Finnair strike ends

October 26, 2010


The Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) said late on Tuesday that it had reached agreement on a new wage deal, ending a two-day strike by air transport technical staff, which had halted aircraft maintenance.
Finnish national carrier Finnair, which cancelled 35 flights on Monday and Tuesday, said its traffic is expected to return to normal on Wednesday.
"The strike has ended, industrial actions will be ramped down and employees will return to work," IAU said in a statement, adding that the new deal is for three years.
Finnair spokeswoman Paivi Huuhtanen said some 1,500 passengers were affected by the strike, but noted the costs had not been estimated.
Scandinavian airline SAS's Blue1 also had to cancel some 14 flights due to the strike.

UPS offers 'luggage boxes' as alternative to checking bags

Only days after federal officials announced that the nation's airlines had collected 33% more revenue this year from checked luggage fees, UPS offered its alternative to the hassle and expense of lugging a suitcase through an airport.

The world's largest package delivery service announced last week that it was selling specially designed boxes that resemble suitcases. Passengers can ship the "luggage boxes" to their final destination to avoid the airlines' check-in lines and luggage fees.
The new UPS boxes include carrying handles and come in two sizes.The UPS announcement came a few days after the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that the nation's 10 largest airlines collected nearly $770 million in checked baggage fees in the first three months of the year, a 33% increase over the same period last year.

The new luggage boxes are also hitting the market as demand for airline seats begins to rebound from a two-year slump.
The International Air Transport Assn. announced that international airline traffic jumped nearly 12% in May from a year earlier, raising airline traffic numbers 1% above pre-recession levels.
UPS officials say they created the new boxes simply to make life easier for frustrated travelers.
"It's meant to be a convenience," said UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg.
She conceded that airlines can usually deliver luggage faster than UPS but said luggage shipped by UPS can cost $30 to $80 less per package, depending on the route and the weight of the box.
Rosenberg noted another advantage to the UPS luggage box: A tracking number lets passengers know its exact location.
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Volcanic Ash over..What happens now?

Airline operators across vast areas of Europe were brought to a complete halt for six days by a volcanic ash cloud, and the knock-on effect of the disruption was felt around the world with hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and aircraft and flight crew displaced (Photo Credit: Aeroports de Paris)

The flying in Europe has resumed and the recriminations over the six-day closure of vast swathes of the continent’s airspace by a volcanic ash cloud have just begun. According to the International Air Transport Association, the crisis has cost carriers more than $1.7 billion in lost revenue. Some of the most seriously affected airlines, such as British Airways, have demanded compensation from governments, arguing that authorities overreacted to the safety threat posed by the ash and closed airspace too comprehensively and for too long. Governments argue that they had little choice but to opt for a complete closure, given the initial lack of conclusive technical data on the effect of ash on engines in a fast-changing situation.
But the unprecedented emergency has established, surely beyond doubt, the lack of viability of European Union rules on passenger compensation for cancelled or long-delayed flights. EU carriers face completely open-ended costs covering hotel accommodation and meals for stranded passengers who might each have paid just $10 for their tickets. The circumstance prompted bombastic Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary to declare that he will not pay passenger compensation, urging the Irish government to prosecute him for breach of EU law. For those readers who haven’t had the benefit of O’Leary’s previous contributions to enlightened discussion of air transport business models, he is the airline chief executive who plans to charge passengers to use lavatories during flights.

