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NEWS ABOUT: British Airways

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Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash

False alarm panics people on British Airways flight

(Newser) - It's 3am and you're snoozing on an overnight flight to London when a message plays over the PA: This plane may be about to crash. That's what happened to passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami last week, before the cabin crew told everyone it had... More »

British Airways Worker Convicted of Terror Plot

IT specialist Rajib Karim worked with Anwar al-Awlaki, messages show

(Newser) - A British Airways IT specialist has been convicted of plotting to blow up a plane, along with three additional counts of terrorist planning—including conspiring with Yemen-based radical Anwar al-Awlaki and passing him useful information. It took police nine months to crack encrypted messages on Rajib Karim’s home computer;... More »

British Airways Boss Slams US Security Checks

UK should stop 'kowtowing' to US demands

(Newser) - Britain should stop "kowtowing" to America's demands every time it steps up security for incoming flights, the chairman of British Airways complains. Martin Broughton told an industry conference that many of the security checks are "redundant" and that Britain should only comply with the same checks that the... More »

Punked Airline Gives Boarding Pass to...bin Laden?

(Newser) - Readers of a British Airways company magazine were surely surprised to discover that Osama bin Laden is a frequent flier with their airline—and flies first class to boot. A doctored boarding pass image bearing the name "Bin Laden/Osama" (destination: Washington, DC) escaped the editors' scrutiny and made its... More »

EU Holding Emergency Meeting on Flight Bans

'We can't wait for the cloud to vanish,' says official

(Newser) - EU leaders are meeting in an emergency session today to discuss continued flight bans in the wake of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. They're meeting by video teleconference because leaders can't fly anywhere. "We cannot just wait until this ash cloud dissipates," said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas.... More »

Grounded Airlines Want Ban Lifted

After test flights, carriers push for reevaluation; UK hold extended

(Newser) - Some airlines have conducted their own test flights and want the ban on most flights over Europe ended, but UK airspace will remain closed until tomorrow evening at the earliest. Air Berlin, Air France/KLM, and Lufthansa have sent aircraft through the cloud of volcanic ash that's crippled air travel for... More »

12-Day Strike Will Ground British Airways

10-day walkout by cabin crew over staffing to cost airline $500M

(Newser) - Passengers of struggling British Airways will be struggling themselves this holiday season if a strike by cabin crews announced today goes forward. Should labor and management not reach a deal, the job action would ground flights between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2. The walkout by 12,500 workers over staffing... More »

Airlines Pledge to Halve Emissions by 2050

Industry makes vow to UN ahead of Copenhagen summit

(Newser) - The airline industry is pledging to cut carbon emissions by 50% in 2050, reports the Guardian, in a reluctant concession meant to stave off more dramatic action—but one that will likely increase fares and trigger a race for new, greener technology. The plan will be presented at the UN ... More »

Brit Flights Will Bar 'Flu-ish' Passengers

Docs blast 'nonsense' plan to keep ill off airplanes

(Newser) - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refuse to check in passengers with symptoms of swine flu unless they have doctors' notes saying they're healthy, reports the Times of London. Passengers with runny noses, headaches, or sore throats will be told not to board their flights. The new policy has outraged... More »

747 Evacuated by Slides on Phoenix Runway

(AP) - Hundreds of passengers on a British Airways 747 flight to London used slides to evacuate the plane last night on the Phoenix Airport runway, the AP reports. The jumbo jet had just pushed back from the gate when smoke and an acrid odor was reported in the cabin. By the... More »

British Airways Asks Staff to Work for Free

BA boss vows to forego a month of his $1.2M salary

(Newser) - Thousands of British Airways staff have been asked to help boost the airline's battered bottom line by working for free for up to a month, CNN reports. Chief executive Willie Walsh emailed workers urging them to help the company survive by taking several weeks of unpaid leave and considering doing... More »

Virgin Soars as BA Posts Record Loss

Branson's airline doubles profits year-on-year

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic announced today that its annual profits had nearly doubled to $109 million, while its rival British Airways posted a record annual loss of $638 million. According to the Times of London, Richard Branson's airline increased its market share and drew substantial revenue from its premium services. Virgin, which... More »

Swine Flu Sends Travel Stocks Falling

Airlines decline while drugmakers advance; Mexican peso tumbles

(Newser) - Stocks declined worldwide today, with travel companies leading losses as investors gave their first reaction to the outbreak of swine flu. Airlines took a pummeling—Lufthansa fell more than 12%, British Airways 8.7%—and tour operators like Carnival also suffered sharp drops. But pharmaceutical companies did well: drugmaker Roche,... More »

Airline Promises Plane Crash for Paying Execs

Team-building exercise puts groups in simulated nosedives

(Newser) - British Airways is putting customers on a plane guaranteed to plunge 3,000 feet and fill with smoke—and companies are lining up to try it, the Times of London reports. The "crash courses" are staged on a plane simulator at Heathrow Airport to build team spirit. “The... More »

British Air, Qantas Merger Talks Crash

$6 billion deal won't fly after airlines disagree on key issues

(Newser) - A $6 billion merger between British Airways and Qantas Airways that would have created a global carrier failed to fly after the two sides couldn’t agree on who would control the business, reports Bloomberg. The decision frees BA to pursue talks with Spain’s Iberia. Qantas is likely to... More »

British Airways in Merger Talks with Qantas

Shares soar 12% on news

(AP) - British Airways is in talks with Australia's Qantas Airways about a potential merger, the firm said today, sending its shares soaring as it fueled expectations of consolidation in the hard-hit aviation industry. Already pursuing a revenue-sharing deal with American Airlines and Spain's Iberia SA, BA said it’s exploring a... More »

UK Cabin Crews Knock Passengers Online

Virgin and British Airways workers land in trouble for Facebook comments

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic has fired 13 cabin staffers for mocking passengers and joking about engine safety on Facebook, the Guardian reports. The online messages quipped about cockroaches on planes and referred to passengers as "chavs," a British term for "white trash." The airline publicly chided the... More »

Stranded Brits Expected Home on Schedule

Up to 85K were overseas when holiday firm went bust

(Newser) - The  sudden collapse of XL Airways left as many as 85,000 passengers marooned in foreign lands, but they're now expected to get home on schedule, or at least only a little late, the Times of London reports. Aviation authorities plan a vast airlift to take home the stranded, but... More »

BA, American Hope 3rd Time Is the Charm

Carriers predict US antitrust approval for alliance first aired in '96

(Newser) - American Airlines and British Airways are making a third stab at a joint business agreement—and this time, reports the New York Times, the deal might actually go through. American, BA, and the Spanish carrier Iberia are applying for antitrust approval to form a global network. The CEO of American's... More »

US Airlines May Need Foreign Aid

May find security if caps on foreign investment are eased

(Newser) - Troubled US airlines could be looking to Congress to ease foreign ownership laws, as financial woes push them into the arms of new investment partners, the Wall Street Journal reports. Overseas companies, barred from holding more than 25% of the voting stock of US carriers, are eager to relax the... More »

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