The move follows Qantas Airways, the biggest carrier in Australia, suspending the use of one its A380s after finding 36 small cracks in the wings. The discovery was made after the plane hit severe turbulence during a journey from London to Singapore in January. The airline said the cracks weren’t related to the turbulence but were due to manufacturing problems. Additionally, cracks have been found and repaired by Singapore Airlines as well.

There are about 2,000 brackets inside of one wing of an A380, which join the wing-skin to the ribs, and Airbus insists that only a few of the brackets have been affected. The plane maker says that the safe operation of the planes hasn’t been affected. It has already begun implementing a temporary fix to the issue and a permanent fix will be implemented shortly.

The EASA says that the 20 planes that were checked before revealed a new form of cracking. The January 20 order followed Airbus saying it found new cracks on the wing brackets of two superjumbos following inspections that had been started after an incident in 2010 where a Qantas A380 engine disintegrated during flight. Airlines were given between four days and six weeks to inspect the initial batch of aircraft.

The new directive said that the condition could lead to a reduction of structural integrity if it’s not detected and fixed. Spokesman Dominique Fouda says that the updated directive includes the entire fleet of 68 A380s, which are currently being used by seven different carriers (Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Air France, China Southern, Qantas, Korean Air and Lufthansa). The decision to extend the order was made because of the results of the initial checks, but the spokesman didn’t know how many cracks were found overall. Additionally, they are working with the manufacturer on a long-term fix that should be prepared by the summer, he added.

In the latest airworthiness directive from the EASA, planes that have conducted over 1,384 takeoff and landing cycles have to be inspected within three weeks of February 13. Aircraft that have conducted between 1,216 and 1,384 cycles have to be checked within six weeks or in 84 cycles, whichever is first. Furthermore, A380s that have conducted less than 1,216 cycles have to be inspected by the time they have carried out 1,300.

Although UK carriers aren’t flying any A380s, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has welcomed the extended order for checks. General secretary Jim McAuslan says they have said from the start that the EASA needs to get control of the issue, and everyone must trust the agency to deliver. It’s concerning that the announcement comes weeks after the news of the cracks started emerging, he added.

Institution of Mechanical Engineers head of transport Philippa Oldham said that it’s important to note that the cracks are very small and that airlines will monitor them, while the issue is unlikely to affect aircraft operations. Carriers approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have very tough regulations and require rigorous inspection procedures. A plane isn’t allowed to fly unless it’s deemed to be totally airworthy by the authority or its delegates.

CityzenCar allows its 12,000 members in 2,000 cities in France to rent vehicles with no commission and in complete trust. The company aims to promote a more intelligent use of available cars, allowing owners to rent their vehicle to others if they don’t use it themselves more than 90% of the time. In turn, households that don’t own a car of their own are able to rent one close to home, even from neighbours. With several other car sharing schemes opening in other countries, CityzenCar is following the trend to provide the best service for renting a car in confidence for as little as a few hours or even for days.

Netsize is the top provider of global solutions for mobile carrier messaging and billing, which allows its customers to boost mobile service revenues, increase brand awareness and business efficiency at the same time. Its Mobile Payment solution is used in 50 nations by 136 wireless networks, supporting both pay per use and recurring billing, as well as subscription-based transactions. Its Mobile Messaging solution delivers reliable, certified and secure bi-directional communication with SMS and MMS in more than 200 nations – allowing for enterprise messaging, machine-to-machine applications and mobile marketing.

The SMS Mobile Messaging solution from Netsize will be able to support the whole car hire process – from validations to notifications and confirming booking details. It can be used on any handset and is compatible across all wireless networks. This guarantees that CityzenCar members and customers are able to use the service not matter where they are or the time of day.

With the solution, car owners will be informed of every rental request via SMS. If they approve the rental, the motorist will be sent a test message on their mobile phone with the details of the car and where it’s located. The owner will then be able to deliver the keys personally or give CityzenCar permission to unlock the vehicle’s doors. This convenient and innovative unlocking system is enabled by the CityzenBox, which is an embedded telematic device sitting in the car.

