TBA Corporate: September 2014

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Airport dealing with delays and cancellations

London City Airport has been struggling to get back on schedule following a morning of severe delays and cancellations due to fog.

Aberdeen is also reporting weather-related delays.

Authorities say that there could be delays of up to five hours at London City. Airlines have also reportedly cancelled some services.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for south-east England; East Anglia; and the East Midlands.

Heathrow said they had no delays caused by fog, while Gatwick said that the airport was 'operating well'.

The Woolwich ferry service, which runs across the Thames in east London, has been suspended.

Travellers heading to the airport should check the status of the flight and expect delays throughout the day.

Hurricane to deliver flooding rain in the southwest

Tropical moisture from the approaching Hurricane Odile will deliver another round of heavy rain and flooding downpours to the interior Southwest by the middle of this week.

Odile will weaken significantly before reaching the Southwest, likely not even being a tropical storm when reaching the region.

The moisture associated with the system will still be enough though to spread showers and flooding thunderstorms across the interior Southwest from Wednesday through Friday.

Cities that could be impacted by the heavy, flooding thunderstorms include Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona; Las Vegas; and eventually Salt Lake City.

Flash flooding should be anticipated. Additionally, mudslides; washouts; and dust storms may also occur in areas affected by the worst of the storms.

Delays are likely on major roads and airports.

A few showers and thunderstorms may even make their way into coastal areas of Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, but the worst of the flooding is expected to stay over the desert areas.

Volcano showing signs of unrest

A volcano in the Philippines is showing signs of heightened unrest, and an eruption is possible within weeks, government scientists have warned.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to "critical" for Mt. Mayon in eastern Albay province late yesterday after recording within a 15-hour period an escalation of unrest, including 39 incidents of hot rocks falling in the summit area and 32 low frequency volcanic earthquakes.

As a result, Albay Govenor Joey Salceda ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents within a 6- to 8-kilometer radius of the volcano.

Mt. Mayon, located about 340km southeast of Manila, has erupted more than 40 times over the past 400 years.

Visa regulations for travel with minors postponed

The Department of Home Affairs has delayed the implementation of new visa regulations regarding travel with minors until June 1, 2015.

Under the new visa regulations, anyone travelling with a child under the age of 18 will be required to present an unabridged birth certificate for said child. The new ruling was set to come into effect on October 1.

Additionally, in the instances where children are travelling with one parent, the written permission required under the new regulations will also be postponed until June 1.

The announcement was made by minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, at a media briefing earlier today.

Gigaba has also encouraged parents and travellers to apply for unabridged birth certificates well in advance of the June 1, 2015 deadline.

The postponement is believed to apply to both South African citizens and foreigners.

Flight disruption to rise as strike continues

Air France has warned that disruption will get worse as a week-long strike by its pilots continues.

More that 60% of its flights are likely to be cancelled today as a result of the strike, which began yesterday.

The pilots are protesting against a transfer of jobs by the airline to a low-cost European carrier.

Air France is urging passengers around the world to change or postpone travel.

Passengers who have booked a flight between September 15 and 22 September can delay their trip; change their ticket free of charge; or claim a refund.

Travellers due to fly with the airline are advised to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

Tourists held back while police search for killer

Tourists are being held on the Thai island of Koh Tao after the ferry port was shut to stop the killers of two British backpackers escaping.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) described it as an 'isolated incident' but warned the ferry closure could impact on other travellers.

Local authorities have begun a thorough investigation and have put temporary restrictions in place to prevent potential suspects from leaving the island.

TAT said that while Koh Tao was not on the main tourist trail, it was popular with backpackers and those with a keen interest in snorkelling and diving.

TAT also said that Koh Tao, and other destinations across Thailand remain safe for tourists.

Typhoon cancels hundreds of flights

Typhoon Kalmaegi swept past Hong Kongearlier, closing schools and disrupting flights as strong winds pounded the territory.

More than 500 flights were delayed as the storm passed by on its way to China's Hainan Island.

