Week in travel: Ryanair pilots to stage more one-day strikes

JetBlue crew saves distressed bulldog with oxygen mask, while Southwest stops serving peanuts, and UK airports plan to ban powder from hand luggage

Passengers flying with Ryanair could face yet more disruption over the summer.

After a one-day strike that forced Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier to cancel 30 out of 290 Irish flights on Thursday, the unions representing Ireland-based pilots announced other measures.

The Fórsa trade union, to which the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association belongs, issued the following statement on Thursday evening:

“The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association branch of Fórsa today gave notice that it intends to stage two further one-day pilot strikes in Ryanair commencing at 1am on Friday 20 July, and at 1am on Tuesday 24 July.

Pilots give notice of further strikes in Ryanair https://t.co/TM4M7RLCqn #RyanairStrike pic.twitter.com/AGhRnUhac3
— Fórsa Trade Union (@forsa_union_ie) July 12, 2018

“The union and management found some common ground in talks yesterday on the proposal that a joint working group could help the parties agree on a fair and transparent method to govern base transfer arrangements and related matters, but failed to reach agreement on the terms of reference for such a group.

“On a number of occasions in recent months, there have been suggestions that third-party facilitation could assist in reaching consensus on issues of disagreement.

It is, therefore, regrettable that Ryanair management has so far rejected the suggestion of third party assistance.”

Distressed dog on JetBlue flight saved by crew with oxygen mask

Crew on a JetBlue flight had to provide unusual assistance to an unusual passenger on Thursday – a french bulldog who was travelling with her owner, Michele Burt, from Florida to Massachusetts.

Burt said the dog named Darcy started showing signs of distress during the flight. She was having difficulties breathing and her tongue began to turn blue.

At this moment, the crew came to help Darcy firstly with ice, and then with an oxygen mask.

“We all are affected by cabin pressure and oxygen fluctuations, human, canine and feline, etc., but the fact that the attendants were responsive and attentive to the situation may have saved Darcy’s life,” Burt wrote on her Facebook page.

JetBlue flight attendants Renaud Asher and Diane Asher save Canine on Flight to Boston. Darcy 3 yr old French Bulldog on flight from Florida to Boston #330 became hypotix (lack of oxygen). Thank you JetBlue, Renaud & Diane offered Darcy oxygen and saved her life. Thank you!!! pic.twitter.com/6kiepb3Y58
— Christina Dittmer (@cmcdittmer) July 6, 2018

“I placed the mask over her face, and within a few minutes she became alert and after a short time she didn’t want the mask,” Burt said. “I believe [crew members] Renaud and Diane saved a life, some may reduce the value of the life because Darcy is a canine, I do not.”

Crew member Renaud Fenster, who took care of the distressed bulldog, said he’d “never seen anything like this” in his 15 years working for an airline.

“I was passing through the cabin to check up on a passenger, and I noticed [another] passenger, who had the dog out of her crate and the dog had an indication that it wasn’t looking too well. … And I believe the dog passed out,” Fenster told Good Morning America

“The dog started panting very rapidly and uncontrollably, and so as a french bulldog owner myself, I knew the dog was overheating and needed some ice. I brought the dog some ice, and that didn’t do anything.

“I decided that we needed to consider using oxygen to support the animal,” he continued. “So I called the captain, and I told him, ‘I think I need to use some oxygen,’ and he said, ‘Go ahead.’ And right then and there, placed the oxygen on the dog and the dog revived like nothing else.”

Southwest Airlines to stop serving peanuts on board

American carrier Southwest is about to get rid of one of its most iconic snacks. From 1 August, the airline will stop serving peanuts to their passengers.

According to their statement, Southwest wants to “ensure the best on-board experience for everyone, especially for customers with peanut-related allergies,” they said in a statement.

“Our ultimate goal is to create an environment where all customers – including those with peanut-related allergies – feel safe and welcome on every Southwest flight,” the airline added.

However, the National Peanut Board is not fond of the airline’s decision. They claimed that such move is unnecessary and allergic incidents could be avoided with education and preparation.

“We were disappointed to learn about Southwest’s decision to stop serving peanuts, which even the airline considers an iconic part of its history and DNA,” the board said in a statement.

The airline has been serving peanuts as a part of their in-flight snacks since the 1970s.

UK airports to ban powder from hand luggage

Passengers travelling from the United Kingdom might be banned from boarding their flights if they keep baby powder, spices or coffee in their carry-on bags.

The government of the United Kingdom plans for the country’s airports to follow the measures recently implemented by the US and Australia that ban having more than 340 grams of powder on board, the Times report.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said he would not confirm the plans but told the newspaper: “It is for each country to determine its own security measures based on its own assessments. We work closely with all our international partners to keep aviation security under constant review.”

New York-London route becomes world’s first to generate $1 billion

One of the most in-demand flight journeys in the world has become the first ever to generate a revenue of more than one billion.

According to OAG, a global air travel information company, over the 12-month period from 1 April, 2017 to 31 March, 2018, British Airways managed to make $1,037,724,867 on their New York-London connection, which is the highest number for a single route in the history of aviation.

The carrier’s planes spent 42,117 hours in flight between New York and London, which meant it generated $24,638 in revenue per hour of flight.