Author: Lee Fletcher
East Midlands Trains, a UK-based train service, has confirmed that it will be continuing its services, in spite of the heavy snowfall affecting parts of the country. The train operator is currently running its trains on schedule. David Horne, the managing director for East Midlands Trains, said, ‘We have put a huge amount of planning into preparing for the bad weather to keep our services running for customers. Our staffs are working incredibly hard to keep our trains running and we have extra staff from all areas of our business out clearing snow from station platforms to help keep them…
Hurricane Sandy, which hit New York in November, caused much destruction and disruption for both residents and tourists in its wake and has put the onus firmly on insurance firms. Many victims were thoroughly dismayed to learn that their policies did not provide adequate cover and compensate them for the effects of the tragedy. Despite the fact that according to the ABI (Association of British Insurers), a total of £416million was paid out by its members last year to policy holders affected by the hurricane, many complaints have been raised about the lack of clarity with regard to the depth…
The nationality that the rest of the world wants to party with at New Year are Brazilians, according to the findings of a recent survey. The survey, which was carried out by Badoo.com, a social network site that has 168 million users in more than 180 countries, and which claims to offer a platform for chatting, dating, and meeting new people, was conducted with 17,000 people from 17 countries. It asked which nationality the rest of the world would most like to share their New Year celebrations with. Brazilians emerged as the clear favourites, followed in order by Americans, Spaniards,…
Up to 200 passengers aboard the luxury cruise liner, Queen Mary 2 have contracted norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug. The ship, which is owned by British-American cruise line company, Cunard, is on a 13-night luxury Christmas tour of the Caribbean, after leaving New York on Saturday, December 22. Approximately 2,600 passengers are on the GBP550m ship, with ticket prices costing as much as GBP5,000 per person. Reports claim that several of the 200 victims of the illness began to suffer the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea within hours of the ship leaving port. Efforts are being made…
Royal Caribbean International, a subsidiary of Norwegian-American global cruise company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (NYSE:RCL, OSE:RCL), has ordered a third Oasis-class ship that is to be built in France. The new vessel is to be built at STX France’s St. Nazaire shipyard and be delivered by mid-2016, and the company has an option for a fourth vessel with a 2018 delivery. The Oasis-class vessels are 225,282 tons, have 16 decks and 2,700 staterooms to accommodate 5,400 passengers. Like its two sister ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, the new…
A major winter storm that has been tracking across the USA is causing serious travel disruption and is expected to bring still more chaos to northern and eastern states. Thousands of travellers have been stranded at airports due to the wholesale cancellation of flight schedules. The US Midwest has seen the most disruption until now, but the east coast is bracing itself for disruption along its entire length, from Florida to New England. Flightaware.com has reported that 360 flights have already been cancelled on Thursday December 27, while 1,780 flights were cancelled on Wednesday. The worst affected areas on Wednesday…
The world’s longest high-speed rail line was opened yesterday in China. The 1,428-mile line from Beijing to Guangzhou commenced operations on December 26, and immediately reduced the travel time by rail between the two cities to an impressive 8 hours, from the previous duration of nearly 24 hours. The dramatic improvement is made possible by trains that that are capable of travelling at 186mph, as they journey through five provinces and visit thirty-five cities. State news claims that 155 pairs of trains will operate on the route every day, but older trains will also remain in service. However, the massive…
The QE2, once the pride of cruise company Cunard’s fleet, is to be sold to the Chinese for scrap. The GBP20m scrap deal follows the apparent collapse of a proposal to bring the ship back to the UK from its present mooring in Dubai, with the intention of turning it into a floating 5-star hotel. Investors had intended to moor the ship on the Thames, opposite the O2 Arena, and had presented a proposal to Dubai World, the owner of the vessel since its purchase for GBP64m in 2007. However, it now appears that a separate deal has been done…
British Airways, the UK based airline, will be offering flights to Chengdu, in China, from London Heathrow airport. The new three-times-weekly service commences from September 2013, and the airline will be the first carrier to offer a service between London Heathrow and Chengdu. Currently the airline’s services to china include flights to Beijing and Shanghai on the Chinese mainland, and to the island of Hong Kong. Willie Walsh, the chief executive officer of IAG, the airline’s parent company, said, ‘I have visited China on many occasions and last year went to Chengdu to see for myself the progress that has…
Thistle Hotels, the UK based hotel brand, is offering complimentary Internet access to its guests. Introduced recently across its properties, the hotel brand is offering the free and unlimited Wi-Fi service at its London hotels. The brand has recently upgraded its partnership with BT Wi-Fi, and the new service comes from the partnership, claiming to offer seamless and fast connectivity for hotel guests. The service is complimentary for unlimited usage at the London properties, and for half an hour daily at its other properties in the UK. David Grosfils, the operations director for Thistle Hotels said, ‘We recognise the increasing…