EUROPE: Ryanair Unending Troubles, 250 Flights Cancelled Allover Europe Due To Strike

Thousands of Ryanair passengers across Europe face travel disruption on Friday after strikes forced the airline to cancel 250 flights.

The total had stood at 150 until German pilots decided on Thursday to walk out, resulting in another 100 cancellations.

Almost 200 Ryanair flights across Europe won't take off as Ryanair staff in six European countries strike. The decision of the Cockpit pilots' union to join the strike will cancel 35-45 flights in and out of Germany.

They will join striking pilots in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Cabin crews in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain will also go on strike in a row over contracts and conditions.

Unions want staff to be given contracts in the countries where they live, rather than under Irish law.

Irish budget airline Ryanair was bracing for staff walkouts in six European countries on Friday, with 40,000 travelers expected to be affected, including passengers in Germany.

Ryanair cabin crews in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, as well as pilots in Germany, served Ryanair strike notices of the 24-hour walkout as they seek better pay and conditions.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said the company had written to unions offering to move all staff to local contracts, which made the strike action unnecessary.

However, the Dutch pilots union said it had only verbally offered its members local contracts and had refused to put the offer in writing.

Joost Van Doesburg, of the VNV union, said his members also wanted pensions in line with Dutch standards, and firmer guarantees on sick pay

The genesis of today's row stretch back to autumn last year when Ryanair 400,000 Ryanair passengers had their flights cancelled.

The airline had already canceled 150 of the 2,400 European flights scheduled for Friday, but the announcement of strikes by pilots from Germany's Vereinigung Cockpit pilots' union (VC) has caused the airline to cancel additional flights.

The subsequent decision to start recognising pilot and cabin crew unions around Europe was a multinational problem.

Some deals with some unions in some countries have been done.

But overall there is plenty to resolve.

Ryanair marketing head Kenny Jacobs said the decision by VC to participate would result in 35 to 45 flights to and from Germany not taking off.

In total, around 10 percent of Ryanair's German flights will be affected while around 6 percent of Ryanair's EU flights are affected.

Ryanair released a statement condemning what it called "unnecessary" strikes by the VC union.

The airline on Wednesday released a letter showing it had agreed to arbitration with the union with an implementation period of four to five weeks, compared to the five months VC had sought.

Ryanair staff have been pushing for higher wages and an end to the practice that has seen many work as independent contractors without the benefits given staff employees.

Some Ryanair staff across Europe want the airline to be answerable to local employment laws, instead of the employment law of Ireland, where it is based.

The Irish airline says it has made significant progress in recent weeks in negotiations, including reaching collective labour agreements with staff in Ireland, Britain, Italy and Germany.

Ryanair this week signed deals with cabin crew unions in Italy to provide employment contracts under Italian law and agreed to arbitration with the union representing its German pilots.

The European Commission said Ryanair employees should have contracts in the countries where they live rather than in Ireland, where its planes are registered.

EU rules on employment of air crews were based on where workers left in the morning and returned in the evening, and not where aircraft were registered.

Respecting EU law is not something over which workers should have to negotiate, nor is it something which can be done differently from country to country.

The internal market is not a jungle it has clear rules on fair labour mobility and worker protection. This is not an academic debate, but about concrete social rights of workers.

Ryanair has traditionally employed a large proportion of its staff under Irish law, which unions say inconveniences workers and affects their ability to access social security benefits.

Ryanair said the vast majority of its 2,400 flights on Friday would be unaffected, with only 35,000 of 450,000 passengers experiencing disruption.

Passengers whose flight have been cancelled were contacted by email and text message on Tuesday to advise them of their options.

We sincerely apologise to those customers affected by these unnecessary strikes on Friday which we have done our utmost to avoid, Ryanair said.

It has rejected calls by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to compensate passengers whose flights have been cancelled, claiming they were caused by competitor airline crew, unions and lobby groups and were therefore extraordinary circumstances.

However, Coby Benson, a lawyer specialising in flight delay compensation at Bott and Co, said Ryanair's arguments did not comply with the precedent set in April by a case in Germany.

Last month, Ryanair pilots across Europe staged a coordinated 24-hour strike to push their demands for better pay and conditions, plunging tens of thousands of passengers into transport chaos at the height of the summer holiday season.

