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British Airways bosses fear having to scrap lucrative flights because of mounting complaints about raucous cabin crew parties at luxury hotels. Topless air hostesses and champagne-fuelled pool parties have prompted a flood of protests about wild behaviour. Now BA has warned its captains to control their crews during overnight stops – or the airline may be forced to abandon at least one route. The problem is particularly acute on routes crewed by young recruits – so-called ‘mixed fleet’ which was at the heart of the recent BA industrial dispute. A BA source said: ‘Mixed fleet crews are basically kids of...

Secret documents reveal that the three Qatari men conducted surveillance on the targets, provided “support” to the plotters and had tickets for a flight to Washington on the eve of the atrocities. The suspected terrorists flew from London to New York on a British Airways flight three weeks before the attacks. They allegedly carried out surveillance at the World Trade Centre, the White House and in Virginia, the US state where the Pentagon and CIA headquarters are located. Ten days later they flew to Los Angeles, where they stationed themselves in a hotel near the airport which the FBI has...

It just seems like a bad time for any firm with the word "British" in its title. We know all too well the various setbacks experienced by the oil giant once known as British Petroleum; now British Airways has drawn much unwelcome attention to itself with a photo touting its new mobile-boarding pass system as it appears to expedite the air travel of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man.

APRIL 25, 2010 2:02 AM SNIPPET: "MONTREAL — A British Airways flight bound for London was reportedly held up for almost two hours on the tarmac at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport Saturday night as officials questioned a passenger who exhibited suspicious behaviour just before the plane was scheduled to take off." SNIPPET: "Fellow passengers reportedly told the cabin crew that the man had been behaving oddly and was in possession of a small quantity of clear liquid. "It was more than what you would normally be allowed to have, and passengers said he was doing something suspicious with it,"...

LONDON—A British Airways computer expert was charged Thursday with plotting suicide bombings—including one he allegedly planned to carry out himself. Prosecutor Colin Gibbs alleged that Bangladesh-born Rajib Karim deliberately sought a job with the airline in order to further an unspecified terrorist conspiracy. Mr. Gibbs told the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court that the 30-year-old plotted with unidentified contacts in his home country, Pakistan, and Yemen over the past four years. He said that Mr. Karim shared information about his work, including British Airways' security measures. Mr. Gibbs also said that Mr. Karim had offered to join the airline's cabin...

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LONDON - A union representing British Airways cabin crew said Monday it will hold a strike vote in a dispute over pay, job security and working conditions. The Unite union said it would continue to negotiate with the airline while the vote by 13,000 cabin crew goes ahead starting next week. Cabin crew represented by the Unite union had voted overwhelmingly in favor of striking in December, but the airline won a court order to prevent a walkout. "In notifying the company of this, I have reiterated that we want talks to continue, and that the union is prepared to...

A businessman is suing British Airways over a policy that bans male passengers from sitting next to children they don't know - even if the child's parents are on the same flight.

A businessman is suing British Airways over a policy that bans male passengers from sitting next to children they don't know - even if the child's parents are on the same flight. Mirko Fischer has accused the airline of branding all men as potential sex offenders and says innocent travellers are being publicly humiliated. In line with the policy, BA cabin crew patrol the aisles before take-off checking that youngsters travelling on their own or in a different row from their parents are not next to a male stranger.

Grounded By Val MacQueenFrontPageMagazine.com | February 4, 2004 At the beginning of January, BA 223 from London to Washington was canceled two days in a row due to “security concerns”.  On the third day, it was allowed to fly, but was held on the ground in DC for three hours after arrival before passengers were allowed to disembark.  Air France also had flights canceled at the 11th hour – specifically to Los Angeles -  probably at the demand of the American government, which had information that would have precluded allowing the flights to fly over American airspace. The truth dawned...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department updated its travel warning for Saudi Arabia Wednesday, saying the U.S. government has received information about threats involving Western targets, including some directed at civil aviation.</p> <p>The suspension was also in response to a document seized in a car during anti-terror searches in Saudi Arabia that detailed the casing of the airport, a U.S. official told CNN.</p>

A British Airways passenger plane arriving from Amsterdam crash-landed at London's City Airport on Friday but all 67 passengers and four crew were safely evacuated, emergency services said. A British Airways statement said the nosewheel of the aircraft failed on landing. "As a precaution the emergency slides were deployed and the passengers were evacuated down the slides onto the runway," BA added. The London Ambulance Service said four people were treated for minor injuries, but no one was taken to hospital. A spokeswoman for the airport said flight BA8456 had landed on the runway despite the damage to the nosewheel.

