2007 Articles

Ed Harris investigated at Heathrow

Hollywood actor Ed Harris was arrested at Heathrow Airport yesterday after allegedly trying to board a plane while carrying a knife.

The Apollo 13 star was said to have been bundled into a corner of Terminal 3 by officers after they discovered the blade in one of his pockets.

According to the Mirror newspaper, Harris had been uncooperative when asked to empty his pockets at a security checkpoint in the airport and was "making life as difficult as possible" for the guards.

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UK air passenger numbers soaring

BAA has reported it's busiest ever start to the holiday period as 15.1 million passengers passed through Britain's main terminals last month.

London Stansted Airport registered an increase in passengers of 2.2 per cent, while the figures for Gatwick Airport rose 1.8 per cent.

Heathrow Airport was a significant exception to the spike, however, with service dropping by 1.7 per cent. Consumer confidence has been hit there in recent months by a series of scandals about lengthy queues, poor customer service and lost baggage.

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Birmingham Airport banishes bad weather blues

Bad British weather has boosted the number of holidaymakers flying out of Birmingham International Airport.

July figures from the Midlands airport show that there was a 0.8 per cent rise in passenger numbers on last year with some destinations experiencing a massive surge in popularity.

Scheduled flights to Palma saw growth of 154.7 per cent as Britons chose to leave the wet weather behind.

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Spain making beaches jellyfish free

Spanish coastlines could be cleared of troublesome jellyfish soon after authorities launched a new campaign to study the marine invertebrates.

Some 200 volunteers have been drafted in to collect and study the jellyfish in the hopes of discovering what it is that's attracting them to Spain's beaches.

Previous influxes have been put down to over-fishing of natural predators such as tuna and shellfish, as well as droughts which reduce the amount of cool freshwater flowing into the sea.

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'White sand weddings' becoming cheaper and easier

An increasing number of flights operating between the big airports such as Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester and popular destinations such as the Caribbean, Mauritius and the Seychelles are making getting married in the sun a more achievable dream.

That is according to White Sand Weddings, a company specialising in arrangements for overseas weddings and honeymoons. It explained how it is becoming cheaper and easier to get married abroad because of the amount of choice available in terms of flights and hotels.

Mark Bell, a spokesperson for the company, said: "The number of overseas weddings have increased significantly since the late 1990s.
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Luton passengers paying for airport security

Passengers at Luton Airport are being forced to pay £1 for the clear plastic bags that are now required to take liquids through the security checks.

Holidaymakers, who must use the officially approved bags to proceed through passport control, have to buy a £1 capsule containing four bags from a dispenser, even though each person is only allowed to carry one such bag on board.

If they reach security with a bag that is too big, not resealable, or opaque, they could be turned away and have to queue up all over again - something which the BAA estimates could take more than an hour at busy airports like Stansted and Heathrow during peak times in the summer.
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Government must 'get a grip' on airport situation

Prime minister Gordon Brown and his new government have been called out over the state of the nation's airports by the Tories.

Following a frustrating week in which passengers at Heathrow Airport had to wait up to nine hours for their bags and those traveling from Manchester Airport witnessed delays caused by a power cut, the Tories urged the government to initiate open discussions surrounding "airport chaos".

British Airways has faced a lot of criticism in recent weeks for its inability to reunite travellers with their luggage. Queues and delays at airports all over the country have served to further frustrate passengers.
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More tourists heading Down Under

An increasing number of British tourists are jetting off to Australia to get a taste of some sun, sea and surf.
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BAA wins Heathrow protest injunction

Airport operator BAA has won an injunction preventing environmental protesters from campaigning at Heathrow Airport later this month.

The firm went to the high court to restrict protestors gathering at a 'Climate Action' camp organised by environmental group AirportWatch.

Although the peaceful protestors will not be banned from attending the event from August 14th to 21st, Justice Caroline Swift insisted that those who aimed to cause disruption would not be allowed to enter the area.
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Power outage causes delays at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport was thrown into chaos earlier today when a power cut caused flights to be delayed by up to an hour.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the whole of the airport was left without any electricity at around 05:30 BST this morning.

Engineers desperately tried to get the lines back on after a flood in one of the electrical plant rooms affected the building's supply.
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Buddy returns to London stage

Hit show Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story has returned to the London stage with critics hailing the show as a huge success.

Fans have waited seven years for the return of the show which follows the story of rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly.

Opening at the Duchess Theatre this weekend, the show features a number of well-known hits including Peggy Sue, That'll Be The Day and Raining in my Heart.
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