Each Way From To
Philadelphia, PA Munich, Germany $250
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Munich, Germany $225
Boston, MA Munich, Germany $250
Phoenix, AZ Munich, Germany $250
Chicago, IL (ORD) Munich, Germany $230
Washington, DC (DCA) Cancun, Mexico $94
Boston, MA Cancun, Mexico $82
New York, NY (LGA) Cancun, Mexico $109
Charlotte, NC Cancun, Mexico $141
Philadelphia, PA Cancun, Mexico $81
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Travel Dates & Times for Weekend Getaway Fares
Anguilla, Anguilla (AXA)- San Juan, PR (SJU) $157
Belize City, Belize (BZE) – Dallas / Ft. Worth, TX (DFW) $237
Belize City, Belize (BZE) – Miami, FL (MIA) $243
Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) – New York Kennedy, NY (JFK) $373
Freeport, Bahamas (FPO) – Miami, FL (MIA) $64
George Town, Bahamas (GGT) – Miami, FL (MIA) $79
Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) – Miami, FL (MIA) $234
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – London Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR) $245
Miami, FL (MIA) – Santiago, Chile (SCL) $353
Nevis, Nevis (NEV) – San Juan, PR (SJU) $155
New York Kennedy, NY (JFK) – Barcelona, Spain (BCN) $182
New York Kennedy, NY (JFK) – Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH) $222
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Travel Dates & Times for Weekend Getaway Fares
Depart anytime between Tuesday, January 6, 2009, and Friday, January 9, 2009.
Return anytime between Monday, January 12, 2009, and Wednesday, January 14, 2009.
Tickets must be purchased by this Sunday, January 4, 2009, 11:59 p.m. (CT).
Fares displayed are each way based on round-trip purchase for coach class travel.
Additional Fees and
Restrictions May Apply
Visit www.aa.com/netsaaver for additional fare offers for this weekend and other travel dates.
Erin LoxamNews 1130
The holiday travel season is still not over, but the feedback has been rolling in to the Consumer’s Association of Canada. Three quarters of the calls are complaints against Air Canada and the other 25 per cent are praising the competition.
Bruce Cran, president of the Consumer’s Association of Canada says they have heard many horror stories from Air Canada passengers – dealing with baggage, cancellations and mystery fees.
But the worst story is Air Canada Flight 156, “That’s the one that was stranded at the Vancouver airport on the tarmac for 12 hours where food and water were rationed apparently and some people were very concerned over their comfort for health issues.”
He adds WestJet faired much better with most callers praising the airline, “The other quarter is very interesting to us because its been compliments for WestJet airlines who seem to have done an outstanding job of public relations in helping out not only there own stranded passengers but Air Canada’s as well.”
Cran says hopefully these issues will be kept in mind when the world is watchin in 2010, “It should be a bit of a wake up call for what we’re looking at with the Olympic games coming to us in a winter very close in the future. If we haven’t gotten our act together by then, it could be a disaster.”
Yorkshire Post
Published Date: 19 December 2008
THIS weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the deaths of 270 people in the Lockerbie disaster. The incident still ranks as the worst terrorist attack seen in Britain which seems almost miraculous, given al-Qaida’s enduring interest in aviation.
Modern day concerns about aviation-related terrorism can be traced back to the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed after being taken hostage by Palestinian militants.
A panel was set up by US President Richard Nixon in the wake of the tragedy to develop plans to protect the US from similar attacks from Arab terrorists – which quickly concluded that commercial aviation was an obvious weak point.
According to a 1972 assessment that was not declassified until 2005, the panel concluded: “It is estimated that the threat of hijacking of international flights accompanied by acts of terrorism will continue until a satisfactory solution to the Palestinian problem in the Middle East is found and peace is negotiated in the Middle East.”
It would seem that little has changed. Al-Qaida continues to target aircraft and airports in its self-declared quest to remove Jews and Christians from Muslim lands.
The US has been aware of the risks posed to aircraft by al-Qaida since at least January 1995, when police in the Philippines busted a cell in Manila and found documents describing a plan called Operation Bojinka. It proposed blowing up 11 US airliners in mid-air en route to America from Asia and hijacking and crashing a 12th aircraft into the CIA’s headquarters in Virginia.
The man behind the plot was Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, who would later go on to mastermind the September 11 attacks in the US. Increased security since 9/11 has resulted in terrorists looking for ever more ingenious ways to down aircraft.
