Airport workers were startled to find a green snake making its way up the stairs. Source: Twitter 

Passengers boarding a Virgin plane at Gold Coast Airport were diverted to the rear of the plane when airline workers discovered a snake had scaled its way up the stairs to the front door.

Luckily they didn’t have a hiss-y fit over the surprise visitor.

It just so happened that Assistant Minister for Defence, Stuart Robert, was one of the passengers boarding the plane and he took to Twitter to announce the breach of security, not the first time a snake has tried to slip its way onto a flight.

“A snake had just slithered up the front steps, so we actually boarded, then, through the back steps,” he told ABC.

“But within five minutes they had come along and a couple of airport guys had brought a bag and a couple of snake catching rods and quickly gathered up the little sucker and put him in the bag, and I guess deposited him out where he belongs.”

“It was probably enjoying the nice warm steel as part of the front stairs and wasn’t quite aware what all the fuss was about really,” he said.

“Now it may have just climbed up there I guess when people were happily boarding the aircraft, but you have to admire how good the airline staff are in terms of rapidly diverting plans, sorting out the snake, replotting the aircraft in terms of when it is going to take off.

“But I dare say the poor little snake didn’t make it to Sydney.”

It’s not the first time a snake has tried to hitch a free ride, with a python boarding a Qantas flight from Cairns to PNG in 2013. Source: Supplied 

Source:::::: http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

We have been left shocked and heartbroken time after time again over the past year with a series of unimaginable flight tragedies, the latest seeing 150 people killed on board Germanwings Flight 9525.

So it’s to be expected that we’re all looking for answers, hoping to prevent another tragedy from happening in our skies. And as more and more harrowing information comes to light of the terrifying final moments on board the doomed Germanwings jet, many flyers are on edge at the thought of taking to the skies.

So imagine this pilot’s surprise when a passenger decided to share some kindness in a rather unexpected way.

The pilot and airline cannot be named for security reasons. Source: Supplied 

The pilot, who is unnamed for security reasons, was handed a note from the passenger during a flight from Spain to the south of England on Monday.

Instead of being a complaint or criticism, the glowing note voiced appreciation for the incredible job pilots do, ultimately seeking to inject kindness into a shocked world.

The letter doing the rounds Source: Supplied 

The thrilled pilot shared the note with a colleague, Jai Dillon, who then posted it onto Twitter where it has already been shared thousands of times.

Dillon, a pilot based in the UK who has been flying commercially for the past three years, told news.com.au his co-worker wanted to share the letter that had touched his heart.

“They were incredible happy,” Dillon, 23, said. “I feel that the positive message is worth spreading.”

It’s a good reminder that thousands of pilots and crew get millions of people safely from point A to B every year. To you all, we say thank you.

Source::::: http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Long lines, terse agents, overpriced food and delays – in the world of travel, airports are notorious for being necessary obstacles standing between travellers and their final destinations. But according to users of the question-and-answer site Quora.com, at the world’s most unique airports, the take-offs and landings make it all worth the ride.

A death-defying descent
Nepal’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport is built for adventurers. Tucked high in the Himalayan town of Lukla, the airport’s 460m runway has a steep 12% incline, making it only accessible to helicopters and small, fixed-wing planes. To the north of the runway, there are mountains, and to the south is a steep, nearly 600m drop, leaving absolutely no room for error.

The terrifying airstrip serves as an entry point for mountain climbers who are keen to tackle the world’s tallest mountain. “This is where most Everest summiters land,” wrote Quora userAmy Robinson. “It is one of the most dangerous airports in the world.”

Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that this airport was named after the region’s most famous adventurers: Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first people to reach Everest’s summit.

A runway under water
At high tide, the runway of Scotland’s Barra Airport is nowhere to be seen.

“The airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a beach as the runway,” wrote Quora user Amit Kushwaha. As such, flight times are dictated by the tide.

Located in the shallow bay of Traigh Mhor beach on Barra Island in the Outer Hebrides, the airport’s runways are laid out in a triangular formation and are marked by wooden poles to help guide the Twin Otter propeller planes onto the sand.

A stretch for tropical take-offs
For pilots, landing at the Maldives’ Male International Airportis daunting. The lone asphalt runway – which lies just two metres above sea level – takes up the entire length of Hulhule Island in the North Male Atoll, so a minor miscalculation could send the plane careening off into the Indian Ocean.

“[It’s] one of the few airports in the world that begins and ends with water and takes up an entire island,” wrote Quora userPeter Baskerville.

Because Hulhule Island (one of 1,192 coral islands spread over roughly 90,000sqkm) is used mainly for the airport, visitors typically take speedboats to their final destinations once they land.

Hit the brakes
Landing at Juancho E Yrausquin Airport, on the Caribbean island of Saba, “is not for the faint of heart,” wrote Quora userDhairya Manek.

That’s because it is widely regarded as having the shortest commercially serviceable runway in the world – approximately 396m. (Typically, runways are between 1,800m and 2,400m.) That means only small aircraft, which can quickly decrease speed, can land here.

Its setting is as beautiful as it is dangerous. “The airport’s runway is located on a cliff that drops into the Caribbean Sea on three sides and is flanked by high hills on the other,” Manek wrote. “Jet airplanes are not allowed to land at the airport due to its incredibly short runway.”

