Airliners collide at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, passengers safe

TORONTO – Dozens of passengers were evacuated from an aircraft at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Friday, after a plane under tow struck an arriving jet that was waiting to park, sparking a small fire, the airport authority said.

Fire and emergency services responded to the collision between the two planes from Sunwing Airlines and Westjet Airlines, which happened at 6:19 p.m. (2319 GMT), the Greater Toronto Airport Authority said in a statement.

Calgary-based Westjet said it had unconfirmed reports of “minor injuries” in the incident, but that all 168 passengers and six crew members on board its plane were safe and accounted for.

The jet, a Boeing 737-800, had just arrived in Toronto from the resort of Cancun, Mexico, and was waiting to proceed to the gate at the time of the collision, Westjet said

Sunwing, part of the privately held Sunwing Travel Group, said there were no passengers or crew onboard its plane at the time of the collision, and that the aircraft was being towed by ground handler Swissport International Ltd.

A spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board, Canada’s transportation regulator, said that a team was headed to the airport to investigate.

source: interaksyon.com

88 flights cancelled, 5 others diverted to Clark; NAIA 3, 4 operations stalled

A total of 88 domestic and international flights had to be cancelled Tuesday and five others diverted to Clark International Airport in Pampanga due to the torrential monsoon rains strengthened by tropical storm Maring (international codename: Trami). The rains and floods also prevented booked passengers from leaving for the airports.

Ramp operations at terminals 3 and 4 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport also had to be suspended at 10:30 a.m., although operations remained normal at terminals 1 and 2. Terminal 1 handles international flights of most foreign carriers.



According to NAIA’s Media Affairs Division, cancelled flights as of 3 p.m. Tuesday were:

Philippine Airlines (PAL)

    PR 209 Manila-Melbourne (Original ETD: 9 p.m.)
    PR 300/301 Manila-Hong Kong-Manila
    PR 306/307 Manila-Hong Kong-Manila
    PR 318/319 Manila-Hong Kong-Manila
    PR 330/331 Manila -Xiamen-Manila
    PR 336/337 Manila-Shanghai-Manila
    PR 358/359 Manila-Beijing-Manila
    PR 408 Manila-Kansai
    PR 416/417 Manila-Pusan-Manila
    PR 432 Manila-Narita
    PR 438 Manila-Nagoya
    PR 468/469 Manila-Incheon-Manila
    PR 501/512 Manila-Singapore-Manila
    PR 503/504 Manila-Singapore-Manila
    PR 507/508 Manila-Singapore-Manila
    PR 517/518 Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Manila
    PR 537 Manila-Denpasar (Original ETD: 8:40 p.m.)
    PR 730/731 Manila-Bangkok-Manila
    PR 736/737 Manila-Bangkok-Manila
    PR 8488/8489 Manila-Incheon-Manila
    PR 894/895 Manila-Taipei-Manila

    PR 813/814 Manila-Davao-Manila
    PR 849/850 Manila-Cebu-Manila
    PR 853/854 Manila-Cebu-Manila
    PR 855/856 Manila-Cebu-Manila

PAL Express

    2P 014/015 Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila
    2P 033/034 Manila-Busuanga-Manila
    2P 039/040 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    2P 047/048 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    2P 051 052 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    2P 065/066 Manila-Surigao-Manila
    2P 263/264 Manila-Naga-Manila
    2P 525/526 Manila-Cagayan-Manila
    2P 527/528 Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
    2P 543/544 Manila-Dumaguete-Manila
    2P 581/582 Manila-Legaspi-Manila
    2P 587/588 Manila-Dipolog-Manila
    2P 773/774 Manila-Tagbilaran-Manila
    2P 907/908 Manila-Bacolod-Manila
    2P 918/919 Manila-Laoag-Manila
    2P 943/944 Manila-Puerto Prinsesa-Manila
    2P 965/966 Manila-Cagayan-Manila
    2P 967/968 Manila-Butuan-Manila
    2P 985/986 Manila-Tacloban-Manila

TigerAir

    DG 7002/7003 Manila-Cebu-Manila
    DG 7004/7005 Manila-Cebu-Manila
    DG 7014/7015 Manila-Cebu-Manila
    DG 7044/7045 Manila-Tacloban-Manila
    DG 7062/7063 Manila-Puerto Princesa-Manila
    DG 7072/7073 Manila-Iloilo-Manila
    DG 7082/7083 Manila-Bacolod-Manila

Cebu Pacific

    5J 327/328 Manila-Legazpi-Manila
    5J 339/340 Manila-Kalibo-Manila
    5J 373/374 Manila-Roxas-Manila
    5J 385/386 Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
    5J 506/507 Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila
    5J 523/524 Manila-Naga-Manila
    5J 563/564 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    5J 659/660 Manila-Tacloban-Manila
    5J 787/788 Manila-Butuan-Manila
    5J 791/792 Manila-Butuan-Manila
    5J 857/858 Manila-Zamboanga-Manila
    5J 899/900 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    5J 901/902 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
    5J 965/968 Manila-Davao-Manila
    5J 975/966 Manila-Davao-Manila
    5J 995/996 Manila-General Santos-Manila

To rebook

For rebooking of PAL and PAL Express flights, passengers are asked to log on to www.philippineairlinescom and www.flypalexpress.com or call PAL hotline 855-8888 or PALex reservations at 855 9000.


