Latest news with #Sigurdsson
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Daily Record
Airport insider shares why having this on your suitcase can delay your travel plans
A baggage handler has shared the reason why you should never use this on your suitcase before jetting off on holiday. The worker also revealed the one item you should never pack A baggage handler has shared a tip that could save holidaymakers from travel problems. They advised against tying ribbons to suitcases before flying. While many passengers use distinctive markers like ribbons or stickers on their luggage to spot it easily on the carousel, an airport worker claims this common practice might actually hinder the bag's journey. Speaking to RSVP Live, the baggage handler said: "Ribbons people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall. "If the bag can't be scanned automatically it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn't make it to the flight. Take old stickers off the bag, it can cause confusion with the scanning process." Furthermore, the worker warned against packing marzipan, as its density is similar to explosives, potentially leading to both the bag and its owner being removed from the flight. This advice comes amid a warning from experts about the risks of disabling aeroplane mode during flights, reports the Mirror. Despite some airlines offering Wi-Fi for purchase, cellular services are still prohibited on planes, meaning calls and internet browsing without Wi-Fi are not possible. Experts have highlighted the dangers of taking phones off aeroplane mode while airborne. Bobby Dutton, a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and engineer who runs the website Think Like a Pilot, warned that any interference could "potentially lead to missing critical information like traffic alerts, runway assignments, or changes to the route. Any misunderstanding of these transmissions could lead to dangerous situations very quickly". While modern aircraft are designed to minimise the risk of interference, Sigurdsson pointed out that it could still occur, particularly during crucial phases, such as take-off and landing. He emphasised: "Aviation safety is based on layers of protection, and restricting cellular signals in flight is one of them." Dutton added that aviation safety involves making wise decisions "before you get in trouble". If there's even a slight chance that mobile service could pose a problem, airlines should act preemptively to eliminate the threat. This proactive approach to banning mobile activity in-flight helps enhance safety measures. Sigurdsson concluded by saying that while "a single phone may not cause a major issue, multiple active devices transmitting signals inside the cabin" can pose a greater safety risk. If airlines permitted passengers to use mobile services on planes, most would likely use their phones, thereby increasing the risk. Sigurdsson said that airlines aim to reduce distractions during critical phases like takeoff and landing. He pointed out: "The crew needs passengers' full attention," and added, "Using personal devices can delay responses in case of an emergency".
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Real reason why you should never tie a ribbon to suitcase
Many people choose to tie a brightly coloured ribbon to their suitcases when they check their luggage to make it easier to spot them at their destination airport A baggage handler has revealed why passengers should avoid tying ribbons to their suitcase before jetting off on holiday. Many travellers opt for adding distinctive markers, such as ribbons or stickers, to their luggage to make it more easily identifiable on the baggage carousel. According to an airport worker, this tactic may backfire, potentially preventing the suitcase from being loaded onto the flight altogether. In an interview with RSVP Live, the worker explained: "Ribbons people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall. If the bag can't be scanned automatically it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn't make it to the flight. Take old stickers off the bag, it can cause confusion with the scanning process." He added people should never pack marzipan as it can have the same density as explosives. As a result, both the bag - and the bag's owner - are hauled off the flight. It comes after an expert warned travellers about turning airplane mode off during a flight. Whilst many airlines offer purchasable Wi-Fi, passengers still cannot use cellular service on planes. This means travellers cannot call people at 35,000 feet or even do some doom-scrolling, unless they purchase Wi-Fi. Experts have also now warned why taking your phone off airplane mode may be risky. Any interference could "potentially lead to missing critical information like traffic alerts, runway assignments, or changes to the route. Any misunderstanding of these transmissions could lead to dangerous situations very quickly," commented Bobby Dutton, a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and engineer who runs the website Think Like a Pilot. Whilst most aircraft today are built to limit the risk of interference, Sigurdsson explained it could still happen and the risk is especially important "during critical phases of flight such as take-off and landing". He added that: "Aviation safety is based on layers of protection, and restricting cellular signals in flight is one of them." Dutton also explained that aviation is about making good choices "before you get in trouble" and if there is an chance that cellular service could cause an issue, airlines should be proactive in eliminating the threat. Banning cellular activity in the skies means airlines are being proactive to best enhance safety provisions. Sigurdsson concluded that while "a single phone may not cause a major issue, multiple active devices transmitting signals inside the cabin" can create a bigger safety risk. If airlines did allow passengers to use cellular service on planes, most passengers would be likely to use their phone and therefore the risk would be increased. Another reason why passengers cannot use cellular service on planes is due to airlines wanting to minimise distractions during take off and landing, Sigurdsson commented. "The crew needs passengers' full attention," he said. "Using personal devices can delay responses in case of an emergency".
