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

Saturday, 29 November 2008

Financial Times

• BA executive on price-fix charge is promotedA senior British Airways executive facing the threat of jail for allegedly dishonestly fixing fuel prices has been promoted to the company's management board as part...
• BAA moves to get Gatwick airport sale rollingThe UK airport operator has agreed to appoint auditors Grant Thornton to monitor its disposal of the London airport and to report to the competition watchdog on the fairness and transparency of the process

The Herald

• Call for ’conflict of interest’ probe into rail contractOpposition politicians and unions last night called for an inquiry after a report raised questions of conflict of interest in the award of Scotland's £2.5bn railway franchise.

The Telegraph

• Rolls Royce cuts production as super rich feel the pinchRolls Royce is to cut production as the luxury car maker found it is no longer immune from the crisis engulfing the car industry.
• Ryanair axes more routes as major airlines cut faresRyanair has continued to axe routes as major airlines have cut fuel surcharges and have discounted fares to win passengers.

Times Online

• Car Clinic Has the government’s plan to increase road tax for cars registered before 2006 been ditched in the wake of last week’s pre-budget announcement?

Reuters News

• Boeing engineers to decide on contract Monday* Boeing still recovering from recent machinists' strike
• Alitalia net debt rises to 1.248 bln euro end-OctMILAN (Reuters) - Italian airline Alitalia SpA end-October net debt rose by 49 million euros to 1.248 billion euros, compared with a month earlier.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• London rail service alertEngineering work on the West Coast Main Line at Rugby will affect Virgin Trains’ weekend services from North Wales to London for the next two weekends.

Newcastle Journal

• Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy?Will hydrogen ever transform the way we heat our homes and fuel our cars? reports

The News (Portsmouth)

• Bus scheme targeted at rural areasA £1m bus scheme is being launched to help people in rural areas.

Blackpool Gazette

• 'Not the end for resort airport', pledges bossBlackpool Airport chief executive David Kershaw has told Gazette readers he has high hopes for the future of the site despite a tough week.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Strike warning to train companyA rail union has warned that industrial action against an East Anglia train company is "inevitable" unless a dispute over jobs is resolved.

International Herald Tribune

• Cathay takes steps to address slowdownCathay Pacific announced measures Friday designed to shield it from reduced demand for air travel and air cargo transport.

Washington Post

• Bankruptcy Could Offer GM More Flexibility General Motors insists that bankruptcy would be a catastrophic way to solve its cash problems, but that hasn't stopped analysts and bankers from speculating about how a restructuring might shake out.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Mayor scraps London congestion zone extensionLondon Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that he has decided to scrap the western extension to the city's congestion charge zone.

Aviation Industry

• Qantas's Joyce Gets `Difficult' Job at Airline After Mishaps, Late FlightsFor James Xenidis, Australiaa s Qantas Airways Ltd. isna t as good as it used to be.

Other News Sources

• Climate change advisor denies he endorses third runway at Heathrow The government's leading advisor on climate change has denied a report that he endorses the case for a third runway at Heathrow. Climate Change Committee...
• Funding approved for two new road projects in EssexEssex County Council has won final detailed approval for two major South Essex transport infrastructure projects which Essex County Council can now begin and complete within 28 months.
• Airline sites see massive drop in UK user numbersVisitors to airline sites have dropped 32% year on year as a result of the continuing economic crisis, according to figures from ComScore.
• SNCF comes under suspicionFrance's competition and fraud control authority, the DGCCRF, said it could
• Wincanton to design and run warehouse for JenksWincanton has signed an agreement to design and manage a purpose-built 320,000ft2 warehouse in Milton Keynes for grocery brokerage Jenks.
• BMI chief warns of worst-ever losses in 2008-09BMI chief Nigel Turner is warning that the UK carrier will post its highest-ever losses this year, a plight which has prompted intensified cost-cutting and...
• Canada shippers blast ballast lawThe Canadian Shipowners Association and the Shipping Federation of Canada want Ottawa to object more forcefully to new ballast rules the State of New York will introduce in late December.
• Independent posts profitsShipowner Independent Tankers has posted small third-quarter profits.
• Airlines could be 'named and shamed'European commissioners ask airlines association to 'police' its members to end misleading price quotes.
• Chamber survey: 63 per cent against congestion chargingA member survey carried out by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce shows 63 per cent of respondents are against congestion charging.
• Oil dips below $54 and 'may soon test $40'Oil prices fell back below $54 a barrel today ahead of this weekend's crucial meeting of the Opec oil exporting countries in Cairo

EIN News Subscription

• International passenger traffic for oct declines by 1.3%International air freight traffic contracted by 7.9% in October ... of increasingly severe drops. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced international air traffic ... changed from the 0.9% drop in September. European carriers saw traffic rebound slightly into positive ...