Tagged With "European"
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
I'm guessing this is going to affect pre paid plans and sim cards for travelers. Anybody else know more, please comment.
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
Yes, it will apply to prepaid plans, which many Europeans as well as visitors use, but it's not as happily absolute as some of the celebrators make it sound. The final June 2017 step depends on a reform of the European wholesale roaming market in which carriers pay each other for roaming use, and is also subject to limits for those who roam "too much." Here's a quote from one of the Parliament members who was a leading proponent of the law (which also originally included provisions for net...
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Beautiful photos Kirsten!!
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Bee-eaters are amazing birds. I've never seen more than one or two around, so it must be quite a treat to be at the edge of a migration of them! And they fly so quickly -- amazed you were able to get that last photo framed as well as you did. Thanks for sharing these.
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Thanks, Marilyn!
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
It was pretty amazing... a bit dizzying actually to try and keep up with all of them!
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
It is good that a people face up to and learn from the past. We must learn from the lessons of history, but I do hope this will not become a "self-flagellation" exercise. At the end of the 18th century, everyone had slaves. Every people, every race, every culture, every country participated in the buying, selling and owning of other people. It was the norm. Fortunately, with a few rare exceptions, modern society has become enlightened and the rights of individuals is now a central focus of...
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
'Presentism' is always a danger for historians, but in this case, there's a real issue of interest based on the late-in-the-day entry into slave-owning by the later Catalan grandees; they went into it when all European countries had already abolished it, and when it had been abolished in many colonial areas. Sadly, not Cuba, Brazil, or, at the beginning of that period, the United States. One of the reasons it's important to consider these past things is because they do enter into the...
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
Slavery is just part of a long cruel history. Wherever there is chance to make money, people of any race or creed will gladly join in. Even the African warlords who sold the "prisoners" to the slave ships played their parts in this piece of history. Even today fortunes are made by sending young men to die in the name of "Defence". Money has no morals.
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
What an interesting group of islands. Thanks so much for this article. Wondering - Do people get around mostly by boat ? Is English widely spoken ?
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Hello F-car, people mainly use their cars to get around, which is a pity as the roads are not the best and there are far too many cars for the roads to cope with. There is an extensive bus network which I found more preferable to driving. Boats are used more for leisure but there are many fisherman who make their living from the sea. Although the Maltese have their own language, English is widely spoken and visitors get by without problems. Many locals also speak Italian (them being our...
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Thanks so much Island Man.What a great post! I'll definetly include a visit to Malta in my future travel plans.
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Coming: TG's 'European Capital of Culture' Series
TG Update: These articles are now available -Capital of Culture Series: LiverpoolCapital of Culture Series: Marseilles Each year, the EU designates a special city or cities as the European Capital of...
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New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
In the wake of the Germanwings crash that killed 150 in an apparent suicide-by-pilot, Lufthansa and many others are quickly adopting rules requiring at least two crew members be present inside the cockpit at all times. Lufthansa's announcement covers...
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Europe: Say goodbye to roaming fees, but not so soon
Airport cellphone users...plans still underway to end their roaming charges. Photo: Dmitry Rozhov The previously-announced plan to rid Europe of cellphone roaming charges is still on track, but delayed at the station for...
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More Train Security Coming to Europe
A week after 3 Americans citizens, a French Citizen, and a British citizen stopped a terrorist attack on a train from Amsterdam to Paris, an emergency security meeting about rail passenger safety took place on Saturday in Paris. The meeting was...
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EU Commission gives OK for Aer Lingus takeover
The European Commission today cleared the last barrier for the sale of Ireland's Aer Lingus to British Airways' holding company, International Airlines Group. The deal already had approval from Aer Lingus's board, the Irish government and Ryanair,...
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Top Euro car renters agree to be fair to customers
Just a little nice, that's what they promise. Counters at Lourdes Airport, France Europe's "big 5" car rental companies have pledged to align their policies and contracts more closely with EU consumer policy, and to be more transparent...
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Low water puts some European river cruises on hold
Low water in the Danube, 2012 If it seems like only yesterday we were reporting on European river cruises being canceled because high waters were blocking ships from sailing under bridges...well, it was. On May 7, we reported problems on the...
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EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
The European Parliament approved a plan to ban roaming charges from being imposed on consumers when they travel within the EU with their cell phones. An interim period starts next April when roaming should...
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European phone operators told: Hang up on roaming charges!
The European Parliament, legislative body of the E.U., has voted (534-25!) to put an end to roaming charges with E.U. for all mobile phone users. the change is to take effect by the end of 2015. Even with caps imposed in recent years, the...
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Fewer European tourists in U.S., more from "emerging economies"
http://skift.com/2013/09/11/u-...-0d2166f9bf-63725561
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New Olympic contender? Snow volleyball's making a play
Volleyball goes year-round as the International Volleyball Federation takes on the task of promoting a new version of the sport.
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Berlin's airport fiasco: Another €2.2 billion and 2 more years
Berlin's trouble-plagued airport project, already 7 years overdue, will take at least another 2 and has just gotten €2.2 billion more to finish the job.
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July 11, 2016: European Herring Gulls, Blyth South Harbour, Northumberland, UK.
Ian Cook shares some cute photos of young herring gulls.
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The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
I have an affinity with the Maltese islands . The fact that I was born there may have something to do it, but, as I have lived most of my life in Australia, the distance between the 2 countries has made this affinity more special. I was constantly reading about it and wanted to know more. I returned there many times for short holidays, and my fondness grew with each subsequent visit. Sliema Waterfront I am now a permanent resident of the country, and, while I may seem biased towards it, it’s...
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Europe to require visas for U.S. travelers?
The European Union votes today on possible visa requirements for Americans in return for US refusal to include all members in the Visa Waiver Program.
