Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

1/11/200610:42:14 PM Link |  | Add comment

Royal Caribbean counters 'myths' in passenger's disappearance (01/11/2006)

By Kristin O'Meara Hillmann

MIAMI -- Royal Caribbean International continued its campaign to dispute allegations of wrongdoing in the disappearance of one of its passengers during a cruise last summer by arranging a telephone conference call with media to counter the “top 10 myths” regarding Royal Caribbean’s handling of the situation.



Royal Caribbean attorney Lanny Davis blasted print and TV media for quoting “falsehoods” regarding the line’s response to the disappearance of George Smith from the Brilliance of the Seas.



Davis said that, between a lengthy statement released last week and the conference call, Royal Caribbean had presented an “undisputed set of facts” about the Smith case, and he challenged reporters to present evidence to the contrary.



Davis apologized after one reporter chided him for taking a “threatening” tone during the press conference.



Davis also acknowledged that the company has been in contact with the Smith family’s legal counsel, which is preparing to file a lawsuit against the company. The family’s correspondence with Royal Caribbean contained “reckless” charges against the cruise line, he said. Davis confirmed that Royal Caribbean had scheduled a “visit” with the family’s high-profile forensics expert, Dr. Henry Lee, whom they hired to investigate the case.



Lynn Martenstein, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of communication, said the line would continue to counter additional “myths” on their Web site [www.royalcaribbean.com] as they appear in the media.



The line last week released an 11-page chronology of events surrounding the disappearance of Smith, a 26-year-old Connecticut man on his honeymoon aboard the Brilliance last July. The document said that Smith’s wife, Jennifer Hagel Smith, was found sleeping on the floor of a corridor far from her cabin the night that her husband disappeared.



Martenstein later said the line had seen “no drop in bookings” as a result of negative publicity about the case.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

1/11/200610:42:12 PM Link |  | Add comment

Royal Caribbean counters 'myths' in passenger's disappearance (01/11/2006)

By Kristin O'Meara Hillmann

MIAMI -- Royal Caribbean International continued its campaign to dispute allegations of wrongdoing in the disappearance of one of its passengers during a cruise last summer by arranging a telephone conference call with media to counter the “top 10 myths” regarding Royal Caribbean’s handling of the situation.



Royal Caribbean attorney Lanny Davis blasted print and TV media for quoting “falsehoods” regarding the line’s response to the disappearance of George Smith from the Brilliance of the Seas.



Davis said that, between a lengthy statement released last week and the conference call, Royal Caribbean had presented an “undisputed set of facts” about the Smith case, and he challenged reporters to present evidence to the contrary.



Davis apologized after one reporter chided him for taking a “threatening” tone during the press conference.



Davis also acknowledged that the company has been in contact with the Smith family’s legal counsel, which is preparing to file a lawsuit against the company. The family’s correspondence with Royal Caribbean contained “reckless” charges against the cruise line, he said. Davis confirmed that Royal Caribbean had scheduled a “visit” with the family’s high-profile forensics expert, Dr. Henry Lee, whom they hired to investigate the case.



Lynn Martenstein, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of communication, said the line would continue to counter additional “myths” on their Web site [www.royalcaribbean.com] as they appear in the media.



The line last week released an 11-page chronology of events surrounding the disappearance of Smith, a 26-year-old Connecticut man on his honeymoon aboard the Brilliance last July. The document said that Smith’s wife, Jennifer Hagel Smith, was found sleeping on the floor of a corridor far from her cabin the night that her husband disappeared.



Martenstein later said the line had seen “no drop in bookings” as a result of negative publicity about the case.

1/2/20069:45:57 PM Link |  | Add comment

Passengers Sue After Plane Delay On Snowy Runway
January 1, 2006
Six German airline passengers who said they were being held against their will on an aircraft stuck on the runway for hours during a snowstorm have filed "false imprisonment" charges, German police said on Saturday.

The passengers filed charges against the pilot of a British Airways Berlin-London flight that sat on the runway for seven hours before it could take off, a federal police spokesman said.

Passengers boarded the plane at Berlin's Tegel Airport at 7 a.m. on Thursday, but snow and ice delayed their takeoff. At 11:30 a.m. a man named Ingo Q. called a police emergency hotline on his cell phone and said he felt as if he was being "held hostage", the tabloid Bild reported.

Police boarded the plane and Ingo Q. ran forward and screamed "I want to get out of here." But only three people who only had hand luggage were allowed to leave the plane.

Shortly after noon, Ingo Q told police again that he wanted to leave the aircraft, still waiting on the snow-covered runway. Ingo, his wife and another couple from Biesdorf near Berlin were allowed off the plane at 12:48 p.m., and it finally took off at 2:36 p.m., seven hours late, Bild said.

The Berlin police spokesman said it was an unusual incident. "The plane stood there for a long time... It's difficult to say whether the passengers are allowed off or not. It's something they have to work out with the captain."

(Reuters)