Author: Shawon Hannan

British Midland Regional Limited, a British regional airline that operates scheduled passenger services across the UK and Europe, trading as bmi Regional, has claimed that it is the first airline in the UK to achieve the 2012 European Union Emissions Trading Scheme cycle. 11,000 airlines, power stations and industrial plants from across 31 countries are in the process of adhering to the ‘cap and trade’ method of carbon emissions reduction, and bmi is thought to be one of the first to succeed in the goal. Bmi was able to fulfil the requirements for EU ETS compliance following verification of its…

UK-based travel company Thomas Cook has underlined just how crucial it believes information traded on social media formats can be to its future development, by opening a round-the-clock social media monitoring facility that it refers to as its Listening Lab. The Lab will comprise a range of monitors and specially designed computers, speakers and a video conferencing camera. A listening team will monitor any interaction on social media formats that involves the company’s brands, in over 180 languages around the world. From the information that it derives, the company intends to recognise those formats with which it should be interacting…

Ryanair, the Ireland-based low-cost airline, has launched its first flights to the former Yugoslavian state, Montenegro. The addition of Montenegro to the airline’s schedules means that it now operates services to 29 countries. Initially, Montenegro will only be serviced from Belgium, with four weekly flights between the two countries’ capital cities, Brussels and Podgorica, commencing in June. However, it has already announced that it plans further development in the country, with new routes to the Montenegrin city of Tivat set to commence in June of next year. Robin Kiely, a spokesman for Ryanair, said, ‘Ryanair is delighted to launch its…

The UK might still be labouring under debt and financial restrictions, but the results of a recent tourism survey have shown that British citizens can be proud of their nation’s international profile as a safe and secure place to visit. CNN’s Global Tourism Research survey canvassed the views of 3,106 respondents from over 70 countries around the world in order to identify the key influencing factors when deciding on leisure and business travel destinations. 67 percent cited security and safety as the most important factor, followed by price with 60 percent, and reputation with 58 percent. The UK figured well…

Stansted Airport, considered to be London’s third airport with Heathrow and Gatwick, has come out strongly in favour of night flights, as a government consultation on the issue is due to conclude this week. Stansted’s message to the Department for Transport’s consultation on night flying restrictions at London’s three airports is that any cuts to night flights would have a damaging economic affect for the UK, and would only result in airlines moving flights to other airports. Chris Wiggan, head of public affairs and sustainable development at Stansted, said, ‘As the UK economy improves and passenger and freight movements continue…

British candidates are still figuring strongly as Tourism Australia’s ‘Best Jobs in the World’ competition enters its next phase. 23 applicants from the UK have already excelled themselves to battle to the second stage of the competition against 350,000 other initial applicants from 196 countries. Now they are in a pool of just 150 applicants from 35 countries for the six dream jobs that await the lucky winners. These are, wildlife caretaker in South Australia, chief funster in New South Wales, park ranger in Queensland, taste master in Western Australia, outback adventurer in Northern Territory and lifestyle photographer in Melbourne,…

Ryanair, the Ireland-based low cost airline, has announced that it is increasing the number of seats that can be reserved on its flights. Following the airline’s success in initially offering six rows of seats per flight that passengers can pay to reserve, and in a move that narrows the margins between the services offered by budget airlines and full-service airlines still further, Ryanair has added rows 32 and 33 to its premium reserved seat service. With eight rows now available to book, 45 passengers per flight will be able to select their preferred seats. Dependant on the length of flight,…

Eurostar, a high-speed railway service that connects London with Paris and Brussels, will not be receiving the new trains that it has on order by the expected delivery date. The trains are in the process of being manufactured by German engineering group Siemans, but delays in the process mean that the first delivery of 10 Velaro trains will not now be met before the end of 2014 as originally promised. Instead, delivery is more likely to be some time during the first few months of 2015. In a statement reported by the Financial Times, Eurostar said, ‘We are still expecting…

International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), a UK-based airline owner and the parent of British Airways, has promised that its purchase of Spain-based budget airline Vueling will not impact on services currently operated by its other Spanish airline, Iberia. Suggestions that the Vueling takeover could result in more of Iberia’s loss-making short-haul routes being axed have been scotched by IAG. It was also considered possible that Vueling could be viewed as the prime carrier between Spain and Gatwick in the UK, with British Airways abandoning its own services on the routes to leave the field open to its new sister company,…

A small coastal town in the county of Dorset, UK, is preparing for a tourism bonanza after being the TV drama setting for the fictional town of Broadchurch, and the murder mystery that unravelled there over the show’s eight weekly episodes. Desperate to experience all things Broadchurch now that the series finale has been broadcast on Monday evening, many of the hit show’s estimated seven million fans are keen to witness the macabre landmarks at first hand by visiting the town of West Bay, Broadchurch’s real-life alter ego. The TV show’s plot centred around the murder of a young boy,…