WASHINGTON - A Lebanese-American businessman who acted as a conduit for a last-ditch peace offer from Iraq to the United States faces federal charges of attempting to bring weapons on a commercial aircraft. The charges were filed Nov. 6 against Imad Hage, months after he was stopped at Dulles International Airport outside Washington when a .45-caliber handgun, five ammunition magazines and four stun guns were detected in his checked luggage. Hage said by telephone Thursday from Beirut that he intends to return to the United States in a few weeks to fight the charges, which he suggested were only brought...

How The West Was Won The rapid and unexpected decline of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq was officially recognized this week, when Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding the Marine Expeditionary Force, turned operational control of Anbar Province over to the Iraqi army and police. Anbar, a vast expanse of desert the size of North Carolina, had been the stronghold of the Sunni insurgency. For years, foreign fighters loyal to al-Qaida had sneaked across Iraq's northwestern border with Syria, into Anbar and down a "rat line" of safe houses in Haditha, Ramadi and Hit. From Fallujah, the arch terrorist Zarqawi...

Excerpt - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - British Airways has suspended its flights to Pakistan because of security fears after a bloody suicide truck-bomb blast at a hotel in Islamabad on the weekend, an airline spokesman said on Monday. ~ snip ~

An Afghan hijacker who forced an airliner to fly to Britain is now working at Heathrow, it has been disclosed. Nazamuddin Mohammidy, 34, was one of a gang of nine that threatened to blow up an internal flight in Afghanistan, along with 173 passengers and crew, unless they were granted political asylum. The Afghan hijackers forced the Boeing 727 to divert to Britain where they surrendered to police and the SAS after a 70-hour stand-off at Stansted Airport, Essex in Mohammidy, of Hounslow, Middlesex, is now working as an office cleaner for British Airways. The discovery came after he...

British Airways is facing fines of up to £5,000 per passenger for breaking European rules by misleading the hundreds of travellers stranded at Heathrow about their compensation rights. Chaos at Terminal 5, which forced the cancellation of 72 flights yesterday, will cause further disruption for thousands more passengers throughout the weekend. Last night BA confirmed that a further 54 incoming and outgoing flights will be cancelled today, blighting the holidays of thousands of families. The Times has learnt that managers at the airline were warned by unions a fortnight ago that baggage staff had not been properly trained to handle...

British Airways has sparked an environmental row by flying a jumbo jet 6,000 miles to Hong Kong without a single passenger on board. The Boeing 747 made the 11-hour trip manned by just four flightdeck crew, while all 300 seats behind them remained empty. During its journey from Heathrow, BA Flight 0027 burned a massive 140 tons of fuel – the equivalent of filling 5,400 family-sized cars – and emitted 329 tons of CO2. Passengers due to board the aircraft last Sunday were told by BA staff that not enough cabin crew were available for duty and they caught...

A British Airways check-in worker who refused to hide her cross necklace at work has lost her case for religious discrimination. Nadia Eweida, 56, became embroiled in a highly public row with BA in 2006 after the airline asked that she tuck her cross necklace behind her scarf so that it would not show. Ms Eweida took BA to an employment tribunal claiming the airline had discriminated against Christians by not allowing them to openly wear symbols of their faith whilst Muslim and Hindu employees were permitted to wear headscarves and turbans. After a public backlash and widespread criticism from...

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 30 October, 2007 : - - Since British Airways (BA) announced a ban on surfboards on all flights (effective from 6th Nov), the surf community across the world has been reacting to the shock new position and taking decisive action to push for a reversal on the decision. In hoards, surfers from across the globe, including the World Number One, Mick Fanning, have been signing up to a global petition created by the British Surfing Association (BSA) and international governing bodies, key surf brands and thousands of individuals have been issuing statements and joining a...

