America’s | Common News Update

WHEN North Korea said on September 3rd that it had developed a hydrogen bomb, adding that it could be used for a “super-powerful” high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) attack, America’s electricity industry was already on alert. Sceptics tend to dismiss as far-fetched the idea that the rogue regime would knock out the electricity grid by detonating a nuclear bomb high in the atmosphere. Regulators have not mandated safety measures. But the utilities are taking it seriously enough.They are more than a year into a three-year programme, funded by about 60 electricity firms, to understand the potential impact of a HEMP attack on the generation and transmission of electricity, and to find ways to shield the network. Such concerns are not new. In 1962, when America exploded nuclear devices

LAST year, Bob Fornaro, the boss of Spirit Airlines, talked of the effort his firm had made to reduce the number of customer complaints. The ultra-low-cost carrier, dubbed the most hated airline in America by Bloomberg, had long been ranked as a primary purveyor of passenger pain, regularly propping up lists that rate airline service. Alas, Mr Fornaro’s efforts seem to have gone unrewarded. Complaints per passenger remain easily the highest of any of the big American operators. In fact, as our chart shows, things seem to be getting worse.One consolation for Spirit is that the same is true of nearly all its competitors. Of the 12 biggest carriers in the country, only Hawaiian saw a (tiny) decrease in complaints in April 2017, compared with a year earlier. Delta, Virgin America and ExpressJe

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America’s utilities prepare for a nuclear threat to the grid

Complaints against America’s airlines are rising