The US DOT says that Kuwait Airways is in violation by refusing to transport Israeli citizens to and from the U.S. and a third country that accepts Israeli citizens. (Reuters)
In a challenge to boycotts of Israel, the U.S. government has found that Kuwait Airways unlawfully discriminated against a passenger traveling on an Israeli passport by refusing to sell him a ticket for a New York to London flight.
Eldad Gatt, an Israeli citizen, complained to the Department of Transportation that in 2013 he was unable to buy a ticket from John F. Kennedy Airport to London Heathrow Airport through Kuwait Airways because the airline's online booking system prevented him from selecting Israel as his passport-issuing country.
The department investigated and initially rejected Gatt's discrimination complaint, according to a statement and letter provided by transportation officials. But when Gatt appealed the department's decision, the case was reopened and the department ultimately concluded that the airline had violated a different federal law than the one initially cited by Gatt.
"We considered Mr. Gatt's claim upon an alternative ground ... which holds that an 'air carrier or foreign air carrier may not subject a person, place, port, or type of traffic in foreign air transportation to unreasonable discrimination,'" Blane Workie, DOT's assistant general counsel for enforcement said in a letter to the airline.
By refusing to transport Israeli citizens to and from the U.S. and a third country that accepts Israeli citizens, in this case the United Kingdom, the airline is in violation of the law, the letter said. "We expect (Kuwait Airways) to sell tickets to and transport Israeli citizens between the U.S. and any third country where they are allowed to disembark based on the laws of that country," Workie said.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the case is a warning that "any airline that wishes to operate in the U.S. should know that we will not tolerate discrimination of any kind in our skies."
The airline explained that it's against the law in Kuwait to do business with any Israeli citizen or company, and that punishment for a violation could result in imprisonment and hard labor, according to the department.
"We do not find the interest of Kuwait in the enforcement of its laws in this case to be greater than the interest of the United States in the enforcement of its laws," the letter said. "It is our view that the U.S. interest in providing nondiscriminatory access to air transportation to an individual traveling from the U.S. to a third country that allows that individual's entry is greater than Kuwait's interest in applying its economic boycott of Israel."
The department said it is aware of another, similar complaint.
The department has given the airline 15 days to respond. A range of enforcement actions are possible, beginning with civil penalties. Kuwait Airways officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Enjoy 20% savings on France Rail Passes this fall. Book any 1st or 2ndclass France Rail Pass Promotion by November 2, 2015 and enjoy 20% off the regular price!
With 20% savings on any France Rail Pass, it’s now even more affordable to explore all that France has to offer. To enjoy this promotion, choose a first or second class Adult, Saver, Youth, or Senior continuous-day pass for 2, 4, 5, 8 or 15 travel days; or a flexi pass offering 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 15 travel days to be used within a 1 month period. Just book by November 2, 2015!
This pass gives you unlimited travel on the national rail network of France.
Choice of 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 days within a one-month period.
Travel days may be used consecutively or non-consecutively.
The Easy Access passholder fare is available only to travelers using the France Rail Pass. Note, this fare has strict rules and may only be used with the France Rail Pass (fines will be issued on the train to non-France Rail Pass travelers).
Rail pass is valid on RER Line B between Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and Paris Nord Station: Prior to boarding RER, proceed to the SNCF-Transilien ticket counter in Roissy CDG and ask for a “contremarque” voucher.
NEW:! up to two children (age 4-11) travel free with each adult or senior traveler.
Reservation Requirements with a France Rail Pass:
This rail pass covers trains that are operated by the national railway of France, SNCF.
Reservations are required for almost all domestic, international and night trains. Travelers with a rail pass may be required to purchase a special reservation for the portion of the journey that isn't covered by their rail pass. The Eurostar train isn't covered by any rail pass, but travelers with a France Rail Pass are eligible to receive a discount on Eurostar tickets.
Reservations are an additional cost to the rail pass and can be requested within 90 days of your travel date.
Reservations are required when traveling on high-speed trains like the TGV. They are also required for international and overnight trains.
There are no restrictions when traveling on the TER trains. You can simply board with your rail pass and take any open seat.
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Rail passes are printed as a paper document and must be shipped to you prior to your departure to Europe. Paper tickets are subject to a shipping and handling fee.
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That 11-hour flight just got a lot more glamorous.
With these airport dining and shopping destinations, a flight delay doesn't look so bad.
