Love is in the air..

Love was in the air on a low-cost airline flight from Robin Hood Airport, when a passenger proposed to his girlfriend at 35,000 feet.

David Christie, 39, from Cleethorpes, popped the question to school nurse Jayne Terry over the public address system of the Ryanair flight to Barcelona. And the 38-year-old, from Burstwick, near Hull, ensured their engagement got off to a flying start after saying ‘yes’, prompting applause among the 187 other passengers.

Heathrow hotels benefit from T5 chaos

Hoteliers near Heathrow Airport are the big winners from the chaotic opening of the new Terminal 5. After problems with BA’s baggage system led to over 400 flights being cancelled during T5’s first week in operation, average room rates and occupancy levels at Heathrow hotels hit a five-month high.

The statistics reveal that average occupancy for Heathrow hotels in March was 78.3% while average room rate was £79.25, the highest levels since last November.

Other figures reveal that a total of 42.4 million bags were mishandled or delayed in 2007 by airports and airlines last year.

The air transport industry lost $3.8 billion (£1.9 billion) because of growing pressures on baggage management linked to passenger volumes, tight aircraft turnaround times, and heightened security measures.

Photos from the "Bird's Nest"

This is the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" for its architecture. It was completed in March this year and will host the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Source: www.andyryan.com

EU allows mobile phone use on planes

The European Commission has approved today a regulation that sets a common standard by which passengers can safely use their mobile phones during flights. With the approval by EU regulators, airlines will be able to launch onboard mobile services later this year.

EU officials said the service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and will not be available during take off or landing. The cabin crew will have control over the system and will be able to switch off the onboard network, for example during night flights.

Viviane Reding, the EU's telecommunications commissioner, warned phone operators not to set rates for the service too high and urged airlines to protect passengers from excessive phone use.

Already, national regulators in Britain have said they are ready to grant licenses, and Air France, Ryanair and BMI have already launched a trial or have plans to make an in-flight phone service available.

Germany's Lufthansa, however, said Monday it does not want to introduce the service, because surveys had shown that a large majority of customers were against it.