British Airways splits $8.2 billion order Airline goes with both Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 By JAMES WALLACE P-I AEROSPACE REPORTER In what has been one of the most closely watched and hard-fought competitions between Airbus and The Boeing Co. in several years, British Airways has ordered the Airbus A380 and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. The airline announced Thursday morning in London that it has ordered 12 A380s with options for seven more, and 24 787s with options for 18 more. Although the order represents another big endorsement for the 787 from one of the world's best-known airlines, Boeing did not...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two major airlines were fined $300 million apiece Thursday after admitting they conspired to fix prices on international flights and agreeing to help prosecutors investigate other airlines. British Airways PLC, Britain's largest airline, and Korean Air Co., South Korea's national carrier, pleaded guilty to antitrust conspiracy charges. They acknowledged colluding with rivals over cargo rates and fuel surcharges, which were added to fares in response to rising oil prices. That meant higher costs for international shippers and passengers. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said the case "involved considerable commerce and reflected long-term and widespread conduct involving...

Arab princesses kicked off British Airways plane to jeers and whistles after refusing to sit next to male strangers By RAY MASSEY - More by this author » Last updated at 11:45am on 28th July 2007 Three Arab princesses were thrown off a packed British Airways flight after refusing to sit next to male passengers they didn't know. The dispute - in which the three princesses from the ultra-conservative Qatar royal family demanded segregated seating - left the London-bound plane delayed on a baking Italian runway for nearly three hours. Furious passengers whistled and clapped as the row intensified before...

They broke into CNN Pipeline stating CDC has quarantied a British Airways flight arriving a Miami Airport....female passneger became sick over Atlantic, then started coughing up blood. No one allowed out of plane. No link yet

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Passengers on a British Airways flight from New Delhi to London faced a 13-hour delay as the pilot felt he was too sleepy after a noisy night in a New Delhi hotel, newspapers reported on Monday. Angry passengers were offloaded from the plane early Sunday morning after the pilot refused to fly until he caught up with his sleep. "The crew hadn't had enough rest...the entire crew had a disturbed night," Radhika Raikhy, spokeswoman for BA, was quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying, adding the airline's safety rules do not allow its crew to operate...

LONDON -- British Airways PLC said Wednesday it ordered four Boeing 777-200 Extended Range aircraft to bolster its fleet. The aircraft will be delivered in 2009, the airline said in a statement. British Airways said it also took options for four more aircraft for delivery the following year. "It was a close decision between the Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s," said Robert Boyle, British Airways' commercial director. Boeing Co. said it was working with British Airways to finalize the order, but was pleased the carrier had agreed to purchase the twin-aisle, twin-engine jets.

British Airways is trying to contact all 33,000 passengers who may have been exposed to radioactive traces that were found on two of its planes. Thousands of BA passengers were caught in the radiation scare last night after traces of a substance, thought to be the same that killed the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, were found on the planes. A spokesman for the airline said that, so far, 2,500 of the 33,000 passengers who are believed to have flown on 221 flights across Europe since the traces were found have called in to BA's dedicated helpline. The Government grounded...

LONDON — Two British Airways jets tested positive Wednesday for low-level radioactive contamination as the probe into the apparent murder of a former KGB agent uncovered a trail leading directly from London to Moscow. FOX News has learned that British authorities are checking into whether anyone onboard the planes are associated with the radiation poisoning death of ex-Russian spy and Kremlin critic . Officials are planning to contact thousands of airplane passengers who flew on the jets.Of the three Boeing 767s searched so far, low traces of radioactive material has been found on two of them.Two planes at London's Heathrow Airport tested...

Last Updated: Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 21:29 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Radioactive traces on BA planes Mr Litvinenko was a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin Traces of a radioactive substance have been found on two British Airways planes at Heathrow Airport, says BA.The planes, plus a third in Moscow, are being tested as part of the probe into the death from radiation poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. BA is trying to make contact with up to 33,000 passengers who travelled on the 221 European flights affected, including the London to Moscow route....

Just breaking on Fox...