In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.

Another indication of the company's rethink on contracts came on Thursday when it announced two new bases in France.

They will be the first in the country since it closed Marseille in early 2011 after being sued for employing French workers on Irish contracts.

It will also open another base at Bordeaux for summer 2019 and had another four under consideration.

Two aircraft will be based at both Marseille and Bordeaux and will offer a total of 64 routes and handle 3.5 million passengers a year.

Ryanair has just struck a three-year deal with cabin crew unions in Italy, with a key point being that staff based there can now get local contracts with associated benefits and rights.

Friday's strike will be the second biggest one-day strike after some 55,000 customers were put out in August when pilots in five European countries walked out during the peak of the summer holiday season.

All affected customers have received email and text message notifications to advise them of cancelations and options, Ryanair said.


Tourism Observer

BELGIUM: Ryanair Cabin Crew Union Reject Airline's Offer, Swear To Go On Strike As Planned

Ryanair Belgium cabin crew have rejected an offer from the Irish airline in regards to their recent complaints of local contracts. Strike action is still to go ahead later this month.

Ryanair cabin crew union CNE in Belgium have rejected the offer from the airline.

The airline offered to follow the employment law in Belgium until 2020 for any employees contracted.

This addresses one of the key concerns regarding the current policy which employs staff members according to Irish law, not contracted in their own country.

Ryanair has not yet issued an updated statement in regards to the recent claims.

They claim that the offer would only be good for half of the workers involved.

CNE union spokesman Yves Lambot told Irish Times: “It’s a deception on the part of Ryanair.”

If it goes ahead, the 24-hour walkout is to take place on 28 September.

Cabin crew members across all of Europe are expected to strike later this month in regards to complaints put forward.

Disagreements over hours and pay are some of the key issues put forward by the cabin crew unions.

Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands will also be on strike alongside Belgium on the 28 September.

They will strike once a month until their demands are met by the Irish airline.

The last cabin crew strike was the worst in Ryanair’s history, which resulted in hundreds of flights cancelled and 50,000 passengers affected.

Customers affected also reported their cheques regarding cancelled flights compensation bouncing, resulting in missed compensated fees.

Ryanair has experienced a wave of pilot strikes, mostly Irish pilots, in 2018 which lasted for many weeks.

Up to 20 flights a day were cancelled every Saturday for three months during the strikes in Ireland.

In a recent press conference, CEO Michael O’Leary warned that strike action would continue to happen to keep low fares for the airline.

He stated he would not back down against complaints: We will not be paying a 22 per cent pay increase to German pilots as we still pay more than other airlines such as Norwegian.

We want to reach agreements with our pilots but in some cases we have unions who have over promised and now can’t deliver.


Tourism Observer

FRANCE: Air China Flight From Paris To Beijing Forced Back After Suspected Terrorist Threat

An Air China flight was turned around after receiving suspected terrorist information during an international trip that was later said be a false threat.

The flight was travelling from France to Beijing on Thursday when it was suddenly forced to turn back and land in Paris.

In a message posted across social media, the commercial airline said it received a suspected terrorist message after taking off.

Air China has received a suspected terrorist message, the statement read. Flight CA876 has returned to Paris safely, with the plane and its passengers all unharmed.

By Thursday afternoon, however, Chinese state media reported the issue was a false alarm.

The Air China flight reported an emergency after 8:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, Reports from international air transportation monitoring agencies about an emergency on the Air China trip were posted to Twitter early Thursday morning.

The flight’s trajectory showed the plane had not yet passed Brussels, Belgium before turning around to Paris.

Air China did not immediately respond to enquiries, but said in a statement to one of its social media profiles that it turned the flight around to ensure safety.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Flight LH428 In Emergency Landing

Lufthansa LH428 non stop flight from Munich, Germany to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina, USA took off Sunday at 12.40h Munich time.

The captain of the Lufthansa Airbus 330-343 declared an emergency when approaching Irish Airspace and turned around.

The flight was diverted to Glasgow due to an unknown emergency.

