Aviation News

Long haul ... passengers arriving at Heathrow on Wednesday could face 12-hour waits to get through immigration due to a customs strike. Photo: Reuters

Qantas will allow passengers flying into London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday to change their flights without incurring fees as a customs strike could cause delays of up to 12 hours in clearing immigration.

Normand Boivin, chief operating officer of Heathrow, wrote to airlines yesterday to ask them to cut loads in half in order to avoid “gridlock.” Gatwick Airport, south of the UK capital, has asked airlines to help passengers switch flights.

“Modelling of the impacts of strike action on passenger flows show that there are likely to be very long delays of up to 12 hours to arriving passengers,” Boivin wrote in a letter posted on the airport’s website.

Passengers will be forced to stay on planes as queues become too long for terminal buildings and “this in turn would quickly create gridlock,” he wrote.

Unions representing border staff, teachers, health workers and civil servants are planning strikes to protest plans to make government employees retire later and contribute more toward their pensions.

Ministers say the move, part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s 80 billion-pound ($A126 billion) program of spending cuts, is fair as the more-than 5 million workers who contribute toward public-sector pensions get benefits no longer available in the private sector.

Middle managers at the UK Border Agency who were expected to step in to cover for striking colleagues on Wednesday have refused to do so because they are angry at the treatment of Brodie Clark, the immigration chief who resigned in a dispute with Home Secretary Theresa May over the easing of passport checks, The Guardian newspaper reported, citing unidentified government officials.

“We have reluctantly concluded that UKBA will not be able to provide a contingency plan to support normal operations,” Boivin wrote.

“We will plan for a normal flight schedule, but we are requesting all carriers to reduce load factors on each international flight arriving into Heathrow on 30 November to 50 per cent of normal levels.”

Qantas is allowing passengers scheduled to arrive at Heathrow on Wednesday to rebook on alternative flights between 28 November 2011 and 07 December 2011 or re-route their flights using Qantas. Affected passengers will not incur fees for making the changes.

British Airways customers will also be able to change their flights free of charge, the airline, which is still planning to run a normal schedule, said in an e-mailed statement. Cathay Pacific Airways advised customers not to travel to Heathrow in a statement on its website and said it would waive re-booking fees.

Virgin Atlantic Airways will also allow flights to be changed free of charge, it said in a statement on its website. Easyjet passengers arriving in the UK should allow for delays when making onward travel arrangements and all passengers should check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport, the no-frills airline said in a statement on its website.

Eurostar is expecting little disruption to its rail services between the UK and France and Belgium, though passengers traveling into the UK may have to queue longer for passport control, a spokeswoman said in a telephone interview.

Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that the army would be on stand-by to man passport control, admitting it was not a good look for the country.

Gatwick is working on “robust” contingency plans, Scott Stanley, the airport’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.

“We have had face-to-face meetings with our major airline carriers to discuss contingency plans for the day and have called on them to offer their arriving passengers the opportunity, where possible, to rebook their flights,” Stanley said. “We are determined to make sure that the needs and welfare of all our passengers will be met on the day.”

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au

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A jilted girlfriend bent on revenge called United Airlines shortly before her ex-lover tried to board an international flight and hinted he was a terrorist, the FBI said.

Lizet Sariol thought she placed the fake terror tip anonymously, but then she boasted about the hoax to her former flame, exposing her tracks.

Sariol, 45, was behind bars late Wednesday after she surrendered to authorities.

The Temple City resident called the United reservations line around 2 a.m. on Sept. 25 and told an airline representative there would “be an emergency” on a Las Vegas to Paris flight, according to a federal criminal complaint filed this week.

She spoke to 15-year call center vet Shan West, who sprang into action.

“I thought it was a bomb. I was real nervous,” West later told investigators.

He confirmed the woman never said the word “bomb,” but he said the caller implied it through all the “threat” comments she made.

“‘Bomb’ was never mentioned. That’s what I thought. When you get a call like that, that’s what you think. You don’t think it refers to a fight,” he told the FBI.

Sariol claimed she had received ominous texts from some “foreigners” she had met, specifically Adnen Mansouri and his traveling companion Salim Oumahdi, according to the complaint.

Both men are citizens of France.

LAX officials stopped Mansouri and Oumahdi later that same day at a US Airways ticket counter before they flew to Las Vegas on the first leg of their trip home.

Mansouri said he wasn’t surprised the FBI was waiting for him because Sariol had been “harassing” him, the complaint said.

He admitted a prior sexual relationship with Sariol and told investigators that he spurned her attentions when she made a late-night call to the Beverly Hills house where he was staying the night before.

He said Sariol cried in his presence and then sent angry messages after she left.

He said he believed Sariol was mad because he “un-friended” her on Facebook.

One missive sent hours before Mansouri’s departure sealed her fate.

“Really hope you all have a great flight,” Sariol wrote, according to the complaint. “Don’t even try to get on the plane (I) called the fbi Sucks to be all of you hope you all have good attorneys.”

