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Indian Airline Fires Overweight Flight Attendants

CitizenSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:07:58 -0800

India's government-run Air India airline has dumped 10 female fight attendants who were grounded last year for being overweight. A report says the firings occurred after the cabin crew was warned about meeting minimum physical fitness standards (as in, not being thin enough, apparently) and given "sufficient time to lose weight." The report also says the flight attendants were offered alternative ground assignments, which they understandably refused.

Last year, the airline won the right to prevent attendants from taking flight for carrying on extra weight after Air India cited contract clauses that barred stewardesses from flight duties if they put on too much weight. The company is up against private airlines (who don't clothe their employees in saris) and seems to focus their competitive efforts on their employees' looks. At a recent recruitment drive the airline refused applicants with acne or bad teeth.

Source

Front Page: Spanish Plane Crash Possible Cause, Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 60, Rice Surprise Visit to Iraq

CitizenSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:56:58 -0700

Spanish Plane Crash Possible Cause:
The plane that crashed in Madrid yesterday and killed 153 people, including two babies and 20 children, had reported an overheated air intake valve before the first attempt at takeoff. The problem was reported and the equipment turned off to fix it. It's not known if this is the only factor in Spain's worst air disaster in almost 25 years.

Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 60:
Killing 60 and wounding dozens more, a suicide bomber attacked Pakistan's largest military munitions plant. The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility. The violence comes amid political uncertainty in the country following the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf earlier this week.

Rice Surprise Visit to Iraq:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice surprised Baghdad with a visit to discuss the future of US forces in Iraq. Amid negotiations over the timing of the final withdrawal of US forces, reports suggest that a compromise draft agreement of the plan is being considered by both governments. RIce will meet with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki during her visit.

Source

149 Dead in Plane Crash at Madrid Airport

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:25:50 -0700

149 Dead in Plane Crash at Madrid Airport A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands at the height of the vacation season crashed, burned, and broke into pieces Wednesday while trying to take off from Madrid, killing 149 people on board, officials said. There were only 26 survivors in the midafternoon crash, said Spanish Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez, whose department is in charge of civil aviation. It was Spain's deadliest air disaster in more than 20 years.

85 Percent Want Kids-Only Sections on Airplanes — Do You?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:00:43 -0700

Could "Kids or non?" be the new query akin to the smoking section question hitting airplanes soon? Judging by these results, lots would like that. In a survey of more than 10,000 travelers, 85 percent were in favor of special sections for parents traveling with babies or small kids. Oh man, maybe they should remake Snakes on a Plane with kids instead of snakes! Will it happen? Probably not. A spokesman for the Air Transport Association said kids-only sections would be "logistically difficult" to implement, and could result in an "adults-only" (not the XXX kind) passenger being bumped to the kids section in cases of overcrowding, which given the cutbacks in seats is increasingly common. The folks behind the survey, AirfareWatchdog, give some tips to cope in the mixed-age skies, including this one, which seems a little mean even if it is practical: "Take very early morning flights (5 a.m. or 6 a.m., if they're available). Parents can rarely manage to dress, feed, wash, and otherwise organize infants and toddlers in time to catch flights that early in the day." But the ultimate retaliation is a taste of their own medicine: "Just grin and bear it. Or start wailing, kicking and screaming yourself."Is the thought that kids are the ones causing problems an unfair assessment? After all, tons of famous (Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love, et al.) and otherwise adults are removed from airplanes for unruly behavior all the time. Do you avoid kids on planes? Is this a perfect solution, or does it make flying the skies less-than-friendly?Source

85 Percent Want Kids-Only Sections on Airplanes — Do You?

It's a perfect solution! It would make flying more comfortable for all parties! Let's do it.

It's a person's right to sit where they'd like. Having kids is not a crime, this isn't fair.

It could be an option on flights that head to places like Disney, but not a mandate.

Other. I'll tell you how I feel in the comments.

