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‘Hero of Gatwick’ becomes human megaphone to help overwhelmed easyJet staff manage angry passengers when flights were axed
A passenger stuck at Gatwick Airport amid mass flight cancellations took it upon himself to help overwhelmed easyJet staff communicate with hundreds of frustrated travellers, earning praise online as the “hero of Gatwick.” Kurtis Toy, a 36-year-old cyber security consultant, had just been removed from a delayed Aberdeen flight when he noticed two easyJet employees…
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Tourists in England face nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb stays under new plans
Ministers are set to give mayors in England the power to impose a nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb-style stays, dubbed a “tourist tax”, as part of a wider devolution push. Housing secretary Angela Rayner is meeting mayors on Thursday to outline plans that would let local leaders charge visitors a percentage of their accommodation…
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Australian councils reverse Indigenous policies amid sustained public backlash
Two Australian councils have recently modified their positions on Indigenous recognition and Australia Day celebrations following intense community pressure. Strathfield Council in Sydney covered Indigenous acknowledgeme
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Nats system fault forces cancellation of over two thousand flights
UK flight disruption caused by a fault in National Air Traffic Services (Nats) systems ran its course over two days before schedules returned to normal on Thursday, with no cancellations forecast for the day, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The episode, which began with a technical failure on Tuesday, ultimately led to more than…
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Flight chaos, Iran referral, Zelensky drone scare and Apple’s foldable debut
Nats fault grounds thousands of UK flights while Iran faces UN Security Council referral; Zelensky’s plane reportedly targeted near Moldova; Britain bans West Bank settlement imports; Tate brothers held in Miami; Apple launches £1,600 iPhone Duo.
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Passengers face more than 50 further cancellations as flight disruption enters third day and calls grow for air traffic control boss to resign
Flight disruption across UK airports entered a third day, with 51 further cancellations recorded today as air traffic control provider NATS continued to grapple with the fallout from a major technical fault. Heathrow was hit hardest with 28 cancelled flights, while the outage, which began on Tuesday, has now affected an estimated 250,000 passengers and…
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UK flight disruption expected to clear; Primark to start offering home delivery in UK – business live
UK flight disruption caused by an air traffic control system fault at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) has cleared, with no cancellations expected on Thursday following 2,145 flights cancelled or delayed across Tuesday and Wednesday. Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe faced repeated calls to resign, including from Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary, who branded his position “untenable”;…
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Council backflips on Australia Day boycott after years of community backlash
Adelaide Hills Council has reversed its 2023 decision to boycott Australia Day, meaning residents will once again be able to hold citizenship ceremonies and community events on 26 January from 2027. The original ban, which had removed all official recognition of the date, was introduced without public consultation and drew sustained criticism from local residents,…
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Boy, 6, kidnapped and smuggled across state lines is finally found as police arrest his mother
A mother has been arrested in Wyoming after allegedly kidnapping her six-year-old son and driving him across state lines from Michigan, then leading police on a high-speed chase through a car park and city streets before crashing. Marisa Calliea, 30, did not have custody of Liam Malburg and was due to return him to his…
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Aussie’s $1,500 flight credit vanishes in costly mix-up after cancelling son’s Bali trip: ‘I’m so angry’
A Brisbane mother, Jessica Dorante, says she has lost a A$1,500 Virgin Australia flight credit after a mix-up over the terms attached to a cancelled family trip to Bali. Ms Dorante, 43, had booked flights through travel agency Flight Centre for a June trip, but pulled her 15-year-old son from the booking in February over…