AirTran Leads 15 US Airlines in Performance Last Year
The top five airlines overall are AirTran, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Frontier (formerly Midwest Air), and Alaska.(READ the AP story from ABC News)AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailEmailShare to RedditRedditRedditShare to MoreAddThisMore AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailEmailShare to RedditRedditRedditShare to MoreAddThisMoreLow-cost carrier AirTran had best performance last year among 15 airlines that carry at least 1 percent of domestic passenger volume, according to an annual report released Monday.Overall, airlines improved their performance last year as judged by four measures — passengers who endured lost bags, delayed flights, lousy service or bumpings from full flights.
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailEmailShare to RedditRedditRedditShare to MoreAddThisMore It’s impossible for there to be a happier workforce than this army of ducks parading toward an easy meal.The Vergenoedg Wine Estate in South Africa employs a massive bird flock of over 900 Indian Runner ducks to eat all the pests in their grape vineyard.RELATED: Gorillas Spring into Action to Dismantle Poacher’s TrapsTourists can watch the troupe eagerly speed towards the grape vines every morning, with anticipation for munching all the slugs, bugs, and snails – and it’s as clear as a glass of Chardonnay that they love their job.(WATCH the duck parade in the video above)SHARE a Chuckle in Your World Today…AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailEmailShare to RedditRedditRedditShare to MoreAddThisMore
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Talks have been under way for several months and British Land today confirmed that it would take full control by August.It has exchanged contracts to buy out the outstanding 50% shareholding held by the Davidson family in its BL Davidson joint venture.The joint venture was set up between British Land and Manny Davidson in 2001 to take ASDA Property private. Manny Davidson founded Asda Property in the 1970s.British Land is paying £253m in loan stock for the stake.Asda Property has an investment portfolio of more than £700m, which comprises mainly open A1 retail parks. It also includes some central London offices.
Woodfibre LNG’s request to resume the 180-day environmental assessment review period for its proposed LNG project has been granted by the BC Environmental Assessment Office.The decision is effective August 10, on day 168 of the 180-day review period, the company said in a statement.On June 30, the EAO granted a temporary suspension of the review period to allow Woodfibre LNG to further engage Squamish Nation on the conditions of Squamish Nation’s environmental review of the Woodfibre LNG project, and to submit a report to the EAO that fulfils the requirements of the provincial and federal environmental assessment processes.“Woodfibre LNG has formally notified Squamish Nation that it has accepted all of the conditions of its environmental review and is committed to reaching a formal agreement,” said Byng Giraud, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Woodfibre LNG.He added that the company has worked on fulfilling the requirements of the provincial and federal environmental assessment processes that enable the restart of the environmental review period.The Woodfibre LNG project entered the 180-day Environmental Assessment Application Review Phase on January 13. The environmental assessment period was originally scheduled to end on July 13, 2015.The Woodfibre LNG project is undergoing a substituted process whereby the BC EAO leads the assessment under both the BC Environmental Assessment Act, and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (2012). The substituted process requires both a provincial and federal decision based on the outcome of the provincial regulatory review.The LNG project site is located on the traditional territory of Squamish Nation and is undergoing a separate independent environmental review. On June 26, the Squamish Nation issued 25 conditions related to the Woodfibre LNG project that apply to Woodfibre LNG, FortisBC, and the Government of British Columbia. Thirteen of the conditions apply directly to Woodfibre LNG.For Woodfibre LNG, achieving an agreement with Squamish Nation and receiving provincial and federal regulatory approvals are important steps toward making a final investment decision on the LNG project that comprises construction and operation of a gas processing and liquefaction facility to produce approximately 2.1 million tonnes per annum of LNG, associated storage capacity of 250,000 m3, and export infrastructure.[mappress mapid=”17631″]Image: Woodfibre LNG
Miami-based cruise line operator Royal Caribbean Cruises and PortMiami broke ground for a new RCL cruise terminal on March 8.The cruise company said that the Terminal A, nicknamed the Crown of Miami, will be able to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world, those of Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis class.Two of the giants, the Allure of the Seas and the newly announced Symphony of the Seas, currently under construction in France, as well as several other RCI ships will homeport at the new facility, which is scheduled to open in October 2018.The new terminal and adjacent parking structure will cover 170,000 square feet on 10 acres in the northeast section of the port.“This will make PortMiami Royal Caribbean’s largest cruise port in the U.S., solidifying PortMiami’s status as the Cruise Capital of the World,” Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Mayor, said.In keeping with RCL’s environmental priorities, Terminal A will be certified as a green building by the global Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program, RCL said.Expected to generate some 1.8 million passengers, or at least 30 percent of the port’s projected passenger traffic, the new facility will double RCL’s current passenger traffic in PortMiami.The port welcomes some 750,000 Royal Caribbean passengers each year for about 15 percent of its overall passenger traffic.