How Low Can They Go? Pilots Fly Without Enough Fuel

LibertySugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:59 -0700

The gas crisis has dangerous consequences, according to pilots who claim that airlines restrict airplane fuel to uncomfortably low amounts. Aggressive policies enacted by the financially struggling airline companies, attempt to reduce consumption and cost.

Three years ago NASA set up a confidential Aviation Safety Reporting System, which allows workers to anonymously report concerns. Some have reported that the airlines rank captains according to who can land using the least amount of gas.

Despite warnings from aviation workers, the FAA does not want to order airlines to keep fuel loads above the minimum required: enough for the trip, plus 45 minutes extra. The agency's spokesman says that the FAA can't "dabble in the business policies or the personnel policies of an airline." Thankfully, there hasn't been a low-fuel-related accident since the early '90s; but, do you think airline companies should listen to the pilots' growing concerns that the bottom line might compromise safety?

Source

TSA Loses Laptop Containing All Data in Clear-to-Fly Program

CitizenSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:45:55 -0700

The Transportation "Security" Administration might have to rethink its name after it misplaced a laptop containing all of the unencrypted data from 33,000 people who've enrolled in the TSA Clear program for over a week. The info in question includes names and passport, driver's license, and green card numbers — you know, the important stuff.

The laptop belonged to the private company Verified Identity Pass, which runs the program that allows passengers to pay a fee and register to clear security faster in 17 different states. The computer went missing on July 26, but the TSA wasn't notified until Sunday. All of the applicants have to be notified of the security breach. Obviously. The laptop has now been mysteriously recovered, hidden in a "not obvious" location. An investigation is underway as to whether the laptop was stolen and returned, or just misplaced.

Though they might have lost track of that data, they found a whole new (and personal) place to search. To see where,

Front Page: Huge Hole Forces Plane Landing, Nepal Police Detain 125 Tibetans, HIV Drugs Add 13 Years

CitizenSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:00:43 -0700

Huge Hole Forces Plane Landing:
A Qantas passenger plane from London to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila after a giant hole was ripped in its underside. The emergency landing left all 346 passengers safe, but the nine-foot wide hole led to a loss of cabin pressure and a rough landing amid emergency preparations. Once safe on the ground, reactions of the passengers ranged from vomit to tears.

Nepal Police Detain 125 Tibetans:
Nepali police have detained 125 Tibetan refugees for attempting to storm a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu. Over 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal and many regularly protest for the freedom of Tibet. Human Rights Watch said yesterday that Nepal was responding to pressure from China without regard for human rights with unexplained arrests and abuse in detention.
HIV Drugs Add 13 Years:
A study of 43,000 patients shows that life expectancy for people with HIV has increased by about 13 years since the last decade because of HIV treatments. Researchers liken HIV now to a chronic condition like diabetes instead of a fatal disease. The study found that a person diagnosed at 20 could expect to live for another 49 years. Meanwhile, the US House passed a bill tripling the money spent on fighting AIDS worldwide.

Source

Front Page: A Perfect Rescue Operation, Mandela Not a Terrorist, Jobs and Airlines in Trouble

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:22 -0700

A Perfect Rescue Operation:
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages freed from FARC rebels in a daring rescue mission has called her release after more than 6 years, a "miracle." She says, "there is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation." The mission was accomplished without a shot fired after the Colombian military penetrated the highest level of FARC and tricked them into handing over the hostages. Among those rescued were three American military contractors and 11 members of the Colombian security forces, all said to be in relatively good health. FARC has been trying to overthrow the Colombian government for 40 years, and still holds over 40 high-profile hostages, among up to 700 other captives.

Mandela Not a Terrorist:
US President George W Bush signed a bill removing Nelson Mandela and South African leaders from the US terror watch list. Mandela and ANC party members will now be able to travel to the US without a waiver from the secretary of state. The African National Congress (ANC) was labeled as a terrorist organization by South Africa's former apartheid regime.
Jobs and Airlines in Trouble:
The number of former workers signing up for unemployment insurance rose sharply last week. According to a Labor Department report, new applications jumped by 16,000 to 404,000, the highest level since late March. Meanwhile, the airline industry is predicting a $6.5 billion loss for the year, having been hit harder by fuel costs than expected.