  Woman loses fight to wear cross Ms Eweida said she was standing up for her faith   Ms Eweida interview A British Airways (BA) employee has lost her fight to openly wear a cross necklace at work at Heathrow.Nadia Eweida, 55, of Twickenham, has been on unpaid leave since her bosses told her she could not visibly wear her cross at the check-in counter. She found out she had lost her appeal against the decision by BA when she met with the airline bosses on Monday. BA denied it had banned the wearing of crosses and said Ms...

Nadia Eweida: BA said she had failed to comply with their 'uniform regulations' A Christian woman has been banned by British Airways for wearing a small cross necklace to work - while muslims and sikhs are allowed to wear headscarves and turbans.Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida was sent home after refusing to remove the crucifix which breached BA's dress code. Her treatment by BA - which styles itself as the "world's favourite airline" - brought condemnation both from Christian groups and members of other faiths last night. BA's chief executive Willie Walsh has upheld the action against Miss Eweida for...

A British Airways flight made an emergency landing in Iceland after smoke appeared in the cabin. None of the 268 passengers and crew on the flight from London to Denver, Colorado, was injured. The Boeing 777 landed safely at Keflavik Airport, 30 miles from the capital Reykjavik. A British Airways spokesman said the smoke had been traced to an oven in the galley area at the rear of the plane. He said: "The pilot did declare an emergency and diverted to Keflavik in Iceland. The reason was not a fire on board, it was some smoke coming out of an...

Just how cautious are airline pilots after last week's thwarted terror plot? Consider this: A British Airways captain was piloting a New York bound jet when a cell phone with no apparent owner began ringing on board. The pilot, taking no chances, turned the plane around. Eyewitness News reporter Joe Torres talked exclusively with a local woman on board.

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - David Hasselhoff was banned from a plane for being too drunk. The 'Baywatch' star, nicknamed The Hoff, turned up intoxicated to London's H eathrow airport at 7am yesterday (26.07.06), and then continued to knock back drinks in British Airways' first class lounge as he waited to board his 9.55am flight to Los Angeles. The troubled actor - who recently claimed he had beaten his alcohol problems - ranted to airline staff and VIP passengers about his divorce and moaned, "My life is a mess." An onlooker said: "He was drinking alone and staring into...

The girlfriend of an Australian passenger stranded in Kazakhstan after an emergency landing has told how her boyfriend helped the pilot communicate with ground control. Jacquie, who asked for her full name to be withheld, spent "the most unrestful 24 hours in my life" at the weekend after discovering that her boyfriend Michael's flight from Sydney to London failed to arrive at its destination. Michael was on board British Airways flight BA10, which took off from Sydney airport on Friday afternoon. After a stop-over in Bangkok, the flight crew noticed a fire warning light in the cockpit. The jet, carrying...

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of passengers were stranded for a second day at Britain's biggest airport on Friday as wildcat strikes forced British Airways to cancel its flights during the peak summer holiday season. Europe's third-largest airline said there would be no British Airways (BA) flights at London's Heathrow airport until at least 1700 GMT but did not elaborate on how the strikes by baggage handlers and other ground staff would be overcome. "Our message to customers is don't come to the airport today," spokesman Richard Goodfellow told Reuters. "We're very sorry and doing all we can to look after...

British Airways has cancelled its flights from Heathrow Airport for the remainder of the day (Thursday, August 11). Flights currently en-route to Heathrow will be diverted. The decision is as a result of unofficial industrial action at Heathrow by staff from catering company Gate Gourmet and some British Airways ground staff. We are working hard to resolve the situation and restart our flights as soon as possible. We are currently reviewing our flying programme for tomorrow (Friday, August 12). However, customers who are booked to travel tomorrow should check the latest situation on ba.com before coming to the airport. We...

BRUSSELS, July 25 (UPI) -- The European Commission wants to tax airlines for the pollution they cause, a move that could add about $10 per ticket. The commission proposes including airlines in the European Union's emissions trading scheme, which caps the amount of carbon dioxide an industry is allowed to produce, the Financial Times reported Monday. The move, which would put air carriers in the same category as with oil refineries and power generators, would include any carrier that departs from any EU airport. The initiative has the support of some airlines, including British Airways.

