AirOptions Blog

Acting FAA administrator Robert A. Sturgell is expected to announce today that a $6-million warning system will be installed at the Los Angeles International Airport. The system, which was tested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, is intended to reduce close calls on the runways.

The U.K.’s Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, which goes into effect April 6, applies to any company that does business in Britain. The move has travel buyers working to improve health and safety processes that apply. Under the new rules, if a company’s employee dies from work-related causes while in the U.K., the company faces substantial fines, possibly up to 10% of revenue over a three-year period.

The airline industry is abuzz with talks of mergers and consolidation, but New York Times columnist Joe Sharkey wonders what it means for the business traveler. “So far, the discussion of any looming deals has focused on the Wall Street aspects, and not on how any mergers might affect customers and the routes they need to fly,” Sharkey writes.

Although the term “grief tourism” is a relatively new one, traveling to sites of tragic events is not new, although new sites continue to emerge. For example, the spot where the World Trade Center stood in New York has become one of the most popular destinations for grief tourists. Other sites include Auschwitz in Poland, Japan’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Killing Fields of Cambodia.

The proposed magnetically levitating train would transport travelers between Disneyland, in California, and Las Vegas at speeds of up to 300 mph, if it ever gets off the ground. Some say it is the future of mass transit while others criticize it as a big gamble. Plus, a rival train project is putting pressure on lawmakers.

In a recent Washington Post Magazine cover story, Jeff Birnbaum wrote about the Travel Industry Association’s lobbying efforts to get Congress to set aside “$200 million” for promoting travel to the U.S. Columnist Arnie Weissmann writes that what Birnbaum wrote “painted a stark portrait of cynicism and manipulation.”

The State Department is updating Americans about the safety and security situation in Nepal as the nation prepares for elections on April 10. Americans are encouraged to get updated information before they travel to Nepal and be ready to quickly change their plans. For more information, read the State Department’s Travel Warning for Nepal.

Pinnacle Entertainment says it may have to walk away from plans for a $2 billion mega-casino project on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk if lending conditions don’t improve. The company’s CEO, Daniel Lee, said expects the credit markets to improve, but if they don’t, “we won’t build.”

Negotiations between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines pilot unions have stalled over whether the two sides should bring in an arbitrator to help resolve the merger of seniority lists, according to media reports. Northwest pilots favor arbitration, and Delta pilots are against it. Reports say that other aspects of the merger are complete, but the carriers are reluctant to move forward without the pilots’ support. Both carriers recently released memos that said they will not merge unless the agreement is in the best interest of each carrier.

As part of a series of reforms, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is striving to become a tourist destination. Westerners have already begun visiting the Middle East nation as the visa process has loosened up. Visitors are drawn to Saudi Arabia’s customs, culture, historical sites, climate and geography.