Author: Lee Fletcher

In an age that is dominated by computer wizardry and the common expectation of immediate contact and interaction with ones social group, however far distant they might be, it is only to be expected that airlines will lure passengers with the promise of better, snazzier gadgets to play with during long, boring flights. Hot on the heels of Virgin Atlantic Airways announcing that it will allow in-flight mobile phone calls, and British Airways already allowing text messaging on flights, smaller airlines are also cashing in on their passengers’ addiction with all things electronic. One prime example is the announcement by…

Hilton Worldwide, a global hospitality company and a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group, has announced two new hotels to be built in Doha, Qatar, under its Doubletree by Hilton Brand. The two new hotels will be known as the Doubletree by Hilton Doha Al Sadd, and the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Doha, and both are expected to open in 2014. They are in addition to a further three Hilton Worldwide properties due to debut in Qatar within the next three years. The smaller of the two is the Doha Al Sadd, which will be situated in Doha’s main business and…

Malaysia Airlines, the government-owned, flag-carrying airline of Malaysia, is scheduling to join the Oneworld alliance by the end of this year. The airline is to fine-tune its carry on baggage policy in the run up to its acceptance into the alliance. It is increasing the weight of the one carry-on luggage item that is allowed in economy class, from 5kg to 7kg, and increasing the allowance to first and business class passengers to two items, each of a maximum 7kg. Bags are restricted to maximum dimensions of 56cm x 36cm x 23cm, and in addition passengers will be allowed ‘a…

Sydney, Australia is no longer the city with the world’s most expensive hotel’s, having been eclipsed by the soaring cost of accommodation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the first three months of 2012, the average price per night for a hotel room in one of the more picturesque areas of Rio was GBP192.88, representing a 50 percent increase on equivalent prices from a year ago. According to Hotel Price Radar, hotel prices in Sydney have only risen by 4.6 percent over the same period, with rooms now averaging just under GBP145 per night. Hotel Price Radar cited Brazil’s economic…

The UK government’s lack of strategy and long-term planning for the country’s aviation infrastructure has been criticised by a panel of senior aviation experts at the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) conference in Doha, Qatar. At the core of the criticism is what the members of the panel see as the government dragging its feet on the urgent need to be building more airport capacity, and the fear that the rest of Europe and the world could sideline the UK if it failed to do so. The chairman of the GTMC Air Working Party, and managing director of Horncastle…

Virgin Atlantic Airways, the UK-based airline operator, has become the first Britsh airline to provide access to mobile phone calls for passengers travelling on its new A330 aircraft, and has future plans to extend the service to its B747 aircraft. Virgin Atlantic intends to have 20 aircraft fitted with the Aeromobile technology by the end of 2012, which will include B747’s that are currently undergoing AGBP50m refurbishment. Passengers in all cabins will be able to make and receive telephone calls, send and receive text messages and access e-mail and the Internet. Customers choosing to use the service will be charged…

According to a survey, the UK governments GBP3m investment in an advertising campaign to encourage British citizens to ‘Holiday at Home’ has not had the desired impact. The campaign was intended to help boost the UK’s domestic tourism industry and the greater economy in what are difficult times financially, but the findings of a poll of over 2,000 adults carried out by YouGov on behalf of prepaid currency card provider, Caxton FX, infer that the message has failed to find its mark. Of those polled, two thirds or 67 percent still intend holidaying abroad this summer. 13 percent of people…

A strike at Air India, the India-based, state-owned airline company, has now been running for seven days. The airline continues to face major disruption to the fifty international flights that it schedules each day, as two hundred pilots continue to call in sick in protest at their perceived lack of training privileges. The industrial unrest will affect another thirteen international routes today. To date over fifty international flights have been cancelled, to many of the world’s major cities, including London. The action has lead to many passengers being stranded and Air India has now stopped taking international long-haul flight bookings…

Thomas Cook, a UK-based travel company that is currently experiencing much publicised financial difficulties, has issued a circular to its shareholders, highlighting the importance of their backing of the company’s plans for raising funds. The fundraising plan involves the sale and leaseback of part of its airline fleet, and the sale of five Spanish hotels. The company’s shareholders are to vote on the disposals at a meeting in London on May 29, and the group has stated that it is confident that its investors will decide to back the planned disposals. However, the Daily Telegraph has reported that should the…

Willie Walsh, the head of British Airways parent company, IAG, has expressed his confidence that the UK government has taken control of the problem of long and time-consuming immigration queues at Heathrow Airport. In recent weeks it has not been uncommon for passengers arriving at the airport to experience waiting times of two hours at the UK Border Control desks. However, Walsh said that he now believes that the British government has taken steps to solve the problem. Walsh said, ‘We have seen very significant improvement in the performance of immigration at Heathrow and that needs to continue. I’m pretty…