Excuse Me, Miss...

"Excuse Me, Miss..."

Summer is here and all those vacation plans are being put into action. Highways are full of  campers and tourists on their way to their summer destinations. Airline terminals are very busy with people waiting to pass security checkpoints and  baggage requirements.

 One overseas European flight  had some very unexpected problems for their passengers when they were not served food, water, and not even given blankets on a recently launched long-haul flight to New York  A 16-year-old spent his Oslo to New York flight freezing since he only had cash and no credit card with him to pay the $5 fee charged by the carrier for renting a blanket according to a newspaper Aftenposten report. That followed another report of  Scandinavian crew members taking back a cup of coffee from a Thai woman after they found she only had cash and a local credit card with her. The woman was also unable to buy food or water on the 12-hour flight.. Only a handful of budget airlnes operate long haul routes and passengers are sometimes surprised when they are required to pay for services usually offered free of charge.

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The airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third-largest budget airline, has apologized for the oversight.
"This is totally unacceptable. Norwegian must ensure its passengers are treated well and we apologize deeply," company spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen said.
"We are the first to admit that we have had some start-up problems on the long-haul flights.". Norwegian is going to review its policy of only accepting credit card payments and will improve its communication with customers. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, commercially branded “Norwegian”, is a low-cost airline listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Norwegian is the second largest airline in Scandinavia and third largest low cost carrier in Europe.

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Bjorn Kjos (pictured) is one of the founders of Norwegian Air Shuttle and a plane-owner. He previously served as a pilot in the Norwegian Air Force, later becoming a lawyer. Like many Scandinavians, he has penned a thriller in his spare time. Kjos is well-known in his home country as the man who brought low-cost flying to one of Europe’s most expensive countries.
Last year, the airline he co-founded and runs,(NAS), placed the biggest aircraft order Europe has yet seen. It will buy 222 Boeings and Airbuses for around $10 billion, aiming to compete with Ryanair and easyJet, Europe’s champions of cheap aviation.By purchasing more-efficient planes, emissions are reduced and passengers are offered new and more comfortable aircraft.

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 S-GoNorwegian was founded in 1993 with headquarters  in Fornebu, Norway. In June 2013,

Norwegian was voted Europe’s best low-cost carrier of the year by the renowned SkyTrax World Airline Awards. Norwegian offers better leg room than most competitors, in-flight WiFi, world-class punctuality and a fleet of 75 aircraft with an average age of only 4.6 years.  Norwegian has a clear goal of reducing emissions per flown passenger by 30% in the period 2008 – 2015.

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American travelers using the skyways also are having difficulties.

Airport terminals in the USA have seen many changes in recent times and ticketbuyers have been frustrated by restrictions, ticketprices and altered flight schedules. Airlines offer specials to lure travelers and some are almost too good to believe

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One US traveler received a letter in the mail that looked like good news and the logo of the famous air service appeared to be authentic.He was informed that he’d won “ Two roundtrip tickets worth $1,298" postmarked at the city where this service is based. But while it all looked authentic, he was  skeptical. The notice went on to state:

“I am pleased to inform you that you have qualified for an award of two roundtrip airline tickets. Congratulations. These tickets are valid for travel anywhere in the Continental U.S. The retail value of this award is up to $1,298.00. Certain restrictions apply.We have attempted to contacting you several times without success. This is our last attempt. If we do not hear from you soon, we may need to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate”.
Further investigation found variations between the logo and that of an existing company as well as minor changes in the real company’s name. The offer was a scam.

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Consumer complaints against U.S. airlines rose sharply in 2012, even as the carriers claimed a better record of on-time arrivals and luggage handling. Those findings, from a recent report released  highlight the struggle to find ways to make money and maintain services for traveling public .The study highlighted the growing incidences of “bumping,” when a passenger shows up at the airport and finds out his seat has been sold to someone else.

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Rising fuel prices along with maintainance problems and consolidation was increased  by a  controversial  recently-passed budget law. This federally passed law became known as the" 2013 Sequestration " relating to budget cuts in federal spending that took effect March 1, 2013. Due to this act, the aviation industry has been forced to make many changes.The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents the controllers and other workers, had predicted “a negative impact on the efficiency and capacity of the National Airspace System, as well as the nation’s fragile economy.” Airlines and airports across the country are struggling due to this recent federal  action recently passed by Congress that called for “across-the-board” federal budget cuts.

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An airline analyst says it makes sense that people are going to be unhappy with the airlines today.

“As the industry continues to consolidate, capacity is  reduced, seats are packed closer and closer together and load factors get higher and higher. The travel experience becomes punishing,” says Robert Mann of R.W. Mann  Company, an airline industry analysis and consulting company. “Add fees for services previously considered part of the bargain and you have the recipe for discontent". According to USA Today ”FAA has  released figures  predicting that U.S. air travel will increase up to 1.3 billion passengers per year by 2031, up from the 737.4 million expected to fly in the U.S. this year .