The plane lowered altitude to 15,000 feet and stayed at this altitude bypassing Glasgow, bypassing Birmingham, crossing over to the Netherland, Belgium and just crossed back into German airspace at 15.57 German time – all keeping a low altitude of 15,000 feet, less than 5000 meters.

Lufthansa Public Relations shortly after LH428 was in emergency mode.

LH428 was approaching Munich at 16.25 and Lufthansa putting an end to the mystery around this fight.

Lufthansa flight LH428 en route from Munich to Charlotte had to return to Munich today as a purely precautionary measure due to a momentary unusual smell in the cabin.

The safety on board was not impacted at any time.

Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience caused and will provide an alternative aircraft that will fly the passengers to Charlotte tomorrow.

The safety of our passengers and crew members is our top priority at all times.



Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Some Dangerous Cities

Europe expereiences a high level of safety, violence does occur and patterns of where and when it does can appear.

This is measured from a city's its homicide rate, which is defined as the intentional death of a citizen at the hands of another citizen or citizens.

These rates are calculated to be per capita, so although one city may experience a higher number of murders than another, if their population is larger the murder rate will be lower as a result.

Areas such as Central and South America and Africa can see rates reaching 50 murders per 100,000 residents, and the homicide rate of the United States is around 5 per 100,000.

Tallinn, Estonia - 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Tallinn is a city in Estonia, situated on the northern coast of the country. With a relatively small population of 443,894, the city experienced 22 homicides in 2010, bringing its rate to 5.5 per 100,000.

This sits lower than the murder rate of Estonia that was calculated between 1999 and 2001, which was calculated as a high of 9.4 per 100,000 people.

The general trend appears to be that the homicide rate in Tallinn is decreasing, as 40 murders were reported in 2005, standing in contrast to 2010.

However, Tallinn's small population size, relatively large amount of murders per capita, and position on a continent where violent crime is highly uncommon gives it a place at the top of this list.

Glasgow, Scotland - 5.1 homicides per 100,000 people

Glasgow is the largest city of Scotland, located in the United Kingdom.

In 2010, the homicide rate of Glasgow was 5.1 per 100,000 residents, calculated from a total of 30 murders that were experienced in the city that year.

30 is a number that appears to be average for the number of violent deaths in Glasgow every year, a number that may be due to organized gangs and turf wars.

Vilnius, Lithuania - 4.7 homicides per 100,000 people

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, which is located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, Vilnius reported 26 crimes, producing a crime rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.

This number was, however, actually a decrease from the crime rates experience prior to 2010, which reached a high in 2008 when 58 homicides were recorded resulting in a rate of 10.4 per 100,000 residents.

Despite these numbers of homicides that appear relatively high for Europe, visitors are still much more likely to encounter petty crime such as pickpocketing and credit card theft.

Moscow, Russia - 4.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city on the European continent with 12.2 million inhabitants.

It is a major cultural center of Europe and is located on the Moskva River.

In 2010, there were 483 homicides reported in Moscow, although this was a decrease from numbers seen in 2005, 2006 and 2007, where 766, 767, and 629 murders were reported respectively.

This decrease in murders may be a sign that violent crime in Moscow is decreasing, although other crime such as car theft remains a problem in this major city.

Podgorica, Montenegro - 3.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Podgorica is the largest city of Montenegro, as well as serving as the nation's capital. Between 1946 and 1992, when Montenegro was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia), the city was known as Titograd.

In 2010, there were 7 deaths by homicide recorded in Podgorica.

This is a number that seems pretty on-trend for what is reported for Podgorica, although the year 2006 did see an influx of homicides, with 12 in the year bringing the homicide rate of the time up to 6.5 per 100,000 residents.

Belfast, Northern Ireland - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and located in the north of the island of Ireland.

In 2010, Belfast reported a homicide rate of 3.3, which was calculated from nine murders, given Belfast's relatively small population of 286,000.

This crime rate, however, is part of a trend in the lowering of homicides in Northern Ireland.

During the Troubles of the 1970s and 80s, the crime rate of Northern Ireland was closer to 31 per 100,000, which is similar to the homicide rate that could be found in Colombia or South Africa during the early 2010s.

Riga, Latvia - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Riga is the largest city in Latvia, a country located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, there were 23 murders in the city, resulting in a homicide rate of 3.3.

