Travel Weekly Blog

• Heathrow is using search to monitor mentions (the first message wasn't an @)
• It is replying (sounds simple, doesn't always happen)
  
• It is replying with details of action - not just platitudes
  

utterly predictable responses from press and readers every time ryanair mentioned

All Nippon Airways is asking passengers to use the toilet before flying, in an every-little-helps attempt to cut its carbon emissions.

I did some rudimentary maths, which is the only kind I know, based on the following:

• Average adult bladder holds 400-600ml (so say 500ml)
• A litre of water weighs 1kg, so full bladder weight is around 500g
• Assume everyone arrives with a half-full bladder, so around 250g

Basing it on an ANA Boeing 777-300, which carries 514 passengers, ANA's weight saving is...

• 128.5kg, or...
• The weight of 1.6 adult males (at 80kg each)

Like I say, every little helps. Apparently this will scale up to a five-tonne reduction in emissions every month (across the fleet).

Potential passengers will be relieved to hear that the pre-flight pee is not enforced, merely suggested by staff at the gate.

Perhaps O'Leary's pay toilet idea is actually a brilliant piece of behavioural engineering...

Yesterday I commented on an Alex Bainbridge post about a United Airlines complaint with a difference - the difference being that it's a band complaining about damage to their guitars, and doing it in song.

Alex basically asks, 'What should UA do?' and I have to admit I've found some of the comments a bit depressing.

Some default to 'make another funny video', fuelling the misconception that there is little more to social media than virals and cat humour (which I admittedly quite like, in their place).

Some recommend a whole new set of equipment for the band, which in my own words:

...is slipping into a nasty Old Media habit: high-profile columnist moans about bad service, company gives them special treatment as a result

Is that what we meant when we asked brands to engage? The odd funny video? Selective pieces of 'Brand Theatre' instead of a commitment to open, accountable treatment for every passenger?

If so, we've shown ourselves willing to take entertainment over service and will get the engagement we deserve.

Am I wrong? C'mon, cheer me up...

NB - I'm heading away for the weekend, so sorry if it takes me a while to approve comments. I'll do my darndest.

A copy of the Spectator? £2.95

Reading Chrissy Iley's vaguely correct but infuriatingly self-important bit of airline-bashing, of which BA bears the brunt? Free.

Seeing it next to a full-page ad for BA? Priceless.

Just had a whistle-stop tour of Munich Airport - note the omg exclusive panoramic pic, taken from the lower tier of the control tower.

Naturally, we got a Munich Airport pitch along with the tour - here are the two elements I found most interesting:

It's bidding for non-travelling visitors too

Between Munich's two terminals (the original from 1992 and the shiny new one from 2005) is a covered square that acts as meeting point and venue.

The new Porsche is on display there just now, but in the past it has hosted volleyball tournemants and big-screen sports matches, notably during the 2006 Germany World Cup.

You'll find some bars with beer gardens there too, including Airbrau, the airport's micro-brewery (the weissbier and pretzels come with my recommendation).

Better still, the airport's businesses are obliged to stick to high street rates. We're told the lack of nasty airport mark-ups makes it an attractive shopping proposition for residents of north-east Munich, for whom a trip to the airport can be quicker than heading into the city centre.

It's an odd-sounding scenario, but certainly more plausible than residents of Hounslow popping to Heathrow to update their wardrobe.

It wants to be the best darn hub it can be

We're told that Munich's newer terminal was designed with transfers in mind. Gates are arranged in a kilometre-long line, so it's impossible to get lost (though God help you if you do go the wrong way, as I semi-cheekily pointed out to the PR).

There's a TV screen at every gate that displays the connections passengers need, and, helpfully, each is accompanied by a big left or right arrow.

May sound prosaic, but anyone who has tackled transfers at the likes of Hong Kong, Charles de Gaulle or - shudder - Frankfurt will see the value.

The airport is aiming for a maximum 30-minute transfer time (our Lufthansa rep claimed to have made one in 15 minutes), and has a control centre that monitors flights, sending out 'mini-vans' (don't worry, they mean buggies) to help late arrivals make their connections.

Anything else? Well, the new terminal is modern and light and airy, but that's par for the course in new airport terminals. More notable is the relative quiet - announcements are kept to a minimum in both volume and regularity.

Have they done research on how well passengers cope without announcements, I ask? The PR doesn't quite answer, instead emphasising that announcements are few, rather than totally absent.

In terms of news, Munich has plans for a third runway and terminal, and wants to get ICE train coverage extended to the airport. None of that's dated at this stage, though. 

And yes, if you have 'Heathrow expansion' and 'Crossrail' in your head, you're not alone. Bet these guys finish first though...

I'm in Bavaria with Lufthansa and the German Tourist Office until Sunday June 28 - I'll be posting here (general things) and on the Postcards blog (destination things).

"I've never understood why somebody wouldn't want to be in every single channel, unless they're sure they'll get 100% of the traffic anyway."

Update: The CAA has now clarified that figures for both Heathrow and City are percentage point changes, not percentage changes. Read on for a clarification of the difference. News story has been amended appropriately.

We're running a story on punctuality figures from the CAA. They're encouraging, but there's an oddity: take a look at paragraph two...

Heathrow recorded a 13 per cent increase in punctuality, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, and London City a 16 percentage-point improvement

Heathrow's improvement is being measured in percentages, City's in percentage points.

Synonyms? 'Fraid not.

Percentage changes tell you how much a quantity itself has changed; percentage point changes tell you how much a percentage of a quantity has changed. (See further explanations from Tiscali dictionary and PlanetMath.)

Let's take an imaginary airport where 70 out of 100 flights (70%) have run on time:

A 13% increase is 13% of 70, which is nine. After the improvement 79 out of 100 flights run on time.

A 13% percentage-point change means we go from 70% punctuality to 83%. After the improvement 83 out of 100 flights run on time.

This is a gross simplification, and doesn't reflect the complexity of real CAA figures - it's just to demonstrate that the terms are not interchangeable.

So now we have some ambiguity. Is the CAA using two different measurements, or is it just being a bit loose with terminology?

According to aviation reporter Ian Taylor, who wrote the story, it's impossible to tell from the published report whether we are looking at two percentage changes, two percentage-point changes or a genuine mixture. He's trying to reach the CAA in the course of working this story up for Travolution. 

Are we right to run the story in the meantime? I think so, because a) these are the figures as released by the CAA, and the first job of an online news service is to get them out to you; and b) the per cent/percentage point issue doesn't change the upward trend.

Reuters quotes Michael O'Leary on the BBC (update - watch the original interview):

One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound ($1.43) to spend a penny

Just been chatting to our ed-in-chief Penny Wilson, who agrees that 'looking at the possibility of maybe' scarcely makes a news story - but it's classic Ryanair nonetheless.

Update 2: Ach, let's do a news story anyway.

"Maybe we can organise sponsored catheters," she added.

It's a brutal way to treat passengers but it scarcely matters - as samdaams and I were saying on Twitter not long ago, Ryanair has established a reputation for doing one thing well, and it's going to ride that horse until it gets thrown. (Two years? Five? Ten? Never?)

Odds on pay toilets happening? Pretty long, I'd say, but you'd be a fool to rule it out.

Homepage image: Darren Greenwood / Design Pics Inc./Rex Features

When US Airways flight 1549 was forced to ditch in the Hudson River, it didn't take long for the National Transport Safety Board to confirm that a 'bird strike' was the culprit.

The Telegraph: A Travel Blog (nothing to do with the UK broadsheet) wrote a post detailing some previous bird-induced accidents, but why stop there?

TW Blog discovers from New Scientist, with whom Travel Weekly shares a publisher, that the US Federal Aviation Administration has a National Wildlife Strike Database.

...the toll included 811 deer, 310 coyotes, 146 skunks, 146 foxes, 33 domestic dogs, 18 domestic cats, eight cattle, six moose, five horses, two river otters, and a single unfortunate pig

A follow-up search reveals there have been three 'badger strikes' since January 1980, one in Alabama, two in Colorado.

(Hat-tip to my colleague Nicki 'Celebs on Holiday' Rose for spotting this in NS...)

Useful list of numbers compiled by the Telegraph. TW's Chloe Berman just tried a number to find it bypassed the pre-recorded messages.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Obviously the king of this castle is Virgin Atlantic's stellar TV spot - which simply by being a big-budget event ad is 80s down to its DNA.

Apparently by coincidence, Qantas is sending out good ol' viewfinders to promote its A380, and using a retooled version of Men at Work's 80s hit Land Down Under on its TV ad...

...and KLM recently decked out an aircraft in retro livery to celebrate its 90th year (pic by flickr user amsterdamned74).

You can't blame airlines. Naturally, they want to remind us of the days when being an air hostess was an impossibly glamorous career, airline brands were style icons and you could take mineral water through security.

Wait - does anyone else feel worse after thinking about that?

I'm exaggerating. But premium seat sales are suffering as the economy tightens, and Virgin has just launched a sale that sees some Upper Class fares slashed by 40%.

Over at BA, first and business traffic has plunged 12% (year-on-year, based on December 2008) compared to a 3.5% decrease overall.

The pattern is obvious, and frankly there are few surprises here - stakeholders, and most importantly shareholders, don't want to see evidence of profligacy while profits are taking a beating.

What's the endpoint? As premium fares plunge and budget sheets come under close scrutiny, will we see opportunistic backpackers quaffing free champagne while guilty-looking company directors fork out for crap coffee in the back?

Of course not. But premium cabins aren't going to sell as easily as they used to, and something will have to give...

The new TV ad for Qantas' A380 certainly looks the part - slick, bright and aspirational. But what's that music? Surely not a polished-up version of this...

I don't think they'd even let those guys on board...

The Telegraph flags up misbehaviour in a Facebook group for London Gatwick Ground Staff, whose members allegedly:

• Described passengers as 'smelly and annoying'
• Ridiculed 'silly American accents'
• Complained about passengers who put boarding passes in their mouths (What?!? I hope none of my readers do that.)

We all know that customer-facing staff are more human than their job allows them to let on, but this is mean-spirited stuff - particularly the comments about accents. BA will want to investigate.

