Still on Australia, we were visiting the beautiful state of Queensland in December. Contrary to what we expected, the arrival at Brisbane Airport was without too much hassle over imported plants, fruits or toxic soil on our golf shoes. It was the departure from Brisbane ten days later that brought back nightmarish and scandalous scenes of cattle herding, which we experienced at other airports last year, including London Heathrow and Paris CDG. Ironically, the shocking experience of … [Read more...] about NO WHIZZ THRU BRIS

Sources Down Under tell us that Australian flag carrier Qantas had reserved four positions for the 777F freighter at Boeing, but they let go these positions over Christmas. We contacted the press department of the carrier in Sydney for a confirmation of this rumour. After an initial promise to "look into this matter", we were still waiting for a reply when this issue had to go to press, so the rumour still stands, plus the suggestion from our sources that the cancellation of the … [Read more...] about PRICE FIXING

IATA plans to launch a standardised audit for ground handling companies starting in mid-April 2008, reviewing ground operations at as many as 60 airports by year's end. Called the IATA safety audit for ground operations (ISAGO), the 2- to 3-day review will cover 11 categories, including air side management and safety, load control, passenger and baggage handling, aircraft fuelling, de-icing, anti-icing, and for the first time, a management review at each company's headquarters. Though … [Read more...] about IATA targets 60 airports for audits