CityzenCar chief executive Nicolas le Douarec says that they wanted to give customers an easier way to interact with each other and make the best use of their service. The highly dependable and flexible SMS solution offered by Netsize is vital to ensure their service is of quality. Netsize general manager Frédéric Deman added that CityzenCar is beyond the curve of innovation with its use of technology to engage with members. SMS is perfect where mobility is essential, as consumers can be contacted while on the go. It’s also very interoperable, giving them a far wider end-user reach.

Meanwhile, CityzenCar launched its friends and partners CitéGreen reward programme for environmentally friendly practices on Tuesday. By sorting, using sustainable transport and using green energy, members’ good deeds can be rewarded with things like video on demand or a supermarket purchase.

The Old Post Office is positioned in the Federal Triangle neighbourhood at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street. Congress realised that the building isn’t useful for federal office space and appointed the GSA to enter a long-term lease for the property in 2008 under Section 111 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This guaranteed that all of the building’s historic features would be reserved and restored while the private sector decided on how to use the property to its fullest potential.

GSA Public Buildings Service (PBS) commissioner Robert Peck says that deciding to move ahead with redeveloping the iconic property will save taxpayers millions of dollars every year. The huge response from the private sector allowed the organisation to select a proposal that will deliver a consistent stream of revenue for the federal government and improve the utilisation of a historic property on the nation’s Main Street. The Trump Organization proposal will improve the vitality of Pennsylvania Avenue and preserve the building’s historic nature.

The GSA says that it determined, after closely evaluating several submissions, that the Trump Organization plan represents the most consistent revenue stream for the government, the strongest development team and the best long-term potential for the community. The administration adds that it’s dedicated to efficiently and effectively managing the federal real estate footprint to get the best value for communities and taxpayers – consistent with the Campaign to Cut Waste launched by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

In a media advisory from the Trump Organization, the group says that the redevelopment plan will bring new life to the building, which will be named Trump International Hotel, The Old Post Office, Washington, DC. The proposal includes over 250 expansive guest rooms, presidential suites and penthouses; world-class restaurants, a bar and lounge, and a café; extensive ballroom, banquet and meeting facilities; a library, curated museum, indoor and outdoor gardens, and exhibition gallery; and The Spa at Trump. All of this will preserve the historic structure’s integrity. Trump Organization executive vice president of development and acquisitions Ivanka Trump added that they are very honoured and dedicated to making this hotel the finest in the country – if not the world.

Now the GSA and Trump Organization will take the next year to negotiate a detailed contract for the redevelopment – which will specify historic preservation requirements, details of the federal revenue stream and building usage. The administration will only continue with the proposal if an agreement can be achieved that provides a positive return for taxpayers. Then several federal agencies will have to be relocated to other sites for the redevelopment to get underway – including the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. It’s expected that the redevelopment will begin in 2014 and be finished by 2016.

Meanwhile, the decision about the redevelopment was announced before a Congressional hearing today that would question GSA officials about the status of the project. The hearing was scheduled by California Republican Representative Jeff Denham, who has criticised how long it takes the federal government to lease or unload excess federal real estate to other interested parties. On Tuesday, legislation sponsored by him was passed by the House of Representatives to see that the process will be streamlined with the creation of an independent commission to review the sale of underused federal properties and consolidate agencies into more efficient spaces.

Interim chief executive Sam Weihagen, the former chief executive of Thomas Cook’s northern Europe division, says that he has been encouraged by how the bookings have developed, especially in the UK, where market share for both winter and summer are stable. The political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has hit the company, and they expect this year to be challenging as well. However, their UK summer programme is 42% sold – better than TUI Travel’s 35%.

Weihagen has also said that the UK arm needs to focus on fewer holiday destinations if it wants to turn things around. The unit has been trying to do too much in too short of a time period. The UK offering is too various and needs to be focused more on basic tour operator things – 16 big summer destinations that include Greece, Majorca and Turkey.

