Author: News Team

London Southend Airport has acquired permission for an extension of its terminal building from Rochford Council, the local authority. Phase 1 of the terminal has been operational since February 28, 2012, and the new extension is expected to offer more passenger facilities as the airport grows towards handling around two million passengers a year by 2020. Easyjet, a UK-based airline, is currently operating out of the newly opened terminal building with three A319 aircraft, providing 70 flights per week to different European destinations, including Barcelona (Spain), Faro (Portugal) and Ibiza (Spain). The airport managing director, Alastair Welch,…

RateGain, a US-based travel technology company, has announced its hotel rate trends for the UK for the three months from April to June 2012. The quarterly Hotel Rate Trend reports the cheapest hotel rates, as well as average rates for medium to luxury hotels in the major cities of Europe. With regards to UK hotels, the company considered the three cities of Dublin, Edinburgh, and London. The cheapest hotel in Dublin in the medium category in April 2012 is the Days Hotel Dublin Airport, offering a room rate of $37.80 per night. For May and June 2012, the cheapest hotel…

Lufthansa, the Germany-based airline, is considering cost savings through several measures, and may reintroduce its premium economy class of seating. In a letter addressed to the company employees, Carsten Spohr, a member of the airline company’s board, said that the company is aiming to achieve €1.5 billion in savings through several cost cutting initiatives. One such initiative is removal of first class on several routes and the reintroduction of premier economy class on some routes. Spohr emphasised in his letter that the company is in difficult phase, and is affected by issues such as air traffic control, carbon emissions, the…

The city of London has caught the imagination of travellers worldwide, as 2012 Olympics Games fever grips the globe, says recent research conducted by London & Partners, an official promotional organisation for London. As the UK government continues to enhance the city and the Olympic venues, visitors whose prime objective is to attend the Games are also making plans to visit the most famous London attractions. Around 60 percent of visitors to the city have stated their intention to visit London’s river, squares and parks, while half of visitors to London are contemplating visits to a museum or historic building.…

British passengers are not in favour of proposals for sharing social media profiles with airlines to decide on favourable fellow passengers for flights. HolidayExtras.com, a UK-based travel amenities company, found that British travellers are wary of what airlines call ‘social seating’, according to a survey, with 57 percent of the customers polled voting against airlines using social media profiles of passengers for shared information prior to boarding. Customers have cited safety concerns, with 64 percent of women fliers and 51 percent of men raising the issue. Airlines are currently testing new software that will allow travellers to choose their ideal…

Passengers will be protected by new safety features while on luxury cruises, according to the European Cruise Council, an industry association for cruise companies operating in Europe. In an announcement highlighting new safety policies for cruise passengers, Manfredi Lefebvre, chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) and member of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Executive Committee, said, ‘We are convinced that this approach will achieve concrete, practical and significant safety dividends in the shortest possible time and fully reflects the measured and responsible progress on future safety initiatives by both the Commission and European Parliament following the Concordia tragedy.’…

Travelodge is partnering with radio station, Absolute Radio, to promote the hotel chain’s London portfolio. The UK-based hotel company is celebrating its achievement of having the most number of rooms for a single brand in London, with new partnerships and promotions. It is currently providing around 7,593 rooms in Central and Greater London, and around 35,400 rooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain. The hotel room rates commence at £19 per night. The company is planning on opening 41 new hotels in the UK and will create 1,000 new jobs in the process. Twelve of the new Travelodge properties are…

Birmingham Airport, located close to the city of Birmingham in England, is displaying the Olympic Rings on its Air Traffic Control Tower in celebration of the London 2012 Games. The airport is the first in the UK to display the Olympic symbol on its premises. The unveiling of the rings was accompanied by an evening of performances from a string quartet from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project, Dance Sansaar, a local Punjabi folk arts group. The airport has also installed special decor, which includes displayed pictograms representing the Olympic and Paralympic sports. Two…

Travellers on Switzerland’s railways will soon be able to purchase refreshments from the new Starbucks stores that are to open on intercity Swiss trains. Swiss Federal Railways, or SBB, the national railway company of Switzerland, is partnering with Starbucks Corporation, a US-based coffee company, to provide travelling Starbucks stores onboard intercity express trains by the first half of 2013. The partnership will first offer Starbucks stores aboard two SBB Intercity trains between St Gallen and Geneva, in Switzerland. The Starbucks stores on wheels will be adding to the restaurant services the Swiss rail company already provides to its passengers, with…

The Holiday Inn brand, a part of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, is currently in the process of preparing to play host for the London 2012 Games. The brand is the official hotel provider for the mega sporting event, and the flurry of activity at its Burton UK headquarters has reached fever pitch. Employees from Holiday Inn are currently setting up the Olympic village, to host around 16,000 athletes and officials during the 2012 Games; in addition to 6,200 sporting personalities, and officials for the Paralympic Games. The staff will be offering housekeeping and hospitality services to the Olympic village. Accommodation…