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Smiles are success at Halberg Games
Sionann Murphy (Youth Council) and a Waikato runner at the 2024 Halberg Games. Photo: Brett Phibbs/ The Halberg Games has grown exponentially in the past decade, but the reason why young people converge at the unique inclusive national sports tournament remains the same. The annual tournament, run by the Halberg Foundation, spans multiple days and is open to athletes aged between eight and 21-years-old with a physical disability or visual impairment. Throughout the tournament, hundreds of athletes compete, socialise, eat and sleep on site at King's College in South Auckland. Competing in regional teams in a wide range of sports including athletics, swimming, golf, gymnastics, wheelchair basketball, croquet, cycling, badminton, wheelchair rugby, powerchair football, rugby league, netball, rock climbing, skate sports, turbo touch, table tennis, ambulant football and adaptive cricket . The Halberg Games marks 10 years under its current banner this week. John Sigurdsson has been managing the Halberg Games since 2014, in the final year of when it was known as the Junior Disability Games, a time when the event was "much, much smaller in scale". "It was called the Independence Games and then the Junior Disability Games and they were run and organised by family groups around the country, so they were really struggling to pull it all together through their connections or ability to gather enough funding or sponsorship, or just to make it a sustainable package," Sigurdsson said. So the Halberg Foundation took over the event in 2015. "I think the first year we might have had about 60 athletes, and it just grew steadily over the years to the point where we are now consistently over 200 and it does sneak up. It's over about 220 now." Sigurdsson said. "The event has grown hugely, not only in participants, but in opportunities at the event as well. It used to be two and a half days it's now Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and there's even talk that that could grow in the future as well. We are limited by our resource, but we do acknowledge that the event is continuing to evolve and grow and we want to keep up and just find ways to make it work." Participants gaining confidence is one of the biggest benefits of the Games according to Sigurdsson who is a senior manager for the Halberg Foundation. "We just use sport as a vehicle to drive all of those really good social change messages and personal growth. And sport can do that. Sport, I know, has done that for me personally. It gives you an identity, something to look forward to something, to work towards a goal. "And the young people that attend this event, it's the same for them, and it's just so vitally important that sport is that vehicle that allows people to access those changes in themselves. "You can just see that there's a belonging that these athletes feel here and being part of something where they feel comfortable and they can just be themselves." That is a sentiment that 20-year-old Sionann Murphy, who has cerebral palsy, could relate to as she attends her 11th Games. She first took part in the event as an eight-year-old at the urging of her physio and it has just now dawned on her that next year will be her last. In her first year Murphy was one of only three people from Auckland competing at the event held in Cambridge. "The team was quite little back then and I remember being one of the youngest people at the Games. "It was an eye-opener for me, because growing up in my world, I had always been the Para that was trying to fit inside the able body world and so for the first time ever I was actually competing against people that were exactly like me and it was the first time ever that I could be myself without having to try to fit in." Murphy said the Games were a "no judgment zone". "In the sense that there's always going to be someone less disabled than you, but there's always going to be someone more disabled than you, but everybody gets along. "It's one time a year where we can just be us, there's no competition, we can just feel almost normal, pretty much, and you're able to do every sport. The cool thing about Halberg Games is no one gets excluded from anything. So whether you're in a wheelchair, a frame, whether you're missing an arm or a leg, or have cerebral palsy, you can actually try every single sport because it's adapted to you." Halberg Games 2024 Lara Johnson (left) Steve Clark (centre) Jakob Openshaw-Clark (right) Photo: RNZ / Leonard Powell Murphy is a Para national champion in shot put and discus for F37 