Dodging the ash

Thanks to Eyjafjallajökull, I have just spent five and a half days travelling from Abu Dhabi to Montreal. I suspect that, when I checked in with Lufthansa at Abu Dhabi, they already knew that I would not be able to complete my journey. Sure enough, we were among the last to land at Frankfurt before the airport closed. Three nights in a hotel were followed by a gruesome bus journey to Rome, taking 18 hours and 26 minutes precisely. Air Canada finally rustled up a 767 and a crew to take me, and my fellow exhausted travellers, to Montreal. I fared a lot better than many people, who camped out on army cots at Frankfurt

However, Star Alliance members were definitely adopting different procedures in dealing with their customers. For example, Air Canada stumped up two nights in a hotel near Frankfurt, whereas Lufthansa were prepared to pay for however many nights were necessary. And the Air Canada manager at Frankfurt told me that United Airlines were refusing to cover any hotel costs. Also, when rebooking a Lufthansa flight with Air Canada, I was initially told to go and speak with Lufthansa!

All this suggests that, although airlines commit to their alliance in fair weather, they are likely to absolve themselves of collective responsibility in foul weather, particularly if the terms being employed by one member do not suit another.

Don't mention the......Arabian Gulf

Thank you to 'Anonymous' for welcoming me back.

Here's a little story from the desert world, which acts as a reminder that one needs to be careful what one says these days. Iran has warned airlines that use of the term "Arabian Gulf" instead of the preferred and politically correct "Persian Gulf" can have dire consequences. Iran's transport minister, Hamid Behbahani, demanded an apology from Kish Air, an Iranian Airline, after the forbidden geographical term was uttered by one of its stewards. The fall-out is that airlines flying in Iranian airspace are now being threatened with revocation of their permits if the the dreaded words "Arabian Gulf" are either spoken or appear on in-flight monitors.

It's probably best not to mention the w.. - sorry, I mean Arabian Gulf at all.

Rumours of my passing are exaggerated

My regular readers (and yes, there really are some) are doubtless wondering why I have not posted anything for a while. The answer is simple. I have relocated to Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates, and have assumed the position of Director of the Al Ain International Aviation Academy. One of the joys of moving to a new country is that one can never take things like an internet connection for granted. In my case, the blog site was automatically translated into Arabic, thereby making it impossible to upload any posts.

After some deliberation, I decided that it would be quicker to resolve the internet connection issues rather than learn Arabic. The site is now appearing (at least to me) in the English, as opposed to the Arabic, language and, as a consequence, I am happy to say that normal service will now be resumed.

Security woes

Security is naturally aviation's biggest concern, and the impact on aviation deepens every time a plot is uncovered or foiled. The fallout of the failed attempt to blow up an aircraft on Christmas Day last year now affects millions of travellers. A few days ago I was connecting at JFK's Terminal 4 from Montreal to Dubai. Although the security queues were horrendous, no-one was complaining - except, that is, the security staff who were shouting and yelling at compliant travellers. Yes, it is a stressful job. Yes, they need to be strict. Yes, they are working under pressure, and in conditions that are not well adapted to performing security checks. But it is a sad indictment of our industry that travellers are herded and treated like cattle on the way to the slaughterhouse.

And what happens when travellers at JFK were emerging from the security checks? We were all shouted at by airline staff for delaying the aircraft departure. So much for the glamour of flying. You just can't win.

Please be kind to Monarch Airlines

A Happy New Year to all readers.

The silly season has arrived early. UK bookmaker Paddy Power reported that 100 people had a flutter over Christmas on whether Monarch Airlines will be the next airline to go bust. They shortened the odds from 50 to 1 to just 4 to 1. My good friend Tim Jeans, Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, did not find Paddy Power's 'book' on his airline at all funny. Tim did not lose a moment in reassuring people that his airline is as safe as houses. Said Tim, Paddy Power's odds of 18 to 1 on Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary to be the next CEO of British Airways would be a better bet.

But there are still people in this crazy world who are willing to bet on Elvis being alive and well.