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Someone’s parked a spitfire outside the Churchill war rooms.

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OFT watchdog says Ryanair payment policy is ‘puerile’

Budget airline Ryanair has been accused of being “puerile and childish” over its payment policy by business watchdog the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

OFT chief executive John Fingleton, attacked the company for fees that Ryanair adds when customers use all but one type of credit card to pay online.

He told the Independent newspaper that the firm used a legal loophole to justify charging the extra fee.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8438837.stm

•HAPPY• NEW•• YEAR•¨*•.

*• HAPPY•*¨•.¸¸.•**• NEW•*¨•.¸¸.•*¨• YEAR??•*¨*•.

•*¨*2O1O*¨*•

Happy Christmas

Wishing you Happy Christmass and a great 2010

T-mobile G1 (v2)

So anyway the UPS man came and i get to start over with a new G1. This one seems fine, i’m still conditioning the battery, but power seems to run down very fast, just from listening to music for 1-1.5 hours and minimal screen use.Ã‚Â

Here’s an unboxing for good luck.

T-mobile G1 (v1)

my G1 phone arrived today but it wont connect to Google to be set up, so it can’t be used at all, they say i need to exchange it on Tuesday.

G1 Fail

Panorama from Blue Fin Building

Ã‚Â

and some more views of the roof garden.

Saturday Fun

We had some extra entertainment this Saturday.

Ã‚Â ;)

Leaking mushroom soup halts plane

“A Ryanair plane was forced to land in Germany after a passenger had an allergic reaction to mushroom soup.”

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7585234.stm

Sixteen hurt as Ryanair jet plunges

“Passengers on a Ryanair flight said Tuesday they thought they were going to die when the low-cost jet plunged 8,000 metres (26,400 feet) after a sudden loss of cabin pressure over France.”

Link: http://afp.google.com

Ryanair blocks ‘illegal’ bookings

“Ryanair is to cancel thousands of its own customers’ bookings after they were made through internet travel agents whose activities it says are illegal.
The airline is targeting price comparison websites on which you can buy Ryanair flights without having to go directly to the Irish firm’s site. ”

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Ireland’s Ryanair cuts back winter flights

“No-frills airline Ryanair said Thursday it will withdraw nearly a third of its aircraft from its major London base and suspend operations at seven other European airports because of sky-high fuel costs and its failure to negotiate lower airport fees.”

Link: http://www.wtop.com

Ryanair’s inflight phones

“RYANAIR is to allow mobile-phone calls on some of its flights. If approval is given by regulators, Europe’s biggest budget airline will run trials on ten planes from the end of the month. So far, so normal. But what’s strange here is that Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s boss, told the Mail on Sunday that his airline would not take a cut from the call charges.”

Link: http://www.economist.com

JetBlue Now Charging For Pillows

“JetBlue Airways, which made its name providing free television and leather seats on its flights, started charging passengers for pillows on Monday, marking the latest attempt by struggling airlines to claw back some of the cost of high fuel prices.
JetBlue said it will no longer provide pillows, but passengers on flights longer than two hours can buy a pillow and blanket kit for USD$7, which the airline is touting as healthy and eco-friendly.”

Link: http://news.airwise.com

Ryanair takes on Dutch screenscraper

“Ryanair has commenced copyright infringement proceedings against Bravofly before the Commercial Court, Dublin, to prevent it from using Ryanair’s booking engine to sell flights online. Bravofly, a Dutch-based business with offices in Dublin, Switzerland and Italy, is allegedly practising the subtle skill of screenscraping, contrary to the published terms for the website’s use.”

Link: http://ipkitten.blogspot.com

easyJet warns ‘several websites’ to stop selling its flights

“easyJet has confirmed that Expedia is not the only online travel firm to have felt the airline’s wrath Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it has also fired off letters to several other UK websites warning them to stop selling its flights.”

Link: http://www.theregister.co.uk

UK Carrier Easyjet To Back Aircraft Tax

“EasyJet is expected to break from the rest of Britain’s airlines today and support plans that would replace taxes on passengers with a tax levied on aircraft.”

Link: http://www.avweb.com

Ryanair CEO talks free sex on flights

“European budget carrier Ryanair has taken its cheeky reputation to new levels, with chief executive officer Michael O’Leary suggesting business class passengers would receive free oral sex on flights.”

Link: http://www.smh.com.aul

hero or villain?

“Easyjet has broken ranks with the remainder of the airline industry and supported the Government’s proposals to replace Airport Passenger Duty with a per flight charge. The current system is levied on individual passengers and flight distance. The new system will be levied per flight and will be based on take-off weight.”