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Airports have finally realized they've got a captive audience of hungry travelers with money to spend and time to kill. They're upping their game as a result, with food and shopping as good as you'll find at any downtown hot spot. Here are six of our favorites:
PETROSSIAN, LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TOM BRADLEY INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL
Ragged from that trans-continental flight? Maybe some champagne and Royal Transmontanus caviar can take the edge off. At LAX’s newly renovated international terminal, the caviar dynasty Petrossian’s tastefully designed bar might be one of the world’s glitziest airport hangouts. And if you’re peckish but late, grab a $1,500 pre-packed picnic bag with caviar, blinis, and creme fraiche in an insulated signature pouch for your trip.
AGNÈS B. VOYAGE, DEPARTURES NORTHWEST CONCOURSE, LEVEL 6, HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
At its only airport location, everyone’s favorite Parisian-chic label showcases its understated-glam bags, briefcases, and totes, plus offers travel essentials, like butter-soft leather passport holders. A few pieces from the brand's gamine jewelry line, Bijoux, are tucked in here too.
Beautifully blistered wood-fired pizza? Nitro ice cream? Ham from "100 percent acorn-fed black leg pigs"? Welcome to the world of Heston Blumenthal, the British supernova chef behind "perfect" versions of classic fare. It’s almost surreal seeing this kind of culinary genius at the world’s busiest airport.
Many travelers pray for delays to spend more time at Changi’s shops, and the very cool new Keepers is a keeper. It’s an outpost of a happening collective that champions Singaporean designers; you’ll find eleven of the best showcased here. Look for luxe luggage tags from Extreme Exotic, Gnome & Bow’s camo tote, or a colorful bidri scarf from Ayesha.
Courtesy LEE Kitchen
LEE Kitchen in Toronto
LEE KITCHEN, TORONTO PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TERMINAL 1
A who’s-who of local food talent has upped Pearson’s eating game lately, but this sexy, low-lit addition from Susur Lee—Toronto’s Asian-fusion king—stands out with his signature pan-roasted black cod, cheeseburger spring rolls, and the Indian-accented chicken that took him to triumph on Top Chef Masters.There’s also a terrific dim sum menu inspired by Luckee, Lee’s newest Toronto hotspot.
With brands like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marimekko, and Tiger of Sweden, Copenhagen’s sleek airport can compete with any upscale mall. But it’s Danish designer Malene Birger’s retro-inspired, beautifully draped pieces that stand out. At her only airport location in the world, look for signature styles like a liquid-looking silk shirt and laser-cut cotton trousers.
Amtrak is boarding a baggage fee bandwagon that has generated billions in revenue for the airline industry.
The passenger train operator will start on Thursday charging $20 to passengers who exceed limits for carry-on and personal items. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the fees will help enforce the company's established polices, preserve space on crowded trains and reduce safety concerns created by items that are too heavy.
Customers are allowed to bring for free two personal items weighing up to 25 pounds and two carry-on bags weighing no more than 50 pounds each. Personal items might include things like a backpack, laptop, purse or other small bags. Passengers with children under the age of 2 also can bring onboard an additional item like a stroller or diaper bag.
The fee applies to each item above those limits.
U.S. airlines started introducing bag fees in 2008 and now charge a standard fee of $25 for the first checked suitcase. Those fees generated $1.6 billion for the airlines in the first quarter of this year.
But the airline charges also are more extensive than what Amtrak plans, and Magliari said the train operator didn't start its fees to make more money.
"It is simply a space and safety initiative," he said.
He said the fee was aimed at a small percentage of the company's 31 million passengers who exceed limits for what they can bring onboard for free. Passengers can avoid the fee by checking their bags through to the final destination, if that service is available on their train.
A short ferry ride from Naples, Ischia’s rustic villages – wonderfully evoked by the Italian novelist – have retained their charm and beauty
Few works of fiction have captured the sultry grittiness of southern Italy like Elena Ferrante’s wildly successful Neapolitan quartet, which concluded this month with the English translation of The Story of the Lost Child. Ferrante’s 1950s Naples is a chaotic mire of sweat and stymied ambition – a place her characters all struggle to escape. But with a hop across the Gulf of Naples, Ferrante transports readers to paradise.
A one-hour ferry ride from the city, Ischia is a 17-square-mile island of parched tufa and bougainvillea that has hardly changed since the languid summers when Ferrante’s teenage protagonists – fleeing Naples’ stultifying heat and poverty – discover their respective sexualities on the thermal beach at Maronti. Even today, the majority of visitors to Ischia are Italians; many, like Ferrante’s Elena and Lila, are Neapolitans from across the bay, often returning to the same guesthouses and rental apartments every year, each summer a chance to catch up with old friends.