Although the historic city is known to be relatively safe, public parks and the heavily-touristed Old Town are known to be areas where crime could be more likely to occur, although much of this may be petty crime such as pickpocketing.

2010, however, appears to have been slightly lower than what is average for Riga, as the years 2005-2009 each saw over 30 reported homicide incidents.

Kiev, Ukraine - 3.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Kiev is the largest city and capital of the Eastern European country of Ukraine. In 2010, 118 of Kiev's residents were victims of homicide, creating a murder rate of 3.2

This appears to be a number that is a somewhat annual average for Kiev, where murder rates are about 100 per year.

The public transit system, including suburban trains, have been singled out as potential hotbeds for violent crime in Kiev due to their tendency to be overcrowded and require repairs.

Zurich, Switzerland - 3.0 homicides per 100,000 people

Zurich is the largest city in the central European nation of Switzerland.

In 2010, there were 11 homicides reported in the city, which creates a murder rate of 3.0 when the city's low population of less than half a million is taken into consideration.

2010, however, does appear to be somewhat of an anomaly for this Swiss urban area, as both the years 2009 and 2011 saw only 4 and 1 murders, respectively.

Brussels, Belgium - 2.8 homicides per 100,000 people

Brussels is the largest city in Belgium, located in Western Europe.

It is also well known for being the capital of the European Union (EU).

In 2010, there were 31 murders in Brussels, a number that appears to be average for the city with the year 2008 being a slight exception when 44 homicides were reported.

In 2001, Brussels was the fourth most crime-ridden city in Europe, although this number also took into other crimes such as burglary and assault.




Tourism Observer

TURKEY: Terror Attacks Cause Suffering To Turkey's Hospitality, Tourism And Travel Industries

Stunning architecture, a rich and ancient history, beautiful beaches and a bustling urban nightlife have long drawn tourists from around the world to Turkey and its capital, Istanbul.

But after a recent spate of violence and terrorism in the country, its tourism industry, an important part of the nation’s economy, is suffering.

Tourism accounted for a little more than 12 percent of Turkey’s gross domestic product in 2014, significantly higher than the global average of roughly 9 percent, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

But, according to a bulletin published by the Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the country saw a massive, 30 percent dropoff in the number of visits by foreigners in January through November 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.

In contrast, the 2015 period was down just 1 percent from January to November 2014.

Gül Taner, a sales manager for GurTur Travel, an agency based out of Harbiye, a neighborhood in Istanbul, said that in the 25 years her company has been in business, the country has never gone through anything like the violence in 2016.

“Until last year we never seen attacks like this,” Taner said. “This is a different chapter in Turkish history.”

“Terrorist attacks are negatively affecting all sectors of Turkish life right now and not just tourism,” she said.

A New Year’s attack in an Istanbul nightclub left 39 dead, a massacre for which ISIS claimed responsibility. ISIS was also blamed by Turkish authorities for an assault at the Istanbul airport in June that killed 41 and the terror group claimed responsibility for at least two other deadly bombings in the city in 2016.

In the mass shooting at the Reina nightclub on New Year’s morning, many of those killed or injured were foreigners from a diverse array of countries including Belgium, France, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, according to Turkish media.

Taner said she’s hopeful that the spate of terror attacks will slow that visitors hesitant visiting the country now will change their minds.

“I will always wish good things for my country,” she said.

A Billion Visitors In The First Nine Months Of 2016

Tourism sites around the world have recorded close to about one billion visitors in the first nine months of 2016, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) says.

The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer found that destinations around the world received 956 million international tourists between January and September 2016.

“This is 34 million more than in the same period in 2015, a 4 per cent increase,” the organisation said.

The UN tourism agency sated that demand for international tourism remained robust in the first nine months of 2016, though growing at a somewhat more moderate pace.

“After a strong start of the year, growth was slower in the second quarter of 2016 to pick up again in the third quarter of the year. While most destinations report encouraging results, others continue to struggle with the impact of negative events, either in their country or in their region,” it added.

Indicating results for the various regions of the world, it said Asia and the Pacific led growth across world regions with international tourist arrivals, noting that overnight visitors went up 9 per cent through September. It indicated that all the four subregions shared in the growth.

