Author: Shawon Hannan

The services offered by low-cost and full service airlines are increasingly set to overlap as both entities stretch their parameters to attract a wider clientele. This blurring of services was confirmed by the bosses of major airlines speaking at the CAPA Aviation in Transition conference that has been taking place in Ireland. Speaking with regards to full service airlines removing some of the premium aspects of their service in order to help streamline their operation and offer lower ticket costs, Alex Cruz, the CEO of Vueling, a Spanish low-cost carrier, said that this was the case, adding that conversely, ‘Some…

The London Assembly, an elected body that is part of the Greater London Authority, has called for a ban on night flights from London’s Heathrow Airport. The Assembly’s health and environment committee has asked for the ban, with an insistence that at the very least night flights should be reduced and the flight path changed. According to the committee, more than two thirds of night flights currently approach the airport from the east, bringing them in over central London and disturbing the sleep of thousands of residents. The committee said, ‘At the very least, planes arriving overnight should approach from…

Tourism in Egypt is continuing to suffer at major attractions, with hotel occupancy in Luxor during the Easter peak season being recorded at just 17 percent. The nation, which used to be a favourite haunt of European tourists due to its beach holidays, antiquities and much more, has seen its tourism suffer due to civil unrest, the recession in Europe and a number of other international and domestic factors. Most of the facilities, which were once fully booked, are now empty or close to empty. One example of this, The Old Cataract hotel in Aswan, which was a landmark destination…

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced that it has launched a new travel agent booking system. The air carrier said that the system, EYHolidaysConnect, has been launched at an event in the Kingdom of Bahrain. More than 60 local travel trade executives and holiday managers apparently attended the event, and their main focus is the provision of complete holiday packages to Etihad Airways’ guests. The launch of the product in Bahrain is intended as part of an overall rollout of the new EYHolidaysConnect system across the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. EYHolidaysConnect system…

Willie Walsh, the head of British Airways’ owner, IAG, has taken a hard line on what he described as ‘weak airlines’. Speaking during a session at the CAPA Airlines in Transition 2013 conference in County Wicklow, Ireland, Walsh said that failing airlines should not receive state aid, but should be allowed to go under. His comments were aimed at European carriers that receive state aid from their governments, while Walsh believes that any lost capacity from their failure would soon be taken up by other carriers, assuming that there was a perceived demand. He singled out Malev, a Hungarian Carrier,…

A UK-based travel company that is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has ceased trading. French Freedom Holidays has gone into administration with over 400 holiday bookings outstanding. The company specialised in coach and camping holidays to France, and had previously held an Air Transport Operator’s Licence (ATOL). Holidays were sold to British and Irish travellers under the names Camping France 4 Less, Holiday France 4 Less, Ski Drive 4 Less, Ski France 4 Less, Welcome France and Welcome Holidays. The company’s demise, which was precipitated on the 5th of this month, came approximately two months…

Thomas Cook Airlines, a British charter airline based in Manchester, UK, has announced new flights to the Caribbean from Manchester Airport. Providing travellers with an option to London’s current monopoly on routes to St Lucia and Antigua, Thomas Cook will be offering flights to both destinations from Manchester, via Barbados, from next winter. The new weekly flights are scheduled to operate until the end of April next year, with the Manchester-St Lucia-Barbados route commencing on November 10, and the Manchester-Antigau-Barbados route commencing a month later on December 19. While a proportion of seats will be earmarked for passengers that have…

Despite the bad press that North Korea is receiving for its war rhetoric and threats against the US and South Korea, some westerners are finding it thrilling to have a holiday break in the nation, the BBC has said. Even as the British Foreign Office is considering changing its advice for tourists travelling to North Korea, tourists from western nations are reportedly finding a trip to the nation worthwhile, despite the fact that the trip is not very cheap, as many would expect. Tourists entering the nation have to live with constant surveillance from trained minders, suspicions of bugged hotel…

Gatwick Airport in the UK has managed to sustain its 2012/13 passenger figures slightly ahead of last year thanks to new carriers that have opened services to the airport. The airport had lost routes from its previous carriers but still achieved an increase of 400,000 passengers or 1.2 percent on the previous year, for a total footfall of 34.2 million. Ryanair’s Irish routes and Korean Air’s Seoul service were among Gatwick’s larger casualties, but new business from Air China, Iraqi Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Vueling, Gambia Bird and Icelandair more than filled the gap. In addition, Easyjet added a Moscow service,…

The UK has climbed two places up the world tourist destination table for 2012, to achieve 5th position. The table is compiled from a study of travel and tourism competitiveness by the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the UK’s rise from 7th position last year now puts it one place ahead of the USA, which took 6th place. However, the UK still lags behind its European competitors Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Spain, which took the first four places respectively. 140 countries are assessed by the WEF when it compiles the list, with tourism development and contribution of the tourism sector…