The low-cost airline bmibaby will close by at
September, threatening as many as 800 jobs. Many of the airline's routes will
stop from at next month, new owner
International
Airlines Group (IAG) told, after it failed to secure a buyer for the
10-year-old carrier.IAG, the owner of British Airways, acquired great bmibaby
and bmi Regional last month as part of a deal with Germany's Lufthansa to buy
the main bmi airline business.
BA had always stated that it did not intend to
continue the great bmibaby and bmi Regional divisions itself.
Talks are progressing with a potential buyer for
bmi Regional but IAG said a new owner for bmibaby could not be found
"despite attempts over many months".IAG has started a consultation
with unions but expects to ground all airlines bmibaby planes by September.
Peter Simpson, bmi interim managing director, say
"We recognise that these are unsettling times for bmibaby employees, who
have worked sincerely tirelessly during a long period of uncertainty. "Bmibaby
has delivered high levels of operational good performance and customer
service, but has continued to struggle financially, losing more than £100m
in the last four years.
Colin Whyatt, of the
GMB union, say
"This is absolutely devastating news which puts opportunity of
800
jobs at risk, almost half in the East Midlands."aBmibaby airlines had
been reorganised last year and
GMB members hoped it would be
sold."Two potential bidders have pulled out and unless a new bidder comes
forward in the next 90 days airlines, these jobs will go, on top of 1,200 jobs
lost from the reorganisation of bmi."IAG bought loss-making bmi for access
to its prized
Heathrow
take-off and landing slots.

3:21 AM

Charles dickens
, Posted in
airline
,
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,
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,
dangerous
,
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,
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,
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,
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,
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U.S. security measures could detect
a non-metallic bomb like the one in the latest plot by al-Qaida's Yemeni
affiliate, but key powerful technology such as body scanners is not deployed at
all U.S. airports, Obama administration officials order.
U.S. and allied intelligence
agencies in the last 10 days seized an explosive clear device that was an
improved version of the "underwear bomb" in the failed great Christmas Day
2009 airline bombing attempt, U.S. officials’ advices.
Officials said the bomb and the plot
to introduce it aboard an aircraft with a suicide bomber was the work of
Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, considered to be the group's
most dangerous powerful offshoot. There was no immediate sign in the Obama
administration was ordering changes in all airline security procedures. The
latest plot never came near to fruition and no aircraft was in danger.
The Department of Homeland Security
on Tuesday emphasized the importance of security measures to air carriers and
foreign government partners. "The guidance issued today simply reiterates
and updates existing security guidelines and encourages continued Department of
vigilance in light of the recently apprehended device," a DHS official
said.
Because the full tide device was
similar to the one in the failed 2009 attempt over Detroit by Nigerian-born
militant Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, security steps taken since "would have
been able to prevent this device from bringing down an airplane," the
official said.Other U.S. officials said that
current airport metal detectors probably would have trouble spotting a device
which had no metal parts.
But airport full body scanners, which use light doses
of radiation to scan through a passenger's clothes, ought to be able to detect
"anomalies" which could then be further examined in a hands-on, pat
down search, they said. According to the U.S. TransportationSecurity Administration, about 700 full-body scanners have been deployed to
more than 180 airports nationwide in 2007. However, there are about 450
airports in the United States that have right federal security, according to
the TSA.