Link: http://e8voice.blogspot.com

hero or villain?

Link: http://e8voice.blogspot.com

EU Probes Frankfurt Hahn Aid, Includes Ryanair

“The European Commission has launched a new probe into whether regional authorities break EU state aid rules by funding local airports used by Irish budget airline Ryanair, this time at Frankfurt’s Hahn Airport.

The Commission said on Tuesday it was checking public financing given to the airport by the Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz regional authorities in Germany, as well as from publicly owned parent company Fraport.”

Link: http://news.airwise.com

EasyJet founder gets Elgin marbles campaign rolling

“THE multi-millionaire founder of easyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is set to launch a personal campaign for the reuniting of the Elgin marbles. The controversial marble sculptures, which have been at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between Britain and Greece for decades, are split between the British Museum in London and the New Acropolis Museum in Athens.”

Link: http://news.scotsman.com

Ryanair Web site hit by second booking system problem

“Ryanair’s Web site has been hit by a second system glitch since the airline launched a new bookings system in February, causing difficulty to customers attempting to buy tickets.
It is taking customers up to a minute to switch pages on the site owing to the problems, Ryanair said, and a number of them are not receiving flight confirmations because payment authorization is being delayed.”

Link: http://www.thestandard.com

Irish Airline Ryanair Confident On Breaking-Even in 2009

“Ryanair has no plans to stop operations or increase charges amidst rising fuel prices. The Irish budget airline recently announced a 20 percent rise in profits in the past 12 months will help it absorb high oil prices even if they hover around $130 a barrel.
In a statement, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary expressed confidence that the company would break even next year and could manage the ill-effects of short term income loss due to high fuel costs.”

Link: http://stocksandcommerce.com

Ananova – EasyJet Launches Second Seat Sell-Off

[travel] Ananova – EasyJet Launches Second Seat Sell-Off “No-frills airline easyJet has launched its second round of sales in less than two months as figures showed its planes were less full in May than a year ago.
Airlines have been struggling with soaring oil prices near $130 a barrel, but easyJet is offering up to 20% off two million seats between June 16 and July 17.
In April, the company offered a similar promotion covering May and June as competition in the sector intensifies despite surging costs.”

Link: http://www.ananova.com

Ryanair CEO says oil is hurting

“Rising oil prices are hurting Ryanair, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Wednesday, but Europe’s biggest low cost airline can still avoid making a loss with oil prices at $125 a barrel.
“With oil at $125 (a barrel) … we certainly won’t make a lot of money,” O’Leary told reporters. “I don’t think we will lose money.”"

Link: http://uk.reuters.com

US airline to charge for baggage

“American Airlines is to become the first major US carrier to charge passengers to check in a first bag.
The new fee of $15 (Ã‚Â£7.50) comes as US airlines struggle with soaring fuel costs and a slumping economy. ”

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Fuel costs will sink most European discounters

“Oil prices well above $100 a barrel will drive most of Europe’s low-cost airlines out of business, the head of EasyJet’s French subsidiary said on Wednesday.
The stark warning of a cull of low-cost airlines came as the British budget airline’s shares fell more than 4% after another spike higher in oil prices towards $120 a barrel.
“There are currently about 50 low-cost carriers on the European market Ã¢â‚¬â€ that’s absurd,” Francois Bacchetta, managing director of EasyJet France, told a news conference.”

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-04-24-easyjet-rivals-oil_N.htm?csp=34

China opens ‘longest sea bridge’

“China has formally opened what it says is the world’s longest sea bridge with a ceremony and fireworks. The 36km (22.5 mile) bridge spans the mouth of Hangzhou Bay in the East China Sea, linking the commercial capital Shanghai and the port city of Ningbo.”

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7377928.stm

Ryanair’s unfair airport check-in fees for holders of non-European Union passports

“Blog reader Elaine Carson recently left a comment about her experience with Ryanair’s check-in policy. This topic certainly seems worthy of discussion, as it affects every holder of a U.S. passport who plans to use this airline now and in the future.”

Link: http://blogs.stripes.com

Ryanair opens domestic routes in France and Germany

“Ryanair launches its first domestic routes in France (Marseilles to Paris) and Germany (Frankfurt (Hahn) to Berlin). The routes will start in May 2008. For too long, French and German passengers have been forced to suffer Air France and Lufthansa’s high fares and fuel surcharges for the ‘privilege’ of air travel within their own countries. These new routes will slash the cost of domestic travel and will save French and German consumers over Ã¢â€šÂ¬26m per annum. ”

Link: http://www.boarding.no

Call for an end to malaria deaths

“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to launch a new campaign to eliminate deaths from malaria, to mark the first World Malaria Day.
The disease causes over a million deaths a year, with 90% of all cases occurring in Africa.”

