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona and Europe. Packages include roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations and other options such as tours and rental cars. While continuing to offer both published and bulk air rates, US Airways Vacations offers travel agents bulk air commission and more flexible bulk air terms and conditions on every package. 

SOURCE: US Airways

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31

Aug

Ladies, Ladies!

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31

Aug

Lufthansa LH687 what a fight!

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The Sun , an English tabloid, has a ripping story about the British Airways pilot who hit the wrong button.

We don't know what button he meant to hit. But the one he did punch triggered a recorded message that advised passengers: "This is an emergency announcement. We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water."

Cabin crew quickly went down the aisle and explained to the passengers on the London-Hong Kong flight that was no North Sea crash in BA's immediate plans.

The Associated Press quoted a BA statement that said: ""Our cabin crew immediately made an announcement following the message advising customers that it was played in error and that the flight would continue as normal."

We're sure BA officials appreciated the Sun's "British Scareways" headline.

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WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.


Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
             
 
On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."


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"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

 "Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

 
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"


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After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."


From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth .
To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and
pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't
know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised."


"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and keep them with our compliments."

 
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."

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And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is leased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

 Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

 Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:
"We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

 An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.  Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

 Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a
comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town , The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight.. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier.  While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

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27

Aug

Latest TSA Disaster

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 Complaints and questions are becoming regular issues for the Transportation Security Administration's plan to install 1,000 x-ray screening machines that are sometimes known as virtual strip searches.
 

"The system takes three to five times as long as walking through a metal detector," said Phil Bush of Atlanta, one of many fliers on USA TODAY's Road Warriors panel who oppose the machines.

"This looks to be yet another disaster waiting to happen."
 

Many frequent fliers complain they're time-consuming or invade their privacy. The world's airlines say they shouldn't be used for primary security screening. And questions are being raised about possible effects on passengers' health.
 

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The machines were installed at many airports in March after a Christmas Day airline bombing attempt. 
 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has spent more than $80 million for about 500 machines, including 133 now at airports. It plans to install about 1,000 by the end of next year.
 

The machines are running into complaints and questions both here and overseas:
 

---The International Air Transport Association says the TSA lacks a strategy and a vision of how the machines fit into a comprehensive checkpoint security plan. "The TSA is putting the cart before the horse," association spokesman Steve Lott s
 

---Security officials in Dubai said this month they wouldn't use the machines because they violate "personal privacy," and information about their "side effects" on health isn't known.
 

---The European Commission said in a report that "a rigorous scientific assessment" of potential health risks is needed before machines are deployed there. It also said screening methods besides the new machines should be used on pregnant women, babies, children and people with disabilities.
 

---The U.S. Government Accountability Office said that the TSA was deploying the machines without fully testing them and assessing whether they could detect "threat items" concealed on various parts of the body. 
 

TSA spokeswoman Kristin Lee says the agency completed testing at the end of last year and is "highly confident" in the machines' detection capability. She also says their use hasn't slowed screening at airports and that the agency has taken steps to ensure privacy and safety.
 

The TSA is deploying two types of machines that can see underneath clothing. One uses a high-speed X-ray beam, and the other bounces electromagnetic waves off a passenger's body.
 

Passengers can refuse screening by the machines and receive a pat-down search by a security officer, screening by a metal detector, or both, the TSA says.
 

Would the machines even have detected the explosives that a suspect tried to detonate on the jet bound for Detroit last Christmas?
 

Officials admitted the answer to that question is unclear.
 

Source: Travelmole, David Wilkening

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09

Aug

Budapest Airport Ferihegy

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The security status of Hungary's only major international airport, Budapest Ferihegy, has been downgraded to "unclear" following an EU audit, the government's aviation commissioner Attila Marton said last week. 

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Among a dozen points on which Ferihegy failed to comply with an EU directive that came into force in April, several objects that should have been detected during routine screening made it pass security. 

The downgrade means that passengers travelling from Hungary to or through other airports in the border free Schengen Zone could now find themselves to extra security checks." 

Source: The Budapest Times

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29

Jul

HIGHER AIR FARES!

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Airfares are going up, it's sure.

Newly released figures from the government, confirm that airline prices in the first three months of this year rose nearly 5 percent compared with last year. And that doesn't include baggage fees and other extra, new "creative
costs" they invented.

Air travel still looks like a bargain. Average fares are 25 percent lower than they were in 90ties, the DOT says.

But if you add all the extra cost they add now you end up easily paying 30-50%% more than the advertised airfare.

You have to shop for fares don't trust your favorite airline.

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DUBAI: After bringing to India the double decker Airbus A-380, the world's largest passenger aircraft, Emirates Airlines is looking at expanding its operations in the booming country which is considered by the firm as its second biggest hub after Dubai

"India is a very big market which has a lot of potential for the next five years. China, India and Brazil are the future market. 

"Last year, it was exceptional and everybody suffered. I believe the load from India helped us reduce the effect of the recession. There was double digit growth in India last year and hence India is top of our priority," Majid Al Mualla, Emirates Senior Vice-President (Commercial Operations West Asia and Indian Ocean) told PTI here. 

As per the bilateral agreements between the two countries, there are a total of 54,000 seats and the current load factor for the airline hovers at about 83 per cent. 

With business "back to normal" after recessions, the USD 11.8 billion Airline is looking at a possible growth of 10-15 per cent in the load factor besides hiring more staff for operations in India. 

"By end of 2009, we saw business coming back even though people were talking about three-four years to recover. I think it was earlier than everybody expected. And right now, we are in a stage that we can say that business is back to normal for Emirates," Mualla said. 

The airline currently operates 184 weekly flights from 10 destinations in the country and is looking at the possibility of opening new destinations. 

As per the bilateral agreement, there are six more additional points that they could operate from including Amristar, Mangalore, Trichy, Goa and Coimbatore. 

"We have a long wish-list not just for India but different parts of the world. We are currently operating from 10 destinations in India but if you look at the growth prospect in India, then these 10 destinations are not enough. There is a huge opportunity for all airlines to operate more points in India," the senior Emirates official said. 

He said once the airline achieves this year's target, it will add flights to existing network and expand the routes. 

The Emirates Group has about 10,400 Indians working for it with about 900 in India. The airline is now looking at hiring more especially for its call centre in India which has a strength of about 500. 

"As of now we are having about 900 people working in India but this number will go up. We are hiring more people in our call centre and as soon as we open lounges, we will have more people," he said. 

Mualla said the airline is looking at a growth of 15 per cent in passenger load during the current financial year. 

"It is not just the traditional load from India to the Middle-East. We have seen a tremendous growth to US, Europe and even to leisure destinations. There is lot of mix of traffic through India and this is good," he said adding, "We are looking at a growth of 15 per cent in traffic during the current financial year from India."
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