These people are not terrorists and therefore there is absolutely no justification in using anti-terror police against them.

The worry is, whilst I am sure it is not Plane Terror’s intention to be terrorists, it would be a great way for a terrorist to gain access to an airport. Join the group and blend in?

Let’s deal with them as we would with terrorists, and then get proved wrong, rather than treat them as naughty boys and girls, and act surprised when one of their number opens fire on something or plants a device.

TA

Guys – just to reiterate. I would bet NO-ONE inside bmi or LH knows how this will play out. Anyone who says they ‘know’ this or ‘know’ that is just building up their part! As Cloud9 sagely noted, the staff will be amongst the last to know…

This is all about shareholder value, and how that can be maximised. It is little to do with who is going to do this route or that route, this is not an operational transaction but is driven by fiscal value.

I still maintain – having sat on quite a few airline boards – that LH do NOT have ALL the relevant numbers yet. I never reported ALL my numbers to my board members, just what was relevant, as per standard commercial practice.

TA

I don’t think Cloud 9 is too far off the game here. Will the EU block it? I would say yes, on the grounds that if they don’t, they will be seen as very inconsistent. However, remember that there is always a bigger picture – what is happening with Alitalia and Olympic, what are BA/IB/AA/QF up to, what about KL/AF etc etc. The EU will have to put up a good case for treating FR/EI differently.

In the consumers’ interests? Jury’s out. I would say that FR will make a great fist of it, and will really sort EI out – but in the longer term, let’s assume that MO’L departs, and the new boy loses focus. FR goes a bit septic (and trust me it will, all organisations, like all empires, wax and wane), then the Irish government have a sick airline with NO effective competition – cf, AZ etc etc.

This will not be done as some sort of snapshot exercise, but as a long term, “what if” scenario plan.

TA

Like most airlines, Ryanair are on target to make a loss this year

Bet you they don’t.

Ryanair is playing a cannier game than most people realise. Trust me on this, I make my living in airline strategy!

TA

A slight distortion of the facts here.

Back in July 1999, easyJet started a route from Geneva to Barcelona that was sold “subject to Government Approval” (very common amongst non-EU flights). They fully expected this to be granted by the time of the first flight, however, Swissair launched an objection, which meant that easyJet could not sell seats on a scheduled basis. They offered customers a full refund at the gate, so the flight was not “sold” – and asked for donations, which apparently netted a fair percentage of the original revenue back.

To get around this, they started to sell the air ticket with the right to use an easyjet tent, around 60 miles from the airport. Needless to say, VERY few people use the tent, but the fact that this was included meant that this is a package, and Swissair had to lump it.

The option was a straight cancellation, with much more inconvenience to the passengers. Me, I would have given them 100% of it back, but then I am honest, and I pay for what I use, rather than “scam” and “knock off”….

TA

No. It is not legal to listen to airband transmissions, since they are not intended for broadcast under the terms of the Wireless Telegraphy Act.

In detail, the Act makes it an offence if a person “otherwise than under the authority of a designated person”, either:

“(i) uses any wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message whether sent by means of wireless telegraphy or not, of which neither the person using the apparatus nor a person on whose behalf he is acting is an intended recipient”

This means that it is illegal to listen to anything other than broadcast (general reception) transmissions unless you are either a licensed user of the frequencies in question or have been specifically authorised to do so by a designated person. A designated person means:

a. the Secretary of State;
b. the Commissioners of Customs and Excise; or
c. any other person designated for the purpose by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

Sorry.

TA

I think they have softened their line, Distiller – I needed one a few years back for a flight to HKG, with a change in SVO – so I paid extra and went direct. Looks now as though people in direct transit INT-INT can get away without one.