The UNWTO said many destinations reported double-digit growth, with the Republic of Korea (+34 per cent), Vietnam (+36 per cent), Japan (+24 per cent) and Sri Lanka (+15 per cent) in the lead.

According to the UNWTO, in Europe, international arrivals grew by 2 per cent between January and September 2016, with solid growth in most destinations.

“Nonetheless,” it added, “double-digit increases in major destinations such as Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland were offset by feeble results in France, Belgium and Turkey. As a consequence, Northern Europe grew by 6 per cent and Central and Eastern Europe by 5 per cent while results were weaker in Western Europe (-1 per cent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+0 per cent).”

The Barometer indicated that international tourist arrivals in the Americas increased by 4 per cent through September. South America recorded +7 per cent and Central America up at +6 per cent led the results, followed closely by the Caribbean and North America both at +4 per cent.

In Africa there was +8 per cent increase, as sub-Saharan destinations rebounded strongly throughout the year, while North Africa picked up in the third quarter.

Available data for the Middle East points to a 6 per cent decrease in arrivals, though results vary from destination to destination. Results started to gradually improve in the second half of the year in both North Africa and the Middle East,” the UNWTO said.

The UNWTO however indicated that the results from the Barometer reflect preliminary data reported to date and are subject to revision.

UAE: Etihad Airways Looking For Pilots In Europe To Fly Airbus And Boeing Fleets

Etihad Airways has embarked on a major recruitment drive to hire additional crew, as it fleet expands.

The UAE’s national carrier said it is looking for pilots in Europe to join both its Airbus and Boeing fleets, with new aircraft expected to arrive between this year and 2025. The main focus of the talent search is to fill posts for First Officers.

Recruiters for the airline were scheduled to be in Europe on Sunday, November 13. They started in Romania and were expected to be in Bulgaria today, Tuesday. They will then make stops in Hungary, Lithuania, Greece, Poland, Belgium and Portugal.

Etihad had earlier announced it would freeze the hiring of non-operational staff, as currency fluctuations, economic uncertainty and market competition are putting pressure on yields. Recruitment of pilots, cabin crew and engineers, however, will continue.

The airline has a range of aircraft including Airbus 330s, 380s, Boeing 777s and B787s, and expects new A380 deliveries next year.

SOUTH AFRICA: Lufthansa Flying From Frankfurt To Cape Town Direct - 2 December 2016,

Lufthansa is expanding operations in South Africa, adding a non-stop route from Cape Town to Frankfurt - the airline has announced.

Dr André Schulz, Lufthansa General Manager for Southern Africa, speaking at a media briefing in Cape Town, says the city will now boast services to both Lufthansa Hubs, Munich & Frankfurt.

The new route will start 2 December 2016, with the long-term view to make the route permanent, according to Schulz, complimenting the year-round daily flights from Johannesburg. Added to this, Edelweiss the Swiss Leisure carrier is expected to continue seasonal flights to Zurich.

Flights will depart from Frankfurt every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday - with bookings available immediately for these flights from Friday, 27 May 2016, either through the Lufthansa website or through travel agents.

Tourist arrivals to South Africa in 2016 are already on the up and up as the department of tourism just announced an 18.7%, with Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom cautioning that Easter in March would have had an impact - but the seasonal flights increases will bode well for tourism as a whole.

According to the latest StatSA figures released for the first quarter of 2016, 36 759 visitors from Germany came to SA in for the first quarter, while a comparison between movements in March 2015 and March 2016 shows that the number of tourists increased for seven of the ten leading overseas markets into the country - these being China, Belgium, USA, UK, India, France and Germany.

'Night service to off best possible options to access connections'

Schulz says the flight will operate as a night service with Lufthansa choosing the departure and arrival times carefully to offer travellers the "Best possible options to access connections to the entire Lufthansa route network.”

