Early warning to the Turkish carrier Fly Air

The Belgian and Dutch civil aviation authorities, SPF Mobilité et Transport and l'Inspection Verkeer en Waterstaat respectively, have issued jointly an 'early warning' to the European Commission concerning the Turkish carrier Fly Air.

The warning has been issued following a number of incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands, notably in the frame of the SAFA controls. SAFA controls (Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircrafts) are ways for EU Member States and other European countries participating to carry out non-announced inspections of carriers from other Member States.

The problems that have occurred concern notably the non-compliance or late compliance with administrative obligations, the request for air traffic rights, shortcomings in the luggage compartment, fueling the aircraft while passengers are on board and the language capabilities of the cabin staff. These problems are symptomatic for certain organizational shortcomings of this airline.

The 'early warning' is not only a first warning to the European Commission concerning Fly Air. By placing the carrier on the 'early warning' list of the European Commission, more SAFA inspections can be carried out in order to better evaluate the safety of that airline.

source:BTO Press communication

Brazil runway was known to be dangerous

The Montreal, Canada-based International Air Transport Association has offered Brazilian authorities and Tam Airlines its assistance to Brazil and Tam Airlines in investigating last Tuesday's crash.
The main runway at Sao Paulo's Cagonhas airport, site of a crash that left more than 200 feared dead, was criticized for being too short and was scheduled for construction to improve drainage in wet conditions, airport officials said yesterday.

The runway problems were revealed after a plane skidded on landing Tuesday, crashed into a building and erupted into flames, in Brazil's deadliest aviation disaster.

The main runway had been closed between May 14 and June 29 for construction work aimed at smoothing out irregular surfacing and putting down fresh layers of asphalt, airport administrator Infraero said.

A second phase of renovation was scheduled for September to improve drainage on the runway, which at 1,900 meters is about 200 meters shorter than a runway for comparable size plane at New York's LaGuardia airport.

Further compounding the dangers of the runway was its proximity to populated areas near the center of Brazil's busy financial capital.

Witnesses said the pilot of the Tam Airlines Airbus 320, carrying 186 people on board, appeared to try and lift off again as he came to the end of the slick runway to avoid colliding with traffic and buildings nearby.

Instead, the plane careened of the runway and slammed into a building before bursting into flames. The accident was believed to have killed everyone on board as well as an unspecified number of people on the ground.

Just a day before the crash, another smaller plane with 21 on board slipped off the runway before coming to stop on the grass with two burst tires.

Globo TV broadcast recordings of an air traffic controller warning a pilot that the runway was "slippery," and another controller later warning that the runway "continues to be very slippery."

Prior to the construction work, the runway was typically closed during rainy conditions.

Brazil's judiciary had banned large airplanes from landing on the airstrip but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has offered its assistance to Brazil and Tam Airlines in probing the crash.

"We have offered to help the government (of Brazil) and the airline," Steve Lott, a spokesman for the Montreal-based IATA said.

"There is so many factors at play here. We are not an accident investigator. We are not going to speculate on what happened but we would encourage an open, and vigorous, and thorough investigation," he said.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, which is responsible for aviation standards, said it would wait for the results of an investigation before commenting.

Source: The Peninsula

Bye bye long security lines at airports

US airports roll out a new program designed to speed travelers through security lines. Called Registered Travelers (or RT), the program is currently being tested in six US airports and is expected to operate on a national scale next year.

First proposed in November 2002 by the US Senate Aviation Subcommittee chairman, Kay Bailey Hutchison, the program is under the supervision of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and will soon cover more than 20 major airports around the US from the current six airports.

Registered Travelers (RT) will allow more passengers to pass more quickly into secure areas, easing congestion at checkpoints and reducing waiting lines as well as allowing screeners to focus their efforts more efficiently and effectively.

In a study, the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that security related delays has discouraged travelers of short distances (750 miles or less) from flying, costing the aviation industry up to US$2.5 billion in lost revenue since September 11, 2001.

"The hassle-free system will entice more people back to the air, further helping struggling airlines improve their bottom lines," added an airline analyst. "The last six passengers generally make a difference between profit and loss on a flight."

To become a Registered Traveler, a passenger must pay a one-time fee of US$100, go through a background check and a biometric iris scan. On average, RT lanes can process three times more people than normal security lines.

TSA said it is expecting to operate RT on a national scale next year.

(credits to: Yusof Sulaiman l eTN Asia)

Kempinski Hotel Munich Airport

As Travel Agent we receive good discounts staying at the Kempinski (I thought), earlier memories of pleasant stays I recalled and on July 02 I send an email to the Kempinski Airport Munich......trying to make a reservation for July 4th for 2 nights.....

July 2nd....no reply from Kempinski
July 3rd....no reply ! I asked them again: please answer tonight as tomorrow I am on may way.......no reply that day.
At the Nice Airport, France, I put my Computer on and I received an answer with a PDF file I should print and reply with further details if I need a late arrival. Indeed I needed a late arrival....but at the the WLAN at the airport...one has no access to a printer..... I replied but the email bounced because the girl used a wrong email address . I send it back using reservation@kempinski.com which did not bounce.....at the same time I alerted them about the wron email address!
Arrived 10:00pm in Munich, rushed to the hotel only to find the reception staffed with 4 people and a queue of 20 people waiting. In line for approx 20 minutes it was my turn.
I got a room, and the check in agent was very polite and friendly handed me the key card and I went to my room number 4042 4th floor.....key card did not work...elevator down again and the check in agent revalidated my card.... I up again ...card does not work. Now its 10:45 PM I was on my way and up for 16 hours so my reaction was a little chilly and I told the man, I will not go a third time / he understood and I was followed now with somebody who reprogrammed the door and gave me after testing another key....

The hotel room by the way was not discounted, I was informed they want give discounts to travel agent anymore.....but okay they discounted their service instead.

Next time, no need to take the Kempinski, a Best Western is even better what price concerns and the service.... forget about it Best Western and Kempinski.... same poor service..... where are all the good hotels gone ???

Qatar Airways flies from Doha to the USA

Students, business travellers and tourists wishing to fly to New York have the option of flying Qatar Airways,which introduced flights to the US this week.

The flights, connects through Doha, US route that is mainly served by European carriers, Emirates and Egypt Air.

The airline is expected to introduce flights to Washington D.C this month , making it the first Middle East airline to fly into the capital of the US.


Qatar Airways is the largest airbus operator in the Middle East, currently flying 57. The eleven-year-old airline has seen remarkable growth since it began operations. It averages 35 per cent growth year on year. During the 2006/2007 financial year, the airline carried over eight million passengers globally.

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