Britain’s Heathrow Airport hires writer-in-residence to probe the philosophy of flying

October 6th, 2009 BA cuts 1,000 jobs, will shrink Heathrow crewsLONDON — British Airways PLC says it is shedding 1,000 fulltime jobs and putting 3,000 more employees on part-time work and reducing size of cabin crews at Heathrow in an effort to get the troubled airline's finances back in order. BA spokesman Paul Marston said Tuesday the company was in "a very serious financial position" and was working hard to turn itself around with an aggressive cost-reduction program.

October 2nd, 2009 EU: trans-Atlantic airline alliance may be illegalBRUSSELS — European Union regulators said Friday they have warned British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia that their plans to share more of their lucrative trans-Atlantic routes may break antitrust rules. The European Commission said it sent a formal charge sheet to the three airlines last month, warning their cooperation may violate rules that forbid companies striking deals that shut out rivals.

August 19th, 2009 Heathrow hires writer to tell travelers' talesLONDON — Heathrow Airport has hired a writer-in-residence to chronicle the modern travel experience in hopes of showing frazzled passengers there's more to flying than long lines and waiting. Alain de Botton, author of highbrow best-sellers including "The Consolations of Philosophy" and "How Proust Can Change Your Life," is spending a week inside Heathrow's Terminal 5, the airport said Wednesday.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - Battery-operated driverless cars with bug-eyed windows will soon be carrying passengers at the Heathrow Airport. The bubble shaped vehicles look like a capsule and their doors fold back like butterfly wings.

August 10th, 2009 BAA reports pickup in long-haul trafficLONDON —British airports operator BAA said Monday that European and long-haul traffic returned to growth in July, while London's Heathrow recorded its third-busiest month on record. BAA, which is majority owned by Spain's Grupo Ferrovial, said the number of passengers grew 1.2 percent in Europe and 4.8 percent across the long-haul network, excluding North Atlantic routes.

July 21st, 2009 United flight makes emergency stop in IcelandCHICAGO — Authorities say smoke coming out of the cockpit forced a Chicago-bound United Airlines flight to make an emergency landing at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski says United Flight 949 from London's Heathrow Airport landed safely in Iceland at 2:51 p.m.

June 15th, 2009 4 bodies found in suburban Orlando houseHEATHROW, Fla. — Four bodies have been found in a home in a gated community outside Orlando in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide.

March 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Monday asked all airlines flying out of Delhi to collect development fee from the passengers while issuing air tickets, and not when they are checking in at the airport. 'The development fee should then be remitted to DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd, the developer of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport) in line with the system procedure,' a statement issued by the civil aviation ministry said.

February 28th, 2009 LONDON - Singer couple Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson were locked in a row at the Heathrow airport here but made up later. The two were flying from Los Angeles when, according to onlookers, they had an 'animated conversation', dailymail.co.uk reports.

February 14th, 2009 LONDON - Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke stunned airline staff at Heathrow when he turned up with a suitcase weighing 5.5 stone (around 36 kg) packed full of shoes. Rourke's bulging bag of loafers (slip-ons) was over the weight limit and before he could check in at the airport for his flight to New York, he had to redistribute his shoes among his other suitcases, reports mirror.co.uk.

February 11th, 2009 LONDON - Former Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham was seen at Heathrow airport in her stilettos and sunglasses and with her Loewe 'Calle' bag that costs $10,000. Dailymail.co.uk reports that this was the second time Beckham was seen with the bag.

February 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Wednesday ordered an investigation into the near mid-air collision between an Air India and an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft over Assam. 'DGCA has ordered a probe into the incident,' a civil aviation ministry spokesperson said.

February 1st, 2009 LONDON - The heaviest snowfall in 18 years blanketed much of Britain Monday, bringing life to a standstill as transport ground to a halt and schools and colleges were closed. Southern and eastern England were the worst hit as all bus services and much of the underground rail network were suspended in the British capital.

February 1st, 2009 LONDON - Two climbers were killed in Welsh mountains as the heaviest snowfall in 18 years blanketed much of Britain Monday, bringing life to a grinding halt. Police said they found the bodies of two climbers on Mount Snowdon in Wales after being alerted overnight.

December 22nd, 2008 LONDON - A Jet Airways pilot was arrested by armed police after staff at London's Heathrow airport warned he may have drunk too much to fly, a newspaper reported Tuesday quoting police. Michael Harr, a 62-year-old ex-US marine, was taken off the flight to Mumbai Sunday by officers and subsequently failed a breath test at 9.30 a.m.