Wow, the year has literally flown away from us. This in fact is our last airport news update for 2012. This week we found some of the more usual airport stories (strikes, fog) as well as some not so common ones (mice, star stopped in Norway).
Over in Europe the week started like the previous one ended – with snow chaos when temperatures fell to as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Germany. Bloomberg reported that of Frankfurt airport’s (FRA) 1,210 scheduled flights, 377 were canceled that day. Deutsche Bahn AG, the German rail operator, said trains nationwide were also delayed as it limited their speed to prevent accidents, a spokeswoman said. But not only did the weather disrupted travelers plans, those flying with Lufthansa also had to face 90 cancelled flights as a strike by airport security guards in Germany added to disruptions caused by the winter weather – reported Bloomberg in separate article.
Across the channel in London, things weren’t looking much better when the BBC reported on Wednesday that thick fog and ice have caused disruption to flights in and out of some airports. At London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), 189 flights were cancelled with many more delayed throughout the day. According to the article more than 20 flights were cancelled at London City Airport (LCY).
Flying out of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport (BWI) this winter? In that case the Washington Post suggested this week that you might be joined by some tiny, furry company. According to the article mice were spotted on two different days at BWI Airport, prompting an investigation by health officials.
New York also made the news with an article that reached us earlier today claiming that security guards at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) are threatening to walk off the job this month. USA Today reported that the nonunion workers say they want better training and equipment. The article continues by saying that a strike-authorization vote is set for Thursday or Friday and if approved, they could walk out on Dec. 20. Needless to say that such a strike would have severe consequences on the holiday traffic in and out of JFK. Our prediction is that this dispute will be resolved beforehand though as the companies involved already offered talks. Let’s hope we’re right!
And to finish our year of airport news, we’ve found this piece here from Norway reported by E! Online: Sarah Jessica Parker had a very unexpected surprise while trying to fly back home to the U.S. earlier today. According to the article the Sex and the City star, who’s been in Oslo, Norway, for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Concert this week, was briefly delayed while traveling when a member of her entourage was caught with a pair of stolen sunglasses.
That’s all we have for 2012 – we’re back again in 2013 in our usual format. In the meantime, you will keep getting individual airport updates through our Twitter feed.
Save travels, merry Xmas and a happy New Year!
[Photo of the mouse in snow from Flickr – Some rights reserved by LHG Creative Photography]