May 13

More articles from the category

May 13

From Monday: Austria abolishes the 3G rule upon entry

From Monday, May 16, 2022, you will no longer need 3G proof to enter Austria. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) has lifted the controversial regulation. Regardless of which country you come from, there are no longer any corona-related restrictions. The amendment to the entry regulations still stipulates that special rules apply when coming from so-called virus variant areas, but not a single country is currently classified as such. However, this "back door" is deliberately left open in order to be able to reintroduce restrictions at short notice if necessary. Until now, the so-called 3G proof was required for entry into Austria, which could be provided by means of a test result, proof of vaccination or certificate of recovery. The so-called "green pass" will no longer be required from Monday. The Austrian government relaxed the regulations quite late compared to other European countries. "I am pleased that our weeks-long demand for the 3G rule to be lifted when entering Austria has finally been heard and implemented. This has eliminated – late but still – a massive competitive disadvantage compared to other European destinations," said Gregor Kadanka, chairman of the Association of Travel Agents in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ). "Rigorous restrictions do not achieve anything, as experience has taught us. Rather, we must learn to live with the pandemic. What tourism needs now is a clear path back to success and certainly no brakes. This is crucial for all of us, because tourism secures jobs and prosperity and - with an added value of 29,7 billion euros before Corona - makes a significant contribution to the entire business location." Previously, the tourism industry together with its professional association

Continue reading "

Next state: Malta lifts mask requirements on planes

Malta will also no longer require the wearing of masks on board all flights to Malta on Monday. Along with hospitals and nursing homes, commercial aircraft were the last place where the government required the wearing of mouth and nose protection. When asked, the Maltese Ministry of Health stated, among other things: "As it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, Malta will follow the advice of the ECDC and therefore, from Monday, the health authorities will no longer require passengers to wear masks on flights to Malta." This means that the number of EU countries that insist on the wearing of mouth and nose protection on board commercial aircraft is becoming ever smaller. In Germany and Austria, it is currently not foreseeable that the European Commission's recommendation could be adopted in the short term. The Alpine republic in particular thinks it knows better than other countries and the EU and is the only country in the world to insist on the wearing of FFP2 masks. At Vienna Airport, for example, this is increasingly being ignored by arriving passengers. Even on board flights, the implementation of the Health Minister's regulation, which aims to maintain the rules until at least July 8, 2022, is now more like a farce. However, aviation is not the only place where Austrian regulations are increasingly being ignored, as it is also "illegal" to go maskless on long-distance buses. The lifting of the mask requirement by the Republic of Malta only applies if there is no contrary NOTAM from another state. If two orders from different states contradict each other, there is no clear rule as to which takes precedence. This could soon become a serious issue on Austrian flights, because

Continue reading "

Zurich: Delta reactivates daily New York flights

After a break of more than two years, Delta airline is reactivating the nonstop connection between New York JFK and Zurich on May 15, 2022. The carrier will initially fly daily and will offer numerous options for onward travel within the USA at the JFK hub. "Due to the long-standing business and tourism relations between Switzerland and the United States, we are experiencing strong demand as many of our domestic customers are visiting the USA again. Switzerland is also a popular holiday destination for US holidaymakers and our flight will help boost inbound traffic outside of the ski season," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's Vice President for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. "Our customers can enjoy a variety of new product and service enhancements on board, including a number of sustainable offers." Before the pandemic, 2019 million US citizens visited Switzerland annually in 1,1, while 474.550 Swiss traveled to the United States. Data from the Swiss Confederation also shows that the US is the second largest export market for Switzerland after Germany - exports to North America even doubled between 2010 and 2020. The most important industries include chemicals, precision instruments, machinery and electronics. Delta's flights between Zurich and New York-JFK: Flight number Departure Arrival Delta 53 Zurich at 13:40 New York-JFK at 16:45 Delta 52 New York-JFK at 20:20 Zurich at 10:30 (next day)

Continue reading "

