It’s Saturday again, so it’s time for another safety video.

This week (and as we’re near the end of the month it’s a “classical” safety video), and bearing no relation for my next trip, it’s ANA presenting safety for it’s Boeing 747-400′s.

More of course next week!

… even when doing a “miles only” redemption.  But where?

Well the taxes are loaded, and here is a little map to wet your appetite…

Map provided by www.gcmap.com

So I’ll let you all de-construct the routes and plans… as I prepare to plan the return journey home.

And before anyone asks. Economy Class. For this trip – I’ve heard of it… and FRA-HND. I’m sure it won’t take a genius to work out which aircraft I’m wanting to try out…

Well with everything kicking off at work (not least of all due to a certain action that is occurring next Wednesday), I’m in the midst of preparing for my end of year mileage run.

Because those miles aren’t going to earn themselves as I get to my end of BMI year.

For a challenge, I’ve set myself with a tiny itinerary next week. It’s not complex in any way, shape or form.

And if you’ve seen my trips in the past, you’ll know I’m telling porkies

Map by the Great Circle Mapper - www.gcmap.com

So, Narrow minds and Narrow Bodies begins sometime next week.  I hope you’ll join me as I experience some Trans-Atlantic… and Trans-Continental fun – or entertainment for you. My back may have other comments to say about this trip…

And if you think this is bad… just wait what I’m cooking up for the “coming next “ 

It seems Her Majesty’s Government has got it through its head (no matter what thinly vield threats it is trying to state through the media) that the UK Public Sector Unions are taking their members out on strike on the 30th November 2011.

And this will impact the UK Border as the members of the UK Border Agency are members of the PCS Union who are joining the day of action.

Civil Servants in Whitehall are being diverted from their normal duties and are being deployed to “Man the Border” on the 30th November.

The UK Borders Agency states:

“The security of the UK border remains our top priority and it is absolutely right we explore all options to ensure we minimise any disruption caused by planned union action.”

It is expected they would mainly check the passports of travellers arriving from the European Economic Area and man so-called “e-gates” where passengers use their biometric passports. No mentioning of how outside EEA Passengers will be handled yet.

As this is Public Sector vs Government imposing its will, it is the usual mud-slinging event that these things turn into. For those who hoped that Border Entry may ease, with the other row regarding how UK Border Security was lowered over the summer – it isn’t going to happen I suspect.

So on the 30th – Expect delays at the UK Border if you’re coming in from abroad

The source of the Public Sector strikes on the 30th November are due to the planned changes to the Public Service Pensions in Councils, Police, NHS and other public sector organisations that result in members paying more in, working longer  whilst getting less out.

Always on the hunt for more revenue, everyone’s favourite low cost carrier Ryanair is going to be selling the pre-assigned seating on it’s planes. Don’t get excited though. It’ll be restricted to:

• Row 1 (Front of the plane)
• Row 2 (Near the front of the plane)
• Row 16 (over the wing – extra legroom)
• Row 17 (over the wing – extra legroom)

For the privilege of having a seat in these rows, it’s another €10. This includes priority boarding too. The trial has been going on the last 6 months on 100 routes. This is to be expanded to all routes from 10th January 2012.

If your low costs needs are served better with another airline, then EasyJet also offers allocated seating too in it’s trial that’s going on too. FlyBe and BMIBaby have more businessy products that they’ll happily sell you at vastly inflated prices that include assigned seating.

It seems the political leaders are drinking some sort of drink to believe everything, with the Secretary of State for Transport Justine Greening coming out and saying that more scanners should be deployed, a lack of opt-out (scanning to remain compulsory for those selected), and for scans that are conducted to be reviewed by machine, rather than by humans.

It seems the UK wishes to go it’s own way from the European Union again, in relation to deploying more scanners (which the EU said no until further tests are carried out to determine the safety of the scanners) – whilst Ms Greening states that she

“will consider it carefully before making decisions about which technologies should be deployed at UK airports in future”

So expect little change on that front then.

