Frankfurt airport’s ground crew is scheduled to resume a strike over pay this morning as workers await a labor court ruling on whether they can continue their protests longer than scheduled.
The Frankfurt Labor Court last night approved an application by their employer DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, airport owner Fraport AG and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Germany’s biggest airline, to stop a sympathy strike by control-tower staff. Fraport and Lufthansa have filed a separate injunction to halt the current ground staff strikes.
The further strikes were “disproportionate” and would not solely serve to support the other strikes, the court said in an e-mailed statement, adding that it would allow an appeal. Three spokesmen for the Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung union, which represents the ground controllers, did not immediately respond to calls to their mobile phones after normal business hours.
The GdF union had called on about 100 members of tower crews to join the action from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. today to show “solidarity” in the dispute over pay and the outsourcing of employment contracts.
About 200 flights, or 16 percent of the scheduled total, were scrapped yesterday in the latest action by ground controllers slated to run until 5 a.m. on March 1, according to Fraport.
The labor court is due to hear this morning the second injunction application, in which Fraport and Lufthansa will seek to stop the GdF union from continuing the ground controllers’ action beyond 5 a.m. on March 1, when it’s slated to end.
Lufthansa, whose main hub is Frankfurt, is the party most affected by the dispute, with losses “significantly” in excess of 10 million euros ($13 million) so far, Stefan Lauer, a board member at the Cologne, Germany-based carrier, said yesterday.
Talks aimed at ending the dispute broke down Feb. 24 after Fraport offered terms similar to those agreed at Munich airport. That deal was worth less than one proposed before the start of mediation, according to the GdF group, which has said it will no longer give 24 hours’ notice of any further action.
The union has said it favors proposals from mediator Ole von Beust for a two-step monthly wage increase of between 200 euros and 1,600 euros. It also wants any outsourced jobs to move to a single company on a single contract.
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) was ranked the third best airport in the world by the annual Airport Council International (ACI). It also received the Airport Service Quality Awards for 2011. CSIA was also rated as the second best in India, for airports handling 25-40 million passengers per annum (mmpa).
The survey was conducted across 180 airports in the world. G V Reddy, managing director of Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), said the award showed improvement in service quality at the airport.
“This award is a reaffirmation of our vision to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports that consistently delight customers and be the pride of Mumbai. It is gratifying to note that we received this award last year in the 15-25 mppa category and again this year in the 25-40 mppa category,” Reddy said.
The survey, undertaken by ACI, was conducted with passenger feedback on fliers’ experiences from their arrival till departure. CSIA catered to 29.1 million passengers between April 2010 - March 2011, a MIAL spokesperson said.
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It is very important for every passenger to have a comfortable journey, especially when you are a frequent flyer as a businessman making trips for catering your business requirements. Jetlag is another major issue many people find, especially when you travel around the world. So it is very important for passengers to get used to the changing time zones and get used to the routines in the new place. Hence sometimes, you might have to rest through your flight journeys. Business Class Seats are truly versatile. They are more like Private Beds that can recline up to 180 degrees. Now you can lie on the sides or on your back and sleep comfortably without any disturbance. You have sufficient leg room space and retractable armrests for resting your shoulders and arms. Services provided by these business class flights are truly remarkable and quite exquisite. Besides Business Class Airline Tickets are considerably cheaper and when you book them at the earliest you get great discounts on the retail prices of the tickets.
Here are some essential guidelines for all travelers:
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3. Always carry a traveling kit which includes grooming supplies such as deodorants, skin lotions, hair products etc.
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5. Wireless internet card would be very helpful for making use of Wi-Fi facilities to keep in touch with your clients and employees during your journey.
6. Never forget to carry charges for these above mentioned gadgets.
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8. Finally grab a road map if you are planning to stay longer in your destination and experience what it has to offer as well.
A new passenger screening program to make check in more convenient for certain travelers is being expanded to 28 more major U.S. airports, the government said Wednesday. There will be no cost to eligible passengers, who would no longer have to remove their shoes and belts before they board flights.
The airports include the three used by hijackers to launch the terror attacks in September 2001: Washington Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Boston's Logan International Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration's program, already in a test phase in seven other airports, is the Obama administration's first attempt at a passenger screening program responsive to frequent complaints that the government is not using common sense when it screens all passengers at airports in the same way. Under the new program, eligible travelers have the option to volunteer more personal information about themselves so that the government can vet them for security purposes before they arrive at airport checkpoints.
"Good, thoughtful, sensible security by its very nature facilitates lawful travel and legitimate commerce," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.
The program works this way: Participating travelers will walk through a dedicated lane at airport security checkpoints. They will provide the TSA officer with a specially marked boarding pass. A machine will read the barcode, and travelers deemed "low-risk," will likely be allowed to keep on belts, shoes and jackets and leave laptops and liquids in bags when being screened.
Not everyone is eligible to participate in the program, which is already being tested at airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Eligible travelers are some of those who participate in American and Delta airlines' frequent flier programs, as well as travelers in three other trusted traveler programs, which do charge fees to participate. About 336,000 passengers have been screened through the program since the testing began last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
By the end of 2012, the government expects select passengers in frequent flier programs for US Airways, United and Alaska Airlines to be eligible to participate. The program is expected to be operating in Reagan National Airport near Washington, Salt Lake City International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport by the end of March.
"We are pleased to expand this important effort, in collaboration with our airline and airport partners, as we move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more intelligence-driven, risk-based transportation security system," said TSA chief John Pistole.
Pistole has said he hopes to eventually test the program at all airports and with all airlines around the country, but that might take years.
For commuter convenience and enhanced connectivity to the high speed Airport Metro Express Line (AMEL), a multi-level car parking is coming up close to Shivaji Stadium Metro station in central Delhi, officials said on Monday.
To be operational in a month's time, the parking facility will be close to Connaught Place and provide relief to thousands using the metro.
"The new multi-level parking area will come up at Shivaji Stadium Airport Metro station, with a parking capacity of 1,400 cars. It will be operational by the end of this month," said a spokesperson of Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire company.
Already, a multi-level car parking is operational at New Delhi Airport Metro station.
"The multi-level parking lot will give additional commuter convenience and connectivity to the airport Metro. These parking lots can be used by non commuters who need to park their cars and enjoy the retail experience at these Metro stations," said the spokesperson.
Currently the AMEL attracts a footfall of 20,000 on an average every day. The metro authorities require more ridership with the opening of car parking facilities.
Built at a cost of Rs.5,700 crore, the 23km Airport Metro Express line has six stations: New Delhi Railway Station, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aero City, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dwarka Sector 21.
4:14 PM
Charles dickens
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