A woman claiming to be a Franciscan nun has twice been barred from boarding a flight from Shetland to Aberdeen. Sister Ruth Augustus said that British Airways would not allow her to fly because she was carrying a two foot statue of the Virgin Mary. But BA said the nun, 64, was grounded because she was abusive to staff. Sister Augustus has been travelling around Shetland for five days. The isles are the latest stop in her world tour to spread the Christian Faith. The nun now faces a choppy 12-hour journey by sea to Aberdeen. Speaking about the...

WASHINGTON Federal Aviation Administration officials said on Monday that they were preparing to take strong action against British Airways, including a charge of "careless and reckless operation of an aircraft," because of the airline's decision to allow a Boeing 747 to fly from California to England with one engine inoperable. Under normal circumstances, the United States would not take action against British Airways because such issues would be handled by Britain. But senior U.S. aviation officials have become so concerned about the actions of the flight crew and its supervisors in London that they were preparing direct action. "We will...

The same British Airways 747 that flew from Los Angeles to England on only three of its four engines had a repeat occurrence on its next round trip: It lost an engine en route from Singapore to London, but the crew continued, flying 11 hours with a dead engine. British Airways said Flight 18 left Singapore with 356 passengers shortly after 11:35 p.m. local time on Friday and suffered an engine failure three-and-half hours into the flight. As in the Los Angeles incident, the crew communicated with the airline's operations center in London and decided to continue. About 11 hours...

LONDON (Reuters) - A British Airways passenger jet was forced to shut down one of its engines in mid-flight twice in one week after a replacement engine failed, the airline said Friday. In what BA described as a bizarre coincidence, the number two engine on a Boeing 747-400 plane flying from Singapore to London was shut down last month after the pilot received an oil pressure warning. The aircraft, carrying 356 passengers, arrived safely in London after flying for more than 10 hours on three of its four engines. The 747-400 is designed to fly safely on three engines. The...

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is questioning British officials about a British Airways jet that headed for London's Heathrow airport from Los Angeles with only three of its four engines in operation. After an engine failed shortly after takeoff, the flight crew decided to continue to London but had to make an emergency landing in Manchester, England.

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities told a British Airways flight bound for New York to turn back because they did not want a passenger on board to land on American soil, a BA spokeswoman said on Wednesday. U.S. sources said a name on the passenger list matched a that of a suspected member of a Moroccan militant group. British police have given no details about the man. "We are speaking to a passenger from a flight that landed at Heathrow at about quarter to six" a spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said. "He hasn't actually been arrested," she added, declining to...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A British Airways flight from Berlin to London has made an unscheduled landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport as a security precaution, the airline says. The aircraft was escorted by two Dutch air force F-16 fighter planes after the pilot requested the landing, officials said. "At the moment there are no more details of the specific threat," BA spokeswoman Sophie Greenyer said. "All passengers have disembarked and have been taken to a part of the airport for security screening." Authorities were also checking the plane, flight 983, police said. Schiphol, one of Europe's busiest international airports, is on...

A B.A. flight has made unscheduled landing at Amsterdam.

LONDON (AP) - British Airways (BAB) has canceled three flights from Heathrow Airport to Washington, D.C., and Miami because of government security concerns, the airline said Saturday. Flight 223 to Washington's Dulles airport will not fly on Sunday or Monday, but is to depart on schedule at 3:05 p.m. local time Saturday, said an airline spokeswoman. U.S. officials said Friday that new intelligence indicated Flight 223 and Air France flights from Paris to an unspecified U.S. city could be terrorist targets. Flight 207 to Miami will not fly on Sunday, she said, but had departed Saturday morning. The spokeswoman, who...

British Airways has cancelled three planned flights from London to cities in the United States for security reasons. Two flights from London to Washington (BA 223), on February 1 and February 2, and one flight to Miami (BA 207), on February 1, have been cancelled on security advice from the British Government. A BA spokeswoman apologised to customers for the inconvenience. She added: "The safety and security of our operations is our absolute priority and will not be compromised." A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: "Aviation security is kept under review at all times. "In the light of...