Author: News Team
The UK government is all set to defend its decision to award the West Coast mainline franchise to First Group, a Scotland-based transportation company, in spite of a court action filed by its erstwhile operator, Virgin Trains. The UK’s transport minister up until today, Theresa Villiers, defended the government’s decision in a written statement to the House of Commons earlier, saying, ‘I believe that the commitments in First West Coast’s bid represent significant improvements for passengers and will provide a good return for the taxpayer. As a result of a legal challenge, which the government intends to defend robustly, we…
Sixt, a European car rental company, has expanded its services in Ireland, as it partners with an Ireland-based car rental company. The company will now be able to offer an exclusive portfolio of rental cars to its customers in Ireland, with models ranging from Opel and Toyota, to Audi and Mercedes, in all sizes, to include small and mid-size cars, SUVs, premium vehicles, and minibuses. The vehicles may be picked up from a number of locations in and around Dublin, catering to the requirements of both leisure and business travellers. Customers may also book a vehicle in Ireland, using the…
Airports in the UK may not be equally accessible to people with access needs, even as the country is hosting the 2012 Paralympic Games. The flight search site, CheapFlightsFinder.com, has reported that as the 2012 Paralympics closes, visitors and participants will be facing different levels of service at different airports in the UK, in terms of accessibility. Shahab Siddiqui, the founder of CheapFlightsFinder, said, ‘I always feel very excited when I arrive in a new city by plane, but I also feel anxious about how easy it will be to navigate the airport when I arrive. Some airports have highly…
Despite an international outcry over human safaris in the Andaman islands, an archipelago between India and Burma, the local administration has bowed to the high demand from tourists to allow them, once again, to visit the homelands of ethnic tribes. Neither the outcry, nor a court ban has discouraged human safaris in the Jarawa reserve in the Andamans, and the tourist rush is still gathering pace, allegedly with the support of local authorities. The main attraction is the ethnic Jarawa tribe, and people are flocking to see its people, who rarely emerge from the lush forests. Each day, long convoys…
The government of Tibet is expecting an increase in the number of tourists to the country this year. It is expected that about 10 million tourists will visit the mountain state this year according to a local tourism official, and tourism is expected to bring CNY12bn into the country. Tourism activity in Tibet has been on the increase over the years as the government has increased its focus on welcoming visitors from beyond its borders. Yu Yungui, head of the Communist Party committee of the region’s tourism bureau, said that more than seven million tourists had visited Tibet from January…
Cabin crew that work for Germany-based airline, Lufthansa, are striking today, disrupting flights and throwing the travel plans of thousands of passengers into chaos. For the second time in the last few days the carrier has had to cancel nearly 200 flights due to strike action by the cabin crew over pay and conditions. This latest walkout is scheduled for eight hours and will affect flights between London and another of Europe’s key hubs, Frankfurt. Only last Friday, the cabin crew’s first strike grounded 200 flights, delaying 26,000 passengers at a cost of millions of pounds to the airline. This…
The UK Department for Transport has offered a new Cycle-Rail Toolkit for train operators, aimed at helping passengers who wish to combine cycling with rail travel. The toolkit has been developed by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and is intended to help rail operators to offer suitable facilities for cyclists, and to encourage new cycle users to opt for such sustainable travel options. The transport minister, Norman Baker, said, ‘This new toolkit provides some useful guidance and examples to help train operating companies get things right for cyclists. It highlights what will be effective in encouraging more people…
Glasgow Airport, in the UK, has launched automated boarding pass scanners to provide passengers flying out of the airport with a speedier check-in facility. The new scanners have been installed as part of the airport’s upgrade programme, which has seen an investment of £21 million to date. The six self-service scanners are currently operational in the main security hall and are expected to reduce waiting time and queues when checking in. The same type of boarding pass scanner is also currently operational at both London City and Gatwick Airports in the UK. Amanda McMillan, the managing director of Glasgow Airport,…
Easyjet, a budget airline based at Luton in the UK, is implementing a major expansion plan for its hub at Edinburgh Airport, in Scotland. The airline’s expansion project includes the addition of two more aircraft to the airport hub, increasing the number of planes based there to seven. Hugh Aitken, the airline head for Scotland, said, ‘The decision to base a further two aircraft in Edinburgh is testament to the importance of Scotland to easyJet’s operation. The new management team at Edinburgh Airport fully understands the importance of growth and connectivity for the airport and Scotland as a whole. The…
A growing number of UK travellers are showing a preference for shorter vacations, as the continuing downward spiral that is affecting world economies has an impact on the personal finances of holidaymakers. A review of personal finance decisions, conducted by UK based financial institution, First Direct Bank, has revealed that seven out of ten British citizens are accepting trade-offs to get more value for money from their daily lifestyle decisions. Around 35 percent of respondents to a study have cited a decline in household finances that is forcing them to make smarter financial decisions to gain the maximum from their…