‘Nerve-racking… yet stunningly beautiful’
At 2,767m above sea level, Colorado’s Telluride Regional Airport is North America’s highest commercial airport. “[It’s] nerve-racking to experience, yet stunningly beautiful,” wrote Quora user Erin Whitlock.

Telluride’s single runway – which sits on a plateau in the Rocky Mountains, next to a heart-stopping, 300m drop to the San Miguel River below – used to be notorious for a giant dip in its centre. But renovations in 2009 made the airstrip safer and made it possible for larger aircraft to land. Today, the airport’sMountain Flying Safety guide advises pilots of single- or light-twin-engine aircraft not to attempt night landings, not to attempt flight if high-altitude winds exceed 30 knots, and not to fly if visibility is less than 15 miles.

A heart-stopping approach
So petrifying was the landing at the now-closed Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong, passengers had a nickname for it: the Kai Tak Heart Attack.

When I spoke with Scott Keyes, he was on a 10-hour layover in Dallas kicking back in theCenturion Lounge where American Express has provided its members with free food and drinks, high-speed WiFi, free spa services, and even its own shower suite.

“It’s just a day in the office in here essentially,” the 28-year-old Keyes told Business Insider. “I’ve got a nice work space, food, drinks, some WiFi. This is like this whole other world.”

Keyes, a reporter for Think Progress, gained access to the lounge as a perk from one of his 25 credit cards. The card, an American Express Platinum, typically has an annual fee of $US450, but Keyes managed to get it waived for the first year by taking advantage of an online deal. After that, he’ll either try to get the next year’s fee waived as well, or he’ll simply downgrade the card to something that doesn’t carry a fee.

This is nothing new for Keyes who told us that he uses his massive collection of credit cards to gain points, frequent flyer miles, and plenty of other member perks all the time. He then turns around and uses those perks on vacations like his upcoming trip which will take him
20,000 miles on 21 flights — all for free.

This isn’t luck. Keyes is somewhat of an expert on travelling for little to no cost, not unlike extreme couponers who put incredible amounts of time, energy, and thought into making sure they never pay a penny more than they have to when making purchases.

After jealous friends kept asking him how he does it, Keyes decided to write his e-books “How To Fly For Free” and “How To Find Cheap Flights.” He even made an email list to send friends updates on any amazing travel deals he comes across on Twitter or his RSS feed.

The epic world trip spans 13 countries — Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, Germany, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Lithuania, and Finland — over the next two months. Total airfare is 136,500 frequent flyer miles plus a few small taxes such as ‘airport use’ fees which are all under $US20 per flight.

Aside from those taxes, Keyes will be paying exactly $US0 for his trip, including his hotel stays.

He told Business Insider that it took around 10 to 15 hours to plan his itinerary, including finding flights that will use his miles, choosing between airlines, and avoiding “fuel surcharges” at all costs.

Keyes had previously been living and working for the past year in Oaxaca, Mexico, but now that he’s returning to the US, he realised it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time travelling before jumping back into a full-time job. “It’s tough when you have a job and you have to ask your boss for time off,” Keyes told Business Insider. “You only have a limited time off and then you spend a lot of that travelling. I figured while I’m in a position where I don’t have a 9-to-5, I might as well take advantage.

This is not the first time Keyes has gone on an incredibly cheap getaway for next to nothing. He has flown to Milan for $US67, gone to Galapagos for $US45, and visited Norway and Belgium for around $US70.

“It’s not necessarily easy or intuitive for beginners,” he told Business Insider about finding bargain flights. “But the good news is that because if you do a little bit of leg work — learn how to get a few miles and how to use them well — you can start to travel really, really well.”

Keyes has a few methods to procure his frequent flyer miles, including opening new credit cards that award miles or points, letting airlines know when there’s a problem with his flight, and not being afraid to get bumped if a flight is full.

He also uses Award Wallet and a detailed spreadsheet to keep organised so he never misuses his credit cards or loses track of his points and miles. In fact, since he started accruing cards, Keyes insists his credit score has actually increased just by virtue of handling his credit responsibly.

And when it comes to finding cheap trips, Keyes has an RSS reader and Twitter list chock full of blogs and websites like Airfarewatchdog and The Flight Deal that he skims to see if there are any “mistake fees” or cheap flights available.

The key, he said, is flexibility.

“If your ultimate goal is to be able to find as cheap a flight as possible and go somewhere cool for not much money then starting with an open, blank slate and going wherever there’s a cheap flight right now is going to be your best bet,” he told us.

Since starting his frequent flyer mile journey, Keyes has been to 30 countries — this next trip will make that count 42 — and flown 354,000 miles or roughly 14.3 times around the earth.

“The moon is only 250,000 miles away,” Keyes laughed. “I’ve only got 150,000 more to go until I can get back from the moon.”

As for his upcoming trip, Keyes said he’s most excited to visit a “beer spa” in Prague.

“I don’t quite understand it because I don’t speak Czech, but my understanding from pictures is that you just go and soak in beer,” he told us. “And who can complain about that?”

Source…….MEGAN WILLETT  in  http://www.businessinsider.com.au

Natarajan

As baggage came out onto the carousel, so did a man, fast asleep, with seemingly no idea at what was happening.

It is unclear just exactly how the man came to be on the carousel or his state — was he inebriated, just tired or lost?

And while a few passengers can be seen taking photos, the majority didn’t flinch as he cruised past them on the baggage belt.

It’s not the first time passengers have been busted taking a nap with their luggage. In 2012 a drunk Norwegian man fell asleep on the baggage belt at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. And earlier this year two boys were busted for jumping on the conveyor belt at Auckland airport in New Zealand.

