Author: News Team
Avis, a US-based car rental company with operations worldwide, has announced the launch of a new rental outlet at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. Terminal 5 is the airport’s newest terminal, having been developed for the primary use of British Airways, and Avis is the first car rental company to provide a service from the terminal. As many as 80,000 passengers are now using the terminal each day, and Avis has been selected by British Airways and its Spain-based sister company, Iberia, to be their exclusive car hire partner at the location. Prior to Avis opening its Terminal 5 facility,…
Flybe, a low-cost regional airline based in Exeter, UK, has forecast a loss for the last financial year, despite an increase in ticket sales for the coming summer. The airline has announced that revenue from ticket sales for Flybe UK increased by 2 percent for the summer season when compared to last year. The company puts the increase down to a rise in passenger numbers and a 1 percent increase in its capacity. However, according to a company statement, revenue for the financial year ending March 2013 was likely to be around £615.3 million, similar to last year’s figure. In…
Boeing, the US-based airplane manufacturer, is poised today for the news that its troubled aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, has been cleared to fly again. If, as rumours are suggesting, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) makes the announcement that it is satisfied with improvements that have been made to the safety of the aircraft’s batteries, it will bring to an end the Dreamliner’s 3 months of enforced grounding. According to the Wall Street Journal, officials at the FAA approve of new technical measures to solve the aircraft’s overheating battery problem, including a protective metal container to prevent fires and dispose…
Megabus, a subsidiary of Scotland-based Stagecoach Group, a company that provides trains, trams express coaches and buses, is launching a new Sleepercoach service between London and Edinburgh, and London and Glasgow. Travellers on the new service, which will commence this summer, will be able to sleep in full-length beds during the approximate eight hour journey, and tickets will cost from as little as GBP15. The bunk beds are prepared for use by unfolding seats, and Megabus even provides travellers with a complimentary toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask and the loan of either a blanket or a onesie all-in-one sleep suit. The…
Despite persistent wintry weather throughout the month, the UK registered a substantial increase in its tourism figures for the month of February. Figures from the International Passenger Survey have revealed that the UK benefited from a 14 percent increase in visitor numbers compared with February last year, and the increased visitor volume also contributed to a 9 percent increase in visitor spend, taking the total to over £1 billion for the first time ever in February. The figures were even more encouraging as February 2012 was a day longer than February this year, due to it having a leap day.…
The London marathon, a major tourism event for the UK’s capital city, is to be subject to an increased security presence following a suspected terrorist attack on yesterday’s Boston marathon in the USA. The London marathon is due to take place this coming Sunday, but fears that the attack on the Boston event, which killed three people and injured 130, could be the beginning of an international terror campaign, will guarantee heightened security in London. Two bombs were detonated in quick succession near to the race finishing line in Boston at 2.50pm local time yesterday. Marathon events provide a challenge…
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…