A Journey on South Africa’s Blue Train
Chaos surrounded us. Informal porters rolling luggage carts zigzagged between cars. Commuters spilled from the bus terminal onto the sidewalk, where they sat on suitcases and duffel bags. Minibus taxis zoomed through the congestion, pedestrians be damned. Our car crawled past a barbed-wire fence and reached a sliding gate, where all that separated my wife […]
United Airlines Raises Price of Club Lounge Memberships
Relaxing in a United Airlines Club lounge is now going to cost airline regulars much more. United is overhauling its lounge membership program, reducing amenities and increasing the cost to enter the dozens of United Clubs worldwide, including locations in Tokyo, Chicago and Los Angeles. At a time when lounges are more in demand than […]
Conditions for entitlement under the GSIS Act of 1997
Dear PAO, I have been currently employed in a government agency for more than 25 years and counting. I am now 58 years old, and the increasing frailty of old age has already taken a toll on my health. From time to time, I suffer from severe headaches, coughs and colds. Considering my circumstances, can […]
American Travel Anxiety Grows for Those Headed Abroad
As Franck Verhaeghe and two friends planned a March trip to Mexico City, they plotted out not only where they would stay and which museums they would visit but also the language they would speak: French. “It’s not that I think it’s unsafe for Americans,” said Mr. Verhaeghe, 65, who lives in California, but “I […]
Manning agency cannot legally withhold employee’s Philippine passport
Dear PAO, I am a sea-based OFW who disembarked in October 2024. Shortly thereafter, I surrendered my travel and employment documents, including my passport, to the manning agency with the expectation that they will process the renewal of my US visa. Two weeks later, I was informed that my contract will not be renewed. When […]
Airlines Scramble to Rebook Travelers After Canceling Heathrow Flights
As Heathrow Airport, Britain’s busiest travel hub, shut down on Friday because of a nearby fire and power outage, airlines told thousands of travelers not travel to the airport and to check online for updates. About 80 airlines operate at Heathrow, and they were diverting inbound flights to others airports in Britain, elsewhere in Europe […]
Supervisory employees prohibited from joining collective bargaining unit of rank and file
Dear PAO, I am employed as a supervisor in a factory. Currently, there is a labor union composed of the rank-and-file employees in our company. I want to know whether I could join the said labor union considering that I am not a member of any union right now. Kristoff Dear Kristoff, First and foremost, […]
UK Counterterrorism Police Investigating Fire Near Heathrow
Britain’s counterterrorism police are leading the investigation into the cause of the fire near Heathrow Airport, signaling that the possibility of sabotage was being taken seriously, at least as a precaution. But officials said there was no immediate evidence that foul play was involved. After the blaze at the electrical substation and subsequent power outage, […]
Licensing and payment of royalties for performance of copyrighted songs
Dear PAO, As an owner of a bar and restaurant, I want to confirm if there is really a need to get a license and pay royalties for playing music in my establishment. I have a live entertainment band that performs popular foreign and local songs in my bar every night, and we also have […]
Flights Resume at Heathrow After Substation Fire Shut Down Airport
Heathrow Airport in London was plunged into chaos after a fire at an electrical substation shut down operations at one of Europe’s busiest air hubs, forcing the airport to cancel or divert more than 1,000 flights on Friday and removing a global linchpin of air travel. Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, described the disruption as […]