Open skies | Enjoy your flight, if you can

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:56 PM EDT

Article Source: The Economist

world-news, airports, aviation-security, terrorist-threats, airport-ordeals, american-carriers, eu-us-open-skies-agreement, new-terminal-opening, open-skies-policy, tighter-security

Seeded by Navigator

HEATHROW airport's new Terminal Five made the news for all the usual reasons on its opening day: lengthy delays, appalling overcrowding and lost baggage. This time it was blamed on teething troubles rather than bad weather, terrorist threats or uppity unions that often turn the barely tolerable experience of flight into an ordeal. Yet when the new terminal, which opened to passengers on Thursday March 27th, hits its stride the vast £4.3 billion ($8.5 billion) edifice is more likely to be met with an approving nod than the grimaces of its early customers. And the lot of the transatlantic flyer in particular may also improve with the introduction on Sunday of a long-awaited and hard-negotiated "open skies" deal between the European Union and America.

The new terminal at London's main airport, and the world's busiest international hub, is for the exclusive use of British Airways (BA), which holds more than 40% of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow. The chaos of the first day of operations (and more flights were set for cancellation on Friday) will take BA some time to live down. Despite the initial problems, a fully functioning T5 will take some strain off the remaining four terminals, so life may grow more bearable for other users too.

Published to:

Navigator's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: uk-news
Regions: none

What's this?

Who's leading the conversation?

This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.

1.5

{"commentId":1630545,"authorDomain":"Navigator"}

Navigator

At the weekend the open-skies agreement between the EU and America comes into force. Heathrow, the destination for 40% of transatlantic flights, is likely to feel many of the immediate effects. Open skies is the latest attempt to liberalise air traffic between the continents though the deal is contentious. Some European countries, notably Britain, felt too much was given away to secure American assent to a lifting of regulatory restrictions on transatlantic flights. But the result is an accord that cuts away a thicket of restrictive bilateral deals. New rules let any airline fly between anywhere in Europe and anywhere in the United States.

Here it is all new construction..you leave in the night and in the morning..you have to find the parking ..where did it go..in the night?...Its is hell...but will become heaven by the year end..hopefully...the new terminals...etc etc...if given a chance..i will not travel by air...and great news...T5 has opened...

Security will get tighter...and even more tighter in the coming months and years...lines will also get longer and tempers will be lost fast...there will be more...pressure on every one ...the security regulatory bodies will want...that it is a secure ship that takes to the skies...the airlines will want to send it on time...and not want there SOTP (station on time performance) to be messed...commerce and security never go hand in hand.....they don't in this case...

{"commentId":1630545,"threadId":"241617","contentId":"1396376","authorDomain":"Navigator"}

1 vote

#1 - Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:08 PM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"241617","isPrivate":false}

	New Terminal Opens at London's Heathrow	Associated Press	Thu Mar 27	0
	Terminal 5 launch disaster brings holiday chaos	The Times	Fri Mar 28	0

NAVIGATOR

Backyard

Open skies | Enjoy your flight, if you can

Published to:

FUN STUFF:

COMPANY STUFF:

LEGAL STUFF: