Tehran: A Russian-built commercial airliner reported to be carrying 168 passengers and crew crashed early this morning in Iran about 90 miles northwest of the capital of Tehran. Early reports indicate Caspian Air Flight 7908 was en route to Yerevan, Armenia and was just 16 minutes into its flight from Tehran when the plane crash occurred at 11:33am this morning Tehran time.
Earlier reports suggested that 150 people had died, but later bulletins carried by both CNN and the New York Times have pegged the death toll at 168.
The aircraft involved in the plane crash was reported to be a Russian-built Tupolev airliner. According to CNN a prior air accident involving a Tupolev aircraft occurred three years ago when an Iranian flight crashed and caught fire while landing. Quoting statistics from the web site airdisaster.com, there were 147 people on board when that plane went down in 2006. Of those on board, 29 people died.
According to footage shot at the scene of today’s plane crash by state-run Press TV the crash site is described as a huge crater in the earth scattered with pieces of the fuselage. Iranian Press TV reported that the plane went down in broad daylight near the Iranian city of Qazvin, the largest city in Qazvin province and serves as the provincial capital with a population of 330,000.
A report issued by the Associated Press (AP) and carried in the New York Times this morning describes a spokesperson for the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization that there were 153 passengers on board the plane, which had a crew of 15. Iranian Press TV, according to CNN, quoted the director of Qazvin Emergency Services Hussein Behzadpour as speculating all on board were “most probably” dead.
The only recognizable piece of the plane was a large chunk of wing, but the remainder of the plane appeared to present as small pieces.
The AP report carried in the New York Times this morning identified Caspian Air as a joint Russia-Iranian venture. Caspian Air aircraft are said to have maintenance protocols that are much better than other Iranian air carriers, which according to the AP report have trouble securing spare parts for aging aircraft due to the sanctions imposed on the country by the US.
Showing posts with label airline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airline. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
7 Timely Tips for Buying Summer Airfares to Europe
by : Airfarewatchdog
1. Buying fares to Europe for spring and summer travel will be like picking stocks. The price will go up and down, you just have to pounce when you think the price is right. We're seeing international fares and availability at those fares fluctuate like the Dow 30.
2. It's nearly impossible to predict where airfares are heading, but it's unlikely they'll go back to where they were last year for summer travel. Fares are considerably lower on many routes than they were last year at this time for summer travel to Europe. If the economy continues to deteriorate, fares will too. We're not seeing the outrageous $1800 and $2000 RT with tax peak summer fares to Europe that we saw last year at this time. Far from it. You can fly almost any route for under $1000, depending on your travel dates.
3. Use a flexible date search on Orbitz or Cheaptickets or Hotwire. A fare from New York to Rome can be $500 with taxes on one set of dates in August, $800 on another set, and $1000 on still another.
4. Don't "blinder" yourself into one set destination. Fares from your local airports to Paris $1200 RT, but they're $500 to Dublin? Get to know Ryanair, the rail system, even cheap inter city buses in Europe and get to your preferred destination, be it Paris or whatever, that way.
5. Check fares every day. International fares typically only change once and day, and they do change, sometimes by hundreds of dollars up or down. Sign up for all the alert systems--Farecompare, Airfarewatchdog, Yapta, Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, Farecast... what's particularly good about Airfarewatchdog’s alerts is that we open the consumer's eyes to possibilities they might not have been considering (you were planning on going to Paris in July but it's $1200, and beyond your budget? What if we send you our list of fares from New York showing Venice in July for $400? Well, you might just change your plans).
6. Once you find a fare you like on an online travel agency (OTA), check the airline's site. Many international airlines don't share their best deals with the OTAs... you could save a bundle by buying direct. But that works in reverse sometimes too (an OTA might have a fare on Virgin Atlantic, for example, for hundreds less than Virgin is selling it for). Needless to say, Airfarewatchdog checks the airlines' sites and compares them with OTA's and list the lower fare if we find one.
7. Book with an airline that will give you a voucher refund, usually minus a "service fee," if the fare goes down between the time you buy and the time you fly, as long as nothing changes but the fare (no day, time, or flight changes). Many foreign flagged airlines are "you buy it you fly it".
About Airfarewatchdog.com(TM)
Airfarewatchdog.com (TM) is an airfare deal site that lists hand-picked low airfares from online travel agencies and airline sites. Airfarewatchdog.com is owned and operated by Smarter Travel Media LLC.
About Smarter Travel Media LLC
Smarter Travel Media operates http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.smartertravel.com , http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.frequentflier.com, and sites in the U.K. and India. Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy and SmarterTravel are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Smarter Travel Media LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. (C) 2009 Smarter Travel Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Website: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com
1. Buying fares to Europe for spring and summer travel will be like picking stocks. The price will go up and down, you just have to pounce when you think the price is right. We're seeing international fares and availability at those fares fluctuate like the Dow 30.
2. It's nearly impossible to predict where airfares are heading, but it's unlikely they'll go back to where they were last year for summer travel. Fares are considerably lower on many routes than they were last year at this time for summer travel to Europe. If the economy continues to deteriorate, fares will too. We're not seeing the outrageous $1800 and $2000 RT with tax peak summer fares to Europe that we saw last year at this time. Far from it. You can fly almost any route for under $1000, depending on your travel dates.
3. Use a flexible date search on Orbitz or Cheaptickets or Hotwire. A fare from New York to Rome can be $500 with taxes on one set of dates in August, $800 on another set, and $1000 on still another.
4. Don't "blinder" yourself into one set destination. Fares from your local airports to Paris $1200 RT, but they're $500 to Dublin? Get to know Ryanair, the rail system, even cheap inter city buses in Europe and get to your preferred destination, be it Paris or whatever, that way.
5. Check fares every day. International fares typically only change once and day, and they do change, sometimes by hundreds of dollars up or down. Sign up for all the alert systems--Farecompare, Airfarewatchdog, Yapta, Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, Farecast... what's particularly good about Airfarewatchdog’s alerts is that we open the consumer's eyes to possibilities they might not have been considering (you were planning on going to Paris in July but it's $1200, and beyond your budget? What if we send you our list of fares from New York showing Venice in July for $400? Well, you might just change your plans).
6. Once you find a fare you like on an online travel agency (OTA), check the airline's site. Many international airlines don't share their best deals with the OTAs... you could save a bundle by buying direct. But that works in reverse sometimes too (an OTA might have a fare on Virgin Atlantic, for example, for hundreds less than Virgin is selling it for). Needless to say, Airfarewatchdog checks the airlines' sites and compares them with OTA's and list the lower fare if we find one.
7. Book with an airline that will give you a voucher refund, usually minus a "service fee," if the fare goes down between the time you buy and the time you fly, as long as nothing changes but the fare (no day, time, or flight changes). Many foreign flagged airlines are "you buy it you fly it".
About Airfarewatchdog.com(TM)
Airfarewatchdog.com (TM) is an airfare deal site that lists hand-picked low airfares from online travel agencies and airline sites. Airfarewatchdog.com is owned and operated by Smarter Travel Media LLC.
About Smarter Travel Media LLC
Smarter Travel Media operates http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.smartertravel.com , http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.frequentflier.com, and sites in the U.K. and India. Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy and SmarterTravel are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Smarter Travel Media LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. (C) 2009 Smarter Travel Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Website: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com
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