Author: Shawon Hannan

Virgin America, a US-based low cost airline company, has announced that it is entering into its first ever code share with its sister-branded, Australia-based airline, Virgin Australia. The company has commenced selling tickets in Australia from July 4, 2012, for Virgin America flights from Los Angeles to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle and Washington DC. Passengers may book at www.virginaustralia.com, for a single ticket when travelling from Australia to various destinations in the US. Diana Walke, the airline vice president of planning and sales, said, ‘This is the first-ever code share agreement for our young airline and…

The White Cliffs of Dover, the cliffs forming part of the British coastline on the Strait of Dover, will now be taken care of by the National Trust, the charitable organisation that looks after around 250,000 hectares of countryside, 720 miles of coastline, and numerous historic places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The organisation has announced a £1.2 million fundraising project to protect the future of Dover’s White Cliffs, in Kent, England. Fiona Reynolds, the director general of the National Trust, said of the conservation efforts, ‘Immortalised in song and literature, the White Cliffs of Dover have become one…

Thomas Cook Group Plc, a UK-based travel company, has launched a new sale as it struggles to find buyers for its Olympic break packages. The London City breaks, which are scheduled around the 2012 Olympics Games, were launched earlier in June 2012 with the intention of capturing the last minute crowd interested in securing tickets to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the Games now less than month away, the company has slashed its prices on the London Breaks offer with a sale that is offering discounts of as much as 50 percent on the original package prices. Olympic Athletics…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an industry-wide association of 240 airlines, operating around 84 percent of global air traffic, has reported that global traffic results in May 2012 showed a downward trend, keeping pace with the weakening of global economies. Although worldwide air traffic increased by 4.5 percent in May 2012, when compared to that in May 2011, this only reflects an increase of 0.1 percent on passenger traffic from April 2012, although capacity has increased by 0.6 percent in May when compared to same period last year. Freight demand in May 2012 is 1.9 percent below the same…

Afriqiyah Airways, an airline that operates out of Libya, and which is owned by the government of Libya, has resumed direct services from Libya’s capital city, Tripoli, to London Gatwick Airport in the UK. The airline had previously cancelled its services out of Libya due to political unrest in the country, but it is now offering a three times a week, non-stop service from Tripoli to Gatwick Airport, which started on July 3, 2012. The airline will be operating the service using an Airbus A320 aircraft, which can seat up to 160 passengers. Matthew Wood, the head of airline relations…

Hotel Indigo, a boutique hotel brand from UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group, has replaced the traditional bedside Bibles with pre-loaded Kindles with Biblical text at its Hotel Indigo Newcastle, in Newcastle, UK. The hotel is one of the first to replace a religious text, Gideon’s Bible, with the preloaded digital device. The kindle, offered to the hotel guests, can also be used to download other religious texts using the hotel’s WiFi services. Adam Munday, the general manager of Hotel Indigo Newcastle, said, ‘Every Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from its local area to give guests an individual experience. In the 18th Century,…

A survey that set out to discover if visitors to France are made to feel welcome has provided some positive feedback for the French Tourism industry. As part of their curriculum, students of the International Affairs programme at the Universite Paris Dauphine Contradict, have conducted a survey that asked foreign travellers for their comments on how they were dealt with when visiting France. The survey has reported that around 85 percent of travellers polled feel that French people make them feel welcome, and around 80 percent of the respondents appreciate the kindness extended to them by French nationals. While 99…

Book4Time, a company offering web-based spa software for resorts, spas and wellness centres, has announced its list of Top Spas in North America. The company has reported that the spa industry has recently been seeing an influx of investment, with an estimated $15 billion in investments made in the last few years. Currently there are around 20,000 spa locations in North America, with more being added all the time. Roger Sholanki, the company chief executive officer, said, ‘We’re proud to honour and recognise the best in the industry with our second annual spAWARDS. Enabling Canadian spa owners to differentiate themselves,…

Opinionated About Dining, a US-based company that rates restaurants, has released its list of the Top 100 European Restaurants. The list has been collated from around 70,000 restaurant reviews, compiled by around 3,000 people. The UK’s, Fat Duck Bray-on-Thames, makes it to the top ten restaurants, the full listing for which is as follows: 1.    Restaurant Quique Dacosta Denia, Spain; 2.    Fat Duck Bray-on-Thames, United Kingdom; 3.    Noma Copenhagen, Denmark; 4.    Troisgros Roanne, France; 5.    Bras Laguiole, France; 6.    Oud Sluis Sluis, Netherlands; 7.    Arpege (L’) Paris, France; 8.    Pierre Gagnaire Paris, France; 9.    Alain Ducasse- Louis XV Monte Carlo,…

For UK travellers who are heeding the government promotion and taking a ‘staycation’, visiting Scotland this summer may be a rewarding experience. Scotland has lined-up of a number of cultural events for the holiday period that it claims will keep the whole family fully entertained. The Dundonald Highland Games will be held on August 4, 2012, at Ayrshire’s Dundonald Castle, and traditionally includes a family entertainment night with highland dancing, competitions, rides for children, and a 10km Race in the fields below the Dundonald Castle. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo event will take place in Edinburgh from August 3 to…