What chance do the employees have? Roughly none. They were posting in a closed group, but it's naive to think that gives you real privacy, let alone a legal defence - 'I'm not even sure there is a private place on the internet web,' as travel tech blogger Alex Bainbridge says in his post on the subject.

So it's a case of bringing the company into disrepute, and the last time that happened to an airline - in the recent and virtually identical Virgin/Facebook/'Chavs' case - 13 staff lost their jobs.

Update: More on this from TW columnist Simon Calder, who argues in the Independent that the employees' gripes were justified. 

I think some probably were - like me, he's appalled by the idea of handing staff a 'saliva-sodden boarding pass' - but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to make them on Facebook.

PS: In the time it has taken me to write this post, all members and admins of the group have left it.

Not that this is a number one priority while there are passengers stranded - 700 at Gatwick, says the BBC - but have you seen the bankruptcy note that is now the homepage (and the only page) of Sterling Airlines website?

Update: The 700 figure has been dismissed - apparently most passengers didn't turn up for the flight. It'd be interesting to know how they found out - our aviation reporter suspects an email from the airline or a tip-off from Danish relatives.

That's the top of the page. I wasn't even sure I was on the Sterling website, and when you've got customers arriving to find out what happened to their booking, that's a more serious matter than it sounds.

At least throw on a logo...

Anyway, after the apologies and explanations there's some advice for Sterling clients who are affected, and it's the usual:

• If you booked direct through Sterling's website you won't be refunded
• If you paid by credit card, contact your card provider
• If you booked through a travel agency or tour operator, contact them

Note, by the way, that failure announcements are always apology first, information second; there's a strong argument that it should be the other way round (and one argument I've made before on a Travolution post about Zoom).

Thanks to Kieran Daly on Flight for his article on the forthcoming trials of the personal rapid transport system at Heathrow's Terminal 5.

Martin Couzins, managing editor 

It seems counterintuitive in the current economic conditions, but Bilga Air has announced a new service between Birmingham and Amritsar in Northern India starting 9 October. 

Air India is suspending its Birmingham-India route in October and Bilga Air is filling the gap.

UK Charter Airline, Monarch, will operate the direct flights for Bilga Air, departing from Birmingham up to twice a week.

So with a Monarch involvement it look as if this is a venture that has legs.

Martin Couzins, managing editor 

TW has created an information page which will list updates on the XL Leisure Group failure.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Had a chat with an executive at a large airline last night and was given this top tip: the best day to get an upgrade is a Tuesday. I have yet to try it out . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

I've posted a couple of comments in this discussion on the ethics of travel journalism on One Man and his Blog...

IFE's not just important because it's fun - most carriers are eager to carry less weight (for what we'll call 'a mix' of commercial and environmental reasons) and investing in it allows them to ditch in-flight magazines without too many bored passengers crying foul.

There was a related discussion on Travel Rants after Emirates announced it was to scrap its magazine.

• More reports on Google News

Surely not...

Jaunted reports that a baby has been successfully delivered on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Adelaide.

Luckily, there were four doctors on board to help with the delivery.

Aaaaaw.

Right: back to emergency landings and carriers going out of business.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators has published this advice for consumers in light of Zoom going to the wall.

 1 Pay by credit (not debit) card and your credit card company will refund you. 

You may still, however, have to buy replacement tickets that are considerably more expensive than the original tickets you purchased.  If you have booked accommodation separately, too, then you have a separate contract with your accommodation supplier.

Even if no flights are available when you attempt to book new travel arrangements, i.e. you cannot reach your holiday destination - you will still be liable to pay for the accommodation despite the fact that it could remain empty during your holiday dates. 

2 Book flights and accommodation via a fully-bonded tour operator. 

If an airline goes out of business, it is the tour operator's responsibility to find you new flights - and, even better, the tour operator will pay any or all additional costs.

3 Take out scheduled airline failure insurance. 

This is specialised cover and is unlikely to be included in a standard insurance policy.  It does not cost much and is considerably cheaper than the cost of buying a new ticket, etc., as described above. Ensure that your insurance will cover the cost of a more expensive flight if necessary.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Live-blogging a flight ('flogging', if you must) is now a possibility, and Jaunted points to an early example of the genre on B-Side Blog.

It's better as an experiment than it is as content - flights aren't terribly interesting things, and unless you're a friend of the author's (or the author is a phenomenally good comic writer) a blow-by-blow account of one won't deliver much.

What if the flight is interesting, though?

What if it's the inaugural flight of Boeing's Dreamliner?

What if there's an incident mid-flight - loss of cabin pressure or air rage, for instance?

There's a key question here about airline policy.

On an inaugural, the airline might want passengers to blog the flight (if it had any sense).

After a mid-flight incident, it might want to cut off wi-fi to prevent passengers publishing their thoughts as soon as the aircraft had stablised.

Ryanair wasn't at all happy with Pen Hadow's post-flight account of a recent loss of cabin pressure. Imagine multiplying his accusations, and publishing them in real time on under-the-radar media.

Not a situation a carrier would be too happy with, I imagine...

A glitch at a Federal Aviation Administration facility in Atlanta is causing delays at some 40 airports in the US.

At this stage there is little on the severity or expected duration of the problem, but snarl-ups in the US can have knock-on effects elsewhere, so it's worth keeping an eye on.

Here's the story on Reuters and CNN.

The Telegraph has come up with some passenger testimony on the Ryanair flight that lost cabin pressure last night - and it comes from arctic explorer Pen Hadow.

Hadow claims that oxygen masks weren't working properly because bags 'failed to inflate', and complains that staff didn't make a PA announcement when the incident took place.

Both Michael O'Leary and Telegraph commenters give all this pretty short shrift, pointing out that

• a) cabin crew have to wear masks too, which stops them making announcements; and
• b) the bag doesn't always inflate when oxygen is flowing.

Not everyone is so level headed, however. Elsewhere, there is anecdotal evidence that after a few air incidents this summer people are scratching around for a macro-level scapegoat.

Enter, with grim inevitability, the credit crunch. See this on Yahoo Answers and Darren's post on the Spanair crash on Travel Rants.

Here's one of the ads from British Airways' new 'Heathrow Terminal 5 is working' campaign (click to enlarge).

As Travolution has pointed out, it must be a nightmare to produce

The copy freely admits its 'daily' punctuality figure is based on 6am to 2pm - leave it any later and the ad wouldn't be out for the next day.

I'll keep this simple, though: what do you think? Reassured, or not?

Here's the official line from the BA press office.

Update: I found a post about the ads on design mag Creative Review's blog - so head over there for some other perspectives on how well the campaign works.

According to Jaunted, weighing air passengers is no longer beyond the realm of possibility.

Air Asia subsidiary AirAsiaX has apparently considered calculating the overall passenger weight so it can maximise the amount of cargo it packs in, thus increasing revenue per flight.

Let's be clear that this isn't the 'overweight passengers should pay more' scenario beloved of pub agitators and stand-up comedians.

Strangely, though, the original report on news.com.au says,

Although admitting the move would be difficult to implement, [AAX general manager] David Wright said charging larger passengers 'could help Aussies lose weight'

Which suggests some kind of disincentive for larger passengers, does it not?

Is it me or does this picture of the new A380 statue at Heathrow make the aircraft look like it has had a very bad landing?

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Bosses at Cardiff International Airport are searching for a new name for the airport. They are hoping to come up with a name that will help dramatically increase visitor numbers - in the way that Speke Airport in Liverpool benefitted from renaming itself after John Lennon (doubled visitor numbers).

In the mix are Catherine Zeta Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey and Gavin and Stacey, according to the Metro newspaper.

With this range of 'options' for Cardiff, I am beginning to wonder whether the naming of airports after celebrities is something that should be encouraged . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Spotted in the Observer's quotes of the week box:

"Surely you have a word for handjobs in German?"

Michael O'Leary, the ever-charming boss of Ryanair poses a gentle question at a conference in Germany, after noting that his new transatlantic service will offer all sorts of extras. It caused some trouble for his interpreter.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The International Herald Tribune has an AP story on AirAsia - the budget carrier's CEO Tony Fernandes believes it can stay profitable despite the skyrocketing price of oil.

We are comfortable even with oil at US$200 (a barrel). ... We will market ourselves out of this problem.

He also cites less competition as a 'silver lining' of the situation. Fernandes also says - and this is the bit Jaunted picked up on - that part of the airline's strategy would be to sell more in the air.

Hmm. So as the oil price forces base air fares up, and as the economy slows down, passengers will be buy more than they do now?

Is that how it works in a downturn?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Another good newspaper ad here: Bill Geist shares one that US airline Southwest, which is resisting the spread of luggage fees Stateside, ran in the Wall Street Journal. 

  The coupon reads 'Don't #$*!% me over'. Beneath that comes the payoff: 'Southwest is the only airline that accepts this coupon'.

It's worthy of Ryanair, the UK's undisputed king of cheeky print ads. Hit the pic for a bigger version on Bill's site.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

I'll be totally honest: when I heard that Silverjet had secured more funding after ostensibly going out of business at the end of May, I had three questions:

• From who?
• Seriously?
• Seriously?

It's not that I don't like Silverjet - I heard nothing but good things about the service, I admired the chutzpah of its advertising, and so forth.

But its initial failure came hard on those of Eos and Maxjet. The business-only model wasn't looking too secure - to say nothing of the passenger aviaiton sector in general. So I was astonished when the carrier found the cash it was looking for.

Now the deal appears to have completely fallen through, with the BBC reporting that Silverjet's entire workforce is on the way out. So is this, finally, the end?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Our stablemate Flightglobal has posted a video interview with British Airways boss Willie Walsh from the IATA AGM in Istanbul (more video coverage on online editor Michale Targett's blog).

Walsh has more gloomy predictions for the aviation sector:

I fully expect more [airlines] to go out of business... there are a lot of airlines out there who have not been profitable with oil at half this price. So if they struggled when it was $65, $70, $80, I don't see how they can survive when it's $130 a barrel

Nathan Midgley, web producer

On the day that more long-haul BA flights are being transferred over to Heathrow T5, TW's deputy features and supplements editor, Joanna Booth, recounts her morning's arrival from Johannesburg.

Heathrow Terminal 5's operational troubles seem to be a thing of the past. My flight from Johannesburg arrived at 6.20 this morning, and only 20 minutes later I was cleared through passport control and carrying my bags - which had been waiting for me on the carousel ­- out of the shiny glass exit.

