In the past six months BA has lost about 346 million dollars as the numbers of first class travelers and leisure travelers has dwindled because of the recession. People are not spending as freely this year as they have in the past and revenues are slipping behind predictions. As a result the union members are becoming very anxious about plans to eliminate jobs.

If you have plans to travel with British Airways in the next few days be sure to have an alternate plan in place just in case you should need to make changes. Be sure to contact BA and inquire about changes to flight schedules.

If you use an initial and a middle name it will have to be shown that way on your ID. If you use a different version of your given name ie: Bob instead of Robert it will also have to be shown that way on your ID. The time to check on this is right now. Don’t wait till you get to the airport and find that you can’t use the ticket you purchased because there is a problem with your name.

This is supposed to keep terrorists from using an assumed name to purchase a ticket and then an ID that is similar to make a boarding on a plane. That remains to be seen. If you were using a different name wouldn’t you use an ID that was the same as the new name?

Tip of the Day: Make sure the name on your ticket is exactly the same as the name on your gov’t issued ID.

Be sure to plan ahead and arrive a few minutes early at the departure gates to keep problems under control this season. As an added benefit airlines are reporting fewer lost or damaged pieces of luggage since 2002.

Tip of the Day: Don’t wrap gifts before you travel. You may have to open them for inspection by security personnel.

In a very unusual coyote incident, a nineteen yard old woman was hiking alone in Eastern Canada this week and was attacked by two coyotes. By the time rescuers reached her she had lost a large amount of blood from bite wounds and was in critical condition. Taylor Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax Nova Scotia where she died the next day. 

On the other side of the continent in another coyote incident officials in Los Angeles ordered a coyote hunt in the popular Griffith Park after a man was bitten on the foot.  Trappers killed eight coyotes in an effort to stem such attacks in the Metropolitan area.  Coyotes are found all over North America and although attacks against humans are highly unusual the animals seem to be adaptable to areas that are usually occupied by humans.  This will lead to many problems as the animals hunt for food in residential areas.

In an unrelated incident in Sun City Arizona a resident was attacked in her own yard as she held a small dog in her arms.  The coyotes were able to wrestle the dog from her and tried to make off with their anticipated meal but she prevailed with rocks and sticks and after a trip to the local vet and surgical repair of the wounds the dog was saved.  In Sun City there are several golf courses and the coyotes are drawn by the open spaces and large numbers of birds and animals that they can hunt for food.  They never turn their backs on a pet that may be available in someone’s yard and it appears that they don’t care if the owner is present or not.

 Although such incidents are rare and certainly not anticipated they do underscore the importance of not taking Mother Nature for granted.  Always have an emergency pack with you while in the open spaces and it would be a good idea to have a repellent such as Mace to ward off attackers whether human or otherwise.