Please let this be true, please let this be true, please let this be true … Report: Emirates launches flights from Dubai to MiamiWorld Airline News reports that Emirates will launch a new 4x weekly non-stop flight between Dubai (DXB) and Miami (MIA) from July 21, 2021. The 7,845-mile route would be operated by a 354-seat Boeing 777-300ER. This includes eight first class seats, 42 business class seats and 304 economy seats. I cannot speak to the veracity of this news (although the source is usually pretty accurate) so we will mark this as a rumor for now. For what it’s worth, I’d independently heard a similar rumor from someone else who was usually well informed a few days ago. I have contacted both Emirates and Miami Airport for comments and have not heard from them at the time of this post. Emirates has only operated cargo to Miami for the past few months, while this alleged new route would represent a new passenger service. Emirates can offer passenger service from Dubai to Miami Emirates recently suspended flights to Fort LauderdaleIn 2016, Emirates launched a route from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Why did the airline choose Fort Lauderdale over Miami? This was primarily due to Emirates’ codeshare agreement with JetBlue as the airline has significant connectivity from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean and Latin America. In Miami, Emirates would have had virtually no connectivity. Unfortunately, the JetBlue connection didn’t seem to be enough, and during the pandemic, it was revealed that Emirates would permanently cancel the Fort Lauderdale route. The assumption was that the airline has just decided to stop the flight to South Florida altogether. However, if we see a takeoff from Dubai to Miami, it could mean the airline is only changing the airport it flies to. While Emirates suspended Fort Lauderdale service, the airline kept its route from Dubai to Orlando. So it’s interesting to see that the route performed better. Emirates has suspended its flight from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale Does an Emirates route to Miami make sense?First, let me acknowledge that I’m very biased – I’m Miami based and have a strong preference for flying from Miami via Fort Lauderdale. Not only would I love to be able to drive to Miami Airport for just 15 minutes and hop on an Emirates plane, I am excited about the prospect of flying Emirates First Class from Miami as Emirates generally one Aircraft without first class flies from Fort Lauderdale (and Qsuites Business Class from Qatar Airways is infinitely better than the 777 Business Class from Emirates). Emirates Business Class 777-300ER That being said, I’d like to let go of my prejudices for a moment and consider objectively whether there is a chance Emirates has a chance to fly out of Miami if Fort Lauderdale doesn’t make sense. Here is my general take:
While there is nothing official yet, my money is for making this a reality. Emirates can get cargo flights to Miami up and running, and at this point it might make sense to add passengers to the mix as well, especially if flight options are currently limited. While I’m not convinced the route will take forever, I could absolutely see it start. Emirates First Class to Miami would be nice! Bottom lineAlthough there is still no official confirmation, it is reported that Emirates plans to start passenger flights between Dubai and Miami from July 2021. Miami has historically been a difficult international passenger market outside of the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe, and I saw this fully, especially as the airline already had a steady cargo service to Miami. We hope there will be an announcement in the coming days. Do you think Emirates will launch flights to Miami, and if so, do you think the airline will be more successful than Fort Lauderdale? Via https://globalconnekt.com/rumor-emirates-starts-flight-from-dubai-to-miami/
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I tend to believe that gate agents are probably the airline’s most overworked and underrated employees. Well, their jobs at American Airlines are getting harder and harder. American Airlines is reducing gate agent staffAmerican Airlines CFO Derek Kerr spoke at an industry conference today where he provided some information on the airline’s situation. For the most part, it looks good, but that won’t stop the airline from cutting costs further. It was revealed The American Airlines will reduce its gate agent staff – In particular, the airline will begin introducing single gate agent boarding after having deployed at least two gate agents. I reached out to American to ask exactly which aircraft this applies to. I would assume this doesn’t apply to wide-body and / or international flights, but I’ll update this post if I hear anything. American will now board some flights with a single gate agent It’s going to be a messIf you ask me, gate agents have the highest stress and lowest reward jobs in the aviation industry. They are not particularly well compensated and do not get the “glamor” of traveling to work (as flight attendants do), but:
While gate agents aren’t always friendly or professional, I find that they consistently work hard because they don’t really have the option of not being. The fundamental problem with switching to single agent boarding is that one person can only do so much. In the past 30 to 50 minutes prior to a flight’s departure (usually when flights board, depending on the type of aircraft and destination), you’ve had the following:
With this policy change, you want to ensure that all of your questions are answered before boarding as gate agents simply cannot be expected to perform multiple tasks as Americans seem to expect. American recently announced that passengers bringing oversized carry-on bags would be charging fees – good luck with only having a single gate agent per flight! There’s no way to get off to a good start with a gate agent Bottom lineAmerican Airlines will start many flights with a single gate agent, which will not be fun for customers or employees. I’m not entirely sure how gate agents are expected to put clearing standby and upgrade lists, answering questions, boarding airplanes and checking hand luggage under an adequate customer service. Do you think reducing the American gate agent staff will be problematic?
