Airlander (AKA the flying bum) has crashed August 24, 2016 Airlander, the British aircraft which is the longest in the world and also happens to be nicknamed the "flying bum" plane because of its appearance, has had a minor crash. The Airlander 10 was damaged during the landing of only its second ever test flight. No one was injured but there was damage to the cockpit underneath the craft. Watch: Airlander [...]
The commuter life of train delays, warm journeys and overcrowding are worse for your health and happiness than you already thought August 24, 2016 If you're one of the UK's 24m commuters and had the sneaking suspicion your journey-heavy lifestyle was making you less healthy… unfortunately, you were right. The average commuter in the UK travels for 56 minutes a day, with the majority of these types of journeys usually being undertaken on "non-active" modes of transport such as [...]
Now Bus workers are going on strike including during Notting Hill Carnival August 24, 2016 After a slew of strikes across train networks, bus workers have now voted to go on strike in London – including on Bank Holiday Monday when Notting Hill Carnival is held. Unite the union said 1,000 drivers, engineers and other workers are involved in a dispute affecting some 28 bus routes across London. The stoppages [...]
Come fly with me? City Airport will start playing songs during security screenings to entertain passengers August 23, 2016 London City Airport has decided to play music for passengers as they go through the airport's security search area because it will apparently provide a positive distraction. The airport says that music psychologist from the University of Sheffield has argued the background music may provide a positive distraction whilst proceeding through security, enhance the experience and [...]
No man is an island: Air Mauritius benefits from a move out of its comfort zone August 23, 2016 Air Mauritius posted its best first quarter results in ten years as lower oil prices piloted a return to profitability. Although modest, the €2m net profit for the three months to June 2016 was a huge turnaround from a €9.8m loss during the same period in 2015. "This positive performance is due to the company’s efforts to improve [...]
High Speed 2 shortlists firms for phase two packages worth £520m August 23, 2016 A number of firms have been shortlisted for contracts on the second phase of High Speed 2 (HS2) worth a total of £520m. The £350m professional services contract will be fought out between four firms, while three will compete for the £170m programme development partner role. The winners for both packages will be announced before the [...]
More trouble for Southern: Card payment failure hits rush hour August 22, 2016 Customers of Southern Rail, already fuming over ongoing service delays and then strike action, were dealt another blow on the morning rush hour commute. The rail network was unable to accept card payments for tickets at some of its stations due to an unspecified technical problem early on Monday, leaving many customers in long queues or failing to [...]
Summer holiday flight cancellations were up by a quarter at UK airports last year August 22, 2016 Summer holiday flight cancellations at UK airports increased by almost a quarter year-on-year between 2014 and 2015, according to new figures from Columbus Direct. Travellers ready to jet off suffered significant disruption last year as 1,297 flights scheduled to depart from UK airports were cancelled between the peak holiday period of July to September. Extensive [...]
The Night Tube is nigh – but Sadiq Khan has raised some potential “teething problems” August 19, 2016 You'd be hard pushed to find anyone who's sour about the Night Tube finally coming into service tonigh We've already identified some key benefits – and most Londoners, retail groups and even the RMT seem to be excited about it. Naturally, the mayor of London is pretty smitten too. But with great power comes great responsibility and Sadiq Khan has [...]
Southern Rail could be hit by yet another strike as union members hold ballot over ticket office closures August 19, 2016 And so it continues. Ticket office and platform staff at Southern Rail's parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), are voting again on whether to go on strike. This time the ballot is around a dispute over ticket office closures and job losses, the TSSA rail union said today. Read more: Talks between Southern Rail and RMT break down [...]