That's why the climate ticket is not valid everywhere

The Austrian climate ticket is advertised with the slogan "One for all", among other things. Contrary to what the advertising would suggest, not all public transport is included. For example, almost all long-distance bus routes within Austria, the City Airport Train and the Vienna Airport Lines are excluded. There are not particularly many long-distance bus routes within Austria, but these are sometimes a very useful addition, as they primarily run on routes where the travel time by train would be significantly longer. The climate ticket includes the G1 (Güssing-Vienna) and 311 (Gleisdorf-Vienna) routes operated by Dr. Richard, as well as the ÖBB intercity buses operated by Postbus - for example between Graz and Klagenfurt. Blaguss Reisen and Dr. Richard are concessionaires for some routes within Austria, which are marketed as Flixbus under a franchise agreement. However, the German group is not the client; the two Austrian companies operate the routes on their own account. Dr. Richard travels between Graz and Vienna and Graz and Vienna Airport. There is a boarding point on the route, which is used particularly frequently by people from southern Burgenland. The competitor Blaguss Reisen has the domestic Austrian routes Klagenfurt-Vienna and Graz-Linz in its portfolio. In St. Michael there is the option to change trains, so that Klagenfurt can also be reached from Linz. Theoretically, you can also change trains to Vienna, but this is unlikely to be used due to the significantly longer travel time compared to the ÖBB or Westbahn. Climate Protection Ministry refers to transport associations The question of why the domestic Austrian long-distance bus services offered under the Flixbus brand are not included is not so easy to answer.

Continue reading "

German Airways cooperates with Lufthansa Aviation Training

At the Rostock-Laage location, Lufthansa Aviation Training and the airline German Airways will work together in the future to train young pilots. This means that German Airways will cover the need for freshly trained cockpit personnel for the fleet, which will consist of eight Embraer E190s by the end of the year, exclusively through the renowned German flight school. Both partners are already working intensively and closely together at LAT's training location at Rostock-Laage Airport. The airport in northern Germany has been part of the Zeitfracht Group since the beginning of the year - just like German Airways. It offers aspiring pilots optimal training conditions, from which the young German Airways cockpit trainees will also benefit. German Airways also trains all of its fully trained cockpit teams almost exclusively at Rostock-Laage Airport. The agreement permanently ensures the excellent quality of training for future captains and first officers at the German airline. German Airways leases its 100-seat aircraft to the large and renowned European airlines in what is known as wet leases and also takes on charter orders on demand, for example for sports teams for tournaments. "We have definitely made the best choice for the training of our pilots in Lufthansa Aviation Training. We are very convinced of the extremely high quality of training at LAT and we are happy that we can now work together in this field as well. Our cockpit trainees are in the very best hands there," explains Maren Wolters, Managing Director of German Airways.

Continue reading "

Mask special route: Union UFO fears discussions on board

From Monday, the European Union will no longer recommend wearing masks on board commercial aircraft. However, Germany and Austria do not want to change anything - at least for the time being. The flight attendants' union Ufo fears that there could be increasingly loud discussions on board. "In recent days, there has been debate about how national and European law can be reconciled in order to avoid dragging international passengers in particular into conflict. However, the discussion is clearly missing the focus on cabin crew, whose occupational safety and health protection we must also talk about. The employer is fundamentally responsible for ensuring the safety of its flight personnel, including the provision of medical masks and disinfection materials that employees can use without restrictions," says UFO Chairman Daniel Kassa Mbuambi. The area of ​​tension arises above all for international passengers who come into conflict with the crews on flights to and from Germany, who have to enforce the mask requirement. "This repeatedly leads to psychologically stressful escalation situations for the cabin crew. It should not be forgotten that the flight attendants have to complete further flights once the passenger has disembarked. The need for protection of the crews who provide service to frequently changing customers in a confined space must be taken into account," adds Kassa Mbuambi. The recommendation of the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA and the EU health authority ECDC states that from May 16, 2022, the obligation to wear masks on airplanes and at airports can be waived. To implement this recommendation, the individual European member states must now create the appropriate legal basis. In Germany

Continue reading "