In relation to the clause to opt out and have a manual scan, Ms Greening has played the “safety” card stating:

“[she] aware that the proposals recently agreed by the European Parliament include the right for passengers to request an opt out from scanning”

but

“Given the security arguments against permitting such an opt-out, and the threat level that exists in the UK, the Government intends to use its powers under the Aviation Security Act to maintain the current position. Those passengers selected for scanning will therefore not be able to fly if they are not willing to be scanned”

Ms Greening states  that she did not believe a pat-down search is equivalent in security terms to a security scan, and a full private searches would  “likely to represent a greater intrusion of privacy than a security scan”, as well as proving “operationally disruptive to airports and other passengers”.

So there’s another finger at the EU notice then.

Ms Greening states a total of 12 passenger refusals have been logged from 1 million scans. Note that there have been no notifications of objections to scans or scans taken under duress as this would had prevented travel. So yes, you can bet there’s massaging in those numbers too.

In relation to the matter of reviewing the images, Ms Greening states that software that will analyse images is in development which means no human eye would see the image again. Note that nothing was mentioned about image retention, comparisons or sources of images.  And it being a government  IT project, it’ll be delayed and over budget.

For those who really want to read the political spiel from Whitehall, head to http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/statements/greening-20111121 for your dry as dishwater comment from the horses mouth, but it seems our political masters are doing this “for our safety”.

Exactly who’s safety… I’m not sure.

Once again, this just stinks of “security theatre” with dressing on the top, and little down the bottom.

It seems the tour operator and airline Thomas Cook is in a bit of a fiscal trouble zone, with it postponing its disclosure of the groups its full-year results to allow it time to talk to the banks over easing the money burden.

Thomas Cook blames a “deterioration of trading” in parts of the business that has hit its cash and liquidity. In particular, the holiday sector in Egypt, Tunisia and Thailand have affected bookings. Trading Trading had suffered in France and Belgium, where bookings are down 20% compared with last year, and in Thomas Cook’s Russian business.

The fiscal result will be released “after it has concluded decisions with the lenders”, forcing a major drop in share price.

Thomas Cook states that customers holiday bookings are fully protected via the ATOL scheme meaning the company goes bust when holidaymakers are away – customers on package deals are flown home without incurring extra expense. Those who have not already left for their holiday are refunded. Holidays would also be allowed to be taken if there is a take-over.

Flight only/Hotel Only deals however are NOT covered by the ATOL scheme. As usual, I’d strongly recommend getting your own insurance rather than just hoping on ATOL.

Plans are afoot to close 200 of the Thomas Cook travel shops in the UK.

They operate a mixed fleet through their subsidiaries of Thomas Cook Airlines UK, Thomas Cook Scandinavia, Thomas Cook Belgium and Condor of Germany, with about 90 aircraft in their combined fleet. In addition they operate their tour businesses, travel agents and Bureau De Changes.

Who you might be asking? Astraeus Airlines was an airline that did a lot of wet-leasing and chartering of it’s aircraft to companies that needed extra capacity (BMI Veterans would recognise this when they were flying Boeing 757′s for BMI on routes).

Additionally, they’ve flown for British Airways, Iceland Express, Thomson Airways, Thomas Cook and Iron Maiden where they flew a 757 Combi in Ed Force 1 paintwork

However, it seems the economic environment has caused it to fold, and the airline placed with the administrators according to a post on Airliners.net

It seems the lack of winter contacts and a weak summer has forced Astraeus’s owners to pull the plug on the airline… thus ending this little airline’s time.

Thus closes another little slice of British aviation. A shame, but a sign of the tough times we’re all in today.

It seems the winter season has finally arrived, with the first major fogging of the season.

132 flights have been cancelled due to the fog today out of London Heathrow, and 44 delayed or diverted away from London City due to the fog

The BBC Weather Centre as well as the Met Office predicts the fog will lift around 10:00 on Monday Morning (21st November), however with fog, movements are slowed down into Heathrow, and Air Traffic slows for safety purposes.

Heathrow has been open throughout however.

If you’ve got an early morning segment out of the London Area , check before you go as you may find a delay to your service.

It’s Sunday again, so it must be time for some Airplane art!

This week, to celebrate Pan Am landing on British shores, it’s a Pan American Airways Boeing 307 Straotliner at the National Air and Space Museum – The Udvar-Hazy Centre in Washington DC.

More of course next week!