17 Ways to Keep Safe and Secure When Flying

Here are 17 ways to keep safe and
secure when flying domestic or
abroad. Air travelers need to keep a
sharp eye and an ever present focus
on what's going on around them.
Even though it has been a few years since the September 11th 2001
hijackings, the threat of terrorist
actions against air travelers is still ever
present. Not to mention with the
hustle and bustle of a busy airport.
This is a prime place to be potentially burglarized by a professional thief or
criminal. 1. Keep Your Photo Identification
Handy. If you do not have photo
identification, make sure you have two
pieces of some other form of
identification, one of which must be
issued by a government authority.
Minors are not obligated to have identification. Failure to have proper
identification may result in additional
security inspection and search. Some
airlines may also prohibit you from
boarding without proper ID. For
international flights, airlines are required to collect your full name and
ask you for a contact name and phone
number. 2. Give Yourself Some Extra Time
During busy hours, or when traveling. With elderly or disabled passengers,
young children or infants, give
yourself more than enough time to
maneuver through a busy airport or to
make necessary arrangements with
airport personnel. 3. Do Not Park Your Vehicle and Left
Unattended in Front of the Terminal. The airport parking rules are being
strictly enforced and your vehicle may
be very swiftly ticketed and towed. So
make sure to park in well-lit,
designated areas. Find a parking
garage or lot you are comfortable with and is well populated.

AirAsia X orders more A330s

AirAsia X, the long haul low fare affiliate of the Malaysia-based AirAsia Group, has placed a firm order with Airbus for three
A330-200s. Scheduled for
delivery from 2014, the aircraft
will be operated on the carrier' s expanding network, offering low fare service to destinations in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The latest contract brings AirAsia X ' s total number of A330s ordered
to 28. AirAsia X has ordered the 238
tonne increased take-off weight
version of the A330-200, which
is capable of flying non-stop from Kuala Lumpur to Europe. The
airline will configure the aircraft
in a two class layout with a total
of 288 seats. "

New Indian training centre boosts Airbus ’ regional facilities

Working in partnership with CAE
of Canada, Airbus Training India
has inaugurated its flight training facility in Bangalore, India – further underscoring the
company' s increased presence in one of the world' s fastest- growing aviation markets. " India is going to require more than 1,000 aircraft in the coming
years, and our training centre will
help meet the demand for pilots
and aircraft maintenance engineers" said Didier Lafrique, general manager of Airbus
Training India. The new facility provides training
for local customers, and also
supports other regional airlines from the Middle East to Southeast
Asia. Located within easy reach of
Bangalore' s Bengaluru International Airport, the facility – with fully-equipped, state-of-the-
art classrooms and screening
facilities – eventually will be able to train up to 1,000 pilots and
maintenance engineers annually. Airbus ' industrial cooperation with India began in 1988, when
an agreement was reached with
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) to manufacture passenger
doors for the best-selling A320.
In recognition of the country' s strategic importance, Airbus has
made a long-term pledge to play
a major role in the development
of its aviation sector. Today, Indian companies contribute to
virtually all Airbus aircraft programmes.

China to launch first space lab by 2016

A Chinese senior space
technology expert said Thursday
that China is expected to launch
its first space laboratory before 2016. " With the technological program ready, the lab' s research and development are going
smoothly," Qi Faren, former chief designer of Shenzhou
spaceships. As the second phase of China ' s manned space program, the lab, likely to be named Tiangong-2,
will gradually be developed into
the core module or experiment
module, said Qi. China is to launch its first
unmanned space module,
Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace,
in the second half of 2011,
serving as a platform for spacecraft to rendezvous and dock – allowing for the building of the space station. China will have its own space station before 2020, said Qi, a member of the 11th National
Committee of the Chinese
People' s Political Consultative Conference, before the annual
session of the country' s top political advisory body, which is
scheduled to open Thursday.