I hope this bodes well for passengers flying in on the long haul BA routes being transferred over to T5 today. Destinations as diverse as Bangalore, Cairo, Cape Town and New York JFK.

However, there¹s always the possibility my smooth passage was merely a result of flying in at the crack of dawn. I wonder how things will go with a much larger influx of passengers later in the day.

Entitled 'Some sad news . . .', this is what Silverjet is sending out to travel agents. The message is from Ann-Maria Stacey, Silverjet's corporate sales manager.

I really hope this hits your email before you read it or hear it from anyone else, but I'm really genuinely upset to tell you that unfortunately we have not been able to come to an agreement with our potential new investor and have had no choice but to suspend operations this morning and appoint an administrator who will take over the running of the company from later today.

They are trying to develop a rescue package but as you hopefully know I like to be honest with you, and I am not sure if that will have any chance of happening, but we will know for definite in a few days, I will of course keep you updated on this, but in the meantime all Silverjet employees duties have officially come to an end today. However if you need me please do call me or email me and I will do the best I can to help you.

The business-only airline has ceased operations today. From a statement on the Silverjet homepage:

Your belief in us was shared by our investors - but regrettably, due to unforeseen circumstances, they were unable to unlock the finance that we needed. As a result, we are very sad to announce that from 30 May 2008, we will cease operations and we are no longer able to honour flight reservations.

We extend our sincerest apologies to those of you who have travel plans with Silverjet in the future and at present. You are advised to seek alternative travel arrangements with other carriers, and contact your credit card company or travel agent directly for information on obtaining refunds.

Apparently Silverjet is seeking alternative investment, so all is not irretrievably lost - but with Eos and MAXjet also gone, and oil prices continuing to rise, surely only die-hard risk takers will be willing to invest in a business-class-only airline right now.

Is it time to say Sir Richard Branson called it right on business-only airlines?

It might sound goofy, but the story that Frontier Airlines is increasing its antler fee to $100 is indicative of the fee mania that is sweeping passenger aviation as fuel prices and a wobbly global economy put airlines under pressure. (Spot: Jaunted.)

The fees argument needs little retreading: passengers hate paying more for services they consider standard, but airlines argue that by 'unpackaging' prices they are allowing customers to opt out of paying for services they may not need.

This is logical enough, but comes unstuck in practice: unpackaging implies removing the cost of a service from the baseline price and making it optional, not adding it and making it optional. Customers see the distinction very clearly, and the attempt at sleight-of-hand only makes them angrier.

They also don't like it when the extra service they pay for fails to materialise. The Trading Standards Authority isn't keen either, and recently warned easyJet and Ryanair that failure to deliver priority boarding to those who have paid for it verges on fraud.

Anyway, apparently Frontier is not the first airline to charge a specific antlers fee - a spokeswoman told Forbes that it is common for passengers to check them in during hunting season.

I would love - love - to see a pair of antlers at the airport. Photos and stories of oddities on the baggage carousel will always be welcome at TW Blog...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

So: the Ladbrokes vs BA row, in which boss Chris Bell ends his company's relationship with the airline over an attempt to bump his 14-year-old daughter and her friend from a flight.

Never mind the diva overtones - private matters influencing boardroom decisions is just not the cool, dispassionate behaviour we expect from our businesspeople - it was British Airways' response that raised my eyebrows.

A spokesperson told the BBC that:

As soon as staff realised that Mr Bell was travelling with the two girls, the issue was resolved.

So... if they were unaccompanied 14-year-olds, booting them off their flight after check-in would have been okay?

Or perhaps we should read it as, "When staff realised it was Mr Bell, and not some ordinary punter, they made an effort to accommodate him."

Neither interpretation does the airline much credit, does it?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Just had this press release in from Aeroflot.

Aeroflot on top of its game as English football fans flock to Moscow

Aeroflot has made preparations to ensure a safe and timely arrival for some of the 50,000 English football supporters attending the UEFA Champion's League Final in Moscow tonight.

The Russian airline has announced that the influx of English visitors to Moscow, spurred by what is set to be a historic match between archrivals Manchester United and Chelsea, *will not lead to any delays* or congestion at its base airport Sheremetievo.

* This is the bit I liked.

We have been told!

I am trying to imagine BA taking the same tone . . .

Martin Couzins, managing editor

The Virgin boss talks to journalists about his space tourism business on a Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Tourist Board trip to the Masai Mara in May 2008...

Video by Travel Weekly's news ed Michelle Perrett

Prime minister Gordon Brown is appealing to the masses by asking them to upload questions to the PM's Youtube site - Ask the PM.

He will answer the most popular questions. We had a quick chat in the TW office and decided to ask Gordon about 'green' taxes on airlines and why they aren't spent on green initiatives.

The most voted for questions get answered, so we need your votes. Voting starts on 26 MAY so be sure to vote then. We will remind you!

Martin Couzins, managing editor

Thanks to Gadling for pointing us to the work of scientist Charles Ehret who has developed a diet to beat jet lag.

Not sure how it works - it costs a few quid to get your bespoke diet - but it has been proven to work on servicemen.

I'm just casting around the office to see who will be the TW guinea pig.

Martin Couzins, managing editor

JetBlue Airways Corporation is facing a £1m lawsuit over allegedly ordering a passenger to sit in the toilet (reports the Sydney Morning Herald).

Gokhan Mutlu was travelling on a standby pass and bagged the last seat after a flight attendant agreed to take the crew 'jump seat'.

But he claims that she found the jump seat uncomfortable, and that the pilot subsequently told him to give up his own.

Mutlu says he was told that passengers are not allowed to sit in the jump seat, and instructed to 'go hang out in the bathroom'.

Hang out. Almost makes it sound fun, no?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

BA's chief exec has told the House of Commons transport select committee that with hindsight he would not have moved into T5 when he did. TW's Ian Taylor was at the committee and here is his story.

Martin Couzins, online editor

We like this picture because airport chaplains do not get a lot of press. This picture was taken at an airport chaplains event held recently at Southampton Airport.

Martin Couzins, online editor

In a forerunner news piece for tonight's BBC Radio 4's File on Four programme, Don Langford, head of customer services Europe for American Airlines, said Heathrow suffered from lack of investment.

American Airlines flies out of Terminal 3, which Langford described as a "bit of a dump".

Radio 4's File on Four programme at 8pm tonight investigates the chaos surrounding the opening day of Heathrow's Terminal 5.

The programme should be interesting as it interviews some of the volunteers drafted in to 'test' T5 prior to opening.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Business class airline Eos is the second no-frills business only airline to fail within six months following the collapse of rival MaxJet.

The airline cancelled all its flights from New York to London today (Sunday) and is only operating selected flights over the weekend. All flights will be cancelled from tomorrow (Monday).

It announced that it had filed for a voluntary position under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code yesterday (Saturday) despite successfully negotiating terms for further funding.

Here is the Eos press statement.

More on The TW website as the story develops.

Juliet Dennis, chief reporter

There is no such thing as bad publicity. Certainly not for Ryanair.

Brand Republic reports that the low-cost airline has generated £1m of 'incremental media value' from coverage of its Advertising Standards Authority ad bans.

That's all the content generated around the bans, so I think TW Blog deserves a thankyou for inadvertently helping line Mr O'Leary's pockets. We'll try and work out how much . . .

Here is a list of some of the many ASA adjudications against Ryanair.

Air transport technology provider SITA has released its fourth annual report on baggage handling, and the picture is about as pretty as you'd expect:

• The industry handles 2.25bn pieces of checked baggage per year
• 42.4m bags were mishandled or delayed in 2007
• Baggage problems cost the industry $3.8bn in 2007
• Transfer mishandling is responsible for 49% of baggage delays
• If mishandling rates stay constant, by 2019 70bn bags will be mishandled a year

But take heart:

For all the lost and mishandled luggage there are literally billions of bags a year which make a perfect journey. In fact, barely one in a hundred passenger’s bags are ever mishandled (and most of those are reunited with their owners within 48 hours)

As for improving the situation, SITA is pushing Radio Frequency Identification, which has apparently improved bag identification rates by 85-90% at Hong Kong International (in association with one of SITA's baggage systems, natch).

Sounds good. A word of advice, though: the most advanced system will still fail if you don't train your staff to use it...

Download SITA's report here - you need to register some details, but it's free.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Travel Weekly reporter Ed Robertson on his experience of flying from Terminal 5

Coverage of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 opening has dominated the newspapers and none of it has been good.

Since the new BA terminal went into melt down on its first day of opening in March, the ensuing debacle has been blamed for the cancellation of 500 flights and the loss of 28,000 bags.

Two BA directors have this week fallen on their swords while the second stage of the move, which would have seen the airline’s remaining short haul flights and its long haul programme move across, has been postponed.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached the terminal this week to fly up to Glasgow for a Scottish Passenger Agents Association lunch.

However, I am happy to report the experience was brilliant. The building itself is wonderfully light and spacious - a far cry from the rest of the airport - and is a sight to see.

Today's developments for Heathrow Terminal 5:

BA won't complete move into T5 until October.

And Gareth Kirkwood, BA's director of operations, and David Noyes, BA's director of customer services, will be leaving the company.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Well, that's the verdict from a survey of travellers carried out by TripAdvisor. Here is the press release:

A survey by TripAdvisor of more than 1,220 travellers worldwide about the recent chaos at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 suggests that the damage it has done to reputations might not be as bad as feared.

Dire predictions about how global reporting on the airport anarchy will harm UK plc, British tourism and British Airways (BA) appear to be premature.

Yep, the last phase of the Heathrow Terminal 5 move has been postponed until June. Anyone terribly surprised?

Straight from the BAA and BA joint statement:

BAA and British Airways today announced that the planned move of the airline’s long haul services from Terminal Four at Heathrow to Terminal Five will be deferred until June.

While a normal flight schedule has been operated at Terminal 5 since Tuesday, we want to ensure that customers can be confident of high service standards when additional flights are introduced.

We will work together to iron out any remaining problems, including the baggage system and its operation, and develop a robust timescale for phasing the move of Terminal 4 services into Terminal 5.