The town of Lacco Ameno, with Monte Epomeo in the background. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
And although the island’s larger towns – Ischia Porto, Forio, and Lacco Ameno – have turned into an even more rarefied imitation of nearby Capri (rooms at theAlbergo della Regina Isabella, beloved by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, can cost £384 a night), its villages still evoke the languid days of Ferrante’s heroines.
Mules may no longer hoist suitcases up the steep hills of Sant’Angelo – a white-washed village of gelaterias and ceramic shops, a 20-minute walk from where Ferrante’s Elena lost her virginity on a moonlit beach – but the village is still car-free: only the odd miniature luggage truck is allowed through the narrow streets. On the hilltop is the Casa Garibaldi B&B (doubles from £55), a sprawling family-run garden complex of mosaicked terraces and thermal pools. Owner Luisa Iacono saves the same rooms for the same regulars every year, while her mother, Giuseppina, has been making the same special brioche for weekend breakfasts since the 1990s. Along the Maronti seafront, tables at Ristorante Emmanuela are fully booked by 10am. While Emmanuela herself has retired from the kitchen – replaced by various children and eager in-laws, she still maintains tasting rights over her signature spaghetti all’Emmanuela – fresh rock-caught shellfish tossed in a tomato sauce that, as with most sauces in Italy’s south, betrays a hint of piquantpeperoncino (chilli).
The beach at Maronti. Photograph: Maremagnum/Getty Images
A few minutes’ walk up a hillside path dotted with darting lizards, the sea-facing thermal pool complex at Aphrodite Apollon evokes an extended classical ruin: the flower-draped pools – each named after a Greco-Roman deity – are all but dissolving into the cliffside. But for those in search of a more organic spa experience, a 40-minute hike through volcanic gorges leads to Cavascura, a tiny shack-like spa over thermal springs whose use dates back to Roman times. Massages here are still done with fango (therapeutic mud), the saunas are built into the cave, and the water for the showers is warmed by the springs themselves.
That’s not to say Sant’Angelo is excessively traditionalist. At dusk, visitors and locals fill the town square, and bars such as the eclectic if pricey Tavernetta del Pirata – something between a ceramic shop and a 1950s-style American piano bar – overflow with revellers seeking chilled limoncello and genial raucousness.
A few diners and yachting daytrippers in search of a more formal evening head to the elegantly minimalist Neptunus along the coast, but everybody else heads to the gregariously crowded pizzerias. Regulars swear by intimate Da Pasquale. The narrow isthmus that connects the old town to a marina beneath a gargantuan stone outcrop becomes a kind of bar of its own, as teenagers share gelatos (locals go to Pasticceria Dolce è la Vita just behind the main square) and cigarettes under the stars.
Casa Garibaldi
But Ischia’s greatest enchantment lies not in its villages, nor even in the shimmering of its seaside – but in its hills, where few tourists venture. Around the 789-metre Monte Epomeo, Ischia’s landscape changes dramatically. Dusty cliffs and flowers give way to brambles, white lava and darkly green vineyards.
Most visitors to Ischia’s mountain tend to do as Ferrante’s Elena and her unworthy beloved Nino did and make straight for the top of Epomeo – an hour-long scramble from the village of Fontana, to be rewarded not just by sea views but by lunch at La Grotta da Fiore, which is carved into the soft volcanic rock. But a longer stay – wandering the many narrow lanes that wind off the island’s single ring road – yields more of Ischia’s secrets. The hamlets between Sant’Angelo and Epomeo – Serrara, Fontana, Noia – are simple, geometric villages: each with pale painted houses, a 19th-century church with painted statues of Mary and the archangels and one or two bars for espressos and fresh spremuta d’arancia (orange juice).
View from the top of Monte Epomeo. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
Up here the food is different, too: not seafood but fresh mountain rabbit, preparedall’ischitana, with fresh herbs and fresher tomatoes. The vine-strewn restaurants here are often deserted – for lunch, it can be necessary to call (and secure a rabbit) in advance. At the best of these, Il Comignolo, such a telephone call procures a whole-day affair: rabbit transformed first into an earthy sugo (sauce) for chewybucatini (spaghetti with a hole through the middle,) then served for main course in a still-sizzling stew (dessert is grapes, fresh-picked from the terrace).
Moments before embarking on her first affair, Ferrante’s narrator, Elena Greco, contemplates the sensual idleness of the island. “Now the moon was visible amid scattered pale-edged clouds; the evening was very fragrant, and you could hear the hypnotic rhythm of the waves.”