So are airlines and the aerospace industry completely blameless victims in this situation? Volcanologists have claimed that they have repeatedly tried to work with the industry to develop a clear understanding of the safety implications of volcanic ash, to no avail. Following the 1982 incident in which a BA Boeing 747 lost power from all four engines after flying into a volcanic ash cloud over Indonesia, the International Civil Aviation Organization established a network to inform the industry and authorities about volcanic eruptions. But, on its own admission, the United Nations-backed body still has yet to issue clear and comprehensive guidelines on the precise safety parameters and recommended procedures for air transport operations in such conditions.
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Ash Cloud List of countries airspace status as of Sunday April 18

Large parts of Europe enforced no-fly rulings today for a fourth day because of a huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano that has caused the worst air travel chaos since the Sept. 11 attacks. For airline phone numbers click here. Below is a list of countries as of 2030 GMT on Sunday and their airspace status:

AUSTRIA - Airports expected to reopen 0400 GMT Monday.
BELGIUM - Airspace closed until at least 1800 GMT Sunday. Main airline, Brussels Airlines, has cancelled all flights until Monday.
BRITAIN - Airspace closed until at least 1800 GMT Monday. British Airways cancels all Monday flights.
BULGARIA - Sofia and Plovdiv airports open as of 1100 GMT Sunday. Other airports closed. Transit flights permitted at 8,000 metres altitude.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Airspace closed until at least 1000 GMT Monday.
DENMARK - Airspace closed until 1200 GMT Monday.
ESTONIA - Airspace closed until 1200 GMT Monday.
FINLAND - Airspace closed until at least 1500 GMT Monday.
FRANCE - Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and several other southwest airports will remain open until at least 1300 GMT Monday. Airports north of Nice-Bordeaux line remain closed at least until Tuesday morning. Air France said a test flight from Paris to Toulouse on Sunday had ended without problems; tests continuing.
GERMANY - International airports shut until 1200 GMT Monday. Temporary opening permission to Berlin's Tegel and Schoenefeld airports to end at 2200 GMT.
HUNGARY - Airspace to remain closed until at least 1000 GMT Monday, although some flights at the discretion of traffic control may be allowed to take off or land.
IRELAND - Airspace closed until at least 1200 GMT on Monday. Ryanair cancelled all flights to and from northern Europe until at least mid-Wednesday. Aer Lingus cancelled all flights Monday.
ITALY - Northern airspace to reopen from 0500 GMT Monday.
LATVIA - Airspace closed until 0600 GMT Monday.
LITHUANIA - Lithuania airspace is now open, Vilnius Airport said on its website on Sunday.
LUXEMBOURG - Luxembourg airport closed until at least 1600 GMT Sunday.
NETHERLANDS - Airspace shut until at least 0600 GMT Monday.
NORWAY - Main airport, Oslo Gardermoen, opened for take-offs, but so far no landings, aviation authority Avinor told news channel TV 2. Airspace opened for some traffic north of Bergen, with some northern areas still closed
POLAND - Six Polish airports, including Warsaw, reopened for commercial flights.
ROMANIA - Airspace closed until at least 0900 GMT Monday.
RUSSIA - All airports open. Aeroflot is flying to the United States via the North Pole.
SLOVAKIA - Airspace closed as of 1300 GMT on Friday.
SLOVENIA - Airspace was opened around 1800 GMT Sunday and will stay open until at least 0400 GMT Monday, national news agency STA cited Traffic Ministry as saying. However, the ministry expects it to be closed again because of more ash reaching Slovenia around 0600 GMT, STA said.
SPAIN - The 17 airports closed on Sunday morning by the Spanish airport authorities now open.
SWEDEN - Airport authority has opened airspace north of 62 degrees latitude, about 250 km north of Stockholm. The rest remains closed into Monday. SAS said most of its flights on April 18 and 19 had been cancelled.
SWITZERLAND - Main carrier Swiss says cancelled all European flights from and to Switzerland until Monday, 1800 GMT. Swiss also says cancelled all intercontinental flights from Switzerland for all of Monday.
TURKEY - All airports open. Planes flying out of the Black Sea cities of Samsun, Sinop and Zonguldak have been advised not to fly higher than 20,000 feet (6 km).
UKRAINE - Kiev's Borispol airport open
(Reuters)


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Is it really going to cost a buck and a half to use the toilet

Word is speading that Irish low cost carrier, Ryanair is working with aircraft manufacturer Boeing to develop a coin-operated toilet so it can charge customers one British Pound (1.50 U.S.) to use the toilets on short-haul flights lasting less than an hour. Hmmm...one may have to cut back on the beer drinking..or hope flight attendants have lots of change...
Always check with EuropebyAir.com for cheap fares to and within Europe.

