Archive for November, 2010
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
The government says it is not ready to agree to European Union proposals to share details on British motorists with all member states. On Thursday, proposals to force motorists caught committing a driving offence while abroad to be fined in their home countries are to be discussed by transport ministers from across the Union.
The opening up of motorist databases would allow governments to pursue drivers who have committed an offence in their country across borders. Under the proposals, a driver caught speeding while abroad would first receive a fine from that country’s police force on returning home. If it is not paid, then details would be turned over to the driver’s local police force and they would then pursue the penalty.
All proceeds would be retained by the local force and the level of the fine would be consistent with where the offence was committed. The four main offences to be discussed are: speeding, not stopping at traffic lights, drink driving and not wearing a seatbelt. These offences apparently account for around three-quarters of all road fatalities.
The UK’s minister in charge of road safety, Mike Penning, said he agreed in principal that at tightening up of rules across the EU was a good thing. However, he added that issues such as who is legally responsible for the vehicle when and offence talks place and who is going to foot the bill for the scheme still needed to be made clear.
Representative for the AA, Paul Watters, said he could not see the DVLA being very enthusiastic about taking on more bureaucracy.
Tags: AA, drink driving, DVLA, Mike Penning, motorists, penalty, speeding, transport
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
Continuing severe weather conditions in Scotland means widespread disruption for many trying to travel to work today. At the weekend, police advised drivers not to travel unless their journey was strictly necessary. Heavy snowfall and freezing conditions also means that rail and bus services are likely to be disrupted.
ScotRail has said the weather is affecting many of its services. Cancellations and delays are to be expected on a number of routes including in and out of Glasgow Central. Edinburgh and Glasgow airports have had to close their runways, and although they are now open again, people intending to catch a flight have been asked to get in contact with their carrier before setting out on their journey.
The A9 was closed for a period between Perth and Dunblane and five gritters have been deployed by Bear Scotland in an attempt to keep it open. Police have warned that they expect major route ways across the country to be significantly affected. Traffic came to a standstill on the A82 near Loch Lomond and the A83 had to be closed down completely.
There have been reports of lorries jack-knifing and motorists becoming stranded. According to Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s justice secretary, the country is stocked with enough rock salt and grit to get it through two months of extreme weather.
Snowy conditions have also meant the cancellation of a number of social and sporting events. Dundee United was unable to meet Rangers at Tannadice and Hearts could not play Motherwell at Fir Park.
Tags: bus services, drivers, Kenny MacAskill, motorists, rail, ScotRail, weather
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Friday, November 26th, 2010
Low cost carrier Jet2 has announced it will be making flying easier for taller passengers by fitting all its aircraft with new ergonomically designed seats. By making them thinner than usual there is now more space in front and the way they have been sculpted means there is more leg room which allows taller customers to stretch their legs out.
Jet2 has already fitted its two Boeing 757s with the seats and says that by May next year all of its 737s will have the seats. In order to get some feedback on the new design, Jet2 invited four members of the Tall Persons Club of Great Britain and Ireland to visit its base at Leeds Bradford Airport and give the seats a trial.
The club’s director, Louise Ross-Foden, said she was extremely pleased to see an airline actually dealing with the needs of taller passengers. She added that the club had attempted to breach the issue with other airlines, but with little luck. She went on to say that Jet2 would get the full support of the club as well herself (6ft 3in) and her husband (6ft 6in).
Jet2’s general manager for projects and planning, John White, said he had found it extremely useful to talk to taller people about the problems they experienced when travelling by air.
Andrew Smith, a Tall Persons Club member who is 6ft 6in, praised the new seat design saying he found it genuinely comfortable. He added that he could also use the tray, which was a problem on many other aircraft.
Tags: aircraft, Boeing 757, jet2, Leeds Bradford airport, passengers, Tall Persons Club
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Thursday, November 25th, 2010
Chief Executive Willie Walsh of British Airways announced plans to raise the number of flights to five round-trips a week between Tokyo’s Haneda airport and London when the new route is launched next February. Talking to Kyodo News, Walsh confirmed daily services between London and Haneda will be established in due time. In October, Haneda resumed full-fledged international operations.
