Travel 01 (May 08 - Jun 11)

[winston]

Airport rampage at flight delays
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Scores of passengers scuffled with airport police in Kunming, Yunnan, smashing computers and desks yesterday after their flights were delayed with no food or accommodation offered.

More than 170 passengers were stranded for a night at the airport after three China Southern flights were delayed late on Monday due to bad weather, Xinhua News Agency reported.

At around 2am, many of the passengers - including toddlers and people over 60 - took taxis to a hotel where China Southern said they could stay, only to be turned away, Xinhua said. All the passengers ended up spending the night on an aircraft or in the departure hall without food.

Tempers boiled over when they demanded an apology and a time for the rescheduled flights, Xinhua said, blaming the incident on the "inappropriate working attitude" of staff.

A China Southern official said it is preparing a statement on the incident.

AGENCIES

[blid2def]

Reminds me of this clip:

Embedded videos have been disabled.
Click to view video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF3I6N5tqDA

[kennynah]

then how about this ...

dont fly their airlines...

[winston]

dont fly their airlines...

If you are flying within China, how not to fly their airlines ?

[kennynah]

take train lah....if not camel ride lah...worst come to worst take rickshaws...hahaha....joke lah...

u mean, internal airlines...i see....then no choice lah...just bring some gloves to help break more things...

[winston]

Punishing airlines whose passengers misbehave
By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will punish airlines whose passengers refuse to disembark or misbehave in protest over problems like delayed flights, an official said on Thursday, as the Olympics host tries to lift standards before the Games.

Frustration at mysterious delays and abrupt diversions and cancellations have at times boiled over into violence at Chinese airports, with passengers trying to storm grounded aircraft and police having to be brought in to keep the peace.

There have also been cases in which passengers, after delayed arrivals, have refused to get off aircraft in protest.

Deputy head of the civil aviation regulator, Yang Guoqing, said enough was enough after numerous warnings to airlines to treat their passengers better appeared to have failed.

"We will severely punish airlines which experience aircraft occupations and other incidents as a result of service reasons which originate with the airline," Yang told a news conference.

"These measures include cancelling slots at corresponding busy airports."

State media reported this week that scores of Chinese passengers smashed computers and desks and clashed with police after a night stranded at an airport without accommodation.

More than 170 passengers were due to leave Kunming, capital of southwestern Yunnan province, on three flights operated by China Southern Airlines late Monday, but the flights were cancelled due to bad weather, Xinhua news agency said.

The report blamed the melee on China Southern staff's "inappropriate working attitude."

Yang said customers must also be kept better informed about delays, especially those caused by bad weather, a big issue in China.

"If there is bad weather, for example, we will tell the media to publicize it so that passengers can be informed ahead of time and avoid long waits at airports due to the weather," he added.

Another worry, with the Games a week away, has been ensuring Beijing's main airport does not suffer delays from thunderstorms, which often strike the capital over the summer, just as athletes and other visitors arrive.

During last year's Spring Festival, riot police had to be called to Beijing airport after passengers angry at fog-related delays roughed up airline staff, attacked service counters and tried to storm grounded aircraft.

Former chief regulator Yang Yuanyuan told Reuters late last year that the threat of thunderstorms in August could be a big headache for air traffic controllers and passengers alike.

Huang Dengke, director of the watchdog's northern region, said records from previous years suggested rain was likely on August 8 and 9 -- when the Olympics open and when the airport will handle some 20 percent more traffic than normal.

But four nearby airports had been lined up to take diverted flights should that happen next week, he said.

[Dubby]

Australian tourist dies after beating in Greece

Greek doctors declared a 20-year-old Australian man dead on Friday, three days after a brutal beating on the Mediterranean island of Mykonos which prompted the government to target rising crime at resorts.

Doujon Zammit from Sydney was confirmed dead at 1.30pm local time (1030 GMT), doctors at the Errikos Dynan hospital in Athens said in a statement. Zammit had traveled with friends to the popular Aegean island on holiday.

Police detained four nightclub employees after Zammit was beaten with a metal bar outside a club on Mykonos.

REUTERS

[winston]

Travel Tips: 6 Uses for Toothpaste
By Lori Allen

When I was young, my mom would take water rings off our coffee table with toothpaste. Today, I use toothpaste for a number of things... especially when I'm traveling and have to limit the amount of "stuff" I bring with me.

1. Bee sting ointment. If you can't get ice for your bee sting, dab a little toothpaste on it. It's rumored to be the very best home remedy. (Also works to relieve the itch of a mosquito bite.)

2. An overnight zit cream. I find that if I dab just a spot of toothpaste on a rebellious pimple before I go to bed, it's near gone by morning.

3. Jewelry cleaner. Simply put a small amount of toothpaste on a soft cloth and rub it on your dry jewelry. Use a soft cotton swab for the smaller, hard-to-reach spots. Then rinse it off.

4. Shoe cleaner. Toothpaste and a cloth or old toothbrush are great for cleaning the white rubber parts of tennis shoes.

5. Bathroom mirror defogger. When I'm in the shower and my husband wants to shave, he squeezes a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the mirror and wipes it clean. Voila! The mirror stays clear.

6. CD and DVD scratch repair. Apply a very small amount of toothpaste (not the baking soda kind) to the disc and rub it off with a soft cloth. Scratches gone!

[Chiron]

Hello folks, me planning for a hoilday trip to US in late October. Rough iternary will be flying to NY, go to Toronto for the Nigara fall, then back to NY, fly to SF, drive to LA/LV, then take plan from SF back to Spore.

Need some advice as this is the 1st time I'm gg to States.

1) Should I fly to Toronto 1st then from there to NY? Save some time, but not sure of the pitfall.
2) Which airline should I take, esp for the internal flight, the Toronto-NY, NY-SF route?

Much appreciated.

[iam802]

That's a lot of places to cover.