It’s already Sunday here in Australia and with that time again for our weekly updates. This week we have the following topics for you
- Bomb set off at Beijing airport
- Turtles found in luggage in India
- Man dies after heart attack at JFK
- Gatwick’s survival guide
Just last night at 6.24pm local time, according to USA Today, a man in a wheelchair set off a homemade bomb at the Beijing International Airport (PEK). Apparently the device was set off outside the arrivals exit of Terminal 3. State-run China Central Television said on its microblog that the man in the wheelchair was injured and sent to a hospital after setting off the bomb. It reported no one else was injured, no flights were affected and order was quickly restored at the airport.
On Friday then, Sky reported that more than 10,000 live exotic turtles have been found in the luggage of two passengers at an Indian airport. According to the article, the two Indian nationals were arrested at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport (CCU) in Kolkata after customs officials discovered the reptiles packed in their suitcases.
People die and people die in airports. That’s just a fact. But when a man dies after a heart attack at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York this week, eyebrows were raised. Fox News reported on Thursday that two teams of first responders failed to reach him — because their electronic ID cards couldn’t open secure doors at the newly renovated Delta terminal 4. A second rescue squad also ran into frustrating issues with security doors when the Fire Department responders were denied entry when the security system refused to recognize an ID access card used by a PA cop escorting them. The delay robbed the dying man of more precious seconds.
And finally a lighter story from the United Kingdom where the summer holiday season is in full swing: The British Telegraph ran an interesting London Gatwick (LGW) survival guide this week, titled “how to avoid airport hell”. It contains useful information on how to make your airport journey a pleasant one despite the larger holiday crowd. We’d also like to point to our blog we wrote for a better Easter experience. It’s not Easter now of course, but the tips nevertheless are still valid for passing time smoother while you wait at the airport.
That’s all for this week – safe travels and enjoy your summer break if you have one!
[Photo from Wikipedia – some rights reserved]