Flight LH576 leaves Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub at 22:10 and arrives in Cape Town the following morning at 11:00. The return journey departs from Cape Town in the early evening at 18:30 and touches down in Frankfurt the following morning at 05:30, where passengers can access Lufthansa’s entire flight program from its main hub. In total, the Lufthansa Group serves 316 destinations in 101 countries from its hubs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Lufthansa currently operates a year-round daily flight between Frankfurt and Johannesburg with the Boeing 747-8, the next generation of the iconic Jumbo jet, the longest passenger aircraft in the world. In addition, Swiss International Airlines serves Johannesburg from its Zurich base, offering a daily service with an Airbus A340-300.

“After Johannesburg, Cape Town is one of the most important markets for the Lufthansa Group in Southern Africa and the new gateway will offer our customers access to some 200 destinations from the Frankfurt hub. It also unlocks new tourism opportunities for those coming in from Germany by offering attractive combination options to other destinations in Southern Africa through our Star Alliance partners," says Schulz.

The Cape Town route will be served by a newly retrofitted Airbus A340-300, which boasts over 279 seats and offers the new Intercontinental Business Class (30), new Premium Economy (28) Class and Economy Class (221).

“South Africa remains one of our most important markets in sub-Saharan Africa and a key destination for German as well as other European visitors. We are thrilled to continue building bridges between the Lufthansa Group and the South African tourist industry, says Claus Becker, Director of Sales, sub Saharan Africa.

Added to this, Lufthansa said it would be looking to have a competitive outbound offering for South Africa headed to Frankfurt. "Germany’s central position in Europe makes it an excellent point of departure for business or leisure trips, from the largest Star Alliance hub in Europe,” he added.

In addition to the new SA flight route, the airline is looking to added capacity to its current three flights in Nairobi, Kenya increasing it to four flights a week from 1 September 2016.

Earlier in May, Lufthansa's low-cost carrier EuroWings also launched non-stop flight to the popular holiday destination of Mauritius. Eurowings, which was launched in the beginning of March 2015, will offer year round service from Cologne to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport during the European Summer and Winter Seasons. With the arrival of Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss in October, Lufthansa will serve Mauritius with four brands from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Locally, the Western Cape area’s tourism industry is ecstatic about Lufthansa’s additional frequencies into the region.

“This new Lufthansa route will have a positive impact on business and tourism in the Cape,” says Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

“Germany is a priority market as our third-largest source of foreign direct investment, and the third biggest buyer of our products outside of Africa." Cape Town Air Access, a division of Wesgro says it is "actively working on making the direct Frankfurt - Cape Town route a success through publicity, market awareness, and networking opportunities".

“German tourist arrivals are growing rapidly, so we are very pleased that Lufthansa added Frankfurt to their existing seasonal direct daily Munich service. With this additional capacity we expect that Cape Town International Airport will easily reach the 10 million passenger milestone this year”.

Another recent addition as part of the direct route access to Cape Town includes British Airways' direct flights between Cape Town and Gatwick, set to start 24 November. Added to this British Airways has added two more flights to its already expanded Cape Town summer schedule, bringing the number of summer flights between Cape Town International and Heathrow Airport to 19 per week.

Deon Cloete, the General Manager of Cape Town International Airport, also welcomed the announcement. “This additional service from Lufthansa is not only good news for the airport or the region, but particularly for those who need a directly flight to Frankfurt. We value the partnership and the ongoing commitment Lufthansa has made in growing their service and thereby providing connectivity to the rest of the world. This is a huge vote of confidence in our city and we look forward to the continued partnership.”

Flight schedule (all times are local times;winter time) for FRA - CPT 3 times a week

- Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, from 02.12.2016

- LH576: FRA 22:10 – 11:00 +1 CPT
- LH577: CPT 18:30 – 05:30 +1 FRA


Flight duration: (on average) 11 hours 50 minutes

Distance: 9 401 km (5 076 nautical miles)

Aircraft type: Airbus A340-300 (30 Business Class; 28 Premium Economy; 221 Economy Class)

Egyptair Crash Nationalities

A plant manager with Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble was one of 66 passengers and crew members aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 when it disappeared Thursday over the Mediterranean Sea.

Others on board included a Welsh geologist, the sister-in-law of an Egyptian diplomat, a Kuwaiti economist and a French photographer who, covered rock concerts.

People from a dozen countries were on the EgyptAir flight en route from Paris to Cairo when it vanished from radar. No U.S. citizens were on the plane, according to the airline.

