El Al, Israel‘s airline, has banned thousands of pilgrims from Nigeria from traveling to Israel. Security is the reason given. The Tourism Ministry, according to the Associated Press, says that this move will screw up the travel plans for 28,000 Nigerian Christians from Abuja in the next few months.
The Nigerian pilgrimage season starts in late October and continues through January, and a subsidiary of El Al was hoping to cover the route during this period. However, there have been concerns about airport security after a Nigerian man was accused of trying to blow up a plane bound for the United States using a bomb hidden under his clothes.
If US Airways is looking for a motivational speaker to help it inspire employees and improve customer service, I have one in mind. In fact, he knows US Airways well, including the service areas most in need of help.
Johnnie Tuitel tried to fly the carrier recently but was told he was too disabled to go it alone.
“I was raised to believe I could grow up doing what I wanted to do and it didn’t lead me to any entitlement,” Johnnie Tuitel, 47, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Saturday. “By them denying me the ability to fly, I couldn’t do my job.”
It’s not like this motivational speaker, who has cerebral palsy, isn’t accustomed to flying. He has logged 500,000 miles to give his speeches.
Tuitel actually made it onto the plane, which was going from West Palm Beach to Kansas City, when a gate agent took him and wheeled him back to the terminal.
The reason he was given was straightforward:
“He told me I could fly on U.S. Airways if I could find a companion to go with me because I was a danger to myself and others if something went wrong,” Tuitel told WZZM-TV. “Trust me, they made a mistake.”
“The airline requires that the passenger has to be physically able to assist himself or herself in the event of an emergency. If the passenger cannot, the airline requires that someone else travels with the passenger who can provide assistance in the event of an emergency,” she told the television station.
Where are you going for Christmas? Forget New England charm or warm islands where you can skip the traditional holiday and sun yourself without regret. Now, you can take the sort of vacation that will be the envy of all your friends: Baghdad. Your options were once limited, but now there’s one more airline taking passengers into Baghdad International Airport – from a convenient spot.
Aigle Azur, a French airline, is going to start flights from Paris to Baghdad twice a week, starting later this month. The inaugural flight’s wheels will leave the ground on October 30, 2010, on an Airbus-319. Flights are set to leave from Charles de Gaulle airport, and if you’re the type who likes to plan ahead, tickets will be available soon.
Aigle Azur fills a gap in the market, as Air France no longer serves Iraq.
To an airline, their airplanes are their best advertising outlet – they may invest millions in billboards and TV commercials, but a creative paint job is what’ll really turn some heads at the airport.
Wired collected twelve of the best paint jobs from airlines around the world, including the Kulula Air jet which we first mentioned back in January. Others include a plane chartered by Iron Maiden and the brilliant Swiss Airlines Flower Power jet. Sadly, the Wired lineup does not include the Qantas 747 Formula 1 jet which flew back in 2000 (pictured above).
So, head on over to Wired, and check out the brilliant creative work on these twelve jets. Got a photo of a jet with a great paint job? Leave a link in the comments section!