Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Saturday, 16 August 2008

BBC News

• BA seals alliance with AmericanBritish Airways seals a deal with American Airlines that will allow the two carriers to co-operate on fares, routes and schedules.
• Robert PestonAre there rocky skies ahead for BAA?
• BAA expects forced airport salesBAA, owner of seven UK airports, expects the competition watchdog to order the break up of the company.
• Airports face Bank Holiday strikeBaggage and check-in staff at Gatwick and Stansted airports are to strike on Bank Holiday Monday, unions say.

Financial Times

• Air travellers face strike threatThe industrial dispute, involving more than 500 baggage handlers and staff employed by Swissport, could hit a large proportion of flights at Gatwick and Stansted
• Small delays mean trains run on timeTravel timetable comparisons with the British Rail era overlook changes in the way the system operates and the increase in passengers who now prefer reliability over speed
• BAA could lose two London airportsThe UK Competition Commission's provisional findings after a 16-month investigation into BAA are reported to include a proposal to strip it of all but one of its Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted operations

The Guardian

• Bank holiday strike may hit 400,000Air passengers face severe disruption as Gatwick and Stansted staff vote for industrial action

The Scotsman

• BAA 'forced' to sell off airportsThe chairman of BAA, Britain's biggest airport operator, has acknowledged that he expected the Competition Commission to order the break-up of the company.

Times Online

• Families facing Bank Holiday misery as airport staff threaten strikes Holidaymakers face huge disruption to their journeys next weekend after baggage handlers and check-in staff decided to strike on August Bank Holiday Monday.
• Stelios takes easyJet to court over branding Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is taking easyJet, the airline that he founded, to the High Court to try to limit its ability to make money from activities that may clash with his other ventures. The surprising spat between the budget carrier and its founder stunned the City yesterday and threatens to limit the airline’s ability to raise revenues.
• The holiday is over for cheap travel abroad A rapid rise in the dollar could spell bad news for British manufacturers, even as the slide in sterling makes their products cheaper for overseas buyers.

Daily Express

• Air battle looms as BA links with rivalsBRITISH Airways sparked a major row yesterday after signing a joint business agreement with merger target Iberia and American Airlines to co-operate on flights between Europe and North America.

Network Rail

• INVERNESS-ELGIN RAIL REPLACEMENT WORKS WILL MEAN SMOOTHER JOURNEYS FOR PASSENGERS¢ Investment by Network Rail will deliver smoother journeys and improved reliability for passengers ¢ First ScotRail to provide replacement bus services between Inverness and Elgin on Sundays to minimise disruption to journeys

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Aiport could be hit by strikeTens of thousands of travellers at Birmingham International Airport face the prospect of bank holiday chaos as workers consider strike action in a pay dispute.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Haymarket next for chaos on roadsMOTORISTS were today warned to brace themselves for "massive disruption" as the city's tram works reach the congested Haymarket junction.

London Evening Standard

• RMT in new rail strike voteUnion chiefs have ordered a strike ballot among rail workers in a dispute over the new high-speed Javelin trains - a year before they come into use

Metro

• BAA 'forced' to sell off airportsThe chairman of BAA, Britain's biggest airport operator, has acknowledged that he expected the Competition Commission to order the break-up of the company.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Bus card scheme gets go-aheadBus and train users in the north of the county will have their very own version of the Oyster Card after councillors approved funding plans.

Railnews

• News: First Transpennine Cuts Waste And Saves Costs FIRST TransPennine Express has joined forces with Kingston upon Hull city Council and local environment charity The City of Hull & Humber Forum (CHEF) to recycle thousands of newspapers and magazines discarded by the two million passengers passing through Hull station each year.

Aviation Industry

• Statement: Swissport strike action announced at StanstedA BAA spokesperson said...
• Airport Workers set to Strike atPassengers using London Gatwick and London Stansted airports in coming days face the prospect of both lengthy delays and flight cancellations due to strikes at the hubs set to take place over the Bank Holiday period.Similar scenes are also expected to be repeated at other UK airports, as ground staff go on strike in connection with the current pay they are provided with.Airlines Affected by StrikesAt Gatwick Airport, a pair of strikes are scheduled for August 25th and August 29th. The airlines set to be affected by the strikes include:Virgin AtlanticNorth WestFirst ChoiceAir MaltaOman AirAir T...

Other News Sources

• Chairman braced for BAA break-upThe chairman of the British Airports Authority (BAA) expects the break-up of the airport operator to be recommended.
• Statement: Swissport strike action announced at StanstedA BAA spokesperson said...
• Ian Jones: 'Government must help green vehicles'Governments should do more to help truck manufacturers introduce environmentally friendly technologies, according to a leading industry figure...
• Highways Agency targets ratchet strap debrisHauliers are being warned to check lorry ratchet straps are securely coupled as part of a crackdown on motorway litter.
• New first class lounge at St PancrasEast Midlands Trains will open a first class lounge at St Pancras International on Monday (August 18).

EIN News Subscription

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