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Weekly UpdatesNew York (AirGuide - Travel Security Update) May 3, 2009
The European Commission has confirmed that the clause on data protection in the new CRS Code of Conduct applies to airlines. In a reply to a question from Brian Simpson, Labour MEP for north west England, the EC said the relevant 7.3 article in the Code does cover airlines. The EC said that the clause is "very clear on the protection of business data." It added: "It provides that any marketing, booking and sales data resulting from the use of distribution facilities of a CRS by a travel agent...shall include no identification either directly or indirectly of the travel agent." Information can only be released if the CRS and agent agree to it. The EC added in its reply to Mr Simpson's request for clarification that the "protection of business data was a fundamental point of the Code of Conduct. " www.europarl.europa.eu
www.iata.org www.businesstravelcoalition.com May 1, 2009
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the largest association of business travel professionals, has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano about concerns with full implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Because many travelers under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) remain uninformed or unaware of ESTA requirements, the association urged Napolitano to ease enforcement of the program and enhance communication efforts. The letter said that the NBTA is concerned that ESTA is not yet ready for full application, saying that 15 percent of VWP travelers fly today without a valid ESTA. Until DHS ascertains why these travelers are not learning of the ESTA mandate and implements a plan to reach them, enforcement flexibility is necessary. For more information, visit www.nbta.org. Apr 30, 2009
Airports around the world are now screening passengers for flu-like symptoms and airlines have eased restrictions on people wishing to delay trips to Mexico, the centre of the swine flu virus outbreak that threatens the adversely affect international passenger traffic. News reports around the globe quote various government agencies as saying airports have started to screen passengers for flu-like symptoms in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation has warned the virus has the potential to develop into a pandemic. Apr 27, 2009
Boeing
A federal appeals court will allow the American Civil Liberties Union to proceed with a lawsuit claiming a Boeing unit assisted the Central Intelligence Agency in secretly taking suspect foreigners to overseas prisons for torture, the ACLU said on Tuesday. The ruling by the US District Court California Northern District reverses a lower court decision throwing out the case against Jeppesen DataPlan, which provides flight and logistics support to plane operators. The ACLU originally filed the lawsuit brought on behalf of five men whom the ACLU says were "kidnapped, forcibly disappeared and secretly transferred to US-run prisons or foreign intelligence agencies overseas where they were interrogated under torture." A Jeppesen spokesman said the company was reviewing the decision but that it was not prepared to comment. Washington has acknowledged the secret transfer of suspects to third countries but denies torturing them or handing them over to countries that did. Apr 28, 2009
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises chief executive Pierfrancesco Vago has conceded the need for an industry-wide debate on the deployment of firearms aboard cruiseships following SaturdayOs abortive pirate attack on the MSC Melody. The 35,000 gt vessel, with 991 passengers and 536 crew on board, was attacked by pirates 180 miles north of the Seychelles on Saturday as it was heading for the Gulf of Aden. The vesselOs crew and security guards drove the pirates off using fire hoses and, controversially, live rounds from pistols carried on board. Apr 28, 2009
Seychelles
The Seychelles Coast Guard has arrested 9 suspected Somali pirates during a joint military operation with European and Indian forces at the northern edge of 1. 3 million square kilometer Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), that borders with Somali waters. A Spanish navy frigate, the Numancia, intercepted a skiff carrying nine suspected Somali pirates, and with the help of French, Indian and Seychelles naval Forces the boat was followed and successfully seized on Monday afternoon. The Seychelles Coast Guard vessel PS Andromache arrived in Port Victoria early Tuesday morning, with the 9 men onboard, who are suspected of committing the gunfire attack on the Italian cruise ship the MSC Melody on 26th April, in an area about 200 nautical miles north from the main islands of the Seychelles archipelago. Apr 29, 2009
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