Link:

Snow

it’s snowing here, i thought it was spring….

Malta welcomes first EasyJet flight

“Low-cost airline EasyJet operated its first flight to Malta this morning. (Sunday, 30th March 2008)

The Luton-based airline will be flying 10 times per week from Gatwick to Malta and daily from Manchester during the summer. During the shoulder months, it will service Gatwick daily and Manchester airport four times a week. The first flight arrived from Gatwick at 11.30.

Though it is a budget airline, no subsidies are being provided to EasyJet since it has assumed the slots previously operated by GB Airways, the British Airways franchise which it bought in October.”

Link: http://www.timesofmalta.com

WordPress 2.5

Just upgraded to WordPress 2.5 everything went smoothly, plugins updated semi automatically, i just had to click some buttons.

i just have to get used to the new admin area now…

EasyJet Air Fare Advert Misleading Says Advertising Standards Agency

“EasyJet has flown into trouble with adverts which promised a “double the difference” refund if passengers found a cheaper fare.

The adverts stated: “Book by Friday and if you find it cheaper elsewhere we’ll refund DOUBLE the difference.”"

Link: http://news.sky.coml

EasyJet maintains robust outlook

“EasyJet, the UK’s leading low-cost airline, has maintained its forecast for a 20 per cent increase in underlying pre-tax profits in its financial year to the end of September, in stark contrast to the profit warning issued this week by rival Ryanair.”

Link: http://www.ft.com

Ryanair gets Easyjet ad grounded

“As an airline, you know you’re in bother when Ryanair accuses you of making misleading adverts…

Rival low-cost operator Easyjet has been forced by the Advertising Standards Agency to withdraw some of its adverts, after Ryanair successfully argued that they were misleading. The ASA said they broke rules on ‘truthfulness, guarantees and substantiation’ and have told Easyjet that they can’t be used again.”

Link: http://www.managementtoday.co.uk

How to take good photos

“Tom Ang presents top tips on how to get the most out of your digital camera.”

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/britain/goodphotos/

Ryanair signals huge rise in Edinburgh flights

“A CHEAP air travel bonanza has been signalled by Ryanair, with plans for dozens of new routes from Scotland’s largest airport over the next two years. The news came as the no-frills airline confirmed plans for 12 additional links from Edinburgh, as The Scotsman revealed yesterday.
In one of the largest-ever routes announcements in Scotland, the country will gain its first flights to Bratislava in Slovakia Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 40 miles from Vienna Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and to Lodz in Poland.
Edinburgh will also gain a further four new routes: to Berlin, Bournemouth, Dusseldorf and Wroclaw in Poland.”

Link: http://news.scotsman.comthe

Paul-Roberts.com

Someone’s parked a spitfire outside the Churchill war rooms.

OFT watchdog says Ryanair payment policy is ‘puerile’

*•HAPPY•* NEW•*• YEAR•*¨*•.

Happy Christmas

T-mobile G1 (v2)

T-mobile G1 (v1)

Panorama from Blue Fin Building

Saturday Fun

Leaking mushroom soup halts plane

Sixteen hurt as Ryanair jet plunges

Ryanair blocks ‘illegal’ bookings

Ireland’s Ryanair cuts back winter flights

Ryanair’s inflight phones

JetBlue Now Charging For Pillows

Ryanair takes on Dutch screenscraper

easyJet warns ‘several websites’ to stop selling its flights

UK Carrier Easyjet To Back Aircraft Tax

Ryanair CEO talks free sex on flights

hero or villain?

hero or villain?

EU Probes Frankfurt Hahn Aid, Includes Ryanair

EasyJet founder gets Elgin marbles campaign rolling

Ryanair Web site hit by second booking system problem

Irish Airline Ryanair Confident On Breaking-Even in 2009

Ananova – EasyJet Launches Second Seat Sell-Off

Ryanair CEO says oil is hurting

US airline to charge for baggage

Fuel costs will sink most European discounters

China opens ‘longest sea bridge’

Ryanair’s unfair airport check-in fees for holders of non-European Union passports

Ryanair opens domestic routes in France and Germany

Call for an end to malaria deaths

Snow

Malta welcomes first EasyJet flight

WordPress 2.5

EasyJet Air Fare Advert Misleading Says Advertising Standards Agency

EasyJet maintains robust outlook

Ryanair gets Easyjet ad grounded

How to take good photos

Ryanair signals huge rise in Edinburgh flights

•HAPPY• NEW•• YEAR•¨*•.