721 meters: The longest suspension bridge in the world opened in the Czech Republic

The longest suspension bridge in the world was opened in Dolni Morava, Czech Republic, on May 13, 2022. It is 721 meters long and is called "Sky Bridge 721". It is a pedestrian bridge. Currently, it can only be used in one direction and is subject to a fee. For safety reasons, Sky Bridge 721 can only be used in wind speeds of up to 72 km/h. It connects the Slamnik and Chlum mountain ridges. The average height is 95 meters. To get to the Sky Bridge, you have to take a chairlift to a height of 1.110 meters. You leave the bridge at a height of 1.116 meters. As already mentioned: Currently, only one-way access is permitted, so you have to find another way to return. The structure was built with private funds and is part of the Mountain Resort Dolní Morava. This is located in the Pardubický Kraj near the border with Poland. A 2015-meter-high skywalk has been located near the Sky Bridge since 55.

Continue reading "

After just a few flights: bankruptcy proceedings against Tel Aviv Air opened

The Hamburg District Court has opened insolvency proceedings against the virtual airline Tel Aviv Air GmbH under the file number 67h IN 96/22. According to the court's compulsory announcement, the proceedings were opened on May 12, 2022 at 12:13 p.m. There were already signs beforehand that things were not going well at Tel Aviv Air. The payment service provider had terminated its cooperation with the company. As a result, tickets could only be sold against bank transfer. There is no indication on the company's homepage that it is insolvent. It only says that it will not be able to operate any flights until May 21, 2022 for "technical reasons". Tel Aviv Air was not an airline; it had no AOC and no operating license. It chartered planes from Enter Air and Tus Airways and marketed the seats on its own account. Business does not seem to have gone well, as the insolvency application had to be filed after just a few flights. The Hamburg District Court appointed lawyer Dr. Dietmar Penzlin as the provisional insolvency administrator. The court also ordered: "Dispositions by the debtor of items of its assets are only valid with the consent of the provisional insolvency administrator (Section 21 Paragraph 2 No. 2 2nd Alt. InsO). The debtors of the debtor (third-party debtors) are prohibited from paying the debtor. The provisional insolvency administrator is authorized to collect bank balances and other claims of the debtor and to accept incoming funds. The third-party debtors are requested to pay only in compliance with this order (Section 23 Paragraph 1 Sentence 3 InsO). Enforcement measures including the execution of an arrest or a provisional

Continue reading "

Dubai: Accor has bought the Queen Elizabeth 2 hotel ship

The former Cunard flagship Queen Elizabeth 2 has been used as a hotel in Dubai for several years. The French Accor Group has now bought it and wants to renovate it and bring it up to the latest state of the art technology. It is considered extremely unlikely that the "QE 2" will ever set sail again. Accor wants to continue using it as a hotel. In future, the former cruise ship will be known as the "M Gallery Hotel" and will have 2.447 beds. The company also wants to offer new restaurants, a wellness and fitness area with a swimming pool, and numerous conference rooms. The Queen Elizabeth 2 was originally built as a transatlantic liner. Cunard put it into service on May 2, 1969. The official decommissioning took place on November 27, 2008. After almost ten years of back and forth, the "QE 2" officially opened as a hotel in 2008.

Continue reading "

Weeze: Ryanair moves Palermo flights to Trapani

The low-cost airline Ryanair has announced the launch of a non-stop connection between Weeze (Lower Rhine) and Trapani (Sicily). This will be operated twice a week from July 1, 2022, according to the company. However, the Sicily connection from Weeze is not entirely new. The regional airport currently serves Palermo Airport. This route will be discontinued on June 30, 2022 in favor of the inclusion of Trapani. "We are delighted to be able to include this new route from Trapani in Düsseldorf Weeze's 2022 summer flight schedule, which now includes a total of 28 connections in 9 countries. This will boost international tourism in Trapani and the Sicily region, while our Düsseldorf Weeze customers will be able to choose from more travel options when planning their long-awaited summer vacation," said Andreas Gruber, Ryanair spokesman for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Continue reading "