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'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
Barcelona, and other cities, confront the 'uncomfortable memory' of slave-built fortunes that paid for many of their famous sights.
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EU airlines to collect more passenger security data
As a security measure, European airlines will now be required to collect and share more passenger information, matching U.S. and Canada.
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Europe abandons its biggest bill
The European Central Bank will stop printing €500 notes. Rarely seen by ordinary folks, they are believed to be used mainly by criminals.
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Uber tries a new tack in Spain
Uber, which was banned in Spain last December and tried to overturn the ban with an appeal to the European Commission, will now try a different perspective: following the rules. Uber's original plan used its app to connect passengers with...
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Air France returns to Tehran in April
Air France will re-open its historic Paris-Tehran route in April with a 3-times-a-week round trip, starting in April. The move is part of the resumption of trade with Iran, possible because of the lifting of sanctions as part of the multi-nation nuclear limits treaty with Iran. Air France previously flew the route from 1946 until 2008, which it was ended as part of the UN and EU sanctions against Iran. The EU is already Iran's fourth-biggest economic partner, and trade is expected to grow.
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Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
We return to the UAE, where Kirsten Hines catches the first European bee-eaters to arrive on their migratory journey.
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Eurail adds extra days, early-bird benefit
Eurail's passes purchased before April 30 now include free extra travel days, and can be bought 11 months in advance.
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Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
I don't share the nostalgia for border crossings, having experienced some of the worst crossings in the world in the late 80's And while Schengen said it wiped out land borders for travelers throughout most of Europe, I've still experienced controls in those countries . On one such occasion ,I took a bus from Brussels to Paris and the bus was stopped twice in France. ID was checked and people questioned. Even bags were inspected for people from Romania and Bulgaria.
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Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
Interesting, given the history of prejudice against Romany, that those countries were singled out. At the time they were not yet Schengen members, either, although they are now in the process of joining, leaving only Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and UK out among EU members. The non-EU members of Schengen are Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
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Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
From a historic perspective, I think it's still a little early to know if this was all good for Europe or not. The border crossings are definitely easier and faster, and I, too, miss the passport stamps no longer on my pages. For me the greatest convenience is the common currency -- not having to change money so often, usually at a loss. Of course, some would argue that the Euro is the greatest weakness of the EU (will it survive?), so I'm not sure in the long run how this will all play out.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I certainly can't see any harm in it. I've been told that airline staff have a "back" way into a locked cockpit to be used only in an emergency(a contingency). Not sure why that wasn't used this time -- perhaps it never dawned on the flight crew what was actually happening until it was too late.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
The back door is the second, emergency, code. It was used, but it can be overridden for 5 minutes from within.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
Originally Posted by PHeymont: The back door is the second, emergency, code. It was used, but it can be overridden for 5 minutes from within. Looks like that 5 minute policy will need to be revisited.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
It's very difficult to see exactly what to do, and I doubt that every contingency can be provided. The 5-minute lock is intended to deal with the situation of a crewmember, knife at throat, giving up the second code. If a second staff member were in the cockpit...that's about the only way to deal with a maniac like the Germanwings co-pilot. No guarantee...but a much better shot.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
There was mention in the news coverage that planes can be controlled from the ground. It seems to me that the 2 person rule, combined with planes equipped so that settings from the cockpit can be overridden from the ground, would go a long way in the right direction.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I do think the security doors have been good because its prevented hijackings. I just don't see any answer though to a pilot or copilot wanting to crash the plane . It's a horrible tragedy but flying on a commercial airplanes is so safe compared to other forms of transportation. For some reason ,we don't worry about taking buses or vans or driving our own cars even though the risk is far greater.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I actually thought a bit about this today, and I'm going to go at this from a different approach. While we seem to think that a locked cockpit door makes flying safer, we have no evidence of that. There have been no (published) attempts of terrorists wanting to hijack a cockpit since 9-11. A shoe and underwear bomber, yes, but that didn't directly involve taking control of the plane. I would agree that it SEEMS to be a deterrent, but so is all the rest of the TSA song and dance. We have now...
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I think I have to differ sharply with you on aspects of this issue. When you say that "whoever established that 5 minute rule is somewhat complicit in this," I think you are pointing the finger in the wrong direction. That system was the product of careful thought and consensus. You are right: there are no published reports hijacking a cockpit (and yes, there ARE a number of reports of attempts). That is because the cockpit security rules have succeeded in their aim. Where the finger of...
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I don't know if there were two people or not in the cockpit the time the Egypt Air Pilot allegedly crashed that plane ,but I can't imagine it would stop a pilot bent on doing that. And we don't require two bus drivers with controls when going on mountainous journeys. I looked at a list of hijackings and attempts and after 2001 the attempts haven't been successful I think in part because of the doors and the fact that crew and passengers don't remain passive anymore. ...
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
Good points, Rob...although I think a second pilot, not a flight attendant, could have grabbed the controls and/or during those 8-10 minutes have opened the door and gotten help. Remember also that the original purpose of multiples in the cockpit was to deal with strokes, heart attacks, etc. Far more likely a passenger could stop the bus than fly the plane.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
You do raise some good points with medical conditions, but those occur while driving too .I do it think it would be almost impossible to get to the bus driver in time if he drove off a cliff or bridge and also some bus drivers are driving children. We seem to accept those small risks in other forms of transportation and life.
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Re: New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
I think we can all accept accidents happening. We do not accept a murderer using public transportation to kill large numbers of people. Planes are high profile because of the tremendous data we can retrieve when it crashes, which usually allows us to understand what happened to make it crash. Also because of the large number of passengers involved and lastly the tremendous cost of the planes. And yes, flying is still the safest way to travel. Going through Rob's link, there are hijack...