Among passengers’ suitcases was a man completely out to it. Source: YouTube 

source…… http://www.news.com.au

Natarajan

From check-in to the gangway, the airport sets the tone for your trip. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, modern advancements in airport services and amenities have exponentially increased in the past few years with high-tech innovation.

Nearing an age the Jetsons could barely imagine, today’s cutting-edge airports stand out with features such as integrated iPads, indoor navigation systems, and, of course, plentiful WiFi.

Book a flight out of the 10 most high-tech airports in the U.S. for the best modern conveniences of tomorrow, today.

HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

As the country’s busiest and largest airport, the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport delivers a high-tech experience to match its size. Of high importance in the digital age, access to outlets is plentiful and robust in the airport’s gates, primarily led by Delta’s initiative to install free-standing charging stations with multiple electrical outlets and USB ports, averaging a high 8.1 outlets per gate in the airport.

The airport also provides more than 200 powered workspaces allowing passengers to recharge on the go. Recent advancements in high-tech marketing incorporate QR codes on advertisements throughout the airport, rewarding customers who scan the codes with special promotions and discounts in the airport’s shops and restaurants.

WiFi: Free.

MINNEAPOLIS–ST. PAUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

When traveling through Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, plan to arrive early enough to enjoy one of the terminal’s 1200 integrated iPads throughout Delta’s Concourse G. Located throughout the terminal and at almost every seat inside the terminal’s nine restaurants, travelers are able to tap and swipe their way through the virtual menu to customize orders that are delivered to their tables or gates in fifteen minutes or less. The iPads also offer entertainment, access to Facebook and Twitter, and the ability to check your email.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Making great strides in offering a high-tech travel experience, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport partnered with Samsung to enhance many of the airport’s gates. The partnership has spun dozens of charging stations and seven mobile travel lounges, modern and sleek public lounges that offer respite from the chaos of the gate and provide plenty of outlets at all seating stations.

When it comes to the frustrations of parking your car, DFW has created a new hassle-free parking facility for Terminal A. Upgrading the structure with sensors and lights above each parking space, red and green signals provide drivers real-time information on unoccupied spaces, dramatically reducing the stress of seeking out an available spot. Continuing to advance in functionality, the smart garage is synced to the airport’s mobile app, giving customers advance information on parking availability.

CHICAGO O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

As one of the busiest airports in the country, Chicago O’Hare International Airport has continued to expand its high-tech offerings to meet the demands of its worldly travelers. Partnering with two apps, FlySmart and B4 You Board, O’Hare offers fresh meal delivery to your gate, along with a host of other navigation features, special offers, and flight status updates.

Most excitingly, O’Hare is in the works to unveil a new mobile platform to enable travelers to submit their passports and customs declaration information via their smartphones. And perhaps one of the most innovative advancements in airport hygiene, most toilets at O’Hare now feature motorized toilet seat covers that provide a fresh plastic cover after each use.

AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

As one of the first airports in the country to feature WiFi back in 2000, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has always been on the forefront of tech-forward travel. Arriving in the airport from an international destination could not be simpler, as the airport’s eight Automated Passport Control kiosks and six Global Entry kiosks significantly help in expediting screening.

The smart new Automated Passport Control kiosks scan your passport, take your photograph, and provide a series of questions verifying biographic and flight information before issuing a receipt that is brought to a customs officer. Austin-Bergstrom’s “One-Stop” innovation allows international passengers to pick up their checked luggage first so the passengers and luggage can be cleared in one step.
Source………www.businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Want to fly on the Airbus A380 superjumbo? Get ready to feel the squeeze. Airbus has proposed a new cabin layout that would add an 11th seat to the super jumbo’s economy cabin.

Introduced this week at the World Aircraft Interior Expo in Hamburg, the new layout features three seats on either side with five seats in the middle section — making the sought-after aisle seat even more coveted. Currently, the vast majority of A380s in service are configured with 10 seats per row in economy with three seats on either side and just four seats in the middle.

According to USA Today, the new 11 across-layout called “Economy Choice” could be installed in new Airbus A380s as soon as 2017.

But why would Airbus want to do this? Airbus is desperate to expand its customer base for the A380. Of the 317 superjumbos ordered, 140 have of them have been bought by one airline — Emirates.

Only 13 airlines around the world operate the mammoth double decker. For such a heavily hyped and expensive aircraft ($US25 billion development cost), the reception for the airlines have not been as warm as expected by Airbus. In fact, the company has not had a single A380 order from an airline since 2013 — and that, unsurprisingly, was by Emirates.

Sadly, this increased load capacity will mean less elbow room for those unfortunate enough to be stuck in “sardine class.”

Source……….www.businessinsider.com.au

Natarajan

The days of the jumbo jet are numbered. Since their debut in the late 1960s, Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 have been the undisputed queens of the sky.

Unfortunately, the size, four-engine dependability, and range of these big planes are no longer enough of a competitive advantage to justify their operating costs. These relics of the 20th century often end up in places such as the Southern California Logistics Airport – more commonly known as the “bone yard.”

The Southern California Logistics Airport is located in Victorville, California — about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

The Southern California Logistics Airport is located in Victorville, California — about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Due to its location in the Mojave desert, Victorville’s warm and dry climate make it the perfect place to keep aging airplanes for extended periods of time.