The two would-be shoe-bombers, Richard Reid and Sajid Badat, are prime cases in point. Less well-known is the case of an Algerian, Abbas Boutrab, who was convicted in Northern Ireland in 2005 of planning acts of terrorism.
Documents seized during his arrest suggest that he was working on developing a new generation of “micro-bombs” that would evade airport screening equipment. One plan appeared to be to conceal a small explosive device inside a personal music player.
The failed 2006 plot to bring down airliners using liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks is another manifestation of al-Qaida’s obsession with aircraft. History demonstrates that the terror network’s leaders will continue to plug away at what they consider to be prime targets until the job is done. The Twin Towers were chosen because of their iconic status as symbols of Western capitalism. Likewise, aircraft are attractive to Islamic terrorists as symbols of Western technological prowess.
All the signs indicate that it wants to see the 1995 Operation Bojinka plan bought to fruition. The 2006 airlines plot could be seen as an attempt to do this, not least because the conspirators in both cases planned to use liquid explosives.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammad is currently on trial at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He has admitted to his role in 9/11 and he wants the death penalty, in order to become a martyr and a hero to be emulated by others.
If he is executed, the pressure to execute an operation that would see the simultaneous destruction of several passenger aircraft may increase, as network operatives seek to commemorate his death. There has been some speculation that the recent Mumbai attacks may have been mounted to fulfill the last wishes of the Bali bombers for retribution.
Three plotters convicted of involvement in the 2002 bombings, which killed 202 people, were executed in Indonesia by firing squad just a few days before the Mumbai attacks. A joint letter published on a website called upon al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden to take revenge.
Al-Qaida’s deputy leader duly responded with a speech that eulogised the Bali bombers, which was issued on jihadist websites.
Recent arrests in Europe have been related to plots to attack airports and, of course, this week’s verdict in the Glasgow airport attack case again highlights the enduring appeal of aviation to Islamic terrorists. It would seem safe to assume that aircraft must figure among the targets included in the 30 major terrorist plots in the UK that the security services are currently monitoring.
It would also be safe to assume that everything is being done to prevent al-Qaida from pulling off a terror attack that will dislodge Lockerbie as the worst seen on UK soil. Perhaps the best possible memorial for the victims would be to ensure that the tragedy remains a unique one.
Neil Doyle is an investigative journalist specialising in international terrorism, and author of the book Terror Base UK.
Airfare departing from Boston
+ London from $449*
+ Oslo, Stockholm or Copenhagen from $449*
Airfare departing from New York-JFK
+ Oslo, Stockholm or Copenhagen from $449*
Winter Specials – Europe from $238*
Enjoy the beautiful winter season in exciting destinations throughout Europe. You have until Dec. 29, 2008 to purchase your ticket, and you can depart by Apr. 2, 2008.
New York – Munich $238*
Chicago – Zurich $286*
Winter Specials – Europe from $238*
Winter Specials – Europe from $238*
* One-way based on round-trip purchase, excl. taxes & fees
Holiday Business Class Specials from $750*
There’s still time to take advantage of these incredibly low Business Class fares to Europe. You need to book your trip by Dec. 26 and depart by Jan. 2, 2009.
New York – Frankfurt $750*
Boston – Brussels $947*
Holiday Business Class Specials from $750*
Holiday Business Class Specials from $750*
* One-way based on round-trip purchase, excl. taxes & fees
Spring Special to Zurich from $366*
For those who like to plan ahead, we have an early bird special for destination: Zurich. Book your flight by Dec. 31, and depart by May 14, 2009.
Spring Special to Zurich from $366*
Spring Special to Zurich from $366*
Spring Special to Zurich from $366*
* One-way based on round-trip purchase, excl. taxes & fees
Bi-Me
QATAR. Qatar Airways yesterday said it was evaluating Olympic Airlines for a stake in Greece’s state-run carrier.
“We have signed a letter of interest in Olympic; we are evaluating Olympic. We should be able to make a decision on Olympic sometime in the near future,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker told the local daily Gulf Times last night.
The privatisation of debt-laden Olympic Airlines was approved by parliament in Athens through a vote on 2 October this year, giving the green light to a scheme which has European Union approval.
In September, the EU had approved the sale scheme for the airline, which reportedly has considerable debts, but made approval conditional on the airline paying back state subsidies.
Olympic Airlines began operating in its current form in December 2003, following the integration of all Olympic Airways and Olympic Aviation flight operations by Macedonian Airlines, which was renamed to Olympic Airlines, and until then only performed charter flights, according to the company’s website. It serves some 78 destinations and has a fleet of 41.