The future of Thomas Cook has been in question basically since it issued three profit warnings last year, warned of a possible debt default and requested twice in five weeks that lenders rescue it. The crisis reached a boiling point when chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa resigned in August under pressure from the board after the profit warnings.

Now Thomas Cook is looking to sell its 77.1% stake in its India business. The Thomas Cook India arm is profitable and a high-growth centre for the conglomerate. The company has announced it’s in the process of inviting formal bids for the shareholding. This comes nearly a month after Thomas Cook India managing director Madhavan Menon dismissed the buzz of a sale as just speculation. He wouldn’t comment about the matter on Wednesday.

The 77% shareholding was valued at Rs 879 crore on Wednesday after the company has had a presence in the country since 1881 – some 130 years. It holds more than 60% of market share and is a leader in the nation’s foreign exchange business. Weihagen said that they will consider selling the stake and using the proceeds to strengthen the group’s balance sheet if the offers are attractive.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph has revealed that Thomas Cook is planning to appoint a new chief executive by the end of next month. Weihagen delayed his own retirement to take on the temporary role, and first-round interviews for a successor have already taken place. Analysts believe that the short list may include someone within the the company – with 49-year-old Michael Friisdahl, the head of its North American unit, slated as a possible candidate.

The announcement of a new chief executive appointment comes as Thomas Cook faces backlash for the £1.17 million it paid to Fontenla-Novoa when he left the company. Nearly 9% of shareholders voted against the group’s remuneration report on Wednesday, protesting the bonus package. At the time of the chief’s exit, chairman Peter Middleton defended the company’s position, saying that there was a legally-binding contract involved.

The American College of Chest Physicians, however, says that healthy women who are pregnant or on the pill should be careful where they sit on a plane as well. The group, which represents over 18,000 physicians who specialise in critical care and lung disease, has examined existing evidence, finding that the risk of DVT is strongest on aircraft journeys more than eight hours long. However, it noted that passengers on flights more than four hours can also increase their risk due to immobility during the flight and sitting by the window – particularly for obese travellers.

Blood in the body’s calves and thighs is kept pumping by muscular contractions to force it back towards the heart. The blood can gather in deep veins when people are immobile for long periods of time. Then a clot can form, partially or completely blocking the vein, and when part of it breaks off, it can move into a blood vessel that serves a lung – which is called pulmonary embolism (PE). Big clots can cause a person to suddenly collapse or even die, as their body is starved for oxygenated blood.

The American College of Chest Physicians says that the risk of developing DVT or PE because of a long flight is very small. Chairman Dr Gordon Guyatt says that the risk for most passengers is extremely low and nothing to be worried about. A symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE), the combination of DVT and PE, is experienced by one out of 4,600 within a month of a four-hour or longer flight, and only a minority of these are serious.

McMaster University’s Dr Mark Crowther says that a person’s risk is increased when they remain immobile for a long time. Travellers sitting in a window seat for a long time tend to have less mobility, which is why their risk for DVT is greater, and this risk rises when other factors are taken into account. McGill University professor Dr Susan Kahn says that the average risk for DVT is about 1 in 1,000 every year, and healthy travellers should be assured they are unlikely to develop a clot, despite long-haul travel doubling the risk.

The American College of Chest Physicians has now published new guidelines to recommend all long-haul passengers get up regularly during their flights to walk around, as well as stretch their calf muscles while they sit or stand. They also advise that higher DVT risk travellers should wear below-the-knee compression stockings – including pregnant women and the elderly. Although having an alcoholic drink on board won’t increase the risk, the doctors advise against the use of aspirin and other anti-coagulants to prevent a problem. Only more powerful anti-thrombotic medications should be considered on an individual basis, as the adverse effects could outweigh the benefits.

Dr Guyatt says the health care system has made a significant push to administer DVT prevention for all patients, no matter what their risk is. Because of this, many people are getting unnecessary therapies that don’t really provide a good benefit and could have adverse effects, he added.