There were 30 Egyptians and 15 French citizens listed on the manifest. Two infants and a child were on the flight. Other passengers included two Iraqis and people from nine other countries: Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria, Great Britain, Belgium, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Ten crew members were also on board.

Two Canadians were on the flight, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Dion said in a statement.

Procter & Gamble spokesman Damon Jones identified its employee on the flight as Egyptian-born Ahmed Helal, a married father of two children and manager of the company's Amiens France manufacturing plant. He had worked for the company since 2000.

"We are in touch with the employee’s family and are offering them our full support during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and all the affected families," Jones said.

Helal was 40, according to French public-radio network France Bleu. He was in charge of one of P&G's largest fabric care plants in the world, employing 930 workers and shipping Ariel, Mr. Clean, Febreze, Dash and Gama throughout Europe.

Helal's Facebook profile lists his hometown as Alexandria, Egypt. He studied mechanical engineering at American University in Cairo before graduating in 2000.

Welshman Richard Osman, 40, a geologist, was among those on the plane, British news outlets reported. He moved to Wales as a boy when his father, a doctor, set up a medical practice there.

A former neighbor, Audrey Jones, said: "He was such a nice lad and always very good to his mother."

Airport officials in Egypt identified two other victims as Hisham el-Maqawad, a sister-in-law of the deputy to the Egyptian ambassador in Paris, and Sahar al-Khawaga, a Saudi woman who worked at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. Al-Khawaga was in Paris to follow up on her daughter's medical treatment there, the officials said.

Abdel Mohsen Al-Sohaili, a Kuwaiti economist with two disabled children, was headed to Cairo for a three-day break, his nephew, Mosharei al-Sohaili, said.

Pascal Hess, a photographer from Evreux, France, who covered rock concerts, also was a passenger.

UNITED KINGDOM; Secret Escapes Announces More Global Expansion

Secret Escapes, the London-based flash sales site for affordable luxury travel, has expanded into Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The move follows a $60 million investment in 2015, led by Google Ventures and Octopus Ventures, and forms part of the company's ongoing international expansion plan.

In the last 12 months, Secret Escapes has begun operating in additional markets in Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy), and is planning further openings later in 2016. In addition, it will continue to grow its operations in North America.

Since launching in 2011, Secret Escapes - which offers its members exclusive deals on hand-picked hotels and holidays at up to 70% off - has established itself as a major player in the travel scene, reporting an average year-on-year growth of 230% and securing over $650 million cumulative global turnover.

Its membership base has grown from four million in January 2014 to over 28 million members worldwide and has now sold over 3.6 million room nights across the world.

Chief executive Alex Saint said: "Last year's $60 million cash injection is helping us to realise our ambition to become a truly global brand, enabling us to open up opportunities in Asia, continue our expansion throughout Europe and capitalise on our good start in the US.

"We want to be the number one destination for customers looking to book affordable luxury holidays, and it seems pretty clear to us that there is a strong desire for our kind of product in Asia."

CANADA: Suicide Tourism, Assisted Death Bill Coming

Canada's new assisted suicide law to be announced on Thursday will exclude non-Canadians, which means Americans won't be able to travel to Canada to die.

A senior government official said late Wednesday the new law will exclude non-Canadians, precluding the prospect of suicide tourism from the U.S. and elsewhere. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details ahead of the Thursday morning announcement.

The law will also will exclude those who experience mental illness or psychiatric conditions. It will also ban advance consent. That is, it won't allow requests to end one's life in the future.

The Supreme Court last year struck down laws that bar doctors from helping someone die, but put the ruling on hold while the government came up with a new law. New Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government asked for a four-month extension to come up with the new law. Canada's justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is due to announce details on Thursday.

Wilson-Raybould said earlier this week the bill would seek to protect "the conscience rights of medical practitioners," as well as vulnerable members of society.

Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Colombia, Japan and in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg allow doctors, under strict conditions, to euthanize patients whose medical conditions have been judged hopeless and who are in great pain.

Canada's Supreme Court declared last year that outlawing that option deprives dying people of their dignity and autonomy. It had been illegal in Canada to counsel, aid or abet a suicide, an offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Last year's ruling immediately triggered emotional responses from both sides of the debate.

