This week was another rather quiet airport related news week, however, one airport – Chicago – was in the news several times this week. Here are the focus stories we found for you this time:
- Chicago’s tough week
- Two EU airports ordered to repay illegal state aid
- Newark Ebola case denied
- Google Glass under trial at Edinburgh Airport
Chicago continued to make airport headlines this week in the aftermath of the shut down after a fire and attempted suicide the previous week. USA Today wrote the day after the incident that more than 850 flights had been canceled nationwide as of 5 p.m. ET Saturday as disruptions resulting from the fire persist. The FAA says it handled 40% of the normal daily traffic at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) on Friday and 30% at Chicago Midway (MDW), but expects to continue to increase the traffic flow at those two airports over that weekend.
Then, half way through the new week, another delay story appeared. This time the weather was to blame when CBS News reported that The Chicago Department of Aviation said Thursday morning that at least 450 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and more than 300 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport, citing incoming storms.
From Brussels The Wall Street Journal reported this week of an illegal financial support story. The article states that two European airports and airlines including Ryanair and Lufthansa’s low cost carrier will be required to pay back millions of euros in illegal subsidies, European Union regulators said Wednesday, as part of a broader investigation into the use of public funds to support regional airports. It further writes that the European Commission, which enforces the 28-member bloc’s competition rules, said financial aid granted to the airports of Zweibrücken (ZQW) in Germany and Charleroi (CRL) in Belgium had violated EU law.
The Ebola outbreak is certainly a constant news topic these days. This week it was also associated with an American airport. NJ.com reported that a sick passenger flying to the United States from Liberia was sent to a Newark hospital Saturday afternoon because of concern he had the Ebola virus – but within hours officials deemed the case to be a false alarm. Although the man was ill, it was from a “minor treatable condition unrelated to Ebola,” according to N.J. Department of Health spokeswoman Donna Leusner. A second individual, reportedly his daughter, had no symptoms. Both were to be released from the hospital.
And – to finish the week – we found some lighter reading from the BBC, that reported of Staff at Edinburgh Airport (EDI) are using Google Glass headsets to help them deal with customer inquiries. According to the report the smart glasses display digital information in the user’s field of vision and can take photos and video. Airport staff are trying out the wearable tech until December to provide flight information, translations and answer questions about the city.
That’s all for this week – safe travels!
[Photo Credit: doug.siefken via Compfight cc]