Willie Walsh, BA’s Chief Executive said: "We are making this decision in the interests of customers. Though Terminal 5 is now working well, we need to have confidence that good service can be maintained when the terminal is handling larger numbers of customers.

"It is only sensible to ensure that Terminal 5 is operating consistently at a high standard before the move begins."

Is this the right decision? You bet it is. But perhaps it might have been better to ensure high standards, y'know, in the first place?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Silverjet has said it is in talks about a possible takeover.

Tough times for airlines: earlier this week Oasis went into liquidation.

And if you thought T5 was bad, check out the 850 cancellations in the US by American Airlines.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Flight reports that that Boeing has announced another six-month delay to its 787 Dreamliner.

The first delivery to All Nippon Airways won't happen until the third quarter of 2009 as opposed to the first quarter.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Pilots' union BALPA's letter to the world - well, the city and government - calling for a management change at BA.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Interesting analysis in today's Media Guardian of how BA handled the T5 launch. Included are comments by the likes of PR guru Max Clifford, but the most telling comment comes from Julia Simpson, BA's head of corporate communications.

She admits that not allowing journalists to ask questions of BA's operations director Gareth Kirkwood was a mistake - and she is not wrong. Here is what she had to say:

Yes, the opening day of Terminal 5 was a nightmare. It had all started so well. The world's media had welcomed in the first flight at 4.50am, captained by a woman. But by mid-afternoon the baggage system collapsed and serious disruption loomed. Media desire for answers was outstripping our ability to supply them.

Journalists wanted to know what had happened to the baggage system. The blunt truth was at that stage we did not know. If we had, we would have fixed it.

With events moving so fast, we put up our operations director to make a statement on the situation but not take questions. Our overriding objective was to say sorry. But hands up. We should have taken questions.

The next morning, [the chief executive] Willie Walsh fronted up and took it on the chin. In January my PR team had won widespread plaudits for the handling of the BA38 crash-landing incident at Heathrow.

The lesson? If a customer-facing operation disintegrates in front of the massed media there is no PR guru in the world who can save your bacon.

Martin Couzins, online editor

This is taken from an article in the International Herald Tribune... as for the year and the airport it refers to, I'll leave that to you. (Thanks to Marcus for giving me the idea.)

$20 Billion 'Public Relations Disaster: Hong Kong's Airport Can't Get Off Ground

With cargo stranded for days on the tarmac, missing baggage, malfunctioning signs, broken air conditioning and washrooms with no water, Hong Kong's new $20 billion airport has turned into a logistical fiasco.

...

For passengers at Chek Lap Kok, things are slowly improving from the disastrous first day at the airport, when planes were stranded on the runway for several hours because of a shortage of ground staff or malfunctioning gates.

...

Some 6,000 to 10,000 pieces of baggage which had gone astray since Monday have now been sent to the proper destinations, airport officials told [Reuters].

Most will have got it, but here's a link to the IHT story if you didn't.

It's not all that long ago - and while it isn't exactly a like-with-like comparison, and certainly doesn't excuse the T5 shambles, it should give pause to the 'only in the UK' brigade...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

As if the past week hasn't been bad enough for BA, there is now a viral game featuring BA's chief executive Willie Walsh. Play it below. (Via the Metro.)

More T5 coverage.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Here at TW Towers we get sent a lot of travel industry publications, including the in-house paper for BA - British Airways News. Oh, how BA will look back at these front covers . . .

20 March

27 March

Martin Couzins, online editor

How ridiculous that Flybe was on the verge of hiring actors to fill seats in order to avoid a £280,000 penalty because it had not filled 15,000 seats in a year on its Norwich to Dublin service. It was only 172 seats short - maybe a bit of compromise on both sides may have been sensible?

Martin Couzins, online editor

Five days in and Heathrow Terminal 5 is still struggling - today's cancellation tally is 27 domestic and short haul flights. Long haul seems to be okay.

Last week I wrote that we shouldn't make long-term assumptions about Terminal 5 based on its shambolic opening, and while I stand by that, there is still plenty to say about how poor BA's preparation, customer service and crisis management have been over the past few days.

My brother made an outsider's diagnosis: BA had shown 'no concern for the infantry'. Our own stablemate Xpert HR said that Terminal 5 'will crop up in every change management training programme for years to come', and aviation union Unite is now urging both BA and BAA to 'listen to Terminal 5 workers'.

That is more or less what you would expect a union to say, of course, and to talk about the fortunes of BA's workers while holidaymakers are stranded is a difficult course to steer.

But the two are inextricably linked. Poor orientation and training of staff means a poor experience for passengers. If Terminal 5 workers can't find the car park, the terminal will open understaffed. If Terminal 5 workers haven't been properly trained, the baggage system will go into meltdown.

Machines and systems are one thing; as The Times wrote on Saturday, the logistical problems at Terminal 5 are 'dismaying, but fixable'. If anything should worry us in the long term, it's BA's apparent failure to get the 'people stuff' right.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

As disruption at BA's newly-opened Heathrow Terminal 5 continues, all-business class airline Silverjet has released this subtle piece of email marketing:

Kicking a guy while he's down? That's just mean. I like the trend for quick-turnaround topical advertising though - see also Classic Collections' Fabio Capello thingy.

And of course it isn't the first time Silverjet has referenced British Airways in its advertising...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Here's CNN reporting on the environmental campgainers who descended on the new terminal in a 'flashmob'.

Nice bit of agitprop (even if flashmobs are sooo 2006, daahling) but I think it was the least of BA/BAA's worries...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Consumer watchdog Which? was quick to issue a statement on the Heathrow T5 problems.

The thrust of the statement was about knowing your rights as a passenger when flights are delayed or cancelled. So, useful stuff for those passengers stuck in T5 without a flight.

Not heard of the European Union Denied Boarding Regulation? Well, check out the Which? guide to your flight rights.

Martin Couzins, online editor

At 11pm tonight British Airways begins the three-mile move to Heathrow Terminal 5.

TW Blog has received some key statistics, so here's a quick look at what will be on the convoy:

• 27 shorthaul aircraft
• 360 baggage trailers
• 95 baggage tugs
• 106 baggage elevators and conveyors
• 240 cargo containers
• 122 cars and vans
• 16 ground power units
• 22 sets of aircraft steps
• 10 toilet servicing units

On top of that, a not-inconsiderable 2,500 customer service and baggage staff will be starting work at the new terminal tomorrow morning.

The move itself will require 250 staff (including 150 specially-trained volunteers) and leave Heathrow's south runway closed for five hours.

There's no room for error here: with Heathrow just shy of full capacity, BA can't just take a day out and do the move at leisure.

And once the move begins, Terminal 5 needs to be up and running quickly. Its first arrival hits at 4.50am tomorrow (March 27), and its first departure is scheduled for 6.20am.

Let's hope it all goes according to plan. The alternatives aren't pretty...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Stewardess comedy act Pam Ann is on tour so thought I'd take the opportunity to link to one of her routines.

So, is she a good or bad thing for cabin crew?

Here are some commnents from flight attendants posted on the video . . .

As a former stew and a pilot today, even in the eastern part of Europe, it is sooooo true! And like the best comedies, it's all on the basis of all our (let's call) interesting attitude among passengers...

I'm a flight attendant too...and alwayas sooo busy ;-) but I don't make some sign to the galley...I normally scream to my colleagues in the galley.

As a career flight attendant, I find this absolutely hilarious! Even when I travel on other airlines it still holds true. Perhaps it's industry specific and doesn't translate to the general public? I can't believe that. She's a total gas! What a scream! Love it.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Heathrow Terminal 5 will feature state of the art British Airways 'Galleries' designed by Davies and Baron...

The six lounges - called 'Galleries' - will seat 3,000 people in total and will cover an area equivalent to three times the size of Old Trafford.

The lounges will feature spas, steam/shower spa pods, private cinema, wine 'galleries', champagne bar, and hand and feet re-energisers to name but a few features.

They will also include, and I quote:

"Specially commissioned dynamic lighting and an extensive chandelier collection sourced from the finest in the craft grace [sic] all the lounge ceilings."

And what about those horse sculptures with lampshades on their heads?

Martin Couzins, online editor

Singapore Airlines' A380 superjumbo landed at Heathrow about two hours ago, completing the first European commercial flight for Airbus's behemoth.

Photos are starting to come in from the PR agency - I'm updating an A380 at Heathrow gallery on the website.

What we really want, though, is a look at one of the certificates the passengers received for being on the 'historic' (bit strong?) flight...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

UPDATE: the horse lost but - guess what?!?! - Ryanair did it anyway.

Ryanair will be glad that the Cheltenham Festival is back on after the bad weather - the airline has a horse in the Ryanair Chase at 2.35pm today.

If its nag wins, Ryanair says that it will release one million free seats ("no taxes, no charges, zip, nada") for travel in April. The offer will run until midnight on Monday.

Will the law of diminshing returns ever start applying to these offers? Or will Ryanair just take on Chris Anderson's 'free is the future of business' theory (which Tracking Tourism has been thinking about in a travel context) and cut out seat prices altogether?

Mossbank is the name to look out for. It's running at number five and wearing maroon and white.

Whether you look out for it to cheer it on or will it to come last is up to you...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The BBC website has an interesting feature on airport design, talking to experts on signage, architecture, transport links, queue management and retail.

A nice quote:

What would be fantastic for a passenger is to fly from London to Hong Kong, and find the same pictograms, colour coding and nomenclature. Airports like to be different but signage should be in harmony.

Someone should tell whoever did the bottom pictogram in the photo above. What's going on there?

Anyway, articles like this always attract interesting comments. Readers' ideas include allowing passengers to check in baggage at the car park, adding more fountains and plants, and, er, bringing back smoking rooms.

As for which airports they like, Orlando, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Singapore Changi, Copenhagen and Amsterdam Schipol come in for praise.

The hook for the feature is the opening of Terminal 5, which will of course make Heathrow the peer of any of the airports above. *Koff*.

Here's our own Terminal 5 preview.

Update: Holiday Which? is waxing positive about Terminal 5.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Amazing footage of an attempted landing at Hamburg International Airport on 1st March. According to Flightglobal, the airport was being battererd by hurricane Emma and the aircraft suffered a wing-tip strike before aborting the landing.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Fed up with queueing at the gate? As you may have read in the Observer, nuclear physicist Jason Steffen has come up with a formula for the most efficient way of getting passengers onto an aircraft.

