Airlines attack consumer law
Airlines blast EU consumer protection laws — The International Air Carrier Association (IACA), an industry body representing charter airlines, has described new EU consumer protection legislation which will come into force next week as “fundamentally flawed.” After a meeting this morning with European transport commissioner Jacques Barrot, director-general of IACA Sylviane Lust said: “We believe that this legislation is fundamentally flawed, in particular the provisions obliging airlines to compensate for circumstances beyond their control.”
Judge cited for smuggling knife — A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice hid a small pocketknife in a shoe in his carryon bag after airport screeners had earlier told him it could not be carried on the flight, airport police said. Justice Thomas G. Saylor Jr., 58, was detained only briefly by police after the incident last Friday at Harrisburg International Airport, airport police said. But the county prosecutor is reviewing the case, and the federal Transportation Security Administration advised him he faces possible civil action, a police report said.
Bad news is good news for airlines — Squeezed by high fuel prices and aggressive price cutting by discount airlines, traditional U.S. carriers are facing another dismal year. If dismal enough, the industry’s crisis could actually be good news for its strongest players, as it could force weaker rivals out of business for good, easing competitive pressure.
Business travel rebounds slowly — Business travel is bouncing back after several years of declines, but changes in traveler attitudes might be slowing the recovery, new research shows. A report released Tuesday by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and National Business Travel Association (NBTA) says business-trip volume in the USA grew at least 4% last year, compared with 2003, following a 14% decline between 1998 and 2003.
Ft. Lauderdale airport scuffle trial begins — An ugly curbside confrontation between a first-grade teacher and a Broward Sheriff’s deputy at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport made its way before a jury Tuesday as the educator fights criminal charges. The fate of teacher Lisa Leo hinges on who jurors believe was the aggressor in the encounter.
Talk about a mechanical delay — Frustrated passengers who were scheduled to travel on Air Jamaica flights bound for Montego Bay and Kingston had to be calmed by airport police yesterday after becoming boisterous at the JFK Airport in New York. The Gleaner was informed that the 100-plus passengers became furious because they were forced to wait indefinitely for their flights to leave that airport.