airline safety - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-29T15:02:38Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/airline+safetyTourism and Terrorism in Today's World: What Must Be Donehttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/terrorism-tourism-security-paris-metrojet-egypt2015-11-16T16:36:59.000Z2015-11-16T16:36:59.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p><a href="http://img07.deviantart.net/7634/i/2005/237/6/e/dark_eiffel_tower_by_kaliumgirl.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img07.deviantart.net/7634/i/2005/237/6/e/dark_eiffel_tower_by_kaliumgirl.jpg?width=640" class="align-center" width="640" alt="dark_eiffel_tower_by_kaliumgirl.jpg?width=640" /></a><br /> <br /> This month has not been easy for specialists in <strong>tourism security</strong>. We first witnessed the terrorist bombing of the Russian aircraft, causing not only death and destruction to innocent civilians but also a major blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Then, on Friday the 13th, the first reports of the terrible attacks in Paris began to come through the newswires.<br /> <br /> It is still too early to provide a full security picture of the events. The French police are correctly holding back information and being during their investigation not to provide the “enemy” with needed details. Although these attacks may not have been a direct assault against the tourism industry, we do know that the venues attacked all were places of public gatherings - part of the backbone of tourism. As such, it is essential that everyone in tourism be well aware of the consequences of these attacks and learn from them. It is not possible to determine as of this writing (November 14) if these attacks have now run their course or if other attacks will follow in the days ahead.<br /> <br /> In reading this article, please note that it does not attempt to ascertain the causes or responsibility for these attacks but rather examines only the consequences of these attacks on the tourism industry as a whole, and presents ideas for tourism’s continued viability in an age of terrorism.</p><p><strong>The End of an Open Europe?</strong></p><p>The Metrojet Russian airliner downing and the Paris attacks will force the travel industry to deal with a major travel paradigm shift. France closed its borders and the idea of an open Europe may now be coming to an end. This shift in travelers’ mindsets that came about after September 11, 2001 could well soon return, and the Western nations which for the last seven years have viewed terrorism as a criminal act rather than as an act of war. National leaders may now have to reassess their modus operandis. The Paris terrorist attacks, and the possibility of new attacks, have given the travel and tourism a new major wake-up call and will force the industry once again to place tourism security at the top of its priority list.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, many in the travel and tourism industry had hoped that in the years since 9/11, tourism security could once again be placed on the back burner. Put in its simplest of terms; travelers will once again demand good tourism security and not only at airports, but at public venues, restaurants, hotels and stadiums. In the old travel industry paradigm, security was in too many locations the industry’s stepchild or “dark secret.” Industry leaders rarely spoke about threats to tourists in public, fearing that such openness would scare away visitors. The common belief has been that security was a “necessary evil” that one had to have, but that security added nothing to the business’ bottom line.<br /> <br /> For this reason, tourism and travel security were rarely publicized, never mentioned in marketing campaigns, under-funded, and its practitioners were often underpaid. The old paradigm led to poor security at airports, hotels, restaurants and attractions. Security professionals who spoke of acts of terrorism, biochemical attacks, and crime were seen as alarmist, and tourism marketers often asked security professionals to rephrase their warnings in ways that would be acceptable for public consumption.</p><p><strong>The Post-Paris Paradigm for Travel</strong><br /> If the public perception changed after September 11, the attacks against the Russian airliner and the city of Paris will mean that tourism officials who ignore security are placing their entire industry in peril. The bottom line will be simply that where there is no security, tourism will perish, but in those locales where tourism security is professionalized and well thought through, the tourism industry can continue to flourish.<br /> <br /> The post-Paris paradigm for the travel and tourism industry is based on the fact that tourism security is now a major part of a location’s marketing strategy.<br /> <br /> Below are some suggestions and ideas to help you prepare for this new and dangerous world.</p><ul><li><strong>Get over denial, it can happen in your community.</strong> Recognize that no part of the world today is immune from a terrorist attack. Too many parts of the travel and tourism market simply do not believe that an attack can happen to them. It can! Furthermore, as the media often devotes a great amount of coverage to an attack against a tourism area, the fear factor spreads from one locale to entire regions, nations, and even continents.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Recognize that there is a fundamental political shift in the world.</strong> Old assumptions will no longer hold. The tourism industry will need to recognize that the Islamic State and other terrorist groups are at war with it. From a business perspective t old assumptions about the world are very dangerous. Those parts of the travel and tourism industry that emphasize security will have a good chance of surviving. The venues that provide give good security mixed with good customer service will flourish. Those parts of the travel and tourism industry that hold on to the old way of thinking will fade away.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Develop coordinated efforts between security professionals and tourism professionals.