...each passenger is given a specific queuing position; they board window seats first; and they do so with an empty row between themselves and the next passenger

All based on the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, obviously.

The only problem is that it requires more organisation at the gate. Currently all airlines ask of us is to wait until the broad group of rows in which we are sat is called.

And even that, as anyone who flies knows, resembles herding cats. So good luck with making this happen:

...passengers would board by filling up seat 40A, then 38A, then 36A and so on to the front; then they fill 39F, 37F, 35F, to the front; then 39A; 37A, 35A to the front; and so on...

Hmm. BAA is going to be 'reading this paper very carefully' - and joking aside, TW Blog hopes it can be made to work.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Just having a poke around Guiness World Records looking for travel related achievements and I found this - a video of Niek Vermulen and some of his collection of airline sickness bags. Niek has collected 5,180 bags from 1,003 different airlines.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Travel Rants links to some 3D videos of Heathrow Terminal 5, including arrivals, the champagne bar, the Club Lounge and so forth.

Here's a video of Troika's Cloud sculpture, which will hang inside Heathrow Terminal 5 hypnotising people into missing their flight.

Our aviation reporter Ian Taylor did a preview of Heathrow Terminal 5 a while back - take a look. The Guardian also has some recent Terminal 5 photos.

UPDATE: Ryanair now says that it met the OFT deadline but that pricing updates were delayed because of technical problems associated with the booking service relaunch.

The Ryanair website kerfuffle shows few signs of slowing down.

ABTA is incensed that Ryanair's website still does not comply with Office of Fair Trading pricing rules.

Remember there was an agreement between ABTA and the OFT that the former would crack down on operator pricing, and the latter on airline pricing, so the idea of a carrier still being in breach of the rules is no doubt galling to the travel agent body.

At the time an ABTA spokesman told Travel Weekly, "We will keep our side of the bargain and we expect the OFT to do the same."

As for Ryanair's website upgrade - which everyone expected would deal with the pricing requirements straight off - it has been the subject of 'mutterings', as Travolution puts it.

A Ryanair statement blames the problems on a traffic surge, which is what happens if you shut your booking engine over the weekend and come back online with a huge sale.

Travel technology blogger Alex Bainbridge comments:

Ah... a self inflicted wound created by the marketing team. In my large system projects we try to leave at least 3-4 weeks between system change and any major marketing push… because this gives you enough time to develop (and test) a further release and solve any teething problems

According to Travo, Ryanair has said that pricing will be sorted by the end of the day. For now we have the Ryanair USP writ large: the website's on the blink, the advertised prices are causing controversy, but OMG LOOK! SEATS FOR A PENNY!

Screamingly low prices will trump anything else, as Ryanair has consistently demonstrated - and all the media attention may not sit ill with the airline either.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

As you'll have heard, Greenpeace activists climbed on an aircraft at Heathrow earlier to protest against the proposed third runway.

The affair was over as soon as it began, but it left us with this small masterpiece of pathos and comic timing:

Anna Jones, one of the protestors, told reporters: "I am standing on this plane because our planet and the people who live on it are in danger. Climate change can be beaten but not by almost doubling the size of the world's biggest airport. The scientists say we only have 100 months to get emissions down so we are here to draw a line in the sand and tell Gordon Brown his new runway must not and will not be built."

An airport spokeman said: "The protestors have now been removed and this has caused no disruption to flights."

There's a good pic of the protest on this report from Reuters.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The Guardian has just published some sneak preview shots of the shopping inside Heahrow's new Terminal 5.

And here's BA's terminal 5 website.
Martin Couzins, online editor

The Guardian has a story which suggests that the UK wants to see measures identical to the 2007 PNR Agreement between the EU and US, under which airlines are obliged to share up to 19 pieces of data, covering domestic flights and sea and rail travel within the European Community.

It struck me that readers might like to know what the 19 pieces of information covered by the 2007 PNR agreement are, so I've dug them out. Here's the list:

1. PNR record locator code
2. Date of reservation/issue of ticket
3. Date(s) of intended travel
4. Name(s)
5. Available frequent flier and benefit information (i.e. free tickets, upgrades, etc.)
6. Other names on PNR, including number of travelers on PNR
7. All available contact information (including originator information)
8. All available payment/billing information
9. Travel itinerary for specific PNR
10. Travel agency/travel agent
11. Code share information
12. Split/divided information
13. Travel status of passenger (including confirmations and check-in status)
14. Ticketing information, including ticket number, one-way tickets and Automated Ticket Fare Quote
15. All baggage information
16. Seat information, including seat number
17. General remarks including OSI, SSI and SSR information
18. Any collected APIS information
19. All historical changes to the PNR listed in numbers 1 to 18

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Here's a worrying story. During a recent flight to Barbados, a friend of mine told the cabin crew of a sudden and severe pain in her leg.

According to my friend, the stewardess looked puzzled and said she'd never heard of that happening before.

Bad answer.

As the aviation industry has been at pains to stress, the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis is only minimally higher on a flight, and even then it is caused by immobility, not flying per se - a long car journey involves just as much risk.

But it should be obvious that a passenger complaining of severe leg pains could be suffering from, or at least worrying about a DVT, and you would expect cabin crew to respond accordingly. Especially on a big full-fare airline, which this was.

It transpired that my friend had developed a superficial thrombosis, which is less immediately dangerous but still very painful, and carries the risk of complications, including the development of a DVT.

Things did not improve on the ground. She spent virtually the whole trip in doctors' surgeries and on crutches, and said dealings with her package operator (again, a big name) left her feeling like a burden.

When it came to flying home, her requirements hadn't been passed on to the airline, and only bursting into tears (which I'd probably have done much sooner in the trip) secured her a bulkhead seat where her leg could be properly elevated.

I'm not naming companies, because this is all anecdotal. But it is dispiriting to hear that someone has put their money down with trusted brands and ended up with this standard of care.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

A good summary of bad travel news from the Telegraph. No surprises that Heathrow and BA feature - lost luggage, fog, delays - the usual stuff.
It's not all bad though - London Cabbies voted best in the world by hotels.com . . . no really.
Let's see what the 21 Feb brings.
Martin Couzins, online editor

Travolution has a good story on how airlines fared in a recent study of brands' online reputations.

Virgin Atlantic came top, and Ryanair got a sobering score of minus 20. Here are the Kaizo Advocacy Index scores:

• Virgin Atlantic: 65
• BMI: 48
• EasyJet: 25
• British Airways: -6
• Ryanair: -20

And I see on Gadling that the New York Times ran a 'cruise issue' on Sunday. This article on interesting land extensions has a little drop-down menu that takes you to most of the content.

The cruise revolution marches on... I wonder whether the freesheet that doesn't do cruise has relented yet.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Heads-up for any cabin crew readers: the production company that does Gordon Ramsay's The F Word for Channel 4 is looking for some of you to appear in the new series.

We would like to hear from Cabin Crew who would like a cooking lesson from Gordon and are interested in learning about delicious exciting healthy food

...says someone from their offices, but requests for more information elicited a press release that was even more generic than the first.

This has not helped to dispel TW Blog's prejudices about TV people, most of which are taken from Charlie Brooker shows.

Anyway, if you're interested email fwordcooking@optomen.com telling them why you need Gordon's help. Tell us how it goes if you get picked.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Much has been said about how poorly Ryanair treats disabled customers, so it was no surprise to read in the Guardian that a blind calypso musician and his band have been awarded damages after the airline threw them off an aircraft as suspected terrorists.

It’s amazing they got anything at all, but the £4,000 awarded for their mistreatment pales somewhat when compared with the £62,000 shelled out to Nicolas Sarkozy last week.

The French president took the airline to court after an ad used a picture of him and new wife Carla Bruni without permission. Clearly the Elysee provides a better class of lawyer than a bunch of calypso musicians can afford.

Matthew Hampton, features editor

Love is everywhere and that includes 10km in the air. SkyEurope is attempting to set a world record for kissing at altitude. Heaven help you (!) if you are on one of the flights and you are not with someone you want to kiss.

Such stunts aren't new to the airline, according to Flightglobal. Last year they put on a speed dating service from London to Prague.

Lukla Airport, which serves the Mount Everest region of Nepal, is getting a name change to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in honour of Sir Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing. Thanks to Jaunted for pointing out the exhilarating nature of the take-off - there is a 2,000 foot drop at the end of the 1,500 foot runway.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Were you surprised at news that Ryanair's booking system would be down for three days while the airline finally makes its site compliant with new OFT pricing rules?

Of course you were. Everyone was. So I'm glad Alex Bainbridge, a go-to blogger for this type of thing, has posted some thoughts about what might lie behind the outage.

There must be some manual process to cause a three-day delay...if I am right, the process will be something like: take system down; change loaded prices in live reservation system (manual process); upload new functionality that corresponds to new style of loaded prices; put system back up

So is this, or something similar, the technical card that Ryanair played to win a reprieve from OFT rules while other carriers put their houses in order?

It sounds plausible. Alex also speculates about Ryanair making a 'political point' with the downtime, but rightly dismisses the idea: for Ryanair three days without online bookings is as good as three days without bookings at all, and no political point is worth that.

For our readers the key question would be whether this explanation for the downtime could justify Ryanair missing two OFT deadlines (July 31 2007 and February 1 2008) for pricing changes. Alex, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Eos has just announced that it is launching a daily service between London’s Stansted Airport and Dubai International Airport starting on 6 July 2008. And from 5 May it is launching a service between London’s Stansted Airport and New Jersey’s Newark International Airport.

This is looking like a bad day for Silverjet, which earlier today announced that the Reuben Brothers would not be converting their £10m loan to the airline into shares.

Martin Couzins, online editor

A report published by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reveals that three Qantas Airbus A330 operated by Qantas out of Brisbane were forced to abort take-offs due to 'wasp-realted debris' found in parts of the planes.

Here is the Australian Transport Safety Bureau report.

I wonder what's worse: wasps, or mice?

Martin Couzins, online editor

The Sun has a story about Reaction Engines' Lapcat A2 - an aircraft designed to offer super-fast international flights by travelling through the stratosphere at five times the speed of sound.