On February 8, the FCO updated its travel summary for the Maldives, changing its overall level of advice following the political demonstrations and unrest. The summary says that the situation is uncertain, and those planning to visit or already in Malé should exercise caution, beware of spontaneous gatherings and avoid demonstrations.

However, the FCO says there haven’t been any reports of demonstrations or social unrest at Malé International Airport on Hulhule island or at tourist resorts. The airport is still open and operating as usual. Due to this, their advice against all but essential travel to Malé Island doesn’t include the airport or travel from the airport to other areas of the Maldives. There have, however, been reports of unrest on other islands that don’t host resorts – mainly around municipal buildings like courtrooms and police stations. British nationals are advised to check with their tour operator or travel firm for further information.

The FCO notes that there’s no British diplomatic mission in the country. If there are emergency consular matters, there’s a Consular Correspondent in Malé that can liaise with the Sri Lankan British High Commission. The correspondent can be reached through the British High Commission in Colombo. The Maldives is new to democracy, and the FCO sees these developments as concerning. They are calling on all institutions and groups in the Maldives to find a peaceful way through the unrest that complies with the Constitution.

The agency added that the President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has resigned, and now Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has been sworn in as president under Constitutional powers. The resignation took place after police took over the state television broadcaster and called for the president to be overthrown. UK ministers are wanting to talk to Maldivian leaders – including Nasheed, Hassan and the leader of the opposition, and the British High Commission in Colombo is urgently sending a team to the country.

When Nasheed resigned on Tuesday, he said that he wasn’t ready to use force against protesters to maintain his government’s power. He has had a tough four years since being elected in 2008. His victory in the election was seen as introducing democracy to the Maldives in the wake of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s 30-year rule. Nasheed’s ousting raises worries that Islamist influence will increase over the nation’s policies, which could substantially affect foreign visitors’ experiences.

Despite the chaos and travel warning from the FCO, tourism looks to be business as usual. It’s been reported that a Kuoni spokesman says most travellers take a sea plane from Malé to their island resort. Unrest is always unlikely to spread outside the capital since the resorts are self-contained and typically populated by only resort staff and holidaymakers. The company has cancelled all excursions to the capital, which is a popular day-trip, but holiday bookings have been unaffected.

The ruling that has opened the door for on-board embarrassment involved two disabled men. Christopher Stott and Tony Hook sued British Airways and Thomas Cook after they weren’t allowed to sit next to their carers during their flights. Both suffered embarrassing issues – Stott was tipped out of his wheelchair in front of the other travellers. The men argued that their treatment meant they should be compensated as a result of hurt feelings and ruined holidays.

However, the Court of Appeal sided with the firms, citing the Montreal Convention, for fear of countless similar claims being made against airline companies. The three judges added that they rejected the men’s claims despite having sympathy for them. They also rejected requests for the case to be taken to the Supreme Court.

Outer Temple Chambers barrister Daniel Barnett says that this ruling will give airlines free reign to introduce a tax on obese travellers and disregard seat allocation promises made before boarding without fearing any consequences. This means passengers can’t sue airlines if they suffer emotional distress or get their feelings hurt if they are asked to pay extra in front of everybody for taking up so much space. The ruling confirms that disabled passengers also don’t have rights to dignity when the plane leaves the runway.

Right now, Barnett explains, airlines do what they want in relation to obese passengers prior to flights leaving the ground, and they are allowed to do so legally. This can include making the traveller buy a second seat if they can’t fit comfortably into just one. However, carriers aren’t allowed to charge disabled passengers more unless they can prove a good business case.

The ruling follows many airlines saying that a ‘fat tax’ isn’t needed, as most obese travellers purchase an extra seat to accommodate them anyway. There are several airlines that require passengers to pay for two seats if they can’t fit into just one. Ryanair, however, conducted a survey that suggested about one-third of passengers support a ‘fat tax’. Additionally, Air France revealed in January 2010 that it would charge passengers extra for tickets if they couldn’t fit into one seat.