The decision was spurred by cases brought by the families of two British Columbia women, who have since died. The decision reversed a Canadian Supreme Court ruling in 1993. At the time, the justices were primarily concerned that vulnerable people could not be properly protected under physician-assisted suicide. But the top court said last year that doctors are capable of assessing the competence of patients to consent, and found there is no evidence that the elderly or people with disabilities are vulnerable to being talked into ending their lives.

It has been more than 20 years since the case of another patient with Lou Gehrig's disease, Sue Rodriguez, gripped Canada as she fought for the right to assisted suicide. She lost her appeal but took her own life with the help of an anonymous doctor in 1994, at the age of 44.

GHANA: Paragliding In Ghana

The first Ghanaian paragliding pilot, Jonathan Quaye, has expressed his joy in taking part in the just-ended paragliding festival held as part of the Easter celebrations in Kwahu in the Eastern Regio.He was successfully trained in Pune, India.

The festival attracted 10 pilots of international repute from the USA, Peru, Japan, France and Belgium.

An interview he granted and published by the Statesman on Monday, said his training lasted six months after expressing interest in having a career in paragliding.

He urged Ghanaians to also develop interest in the field by taking the bold step to train in paragliding.

The paragliding event in Ghana has become a very prominent tourism attraction event that is organised annually as part of the Easter celebrations in the Eastern Region.

In the previous years, only pilots from abroad took part in it, but the inclusion of Quaye, gives the country hope that more Ghanaians would soon take part in it.

FRANCE: Uber Fined 150,000 Euros For Misleading Practices In France

A French appeals court upheld charges against taxi app company Uber on Monday, fining it 150,000 euros ($160,000) for “misleading commercial practices”.

In January, France banned Uber’s low-price UberPOP service, which allowed unlicenced drivers to become taxi drivers using their own cars.

Bans have also followed in Belgium, Germany and Holland, though the company’s full-price service using professional drivers remains unaffected in France.

Uber continued to run the low-cost UberPOP service in France for several months after the ban, leading to a spate of violent protests by taxi unions in June that saw cars set alight and several Uber drivers and passengers attacked.

The San Francisco-based company finally shut down UberPOP in July after two of its French bosses were arrested and charged with “misleading commercial practices (and) complicity in the illegal exercise of the taxi profession”.

The appeals court on Monday increased the fine from 100,000 euros that was originally handed down in October 2014.

It argued Uber misrepresented UberPOP by claiming it was a ride-sharing service rather than a normal taxi service.

France was the first country after the United States to have the UberPOP service when it was launched in February 2014.

The constitutional court upheld the ban in September.

Uber has become one of the world’s most valuable startups, worth an estimated $50 billion, as it has expanded to more than 50 countries.

MALI: Unrest In Northern Mali Has Devastated Tourism Industry

Gunmen invaded a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, on Friday and took scores of hostages. The Malian Army surrounded the hotel, evacuated employees and guests, and began scouring the building in search of the gunmen.

The siege appeared to be over by late afternoon on Friday.Citizens of many countries, including the United States, were among the hotel’s guests.It is still unclear who was responsible for the attack. Al Mourabitoun, a militant Islamist organization, has claimed responsibility.It is not known whether the assault on the hotel was connected in any way with the attacks in Paris last week.

Continuing unrest and doubts about security in northern Mali have devastated the country’s floundering tourism industry. About 142,000 international travelers visited the country in 2013, a drop from 160,000 in 2011, according to data kept by the World Bank.

Months before Friday’s attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the rise of violent extremism caused some Western governments to issue travel warnings.

“Terrorist groups have increased their rhetoric calling for additional attacks or kidnapping attempts on westerners and others, particularly those linked to support for international military intervention,” the U.S. Department of State said in May.

France has listed the northern part of the country in its so-called red zone, or places where it encourages citizens not to travel, since shortly after the government was overthrown in 2012.

Regarding the Bamako area, the French government has issued regular warnings to its citizens concerning past attacks and kidnappings in the region.

People from several nations — including the United States, India, Germany, Belgium, Algeria, France and China — are believed to have been taken hostage inside the hotel.