Author: News Team
Spain-based Iberia airlines is suffering the latest round of on-going strike action, forcing flights to be delayed and cancelled. Over 1,000 flights could be grounded as Iberia workers take on the company’s owner, IAG, in a dispute over job cuts. The five days of strike action has been timed to coincide with the UK school half-term holidays, usually a major money-spinner for the Spanish economy and airlines alike. The walkout, which started at midnight, is the first of three five-day strikes that the Spanish trades unions have scheduled for February and March, in opposition to the company’s plans to cut…
A large proportion of parents in the UK are prepared to put the opportunity of saving money on holidays ahead of their children’s education, according to the findings of a recent survey. The survey, which was carried out by Direct Line Travel Insurance, indicated that more than half of modern-day parents (55 percent) would be prepared for their children to miss part of a school term for a holiday if it meant that there was money to be saved on the vacation. Almost as many parents, 43 percent, told the survey that they were ignorant of the policy adopted by…
UK-based budget airline, easyjet, has announced the launch of three new routes that will commence operation from this weekend. The new routes, which will all operate out of Stansted Airport in the UK, are to Sharm el Sheikh on the Egyptian Red Sea, Marrakech in Morocco, and to the Bulgarian capital city, Sofia. Between them, the three routes will add 100,000 seats to easyjet’s capacity this year. All three routes have been launched to coincide with UK schools’ half-term holidays, and the inaugural flights today, tomorrow and Sunday will be carrying almost 3,000 passengers, taking advantage of the new services…
Even as thousands of British holidaymakers are heading for half-term holidays in Florida, the administration in Florida has tightened rules to dissuade rash and unsafe driving. The administration has issued a warning that foreign drivers would need to carry an international driving permit as well as their local driving license to be authorised to drive a vehicle in Florida. The law could lead to jail terms for people who violate the law. Until this year, drivers only needed a standard British photo card licence with the green counterpart to drive in the US. But Florida’s legislature has changed rules that…
A five-day nightmare for passengers of the cruise ship, Carnival Triumph, ended today when they were finally able to disembark in Alabama, US. The vessel, operated by Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines, had been adrift without plumbing or electricity following an engine room fire last Sunday. The 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crewmembers were left with overflowing toilets that soaked cabins with raw sewage. Returning passengers also claimed that owing to thick smoke from the fire, passengers in cabins at the rear of the ship’s lower decks had to abandon their accommodation completely and spent the rest of the voyage sleeping under…
Flybe, a low-cost regional airline group based in Exeter, Devon, UK, has announced an increase in sales for the six-week period of the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Additional charters that the company has laid on for the tournament have proved popular, and it has also seen an improved uptake for its upgraded domestic services. Flybe also gained a notable PR coup when it was selected by the England rugby team for their return journey from the match in Ireland last weekend. Fans from the four home nation teams benefit particularly from Flybe’s extensive domestic route network. When the Scottish team…
Budget UK, a UK-based car rental company, has announced a new luxury car rental service to be known as Budget Premier. With the introduction of the new service, customers will be able to opt for a luxury vehicle from any of three different categories to suit their specific needs or preferences. All Budget Premier cars will have satellite navigation, automatic transmission and a built in option to add an additional driver at no additional cost. The three ranges that are available from the new service are the Executive range, aimed at relaxation and comfort and including the Audi A5 2.0,…
United States based airlines American Airlines and US Airways have announced today that they have merged to create the world’s biggest airline. The $11bn deal, which was agreed last night and revealed this morning, will operate under the American Airlines name but under the stewardship of Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways. Tom Horton, the CEO of American Airlines, is expected to serve as chairman of the new company until mid 2014. A possible deal was first considered last August, when American began looking at a suitable merger while under pressure from its creditors. The company has been reorganising…
Tourism Ireland, the organisation responsible for promoting tourism to the Irish Republic, has plans to turn several of the world’s most famous landmarks green for a St Patrick’s Day tourism promotion. Famous global attractions are to be illuminated with emerald green lights on March 17, the day that the Irish nation celebrates its patron saint. On the list to glow green are the Egyptian Pyramids, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Sydney Opera House, the Leaning Tower of Piza, Niagara Falls, the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai, South Africa’s Table Mountain, the TV Tower…
A new report has indicated that increases in the costs associated with companies deploying staff on overseas business trips could outstrip prearranged budgets during 2013. Budgets that are already likely to have been tightened could be made to burst at the seams if overseas trips are deemed imperative, according to predictions by the US-based Global Business Travel Association (GBTA.L). The Association’s prediction is that hotel rooms and airfares in most classes are set to increase in price by around 8 percent this year. It says that the average international economy ticket purchased in the USA will cost $1,217, while the…