Via https://globalconnekt.com/ugh-american-airlines-single-gate-agent-boarding/ International travel is very complicated these days, amid ever-changing rules, test requirements and endless pre-travel forms. In a previous post, I shared my experience with the UK Passenger Search Form that I had to fill out in order to even cross the UK on the way to Greece. In this post, I wanted to talk about VeriFLY, which I recently used for the first time. Before I used it I was confused about what exactly it was and I’m sure I’m not the only one so hopefully I can clear up a bit. What is VeriFLY?At its simplest, VeriFLY is a free app that can help simplify the international travel experience. VeriFLY is working with select airlines to verify credentials (such as coronavirus test results and passenger search forms) for selected destinations and to make check-in more seamless. The use of VeriFLY is not mandatory when traveling on an airline, it is designed to save you (and the airline) time when you are at the airport. This is how VeriFLY describes itself:
VeriFLY is not useful for all airlines and / or destinations – the service partners of American Airlines and British Airways, but not most other airlines. Full details on suitable VeriFLY targets can be found under the following links: If you are flying on a flight that is eligible for VeriFLY, the airline will likely email you prior to travel to encourage you to use VeriFLY. Perhaps the easiest way to explain this is with an example. I flew from Charlotte to London with American Airlines and from London to Athens with British Airways. American Airlines works with VeriFLY on flights to the UK. Using VeriFLY allowed me to review my passenger search form and negative coronavirus test result before I even got to the airport. When I checked in I just showed the agent my VeriFLY digital passport and that is all that was needed to be done. We heard the concept of a “vaccination pass”. Think of this (from now on) more as a “test and form pass”. Why is VeriFLY useful?You may be thinking that this sounds like a lot of effort for little reward. When traveling to the UK, VeriFLY is essentially helping you verify that your passenger search form is complete and that you have a valid negative coronavirus test. Shouldn’t it just take a minute for a check-in agent to check, making VeriFLY useless? While you’d hope so, that’s not the reality:
If you are traveling internationally:
How do you use VeriFLY?I’m going to share my experience with VeriFly for an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to London. I’ll talk about the process and also share why I found the app to be quite clunky. To get started, you should go to the App Store and download the VeriFLY app. You then go through the onboarding process. This involves sharing basic details before actually sharing details for a particular trip. To do this, you must provide your first and last name and your e-mail address. You will also need to take a picture of yourself which will appear on your “Mobile Passport” when you are finished. I found the process of taking a picture through the app frustrating – sometimes the picture button just didn’t work, while other times the app would reject my picture. Once you have entered these details, you can create a “pass” for the trip you are going on. VeriFLY can be used for a variety of destinations, from Aruba to Brazil to the UK. Since I traveled to the UK, I chose this option. The next page describes the process: you need to fill in basic travel details, then fill in passenger details, and then go through the pre-travel checklist. At the beginning I entered my exact flight details. Since VeriFLY works with American Airlines, all I had to do was fill in the basic details (like departure airport and destination) and then the app would automatically detect the flight number, flight times, etc. I also had to fill in my passport details. The closest thing to VeriFLY is that you can add multiple companions, including adults, to the same trip. You’ll need pictures and passport information for each person, but you don’t need to create separate accounts. This is different from the UK Passenger Locator Form, which requires you to create a separate account for each person. From there you have three main steps:
To submit your COVID-19 test result, you must:
Understandably, there is a manual verification process here, although this is part of the process that I found frustrating. My mom’s test was reviewed within two minutes, while the test took 16 hours to get approved, and that was just a couple of hours before we went to the airport. I’ve heard of others who only have their test pending with nothing happening that negates the purpose of the operation. To complete the travel authorization:
