Articles tagged “European”

Ryanair Crews Forced to Take Unpaid Leave, but CEO Optimistic

by Josh Lew on Oct 8, 2008

Low-cost carrier Ryanair will be forcing about 400 pilots and cabin crew members to take one week of unpaid leave. The airline’s brash CEO, Michael O’Leary, said that executives would be hit with a 10% pay cut. The flight crews’ mandated holiday will cost them about 2% of their yearly income.

O’Leary, usually singled out for is over-the-top antics and surly demeanor seemed to be talking sense, for once, when he said that smaller European budget carriers would not survive the current economic sluggishness. However, he was optimistic about Ryanair’s prospects, saying that the money woes will cause people to seek out the airline’s cheaper fares.

O’Leary also said that he is looking to develop trans-Atlantic routes by purchasing larger aircraft from bankrupt or soon-to-be-bankrupt airlines on the cheap. First, though, the airline will have to ride out the current economic downturn and keep their crews from bolting for other airlines.

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Europe’s worst airports

by Jerry Guo on Jan 21, 2008

Last week, I wrote about the worst airports in the states, at least when it came to delays. It’s probably no surprise that not a single US airport made it into the top 10 rankings for best airports in the world, according to the air travel consulting firm Skytrax. But Euro-lovers, don’t think your neighborhood, sprawling mess of an airport has escaped my attention (or that of the New York Times.)

They’ve given the honor of worst European airport hands-down to London’s Heathrow, with dishonorable mentions to Charles de Gaulle outside Paris, Leonardo da Vinci near Rome, and Frankfurt airport.

The irony here is that for Americans, these four airports can seem like walking in the park–on ecstasy. I, for one, would never have thought Heathrow or Frankfurt were particularly bad boys. Granted, I only had 20 minutes at Heathrow to go from an arriving flight from Beijing to a departing flight to New York. And it took me exactly 20 minutes at a full sprint to catch my flight. The airport is notorious for being one of those sprawling messes that take 20 minutes to get anywhere. But Frankfurt was pretty clean and well designed, I thought. Of course, the whole time I was consumed by rumors of a adult movie theater on the premises.

Anyone know if that exists?

Which European Country has the Worst Drunks According to YouTube Videos

by Neil Woodburn on Sep 20, 2007

Europe has a long tradition of drinking. While this may not be such a bad cultural norm, there are a few bad apples who embrace their love of alcohol just a little too enthusiastically.

If you’ve been to Europe, you know what I’m talking about. Sure, my home country of America has its share of drunks, but for whatever reason I always see far more stumbling, incoherent, word-slurring reprobates on the streets of Europe than I ever do back home.

So which country is the worst? Which European country is plagued with too many drunks encountering difficulty riding bikes, crossing the street, holding a tune, or otherwise trying to go about their daily lives while debilitatingly inebriated?

Well, now thanks to YouTube, you can be the judge. Just click the play button on any of the below videos and then vote for Europe’s most intoxicated country at the end of the post.