Author: News Team

The London Assembly, an elected watchdog that oversees the mayor’s policies and decisions, has snubbed demands from a number of the UK aviation industry’s biggest players for expansion of Heathrow airport in order to boost capacity. In its submission to the government’s independent inquiry into airport capacity, the Assembly substantiated its opinion by suggesting that Heathrow, which currently operates at around 99 percent of its runway capacity, could still process 20 million more passengers per year just by receiving larger aircraft. It also suggests that there is spare capacity at London’s other airports, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, which should be…

A survey has revealed that Manchester is the UK’s favourite airport. The study, which was carried out by Skyscanner, a web-based travel search site, polled 1,600 UK travellers on their airport preferences and Manchester proved to be the most popular. The airports at Gatwick, Newcastle and Birmingham closely followed the northern airport in the rankings. Manchester proved to be the winner based on a number of factors, including the quality of its customer service, its on-site facilities, the quality of its bars and restaurants and the range and quality of its shopping options. It was also claimed to be well…

Richard Tams, head of sales at UK-based airline, British Airways, has spoken out against the British government’s aviation policy while addressing the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) in Barcelona. Warning that the policy was damaging British business by threatening the pre-eminence of the UK as a global trading centre, Tams launched a three-pronged attack on the UK’s strict visa controls, high rates of Air Passenger Duty (APD) and the threat of a ban on night flights at Heathrow. Speaking on the night flight ban, Tams told the assembly, ‘The government has an appetite to reduce night flights into Heathrow.…

Sir Richard Branson, head of the Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Atlantic airline, has spoken out against what he sees as heavy-handed advice to travellers from Western governments regarding destinations that have suffered acts of terrorism. According to Branson, advising travellers to stay away from such destinations hands victory to the terrorists, and he wants to see such advice banned. Bali is among the tourist destinations that he believes has suffered an undue decline in its tourism following advice that was issued by Western governments in the wake of a terrorist bombing there in 2002 that caused the death of…

Travellers to Europe after July 1 can look forward to the lowest ever data roaming charges when carrying their smartphone. Legislation passed by the European Parliament means that the cheaper phone usage prices from July are set to become cheaper still during 2014. From July 1, the most that a mobile operator can charge a customer to access mobile data in Europe is £0.56 per megabyte, a substantial reduction on charges that are currently being imposed. From 2014, overseas smartphone users will also have the right to use a different provider to the one that they use at home, in…

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…