'The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters' exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts,

This spring is a great time to visit London; there is a rich array of art and cultural offerings that travelers can experience. Special exhibits running through April 18 including "The real Van Gogh the Aritist and his Letter's "exhibit at the Royal Academy>

Twiggy: A Life in Photographs, through March 24. Join the National Portrait Gallery in celebrating the 60th birthday of "the face of '66."

Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year, through April 11. View more than 40,000 pictures of nature from amateur and professional photographers competing from around the world.

The Empire Strikes back: Indian Art Today, through May 7. This free exhibit at Saatchi Gallery features work by 26 emerging and established contemporary Indian artists.

Chris Ofili Exhibition at Tate Britain, through May 16. Check out this exhibition that includes new canvases by the British painter who channels hip-hop culture, folklore and nature in his work.

Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey, February 24 - May 23. Catch paintings by the popular 19th century French artist at the National Gallery.

Irving Penn Portraits, February 18 - June 6. Catch celebrity photos by the late famous photographer at the National Portrait Gallery.

Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa, March 4 - June 6. Stop by the British Museum to view more than 100 sculptures from 12th-15th century Ife (now Nigeria).

Henry Moore, February 24 - August 8. Tate Britain will showcase more than 150 works by the famous sculptor.

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Movie map helps UK tourists to discover Sherlock Holmes'

Tourists are being encouraged to embark on their own mystery adventure ahead of the launch of the new Sherlock Holmes film.
UK tourism chiefs have themed their latest travel campaign around the film, which is based on the famous books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and opens in cinemas on Boxing Day.
On online movie map invites tourists to discover Sherlock Holmes' Britain and provides a round-up of the famous locations that feature in the film, including St Paul's Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, Manchester town hall, Liverpool Docks and the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, south London.
The website, which also features footage from the film and information about the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street in London, encourages visitors to plan short breaks to London, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh with a Sherlock Holmes theme.
The film's director Guy Ritchie said: "Sherlock Holmes is an iconic British character and bringing our story to life on the streets of London, Liverpool and Manchester was part of the fun of making this film.
"Given the 150th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birth this year, I'm excited to unleash our version of Sherlock Holmes to audiences in the UK and around the world."
Downey Jr said: "Sherlock Holmes has great pride in being English. London is an incredibly fascinating city and the centre of the world at the time our film takes place. Holmes knows every inch of it and feels it's his city. It was great fun filming throughout Britain."
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Spanair starting Alicante to Oran Nov. 1st

Europe By Air airline partner Spanair has just announced that starting from November 1, 2009 they will be adding a new route between Alicante and Oran, Algeria

Their move into Barcelona's new Terminal 1 as of June 17, 2009 is working very well and we've also seen other Star Alliance member carriers serving Barcelona following suit.
The popular Banjul route is back on course and operating since July 2, 2009. For more information and reservations contact EuropebyAir on line or call 1 888 321-4737

Aer Arann - Fees Don't Fly With Us

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EuropebyAir bmi seat sale starts Wednesday

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Europe on Sale New Fares Just In

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AEGEAN AIRLINES ADDS NEW SUMMER DESTINATIONS FOR 2009

AEGEAN AIRLINES At the beginning of the summer 2009 season Aegean will expand its network by adding 5 more European destinations from its base in Athens. Aegean will begin non-stop services to Brussels, Berlin, Barcelona, Vienna and Venice.

By adding five new destinations Aegean’s network will serve a total of 47 domestic and international routes. During the summer of 2009 Aegean will operate more than 200daily flights surpassing the maximum 150 daily flights operated during the winter of 2008.

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EUROPE BY AIR ANNOUNCES NEW LOW FARES

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