Airline food supplier cited for roaches, slime
Airline food supplier cited for roaches, slime — An airline catering company must take major steps to clean its Honolulu location or risk the unit’s closure after U.S. health inspectors found live cockroaches, dirty utensils and an oozing, pink slime earlier this year, according to a letter released on Tuesday. Gate Gourmet, Inc., which provides food and beverages to a number of airlines at Honolulu Airport, also kept “dirty uncovered” trash cans near food, let workers handle ice cubes with bare hands, and did not keep food at proper temperatures, the Food and Drug Administration warned. (Reuters)
Summer travel prices are rising — Resort vacations are about to get even pricier. On average, travelers will be shelling out more for hotel rooms this summer as lodging rates climb by a bigger margin than in any year since 2000, according to a forecast released Tuesday by PricewaterhouseCoopers. (Rocky Mountain News)
New airline needs new name — Talk about a name that carries some baggage. US Airways, whose name is likely to replace that of America West Airlines if the two announce their expected merger Thursday, is the same carrier linked to those pictures over Christmas of mountains of displaced luggage. The airline blamed too many workers calling in sick. Employee unions blamed poor airline management for separating thousands of people from their clothes and presents. (Arizona Republic)
Legislators ask to close security loophole — Following the second airline security snafu in five days, a Bay State congressman is urging Homeland Security officials to close a loophole that allows potential terrorists to board planes without an adequate background check. Rep. Edward Markey blasted the federal government’s current policies yesterday after officials diverted a Boston-bound jetliner to Maine because of concerns that a suspicious person was welcomed on board. (Boston Herald)
Big US Airways bonuses delayed — The Unsecured Creditors Committee of US Airways has questions about the $55 million in bonuses and severance pay that the airline wants to give about 2,000 salaried employees, managers and executives. So the airline is postponing until May 31 in the Alexandria, Va., bankruptcy court a hearing asking for permission to dole out the severance and bonuses. Those bonuses and severance pay, if approved, could be paid out if a rumored US Airways merger with America West takes place. (Times)
A hotel that’s really gone to the dogs — It’s not a waiting room. It’s a lobby. It’s not a kennel. It’s a hotel. “We don’t use the word animal,” said Steve Zanville, apparently unconcerned that he just did. “We say pet. We don’t say pet owner, we say pet parents.” (Newsday)
TSA quietly reverses lighter ban — The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has changed a rule banning unfilled lighters in checked luggage on U.S. airliners, according to new regulations posted on its Web site Monday. The decision was lauded by Zippo Manufacturing Co. officials who said earlier this year that banning all lighters from luggage could have cut into Zippo’s sales by as much as 30 percent. (AP)
Plane overshoots runway after experiencing ‘problems’ — All flights have been halted at Leeds Bradford International Airport after a plane overshot the runway. Emergency crews were alerted when the LTE International A320 Airbus from Fuerteventura in Spain experienced “problems on landing”. (BBC)
Survey: We’re ‘all work and no play’ — Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale are among the top 15 areas an Orlando theme park has deemed “all work and no play” areas - cities in which people receive and take the least amount of vacation days. While Newark, N.J., topped Universal Orlando Parks and Resorts’ study, Miami was second on the list. Fort Lauderdale ranked No. 14, a tick below Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. Orlando itself placed No. 11, just after New York City. (Business Journal)
Airline CEOs like America West/US Airways merger — The chief executives of two major airlines say a merger of US Airways and America West could help the struggling industry if some of US Airways’ planes are grounded, which would reduce the supply of seats. Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly said if the two carriers merged and shed 50 of US Airways’ planes, it could represent the consolidation that many experts have long predicted for the industry. (AP)
Tips on tipping — A few months ago, the accounts payable department for one of Suzanne’s clients questioned a portion of an expense report. “Eighteen percent for a waiter’s tip?” they wrote. “We’ll only authorize up to 15%.” This begged the question: Is there a standard rate for tipping? If so, what are the guidelines? (Inc)
Contributing: Skip Bowman, Mary Staley