Air Travel News 3.22.11

Air, Air Travel News, Health & Safety — By Nancy Y on March 22, 2011 at 6:00 am

by Nancy Yeomans

LG Air Travel News Editor

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird….it’s a plane! No….it’s your weekly air travel news! Here’s what’s happening in the world of aviation, from the ground up.

Taking No Chances

On the heels of the tragedy and devastation in Japan, one airline in particular has taken a more serious approach in response. The German airline Lufthansa has chosen to divert their Japan bound flights to the airports in Osaka and Nagoya. Beyond that action, Germany has also shut down it’s 7 oldest nuclear reactors. Can’t be too careful… Source: Jaunted

Back At The TSA

The US Travel Association has had a meeting of the minds with security experts to come up with recommendations on how to improve the airport screening process. Their recommendations, which include one free checked bag and a trusted traveler program, has been presented to Congress. Source: Airwise

Should Have Stuck With Stayin’ Alive

John Travolta’s inflight safety video for Qantas didn’t have the intended effect. Qantas employees take offense to several of the elements, most notably when Travolta calls the inflight crew a ‘team’ and his basic lack of credentials. They would rather hear the spiel from Qantas Captain Richard de Crespigny who successfully piloted a flight from Singapore to safety. Source: News.com.au

It’s A Small World

A side effect of the Japan nuclear emergency situation may be reaching our shores already. Passengers from Tokyo arriving to both the Dallas and Chicago airports triggered the radiation detectors at customs. Apparently the radiation levels don’t seem to be to dangerous levels yet, but…Source: Cheapoair

A ‘Choice’ Or ‘Option’ Is Still A Fee

Airline fees are not going away, for sure. In fact, some airlines are giving them their own cute names to insure they stay around. American and United are 2 of the airlines who are packaging the fees into bundles so it seems as if we’re getting something special for our $$, instead of just what we used to get for free. The lower cost carriers remain your best bet for avoiding hidden fees. Source: SmarterTravel

Quickies

If the thought of some random TSA guy checking you out via body-scanner creeps you out, here’s an option: ScannerShirts

Photo credit: David McKelvey,Ricardo Ricote/flickr