Author: News Team
British Airways, the UK-based air carrier, has confirmed the first routes to be flown by its superjumbo Airbus A380 aircraft. From October 15 this year the new aircraft will be flying from Heathrow Airport in the UK to Los Angeles in the US. Tickets for the flights are available to book from today. Today is also the launch date for tickets for BA’s second A380 route to Hong Kong, with that service commencing from November 15 this year. However, according to the company, other flights could predate these following delivery of the first aircraft in July, with a statement saying,…
The UK might be continuing to walk a tightrope of recession, and each day the news reports the latest privations and cutbacks that are being imposed on the nation, but first class rail travel has never been so popular. The latest report from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), which has compiled the figures for all of the UK’s regional operators into one total, reveals that more than 11 million first class or equivalent tickets were sold last year. That means that the luxury compartments are even more popular now than they were decades ago when rail was a…
Workers at UK-based British Airways are planning a show of support for striking employees of BA’s Spain-based sister company, Iberia. Both companies are owned by UK-based International Airlines Group (IAG), and BA workers are planning to hold a lunchtime demonstration tomorrow (Wednesday) in support of their colleagues’ on going industrial action. Iberia staff are now into their second week-long walkout in protest at proposed job cuts that IAG says are necessary if the airline is to be profitable again. A further strike is planned for March 18 to 22, with a previous one already having taken place between February 18…
Delta Air Lines has announced a plan that will give travellers the ability to change their travel plans. The airline is offering a dispensation that will allow customers, whose flight plans may be affected by winter weather in the Northern Plains region, to make changes to their proposed schedule. They will be allowed to make a one-time change to their travel schedules without incurring additional fees. After announcing the move, the airline asked customers to consider departing earlier and postponing or re-routing their travel to avoid possible inconvenience from expected flight delays and cancellations. Customers booked on Delta-ticketed flights to,…
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has claimed that the British economy is suffering due to the nation’s restricted air capacity. In its ‘Trading Places’ research, the CBI claims that Britain is missing out on billions of pounds of trade with developing nations, including China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and Russia, and that just one additional daily flight to each of these countries could generate as much as £1 billion in extra trade. Lack of hub capacity around Greater London was cited as the prime culprit for the assumed loss of trade. With little or no additional…
Flybe, the low-cost regional airline with its headquarters in Exeter, Devon, UK, has announced an expansion of its services to Scotland for the coming summer. The new flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports begin on April 6 with two new Saturday flights to Manchester. Prices for the new flights commence from £39.99 one way, including taxes and airport charges. Also, from April 1, the airline is increasing the number of weekday flights to East Midlands Airport from both Edinburgh and Glasgow to four from three, and increasing capacity on its Saturday services from Edinburgh to Southampton with the introduction of…
A British beach has narrowly been voted on to the list of the top ten beaches in the world, achieving 10th position. Rhossili Bay, a three-mile long beach on the Gower Peninsular in Wales, UK, achieved tenth spot on the list, which was compiled from the reviews and ratings of international tourists on the website of on-line travel community, TripAdvisor. The Welsh beach is a panoramic expanse of sand and dunes that has long been popular with beach sport fans and sightseers. In a statement, David Phillips, leader of the City and County of Swansea, said, ‘We are delighted, but…
According to research carried out by ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, the average air traveller’s wish list is topped by a desire for shorter queues. When asked what improvements they would like to see at airports, faster check-in and security checks were the two items that headed the list for the majority of respondents. In fact, more than half of those questioned, 52 percent, sited a speedier check-in, with faster security checks close behind at 48 percent. Conversely, the quality of food and shopping outlets and the availability of wi-fi were all deemed to be of less importance,…
The Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA, has asked authorities in the Balearic Islands to reconsider the imposition of a tax on rental cars that is due to be implemented from April this year. The Spanish-owned Balearic Islands, the largest and most visited of which are Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera, are intending to impose the tax as an ecological measure, but ABTA is concerned that the added cost to a week’s car rental will be bad for tourism to the archipelago. The tax is set to vary between €3 and €7.5 per day, to be levied depending on the…
The Brecon Beacons National Park in south Wales, UK, has had the title, International Dark Sky Reserve, bestowed upon it. Thanks to its lack of light pollution and its resultant suitability for showcasing the wonders of the night sky, the Welsh national park joins its neighbour from across the Bristol Channel, Exmoor National Park, in proudly bearing the accolade. There are only 5 sites around the world that have gained the status, and the three outside of the UK are Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand, Namibia Rand Nature Reserve in the southern African state of Namibia, and Mont Megantic in…