Morning trading was cancelled on the Hong Kong stock exchange, while schools and businesses were ordered to close until the storm warning was lowered.

The storm came in from the Philippines, where it cut power and soaked farmland.
At least six people are reported to have died when a ferry sank in the central Philippines on Saturday evening, after running into bad weather.

However, Philippine officials said the storm largely avoided heavily populated areas.

In Hong Kong, a level-eight cyclone warning was in place yesterday evening, on a 10-point scale.

Twenty-five people needed hospital treatment for storm-related injuries.

Before noon (local time) today, the warning was down to three, with the storm headed to Hainan.

In China, dozens of flights have been cancelled with the typhoon approaching. This includes all flights out of Haikou, the capital of Hainan province.

Quake rattles Tokyo

An earthquake measuring 5,6 on the Richter scale shook buildings in Tokyo early this morning.

The quake, which struck at 00h30 local time, was centred about two kilometres west of Iwai, Japan.

The operations of some train lines were temporarily suspended, including the Shinkansen bullet train in the northeastern Tohoku region.

There were a few minor injuries and damages reported, but no tsunami warning was issued.

Hurricane damages tourist resorts

Hurricane Odile has left streets flooded, and homes and packed hotels destroyed in the beach resorts of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

The storm has eased since Sunday from category four to one but is still packing winds of up to 160km/h.

Mexican authorities are warning of more landslides and flooding in the coming days, as the storm moves northwest. However, experts say the storm will steadily weaken over the next two days.

At least 26 000 foreign tourists and 4 000 locals were in the region as the storm made landfall, and those in areas at risk of flooding were evacuated.

The region, which includes Cabo San Lucas, is home to massive resort complexes, as well as fishing communities and low-lying shanty towns.

Luis Puente, the head of Mexico's civil protection agency, told reporters that 164 shelters had been readied with a capacity for 30 000 people.

Meanwhile, a 4,9-magnitude earthquake struck near the Baja California peninsula early yesterday morning.

The quake struck around 05h23 at a depth of 10km.

It was the second moderate tremor to hit the region since Sunday.

Train driver strike

Train drivers represented by the GDL Union in Germany are reportedly planning to take industrial action next month.

Early reports suggest that the drivers will strike on Thursday, October 2.

No further information is available at this time but the situation will be monitored and any relevant updates will follow.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Shortage of overtime staff causing Tube delays

Please be advised that London Underground station staff and supervisors are no longer working overtime hours.

Additionally, 970 other staff members are to be let go.

Travellers should be prepared for delays and plan their schedules accordingly.

New visa requirements due to Ebola

As part of enhanced precautionary measures in the Seychelles, a temporary visa requirement has been imposed for the nationals of countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, as well countries bordering these affected countries and others in the region.

Citizens of the following countries are now required to be in possession of a visa prior to travelling to Seychelles: Sierra Leone; Liberia; Guinea-Bissau; Guinea; Nigeria; Cameroon; Chad; Niger; Burkina Faso; Senegal; Mali; Benin; Ivory Coast; Ghana; Congo; Democratic Republic of Congo; Gambia; and Mauritania.

All Seychellois nationals will not be allowed to travel to Sierra Leone; Liberia; Guinea; Nigeria; or the DRC without the express permission of the Public Health Commissioner until the epidemic has officially been deemed to be over by the World Health Organization (WHO). Travellers from these countries will not be allowed to enter Seychelles until the epidemic has been deemed over.

Airport baggage handler strike gets go-ahead

Baggage handlers at Belfast International Airport will take strike action next week in a bid to secure union recognition.

Swissport workers at Aldergrove are to strike following a 94% vote for industrial action in a recent ballot conducted by trade union Unite.

The strike will take place on Monday, September 8, between 04h00 and 08h00.

Meanwhile, Ulsterbus and Metro bus drivers are to be balloted over plans to take strike as Translink's offer of a 1% pay increase has been withdrawn because of cuts to public transport funding.

