p4 news Jan22 20/1/10 20:53 Page 4
news
22.01.2010
Barrhead plugs
‘Govt should probe
Globespan gap
BARRHEAD Travel and Kiss Flights have stepped
collapse of E-Clear’
into the gap left by Globespan to run
programmes from Glasgow to summer holiday
destinations.
Chris Gray.
point of view with a £35 million ques-
Barrhead is running a package holiday PRESSURE is growing for a full
C
O
tion. It seems that with the combina-
programme using a chartered British Airways government investigation into the tion of the other creditors it may be
aircraft for weekly flights from Glasgow to collapse of Globespan after its credit
STO
VER
R
Y
a bigger question.
Majorca and other Spanish resorts. card payment company, E-Clear, was “We owe it to Globespan creditors
The agency’s new programme to Spain will run put in administration and revealed and the other creditors to get a full
from late May to mid September with weekend to have debts of up to £100 million. understanding of what has gone on
departures. The flights will also carry Barrhead A High Court judge put E-Clear here.”
Travel’s passengers to cruise departures for into administration after hearing it Scottish finance secretary John
Mediterranean itineraries. had little chance of repaying up to Swinney has called for the UK
Kiss is running its first flights from a Scottish £35 million it owes failed Scottish government to start an inquiry into
airport with 12 charter services between Glasgow airline and operator Globespan. the affair.
and Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Mr Justice Vos appointed BDO as administra- Speaking after Tuesday’s court hearing, a
The programme, using Swedish carrier Viking tors after seeing last-minute evidence from Scottish government spokesman said it was now
Airlines, will begin in April with flights to E-Clear chief executive Elias Elia (pictured), a “deeply worrying situation”.
Tenerife, Malaga, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Faro which showed it held virtually no money of its “We will continue to press the UK government
and Las Palmas. own in bank accounts. to investigate fully the circumstances behind the
Documents lodged with the court and seen by collapse of Globespan,” he said.
TTG state that two other creditors of E-Clear, Graham Nichols, group managing director of
Unite sets date for
Deutsche Bank and Canadian operator Sunwing, Youtravel, which is owed £150,000 by E-Clear,
are each owed more than Globespan – putting said: “It is puzzling where all that money has
second BA ballot
E-Clear’s debts in the region of £100 million. gone and if no explanation is forthcoming then I
Globespan administrators Pricewaterhouse- would expect an investigation.”
Coopers and BDO will now work together at Tuesday’s court hearing was told that
THE UNITE union will start a strike ballot of mem- assessing the scale of E-Clear’s debts and how Deutsche Bank affiliate Pago, which adminis-
bers working for British Airways on Monday. many other companies are affected. tered E-Clear’s payments system, was “alarmed”
The union indicated it would hold a ballot in PwC partner Bruce Cartwright said: “We to discover the day before the case that E-Clear
late January after a court ruled the poll it held approached it from the Globespan creditors’ had hardly any cash.
last month, which returned an overwhelming
majority for a strike, was illegal.
Talks were held earlier this month to try to
JAL bankruptcy threat to oneworld
avert another strike but broke down last week
without agreement. BRITISH AIRWAYS’ oneworld alliance could with just one major Asian airline, Cathay Pacific,
A Unite spokeswoman said that was despite it suffer a major blow if Japan Airlines moves to and mean it would be weaker in China and Japan
making an offer to BA that went a “significant” rival SkyTeam following JAL’s application for than both SkyTeam and the Star Alliance.
way towards meeting targets for cost reduction. bankruptcy protection earlier this week. Both American and Delta offered $1 billion of
If the ballot returns a vote in favour of a strike, it JAL will now be run by a new management financial support to JAL as Asia’s largest airline
could happen in February or March. team appointed by a turnaround corporation teetered on the brink of collapse in recent
BA was “saddened but not surprised” by Unite’s backed by the Japanese government. months.
move. A spokesman said it remained available This team must decide whether to continue As part of a restructure the airline, which has
for talks without preconditions, and claimed a with American Airlines and Oneworld or switch debts of around £15.7 billion, is likely to drop 14
letter from Unite to crew dated January 8 called allegiance to Delta and SkyTeam. international and 17 domestic routes as well as
into question the union’s commitment to talks. If JAL joined SkyTeam it would leave Oneworld cutting 15,700 jobs – a third of its workforce.
04 22.01.2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76