Airline execs to Congress: ease pension rules
Airline execs to Congress: ease pension rules — The chief executives of Delta and Northwest airlines Tuesday warned Congress that pension obligations could force their companies into bankruptcy, saddling taxpayers with vast new costs for their retirees unless lawmakers ease the funding rules. Both men urged Congress to give airlines greater latitude to spread out the payments they are required to make for billions of dollars in unfunded pension liabilities. (Los Angeles Times)
San Jose Avis employees strike — Roughly 50 service agents working for Avis car rental in San Jose went on strike Tuesday, demanding higher wages and the maintenance of health benefits. The strike is just the latest skirmish in a two-year struggle between car rental workers and their companies over wages and benefits. Last month the fight culminated with a San Jose City Council decision to include car rental company drivers in its mandate to provide a “living wage,” which covers many of the city’s other private contractors at Mineta San Jose International Airport. (San Jose Mercury News)
Eurotunnel takes cue from airlines — Eurotunnel will today launch the biggest overhaul of its passenger shuttle service since the opening of the Channel Tunnel 11 years ago by unveiling a new budget airline-style fares structure. Passengers will be able to book low-cost return fares for as little as Å“50 per car if they buy their tickets early or travel at off-peak times. (BTN)
NJ agent arrested for bilking customers — A travel agent in Hackensack is under arrest - accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers. Over $100,000 in trips paid for but never taken, and today, the travel agent who booked those trips was arrested and could do jail time. (7online)
Caribbean could lose $3.2 billion from passport rule — The Caribbean region could lose up to $3.2-billion a year in tourism revenue if the United States goes ahead with new passport rules at the end of the year, according to a study released by the Caribbean Hotel Association last week. The study, prepared for the association by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), also found that close to 190,000 tourism-related jobs were at risk if the rule was put into effect. (Globe and Mail)
Stowaway’s leg falls from South African jet — A man’s severed leg - with a white Adidas sneaker still attached - plummeted from the sky onto a garage roof and bounced into the backyard of a Long Island home yesterday morning. Pam Hearne heard “a very loud bang” outside her family’s South Floral Park house at 7a.m., but thought little of it and went to work. (Daily News)
Eos cleared for takeoff — Eos, the first premium airline
serving transatlantic business travelers, today announced plans to launch round-trip service from New York to London in Q3 of this year. Eos, named for the “Greek goddess of the dawn,” has secured $185 million in financing and has assembled a proven management team to lead the company. (PR Newswire)
Why America West tied the knot with US Airways — America West’s attraction to US Airways was twofold: It needed help coping with rising fuel costs that were wiping out revenue gains, and it did not want competitors to pick off US Airways’ routes and other assets via bankruptcy, according to America West Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker. (Post-Gazette)
Pilots convicted of trying to fly drunk — A jury Wednesday convicted two former America West pilots of operating an aircraft while intoxicated after an all-night drinking binge. Capt. Thomas Cloyd and co-pilot Christopher Hughes — both of whom have since been fired from America West — were charged with being under the influence of alcohol while they directed and operated an aircraft. (CNN)
Crowe: Sorry for hotel outburst — A remorseful Russell Crowe blames jetlag, loneliness and adrenalin for his violent outburst in a swank New York hotel that could see him jailed. The New Zealand-born star concedes he is “in a lot of trouble” for throwing a phone at a hotel worker in the early hours of Monday morning and is “very sorry”. “I’m at the bottom of a well. I can’t communicate how dark my life is right now,” Crowe said from New York in an interview with Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph. (Australian)
Correspondents: John Frenaye, Leslie Friedman.