Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, isn’t the first to complain about sexual misconduct on jetliners -- a problem a prominent flight attendants’ union called a “silent epidemic” that airlines have failed to solve. Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, said this week that a male passenger on an Alaska Air flight made repeated harassing comments to her and airline employees did nothing about it. In a letter to the carrier posted on social media, she said the crew members continued to serve the abusive customer alcoholic drinks and told her not to “take it personally.” Zuckerberg’s description of the incident on a trip from Los Angeles to Mazatlan, Mexico, drew widespread media attention and Alaska Airlines temporarily revoked the passenger’s travel privileges, pending an investigation. Still, airlines must take stronger action to crack down on in-flight sexual harassment and assault, said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. “Let’s be clear that this is not an Alaska problem,” Nelson said Thursday. “It is an issue at the forefront of national awareness and it is a critical time for the airline industry to examine the steps necessary to take this on.” Nelson said she is seeking a zero tolerance policy and specific regulations to address the issue. “For too long unacceptable sexual innuendo, harassment advances, and assault have been a silent epidemic in our society and certainly on our planes,” she wrote.<br/>
general
The Senate dropped a provision before approving tax legislation early Saturday that would have cost foreign airlines from countries that receive few US flights an estimated $200m over the next decade. The provision added in the Finance Committee was stricken from the final version of the 479-page tax bill, which the Senate approved on a 51-49 vote. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., had said the two-page provision aimed to protect airline workers in his state from unfair competition. The provision didn't name the airlines targeted, but the definition fit three Middle East carriers that have been slammed for years by US rivals, including Delta. Critics of the provision said when it was added that it would have penalized airlines in 14 countries, rather than just three state-owned carriers in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar: Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. An international airline group had warned that the provision could provoke other governments around the world to target airlines with new taxes. “The precedent that the Isakson provision, if enacted, would set is atrocious and could easily come back to bite US airlines like the shark in Jaws,” John Byerly, a former State Department official who negotiated aviation pacts called Open Skies agreements with other countries, said before the provision was removed. Jonathan Grella, executive vice president of the US Travel Association, an industry advocacy group, said Saturday that the Senate decision to drop the provision was the most significant moment in a three-year dispute between US and Middle East airlines.<br/>
Heavy snow in Germany is being blamed for two deaths, several accidents and dozens of cancelled airline flights. The German news agency dpa reported that an 86-year-old woman died in Uelzen in Lower Saxony on Sunday when a car veered on a slippery road and crashed into another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Police said an 83-year-old man with dementia froze to death in Koelleda in eastern Germany. Officers found his body in the snow on the side of a road near the nursing home where he was living and think he might have gotten lost. In Frankfurt, more than 80 flights had to be cancelled Sunday because of the weather. Several high-speed ICE trains were ordered to slow down in central and southern Germany because of the snow.<br/>
Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to face an extradition hearing in London that should determine whether he is sent back to India to face money laundering allegations related to the collapse of several of his businesses. The Westminster Magistrates Court hearing, which begins Monday and is due to last about eight days, will be widely followed in India, where Mallya is known for his flashy lifestyle and lavish parties attended by fashion models and Bollywood stars. Mallya, who denies the allegations, was once hailed as India's version of British entrepreneur Richard Branson for his investments in a liquor company, an airline, a Formula One team and an Indian Premier League cricket club. Mallya launched Kingfisher Airlines in 2005 and the carrier set new standards for quality and service, forcing competing airlines to improve. But it ran into trouble as it expanded. The Indian government suspended the airline's license in 2012 after it failed to pay pilots and engineers for months. That triggered the collapse of several more of Mallya's businesses. He left India last year after a group of banks demanded he pay back more than $1b in loans extended to his airline. He has been living in Britain since March 2016 and has refused to return to India to face trial in the Kingfisher Airlines case. India cancelled his passport and began an extradition process.<br/>
Airlines cancelled more flights departing the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on Saturday, citing forecasts of deteriorating flying conditions due to a risk of volcanic ash from the erupting Mount Agung volcano. A Bali airport spokesman said the airport was still operating normally, but airlines such as Jetstar and Virgin Australia had opted to cancel some flights "Bali flying conditions expected to be clear throughout the day, but forecast for tonight has deteriorated so several flights have been cancelled," Australian budget airline Jetstar said on its Twitter account. The erupting volcano had closed the airport for much of this week, stranding thousands of visitors from Australia, China and other countries, before the winds changed and flights resumed Twenty flights were cancelled on Friday evening due to concerns over ash. Some airlines including Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd have said they would only operate out of Bali during the day, as the ash could impair visibility at night and wind conditions in the area were unpredictable. With some airlines continuing to fly normally on Saturday, there was frustration among passengers. Several foreign consulates have set up booths in the international departures area to assist stranded passengers.<br/>