At the same time, PAL said six flights, which were diverted to Clark, have returned to Manila. These are: PR 808 Davao Manila, PR 810 Davao-Manila, 2P 022 Masbate-Manila, 2P 202 Roxas-Manila, 2P 268 Naga-Manila, and 2P 092 Calbayog-Manila.

TigerAir Philippines also issued a statement saying all its Tuesday flights to and from Manila have been cancelled until further notice, although the airline has yet to give details of how many flights are affected and the outbound destinations.

"We will waive charges and issue refunds to affected passengers," TigerAir said.

TigerAir passengers may call its hotline 798-4488.

‘Normal at Clark’

Two PAL Airbus A319 aircraft from Davao, two Airphil Express A-8s from Masbate and Calbayog, and a Cebu Pacific Airbus A-320 from Thailand were diverted to Clark at 9:05 a.m. because of poor visibility caused by heavy rains.

Since Saturday, the southwest monsoon has been causing massive floods in many parts of Metro Manila, as well as Central and Northern Luzon.

On Sunday, a Qantas Airbus A-380 aircraft from Hong Kong was diverted to Clark Airport due to traffic congestion and lack of parking space at the NAIA.

Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano said that Clark Airport is ready anytime to accommodate diverted flights as a result of poor visibility and traffic congestions at the NAIA.

“Clark Airport had been accommodating diverted flights, and the airport is always ready of such emergency,” Luciano added.

He said that flight operations at Clark Airport have remained normal since Saturday despite several diverted flights from NAIA, adding that emergency hotlines at Clark Airport are open 24 hours a day.

source: interaksyon.com

World's best airlines for passengers traveling with kids

Traveling with children? If you're flying, you may want to choose from among the five airlines recently listed by US News Travel as the world’s most family-friendly.

From specialized sleeping cots and menus, to special play areas in airports, these airlines

go out of the way to provide families with young children the best flight experience

possible.

Emirates

Emirates may be overdoing its slogan “Families come first” but passengers are not

complaining.

Cited by US News Travel as the most friendly, the airline offers an array of services designed to help passengers with children fly with ease.

While on the ground, passengers are welcome to use Emirates' free strollers so they could

ferry their children around the airport.

On long-haul Business and First Class flights, the airline may even offer to snap a Polaroid picture of you and your baby.

According to a report of the news site Emirates 24/7 on Monday, the airline also has special play areas for children flying Economy, and lend wired game consoles to children flying Business and First Class.

The airlines also allows unaccompanied minors aged five to 12 to board its flights,

and provide separate check-in facilities for the young passengers.

Young children are always seated in before all the other passengers to ensure their safety.

Upon touchdown, a special crew helps them get through the immigration and hand them to their designated guardians.

On top of a specialized selection of child-friendly shows and movies in its in-flight

entertainment (ICE), Emirates’ flight crew also prepare special kids’ meals and give out

goodie bags.

British Airways

Emirates 24/7 said United Kingdom’s flag carrier and a sponsor of the London Olympics in June, BritishAirways (BA) is famed for its “feed kids first” policy, which ensures that kids are fed first so their adult companions can enjoy their own meals with less distraction.

The menu, of course, includes healthy dishes of fruits and vegetables.

BA also offers activity packs for three to five-year-olds and for six to 12-year-

olds.

Its in-flight entertainment comes with a “parental lock” that enables adult to block

inappropriate channels for their children.

The best catch is that toddlers get to travel for free but you may need to call the airline in

advance and bring your own Britax booster seat.

Lufthansa

Emirates 24/7 said Europe’s largest airline offers a unique club for its young passengers, JetFriends, which gives them the behind-the-scenes of the aviation industry.

The site includes interactive presentations of Lufthansa’s fleet. German celebrity chef Stefan Marquard, meanwhile, whips up the stylish in-flight menu, which promises to entice even the pickiest travelers.

The airline also provides strollers and baby cots or bassinets, as well as provide for

unaccompanied travel for young children.

Gulf Air

Gulf Air’s army of Sky Nannies are famous the whole world over—where else can you

get free, comprehensive daycare for your children while flying long miles?

Emirates 24/7 said specially-trained Sky Nannies take care of young travelers right from the airport lounge to disembarkation, and provide parents with the much-needed break from childcare.

Forgot to pack something for your baby? Nappies, baby bib, baby wipes, baby lotion,

baby powder, and even cotton bud—you name it, the airline carries extensive baby

supplies for childcare emergencies.

Qantas

Qantas, the “Flying Kangaroo”, along with Lufthansa, Emirates, and British Airways, are ranked

four-star by the consultancy Skytrax, which has also named it one of the ten best airlines

in the world in 2012.

Emirates 24/7 said Qantas provides “Family Zones” in airports across Australia, which are packed with iMacs, toys, and books to keep children entertained before flights.

On board, children are kept entertained by its fun kits, which include action figures and color pencils. It also allows families to arrange special seating for flights. - with Ralph Angelo Ty, VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com