Leisure and business travel to Japan continue to plummet, as the damaged nuclear reactor continues to leak radiation and scare Japanese and non-Japanese alike. According to Argophilia Travel News (http://www.argophilia.com/), international companies - most of which are deferring non-essential staff travel - report cancelling planned business trips to Japan at rates that range from 60 to 95 percent.
This despite the fact that airlines say they are operating safely during the crisis. The various disruptions of daily life - reduced electrical power, shortages of gasoline, water and food in the northeast of the country, earthquake aftershocks, psychic shock - are overwhelming what good news is coming out of Japan - and, happily, there is some.
Here, edited slightly for length, is the latest statement from the International Air Transport Association (http://www.iata.org/), released over the weekend at IATA's Geneva headquarters:
"The International Air Transport Association welcomed the joint statement issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Maritime Organization (IMO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meterological Organization (WMO) on the continued safety of air transport operations in Japan. These five organizations confirmed that there are no restrictions to normal air transport operations at Japan's major airports, including both Haneda and Narita (Tokyo's international airports).
"Safety is our number one priority. If it is not safe, we won't fly. Today's joint statement by the five most authoritative United Nations organizations on air transport, nuclear energy, shipping, health and weather confirms that it is safe to operate in Japan,'' said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and chief executive officer.
"The ICAO statement further confirmed that there are no health reasons that would require the screening of passengers emanating from Japan. Moreover, the organizations confirmed that there is no health risk associated with increased levels of radiation that have been detected at some airports. Although not recommended by the UN organizations, several states are implementing screening programs for passengers and flights from Japan.''
The IATA statement continues: "The situation is evolving quickly and is being constantly monitored. Today, the advice is that normal operations are possible. If the advice changes, the industry will comply and transparently keep all informed of the developments,'' said Bisignani.
Showing posts with label IATA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IATA. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, February 26, 2010
Cutbacks and Payback
Travelers in Europe can be forgiven for wondering what the heck has been going on the in last week or so, as furious transport unions have launched walkouts and strikes, or threatened to.
In a word: payback. In several words: payback prompted by cutbacks.
British Airways cabin crew have voted to authorize a strike. Lufthansa pilots walked off the job for a day, then walked back on the job, then said they'll walk out again next month.
French air traffic controllers are spooked by proposals to integrate European nations' air-traffic systems under one regime - what the International Air Transport Association (IATA) calls "a single European sky.'' The French controllers fear this means job losses.
These and other labor actions are payback for staff cutbacks and various austerity measures imposed by cash-strapped employers on their employees.
How cash-strapped? Consider this: Air France-KLM lost 215 euros in the third quarter of its fiscal year. The Spanish flag carrier Iberia - poised to merge with BA - lost 273 million euros in 2009. Other European carriers are also feeling pressure. Scandinavian Airlines could come apart, with the governments of Sweden and Denmark talking about selling their stakes in SAS.
Europe isn't alone. Asian and North American carriers, too, are straining under high operating costs for fuel and security, and low revenue due to global recession, security fears and nervousness about the overblown H1N1 swine flu virus. Japan Airlines is bankrupt. U.S. carriers have bled money and are still downsizing to smaller planes, cutting the number of flights and eliminating unprofitable routes. Part of the cost-cutting in the United States includes slashing pensions, wages and benefits. Employees are understandably angry and afraid.
The simple, brutal truth is that disruptions in service will continue in the foreseeable future, especially in Europe, where organized labor is traditionally strong. What can we as travelers do about that? Not much. Fasten your seat belts: It may well get worse before it gets better.
In a word: payback. In several words: payback prompted by cutbacks.
British Airways cabin crew have voted to authorize a strike. Lufthansa pilots walked off the job for a day, then walked back on the job, then said they'll walk out again next month.
French air traffic controllers are spooked by proposals to integrate European nations' air-traffic systems under one regime - what the International Air Transport Association (IATA) calls "a single European sky.'' The French controllers fear this means job losses.
These and other labor actions are payback for staff cutbacks and various austerity measures imposed by cash-strapped employers on their employees.
How cash-strapped? Consider this: Air France-KLM lost 215 euros in the third quarter of its fiscal year. The Spanish flag carrier Iberia - poised to merge with BA - lost 273 million euros in 2009. Other European carriers are also feeling pressure. Scandinavian Airlines could come apart, with the governments of Sweden and Denmark talking about selling their stakes in SAS.
Europe isn't alone. Asian and North American carriers, too, are straining under high operating costs for fuel and security, and low revenue due to global recession, security fears and nervousness about the overblown H1N1 swine flu virus. Japan Airlines is bankrupt. U.S. carriers have bled money and are still downsizing to smaller planes, cutting the number of flights and eliminating unprofitable routes. Part of the cost-cutting in the United States includes slashing pensions, wages and benefits. Employees are understandably angry and afraid.