</strong> Tourism professionals need to see security professionals and tourism police as allies. That means that tourism professionals must work to insure well-trained TOPPs (Tourism Oriented Policing and Protection units) officers. These TOPPs units should exist in any city that has a major tourism industry or sports stadium.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Develop a tourism task force.</strong> People who should be on this task force are local officials, tourism officials, and transportation officials. The key to this task force is the quality of your facilitator.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Do not create a false sense of security.</strong> Gas masks will do nothing in case of a biological or chemical attack, while sealed rooms may be very useful. Much of what done at airports is a form of “security theater” that, as seen in the recent downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, does not address real problems. Do not panic people, but deal with safety and security issues in the most professional manner possible. People begin to panic not when you take precautions in a professional manner, but when you fair to take precautions.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Invite specialists to help train not only security personnel but also tourism officials.</strong> All too often tourism officials do not attend security training and merely leave security issues in the hands of unpaid and underfunded security specialists. People lecturing must be both specialists in security and in travel and tourism. Remember terrorism against tourism is not a passing emergency, but now a permanent way of life with a self-proclaimed "state” (the Islamic State, aka ISIS) seeking to undermine the totality of tourism. Travel and tourism-industry professionals who are in denial and refuse to accept this new political reality are risking their business’ health and making a potentially costly error.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Develop security coalitions with all components of your community.</strong> Make sure that your police department is trained and understands tourism, make sure that your hotel and attraction workers know how to handle a security emergency. This is also a time for regionalization. For example, if your state tourism conference has never had an expert speak on tourism security, ask: why not? Both rural and urban areas should be thinking about the security of their guests.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Know what is unsafe in your community and work with local governments to improve these security concerns.</strong> How safe is your local airport? Are cab drivers’ backgrounds investigated? Who has access to guests' rooms? Who is working behind the scenes at airports? Are these people vetted (have their personal backgrounds checked)?</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Send representatives to tourism security conferences.</strong> The oldest and most famous one is held each year in Las Vegas. Every major CVB should have a representative at a tourism security conference along with at least one member of its law enforcement agency. This year’s conference is from April 10-13 and information can be obtained at <a href="http://www.touristsafety.org">www.touristsafety.org</a>.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Make sure that all police personnel and security personnel are aware</strong> of how important tourism security is to their community’s reputation and economic health. Most police have never been trained in good tourism security. It is essential to have a person work with your local police who can “translate” between tourism and security issues.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>"Security" and "safety" may have different meanings to scholars, but in the world of travel they are one and the same.</strong> In the world of terrorism against tourism, any lack of either safety or security can result in the decimation or even destruction of a tourism industry.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Remember that the best crisis management is good risk management!</strong> It is a lot cheaper to stop an attack then it is to recover from an attack. In both the case of the Russian airliner and the Paris attacks, it appears that tourism officials were taken by surprise. The cost of these surprise attacks cannot only be measured in economic costs but also in the cost of lives destroyed, and reputations ruined. The tourism industry’s number-one priority must be to do everything possible and to work with security agencies so as to assure the safety and security of its guests but also to insure the viability of the tourism industry.</li></ul><p><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <span class="font-size-1"><em><a href="https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&hl=en&as_q=eiffel+tower+dark&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgsz=&imgar=&imgc=&imgcolor=&imgtype=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=#imgar=&imgc=&imgrc=E8e3VWUae3279M%3A" target="_blank">image | Kaliumgirl/Deviantart</a></em></span></p><p></p><p></p></div>The Skinny on Aircraft Evacuation Slideshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/the-skinny-on-aircraft-evacuation-slides2015-03-27T15:05:29.000Z2015-03-27T15:05:29.000ZIberia Airlineshttps://tripatini.com/members/IberiaAirlines<div><p><a href="http://megustavolar.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_8685-640x478.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://megustavolar.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_8685-640x478.jpg?width=640" width="640" class="align-center" alt="IMG_8685-640x478.jpg?width=640" /></a></p><p><br /> <em>by VaDeAviones.com</em> <br /><br /><br />If you fly with any frequency, a phrase heard over the public address system, “crew, slide arm and cross check” is likely to ring a bell. That “slide arm” refers to activation for potential use of the inflatable evacuation slide required on all aircraft where the floor is at least 1.8 metres (6 feet) above ground level. These slides are manufactured of various approved forms of resistant plastic, similar in consistency to rubber, reinforced with various layers to minimise the possibility of punctures or tears.