Most recently, however, former Qantas chief economist Tony Webber backed a ‘fat tax’. Last month, he said that overweight passengers are costing airlines extra in fuel bills. It’s simple – the amount of fuel burned by aircraft depend on many things, but weight is key. The more weight a plane carries, the more fuel it has to burn. If travellers on a flight weigh more, the plane uses more fuel and costs go up for the airline. As a result, the carrier will have to increase fares to recover the extra cost. When this happens, the burden of higher prices shouldn’t be put on customers keeping a stable weight or who are losing weight.

The company’s recent decision followed Transport Secretary Justine Greening threatening to vote against the bonus plan. Greening said that the decision is welcome and sensible, as she made it clear that the proposed package didn’t do enough to reflect the need for restraint. It also comes after Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester rejected his nearly £1 million bonus amid increasing public anger over the matter.

Sir David joined Network Rail just last year and, along with six other directors, was eligible to get up to 60% of his annual salary in a one-off performance bonus – in addition to a longer-term bonus up to 500% after five years if certain goals were met. The chief executive has insisted the decision was made before the current dispute over the bonus payments even started. He and his directors decided last week that they would reject any entitlement and allocate the money to a safety improvement fund for level crossings instead, he added.

This followed Network Rail initially insisting that no decision had been made. Labour leader Ed Miliband, along with many other MPs, appealed for the company to have a “culture of responsibility” and curb the payments. Senior SNP MSP John Wilson, who is Holyrood’s economy committee deputy head, said that several rows over executive pay demonstrated the need for an end to the bonuses. A transparent salary system, where people don’t need to rely on bonuses, is needed.

Additionally, Scottlish Labour MSP John Park said that these excessive pay bonuses, in most cases, didn’t even change when the economy became really hard. However, it looks like there’s been a real shift away from the bonus culture now due to pressure over the matter and public anger. This needs to go further with the whole banking sector being reviewed, he added, as this is where excessive bonuses are widespread.

Meanwhile, Sir David has admitted that the UK’s rail network needs 30 years of continued investment to match the services of other European nations. This comes as think-tank Just Economics revealed in a report that British rail services are the most inefficient, slowest, least comfortable and least affordable compared to those offered in Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

With Network Rail’s decision to reject the bonuses, Senior Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, Holyrood’s economy committee head, has seized the moment to call on other taxpayer-owned companies to do the same. For example, Scottish Water gave £450,000 in one-off payments to five of its executives. Scottish Water head of corporate affairs Helen Lennox says that the payment of any performance bonuses depends on the company out-performing externally verified and challenging business targets.

Fraser is calling for companies like this to reflect on future senior staff bonus packages. Clearly there’s significant pressure on everybody in the public sector to be cautious in accepting bonuses, he said, including those who may be legally entitled to them. Other senior figures who are well-paid may want to take a look at how appropriate it is for them to accept large bonuses from now on.

TUI, like other travel agents, has been hit by the political turmoil in North Africa, which has deterred travellers from visiting the region. Travel businesses have also been battling Europe’s weak economic climate and rising input costs. Underlying operating losses for the company rose from £86 million in the last three months of 2010 to £109 million during the fourth quarter of 2011. Despite this, revenue increased 4.7% to £2.85 billion.

This comes as the company expands its online business and offers a bigger variety of holidays to fight weak demand for traditional trips. Compared to 39% last year, 49% of the bookings made in January were completed online. Plus, 42% of summer bookings have been completed online, compared to 36% last year.

This is better than what rival Thomas Cook, which is based in London, is expected to report. The company is selling assets to reduce debt, including office buildings in other countries, as well as reducing its fleet of aircraft. It’s due to report figures for its first quarter today. Due to Thomas Cook’s weakening business, TUI Travel chief executive Peter Long says that they have clearly benefited from the uncertain environment their rival is operating in. The performance reflects the trust consumers have in its brands.