The simple, brutal truth is that disruptions in service will continue in the foreseeable future, especially in Europe, where organized labor is traditionally strong. What can we as travelers do about that? Not much. Fasten your seat belts: It may well get worse before it gets better.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Armstrong's First Law of Luggage
The First Law of Luggage when it comes to air travel is this: Don't check any bags. Not ever. Not if you can possibly help it. Not with any airline on any flight at any airport.
Sure, you will have to wrestle your bags into the overhead compartment or squeeze them under the seat in front of you, but you won't have to pay the baggage-checking fees that U.S. and some European carriers charge, and you won't run the risk of having your luggage lost or delayed.
I was reminded of this iron law of travel today when, perusing Twitter, I saw a tweet from someone I know. Flying home to Scotland for the holidays, he discovered his checked bags have gone missing - with all the Christmas presents he was merrily taking home from the United States. "Thank you, British Airways,'' he wrote, clearly exasperated.
In his case, the errant airline was BA, but it could be pretty much anyone. As more travelers travel with more bags, some bags are bound to be misrouted or even lost for good.
Even if a bag isn't lost or delayed, paying an airline to check them can get expensive. Given passengers' reluctance to accept higher fares, airlines - especially in the United States - have decided to charge extra fees for more and more services, such as changing seats, getting more legroom and checking bags. In the third quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airline fees topped $2 billion on U.S. carriers, up 36 percent from the same period in 2008. Cash-strapped airlines defend the fees by saying they are for 'bespoke' services and are democractic: people who use designated services pay fees, others don't.
There are a few bright - or brightening - spots in this otherwise gloomy picture. The International Air Transport Association recently commended Germany's Frankfurt International Airport and Lufthansa for improving their handling of luggage, for example.
A Lufthansa press statement explained how Frankfurt - which I find generally a dim and overcrowded place, bursting at the seams - has managed to improve its baggage performance, at least with Lufthansa.
"The IATA inspectors were particularly impressed by achievements in the transfer of time-critical baggage for passengers in transit, who account for a considerable 70 percent of Lufthansa's passenger volume at Frankfurt, its largest hub. On the basis of up-to-the-minute flight data and the passenger's itinerary, Lufthansa identifies very short transfer times ... Baggage items belonging to affected passengers are then not fed into the baggage conveyor system as usual, but instead are collected directly from the incoming flight by staff, who then take them by car to the connecting flight. Up to 1,500 bags per day thus make their connection in time.''
So, things can get better when it comes to luggage, and sometimes do. In general, however, Armstrong's First Law of Luggage holds true: If you have a choice in the matter, don't check anything, anytime, anywhere.
Sure, you will have to wrestle your bags into the overhead compartment or squeeze them under the seat in front of you, but you won't have to pay the baggage-checking fees that U.S. and some European carriers charge, and you won't run the risk of having your luggage lost or delayed.
I was reminded of this iron law of travel today when, perusing Twitter, I saw a tweet from someone I know. Flying home to Scotland for the holidays, he discovered his checked bags have gone missing - with all the Christmas presents he was merrily taking home from the United States. "Thank you, British Airways,'' he wrote, clearly exasperated.
In his case, the errant airline was BA, but it could be pretty much anyone. As more travelers travel with more bags, some bags are bound to be misrouted or even lost for good.
Even if a bag isn't lost or delayed, paying an airline to check them can get expensive. Given passengers' reluctance to accept higher fares, airlines - especially in the United States - have decided to charge extra fees for more and more services, such as changing seats, getting more legroom and checking bags. In the third quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airline fees topped $2 billion on U.S. carriers, up 36 percent from the same period in 2008. Cash-strapped airlines defend the fees by saying they are for 'bespoke' services and are democractic: people who use designated services pay fees, others don't.
There are a few bright - or brightening - spots in this otherwise gloomy picture. The International Air Transport Association recently commended Germany's Frankfurt International Airport and Lufthansa for improving their handling of luggage, for example.
A Lufthansa press statement explained how Frankfurt - which I find generally a dim and overcrowded place, bursting at the seams - has managed to improve its baggage performance, at least with Lufthansa.
"The IATA inspectors were particularly impressed by achievements in the transfer of time-critical baggage for passengers in transit, who account for a considerable 70 percent of Lufthansa's passenger volume at Frankfurt, its largest hub. On the basis of up-to-the-minute flight data and the passenger's itinerary, Lufthansa identifies very short transfer times ... Baggage items belonging to affected passengers are then not fed into the baggage conveyor system as usual, but instead are collected directly from the incoming flight by staff, who then take them by car to the connecting flight. Up to 1,500 bags per day thus make their connection in time.''
So, things can get better when it comes to luggage, and sometimes do. In general, however, Armstrong's First Law of Luggage holds true: If you have a choice in the matter, don't check anything, anytime, anywhere.
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