Staff at UK aviation regulator vote to strike in feud over pay August 23, 2023 Workers at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay. Members of the Prospect union backed strikes by 2-1 and by almost 9-1 for other forms of industrial action. The union said the CAA had refused to provide a “fair” pay rise for this year. Prospect added [...]
Fivefold jump in freight train cancellations threatens to derail firms’ green logistics plans August 23, 2023 A fivefold increase in the number of freight train cancellations threatens undermining a number of firms’ recent decisions to start transporting goods by rail in a bid to reduce their carbon footprints. Freight cancellations between the financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23 rose from 2,492 to 12,708, according to data from a Freedom of Information request [...]
Ryanair accused of ‘besmirching’ online travel agents as bitter feud rumbles on August 22, 2023 Ryanair has been accused of “besmirching” online travel businesses with “aggressive anti-competition marketing campaigns” as a long-running dispute between the digital platforms and the airline rumbles on. Earlier this week, the Dublin-based carrier said that online travel agents (OTAs) were “misleading” passengers with “clickbait to lure customers in before hitting them with hidden mark-ups”. A [...]
Network Rail faces prosecution over deadly train crash August 22, 2023 Network Rail faces prosecution over a train crash which killed three people. Train driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the smash near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on August 12 2020. The case will call at the High Court in Aberdeen on September 7. The ScotRail train derailed at [...]
Under-offer Lookers nets £46m profit amid tough economic headwinds August 22, 2023 Car dealership Lookers, which looks set to be swiped from London markets in a £504m take-private deal, reported resilient trading in the first half against significant macroeconomic headwinds. The UK’s biggest car seller reached an agreement late last month with Global Auto Holdings – an entity linked to the Canadian Alpha Auto Group – to [...]
Could hydrogen trucks power up Britain’s push to net-zero? August 22, 2023 Getting the trucking industry to net zero will come with a cost, if it gets there at all
Ryanair and Wizz Air the worst offenders as airlines face ‘drip selling’ allegations August 21, 2023 European airlines have come under fire for ‘drip-selling’ after a report revealed 97 per cent of carriers on the continent are charging at least one “hidden fee” for their services amid already-rising air fares. Drip selling refers to companies hiding the true cost of products and services, by proclaiming one price initially but then charging [...]
New wind-powered cargo ship sets off on maiden voyage August 21, 2023 A cargo ship that makes use of giant sails set out on its maiden voyage this morning, as industry watchers cheered the new ship’s potential to help decarbonise the shipping sector. Pyxis Ocean, chartered by US-firm Cargill, uses British-made sales dubbed ‘WindWings,’ which are fitted to the deck of the ship and measure up to [...]
Khan using a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut’ with ULEZ, says minister August 21, 2023 Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) policy is using a “sledgehammer to crack a nut,” the minister for London has said. Paul Scully told TalkTV: “I think the further you get out of the city… clearly the less impact something like the ultra low emission zone is going to have.” “You can see here [...]
Spike in UK car dealerships being snapped up as British firms go cheap August 20, 2023 UK car dealerships are increasingly being snapped up by overseas investors on the cheap amid a surge in dealmaking in the sector. There were around 20 overseas investments into UK dealer groups in the decade prior to 2019, while the three years post-Covid have already seen 10 transactions, with several set to be completed this [...]