Finally, within 24 hours of departure and before going to the airport, I had to go through the pre-travel checklist and confirm that I have a valid passport, a copy of my COVID-19 negative test and a copy of my UK Passenger Search Form and confirm that that I have to wear face covering when flying. At this point the checklist was complete. After everything was done, I was essentially given a “mobile badge” with my picture and a green tick next to it, which means you can travel freely (I’m blurring the picture because I was so pissed off with VeriFLY’s useless photo capture feature, which I basically scowl). At the American Airlines check-in counter, the agent was delighted that I had completed the VeriFLY process. All I had to do was show him the “mobile badge” with my picture and the green tick and that was all the verification that was required for the UK. Check-in took another 20 minutes or so as our documents had to be checked for Greece, which does not participate in the VeriFLY program. Bottom lineInternational travel is ridiculously complicated these days, between entry requirements, testing requirements, and paperwork. VeriFLY is a free travel review service that works with selected airlines for selected destinations. While using VeriFLY is not required, it makes checking in a lot easier. I recently used it when flying from Charlotte to London with American Airlines and VeriFLY was able to check my UK passenger tracking form and negative coronavirus test before heading to the airport. While the app is clunky and not amazing, I would recommend using it if your airline tells you to. This takes some of the strain off the travel day and reduces the workload for check-in agents. If you’ve used VeriFLY to travel internationally how was your experience? Via https://globalconnekt.com/how-and-why-you-use-verifly-for-international-travel/ The St. Regis brand debuts in Dubai … for the third time. This will likely be the most luxurious Marriott hotel in Dubai that Bonvoy Platinum members and above won’t deny breakfast. Foundations of the new St. Regis Dubai The PalmThe St. Regis Dubai The Palm has opened its doors. The hotel has 264 guest rooms and 26 suites and offers all the amenities you would expect from a St. Regis, from several restaurants to the characteristic St. Regis Bar, an Iridium Spa, a fitness center and a pool. The hotel is located at the foot of Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s famous palm-shaped man-made island. The St. Regis is on the first 18 floors of the Palm Tower, a new 52-story facility. The building is directly connected to the Nakheel Mall and the location also provides easy access to The Palm’s monorail system. The St. Regis Dubai is a Category 7 Marriott Bonvoy hotel, which means a free night will cost 50,000, 60,000 or 70,000 Bonvoy points, depending on whether you are staying during off-peak, standard or peak hours. As always, Bonvoy members receive a fifth night free with redemption. Below are some pictures of the new St. Regis Dubai. St. Regis Dubai The exterior of the palm tree
Why this hotel is unattractive to meI really want to like this hotel because St. Regis is my favorite Marriott brand as the hotels generally offer great service and St. Regis also honors all the perks of the Bonvoy elite (as opposed to EDITION and Ritz-Carlton). Other than that, I just can’t be happy about this hotel:
In other words, the property has all of the downsides of staying at The Palm (mostly being away from other popular parts of Dubai) without taking the perks. St. Regis repeatedly fails in DubaiThe St. Regis Dubai The Palm will be the third St. Regis in Dubai in recent years, although the previous two are no longer owned by Marriott: The short-lived St. Regis Dubai Polo Resort We hope the new St. Regis is luckier than the previous two properties. Bottom lineThe St. Regis brand has returned to Dubai with the opening of a property in The Palm. While I’m happy that the brand is returning to Dubai, I’m less excited about the property as such. I don’t like a hotel with no balcony in The Palm that occupies the lower floors of a hotel connected to a mall with no beach. What do you think of the new St. Regis Dubai? Via https://globalconnekt.com/st-regis-dubai-the-palm-tree-opens-im-lukewarm/ That sounds like quite a vacation … The Four Seasons Unchartered Discovery ItineraryFour Seasons is known for its world-class hotels, but fewer people are familiar with Four Seasons’ private jet itineraries. In essence, Four Seasons has a jet that flies to destinations around the world for multi-week itineraries. As you’d expect, guests mostly stay at Four Seasons hotels without flying. The airline has used a Boeing 757-200 for these flights in the past, but soon Four Seasons will be flying an Airbus A321LR with just 48 fully flat seats and a curb. The Airbus A321LR Four Seasons private jet
While these itineraries are always awesome, there is one particularly notable itinerary that Four Seasons just added to its schedule. From November 28 to December 18, 2022, Four Seasons is offering the “Unchartered Discovery” cruise, during which the Four Seasons jet lands in Antarctica for the first time. This is how this 21-day trip with flights of the Four Seasons Private Jet is structured:
What does this “air cruise” cost?For those who have their mouths foaming on this itinerary, how much will it set you back? A cool $ 190,000 per person based on double occupancy. So a couple traveling together would pay $ 380,000. On the plus side, this includes more than just your hotel room and flights. Four Seasons Private Jet Experiences Include:
Four Seasons goes to Antarctica! That’s great, but …It’s really cool to see a Four Seasons private jet route that includes travel to Antarctica. While these “air cruises” are usually global, adding in Antarctica really takes them to the next level and that’s great to see. I think it’s important to acknowledge that there are ways to get a closer look at Antarctica when you really visit it. With this itinerary, you’ll only spend four nights in Antarctica, while there are Antarctic cruises that last anywhere from two to four weeks. Obviously, this route is meant for someone who just wants a taste of Antarctica (and lots of other cool places) while also being able to skip sailing through the Drake Passage, which can be extremely rough. Ultimately, what makes this Four Seasons private jet experience so popular is the seamless experience. Four Seasons is known for its great service and for being easy to deal with. With these private jet experiences, all you can do is basically show up and do all the other details. Of course, there are cheaper and more independent options out there, so these are definitely not for everyone. Bottom lineFour Seasons has released its latest private jet itinerary with the luxury hotel group offering a trip to Antarctica. The 21-day trip takes you from New Orleans to Costa Rica, Machu Picchu, Buenos Aires, Antarctica, Bogota and the Bahamas. How cool is that ?! Via https://globalconnekt.com/the-four-seasons-private-jet-flies-to-antarctica/ All passengers traveling to or connecting to the UK are required to provide a negative coronavirus test result and complete a passenger search form. Yes, this also applies if you are only airside between two other countries. In this post, I wanted to share my experience with this pre-travel test requirement as well as the passenger search form when we recently passed through London Heathrow Airport while traveling between the US and Greece. Let me stress that you should always check official government websites for guidance. The following is a description of my experience that may not match your experience, especially with ever changing regulations. England’s requirement for travel coronavirus testingAll air travelers to England must have a negative coronavirus test. This also applies if you have been vaccinated, if you are traveling from a country on the green list, if you are a citizen, etc. Note that the requirements for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are slightly different. Therefore, I will focus on England here, as this is where most of the major entry points are and I have had first-hand experience with it (now the passenger seeker form is for the whole of the UK). When do you need to be tested?Your coronavirus test must be done within three days of your non-stop flight to the UK. In other words, if you are traveling on a Friday, you can be tested as early as Tuesday (and this is based on calendar days rather than a strict 72 hour interpretation). What kind of tests qualify?The good news is that you are not limited to a PCR test, but generally qualify for a rapid antigen test as long as the test meets performance standards of ≥ 97% specificity and ≥ 80% sensitivity for viral loads above 100,000 copies / mL . This can include tests such as:
What information does the test need to have?The test must include the following
The United Kingdom Passenger Location FormAnyone traveling to or through the UK must complete a passenger search form:
We just had a layover at London Heathrow Airport where we were on the airside so I’ll be sharing the process of meeting this requirement for us. Note that each adult must fill out their own form. How does the process work? There are three main steps that I’ll outline below:
When should you fill out the passenger search form?You can complete your UK Passenger Search Form up to 48 hours before departure. Personally, I think 24-48 hours before departure is the sweet spot:
Allow about 15 minutes per passenger to fill out the passenger search form without the VeriFLY process. Step 1: Create a Passenger Locator Form AccountIn order to create a passenger search form, you will need to provide some basic details about yourself, including your name, contact details, passport details and address. To create an account, you will need to provide an email address, phone number and password. Below you can see the questions you will be asked, starting with your name, gender, date of birth, phone number, contact details, your home address and your passport details. Step 2: Upload your travel detailsOnce you have created a passenger search form, you can upload certain details about your trip. Once signed in, you can click the “Create New Form” button and then enter your travel details. You will be asked to indicate when you will be arriving in the UK and when you would like to leave. You will then be asked if you want to stay in the UK or are just traveling. You will be asked which airport you are arriving at, which country you are traveling from, which flight you are taking and what your seat number is. You will be asked which airport you are departing from, which country you are traveling to, which flight you are taking and what your seat number is. You will then be asked if you are traveling with minors as they can be added to the same form (adult travel companions cannot be). Finally, you will be asked to confirm that all of the information you have shared is correct and that you need to demonstrate that you need to demonstrate a negative coronavirus test. At this point your form will be sent and you can download your passenger search form, which will also be emailed to you. Step 3: print out your passenger search form (and more)In theory, by this point you are done and can simply show up at the airport with your check-in form. However, some airlines have teamed up with services that allow you to upload and review this information in advance, before even getting to the airport, to cut the time to check-in. Think of it like TSA pre-check for your travel documents. For example, American and British Airways (the UK’s largest joint venture) use VeriFLY to allow passengers to upload their passenger location form and negative coronavirus test result prior to travel. I’ll outline the process of using VeriFLY in the next post as it’s very clunky and not great, but I would consider it a necessary evil. Before my trip, I wondered if this was even necessary or useful. While not necessary, it does seem useful. When I checked in at the American Airlines counter prior to my trip and told the agent that I had completed the VeriFLY process, he said, “Oh my god, I love you, thank you.” I was surprised by the answer and asked if VeriFLY had actually made things that much easier, to which he replied, “It’s an extra 45 minutes, you don’t understand how many steps it takes us through.” Even after completing VeriFLY, check-in took about 20 minutes. Note that this was only required upon check-in. As transit passengers in the UK, we were never asked to provide our passenger location form or a negative coronavirus test result. Bottom lineWhen traveling to the UK (including airport crossing) you must complete a passenger search form within 48 hours of travel and provide evidence of a negative coronavirus test within three days of travel. Hopefully the above is a useful breakdown of my experience. Expect the actual form to take about 15 minutes to complete. However, this doesn’t take into account the time it takes to test your results or upload them to a service like VeriFLY. If you have recently traveled to or through the UK, what was your experience with the passenger search form and / or tests? Via https://globalconnekt.com/uk-passenger-locator-form-testing-guide/
According to all (reasonable) reports, the Belarusian government hijacked a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania because a critic of the dictator was on board. Belarusian air traffic controllers said they had received a bomb threat that Ryanair pilots did not believe in. When the pilots refused to believe this, a fighter jet was used to force them to divert. Now that Belarus is being pushed back by the international community, there seems to be a new explanation for what happened. Guys, apparently this is just a big misunderstanding and the government has nothing to do with it! The Belarusian government is now blaming… Hamas for this situation. According to a Belarusian government official, the Minsk Airport email received a message from an email address on protonmail.com in English that contained:
This is… bizarre and almost amusingly incredible on so many levels. Over a day after the incident, how about the best lie the government could come up with? Seriously? Minsk Airport – and only Minsk Airport – was informed by email of a bomb on board a flight from Athens to Vilnius? I mean, at this point I think “someone’s dog accidentally sent the email” is more believable. Interestingly, a Lufthansa flight from Minsk to Frankfurt (LH1487) was also threatened today. The government claims that unidentified individuals sent an email to the airport saying they intended to commit a terrorist attack on board, which resulted in the aircraft being searched. The plane finally took off two hours late. It’s not too difficult to look through that. Apparently Belarus was caught the first time. So if you’re faking another potential problem on another plane with no political opponents, should the first incident seem more believable?