Airplanes here have either been retired or declared “surplus” – not needed for immediate operations.

After they arrive, some planes are preserved so they can, one day, return to service with the airline or …

… be sold to another airline.

Those planes have their windows covered in foil and their fluids drained as they prepare for to sit in the desert for the long haul.

The aircraft’s engines — the most valuable parts of the plane – are also removed.

However, others — like this ex-Orient Thai Boeing 747 — are broken up and sold for parts.

After the valuable parts, such as the electronics, interior trim, and other reusable components have been harvested, the remaining pieces are chopped up and sold for scrap.

As of March 2015, British Airways has quite a few 747s at the bone yard.

The airline has a massive fleet of more than 50 747-400s.

But as the average age of their 747 fleet near 20 years, British Airways is slowly retiring its older birds.

In addition to BA, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Cathay Pacific have sent their 747s to Victorville.

FedEx is also a major tenant.

The cargo carrier is in the process of updating its massive fleet of mostly older jets.

Other airlines include, Air China, Evergreen International, Lufthansa, and United Airlines.

Source……..www.businessinsider.in

natarajan

The evacuation mission mounted by the government helped more than 5,000 Indians leave war-torn Yemen. The author goes behind the scenes to find out how this was achieved .

Evacuees from Yemen rest on the deck of INS Sumitra as they make their way home from Djibouti. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter 

General sahab, aap march kijiye (General, please march),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, looking at former army chief V K Singh. The senior ministers, intelligence officials and three service chiefs attending the meeting hurriedly convened by Modi on March 30 nodded their assent. The situation in Yemen was dire after a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia had launched an offensive three days earlier against the anti-government Zaidi Shia rebels known as the Houthis.

The contours of what was to become Operation Rahaat, a massive evacuation exercise to bring back hundreds of Indians from Yemen, were discussed at the meeting and Singh, minister of state in the external affairs ministry, was asked to immediately embark for the troubled country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. He was to oversee the withdrawal of Indians from Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and the cities of Aden, Ash Shihr, Al Mukalla and Al Hudaydah.

Singh took the only available flight on the evening of March 31 and landed in Djibouti in Africa, from where Sana’a is an hour’s flight across the Gulf of Aden. By then, the government had pulled out two merchant ships, MV Kavaratti and MV Corals, from their regular services and directed them to leave for Djibouti, which was to become Ground Zero for the Indian rescue operations over two weeks.

On the night of March 30, Indian Navy’s INS Tarkash, a stealth frigate, and INS Mumbai, a destroyer, also left for Djibouti. INS Sumitra, which was already on anti-piracy patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, reached the Yemeni port of Aden on the night of March 31.

General V K Singh (retd) interacts with evacuees who are on their way home. Photograph: @GenVKsingh/Twitter

The control rooms of the three branches of the armed forces, external affairs ministry and Air India in New Delhi were connected with one another and with the Indian missions concerned on a real-time basis. A makeshift control room was set up at the Kempinski Hotel in Djibouti. An Indian Navy satellite was repositioned to provide minute-to-minute data on the ground situation. A navy personnel later said the satellite streaming was so flawless that those monitoring the control room could actually count the number of people moving around in Yemen, a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Singh, with his years of army training, got the operation going smoothly. He held the first briefing at the Kempinski control room at 9.30 am on April 1, after which he went to meet the first tranche of 349 Indians who had arrived at Djibouti on board INS Sumitra from Aden. “After disembarking, many of them started chanting ‘Bharat mata ki jai, Indian Navy ki jai’,” recounts an official who was present at the scene. The rescued citizens rested in a commodious marriage hall at the hotel till the Indian Air Force and Air India aircraft arrived.

Indian Navy personnel help people aboard a ship. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter

The navy official says the rescue of the first 349 passengers was one of the toughest challenges he had faced ever. The warring Yemeni factions were engaged in a gun battle at Aden and the immigration officers had abandoned the port.

This forced Indian naval troops to first secure the port before INS Sumitra could lower its boats to ferry the stranded Indians. The task was tough also because the Saudis, who had control over the Yemeni airspace, had refused the Indian Air Force permission to land its airplanes in Sana’a.

It was Air India that had to take up the task of bridging Sana’a and Djibouti. “The Saudis gave us permission to fly for only two-and-a-half hours in a day,” Singh says. “The situation in Sana’a was so chaotic that it was difficult to land two planes, segregate passengers for Kochi and Mumbai, check their papers, get them on board and fly them back within the stipulated 150 minutes.” A big problem was handling people who wanted to return home, but didn’t have relevant documents or exit visas and permission from the employers. “It was costly, but the government had to arrange emergency exit documents for them,” says Singh.

A man embarks from a plane as he returns to India from war-torn Yemen. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter 

Singh flew five times to Sana’a and even stayed a night there to get a first-hand experience, all the while remaining in constant touch with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. On his last flight to Sana’a, where around 450 Indians and 120 foreign nationals awaited to be extricated, Singh and his staff were told to turn back to Djibouti since the coalition fighter planes were bombing areas close to the airport. It was a tight situation — an Indian minister was on a flight that was allegedly encroaching into the airspace controlled by the Saudis.

An official recalls the event: “As the plane was approaching the Sana’a airport, we got the shock of our life with the news that fighter planes were carrying out bombings and the pilot of our aircraft had been asked to return to Djibouti immediately. The plane was diverted, but all of us, though very nervous, were anxious to reach Yemen. Amid all this, Singh stood up and said that there was no question of going back. He calmly remarked that there must be some funny military exercises going on and that we had to land at Sana’a to evacuate the last group of Indians and nationals of other countries waiting there.

