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Heathrow: The shut-down that wasn't

Heathrow: The shut-down that wasn't Dec 1st, 2011 at 7:00AM: It wasn't the Heathrow shut-down of the decade, that's for sure. As widely reported, there was a public sector strike yesterday in the United Kingdom. The biggest fear within the travel industry and media was that London's Heathrow Airport would go into heavy-delay meltdown, but the anticipated chaos never materialized. In the Guardian, Robert Booth and Alan Travis reported yesterday that ...

SAS Stewardess suffers spinal cord injury after turbulent flight

SAS Stewardess suffers spinal cord injury after turbulent flight Mar 10th, 2011 at 12:45PM: When the captain says "fasten your seat belts," please listen. News is just emerging that a SAS Scandinavian Airlines stewardess suffered spinal cord injuries from an incident involving turbulence last August. As reported by the BBC, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said the stewardess had been in a crew seat, unrestrained, and was making a passenger announcement when ...

Heathrow CEO kisses bonus goodbye

Heathrow CEO kisses bonus goodbye Dec 23rd, 2010 at 3:00PM: The backups and mayhem at Heathrow, the largest airport in Britain, have come with a very personal price tag. With thousands of flights cancelled and crowds of disgruntled passengers forming, it only makes sense that there would be some consequences. So, while passengers look for ways to get to their ultimate destinations this holiday season, there will be a little less under the tree in one ...

Europe flights still delayed as airports try to catch up

Europe flights still delayed as airports try to catch up Dec 22nd, 2010 at 8:15AM: Thousands of travelers in Europe still don't know if they'll be home for Christmas as airports struggle to deal with a huge backlog of flights. Unusually heavy snowfall in Northern Europe led to cancellations in several countries. London's Heathrow airport was hardest hit. BBC reports that the UK Army offered to help, but Heathrow refused. The world's busiest airport is only running at 30 ...

European flights grounded due to Icelandic volcano

European flights grounded due to Icelandic volcano Apr 15th, 2010 at 7:30AM: The massive eruption of a volcano in Iceland may be turning into a local tourist attraction, but it's seriously hurting the travel industry. Ash from the volcano is heading for the skies over the UK and Scandinavia and has caused most flights in the UK to be grounded. The thick, gritty ash can damage engines, causing them to jam, so all airports in Scotland are closed, as are numerous airports ...

Worst travel mistakes of the 2000's : Locked in the lounge

Worst travel mistakes of the 2000's : Locked in the lounge Dec 28th, 2009 at 10:00AM: As we look back at the past ten years, and prepare ourselves for the next ten, lets take a moment to remember the dumbest mistake we ever made when traveling. For the coming week, we'll entertain you with embarrassing stories of our dumbest travel mistakes, all for the sole purpose of your entertainment. For me, the dumbest thing I did in the past ten years was fall asleep in the airport ...

Heathrow invites you to kiss under the world's largest mistletoe

Dec 6th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Remember that scene from the movie "Love Actually" that takes place in Heathrow Airport? The one where everyone is arriving and being greeted with big hugs and happy kisses from their loved ones? That may be what Heathrow really looks like now that the airport has hung the world's largest mistletoe. The 10X8 structure, which weighs 43kg, will hang in Terminal 5 through December (and according ...

Drunk pilot arrested in London

Nov 13th, 2009 at 1:00PM: After (another) pilot was found drunk in London this week, the issue of pilot inebriation has become a frequent discussion topic. Since 1997, 11 commercial pilots, on average, have tested positive for alcohol every year. According to FAA regulations, pilots can't fly with a blood alcohol content of above 0.04 percent (it's 0.02 percent in Great Britain). Last year, 13 pilots tested ...

Plan your airport layover with T+L's Airport Navigator

Plan your airport layover with T+L's Airport Navigator Nov 4th, 2009 at 4:00PM: I hate airports. I hate sitting around and waiting, and I hate being unable to escape the thought that soon my plane will be the one zooming down the runway and lifting off into the sky. So rather than arrive early to the airport and allow myself time to get anxious about flying, I prefer to arrive at the last possible second, so that as I run through security and down the terminal, I don't have ...

British Airways flight greeted by hazmat team after 6 passengers faint

British Airways flight greeted by hazmat team after 6 passengers faint Nov 1st, 2009 at 10:00AM: Here is a sight you don't want to be greeted by when you land at your destination - upon landing at London Heathrow, an ambulance hazmat team boarded the aircraft to check on the condition of six passengers who had fainted during the flight. It probably isn't too uncommon for one passenger to faint after the stress of a long haul flight, but six of them on a single plane usually warrants some kind ...