Here are some pics from the British manufacturer's site - including one that shows how the aircraft compares to Airbus's A380. (Not so big now, are you? Eh?)

The A2 would whizz you to Australia in just four-and-a-half hours. Don't expect to see much, though: it doesn't have windows because going at Mach 5 would melt them...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Travel weekly's aviation expert Ian Taylor has provided a preview of Heathrow's terminal 5. Here's a rundown of when BA routes affected will be shifted to their new home.

• All domestic flights move to T5 from March 27


• Almost all European flights move from March 27


• Most intercontinental flights move on April 30


• Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Tripoli, Johannesburg, Algiers, Tokyo, Hong Kong move on March 30


• Houston and Dallas flights move to T4 on March 30, then T5 on April 30


• Algiers flights move from Gatwick to T5 on March 30

Martin Couzins, online editor

This just in: JET BLAST IS POWERFUL.

After BA announced a business class-only service from London City to New York, our aviation guru Ian Taylor started crunching a few numbers... and sure enough, there was one detail the press release didn't mention.

...a spokesman confirmed the airline is considering where on the route to refuel as the Airbus A318 does not have the range for the outbound journey from London City

The aircraft is capable of making the return flight direct, though (it's a shorter flight path on the way back).

It all makes the proposition a little less attractive than it seemed first thing this morning, but I'd still stay out of Lawrence Hunt's way today.

The elephant in the room is advertising: after Silverjet spoofed a BA ad to promote its own business-only service, will BA have to spoof the spoof?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

January 30: The Advertising Standards Authority tells Ryanair to withdraw a typically subtle piece of creative featuring a model in school uniform and the headline 'HOTTEST' (underneath: "...back to school fares").

"Censorship!" cries Ryanair, apparently outraged by the idea that a regulator should censor inappropriate material, rather than just crying "ooh, I say!" and moving on.

Januray 31: French president Nicolas Sarkozy and implausible girlfriend Carla Bruni sue Ryanair for using an unauthorised picture of them in a newspaper advert.

Sarkozy goes after a 'symbolic' single euro, but Bruni wants the slightly more literal figure of half a million.

Two in a row - and there's still time for Ryanair to complete the hat trick.

Internet-age consumer power is supposed to have overturned PT Barnum's 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' adage; if so, nobody told Michael O'Leary.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

German travel agency OssiUrlaub.de is trialling nudist flights. The first one, planned for 5 July, will fly from German town of Erfurt to Baltic Sea resort of Usedom and will cost £370.

According to Reuters, the flight will take 55 passengers who will have to remain clothed until they board and dress before disembarking. The crew will remain clothed throughout the flight for safety reasons.

Pity the cabin crew who have to check the seatbelts.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Thanks to Flight Global for this little tale of rebranding.

The picture says it all. The lesson? When adopting the word 'ank' watch where you put the W's...

Martin Couzins, online editor

Okay, I disagree with Jaunted over in-flight mobile use. But I take my hat off to it for posting this teaser for "Air Hostess War", a Thai soap opera that - to the horror of union reps - is exactly what it sounds like.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Jaunted had a moan the other day at news that Norwegian Air plans to 'ruin your flight' by introducing both wireless internet access and mobile phone use by Q4 of 2008.

There is tremendous resistance to in-flight mobile phone use. Jaunted clearly isn't happy about it, and the Telegraph is also conducting a campaign against it.

Enough of the naysayers hogging the limelight. I'm coming out in favour of mobile phones, laptops, Wi-Fi... any technology airlines can get working safely, basically.

Here are six reasons why...

• In-flight calls/SMS will make arranging airport pick-ups 92% easier.
• And make business travellers more productive.
• And stave off boredom. (Admit it: economy-class IFE is mostly crap.)
• If you don't want to use your phone, you can turn it off.
• People already chatter inanely on aircraft. What's the difference?
• Rail operators have introduced 'quiet zones'. So can airlines.

Who's with me? Add your arguments in the comments and I'll pop them in the main post. Naysayers, I expect I'll hear from you too ;-)

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Nice spot from Select World Travel owner (and blogger) Lee Harrison: searching Jetset for flights from Heathrow to Dubai, he found that one Etihad service apparently lands at the bus station.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

A new Thai soap opera - Air hostess war - has upset the union representing Thai Airways International flight attendants. Why? Because the show features, and I quote from the Shanghai Daily:

A story about a dashing married pilot having an affair with one of his slim flight attendants. There are love triangles that lead to fighting in the aisles and steamy sex scenes at stopover cities.

Good to see the programme makers have decided to show flight attendants in such a positive light. No wonder the union is unhappy.

Martin Couzins, online editor

BAA has issued the following statement regarding flight cancellations on Friday January 18, following the incident yesterday in which a British Airways aircraft landed short of the south runway:

The number of flight cancellations at Heathrow so far today is 53, mainly affecting short haul services.

BAA is doing everything possible to minimise disruption to our passengers and additional staff are on hand at the terminals to assist passengers.

At this stage, we are working hard to restore near normal operations. However, it is extremely important that passengers due to fly from Heathrow today contact their airline regarding the status of their flight.

David Learmount, safety editor of our stablemate Flight International, posted some early analysis of yesterday's incident at Heathrow.

Early indications are that the aircraft had either a total power loss or a severe power loss, and that this occurred very late in the final approach, because the pilot didn't have time to tell air traffic control or the passengers.

That would explain something which was bugging me about passenger interviews on the BBC - most passengers reporters spoke to said they thought it was a normal landing.

Normally, as all air travellers know, you would be given warning of an emergency landing and told to adopt the brace position before impact.

David also observes everyone on board is very lucky that the failure occurred as late as it did, and not when the aircraft was mid-flight.

This is shaping up to be a double-edged sword for BA in terms of PR - such a catastrophic failure will be embarrassing for the airline (not to mention Boeing), but staff on board BA038 appear to have shown immense skill and professionalism in handling the situation.

There are more links and information available on Flight's blog and the TW Blog post from yesterday.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The BBC is reporting that a British Airways flight from Beijing has landed short of the runway at Heathrow.

According to the Times, the incident led to Heathrow being closed to incoming and outgoing flights.

UPDATE - 18/01/07, 17.20: There's a good rundown of possible causes on the BBC.

UPDATE - 15.45: The latest on the runway closures from BAA Heathrow:

Heathrow Airport's southern runway was closed immediately after the incident for a period of less than two hours and the airport operated single runway operation during that period. The southern runway re-opened for departing aircraft at 14:30 with arriving aircraft landing on the northern runway.

MEDIA LINKS - 15.10:

• Video coverage (Telegraph)
• Eyewitness reports (BBC)
• Image gallery (BBC)

UPDATE - 14.30: The south runway remains closed, but the north runway is in operation.

All 136 passengers were evacuated. A telephone helpline has been set up for friends and relatives - call 0800 3894193.

UPDATE - 13.50: An eyewitness has told the BBC that the aircraft "took the runway too low," narrowly missing the roof of his vehicle.

At this stage it seems that all passengers are safe, with only three reportedly being treated for 'minor' injuries.

Touch concerned that I am going to get a reputation for spotting this kind of material, especially after the Ryanair calendar post.

Apparently, there are certain flights out of LAX on a Friday afternoon destined for Vegas that are mostly filled with strippers heading off for their weekend of work. That would make sense I guess. But this got me wondering if there are are other such commercial flights that mostly carry a particular kind of professional. Hooters Air did run a service predominantly for golfers . . .
Martin Couzins, online editor

A press release from Boeing indicates that the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, the manufacturer's new greener aircraft, will now take place in quarter two of this year instead of quarter one.

That will push 787 Dreamliner deliveries back to early 2009, rather than late 2008.

In a Boeing press release president and CEO Scott Carson blamed 'start-up issues in our factory and in our global supply chain' for the latest delay.

Bad news for carriers who have Dreamliners on order. (In the UK: British Airways, First Choice Airways, Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.)

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Thanks to Charles Starmer-Smith at the Telegraph for pointing out Mile High Flights, a company that provides couples the opportunity to join the Mile High Club 6,000 feet above England. Mike Crisp's six seater plane is based at Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton, where he provides a range of flights, the cheapest being the Quickie at £350.

And if you a six seater is too intimate, then don't forget the facilities of the A-380. Just try not to do what this Russian pair did on a BA flight from Brazil to London.
Martin Couzins, online editor

The news landscape can be a cruel place. Imagine you're Virgin Atlantic, famed for your innovation and ready to announce a trial of lovely, clean biofuels.

Should take off some of the pressure from the environmental lobby, eh?

So off goes the story. Then along comes the Royal Society on the same day with a press release that says, 'biofuels do more harm than good to the environment'.

Ouch.

Don't carp at Virgin, though: the Royal Society is referring to the effects of unchecked biofuel production on ecosystems, not to biofuels' carbon emissions. They are currently messy to produce, but cleaner to use.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Jeff Jarvis at Buzzmachine follows up a lengthy post about 'the social airline' with a shorter one about carriers acting as publishers for travel content, mainly UGC reviews.

Imagine if, on return trips, the airlines asked us the hotels where we just stayed and ate and invited us to rate and review them. Imagine if they asked natives to share some inside tips on eating and shopping in their towns.

They have a currency to pay for the information: They could reward us with frequent-flier bonus miles.

It's interesting stuff, so let's take a moment to look at a few of the issues.

Would the system be easy to use?

Physically, it wouldn't be too bad, and would improve with the general standard of IFE interfaces. Virgin America already offers instant messaging, and the post-Blackberry world is no longer intimidated by tiny keyboards. And if laptop use follows mobile use into the cabin, the whole thing becomes even easier.

Would customers be in the right frame of mind to use it?

Yes, if you can get passengers out of the sleep/eat/movie mindset - which wouldn't be too hard, given the way they are used to consuming media on the ground.

One concern is that this would work best on an airline with internet access; and if passengers can access the whole of the internet, will this be compelling enough to hold their attention? Okay, the airline will offer bonus miles - but can rewards drive quality review content?

Is there a benefit for airlines?

The potential benefits are threefold: one, you create customer goodwill and loyalty; two, you capture valuable data; three, you monetize the network, most likely through advertising.

Points two and three are clear-cut, but both depend to an large extent on the success of the network. So it all rests on creating engaged, loyal customers who want to use the service regularly.