Singh then approached the cockpit and spoke to the pilots and told them what to convey to the Air Traffic Control at Sana’a. Having taken an arc back to Djibouti after the initial order, the aircraft did an about turn and again headed towards the Yemeni capital. “Upon landing, we came to know that the area near the airport had been bombed not long before our plane touched down,” says Singh.

Till April 9, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and Air India jointly evacuated 4,640 Indian citizens and around 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries from the strife-torn country. They were brought in the five vessels assembled by the government to Djibouti from where they were flown to India on Air India planes and Indian Air Force C-17 Globemasters.

INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai have since returned to India, and the Indian embassy in Sana’a is now closed. INS Sumitra has returned to its patrolling duty in the Gulf of Aden.

Singh attributes the success of Operation Rahaat — the second-largest undertaken by the government of India after Operation Safe Homecoming in Libya in 2011 when 15,000 Indians were evacuated — to team work. “It was not only the government officers who worked hard to help the stranded people, but also the local Bohra community and the Indian associations there,” he says.

Source……www.rediff.com

Natarajan

A man has been arrested over an incident on an Air India flight. Source: Getty Images 

As it turns out, a lot!

Yousuf Sharif, 35, allegedly sparked hijacking fears on board an Air India flight from Dubai to Hyderabad, India on Tuesday. And it was all because of a very bad prank he decided to play on a flight attendant, the Times of India reports.

Sitting in business class, the Indian resident asked the crew member if she would take a selfie with him on his phone. He also asked if he could photograph the cockpit.

“He was requesting the crew member to pose for a selfie and tried to engage her in a conversation, to which she objected,” Police officer T Sudhakar, who works for Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, where the plane landed, told local news website the DeccanChronicle.

Police allege the man had been trying to flirt with the staff member and when she refused to talk to him, he decided to scare her with a hijacking prank.

“When the air hostess rejected his request and started walking away, Yousuf told her that he will hijack the flight,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Shamshabad AR Srinivas said. “She immediately alerted the pilot.”

The man was questioned once the flight touched down, no charges have yet been laid.

news.com.au has contacted Air India for comment.

He allegedly threatened to hijack the plane as a prank. Picture: Stefan Krasowski Source: Flickr 

Source….www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Approximately three hours into a Turkish Airlines flight from Osaka to Istanbul, a Japanese passenger fainted, hitting her head. Her glasses shattered, cutting her cheek.

That’s when crew member Burcu Kirmaci sprung into action, according to local news site Bgnnews.com.

She applied first aid and looked after the passenger until the flight landed in Istanbul 10 hours later, but didn’t stop there. Ms Kirmaci escorted the passenger to hospital to get stitches, after realising the difficulty she would have

experienced there without knowing the local language.

“I knew I was the only one who could fully help the passenger given that I speak Japanese,” Ms Kirmaci said.

The woman was injured on a Turkish Airways flight. Source: Getty Images

She liaised with the Turkish doctor and the passenger, and took charge of the rest of the injured woman’s itinerary. She refused to leave her side, accompanying the passenger back to her final destination at approximately 10.30pm that night.

Fellow Japanese passengers from the flight voiced their appreciation and tried to offer Ms Kirmaci gifts.

She said her decision “was not an act of responsibility but rather an act of empathy”.

news.com.au has contacted Turkish Airlines for comment.

Ms Kirmaci was empathetic. Source: Facebook 

Source……..www.news.com.au

Natarajan

There are reports that Maiquetía “Simón Bolívar” International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela is a hub of criminal activity.

In the first four months of this year, 42 workers were arrested for stealing from tourists’ luggage according to a report published by the Maiquetia International Airport Institute (ICMI). And another 24 criminal gangs have been “dismantled” who were involved with theft of passenger luggage as well as stealing from cars in the parking lot.

To date a total of 144 arrests have been made for theft, fraud and drug trafficking.

The United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security says criminal activity at the airport is significant saying travellers are commonly victims of personal property thefts and muggings.

It warns travellers to be wary of all strangers including those who claim to be airport officials with reports of criminals posing in official uniforms.

It advises travellers not to pack valuable items or documents in checked bags and says there are reports of airport officials attempting to extort money from travellers as part of the check-in or boarding process. As well as airport shuttles operated by major local hotels being robbed by armed individuals.

Australia’s Smart Traveller website also warns travellers about travel to and from the airport.

“The Maiquetia Simon Bolivar Airport area and the road between the airport and Caracas is particularly dangerous due to violent crime. There have been reports of muggins and kidnappings by criminals posing as taxi drivers.”

A statement on the Simón Bolívar International Airport says it has taken steps to curb crime adding another 129 airport security officers as well as a permanent prosecutor’s office at the airport.

“The Airport Terminal is the only airport in the country with a public prosecutor’s office inside its buildings, which allows the authorities to take penal actions in a more effective manner to continue to strengthen the overall security of the airport’s customers and goods.

“The airport administrator’s office recommends that customers make a formal complaint to the security forces inside the terminal whenever they are witness to any illicit act that might interfere with the normal functioning of the airport, in the interest of strengthening the fight against crime.’

For now, this might be one airport you may like to avoid.