She sent more threatening text messages to Oumahdi, the complaint said.

“Already called the airlines considered you all terrorists,” one message began.

“Hope you like jail,” read another.

Investigators interviewed Sariol at a coffee shop in early October. She claimed she simply “freaked out” when she was booted from the Beverly Hills house that night.

“I’m very sorry,” the scorned scammer told the FBI, according to the complaint.

Sariol is charged with providing false and misleading information by fabricating a terrorist threat. She was being held on $20,000 bond.

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A Taiwanese tourist returning from Hong Kong has accused Dragon Airlines of discrimination against passengers from Taiwan after the carrier let Hong Kong passengers switch flights after their flight was grounded by tire problems but refused the same offer to passengers from other areas.

According to a statement from the woman surnamed Huang, who was to board a Dragon Air flight scheduled to depart at 8:55pm November 22 from Hong Kong, she waited with other passengers at the boarding counter until 9:15pm when the airline announced that their flight had been delayed due to tire problems on the aircraft. Several passengers from Hong Kong protested to the airlines and were allowed to switch to a Cathay Pacific flight about to take off.

The airline, however, rejected Huang’s demand to switch planes reasons, she said, an action she viewed as discriminatory. She and other stranded passengers boarded the original aircraft at about 11 p.m., more than two hours behind schedule.

The carrier compensated the delayed passengers with one Starbucks coupon worth HK$75 (about NT$300) per person, which most found useless as the coffee shop did not have enough food prepared for the unexpected flood of customers.

Huang noted that the airline said that the Hong Kong passengers did not have checked baggage and could more easily make a transfer, a claim that ‘flew in the face of the truth’ as she overheard Hong Kong passengers talking about their checked baggage. The carrier staff conversed with Hong Kong passengers in Cantonese, said Huang, who speaks Cantonese.

In response, Dragon Airlines said that it had not discriminated against any passengers and that all decisions had been made in accordance with regulations. The carrier said in the future it will continue its practice of allowing passengers with no checked baggage to switch planes.

source: http://www.taiwannews.com.tw

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TORONTO,  /CNW/ – Emirates airline announced today the launch of a complimentary UAE visa service for Canadians traveling to Dubai with the Dubai Stopover Program. Canadian passengers now receive free entry to the country for up to 36 hours when they book one of the exciting hotel and sightseeing packages offered through Emirates.

“Customer service is always a priority for Emirates and we are thrilled to introduce the complimentary visa service for our Canadian stopover customers,” said Don McWilliam, Emirates Manager Canada. McWilliam noted that the service makes exploring one of the world’s great cities easier than ever before. “The free 36-hour visa, in conjunction with our increased Canadian connections through a recently announced interline agreement with WestJet, means more choice and added convenience for Canadian travelers,” he added.

The Dubai Stopover Program introduces Emirates customers to Dubai, with packages starting from as little as $39 CAD per person per night. Passenger can choose from a full range of hotels and apartments, and the deal now includes free UAE entry. Stopover customers also enjoy personalized meet-and-assist in Dubai, including VIP escort through Dubai International Airport upon arrival, hotel transfers, buffet breakfast, taxes and service charges, as well as a free welcome pack – which includes a Dubai Mall privilege discount booklet, offering savings at retail and entertainment outlets in one of the world’s largest malls, 24-hour contact numbers, postcards and much more.

Toronto’s Kompas Express serves as the fulfilment partner for the Emirates Dubai Stopover Packages, allowing passengers and travel agents to book with a local contact. To secure the 36-hour complimentary UAE visa, Emirates customers must purchase the stopover package and simply provide the application form, a colour copy of their passport and a colour passport sized photo to Kompas Express, who will handle the rest.

The Dubai Stopover offer is available to all Emirates passengers and combinable with all fares. It is not restricted to any specific class of travel. Passengers on Emirates may take advantage of a stopover package on both the inbound or outbound leg of their journey, offering two opportunities to experience the hospitality and vibrancy of Dubai, the proud home of Emirates airline.

McWilliam noted that Canadians traveling to Dubai with Emirates do so aboard the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. “The Emirates A380 offers passengers unparalleled in-flight experience and luxury,” he said.

For booking and information contact Kompas Express at 416-534-8891, toll-free at 1-800-387-6731 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Website: UAEstop.com.

About Emirates

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates airline has received more than 300 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. Emirates operates out of Dubai with no government protection or subsidies and in an environment that does not restrict competition.

Emirates serves 116 cities around the globe with a young and technologically advanced fleet of aircraft to support the expansion of its international route. Operations on Emirates from New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto connect North America to the world through the airline’s route network with extensive connections to the Far East, Australia, Africa and India Subcontinent. The airline announced on September 28 that they will also add Dallas and Seattle to their roster of North American gateways in the coming months. Emirates’ central office for Canada is located in Toronto at 90 Sheppard Avenue East and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

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