The potential for inspiring that kind of loyalty (i.e. both repeat business and repeat use of the social network) is greater among luxury or business travellers, who can and do take their pick of airlines.

But in economy class travel there is an overwhelming trend to choose flights on price, which will only be exacerbated by a possible aviation downturn.

Unless you can provide your network without charging more than the next guy, he'll get the volume business. And if your network isn't getting volume, Metcalfe's Law is against it becoming a success.

So over to you: is this something readers would like to see? And do you think we ever will?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

There have been a few developments in stories I mentioned before Christmas, so here's a quick update for those who don't subscribe to Travel Weekly's news feed (hint...).

The Travelscope administrators told us that they had spoken to 'interested parties', but that the Christmas break is likely to scupper any rescue deal.

On the operator front, Shearings has been able to offer some Travelscope customers places on similar trips, and "gave very good rates to customers who were due to depart on Friday and booked with us to go away the next day."

On the agent front, our news desk spoke to representatives of Advantage and Co-operative Travel, who said that agents who had made a Travelscope booking were working hard to salvage their clients' holiday plans (which, of course, is one of the benefits of using an agent).

Expect more disruption in the new year as BAA staff go ahead with strikes. Talks failed to avert a series of walkouts, which will affect all seven BAA airports on January 7, 14 and 17-18.

Another company has also given up the ghost: all-business class airline MAXjet filed for bankruptcy on Christmas Eve. Rival carrier Silverjet is offering seats to customers who were due to fly between London and New York.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The end-of-year misery continues apace. We are seeing out 2007 - already notable for air travel headaches - with a wave of delayed and cancelled flights.

Fog is the culprit this time, which is nobody's fault, but we're all conscious of the cumulative effects of 'airport chaos' headlines on the travelling public.

Most of the fog problems were at Heathrow, where 140 flights were grounded on Sunday, leaving around 1,000 people stranded.

A further 30 departures and 34 arrivals were cancelled today, but the bad weather is lifting and normal service should be resumed soon.

As usual, the advice is to check with the airport before travelling.

There were also a few cancellations at Gatwick, and fewer still at London City, Edinburgh and Glasgow. According to the BBC airlines 'have offered customers alternative flights or refunds'.

If you need cheering up after all that, try the snow reports, which suggest that last year's poor conditions will soon be a distant memory.

Snow-forecast.com reports great coverage in Austria, France and Switzerland, and good skiing in Bulgaria, the US and Canada (though Italy is apparently in need of snowfall).

Fingers crossed this will translate into strong late bookings in January...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Most frequent flyers have had the misfortune to sit near a wailing baby on a flight. On a recent trip from Gatwick to St Lucia, a baby sitting near me did not stop crying (we’re talking screaming of the highest pitch) for the entire flight.

An older gentleman sitting directly behind the noise turned to booze to ease the pain. But during one screaming session, he’d clearly had enough and shouted what was on everyone’s lips: “SHUT UP!”

The mother turned around, told the man that she loved her daughter and added that if he said anything else, she’d punch him.

He was well and truly silenced, even if the baby wasn’t. And while I’d agree that his reaction was extreme, I was interested to overhear the response from other passengers.

Most agreed that babies should not be taken on long-haul flights as it’s clearly an unpleasant experience for them, not to mention extremely unfair on the passengers sitting nearby.

Is it ever really necessary to fly that far with a small baby? Until they invent a safe tranquiliser to knock them out for the journey’s duration, I don’t think it is.

Janine Kelso, features reporter, Travel Weekly

Stumped for ideas for Christmas presents or just a would-be pilot? Well, now you can fly the simulator used to train BA pilots. Flight simulator experiences are available from £399 and you can fly the Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767 or 777.
Martin Couzins, online editor

Jaunted.com reports that Jazeera Airways is currently offering customers happy hours for bookings. And I thought happy hours were only a trick used by the drinks industry.
Martin Couzins, online editor

The Daily Mail has revealed the latest charity fund raising idea from Ryanair. A 2008 calendar made up of pictures of Ryanair cabin crew. Apparently the proceeds from the £5 calendar go to children's charity Angels Quest - bet the charity is well pleased with the calendar.

It looks to me as if this picture was posed in an aircraft that has leather seats. Wasn't aware Ryanair's aircraft provided leather seats. Maybe the airline is taking a new direction . . .

Martin Couzins, online editor

Now at the Singapore Airlines stand at World Travel Market.

Q In which aircraft would you find this business class seat?
A On the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 300ER. The seat is similar to the business class seat found on the A380 but four inches shorter and four inches narrower.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Ryanair's latest attack on travel agents, prompted by easyJet's deal with Amadeus and Galileo, prompted in turn little more that a 'Here we go again' from the longer-serving members of the TW news team.

But you don't have to say anything new to provoke a reaction, and this time the airline's language showed breathtaking contempt: agents were 'deadwood' and 'parasites'.

Never mind that two consecutive summers of airport chaos - with the related risk of seeing your trip come unstuck - have strengthened the case for booking with a bonded agent.

Nor that 'travel agent' now covers so many different types of worker, operating in so many niches, that we must question whether someone who spouts generalisations about agents knows anything at all about the modern trade.

What rankles is seeing a company - any company, let alone one connected to the travel industry - use such cheap, mean-spirited language to make its point.

'We are all people and we all have to work and earn a crust,' independent agent Karen Forrester said to Travel Weekly. Quite right. We're not afraid of a debate about the future of the trade (and I can prove it) but there's no reason that I can see for it to be conducted like this.

Presumably Ryanair doesn't want the profits these despicable people have put its way over the years. Can't wait to hear which charity it will be donating the money to...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The Daily Mail has a bit of fallout from the collision of a British Airways aircraft and a SriLankan Airlines aircraft at Heathrow last month.

Apparently some SriLankan Airlines passengers staged a 'revolt' after the airline put them back on the same aircraft the morning after the incident.

SLA had removed one of the Airbus A340's winglets (the upturned bits on the end of the wing) after the part sustained some damage in the collision.

Although staff assured passengers that the worst this could do was increase fuel consumption a bit - all the part does is reduce drag so the aircraft flies more economically - seven people demanded to be put on the next flight.

I'd like to think I'd have been level-headed and stayed put.

Here's the interesting question, though: given that headlines like "Passengers refuse to fly on collision jet" were inevitable, would SLA have been right to ground the aircraft for PR reasons alone?

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Where would TW Blog be without the comedy stylings of BBC business correspondent Greg Wood?

This morning on Radio 4's Today Greg interviewed British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh, after the airline announced that its fuel bill will top £2bn for the first time this year.

After a brief preamble, Walsh was heard to murmur, "excuse me for a moment."

Then silence.

As the gap became more and more uncomfortable (radio, like nature, abhors a vacuum) Greg was forced to step in.

"Oh. I think he's gone to buy some more fuel."

Give that man a cigar. In fact it was just a microphone problem, and Walsh returned moments later to talk about the airline's encouraging six month profits (up 26% on last year).

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Another PR coup for Sir Richard Branson - he signed up the Spice Girls 12 years ago and now, according to the Daily Star he's providing the flights between gigs on their world tour.

Martin Couzins, online editor

We would expect the exclusive Mile High Club to be deluged by new members with the arrival of suites on the new Airbus A380. But not so, according to the Times. Singapore Airlines says that couples engaged in inapproprate behaviour will 'be asked to desisit'.

Can't help feeling they will have their work cut out. The A380 is a flying loving pad - it features 12 suites.

Here's what the Travel Weekly blog said about the A380 launch.

Martib Couzins, online editor

Here, inevitably, is some YouTube footage of the first commercial Airbus A380 flight landing at Sydney. You can't put a price on the coverage Singapore Airlines has got out of being the first to operate one of these, can you?

Don't even think about commenting "$300 million". You know what I mean.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

The House of Commons heard a brief exchange on Heathrow's security woes on Tuesday.

Several members ganged up on Secretary of State for transport Ruth Kelly. Among the complaints:

Intolerable third-world queues at immigration ... Seeing the businessmen of the world queuing up to enter Britain, as if they were in some third-world country, is shaming
Denis McShane, Labour

We [travellers from Scotland] have to wait for up to three quarters of an hour to go through security
Brian H Donohoe, Labour

The CBI has warned that Heathrow hassle is an increasing threat to inward investment in the UK. When is the Secretary of State going to start knocking heads together to get something done to improve the quality of service at an airport that is rapidly becoming a national embarrassment?
Theresa Villiers, Conservative

Angrier than all of the above, however, was a member of the public who commented on the debate on theyworkforyou.com.

Incensed by Denis McShane's observation about queuing businessmen, she countered that "I would like to remind MPs that a business man and a poor man have all the same rights."

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Our front page poll this week is on mobile phone use on aircraft. Ofcom gave the technology the thumbs-up last week, though it will be up to airlines whether or not to implement it.

Either way, there is a lot of strong feeling about this - a Yougov poll found that the majority are opposed to it, and the Telegraph is running a petition against mobile use in the air.

Those in favour are making less noise (isn't it always the way?) but I'm sure they're out there.

It'd be interesting to know how opinion is divided among Travel Weekly readers, so cast your vote on the homepage...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Darren from Travel Rants has left a comment on our photos from the Suites Class of Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380 'Superjumbo'. How much, he wonders, will a 'seat' on this service cost?

(They're actually more like diddy hotel rooms with fold-out beds - go to one minute 40 in the vid below to see more.)

Anyway, a quick flight search on Singapore Airlines' website reveals how much you can expect to pay.

Based on flights from Singapore to Sydney departing November 22 and returning November 28, Singapore Airlines charges...

• £2519.28 inc taxes and fees for First Class (on a B747-300)
• £3622.47 inc taxes and fees for Suites Class (on the A380)

Still: if you were prepared to pay two and a half grand in the first place, money may not be an object.

Those based in the UK will have to wait a while before they can step aboard the aircraft at all. SA won't start flying the Airbus A380 from Heathrow until spring 2008.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Today's Daily Mirror has a story from the British Model Flying Association show which took place at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset, at the weekend. Visitors saw Chris Gold fly and crash his 9ft model of Concorde.

I've taken a picture of the story as I can't find it on the Mirror's web site.