Source……www.news.com.au

Natarajan

The capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world’s best airport for the year 2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum, officials said on Saturday.

Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA at a ceremony of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly on April 28 in Jordan.

“We are honoured to represent an Indian airport at a highly acclaimed international forum as ACI. Our IGI Airport partners and employees have consistently delivered a memorable and distinct experience to our customers, enabling us to achieve the coveted world number one position,” said I. Prabhakara Rao, CEO of Delhi International Airport Pvt. Limited, which manages IGIA.

Every year PrivateFly.com asks travellers around the world to vote for their favourite airport landings before a panel of judges picks the best 10.

Of the 147 airports that received nominations this year, these were voted the Top 10 Most Stunning Airport Approaches for 2015.

1. Queenstown, New Zealand

Flying into Queenstown airport was considered the most spectacular in the world. 

A world class approach to a world class destination. The snatched panoramas as you descend into this hitherto barren-looking landscape makes you realise that pilots do get the best views,” said judge Bill Prince.

2. Las Vegas Mccarran Airport, USA

The bright lights of Vegas make it one of the most exciting airports to fly into.

“Arriving at night makes the Las Vegas strip look like some type of miniature recreation. It is always worth a window seat,” said judge Doug Gollan.

3. Nice Cote D’Azur Airport, France 

“Nice, Cote d’Azur has to be one of the most spectacular places to arrive and depart with this breathtaking coastline as far as the eye can see,” said judge Tiffany Dowd.

4. Barra Airport, Scotland

“Where else in the world can you fly over majestic mountains, stunning coastline and turquoise seas before descending over a historic harbour castle and landing on a large silver sand beach? Totally stunning and totally unique. Nothing comes close,” said judge Carol Cork.

5. St Maarten Princess Juliana International

“I chose the landing strip at St. Maarten for its proximity to the beach, giving a beautiful view for passengers on landing planes, and a prime photo op for beachgoers, as incoming jets fly overhead,” said judge Chloe Pantazi.

6. Saba (Juancho e Irausquin)

“A simply unforgettable and thrilling landing on the world’s shortest runway, flanked by cliffs and ocean with a striking view of its active Volcano, Mount Scenery,” said judge David Scowsill.

7. Billy Bishop Toronto City, Canada

“A dramatically short island runway, surrounded by city and water. Just moments away from the centre of Toronto,” said judge Adam Twidell.

8. Gibraltar

“Not for those with faint hears. Landing at ‘The Rock’ requires a lot of skill (and adverse weather conditions redirect flights to Malaga too often), but if you are lucky it is stunning. Also very interesting to see the geographic differences between nearby Spain and this British territory,” said judge Ana Silva O’Reilly.

9. London City Airport, UK

“For its steep approach and its short runway in the heart of the city,” said judge Frédéric Beniada.

10. Cape Town, South Africa

“Spectacular views of Table Mountain as you approach. One of the most beautiful cities on earth,” said judge Adam Twidell.

Source…..www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Brazilian Eduardo Caram was waiting in his seat before his flight departed when he discovered a panel had come loose.

He immediately alerted an air steward, who said it was not a problem.

The video of the incident has been viewed almost 50,000 times.

“I talked to the flight attendant and he said there was no problem because it is only a protection,” Caram cstated in the video’s caption.

The Mirror reports that the TAM Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo in Brazil took off regardless.

The airline is yet to make an official statement.

Plane scare … The man holds a plane window pane after ‘removing it with ease’. Picture: Youtube/Eduardo CaramSource: YouTube

Source…..www.news.com.au

Natarajan

Last weekend, Singapore Airlines Flight 836 was traveling from Singapore to Shanghai when the twin-engine Airbus A330-343 lost power on both engines over the South China Sea.

Image of Airbus330-343

Fortunately, the pilots were able to restore power to the engines, and the flight was able to continue on to its destination.

No injuries have been reported.

Modern turbofan engines are very robust pieces of engineering and tend to be incredibly reliable.

That makes last weekend’s incident an exceedingly rare event.

In fact, experienced A330 pilot Karlene Petitt told Business Insider that in her years flying the popular jet, she has never encountered, in pilot parlance, a “dual flameout.”

So what is an airline pilot thinking when the engines on his or her plane inexplicably lose power?

“What would go through my mind is fly the plane and do everything I can to get the engines started,” Petitt said in an email. “That would be the only thing to think about.”

In the cockpit, pilots are equipped with reference guides which provides guidance and checklists for a wide variety of operational situations – including the loss of power on all engines.

At cruising altitudes – 39,000 ft. in the case of the Singapore jet – the air is very thin and there may not be enough oxygen to get the engines to relight.

However, according to Petitt, “Normally when you get down around 24,000 feet you should be able to get one started because of the denser air at that altitude.”

In the case of Singapore Flight 836, the airliner lost 13,000 feet of altitude before the pilots were able to get the engines going again.

According to Petitt, she would only think about looking for a landing location after realizing she wouldn’t be able to get the engines going.

Depending on how high and how far the airplane is from an airport, the pilot would then determine what would be the appropriate course of action

In past incidents, pilots have chosen a variety of strategies.

In 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 going from Montreal to Edmonton ran out of fuel midway through the flight after the ground crew miscalculated the amount needed for the trip. The pilots were able to glide the twin-engine Boeing 767-200 jet to safety at a retired Canadian military runway that had been turned into a race track.

