Author: Shawon Hannan

Qatar Airways, a Qatar based airline company, will be introducing its brand new Dreamliner aircraft on routes between Doha and London from December 13, 2012. The airline has taken delivery of its initial Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft recently, and is expected to take delivery of around 60 Dreamliners that are on order, over the next few years. Qatar Airways chief executive officer, Akbar Al Baker, said, ‘We are delighted at last with today’s announcement that in just over two weeks’ time, the UK market will see its first 787 on a regular full commercial service when it flies into London…

Network Rail, a company that operates the UK’s railway network, has reported on the railway companies’ performance for the period October 14, 2012, to November 10, 2012. The rail company has reported an avearge punctuality of 88.9 percent during the period, compared to 89.3 percent for the same period last year. The moving annual average is now at 91.7 percent. The measure of train punctuality is known as the PPM (public performance measure), which refers to trains arriving at their destinations within five minutes of scheduled time for commuter services, and within 10 minutes of their scheduled time for long…

Centro, a UK based organisation that operates the bus, rail and the Midland Metro Tram transport in the West Midlands area, is bidding to take control of the West Midland rail services. The company’s bid has recently received a boost from a Government consultation, which has reported extensive support for the proposal. Those responding to the Department for Transport consultation on rail devolution said that passengers and local communities could achieve improved rail services and better value for taxpayers if they had more say on how their railways were run. In June, Centro submitted a formal expression of interest to…

Employees of Iberia, the Spain-based airline owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), are planning a strike over Christmas in protest against impending job cuts. Union officials at the airline have warned of a strike action during Christmas, to protest against an earlier announcement made by IAG for a comprehensive plan to restructure the airline, which includes a reduction of 4,500 jobs, a reduction of network capacity by 15 percent in 2013, and the removal of around 25 aircraft from the fleet. The strikes are likely to be held on December 14, and between December 17 and December 21, 2012. A…

Qantas, an Australia-based air carrier, said that it is cutting all of its ties with the official tourism agency in Australia. It is believed that the move has been sparked by the deepening ill feeling between the current Qantas management and former chief executive, Geoff Dixon, who is now the chairman of Tourism Australia. The move will mean that the carrier will sever a 40-year old partnership with the tourism organisation. In a statement, the company said that it had ‘suspended any future dealings’ with Australia’s official tourism agency. It went further and said, ‘Qantas cannot continue to collaborate with…

Deutsche Bahn, the German national rail operator, will not be able to operate its train route between Germany and London St Pancras before 2016, according to a recent report. The report by Spiegel Online suggests that the rail company is having technical issues with train constructor, Siemens, and may not be able to take delivery of the new high-speed ICE trains ordered in 2008. Deutsche Bahn also expects its existing services to be impacted in the winter, when the lack of new trains to replace those in for repair is likely to lengthen delays and cancellations. Berthold Huber, the head…

easyJet, a UK based airline, has launched its allocated seating initiative on all of its flights from November 27, 2012. In April of this year the airline completed trials for allocated seating, with around two million passengers opting for allocated seating on flights. The allocated seating arrangement includes a priority boarding system for a minimum payment of £3 per person, and passengers that purchase Speedy Boarding are permitted to board the airplane first, followed by passengers requiring special assistance and families, after which all other passengers are allowed to board the aircraft. The allocated seating is available for three price…

Premier Inn, a UK-based hotel brand from Whitbread PLC, is conducting a trial of noise sensors at some of its properties in order to monitor noisy guests and prevent them from disturbing others at night. The sensors, named ‘Ssshhh-o-meters’, are being located close to the guestrooms and will light up when noise levels reach a specific decibel level. The initiative is part of the brand’s ‘Good Night Guarantee’ for its guests, promising them a peaceful night at its hotel properties. The company chief executive officer, Andy Harrison, said, ‘We asked our teams to come up with ideas about how we…

National Express, a UK based road transport company, is laying on a number of extra coaches to cope with an expected Christmas rush. The train operator is offering around 10,000 extra seats on December 23 and 24, 2012, for those travellers that might be inconvenienced by delays caused by maintenance work on the West Coast Main Line rail service. For the two days before Christmas, rail passengers could suffer disruption due to their being no direct train services between London and Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow. Passengers who have already booked confirmed tickets on these train routes might opt for…

Young adults are much more travelled than their parents, according to a recent poll conducted by Holiday Hypermarket, a UK based holiday comparison community. By the time the average individual in the UK has reached the age of forty, they will have travelled around 18,000 miles and visited 13 countries, compared to their parents, who had only have visited an average of five countries at the same age. The e-commerce manager at Holiday Hypermarket, Calum Macdonald, said, ‘Generation Y’s love of travel and search for cultural enrichment – along with their increasing digital capabilities – has revolutionised the way in…