Via https://globalconnekt.com/belarus-blames-hamas-for-the-ryanair-bomb-threat/ Yesterday we saw the Belarusian government essentially hijack a Ryanair flight to Lithuania by simulating a bombing threat and then using a fighter jet to force the plane to divert to Belarus to arrest someone who was against the dictator of the Country was. I was wondering whether governments and airlines would take action against Belarus or whether it would simply be swept under the carpet and allowed. Well, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is one of the first government officials to take decisive action against Belarus. He has:
Kudos to Shapps, this is a fantastic start. The state-owned Belavia operates a single route to the UK from Minsk to London Gatwick. The airline is no longer allowed to operate the route, at least until its operating license is restored. No other airline flies between the UK and Belarus, although some UK-based airlines use Belarusian airspace. For example, the British Airways flight between London and Moscow usually flies via Belarus, so it has to be rerouted. US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he was “extremely concerned” about the events on that Ryanair flight and is currently investigating whether it is safe for US-registered airlines to fly over Belarus. Of course, the impact here is ultimately more limited – Belavia does not fly to the US, and there are not many US-registered flights operating in Belarusian airspace. Basically, however, it seems like a message should be sent here, much like Shapps did. Bottom lineBritish Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is one of the first to take action against Belarus. He banned Belavia from flying to the UK and banned UK airlines from using Belarusian airspace. It is time for others to follow. What do you think of this reaction to the Belarus hijacking and do you think other countries will follow suit?
Via https://globalconnekt.com/the-uk-minister-of-transport-takes-action-against-belarus/ Hello from Greece, and welcome to my next travelogue series! A special trip to Greece with my motherI’ve done everything in the past few weeks to travel with my mother as much as possible – we’ve been to New Orleans, Big Sur, and Hawaii – and it will stay that way. I am so grateful that I now have the opportunity to travel with my mother – while most people have had about 15 months due to the coronavirus, my mother had a difficult couple of years. She has been through more than I could ever take with her battle with ovarian cancer, and she has done everything with a positive and inspiring attitude. Fortunately, everyone in our family is fully vaccinated and my mother is in a position where she has the energy to travel (albeit at a relaxed pace) and I appreciate all of the time we can spend together. We have just arrived in one of my favorite countries in the world – Greece! Why are we here?
Fortunately, Greece is open to the world, including those who are vaccinated, those who have recovered from the coronavirus, and those who have evidence of a negative coronavirus test. The view of Greece is unbeatable! What I’m going to reviewI save the exact details of the flights and hotels we stay in for each review rate. This is mainly because I don’t want to bewitch myself as our trip has already changed significantly due to connection errors, ferry cancellations, etc. In general you can expect:
View of Athens as it approaches International travel is very complicated right nowI want to mention this briefly because I cannot stress this point enough. While I’m so glad we took this trip and haven’t regretted it, all that led us to actually get here was such a tremendous pain in knowing-what (and that doesn’t even take into account the flight mismatch we on the way here). Travel rules are fundamentally not to be understoodWhile there will soon be several non-stop flights between the United States and Greece, there weren’t any when we traveled. However, understanding the rules for transit and testing requirements is ridiculously complicated. I am amazed at the lack of easy-to-understand official government guidelines, and the airlines are not of much help either. Take, for example, this post from the official SWISS Facebook page:
Someone commented:
SWISS replied as follows:
And then the person asked this follow-up:
That’s a good question! This is just one example, but the amount of conflicting information I’ve seen online from seemingly official sources and airlines about testing, transit, immigration, etc. is mind-boggling. If you can fly non-stop between your home and destination countries, I would highly recommend this. Unfortunately, the trip we took (the most direct one there was) included a total of three connections and left us door-to-door for about 30 hours. While I’m used to traveling days like this, I felt bad for my mom, especially after the misconnection, as she’s obviously not used to traveling that long for days. Understanding travel restrictions is very difficult right now Testing, forms, forms and more formsOur best option was to fly from the US to Greece via London Heathrow. Just to give you an idea of this process:
Again, these are not hurdles that cannot be overcome and I do not want to complain. Rather, my goal is to really warn people that international travel is complicated right now, be prepared and spend a couple of hours filling out all kinds of forms and being tested depending on where you are going. Looking back, I can’t believe that in the past we could only jump in planes to international destinations without being tested and without filling out endless forms. We hope to see a return to this in the near future. Once you get to Greece it’s pretty awesome! Bottom lineI am delighted to be able to travel to Greece with my mother and look forward to sharing our trip. Not only will this be a special trip with my mom, but Greece is one of my favorite countries in the world and I am looking forward to reviewing multiple hotels for the first time. Now that international travel is becoming increasingly common, it’s more complicated than ever. Between ambiguous travel restrictions, test requirements, and so many forms to make you think you’re applying for a mortgage, there’s a lot to consider. Ultimately, it’s a small price to pay for the freedom to travel again. Thanks for reading and stay tuned! Via https://globalconnekt.com/i-am-bringing-my-mother-to-greece/ Yesterday Belarus did something I believe we have never seen before (at least not in Europe), where the country essentially hijacked an airliner that flew to another country to arrest someone. The more details become known, the worse this situation becomes and I hope the authorities take this seriously (although unfortunately I suspect this is one of those “thought and prayer” situations). The basics of what happened yesterdayA Ryanair flight flew from Greece to Lithuania. One of the passengers is a journalist wanted by the Belarusian (essentially) dictator for exposing the country. From what we know, Belarus claimed there was a bomb on board and the Ryanair pilots were told to reroute to Minsk, the capital of Belarus. At that point, the pilots were closer to Vilnius than Minsk and they didn’t buy the story and initially said they wanted to get on with their destination. However, Belarus then used a fighter jet to essentially force the plane to land in Minsk. When the plane landed, the authorities arrested the “wanted” passenger and the plane was finally allowed to continue to Lithuania. The severity and precedent of this situation cannot be underestimated. Aviation is said to be associated with certain freedoms and safeguards, and the concept of an international flight kidnapped by a government of another country to arrest an “enemy” of the government cannot be tolerated. Think of the implications here – a flight from the US to Japan flying via Russia could be forced to divert by the Russian government if there is an “enemy” on board, or a flight from Germany to Thailand that flies over China, forced to divert by the Chinese government if there is an “enemy” on board? Ryanair’s evolving response to this situationLast night, Ryanair made an official statement about what happened to that flight, which was downright offensive (as we already knew most of the details):
REALLY?! Just comfortably gloss over the whole fake bomb threat and have a passenger arrested? If you’re not being honest, just don’t make an explanation. Fortunately, Ryanair’s statement this morning is a little more reasonable:
That’s the correct answer. It’s one thing if Ryanair felt they didn’t have all of the information initially, but the original statement was downright inaccurate. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO, is one of the most outspoken guys in the aviation industry, and this morning he referred to it as “government sponsored hijacking, government sponsored piracy”. He also stated that he believes there were KGB agents on the flight who were also unloaded. That’s another interesting element in all of this – if that’s the case, then obviously the government has this planned, which leaves you wondering who revealed the man’s travel plans. Some airlines avoid Belarusian airspaceIt looks like some airlines are avoiding Belarusian airspace. For example, Wizz Air flight 6285 from Kiev to Tallinn made a significant detour to bypass Belarusian airspace, adding more than 30 minutes to flight time. Ironically, Ryanair continues to use Belarusian airspace. For example, check out Ryanair flight 3340 from Pafos to Tallinn. This is despite the airline, which accuses the country of having just committed a state-sponsored hijacking of one of its planes. I don’t think it’s actually that ironic – there’s nothing Ryanair loves more than money. Bottom lineRyanair’s CEO is finally calling this Minsk distraction and fake bomb threat exactly what it is – government sponsored terrorism. That’s a much fairer description of the situation than Ryanair’s official statement last night. We hope that aviation authorities and airlines take action against Belarus. Unfortunately, I am not too confident that justice will prevail here. What do you think of this situation including Ryanair’s response? What action do you think the aviation authorities should take against Belarus? Via https://globalconnekt.com/ryanair-belarus-committed-state-sponsored-kidnapping/ |
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March 2022
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