In 2001, an Air Transat Airbus A330 traveling from Toronto to Lisbon developed a fuel leak while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The widebody jet lost all power, but the pilots were able to glide to an airport in the Azores Islands.

Most famously, US Airways flight 1549 lost both of its engines after colliding with a flock of geese while taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Due to the low altitude, the pilots didn’t have time to complete the engine restart procedure. Miraculously, Captain Sully Sullenberger was able to successfully guide the Airbus A320 down in the middle of the Hudson River.

In these instances, the pilots were able to safely land their planes with few injuries to the passengers and crew.

“Pilots never stop flying the plane,” Petitt reiterated. “No matter what, we will do what it takes.”

Source….BENJAMIN ZHANG in www.businessinsider.in

Natarajan

My friends laugh at me when I ask for a window seat. You’re an airline pilot, they say. You have the window seat all the time.

True enough. But the cockpit, well, that’s work. As a passenger I’m actually free to enjoy the experience—to listen to music or a long-postponed podcast while gazing out at the world below, to remember that it’s still a wonder to look down, not up, at clouds. The window seat is like the best table in a café on a busy street, except that instead of people-watching, entire cities, oceans, and mountain ranges parade past.

Still, every once in a while something interferes with that view. Maybe it’s the forehead smudges left by your seat’s previous occupant. Or the little hole that appears in the lower portion of a typical airliner window.

The outer two cabin windows are designed to contain this difference in pressure between the cabin and the sky. Both the middle and the outer panes are strong enough to withstand the difference on their own, but under normal circumstances it’s the outer pane that bears this pressure—thanks to the breather hole.

But what causes that telltale frost pattern? The physics behind it are an interesting question, he says. “The circular pattern must be a function of window surface temperature, humidity of the cabin air and flow rate through the bleed hole.”

Read the original article on Slate. Copyright 2015. Follow Slate on Twitter.

Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/05/29/what_s_that_thing_why_are_there_holes_in_airplane_windows.html#ixzz3bmg2xKTh

Incredible images from high in the sky show remote part of Africa like you’ve never seen them before.

These stunning aerial shots were taken from a small plane manned by photography-mad husband and wife team Jan and Jay Roode, who abandoned their normal lives to take to the skies five years ago.

The pair enjoyed successful careers in Johannesburg in business and property management but yearned to see the world.

Together they travelled to 60 different countries – but when Jan decided to learn to fly and they bought their own plane, their ambitions really took flight.

A strange little house along the Skeleton Coast, south of Henties Bay, surrounded in a starburst pattern of furrows.

An aerial view of Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana. The couple began flying in a bid to capture Africa’s remote, natural beauty

A single canoe looks serene as it sails the waters of the vast Save River estuary in Mozambique

Fishermen assemble to examine their catch in the seas: While taking photographs the Roodes have travelled around 40,000 nautical miles

A lone elephant enjoys the clear waters of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, at dawn – sending ripples through the water as he moves through

The shipwreck of an old Portuguese steamer that ran aground in 1908, but still in place a century later, along the Skeleton Coast in Namibia

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105721/Amazing-Africa-air-Couple-abandon-careers-stunning-aerial-shots-continent-dazzling-glory.html#ixzz3bpO4z5R7
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Source…..www.dailymail.co.uk

Natarajan

There’s a belief that computers do all of the work in the cockpit, but this amazing video shows British Airways pilots conquering one of the most challenging runways in the world.

With cameras mounted in the flight deck, the clip shows a pilot’s-eye view as a BA plane approaches and touches down on the runway in Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

It may seem like a routine event, but captains Ally Wilcox and Ian Mills had to contend with high winds and were unable to rely on the plane’s instruments as they landed at an airport nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and a hill dotted with home

click and watch the video clip below…

https://youtu.be/9FVfB8GdoGU

Footage from the cockpit provides a perspective that most passengers will never see as they arrive on the stunning island for a relaxing holiday.

It can be a turbulent landing, and after an extension was built in 2000 part of the runway is on stilts over the sea.

Captain Wilcox narrated the video, which was shot on a recent flight from London, telling viewers Funchal is a unique airfield because pilots cannot land a plane there unless they have special approval from Portugal’s civil aviation authority.

He said BA and Airbus have developed a bespoke plan that has been approved by authorities, which includes using banana sheds as a waypoint to navigate the ‘tricky terrain’ to the left of the runway.

Footage from the cockpit provides a perspective that most passengers will never see

Only 20 BA captains are permitted to fly into Funchal, and each one had to pass a two-hour simulated training session.

Captain Wilcox said: ‘The island is very tricky because of the terrain … it means we have to fly around the bay and very close to the terrain before completing a curving approach onto the runway.’

As the airport does not have an instrument landing system, pilots must navigate around the bay visually using good judgment, he added.

High winds add to the degree of difficulty.

He tells viewers: ‘As it’s out in the Atlantic the wind is often strong and very variable in nature.

‘As with this approach we faced exactly that challenge with the head wind becoming a cross wind pushing us towards the terrain and here ending up as a tail wind as we landed on the runway.’

Given its location and turbulent winds, Funchal is frequently included in lists of the ‘scariest’ runways in the world.

Source….www.dailymail.co.uk  and http://www.you tube.com

Natarajan

The evacuation mission mounted by the government helped more than 5,000 Indians leave war-torn Yemen. The author goes behind the scenes to find out how this was achieved .