Is your drinks trolley dull and tired?

Have you ever looked at one of the refreshment trolleys on an aircraft and thought, "Now if that was pink with flowers on..."?

Then you're weird in luck. Springwise reports that German company bordbar is selling customised - pimped, to readers of a youthful disposition - trolleys for home use.

It's all genuine ex-airline stock, complete with dents and scratches. Bordbar offers a range of existing designs, but can also use a logo or pattern of your choice.

Now you know what Travel Weekly wants for Christmas...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Our stablemate Flight International has been out at the delivery of the first of Airbus's A380 'Superjumbos' to Singapore Airlines in Toulouse - and they've got pictures from the 'Suites' class.

Says Flight:

The Suites class consists of 10 private cabins behind sliding doors. Inside each private cabin are 35in-wide leather seats that convert into 1.98m-long single beds and, in two cases, double beds

Very swish...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

What was he thinking of? Ok, so Sir Richard Branson is the king of publicity but this was not good. Metro today has snaps of the Virgin America boss jumping off the top of the Fantasy Tower at the Palms hotel and casino in Las Vegas to publicise Virgin America's inaugral San Francisco to Las vegas flight.

And here is some coverage of the launch party from Jaunted.com.

Martin Couzins, online editor

Here is the full text of the Chancellor's statement to the House of Commons outlining the Government's Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review.

The important bit reads...

Mr Speaker, air travel accounts for a growing share of carbon emissions. So it is right aircraft emissions should be part of the EU emissions trading scheme.

I also propose that aviation makes a greater contribution in respect of its environmental impact.

And for this to be as environmentally effective as possible, from 2009, I intend to levy the duty not on individual passengers but on flights, to encourager more efficient use of planes.

So from 2009 we will be able to get cheaper seats closer to departure . . . but the pressure will be on to fill planes. Surely, this will mean a scaling down of less popular routes.

Great stuff from British Airways - a series of recruitment promos featuring air hostess comedian Pam Ann.

Here's the first:

Minor update - I posted this in a hurry and it was remiss not to credit Darren at Travel Rants for sending me the link.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Springwise has news of an interesting US start-up. DayJet has been given authorisation to launch its pay-per-seat, on-demand short-haul carrier service.

DayJet uses techie voodoo to synch bookings, crew and machines, challenging the inflexible cost model of traditional air taxi operations, in which all passengers tend to have to muck in for the cost of a round trip.

The market for this is business travellers, obviously. While no jet service is ever going to be cheap, DayJet argues that its costs ("priced at a modest premium to full-fare coach airfare") will be attractive to those who would otherwise have opted to drive to their destination and stay overnight.

What does the environmental lobby think of it? Take a guess. The Daily Green has a post entitled "DayJet: An SUV in the sky", but the company points to the environmental credentials of the Eclipse 500 aircraft it uses.

It all depends on complex proprietary technology, so don't expect to see anything comparable happen in the UK anytime soon. Worth keeping an eye on though.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

I'm sure readers will have seen the new British Airways ad set in Sydney.

It's a nice concept designed to emphasise service - BA staff turn up on the street to offer passers-by pillows, drinks and the like.

Aaaanyway, agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has posted a making-of video which, in turn, is designed to emphasise that these are real BA staff and not actors.

Heartwarming stuff, although it's a pity BA's signature melody has sprouted a new verse to do with "diamonds in the sky". Or something.

Incidentally, it may interest readers to know that the original words to the iconic deeeee-da-da-dum tune are:

A dense dome of jasmine and roses clings together,
flowery waterside and fresh morning together call us.
Ah! Let us glide as we follow the fleeting current among the trembling waves.
Blithely steering, let us gain the shore, where a bird is singing.
The dense dome, the white jasmine together call us!

So not much to do with aircraft, though no less effective for it.

This pic has just come in...

Two comments so far from the TW office:

1. Didn’t someone point out that left to right this picture reads, ‘Say no to say no to skyway robbery skyway robbery’?
2. A Travolution spokesman wondered if this was easyJet going for the Ryanair style of publicity. I won't repeat verbatim what he said . . .

And if you still don't know what the hell is going on, this is a pic of easyJet Chief Executive Andy Harrison and team posed as Highwaymen in front on the Houses of Parliament.

Hawaii is hitting the Japanese market with a new campaign called 'Smoking in Aloha', which reassures tourists that they can puff away throughout their time on the islands (thanks to Bill Geist for the spot).

This will chill the blood of Sunday Times deputy travel editor Jane Knight, who recently used her column to complain about smoking aboard British ships:

It seems bizarre that while pubs in the UK have been smoke free since the July ban, you can still get smoke in your eyes if you are off the coast of Britain or on a British ship.

Interesting one. As destinations stub out for good, smoking is becoming a niche interest - which makes it marketable. So it's no surprise to see a tourist board cash in.

See also SMINTAIR, the specialist airline for smokers - which claims that:

Non-smokers will find the cabin air more refreshing than on any other flight with any other airline, as SMINTAIR adds fresh outside air to the conditioning system!

I doubt there is enough fresh outside air in the world.

Anyway, if you want to find out how the law treats smokers around the world check out this smoking tolerance map from Budget Travel Online (via Tim Leffel).

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Just listened to You and Yours on Radio 4 at midday today. The show ran a small piece on lost luggage following Ryanair's decision to charge for use of the check-in desk.

Ryanair already charges passengers to put luggage in the hold - a policy easyJet also adopted earlier this month.

The piece highlighted Heathrow as a major factor in BA's lost luggage woes, and advised listeners to keep valuables in their hand baggage because travel insurance doesn't cover valuables kept in hold luggage.

According to the Association of European Airlines Ryanair can hold its head high over lost luggage stats. But Ryanair only does EU short haul and doesn't touch Heathrow.

Paying for check in though? So now no frills flying equals taking no luggage. The days of the 1p fare seem far away...

Martin Couzins, online editor

This weekend the Sunday Times travel supplement reported that 'the Pope [is] launching his own airline'.

The Catholic News Agency reports that

A new Vatican-approved charter air service will launch later this month with a flight to the shrine of Lourdes in France. Mistral Air plans to shuttle Catholic pilgrims around the globe to holy sites, including the shrines of Fatima in Portugal and of Guadalupe in Mexico.

No sniggering. It's a gap in the market.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

When the OFT granted Ryanair extra time to comply with instructions to include non-optional extras in advertised prices, it became inevitable that consumers would for a time be faced with an uneven playing field.

Thirteen budget carriers have now complied with the OFT's instructions, and it is only Ryanair and Aer Lingus who still advertise 'misleading' fares.

As I said a few days ago, none of this has come as a shock to the trade (see image; click it for an explanation).

But what about consumers?

The potential for confusion is obvious - especially as some compliant carriers are not emphasising that the price you see is the price you pay.

EasyJet and Monarch's homepages seem to make no mention at all of the changes, and Flybe has only a small text link.

So it's good that OFT consumer protection group head Mike Hanley has made things explicit, warning consumers to 'be wary' of Ryanair prices.

Consumer readers take note: until it becomes compliant (which should be by Febrauary 2007) Ryanair's prices may not be as competitive as they look.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

We'll be following the effects of the protest at Heathrow as far as possible - remember this is peak time for the airport, which is stretched as it is.

Our top story today is that BAA may have to warn passengers off driving to Heathrow, as protesters are expected to target access roads.

Indeed the Sky News reporter who is microblogging from the site reports that local residents are already annoyed by police roadblocks preventing them from getting around.

I've also posted a round-up of the key stories from the mainstream media.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Virgin America held its inaugural flight at the end of last week.

There is excitement about the US domestic low-cost's above-average cabin accommodation, and still more about its Red in-flight entertainment, which includes seat-to-seat chat, a programme guide/reminder service and some top games.

Boing Boing reckoned that "Virgin America pwns" while O'Reilly Radar dubbed it "awesome" - so we can assume the games and gadgets side of the operation came up trumps.

Travel specialists were positive too, with Jaunted praising the in-flight Google Maps feature...

Virgin America's in-flight Google maps are not actually tracking flights quite yet [but] they are still light years ahead of the nearest competitor.

From what I've read so far, reviewers broadly agree that Virgin America delivers.

And there are some photos from the inaugural on flickr.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

Yesterday we reported that the OFT is to grant Ryanair until 2008 to take action on inclusive pricing.

Ryanair recently explained to the OFT that it is simply not able to make the changes until then, despite wanting to ever so much.

In honour of this wholly predictable story TW Blog presents its take on the O RLY? owl (a minor web cult used to mock statements of the obvious).

The O LRY? will be awarded to any Ryanair story we pretty much expected. Look out for the phrases "Ryanair boss hits back at..." or "Ryanair refuses to...".

Nathan Midgley, web producer

On Youtube most air travel videos involve delays and landings, but there are a growing number that depict 'rough' baggage handlers.

Would the passengers be happier if baggage handlers took their time over the job? Who knows.

Anyway, what I found interesting about these films is that the vast majority blame the airline. Titles such as 'See how Continental treats your luggage' are the norm.

Of course, it isn't Continental, or Ryanair, or whoever - baggage handlers are employed by the airport.

After the bad publicity generated by *that* Delta film, many wondered whether airlines would begin managing their reputation on the major social networking / user-generated content sites.

And a few months later, here they are being blamed for other companies' mistakes...

Nathan Midgley, web producer

From August autumn (sorry, Friday afternoon...) EasyJet passengers can expect to pay up to £5 for each item they check in at the airport.

The new charge - which will be reduced to £2 per item for luggage checked in online - mirrors Ryanair's introduction of luggage fees last year.

EasyJet says the move will reduce both congestion on the ground and the environmental impact of flying by encouraging passengers to travel light.

There are elements of truth in here. Less luggage passing through check-in means shorter queues, and as we reported yesterday there is anecdotal evidence that it is check-in, not security, which is causing most problems at UK airports.

But there are limits to how light you can travel. Passengers going away for more than two or three nights will have no choice but to check something in due to the one bag rule and size limitations still imposed on hand luggage.

And anyone going on a shorter trip would not have been checking in a bag in the first place, so the net effect on queues will surely be negligible.

The bottom line, I fear, will be that the majority of passengers simply pay more for their flight.

Nathan Midgley, web producer