Author: News Team

Best Western Falmouth Beach Hotel, a luxury hotel in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, has been severely damaged in a fire which started early in the afternoon of April 29, 2012. Around 100 fire fighters tackled the fire. There were no fatalities, and 30 guests were moved to safety. The fire had started on the third floor of the property, and strong winds caused it to spread rapidly through the building, destroying the infrastructure and causing the roof to cave in. The 120-room hotel, one of the biggest in the area, was opened by the Evans family in 1984, and was acquired…

British travellers to Europe are often unaware of the differences in their health insurance regarding what is available in the UK, and what they are entitled to while travelling, so much so that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British government department that promotes UK interests globally, has announced new advice for visitors to Europe. A new survey by Gocompare.com, an insurance comparison website, has revealed that around 50 percent of British travellers believe that a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will entitle them to a similar level of state medical care in European countries, to that which they receive…

Ryanair, an Ireland-based low cost airline, has announced new flights, from Dublin and Derry, in Ireland, to London Gatwick Airport, in England, for the finals of Heineken Cup ruby competition. The airline is offering 10 additional flights from London Gatwick Airport to Dublin, and two extra flights between Derry and London Gatwick, for the Heineken Cup final to be played on May 19, 2012, in London, between Ulster, a team that is Belfast based, and Leinster, from Dublin. The final match, which is the first ever to be played between teams from Ireland’s two provinces, will be played at Twickenham.…

Virgin Trains has announced changes in its scheduled services due to improvement work to be carried out by Network Rail, the UK-based company that owns and operates most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain. The schedules for Friday, May 4, 2012, to Bank Holiday Monday, May 7, 2012, are being implemented due to improvement work on the lines, while Virgin Trains will be operating at its full capability on Friday and Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening. On the upcoming Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend, work will be carried on various segments between Euston and Rugby;…

Greenwich, a borough close to central London, will be hosting a large cruise liner terminal, once the authorities grant approval for the development. The cruise liner terminal will have the capacity to allow anchoring of large cruise ships beyond the Thames Barrier. The new dockyard will be able to offer anchorage to ships up to 240 metres in length and receive around 100 ships every year, once it is completed. Construction of the project is expected to commence by November 2012, and be complete in around five years’ time. Approximately 40,000 passengers will be able to disembark at the terminal,…

Heathrow Airport is facing massive queues at immigration, creating a nightmare scenario for airlines operating out of the airport, and for arriving passengers. Earlier, the British Air Transport Association (BATA), an association of 10 UK-based major airlines and 13 small airlines, along with several members of the UK parliament, had warned that visitors to the UK could experience long delays at airport immigration counters that could lead to queues and possible airport gridlock. Passenger delays at UK airports are likely to escalate with the large numbers of visitors expected during the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games. BATA had earlier stated…

Virgin Holidays has announced the opening of a new store at Addlestone, in Surrey, England. The new store is located in the Tesco Extra shop in Addlestone, providing local residents the opportunity of experiencing the brand’s signature holiday offerings. The store can advise on the brand’s products and holiday experiences as well as offering the advice of holiday experts for customisable holiday packages to many destinations around the world. Each of the Birgin Holiday stores has dedicated areas for the type of holiday required, like Virgin Holidays Cruises and Virgin Holidays+HIP Hotels options, as well as an exclusive Virgin Holiday…

Corporate flight bookings are set to increase in 2012, as the travel industry experiences a growth phase. AirPlus International Inc, a US-based company that provides a suite of business travel payment solutions, has reported an 11 percent increase in flight bookings for corporate travel in the first three months of 2012. The company has announced that it is expects the upward trend to continue in the next few months of 2012. Patrick Diemer, the company managing director, said, ‘These figures are proof of the confidence most businesses have that travelling is relevant to their development, especially in view of the…

Birmingham Airport, located close to the city of Birmingham, has announced plans for new services to China. The airport is hoping to offer new routes between England and China once a runway extension is completed at the airport. The airport runway extension is scheduled for completion in 2014. The airport chief executive officer, Paul Kehoe, recently visited Chengdu, in China, for the Routes Asia Aviation Conference, and has been exploring the possibility of airlines offering direct flights to Birmingham from China. Kehoe said, ‘We hear so much from BAA about the UK losing lucrative new routes because of the capacity…

Ryanair, the Ireland-based budget airline, has announced an addition to its service to Munich, Germany, from London Stansted Airport. The airline is offering additional flight from London Stansted Airport to Munich for the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League final to be played on May 19, 2012, between English club, Chelsea, and German club, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The winner of the tournament will be playing the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League winners in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, and will also be entering the semi-finals of the 2012 FIFA Club World Championship, as the…