Tour bus accident leaves 42 injured

Forty-two people were injured yesterday morning when a tour bus crashed on the Hurghada – Ras Ghareb highway in Egypt's Red Sea region.

Fourteen ambulances arrived at the scene and transferred the passengers to the Ras Gahreb Hospital.

Police are currently investigating the incident.

Situation unpredictable in Maseru

Following the attempted coup against the Government of Lesotho on August 30, the situation in Maseru remains unclear and unpredictable.

There is a lack of visible police presence in Maseru due to the ongoing tensions between the police and the military.

Travellers are advised to remain extra vigilant and avoid large gatherings and street demonstrations as these can potentially become violent at any time.

Rome doubles hotel tax

Please be advised that Rome has doubled its hotel tourist tax, effective from today, September 1.

From this week, a family of four staying at a four-star Rome hotel for four nights must now pay €96 in local hotel tax, as opposed to €48 last week.

Operators said Rome only gave five weeks' notice of the changes to the tax, which was first introduced four years ago.

Road to airport to get upgrade

The Outer Ring Road, the road which connects travel coming from central Kenya to the international airport in Nairobi and the main highway to Mombasa and the Tanzanian border at Namaga, is to be upgraded from a single-lane to a dual-lane road.

The upgraded road will also link to at least two of the new bypasses which are being constructed, to further ease traffic by bypassing the city’s centre and main business hubs.

The project, which is to be funded by a Chinese firm and Kenya’s government, will cost an estimated US$116 million.

Construction is slated to begin early next year, and should all go according to plan, the upgrade will be complete by 2018.

First Ebola case confirmed - Senegal

Senegal's health minister has confirmed its first case of Ebola, making it the fifth West African country to be affected by the outbreak.

The young man who had travelled from Guinea was immediately placed in quarantine.

Senegal had previously closed its border with Guinea in an attempt to halt the spread of Ebola.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed in Nzerekore in Guinea following a riot after the main market was sprayed with disinfectant in a bid to contain the virus.

In other Ebola-related news, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six countries at risk for the spread of the virus, adding that it is working with them to ensure that full surveillance, preparedness and response plans are in place.

WHO believes that countries sharing land borders or major transportation connections with the affected are at risk for the spread of the Ebola outbreak. The countries at risk are: Benin; Burkina Faso; Côte d'Ivoire; Guinea-Bissau; Mali; and Senegal.

The current outbreak, which began in Guinea, has killed more than 1,500 people across West Africa.

Severe weather to continue

A new round of severe weather is expected to ignite as the Labor Day holiday weekend comes to a close this afternoon from southwestern Michigan and northern Illinois to Missouri.

This includes Kalamazoo, Michigan; South Bend, Indiana; Chicago and Springfield, Illinois; and St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri. The danger will reach Indianapolis this evening, when isolated severe thunderstorms will also extend back along the border of Kansas and Oklahoma.

Damaging winds, hail and flooding downpours are the greatest concerns for today and travel delays are expected.

There is also the possibility for some isolated tornadoes in the affected areas.

Later tonight, the severe weather danger will transition to a greater flood threat as thunderstorms will track repeatedly over the corridor from central Missouri to western Ohio. This includes St. Louis and Indianapolis.

Alert level lowered after no ash detected

Iceland cut its ash alert level for aviation to orange from red yesterday, after raising it to the maximum level earlier in the day because of a fresh eruption from a fissure in the Bardarbunga volcano system.

A new eruption in the volcano system system spewed lava more than 50 metres in the air, initially prompting authorities to raise their warning of the risk of ash to aviation from orange to red, which is the highest level on a five-colour scale and indicates an eruption is imminent or underway, with a risk of spewing ash.

However, the alert level was lowered when no ash was detected.

Although yesterday’s eruption was more powerful than another that occurred on Friday, experts said the situation is contained and is unlikely to result in the same level of aviation chaos as in 2010.

The situation will be monitored and updates will follow.