Customers will therefore be able to choose their airport of convenience, as British Airways is to keep its services to Tokyo’s Narita airport, located about 60 kilometres of the city centre.
At the same time, Japan Airlines, also a member of the oneworld aviation alliance will be supported by British Airways as it rebuilds itself. However, British Airways will not play a role in the Japanese carrier’s bid to raise capital with contributions from private institutions.
The ailing airline has already secured a 350 billion yen investment from the government-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan. They are looking for an additional 50 billion yen from private institutions.
There is also a plan by Japanese air carrier Skymark Airlines to begin low-cost international services between Tokyo and London in fiscal 2014, but it has been met with scepticism. However Walsh has stated that British Airways welcomes the airline’s efforts and isn’t afraid of competition.
Tags: British Airways, Haneda, Japan Airlines, Narita, oneworld aviation alliance, Skymark Airlines, willie walsh
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Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
A female crew member was asked to go home after collecting money for fired and suspended colleagues, sending the Unite trade union into fits of anger and dispirit. The union warned the dispute with British Airways is likes to deepen following the suspension. But industrial action over the holiday season is highly improbable considering the timetable.
In a correspondence to BA’s director of people, Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite noted that the dispute would worsen should Andrea Molton not be immediately reinstated. He warned that a failure to do so, would implicate consequences to rest entirely with management.
People in the know at Unite said the likelihood of voting to strike may come before Christmas. But the union has to give seven days notice prior to holding a ballot. The voting process is usually expected to last a month, which minimizes the chances of industrial action at Christmas.
BA and Unite’s dispute has been ongoing a year now and is presently at an impasse. Woodley stated last week that a BA peace offer was no longer recommendable due to the resistance of Unite’s two cabin crew branches. The dispute has caused the firing of 16 employees and 58 have been suspended.
Tags: Andrea Molton, British Airways, Christmas, industrial action, strike, suspension, Tony Woodley, Unite trade union
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Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, announced that it would gradually bring its grounded Airbus A380s back into service starting at the weekend. One of the superjumbos is due to fly via Singapore to London from Sydney on Saturday. It was just after leaving Singapore in the other direction that a Qantas A380 experienced massive engine failure in one of its Rolls–Royce built Trent 900s on 4 November.
Following the explosion, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing, but there were no casualties. Qantas immediately grounded all six of its superjumbos pending an investigation into what went wrong.
Speaking at a press conference, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce announced that the airline had discovered the reason for the problem and believed it was now safe to get the A380s back into service. The airline added that the decision had been made after a thorough program of inspections by Rolls-Royce engineers. Rolls announced earlier that the oil leak in the Qantas engine and the subsequent fire and pressure loss in the turbines was due to a single engine component.
The flag-carrier pointed out that it would not be using its A380s on routes which might require maximum thrust from the engines. Qantas said the measure would remain in place until changes were made to the engines and more experience of flying with the Trent 900s was gained.
Qantas plans to take delivery of two more A380 aircraft from Airbus by the end of this year, with two more being delivered in the early part of the New Year.
Tags: A380, airbus, airline, Qantas, Rolls Royce, Trent 900
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Monday, November 22nd, 2010
As councils struggle to balance the books due to spending cuts the government has been asked by a number of local authorities to raise the cap on parking fines. If allowed, six councils outside London will raise parking penalties from £70 to £120. Motoring groups have slammed the plans saying that it is just another way of milking the public for cash.
Co-founder of the London Motorists Action Group, Tom Conti, said it was shocking that at a time when the cost of petrol was going up, as well as VAT and train fares, people were being asked to hand over even more cash for parking in the wrong place.
Founder of the Drivers’ Alliance, Peter Roberts, agreed saying that a minor parking offence did not warrant a penalty of £120.
Mr Roberts added that drivers were already being unfairly treated through penalties and taxation. The British Parking Association, which represents car parks and councils, has backed the calls for an increase in fines for parking offences. A representative of the organisation said a review of the charges in towns outside London was long overdue.
