Airline seeks pilots with a need for speed

A budget airline in Europe is thrusting ahead with a recruitment campaign tapping Top Gun fever. Aimed at boys and girls considering a career in aviation, the `Calling all Mavericks' drive is being sponsored by the carrier Easyjet. It coincides with the release of the film Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the airborne action flick of 1986 that made a megastar of Tom Cruise and influenced a new generation of wannabe fighter pilots. Now the airline has created a parody video in which young people re-create scenes from the movie that featured fictional flyer Pete `Maverick' Mitchell. It's hoped the spoof film will inspire more youngsters, especially girls, to consider a career in the cockpit. It was created after research showed nearly two-thirds of youngsters said they deemed a pilot's job for boys only, according to a report in the London Sun newspaper. Johan Lundgren, an Easyjet executive quoted by the paper, said: “We wanted to show young people they don't have to be limited by outdated stereotypes of jobs.”

Hotel chain rewards flight crews who face unruly patrons

A hotel chain is striking a blow against growing air rage by rewarding those at the sharp end of unruly behaviour — the flight attendant. The Wyndham group is teaming up with TV personality and former air hostess Lauren Lane to reward flight attendants with gift cards and free weekend hotel stays. The `Extra Mile' giveaways will be timed to coincide with International Flight Attendant Day on May 31. According to U.S. federal aviation data quoted by the hotels operator, air-related incidents in the last year have shot up by 112 per cent. “Being a flight attendant can be a thankless job,” said Lane. “The selflessness, calm and confidence these men and women exude is so often overlooked.” She added: “They deserve to be celebrated, and I'm so happy that with the help of Wyndham, we're able to do just that.” Wyndham is also accepting online nominations to recognize an attendant with a seven-night hotel stay and a one-year rewards membership upgrade. The company said: “With thousands of attendants staying with Wyndham, often in between routes, this is our way of saying thank you and letting them know we appreciate all they do.”

Scottish treasure back where it belongs

A silver casket linked to Mary, Queen of Scots is now back in the hands of the Scottish people in a roughly $3-million acquisition. Curators at National Museums Scotland secured the priceless artifact from a private owner who had held it since the mid-20th century, the Daily Express said. “This casket is truly one of Scotland's national treasures,” said museums director Chris Breward. “Venerated as a relic of Mary, it is believed to represent a momentous and disastrous moment in her turbulent life.” Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded in 1587 for allegedly plotting to kill her cousin Elizabeth I. The casket — made in Paris between 1493 and 1510 — contained notes and poems allegedly linking Mary and her third husband in a conspiracy to murder her second husband, Lord Darnley. A gift from Mary's first husband, Francis II of France, the casket is said to be an early example of French silverware, little of which survives today — even in France. It will now be on display at the National Museum of Scotland in the capital, Edinburgh.