Author: News Team

More and more travellers are opting for hotels with Wi-Fi connectivity, says a survey done by Hotels.com, a US-based travel company and a part of the Expedia group. The hotel booking website has indicated that around 38 percent of people surveyed decide on hotels based on the availability of complimentary Wi-Fi as the most important hotel amenity, while 31 percent of travellers have expressed a wish to have all hotels Wi-Fi enabled, so that they can remain connected even when on vacation or business travel. Travellers have also voted in favour of complimentary breakfast (25 percent) and complimentary parking (18…

British Airways has announced a new service to Aberdeen, in Scotland, from London City Airport in the UK. The new service commences on September 24, 2012, from London City Airport, and is offered by BA Cityflyer, a subsidiary of the company. BA Cityflyer will be operating Embraer E170 and E190 jets for the new route. The airline is currently flying passengers from London Heathrow Airport to the Scottish city of Aberdeen, and the new route will be in addition to the existing route. The sale of tickets for the new route is already open for advance bookings, for introductory rates…

The UK-based hotel company, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has released details of a study that suggests that global travel trends are set for a change in 2012 with an increase in airport retailing. The survey has shown that travellers are shopping more at airport stores, with global airport retailing being worth £16 billion in 2012, making it the second fastest growing retail channel next to e-retail. Women that prefer to travel light and shop at the airports outnumber men, the research results indicated. Travel in 2012 will be defined by the use of the Internet for just about everything, including…

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…