Despite all the  hustle and crowded conditions in our skies and on our ground. Enjoy  the summer! It's a short season!

 

Where Is Everyone?

             Where Is Everyone?

Sverre Jerell just got into town and he told his taxi driver to take him to his hotel. As Sverre looked around, he asked the taxi driver “Where is everyone?”. Not very many people were out in the streets and the promenade was empty. His driver replied that most of the residence had left and he would be leaving  very soon. The cab driver went on  to say that the economy was very bad, jobs were hard to find and no one got along with their neighbors, and were leaving.

 Sverre Jerell was on a mission to Norway’s northernmost city, Kirkenes. Kirkenes is located on The Bering Strait overlooking the water to territory controlled by the Soviet Union. Any tourist falling asleep while traveling on the Hurtigruten might wake up at the last port of the  northern route called Krikenes.The original name of the peninsula was Piselvnes, but this was changed to Kirkenes (meaning "church headland") after the Kirkenes Church was built in 1862.

Norway  Advisor  Jerell

Kirkenes on the Northern  Bering Straits

The year was 1992, and Jerell, acting as an advisor to his Norwegian foreign minister came to see if improved relations between the Norwegians and the Russians could be established. He had a plan to aid the area.

 

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This area was invaded and prized by the German invaders in WWII as an excellent seaport , supply center and landing site for German fighter planes. Norwegian underground partisans were very harshly treated by the Nazis until the end of the war when the Soviet Union became the new occupying force. They, in turn,had little respect for the Norwegians and tensions continued. During this time, the Norwegian government was subsidizing and encouraging the Kirkenes residents to remain and work, but when the cold war ended, and the Soviet Union collapsed, the subsidies were discontinued and the Norwegian residents began to leave.

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When the Cold War ended, the new Russian leaders  began overtures to surrounding countries. The Bering Strait area was a rich land of minerals, they needed trade, and talks began. Sverre Jerell represented the Norwegian government and was instrumental in founding a meeting of northern nations who, in 1993, met and signed the first  Kirkenes Declaration of international agreement between the USSR and its satellite countries and the Norway-USA. Conditions began to improve.

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Norway's Prime Minister Stoltenberg

 It is now June, 2013. A decade has past and the Council has reconvened to celebrate the successful venture. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg played host to celebrations in Kirkenes, June 3rd and 4th to mark the 20th anniversary of international cooperation. The Barents cooperation has been important for building confidence and promoting stability in the northernmost areas of Norway. In connection with the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary, a new Kirkenes Declaration was adopted, focusing on economic growth and sound environmental management across borders in the High North country.


Barents Summit Members, June 2013

 The Barents Euro-Arctic Region members are pictured,celebrating 20 years since the signing of the original Kirkenes Declaration. On stage are the prime ministers of Russia, Norway, Finland and Iceland, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Denmark, the vice president of the EU Commission and representatives from several observer states as they  met and signed the Kirkenes Declaration to “contribute to stability and progress” in the Barents Region.

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Stoltenberg and Russian Medvedev

The Russian Prime Minister  proposed creating joint funding projects in the Barents Euro-Arctic region “We have a good opportunity to implement joint programs and initiatives, including state and private partnerships. The emphasis on cooperation must be shifted toward specific projects,” Medvedev said Tuesday.

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Aile Javo, Sami Council President

When the new Kirkenes Declaration opened, Sami Council President Aile Javo was not  in attendance. Javo chose not to attend the Barents Summit, saying  "The new Kirkenes Declaration talks a lot about improving involvement of indigenous people in the Council, but doesn’t provide details of how this will be accomplished".."They're saying they want to strengthen indigenous participation in Barents cooperation, but they, of course, need to follow up with money so it's not just nice words on paper." The council addressed the Sami's concerns and pledged to give the Sami community a bigger voice in upcoming developements.

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A bilingual library in Kirkenes

Jerell originally was on a mission to establish organized representation of civil society in the Arctic countries. Cooperation between civil society groups have traditionally been one of the cornerstones in regional cooperation across the borders in the Barents Region.The past twenty years has seen several changes in attitudes and cooperation. Students from all countries are now able to travel and study  in neighboring country's schools. A library in Kirkenes is pictured with a sign in both Russian and Norwegian.

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Finnish Prime Minister Katainen

 "There are extreme opportunities for all of us," said Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen during the Summit in Kirkenes, Norway. "Today the region is facing both positive and negative implications of global warming and increased global demands for minerals, oil and gas," Katainen went on to say "This is why the Barents cooperation continues to be of upmost relevance even today."

So, apparently, enemies can become friends.

The only town in Norway where East meets West.

Kirkenes, Norway.