There are separate plans to hike prices in the capital as well. Norman Baker, Regional and Local Transport Minister, said parking penalties were in place to ensure that other motorists are able to travel freely. He added that the rules had to be enforced and that fines should be fair. He went on to point out that fines for parking are a deterrent, not a way for councils to make extra money.
Tags: Drivers' Alliance, London Motorists Action Group, motorists, parking fines, tax, train fares, VAT
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Friday, November 19th, 2010
Early in the New Year, Nissan will be launching its new electric car for the mass market – the Leaf. Instead of a petrol driven engine the hatchback runs on a bank of batteries capable of powering the vehicle for 100 miles on a single charge. The company claims this will make it perfect for driving in the UK’s cities.
Although initially owners will have to charge the car at home, it is planned that public charging stations will be established capable of charging the car’s batteries to 80 per cent capacity in around 30 minutes. A home charging kit will be made available which can fully charge the car in less than eight hours. The Leaf can also be plugged into the mains, but this will take a little longer.
Finding the nearest fast charging station will be made easier with a sat nav system. Spokesman for Nissan, Richard Candler, said an application for the iPhone has been developed which will tell the driver how much power is left in the Leaf’s batteries. The car’s heating system can also be turned on and off via the smartphone.
As part of Boris Johnson’s plans to make London the European leader in terms of electric vehicle solutions, 1,300 charging points will be set up in the capital by 2013.
Nissan has managed to produce a car which looks very similar to any other five-door. The Leaf is extremely nippy around town and is capable of a top speed of around 90 mph.
Tags: boris johnson, charging stations, electric car, hatchback, iphone, Leaf, Nissan
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Thursday, November 18th, 2010
European airline giant Air France-KLM has declared its second straight quarter of profit. For the three months ending 30 September, the carrier published a €290 million net profit. This figure exceeds analyst’s expectations of a €248 million announcement. Paul Butler, an analyst at Macquarie Research, London, said the results were excellent and has rated the airline to outperform.
Air France-KLM chief executive, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, said the airline was planning to add up to five new routes to Asia, specifically concentrating on the expanding Chinese market. He also promised a similar amount of new routes to the Middle East and Africa. The airline is also looking to expand in the Americas and would like to find partners for the SkyTeam alliance in Brazil and India.
In an interview the chief executive said by next summer the airline’s capacity would grow by around seven per cent. This growth will be helped by the addition of more A380 superjumbos to the fleet. He added that additional seats would help the airline return to the capacity it was offering before the economic downturn.
Rival European airlines have also announced a return to form. British Airways has managed to turn around two years of loss and Deutsche Lufthansa says it has tripled its net income for the last quarter. Air France-KLM’s US partner in the SkyTeam alliance, Delta, is also back into profit.
However, the International Air Transport Association is warning that although earnings for airlines will hit $8.9 billion this year, there will be a drop to $5.3 billion next year.
Tags: A380, Air France-KLM, airline, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, SkyTeam, superjumbo
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Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
Loss-making Spanish airline Spanair has confirmed that it is seeking investment from one or more of its partners in the Star Alliance in return for a stake in the Barcelona based carrier. The airline recently angered other European budget competitors after it received investment from the regional government of Catalonia.
Last month, Spanair received €10 million from a company controlled by the Catalonian government. This month, the airline received a similar injection of €20 million from another company also run by the government. According to the European Low Fares Airline Association such payments are a breach of competition regulations as well as the rules surrounding the donation of government aid.
The association has asked the European Commission to launch an investigation into the subsidies. Spanair is expected to announce a loss of €10 million for the second half of this year. For the same period a year earlier it announced losses of €60 million. So far, the airline and the Catalonian government have not commented on the illegal investment allegations.
Last Year, Scandinavian giant SAS sold Spanair to Catalan investment groups for €1. The regional government holds a 28 per cent stake and SAS retained 11.9 per cent of the carrier. According to a spokesman for Spanair, the airline is unlikely to declare a profit before 2012. Among the Star Alliance members being approached for investment are US carrier Continental Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, German giant Deutsche Lufthansa and Columbian based Avianca.
Spanair currently flies to 18 domestic destinations and 59 international airports.
Tags: airline, Avianca., Continental Airlines, Deutsche Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Star Alliance, Turkish Airlines
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