<br /><br />In order for these slides to be in optimal condition to be utilised correctly and safely, they are minutely examined as part of the various safety inspections all aircraft routinely undergo. Depending on the type of plane and on what portion of the fuselage they’re installed (for example over a wing or at one end or the other), evacuation slides may vary in size and inflation time).</p><p><a href="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Iberia-inflatable-evacuation-slide1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Iberia-inflatable-evacuation-slide1.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-right" alt="Iberia-inflatable-evacuation-slide1.jpg?width=300" /></a></p><p>One slide for an Airbus A320 inflates in just three seconds via an internal system of highly compressed gas injection. It should also be pointed out that these slides are designed to endure a fire for at least 90 seconds as well as stand up to extreme gusts of wind without breaking or detaching from the fuselage. At Iberia’s hangars in La Muñoza, on the outskirts of Madrid, the maintenance staff showed us show they give these slides a thorough check-out.<br /> <br />The evacuation slides are extracted from the compartment in which they are stored within the aircraft and unfurled along the floor in a section of the hangar. Once all the material is exposed, the surface of the slides is inspected for any deterioration, including testing at partial inflation to verify that there is no leakage of air. After those tests have been passed, each slide is attached to an actual-size fuselage mock-up and subjected to additional testing including a fire-extinction simulation.<br /><br />Once all of the above procedures have been successfully completed, the final, very important step is to re-fold and return each slide to its compartment in an extremely careful manner, so as to ensure that in the event of an emergency, the inflation circuit can work unimpeded to assist an evacuation.<br /><br />This testing is performed exhaustively once annually throughout the useful life of each slide, which is generally three to five years, depending on whether and how many times it has been used. <br /><br />Hopefully and usually as little as possible!</p><p><br /> <iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XO82lLvl8tk?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p></p><p></p></div>Is Your Baby Safe Flying?https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/is-your-baby-safe-flying2010-12-17T21:05:18.000Z2010-12-17T21:05:18.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tMmAvDYYLB4zcDLj0Je1GA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_AnBusKXSA8o/TQfTkHkpOWI/AAAAAAAACLg/sn6R_uumHt0/s800/babies.jpg" height="244" width="207" alt="babies.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/travel.video/NMTImages?feat=embedwebsite">NMT Images</a></td></tr></table><p>Is Your Baby Safe Flying?<br /><br />It’s tortured reasoning.<br /><br />The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) position on mandatory child restraint systems (CRS) on planes is, that they’re not necessary.<br /><br />Child restraint systems is “gov-speak” for seat belts.<br /><br />Any why does the FAA think they’re not necessary?<br /><br />They contend that air travel is safer than car travel, where, by the way, seat belts are required. So, they reason, forcing parents to strap their their kids in on a plane, thus having to pay for an extra seat, would cause families not to fly, and to drive instead.<br /><br />Therefore, the FAA argues, a mandatory CRS law would “inadvertently” be endangering these family travelers, putting them at risk by putting them on the road. <br /><br />At this point, an under 2-year old child, held in a parent’s lap, can fly free. <br /><br />But anyone who thinks a “held child” is safe from an emergency stop in a plane, or turbulence is playing with their child’s life.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.ntsb.gov/alertsSA_015pdf">National Transportation Safety Board’s</a> (NTSB) recent conference on the subject in Washington pushed for a rule requiring all passengers, including infants, to be strapped in in a separate seat.<br /><br />But the Federal Aviation Administration held fast to its contention that children 2-years and younger can fly unrestrained- if they are held in a parent’s lap. <br /><br />Parents can not buckle their child in with them. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40575974/ns/travel-family_travel/">MSNBC</a> reported that many safety experts at the hearing were very disappointed in the FAA’s ruling. The web site cited former flight attendant, Jan Brown (United Airlines), who was involved in a crash where 111 people died, including children.<br /><br />Would having the children buckled in have made a difference? <br /><br />Not sure, but Brown said she had nothing to offer the “lap children” during the emergency, except to put them on the floor and have an adult hold them in place as the plane prepared for the crash.<br /><br />“ A pet carrier would have been safer,” she said.<br /><br />The NTSB is charged with investigating civil transportation accidents and making travel safer. <br /><br />While the FAA agrees with the NTSB’s position, stating that the safest place “for your little one is an approved child-restraint system (CRS) and not on your lap,” it continually stumbles over the absurd car vs plane issue.<br /><br />MSNBC quoted FAA spokesperson., Alison Duquette, as repeating the canard that forcing parent to buy a ticket to use a seat with a restraint will force them to opt to drive, a less safe method of travel.<br /><br />On the other side, many parenting blogs and web sites like the <a href="http://www.milehighmamas.com">Denver Post’s Mile High Mamas</a> agree with the FAA’s position saying that having to buy a second ticket for a child would result in “consumer back lash.” <br /><br />But others argue that the extra cost is far outweighed by the real risk of not strapping a child in a child restraint system. <br /><br />Would you pay the extra money to buy your child a separate seat and buckle up? <br /><br /></p></div>