Evacuees from Yemen rest on the deck of INS Sumitra as they make their way home from Djibouti. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter 

General sahab, aap march kijiye (General, please march),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, looking at former army chief V K Singh. The senior ministers, intelligence officials and three service chiefs attending the meeting hurriedly convened by Modi on March 30 nodded their assent. The situation in Yemen was dire after a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia had launched an offensive three days earlier against the anti-government Zaidi Shia rebels known as the Houthis.

The contours of what was to become Operation Rahaat, a massive evacuation exercise to bring back hundreds of Indians from Yemen, were discussed at the meeting and Singh, minister of state in the external affairs ministry, was asked to immediately embark for the troubled country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. He was to oversee the withdrawal of Indians from Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and the cities of Aden, Ash Shihr, Al Mukalla and Al Hudaydah.

Singh took the only available flight on the evening of March 31 and landed in Djibouti in Africa, from where Sana’a is an hour’s flight across the Gulf of Aden. By then, the government had pulled out two merchant ships, MV Kavaratti and MV Corals, from their regular services and directed them to leave for Djibouti, which was to become Ground Zero for the Indian rescue operations over two weeks.

On the night of March 30, Indian Navy’s INS Tarkash, a stealth frigate, and INS Mumbai, a destroyer, also left for Djibouti. INS Sumitra, which was already on anti-piracy patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, reached the Yemeni port of Aden on the night of March 31.

General V K Singh (retd) interacts with evacuees who are on their way home. Photograph: @GenVKsingh/Twitter

The control rooms of the three branches of the armed forces, external affairs ministry and Air India in New Delhi were connected with one another and with the Indian missions concerned on a real-time basis. A makeshift control room was set up at the Kempinski Hotel in Djibouti. An Indian Navy satellite was repositioned to provide minute-to-minute data on the ground situation. A navy personnel later said the satellite streaming was so flawless that those monitoring the control room could actually count the number of people moving around in Yemen, a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Singh, with his years of army training, got the operation going smoothly. He held the first briefing at the Kempinski control room at 9.30 am on April 1, after which he went to meet the first tranche of 349 Indians who had arrived at Djibouti on board INS Sumitra from Aden. “After disembarking, many of them started chanting ‘Bharat mata ki jai, Indian Navy ki jai’,” recounts an official who was present at the scene. The rescued citizens rested in a commodious marriage hall at the hotel till the Indian Air Force and Air India aircraft arrived.

Indian Navy personnel help people aboard a ship. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter

The navy official says the rescue of the first 349 passengers was one of the toughest challenges he had faced ever. The warring Yemeni factions were engaged in a gun battle at Aden and the immigration officers had abandoned the port.

This forced Indian naval troops to first secure the port before INS Sumitra could lower its boats to ferry the stranded Indians. The task was tough also because the Saudis, who had control over the Yemeni airspace, had refused the Indian Air Force permission to land its airplanes in Sana’a.

It was Air India that had to take up the task of bridging Sana’a and Djibouti. “The Saudis gave us permission to fly for only two-and-a-half hours in a day,” Singh says. “The situation in Sana’a was so chaotic that it was difficult to land two planes, segregate passengers for Kochi and Mumbai, check their papers, get them on board and fly them back within the stipulated 150 minutes.” A big problem was handling people who wanted to return home, but didn’t have relevant documents or exit visas and permission from the employers. “It was costly, but the government had to arrange emergency exit documents for them,” says Singh.

A man embarks from a plane as he returns to India from war-torn Yemen. Photograph: @spokespersonMoD/Twitter 

Singh flew five times to Sana’a and even stayed a night there to get a first-hand experience, all the while remaining in constant touch with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. On his last flight to Sana’a, where around 450 Indians and 120 foreign nationals awaited to be extricated, Singh and his staff were told to turn back to Djibouti since the coalition fighter planes were bombing areas close to the airport. It was a tight situation — an Indian minister was on a flight that was allegedly encroaching into the airspace controlled by the Saudis.

An official recalls the event: “As the plane was approaching the Sana’a airport, we got the shock of our life with the news that fighter planes were carrying out bombings and the pilot of our aircraft had been asked to return to Djibouti immediately. The plane was diverted, but all of us, though very nervous, were anxious to reach Yemen. Amid all this, Singh stood up and said that there was no question of going back. He calmly remarked that there must be some funny military exercises going on and that we had to land at Sana’a to evacuate the last group of Indians and nationals of other countries waiting there.

Singh then approached the cockpit and spoke to the pilots and told them what to convey to the Air Traffic Control at Sana’a. Having taken an arc back to Djibouti after the initial order, the aircraft did an about turn and again headed towards the Yemeni capital. “Upon landing, we came to know that the area near the airport had been bombed not long before our plane touched down,” says Singh.

Till April 9, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and Air India jointly evacuated 4,640 Indian citizens and around 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries from the strife-torn country. They were brought in the five vessels assembled by the government to Djibouti from where they were flown to India on Air India planes and Indian Air Force C-17 Globemasters.

INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai have since returned to India, and the Indian embassy in Sana’a is now closed. INS Sumitra has returned to its patrolling duty in the Gulf of Aden.

Singh attributes the success of Operation Rahaat — the second-largest undertaken by the government of India after Operation Safe Homecoming in Libya in 2011 when 15,000 Indians were evacuated — to team work. “It was not only the government officers who worked hard to help the stranded people, but also the local Bohra community and the Indian associations there,” he says.

Source……www.rediff.com

Natarajan