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A total of 25 speakers will give presentations on subjects including local business opportunities and safety issues, and topics about all major types of construction cranes. Tower crane topics include risk assessment, standards, wire rope and anticollision systems. Mobile crane topics include buying used, EN 13000. Crawler crane topics include the differences between Japanese and Western designs, the limits of duty-cycle crawlers and the potential of mini-cranes. Rigging includes verbal signals, lift planning and rigging safety. Alternative lifting includes a product overview and major job report. The detailed programme can be downloaded as a four-page 700kB PDF document from www.tinyurl.com/6u9a6jMiddle East Cranes 2009’s event partner is Al Jaber Heavy Lift. The conference is sponsored by CCC, Manitowoc and Terex. Lunch sponsors are LSI and Wolffkran.For more information, or for a booking form, go to www.middleeastcranes.com.
The pressure vessel, which is used in the production of tissue paper, was lifted from a container vessel using Charleston Heavy Lift’s 500-ton (453.6-tonne) capacity floating crane, Ocean Ranger.The dryer was then loaded aboard Stevens Towing’s deck barge at the North Charleston terminal. The piece was loaded directly onto a Goldhofer trailer, which had already been secured on the barge.Once the piece was secured to the trailer, Stevens Towing’s tug vessel Royal Engineer pushed the barge through the locks to a roll-off location on Lake Santee. Upon arrival, crane, rigging and heavy haulage service provider, Guy M Turner, handled the roll-off operation.According to Stevens Towing, the equipment was too large and heavy to gain permits for transport out of Charleston by truck. Stevens Towing added that the tug and barge operation provided the best solution as it enabled the trucking company to gain approval for a route from the roll off location to its delivery site in Shelby, North Carolina.Meanwhile, Savannah Heavy Lift has lifted two Mitsubishi M501GAC turbines from a railcar onto a deck barge at the Ocean Terminal in Savannah.The 323-ton (293-tonne) units were then secured in preparation for ocean tow to Lake Charles in Louisiana. According to Stevens Towing, Charleston Heavy Lift’s floating crane, Ocean Ranger, filled in for the Savannah Giant while it is being rebuilt due to tornado damage last year.www.stevens-towing.comwww.charlestonheavylift.comwww.savannahheavylift.com
EUROPE: Transdev completed the sale of its Veolia Transport Central Europe subsidiary to DB Mobility on May 16. Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, said the sale of VTCE GmbH for an undisclosed price was the first step in a financial restructuring which aims to re-focus its international activities on ‘promising markets in which the group can ensure development’.Although mainly a bus operator, VTCE has operated Desná Railway services from Šumperk to Kouty nad Desnou and Sobotín in the Czech Republic since 2002, and thus the acquisition takes DB’s non-German passenger transport subsidiary Arriva into the Czech local rail market. It also expands Arriva’s bus activities in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, and takes the company into Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. Arriva said this positions the company as ‘the largest international passenger transport operator in Central and Eastern Europe’. VTCE has annual revenues of nearly €253m, and around 6 300 staff.