and holds under-20 records. She was also the 2024 Oceania champion for discus. On Friday she will attempt to do a World Championships qualifying mark for shot put. An attempt that she hopes will inspire the younger athletes that watch it take place at the Halberg Games. But she will have a busy schedule outside of her favoured athletics pursuits. "This year I've entered five events for swimming, because it's the time of year where you can just let your hair down and have fun. Yes you can be competitive with your mates if you want to, but it's just more about crossing that line and feeling the achievement that you did it. "So a lot of people give a lot of things outside their comfort zone a go. We have heaps of kids that hop in the pool, and maybe it's their first time swimming, and we have helpers in the water helping them, and when they cross that line, the cheering and the clapping and how excited they are it's the best feeling in the world seeing how they accomplish their hopes and dreams here." Once the Games moved to Auckland, the participation numbers increased and Murphy will be alongside about 80 others in the Auckland team this week. "As it's gotten bigger over the years, we've got more and more sports involved, which is quite cool, and it gives a range for the kids. "Each year there's always some new sports around some of the old ones. This is the first time ever we've got ki-o-rahi and Māori games happening at the Games, which is quite exciting." Sigurdsson said the aim was to have two or three new sports every year and "there are sports that drop out but they tend to come back eventually as well". "We try and provide different opportunities that might suit different impairment groups. For example, making sure that there's powerchair football and boccia for those that might have more significant impairment, and ensuring opportunities in the visual impairment space and making sure they have enough opportunity over the weekend to fill up their schedule," Sigurdsson said. "So we are quite targeted in what we put on, but also acknowledge that there's some really good coaches and sport deliverers from those other key sports that we just we need them back every year." Competitors during cricket games Photo: Brett Phibbs For the past four years Murphy has been a Halberg Youth Council member as well as an avid competitor. "I suddenly feel quite old, because going from the youngest to definitely one of the oldest, it's quite crazy to me. "I'm honestly just looking forward to seeing every kid's smiling face, seeing them cross the finish line, seeing them achieve their goals because some of these kids have trained for this all year round. Some kids are just here to have a go, have fun and meet new people." For Sigurdsson the Halberg Games and what it offers participants and their families were one of the reasons he was in the disability sector. "We get to see all these young people, smiling, having fun, interacting, socialising and we see some of these athletes coming back for five or six years, and we see them growing hugely." As the Halberg Games grew Murphy hoped in the next decade that the event could alternate locations to make it more accessible to athletes throughout the country.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Out of your control ' - Arnor Sigurdsson sends parting Blackburn Rovers message
Arnor Sigurdsson has sent a message of thanks to Blackburn Rovers supporters after leaving the club by mutual consent. The Icelandic international was left out of Rovers' 25-man squad for the Championship at the end of January. The two parties agreed to end his contract early to allow Sigurdsson to move elsewhere. Addressing his exit, Sigurdsson sent a parting message to Rovers fans. He conceded this wasn't how he'd hoped to sign off but is grateful for his time at Ewood Park, nonetheless. "It's been an absolute pleasure wearing the shirt of Blackburn Rovers for the last 2 years," Sigurdsson wrote on Instagram. READ MORE: DOLAN REMAINS ROVERS ENGIMA AS ASSET MESSAGE SENT "I want to thank all the players and staff for making me feel at home from day one, this group is truly special. "This is not how I wanted my chapter here to end as I was looking forward to coming back to help the team fight for promotion, but this is football and some things are out of your control. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arnór Sigurðsson (@ "To all the fans, thank you for all the support you've shown me through my ups and downs. The memories we've made together will stay with me forever, You've made this club feel like home, and I'll carry that with me always 💙🤍"