Source

Muslim Travelers May Avoid Sniffer Dog Checks Citing Religion

CitizenSugar — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:00:51 -0700

Transportation police in the UK might be losing a safety tool: Muslim passengers are objecting to the use of danger-sniffing dogs, saying that the practice is against Islam. According to the religion, dogs are considered to be spiritually “unclean."

Though the animals may be able to touch passengers’ luggage as a more acceptable alternative, the ban may hinder the effectiveness of dogs who've been trained to identify terrorists. Though a police spokesman said sniffer dogs would still be used regardless of faith, but handlers will be vigilant of “cultural sensitivities.” The chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission disagrees that the measure is enough, saying that even dogs touching baggage would be an issue for a Muslim preparing to pray. He stressed the importance of finding a method to allow dogs to check passengers without physical contact.

Are machines an alternative? Perhaps not. In a trial following the 2005 London bombings, some Muslim women said the use of a body scanner was also unacceptable because it was the equivalent of being forced to strip. Should religious beliefs trump safety practices? Where should the line be?

Source

Europe Requires Airlines To Pay For Their Pollution

CitizenSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:55:02 -0700

Europe Requires Airlines To Pay For Their Pollution The European Union reached a landmark agreement Thursday to cap emissions from aircraft, raising the stakes in an increasingly ferocious battle with the United States over how to regulate global greenhouse gases. In the first requirement of its kind, all airlines arriving or leaving from airports in the European Union would be required to buy pollution credits beginning in 2012, joining other industrial polluters that trade in the European emissions market.

Air India Attendants Too Fat (Ugly) to Fly? Court Says A-OK

CitizenSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:00:23 -0700

India's state-owned airline, Air India, has just won the right to prevent attendants from taking flight for carrying on extra weight. The Delhi high court ruled on a case filed by five flight attendants protesting the fact that they'd been grounded by the airline for being too fat to fly. They're expected to appeal.

The judges sided with the airlines, saying a chubby crew presents a safety hazard — but then there's this addition to the judgment — in the highly competitive airline industry, flight attendant's physical condition and appearance play an important role in her overall personality. (Emphasis, mine.) How can someone's appearance dictate her personality? I buy that flight attendants have to be in a physical condition good enough to save people from a burning plane, but the beauty factor of the ruling is not so pretty.

The government-run airline is up against private airlines who don't clothe their employees in traditional saris, opting for Western get-ups, and they've pinpointed the crux of being competitive with their employees' looks. At a recent recruitment drive the airline refused applicants with acne or bad teeth.

Can a court rule that the attractiveness of an employee has business ramifications? OK, some industries — modeling, and the like — depend on appearance, but maintaining safety on an aircraft? Is the ruling fair justice, or just pretty ugly?

Source

Face Screening Coming to UK Airports For Summer Travel

LibertySugar — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:00:40 -0700

This summer, airline passengers in the UK will be screened with face recognition technology, instead of being checked out by passport officials. The hope is that widespread use of the technology will improve security and speed up travel time.

So how will it work? Unmanned gates will screen passenger faces and match images to those stored on computer chips in biometric passports. Anyone on a police list will not be let though, along with an unknown number of "false negatives." The lines will be open to those with EU and UK biometric passports.

Can machines do a better and faster security job than humans? Even if they can, I'm not sure whether biometric identification is the "silver bullet" to terrorism, or a risk to civil liberties. Also, unlike a regular passport number, if you lose a biometric id you've lost it for life.

Do you trust unmanned clearance gates? Are you worried that this technology could be breached? And on a whole other level, do you think a significant number of airport personnel will eventually lose their jobs?

Source

Should Cell Phones Be Banned in Public?

LibertySugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:16 -0700

The European Commission recently ruled that cell phones could be used on airplanes flying over Europe. Meanwhile, back on the ground, countries and cities are creating no cell phone zones, otherwise known as "Zen Zones." Passengers on France's high speed railway enjoy cell phone free travel. Austria's second largest city now requires public transit riders to keep their phones on silent.Is it possible to silence banal cell phone chatter and annoying ring tones, or are laws that aim to regulate human communication futile? Should there be a legal mandate that public space is for texting only? Feel free to share the conversations you've overheard!Source

Should Cell Phones Be Banned in Public?

Yay! I do not need to hear about what business school you got into.

Nay. This is free speech people. We can't outlaw annoying people.

Nay. Only, if cell phones shock you when your voice rises above an acceptable volume.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Front Page: Plane Crash, Bombings, Berlusconi, Airline Merger

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:53:56 -0700

Plane Crash: Moments ago a DC-9 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in the eastern Congo town of Goma. CNN is reporting at this moment, 78 have died in the crash.
Bombings: More than 50 people have been killed in car bomb explosions in two Iraqi cities. At least 40 people were left dead and another 70 were injured in a blast outside a restaurant in Baquba, north of Baghdad. Baquba is the capital of the Diyala province. It has been an insurgent stronghold, where militants linked to al-Qaeda are said to have regrouped after being driven away from Baghdad. Shortly after the bombing in Baquba, police said a bomb in the city of Ramadi had killed an additional 13 people.

Berlusconi: As we reported yesterday, Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right alliance have returned to power after two years in opposition. For the first time since World War II, Italy’s parliament will not have any communist representatives in part because of the disappearing support for the communist-green Rainbow Left alliance. The failure of many small parties like this to win even a single seat leads to a sharp reduction in the number of parliamentary groups and a greater possibility of stable government.
Airline Merger: Rival airlines Delta and Northwest have agreed to a merger, creating the world's biggest air carrier. The $5 billion deal ends in a new airline to be called Delta, which will have annual revenue of more than $35 billion and employ about 75,000 people. The new CEO says, "merging Delta and Northwest is the most effective way to offset higher fuel prices and improve efficiencies, increase international presence and fund long-term investment in the business."

Flying the Scary Skies? The Airline Industry Hits Turbulence

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:00:22 -0700

Suddenly those gross, germy, blankets are the least of air travelers worries. The FAA is answering to Congress today over whistle-blower information surfaced casting doubt over Southwest Airlines safety practices.

The tip came from an FAA inspector who called out his bosses saying, "I'm here today because I'm concerned of the safety of the flying public which has been jeopardized by the abusive authority in violations of the federally regulations." He says Southwest pressured the FAA to hide safety problems. Insert the small tab into the buckle of your seatbelt, there's a ton more airline news, just

Front Page: Airlines Grounded, FL on Slavery, North Korea

CitizenSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:02:10 -0700

The two Democratic candidates are both giving speeches on the economy this morning. Obama is speaking in New York now, Clinton to follow in North Carolina. More to come as the speeches develop.
Delta Air Lines became the second major airline in two days to announce cancellations in service. Delta grounded about 325 flights to let engineers inspect two types of planes in its fleet in what they're calling a "voluntary" safety review. The day before, American Airlines halted 200 flights for similar reasons, prompted by questions raised by the FAA and American safety officials about how a certain bundle of wires is secured to the MD-80 aircraft. Hundreds of passengers have been affected.

In Florida, the Legislature has formally apologized for the state’s “shameful” history of slavery. Florida joins five other states that have expressed public regret for the practice. The resolution passed overwhelmingly in both houses in an emotional vote. Governor Charlie Crist quoted Edmund Burke saying, “All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. I think we are reminded of that today because it takes courage to do the right thing, and it’s not always easy.”
North Korea expelled all but two of the South Korean managers from a joint industrial park. The park is on the border of the two countries and has been a key symbol of reconciliation. No reason was given for the expulsion, but South Korea has recently said it would link progress at the park with progress on the North's denuclearization effort. Both the US and South Korea have warned North Korea that time was running out for it to declare the full extent of its nuclear capabilities.