We trace it all back to the mid-air curry explosion on British Airways last year, when a flight attendant re-heating a curry dish started a fire on a plane in flight.
Britain's curry woes are now continuing. With new immigration laws, the number of curry chefs in Britain is on the decline and many Indian restaurants across the country are being threatened with closure.
And on top of that, a British Airways flight this week from Belgrade to London had to be grounded because of a frightening smell--a terrorist gas attack was suspected. It turned out to be a large container of curry spices.
L'Avion, the last independent transatlantic all business class carrier, just got bought up by British Airways. The backer of the new premium airline OpenSkies directly competed with L'Avion for Paris to New York passengers--until today.
The deal cost BA €68 million ($108 million), though L'Avion had €33 million in cash in the bank. More importantly than eliminating the competition and getting two 757s, OpenSkies will also get L'Avion's landing slots at ORY.
We have two big questions. First, where will the newly-expanded OpenSkies fly? L'Avion served Newark, while the BA offshoot lands at JFK. A company press release mentions "up to three daily flights between Paris Orly and the New York area." The second question: Will OpenSkies make a dime off this deal?
Maybe SAFER is on to something. After a woman allegedly punched a flight attendant and lit up mid-flight, we didn't think in-air drunkenness could get any more outrageous. But meet Taylor Kircher!
The 21-year-old Drexel University student went wild on his British Airways flight from LHR to JFK, authorities say, after he downed an entire bottle of vodka. Among other things, he was masturbating through his clothing, says a federal air marshal:
He stated that he was unable to stop.
After a warning from the captain, flight attendants restrained Kircher with flex cuffs; he then spat in their faces. Before the plane managed to touch down in the States, he made one last threat, says the marshal:
At one point he told a flight crew member that he was going to "blow this plane up if you don't untie my ... feet."
We're trying to find Kircher on Myspace or Facebook... Won't you email us if you find him?
The new carrier OpenSkies successfully began its New York to Paris (ORY) route on June 19, and so far things are going smoothly. The airline seeks to battle increasing operating costs with its unique model of pricey business class seats with a limited economy cabin. Says British Airways CEO Willie Walsh:
While the economic climate has worsened in recent months, we believe that OpenSkies can compete effectively. It has a low cost base and support from British Airways in key areas such as sales and marketing. This differentiates it from some new airlines that have failed recently which were operating in isolation.
First hand trip reports from the inaugural flights have been slow to roll in. But Ben from the One Mile at a Time blog was on that first flight and offers some great pictures and experiences of the Prem+ cabin:
The seat was much wider, at least around the shoulders, which made it easy to get comfortable. I also found the leather to be non-sticky and easy to find a comfortable position in, which is a big plus. Each seat included a very stylish OpenSkies pillow and comfortable blanket. Overall I can't find one thing to fault the seats for, and would find them easy to sleep in.
There are plenty of offensive things one can wear on a plane--a too-short skirt, for example, or a political message for the President. Add Optimus Prime to that list: A British IT consultant was not allowed to board his British Airways flight because of his "Transformers" T-shirt.
Brad Jayakody has a cool enough job that on a business trip to Dusseldorf, he was allowed to dress down for the plane. But after one of his colleagues was searched, he was pulled aside and told his shirt was inappropriate.
So a silk-screened gun is the same as a real gun now? We've just got to be more careful with our T-shirt selection. But the real person in danger? Shia LaBeouf. After all, he's a known associate of Mr. Prime.
She's now been officially charged in London with assaulting a policeman, disorderly conduct and "using threatening behavior and abusive words to cabin crew." Her trial starts June 20, and she's facing a maximum sentence of six months in jail plus a five-figure fee if convicted on all counts.
Let this be a lesson to you, frustrated fliers: No matter how bad Terminal 5 may suck, it's probably better than a half-year "holiday" in a British prison.
What fuel prices? British Airways is launching its spin-off carrier OpenSkies on June 19, and fares in the airline's "Prem+" cabin are starting as low as $720 one-way between Paris (ORY) and JFK.
We found a round-trip booking in June for $1,553 all-in, which isn't bad considering cattle class on OpenSkies for the same dates we searched is $1,250. (L'Avion is doing Newark-ORY on those dates for $2,280.)
The Prem+ cabin gets you 52 inch seat pitch, a 140 degree recline and two power plugs per seat. Not that regular economy is bad: With only 30 seats, your chances of sharing the cabin with a screaming infant are drastically reduced.
If you wanna sit in business class, the same dates will cost you $3,662. But you'll kick it with fully flat beds, more leg room than you need and a la carte dining.
British Airways boss Willie Walsh must be smiling this week because he's going around telling anyone who'll listen that the disaster that was the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow is now "working well."
So well, in fact, that BA is now finally going to move the rest of their flights over there--yep, the flights they were going to move back in April. On June 5, eight destinations from Terminal 4 will move to T5, including flights to New York's JFK. The rest will be moved over in the next couple of months.
Willie probably wasn't smiling when the news came out over the weekend that "a small number" of incoming foreign passengers in the early days of T5 were dropped off at the wrong doors and let into Britain without showing their passports. They probably just turned around and flew home in disgust after their their luggage never showed up.
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by amandak