Survey ranks Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles worst airports in the world

Survey ranks Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles worst airports in the world Oct 24th, 2009 at 12:00PM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/24/survey-ranks-heathrow-charles-de-gaulle-and-los-angeles/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; A Priority Pass survey of frequent business travelers has revealed what many of us knew all along - London Heathrow is the worst airport in the world. Heathrow is followed by Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles. These three airports tend to pop up on ...

Heathrow up, other UK airports see traffic fall

Heathrow up, other UK airports see traffic fall Sep 11th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Vacationers compensated for business travelers at Heathrow last month, helping the airport realize its busiest August in history. Airport operator BAA Ltd. noted that its total traffic, though, had fallen 3.1 percent for the month. Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport, and 6.4 million passengers passed through, a slight increase of 0.3 percent compared to August 2008. The other London airports ...

Heathrow hires author to write about Heathrow

Heathrow hires author to write about Heathrow Aug 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Hate it? Embrace it! Heathrow Airport has decided to immortalize the plights of their passengers – rather than bury or ignore them. The airport has tapped best-selling author Alain de Botton – whose titles include The Consolations of Philosophy and How Proust Can Change Your Life – to spend a week in Terminal 5 and reveal what really happens in this environment. He kicked off ...

Heathrow unveils driverless personal transport pods

Heathrow unveils driverless personal transport pods Aug 19th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Buses and shuttles make up a large portion of an airport's traffic. People need to be shuttled back and forth from parking lots, garages, terminals and rental car lots, and all those vehicles mean congestion and pollution. Heathrow Airport is working on a system that will address both of those issues. The new Personal Transport Pods, or PRTs will run on dedicated tracks and use 50% less energy ...

British Airways says, "Sandwiches? You don't need no stinkin' sandwiches!"

British Airways says, Jul 29th, 2009 at 1:00PM: British Airways has announced that as of next week it will no longer serve sandwiches on its short-haul flights, the BBC has reported. The move, which the airline hopes will save £22 million ($36.3 million) a year, will affect all flights after 10am that last less than two-and-a-half hours. Passengers will be served "snacks" instead, most likely meaning a tiny bag of pretzels and a ...

Layover: London Heathrow

Layover: London Heathrow Jun 26th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Of all the airports in the world, Heathrow is probably my favorite to be stranded. The airport itself is nothing special, but thanks to some very efficient public transport, you can be in the heart of London in about 30 minutes if you find yourself on a layover. Shorter (2 hour) layovers As I mentioned - the airport complex is not too impressive, and with the possible exception of some decent ...

Ten of the world's worst luggage incidents

Ten of the world's worst luggage incidents Jun 2nd, 2009 at 10:30AM: Has an airline ever lost your bags? Did you arrive abroad, only to discover that your bags were sent in the opposite direction? Quit your whining, things could be worse. Much, much worse. In this lineup of major luggage mishaps, we'll cover everything from luggage left out in the rain to bags burned to a crisp. We'll even throw in an incident involving the tossed ashes of a passengers mother. So, ...

Naval officer finishes flight in restraints

Naval officer finishes flight in restraints May 23rd, 2009 at 10:00AM: Something happened between Melbourne, Australia and London, England. A Lieutenant Commander from Canberra "became rowdy" in the sky and "accosted" another passenger. The details of the encounter were not revealed, but the Sydney Morning Herald reports that it involved a scuffle, landed the sailor in restraints and ended with arrest when the plane touched down at Heathrow Airport. During the ...

Model's boyfriend puts the "bang" in Bangalore

Model's boyfriend puts the Apr 6th, 2009 at 1:30PM: It always starts with a drunken model. Always. Cover girl Sarah Hannon was beyond furious when awaking to find her boyfriend, Daniel Melia, engaged in a "sex act" with the woman next to him. It sounds like he had a middle seat and liked it! Hannon fell asleep on a nine-hour flight from Bangalore to London, as anyone would hope to do on such a long flight. Oh, and having bent elbows with boyfriend ...

UK Airports to face penalties when they screw up your trip

UK Airports to face penalties when they screw up your trip Mar 10th, 2009 at 2:00PM: The UK has a bit of a history when it comes to airports getting in the way of your vacation plans. London Heathrow airport is where I've spent many a night waiting for air traffic to get back to normal while they attempt to fix whatever was interfering with my plans. Last year was undoubtedly the worst period in the history of UK airport screw ups - the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 was nothing ...

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