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Should A US Gov’t Bank Fund Air India’s US$3.4B 787s?

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the U.S. Government’s export credit agency, tasked with the mission of providing financial assistance in support of the export of products from the U.S. to international markets. The EXIM Bank allows for pre-export financing, with no transaction considered to large or small for the bank with…

The TSA’s Chicken Little Approach, Does It Work?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) frequently issues similar warnings. Over the agency’s nearly ten years in existence a pattern has emerged of not only the unsubstantiated travel security warnings the agency issues, but the timing of these warnings … with near Swiss precision.   With the busy winter holiday travel season set to begin in…

Ryanair Considers Introducing In-Flight Pay-Per-Porn

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary has announced his latest ancillary revenue concept, now making him a cross between P.T. Barnum and Larry Flint.   As Irish low cost carrier Ryanair pushes forward in its continual quest increase ancillary revenue O’Leary has announced something unexpected even for him … well maybe not … Ryanair is considering introducing…

Want To See The World? Win $10k From Scottevest To Do It!

I don’t tend to write about contests, well BoardingArea.com contests, but then again Flying With Fish lives on BoardingArea.com … but Scottevest has announced a contest that will make any traveler, photographer or travel photographer get excited.   Scottevest’s “For The Trip Of Your Life” contest will award one lucky traveler US$10,000 to go anywhere…

Landing With No Wheels…It Doesn’t Get Any Smoother

This past Tuesday a possible disaster was turned into smooth landing as LOT Polish Boeing 767-35D/ER, Flight 16, from Newark (EWR) to Warsaw (WAW), landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport with no landing gear.   LOT Polish Flight 16 pushed off its gate at Newark Liberty Airport two minutes ahead of schedule on the 31st of…

Etihad Turns Eight And Continues Its Growth Spurt

Airlines in the Gulf Region have witnessed massive growth over the past decade. Carriers expanding from regional networks that were largely ignored by American, European and Asian airlines expanded into massive global networks that seemingly overnight overtook the established global powerhouses … and in some cases these airlines came literally out of no where.  …

RIP Andy Rooney, He Was My Kind Of Crotchety Curmudgeon

As a kid my Dad watched 60 Minutes on CBS each week, and I remember always waiting for the Andy Rooney segment of the news program.  Maybe my interest in Andy Rooney’s segment each week is why I write a blog that often picks apart corporations and large government bureaucracies … who knows.   What I…

Egyptair Curiously States One World Shall Not Be Liable

Airline alliances are made up of autonomous member carriers, frequently airline websites will have some legal wording that separates what an airline has on its website from its alliance, and its fellow alliance members.   Egyptair, having never been a member of an airline alliance before entering Star Alliance, came into Star Alliance as the…

DHS Lawyer : Travelers Need Not Submit To TSA VIPR Teams

A few days ago I wrote about the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, addressing the effectiveness and legal questionability of the TSA VIPR Program, in this post TSA VIPR Teams – Increase A Legally Questionable Failing Program.   This morning I received an email from a Department of Homeland…