South African public sector workers declared to the government their willingness to go on strike in seven days if wage demands are not met, reports stated on July 29th. Transport and power supply worker unions secured pay rises after threatening to strike during the World Cup soccer tournament. The coalition of unions represents most government employees, including police, doctors, nurses, teachers and office workers, which totals nearly 900,000 people.
Archive for the 'Airlines' Category
An air traffic controller strike on July 21st is expected to force the cancellation of one in five flights from the main Paris hub of Roissy and half of all flights from the smaller Orly Airport, officials said on July 20th. Stormy weather forecasted for the day of the strike will likely add to the travel disruption. Air traffic controllers will go on strike from the evening of July 19th to the morning of July 22nd to protest plans to integrate French air traffic control into a European system.
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Volcanic ash from Iceland wound its way down to North Africa and curled over to Turkey on Tuesday, forcing authorities to shut down Casablanca airport in Morocco as well as airports in Spain and airspace over Turkey. Read more at USA Today.
We recommend contacting your travel supplier for current delays and cancellations. If you have purchased our Roundtrip and Trip Protector travel insurance policies, then please call the 24 hour assistance number on your ID card for assistance.
All flights in and out of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were grounded on the morning of May 4th over new risks from volcanic ash, but will resume at 1300 BST. Airspace over Scotland’s Outer Hebrides was closed until 1800 local time on May 3rd, affecting operations from Barra, Benbecula, Stornoway, and Tiree. An ash plume was drifting south from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, the same volcano which shut down air traffic across Europe in April. Flights from the UK and continental Europe flying across the airspace were not affected.
Drifting ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano will disrupt flights across Europe until at least April 18th, reports indicated on April 16th. Some 17,000 flights were canceled on April 16th, as much of the airspace in Northern and Western Europe remained closed. Almost half of the 300 transatlantic flights that would have arrived in Europe this morning were canceled, while only an expected 11,000 out of a normal 28,000 flights in Europe were expected to take place on April 16th.
Restrictions in Britain’s airspace were extended until at least 1am on April 17th, while exceptions were allowed for Northern Ireland and western Scotland. Twenty-four airports in northern France were shut down, including Paris’ Charles de Gaulle, while most German airports were closed. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium also closed their airspace. Poland closed most of its airports, including Krakow, while restrictions were put on Austrian and Czech airspace, the latter of which may see a complete closure. Most flights out of Bulgaria’s Sofia Airport were canceled.
However, as the volcanic ash drifted south, Sweden began to reopen its northern airspace and Norway allowed some flights in the north. The Irish Republic also reopened its airspace, excluding a section off the south coast, bringing Dublin, Shannon, and Cork airports into operation.
Eurostar train services between London, Paris, and Brussels were sold out on April 16th, and people were advised against going to London’s St. Pancras station to look for tickets. Experts said the effect of ash on people with respiratory problems will likely be short term.
If you are traveling in mid April using Lufthansa, then please be aware of a possible pilots strike. Read more at BBC.com. If you have purchased the Roundtrip or Trip Protector travel cancellation insurance policies, then please contact the 24 hour assistance telephone number on your ID card for assistance.
Africa experiences significant air accidents in 2009
African operators experienced the most significant rise in air accidents in 2009 worldwide, with accident rates rising to 9.9% from the 2.2% recorded in 2008, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned in a report. The airline industry reported about 90 air accidents in 2009, with African airlines recording five out of the 19 accidents involving Western-built jet aircraft, with about 685 casualties.
SOURCE: Corporate Risk International
German airline Lufthansa canceled about 800 flights Monday, affecting some 10,000 passengers worldwide, after more than 4,000
If you are planning a going on a mission trip this week and you have a Lufthansa flight or are going to be routed through Europe, then we advise contacting your travel provider for possible delays and flight cancellations.
If you have purchased our Roundtrip travel insurance plan call the 24 hour assistance telephone number at (800) 690-6295 for immediate assistance.
Are we over reacting? Read more at USA Today
On a recent mission trip over the holidays, the international airline I was flying changed my ticket without notifying me which caused me to miss my ongoing connections back to the U.S. Coupled with trying to rebook my tickets on one of the busiest travel weekends and heightend airport security, it took an additional 2 days before I returned home.
What can you do? Periodically check your international tickets and confirm them with the airlines at least 7 days before your scheduled departure. Airlines make changes to departure times all the time, so be aware of your layover times and connecting flights. Don’t depend on the airlines notifying you.