Union calls on Avanti West Coast to withdraw see-through uniforms following staff complaints April 13, 2022 The union RMT today called on Avanti West Coast to withdraw its new uniforms after staff complained about them being see-through. “We have received a large number of complaints from members on the West Coast Mainline who have been issued with these flimsy new blouses and shirts by Avanti which are basically transparent,” said RMT’s [...]
Leaked letter reveals Priti Patel knew about Easter travel chaos in March April 13, 2022 A leaked letter has revealed Home Secretary Priti Patel was informed about Easter travel chaos last month. Aviation trade body Airlines UK – which represents the majority of carriers operating in the country – told Patel a shortage of Border Force staff could lead to travel disruption and chaos ahead of the peak season. Airlines’ [...]
UK coastguard detains latest P&O boat Spirit of Britain April 13, 2022 The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today it has detained P&O Ferries’ latest vessel, the Spirit of Britain. Coastguard agents said the boat was not allowed to sail after safety issues were identified – potentially putting in jeopardy P&O’s return to operations. P&O initially said it was restarting services between Dover and Calais last [...]
BA ‘lures’ cabin crew from rivals with £1,000 welcome bonus April 12, 2022 British Airways (BA) is reportedly trying to “lure” cabin crew members away from rivals with a £1,000 welcome bonus. The airline said it was looking for cabin crew “with attestation and hold a current Heathrow or Stansted airside ID,” who could start working before the summer. According to the job description, the £1,000 will be [...]
Car rentals double this month amid Easter travel chaos April 12, 2022 Car rentals have doubled ahead of Easter weekend, as Brits come up with alternatives while travel disruption wreaks havoc among the country’s transport network. According to data from Volkswagen Financial Services UK (VWFS), rentals on online platform Rent-a-Car have gone up 148 per cent on last year. “Lots of people have been waiting a long [...]
UK invests £7.6m in rail innovation competition April 12, 2022 The UK Government announced today it will invest £7.6m in rail innovation competition First of a Kind. A joint venture between the Department for Transport (DfT) innovation agency Innovate UK, the competition aims to find new ways to innovate the railway sector, focusing especially on decarbonisation solutions. This year, First of a Kind will focus [...]
Accounting watchdog launches probe into Deloitte’s auditing of Go-Ahead April 12, 2022 The UK’s accounting watchdog today launched an investigation into Deloitte’s audit of public transport company Go-Ahead Group, after the UK government fined the firm £23.5m for its failures in running Southeastern rail service. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said its investigation will focus on Deloitte’s audits of Go-Ahead’s accounts over a six-year period covering the [...]
US lessor Air Lease says 21 jets stranded in Russia April 12, 2022 US leasing company Air Lease Corp said today 21 of its jets were still stranded in Russia after the company terminated all contracts with the sanction-hit country. Air Lease did not reply when asked about how it could get its aircraft back, but it is believed it could claim insurance following the Kremlin’s decision to [...]
Moscow plots retaliation following EU blacklisting of 21 Russian airlines April 12, 2022 Moscow’s aviation regulator said it was planning countermeasures after the EU Commission banned 21 Russian airlines from operating. The Rosaviatsia said Brussels’ decision attested to a “policy of discrimination and violation of international aviation law,” which is expected to bring about “response measures” from Moscow’s side. The EU Commission announced yesterday it had added a [...]
EasyJet says vetting delays contribute to staff shortages April 12, 2022 EasyJet’s chief executive Johan Lundgren said delays in the vetting of new staff, instead of recruitment issues, were one of the contributing reasons behind the airline’s staff shortage. Lundgren told journalists this morning the airline had already recruited most of the new staff needed and was currently waiting for candidates to be approved by the [...]