North America

USA: DHS report says X-ray scanners at airports are safe

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 2 March, 2012 - 14:52

The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that full-body X-ray scanning machines at airport security checkpoints use an "extremely low dose" of radiation which is safe for passengers. The report refers to a Johns Hopkins University assesment of 2010 which said that a passenger would have to be screened 47 times a day for a year to exceed yearly limits of radiation set by the American National Standards Institute.

USA: Appelate court affirms foreign nationals' standing to challenge a "no-fly list" inclusion

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 29 February, 2012 - 17:06

Rahinah Ibrahim, a Malaysian national and university professor, was legally in the United States as a Ph.D. student at Stanford University from 2001 - 2005. In early 2005, she attempted to travel to a Stanfordsponsored conference in Malaysia where she was to present her doctoral research. Alledgedly mistakenly placed on the “No-Fly List”, she was prevented from flying and was detained in a holding cell for two hours at the San Francisco airport. She was then allowed to fly to Malaysia the next day, but she was prevented from returning to the United States after the conference.

USA: Appelate court confirms limitation of liability clauses in airline's "Conditions of Carriage"

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 13 February, 2012 - 19:25

On September 26, 2008, appellants purchased two round-trip airline tickets from American Airline’s website. The y received an “E-Ticket Confirmation” which in the bottom line of the message stated: “A summary of Terms and Conditions of travel is available by selecting the Conditions of Carriage button below.” The referenced Conditions of Carriage clearly state that the ticket and the Conditions of Carriage “constitute the contract.”

Canada: body height is not a disability

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 7 February, 2012 - 17:41

Malcolm Johnson filed an application with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) against Air Canada with respect to additional fees charged for economy class seats that afford extra leg room. Mr. Johnson submitted that, due to his height, he could not sit in a “regular seat” without endangering his health due to restricted circulation in his legs from cramped seating.

USA: DOT fines Spirit Airlines over handling of disability complaints and Finnair for violating price advertising rules

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 31 January, 2012 - 16:19

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Spirit Airlines USD 100,000 for failing to appropriately record and respond to complaints about the carrier’s treatment of passengers with disabilities, violating DOT’s rules implementing the Air Carrier Access Act which prohibits discrimination in air travel on the basis of disability.

USA: Costa Concordia victims sue for USD 460 milion in Florida

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 31 January, 2012 - 16:00

Attorneys for six passengers of the Costa Concordia reportedly filed a law suit in Miami’s federal court requesting USD 450 million in punitive damages and USD 10 million in compensatory damages. The complaint says plaintiffs were “in terror of catastrophic injury, death, drowning, having been placed in a situation where common sense said the vessel was sinking but the orders from the crew were to return to their cabins.”

USA: New York law firms file class action against Costa

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 25 January, 2012 - 17:11

As reported by "Travel Weekly", New York-based personal-injury law firm Proner and Proner said it joined forces with Codacons, the Italian consumer-protection organization, in filing a class action against Costa Cruises. A second New York law firm, Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, also will represent passengers in the class action.

Proner said that the suit will seek at least USD 160,000 for each passenger who was aboard the ship at the time of the Jan. 13 disaster near the Italian island of Giglio.

Canada: change in airline pet policies ordered by CTA

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 24 January, 2012 - 08:04

Upon complaints by three passengers who all suffer from severe cat allergies, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has ruled that Air Canada, Jazz and WestJet need to amend their policies with respect to the carriage of cats as carry-on baggage in the aircraft cabin as to include either:

USA: deplaned passenger's complaint fails to state a viable cause of action under the Montreal Convention

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 19 January, 2012 - 11:38

The plaintiff and her daughter boarded the aircraft for a Continental flight from Newark to Cancun, Mexico. After a dsipute with the flight attendants over her seating and and while waiting in the forward galley, the plaintiff began talking on her cell phone. When a flight attendant told her to end the call, she replied that “the pilot didn’t announce not to be on your phone and I’m talking to my Mom” and continued her conversation. The flight attendant then told the plaintiff to stop talking on her phone or else exit the plane.

USA: DOT fines AirTran for deceptive price advertising

Submitted by Michael Wukoschitz on 11 January, 2012 - 16:10

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined AirTran Airways USD 60,000 for violating federal aviation laws and the Department’s rules prohibiting deceptive price advertising in air travel.

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