British Airways and Iberia to MERGE

by Grant Martin on

Word coming in from Australia’s The Age is that British Airways plans to merge with Spanish national carrier Iberia in light of the tightened economy and fierce competition. The two are said to be in advanced talks in preparation for a merger, though several reports from the wire proffer conflicting reports about how complete the deals is.

Surprisingly, the European Union has already granted the two carriers permission to merge, in a process that is astonishingly faster than that in the United States (case in point, Northwest and Delta).

Operationally, the merger wouldn’t be outrageous; BA already owns a large part of Iberia, they are both in the Oneworld Alliance and both have a strong presence in Western Europe. And the unity of the two carriers would make BA a stronger player in the EU and transatlantic market…

At the very least, perhaps BA will enlighten Iberia a little bit on how to make their airline a little bit less of a crap bag. I have flown on IB several times in the past few years and am still dumbfounded at the poor quality of service on the carrier.

Details on the entire event are starting to come into focus as data stream into the interwebs — we’ll let you know how and if the merger works out.

China: Flight delays result in rampage at airport

by Abha Malpani on

3 China Southern Airline flights were delayed because of bad weather conditions and the closure of one of the local destinations due to runway repairs. Result: 170 passengers were left at the airport in Kunming (southwest China) and landed up breaking desks and smashing computers in a state of outrage and frustration.

Beyond these facts, the story is a little blurry.

The airline denies they mistreated their passengers, they state that there were enough staff at the airport looking after them, and that 100 of their customers stayed in the hotel they were offered. Also, they have agreed to compensate each passenger with 100 Yuan (approx. $14). However, other media reports say that most passengers went to look for hotels with vacancies for the night without much luck, and they landed up sleeping on the aircraft or in the departure hall; no food was offered and not enough airline staff were around to fix the situation.

The situation was delicate and naturally volatile, but at the same time not an unfamiliar one. As for what happened at the airport, it’s the airline’s word against the passenger’s — two completely different perspectives — so what actually happened will only be clear to those who were there. It’s amazing how personal perceptions of a situation can be so relative, depending which side you are on.

Anyway, I think what’s important is that after 17 hours of waiting, all passengers were put on other flights to their respective destinations, as well as compensated (although miserably). However, many passengers still want a public apology printed in the newspaper. Sigh. What does it take for people to just let things go once they are fixed!

Airfare Specials Put Asia Within Reach

by Josh Lew on

Even the most savvy Travelocity user is having a hard time finding airfare deals these days. The days of crossing the Pacific on a whim are all but over.

Now it’s still possible to book your flight, but only after you’ve taken a second job to cover the cost of the purchase.

Maybe that’s a little too dramatic, but you get the gist. Airfares ain’t what they used to be, and it’s getting worse. That makes finding a good deal like searching for a boarding pass in a haystack.

But however rare they might be, there are deals out there. There are even some that can put you in Asia for less than one grand.

Seoul-based Asiana Airlines is leading the pack when it comes to special offers. This Fall, they are offering plenty of sub-four-figure fares to destinations across Asia including Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Taipei. The catch: you have to take a weekday flight and your cities of departure are limited to New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco (plus a single flight from Seattle to Seoul). But on the positive side, Asiana is one of the few airlines rated 5-star by Skytrax. You won’t have any suspect airline meals plopped down in front of you en route and your might actually have enough leg room.

Searches of other airlines’ websites yield similar prices, but Asiana’s seem to cover the most destinations.

So, you see, there is no need to get that second job. Your evenings can still be spent planning your next trip to Asia (or in front of the TV).

Virgin Galactic unveils White Knight Two

by Grant Martin on

Virgin Galactic unveiled the White Knight Two, their delivery vehicle for SpaceShipTwo at their Mojave construction facility today, to glorious fanfare and celebration.
White Knight Two is the second version of the mothership that will deliver the suborbital commercial space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo up to 40,000 feet before the daughtership cruises up into low orbit.

Virgin’s rollout of the ship is the first step in testing the new second phase of their commercial space flight system — a variety of static and flight tests still need to be done before the second duo are ready for real test flights. Indeed, SpaceShipTwo is still under construction and was hidden under a black sheet during the ceremonies today.

Check out the exclusive gallery of Gadling’s visit to the White Knight Two including visits from Sir Richard Branson, Buzz Aldrin and Richard Branson and stay tuned for a Gadling report on the entire event later this week!

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Drunken British women try to open door midflight — divert plane to Germany

by Grant Martin on

It seems that every week these days another passenger is getting drunk on an aircraft and making a fool of him or her self.

This past weekend, two women returning from the hedonistic island of Kos to Manchester, England, were so drunk that they tried to open up the aircraft door to “get some fresh air”. They had apparently smuggled their own alcohol onto the flight then had been smoking in the bathroom before the incident occurred.

On being confronted with the crew, one of the women tried to strike a flight attendant with a vodka bottle.

As a result, the XL Airways flight with over two hundred passengers was forced to divert into Germany where officers were called aboard and the women were hauled off into custody. The BBC has some amateur video of the incident on there website, though it just shows a few seconds of people cheering when the women were led away.

The flight continued onto Manchester without the women, who are currently pending charges from the airline.