TUI Travel says 55% of its bookings for the year were all-inclusive holidays so far, with its First Choice unit only offering holidays that include food, drink and accommodation in one price now. Long says this gives their customers value and certainty about how much they are going to spend on their holidays. Aside from this, about 64% of UK summer bookings have been for so-called differentiated-product holidays – like yachting vacations, family breaks and cruises.

However, Long says that TUI Travel is seeking to reduce costs by £107 million in the next three years. These savings will be identified in its UK, French and German businesses, as well as at Cosair and Jet4you. The overall environment is challenging, and he’s encouraged by the very strong demand they have had in the late booking period for winter. The group’s performance is also in line with its forecasts, he noted.

Peel Hunt travel and leisure analyst Nick Batram says that TUI Travel’s relative performance in Britain is eye-catching. The differentiated and online strategy seems to be delivering, and it’s likely the performance has been boosted by Thomas Cook’s troubles. Shore Capital analyst Greg Johnson, along with others, say that TUI Travel’s announcement is robust.

In December, the tour operator reported a full-year profit that exceeded estimates. On Tuesday, it said that it’s largely hedged against price changes for jet fuel and against swings in currency for this financial year.

Meanwhile, it’s been reported that a major shareholder rebellion occurred at TUI Travel this week, with one-fifth of investors voting against the company’s remuneration report being approved. This is a clear sign that the £2.4 million paid to former finance director Paul Bowtell has caused a stir. He was paid a severance of £745,000, and a £343,000 one-off payment was put into his pension.

The executive left the company following a £117 million accounting error being revealed. Due to the failure, shares in the company plummeted. Despite this, Long praised Bowtell for being one of the most capable chief financial officers he knows.

Zipcar has 9,000 vehicles across several major metropolitan and college areas and over 650,000 members throughout the US, Canada and UK. Residents and businesses who want an alternative to owning a car are able to rent the vehicles by the hour or day.

The City of Boston has combined vehicles that were dedicated to different departments to create an interdepartmental fleet under the FleetHub programme. By deploying the world’s leading car sharing network’s platform and implementing its self-service online secure vehicle access and reservation system, the City will be able to reduce costs and gain new efficiencies. In addition to this, the City will be able to get rid of older, under-utilised vehicles due to the focus on fleet sustainability and modernisation – helping to support efforts to upgrade the fleet with hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.

The City of Boston chose Zipcar to provide its fleet technology through a competitive bidding process. Initially, the programme will be launched as a pilot for six months. If it’s successful, the City plans to expand the technology to more vehicles. By utilising this technology, the City will be able to configure and design its fleet footprint in real time, manage hundreds of vital activities, analyse diagnostic and usage data, and utilise the robust, experience-driven analytics provided by Zipcar to stay in control of its fleet, on top of trends and ahead of issues.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says that the City is always searching for ways to be more green – by saving both energy and money. This partnership with Zipcar helps with both of these objectives – modernising the fleet, providing fuel-efficient vehicles and the technology to maintain a web-based and convenient system for staff, and allowing them to operate more efficiently and reduce costs.

Zipcar chairman and chief executive Scott Griffith says that they are proud, as a company based in Massachusetts, to partner with the City of Boston and the mayor to help introduce an innovative approach to sharing expensive city resources and assets while improving sustainability and efficiency, as well as helping to modernise the City’s aging fleet. By utilising their technology through the FleetHub programme, the City will be able to reduce the fiscal and environmental impacts of operating dedicated departmental fleets. The City also joins smart city governments focused on evolving smart solutions to complex transport challenges.

The technology provided by Zipcar has also been used in similar initiatives in the City of Chicago and Washington, DC. The nation’s capital became the first city to use the technology in 2009 for their fleet, which has allowed fleet operators to get rid of vehicles, reduce emissions and save money. Officials in the capital estimate a savings of over $1 million a year with the technology. The City of Chicago, in March last year, became the first city in the US to integrate both the technology and Zipcar4Business (Z4B), the car sharing company’s solution for business transportation. The City estimates that it will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next several years.