Author: News Team
Although the economy in the UK has recently seen a slight upswing, this Christmas may be tough on business as British residents brace themselves to spend less during the holidays. Travelodge Hotels, a UK-based company that owns and operates hotel properties, has reported that the UK economy will suffer by around £514m in this year’s festive season, as British travellers decided to have a low cost Christmas. A recent survey conducted by the hotel chain, said that only around 15 percent of respondents felt like they were out of recession. Around 48 percent of respondents said that they are feeling…
Monarch Airlines, a UK-based airline company, has announced a new route to Malta from East Midlands Airport in the UK, for the summer of 2013. The new route will commence with twice-weekly flights from May 7, 2012, and seats have been available to book since November 16. The managing director of Monarch Airlines, Kevin George, said, ‘We are delighted to be expanding our summer 2013 flights programme from East Midlands Airport with this brand new route for the airline which provides our customers with even more flexibility and choice. Malta is a completely new scheduled destination for Monarch and we…
The UK government has announced additional trains for Boxing Day rail services. The additional services are being laid on to assist shoppers with gaining easy access to major shopping areas in London, Stratford and Kent. Announcing the new services, transport minister, Norman Baker, said, ‘We have devised a unique agreement to enable Southeastern and HS1 to make it easier for their passengers to get to the sales following Christmas, which will provide more services at no cost to the Government. Southeastern ran some very successful services on High Speed 1 during the Olympics and the train operator has shown there…
Many more people are using their mobile devices to book holidays online, according to a new study conducted by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a UK-based travel agency association. When travellers were asked to comment on how they booked their holidays, around one in four, or 24 percent, reported using a mobile phone or tablet device, such as an iPad, and around 89 percent reported using a computer, rather than a travel agent or a tour operator. Around 14 percent used their mobile phone to book a foreign holiday on-line, while 10 percent claimed to have used a…
Ryanair, an Ireland-based low cost airline, is aiming to up its offer to acquire its Irish rival airline, Aer Lingus. Ryanair had previously offered €694 million for Aer Lingus, which was subsequently rejected by the Aer Lingus board as too low a price. However, the budget airline is now willing to offer around 40 routes from major airports in Ireland to other airlines in return for the acquisition. The airline statement read, ‘This comprehensive remedies package includes a number of new airline bases in Dublin, new entrant competitors on over 40 routes to/from Dublin, Cork and Shannon, as well as…
Lack of capacity at London Heathrow Airport is affecting the UK economy, according to a recent study commissioned by the airport owner, BAA Ltd. The report, prepared by Frontier Economics, says that the lack of capacity is currently costing the country up to £14bn a year in lost trade, and the loss may increase to £26bn a year by 2030. The report said, ‘Heathrow welcomes the growth of point-to-point and regional airports. But the expansion of point-to-point airports is not going to solve the UK’s connectivity problem. As the UK’s only hub airport, Heathrow serves 75 destinations that are not…
Travellers from the UK are being encouraged to take a winter holiday with the pound gaining strength over other European currencies. With the value of Sterling edging higher and higher against the Euro over the last five weeks, indications are that the British economy is bouncing back by comparison with many of its European neighbours, and this will result in travellers having more spending power for winter vacations. With British tourists benefiting from saving a few pounds thanks to the strength of Sterling, they will also be more likely to pre-book their other travel components, including car rentals. A spokesperson…
Barrhead Travel, a UK based holiday company, will be operating charter flights from Glasgow Airport, in Scotland, to a number of popular holiday destinations next summer. The company intends to charter flights to Palma, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona and Venice, offering a total of around 20,000 seats, between the May and October period in 2013. The company has reported that seats are currently available on sale with a range of choices, including flight only reservations, as part of a traditional holiday package, or as a connection to cruise departure points in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Barrhead Travel is offering its…
The aviation industry was severely affected on Wednesday of this week, following a call for industrial action by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in several European countries. Flights were delayed and cancelled as air traffic controllers staged walk outs as part of the coordinated strike action across Europe, with workers leaving their posts in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, while further protests were held in Belgium, Germany, and France. The strikes became violet in a number of locations in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, the four countries with above average unemployment rates in Europe. Unions in Spain commenced their…
Network Rail, a company that operates the railway network in the UK, has commenced the transformation of the historic frontage of King’s Cross station in London into a public space, to be called King’s Cross Square. The company has commenced the removal of a canopy in front of the Victorian station façade, and the facade will then be deconstructed to create the new square, which has been designed by London-based architects, Stanton Williams. King’s Cross Square is expected to open to the public in 2013. Matt Tolan, the programme manager for Network Rail at King’s Cross, said, ‘We’re finally removing…