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Aircraft missing in Papua, Indonesia

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

An aircraft with 16 people on board has gone missing and presumed to have crashed over the remote Papua province of Indonesia.

The flight from Jayapura to Oksibil usually takes 50 minutes.  Much of the region is thickly forested and some planes that have crashed there have never been found.

There were three crew and 13 passengers including two babies.  A search and rescue operation has begun but has been hampered by bad weather.

Safety records for Indonesian airlines have been widely criticised.

The aircraft, a twin otter, owned by part-government airline Merpati Nusantara airlines lost contact with air traffic control approximately 40 minutes into the flight.

Two weeks ago, four Indonesian airlines – Garuda, Mandala Airlines, Airfast and Premiair were removed from an EU aviation blacklist which banned all Indonesian registered aircraft from entering its airspace, citing “considerable improvements” needed.

All other Indonesian airlines remain on the list.

Indonesia is highly reliant on air transport to connect the 18,000 islands that make up the archipelago.

Thanks to the Jakarta Post for the above quotes.  For more information visit thejakartapost.com

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Woman dies in canal boat holiday accident

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Mother-of-two, Amanda Chappell, did after falling from a canal boat whilst on holidays with her family.

The woman fell in to the water whilst trying to negotiate a lock on the Oxford Canal, and is believed to have struck her head.

The woman, a teaching assistant from Totnes, Devon, was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance officers.

The family hired a boat from a firm in Rugby, Warwickshire, and are believed to have been heading towards Stockton, when the accident happened at roughly 5:30pm on Thursday.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious and the canal has been closed while investigations were undertaken.

“The woman was steering the boat while two of the family – the husband and one of the children – were working the lock gates,” said Inspector Helen Robertson.

“For some reason the boat bumped or nudged the side wall or gates of the lock and the lady has lost her balance and fallen into the water.” Inspector Robinson added.

Thanks to the Telegraph for the above quotes.  For more information on this article visit telegraph.co.uk

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Victims of terror abroad to receive compensation

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Tourist tourists who are injured in attacks of terrorism will qualify for payouts of up to £500,000, under plans to be revealed this month.

At the moment, those wounded or killed in attacks overseas are do not receive any compensation.

But foreigners who are injured in attacks like the 7/7 bombings are entitled to compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Moves will change the law will begin this month.

It comes following the fear of further attacks by Basque terrorists in holiday areas across Spain, common with British holidaymakers.

Whitehall sources say the law will not be retrospective, meaning that victims who were injured in prior terrorist attacks such as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel bombing in Mumbai last year won’t get a penny for their injuries.

The Foreign Office will decide if an incident comes under the Terrorism Act.

The changes to change the legislation has come about following last years Delhi bombings.

Thanks to the Mirror for the quotes.  For more information on this article visit mirror.co.uk

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Tourism Downunder On Life Support

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Australia is experiencing the worst year for tourism since the 1989 pilots’ strike; with the $90 billion-a-year industry has crashed.

That is the sentiment of almost half of Australia’s tourism leaders according to a survey which reveals their despair amidst the worsening crisis.

Three months ago, according to the Tourism and Transport Forum/Mastercard survey, Australian operators believed that a sustained recovery would occur in the first quarter of 2010.

Latest tourism forecasts now predict inbound visits and domestic tourism will drop by a further 4 percent for 2009 and only 45 percent of tourism operators believe that a recover is at least a year away.

The collapse in business confidence and predictions of a $2 billion-plus drop in tourism spending as prompted calls for a $40 million government bailout.

The results showed the job outlook for staff had stabilised.

Fewer businesses in the latest survey indicated they would cut staff, down from 56 per cent to 32 per cent.

And while almost 60 per cent said they would make job cuts at some point during the economic downturn, the figure was down from 72 per cent in the previous quarter.

However, the survey showed small increases in confidence across domestic, international and total tourism.

Thanks to The Age.  For more information visit theage.com.au

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Swine Flu Threat To Tourism

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Foreign journalists are likely to face the wrath of British diplomats under plants to curb the impact of swine flu to the already fragile industry.

The Foreign Office has been asked to rebut misleading or hysterical reporting amid fears that tourists will cancel plans to visit when many hoped that tourism would help the country during the recession.

The number of new cases of swine flu has decreased across the nation with the estimated number of cases for this week being 110,000, marginally higher than the week before.

As it appears that the spread of the H1N1 virus is stalling, ministers are concerned that foreign media is portraying Britain as a panic-stricken nation paralyzed by the outbreak.

Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said that there was no reason that tourists should avoid travelling to the UK and asked the Foreign Office to ensure embassies overseas monitor negative coverage of the UK in relation to swine flu.

He said: “Britain is open for business. This is not like foot-and-mouth and it’s very important that we get those messages across and we rebut any misleading reporting that could damage our fragile tourist industry. We don’t want to see their numbers fall off.”

Latest figures show that fewer people are choosing the UK as a holiday destination, despite hopes of a bumper summer, fuelled by cash-strapped families opting to stay at home and foreign tourists enticed by the low value of the pound against the dollar and euro.

Quotes thanks to The Cornwall Guardian.  For more information visit www.thiscornwall.co.uk

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EU gets tough on lost luggage

Friday, July 31st, 2009

In response to a recent study that showed 13 air passengers in every 1000 in Europe experience lost luggage, the European Union is set to introduce tougher regulations on airlines operating in its airspace.

The efforts to bolster travellers rights in the EU is part of a task group set up by the Commission to monitor performance of airlines and airports, where one in 64 people are currently experiencing lost luggage. The regulatory arm is considering increasing the compensation airlines must pay for lost luggage, to 1,100 euros per passenger.

This follows gradual tightening of regulation among airlines based in the 27 member countries, introduced to address increased flight delays and over bookings that have spiraled since the industry was deregulated and volume increased on budget airlines.

Antonio Tajani, the European Transport Commissioner, said to reporters: “It’s a serious problem. We have to act.” New legislation that would require the support of the European Parliament and member countries will be proposed mid-2010.

The study was conducted between November 2008 and March 2009. News of this will add more pressure to an industry already reeling from recessionary pressure and recording record losses.

With recognition to www.bloomberg.com for the above quotes, please visit their site for similar news.

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Misleading leasing company rapped

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

A leasing company has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after advertising “brand new cars 4 less” at “amazing prices” which was inconsistent with the product offered on their website.

brandnewcars4less.co.uk, operated by Lombard Vehicle Management, came under pressure from the ASA following complaints that revealed that none of the models featured on the site could be leased at the prices advertised and exceeded the advertised rate by more than £90.

Lombard defended the accusation, saying that prices from finance firms were now being changed at much shorter notice, instead of the usual three to six months, thus resulting in possible misleading prices. They provided proof of customers who had benefited from the prices advertised.

The company was ordered by the ASA to stop running the adverts immediate or risk further censure.

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Customers choose packages for 2009 Thomas Cook Catalogue

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Popular UK package deal operator Thomas Cook has released its 2009 Summer catalogue of all-inclusive holidays, and much of it was chosen by its customers from the previous year.

The operator is finding these all-inclusive tours are gaining popularity with the weak pound, as travellers go for the cost savings of joining a package. This year the catalogue includes more deals than ever, including new destinations such as Kenya and Bulgaria.

The brochure has been given a design makeover to improve its usability, and holiday makers will now find it easier to choose, as packages are categorised according to Best for Families, Best for Food, Best Activities, Best Value for Money and Best Faraway Destination.

“Over the last year demand for our all-inclusive holidays has continued to rise and now accounts for more summer bookings than ever before. With this in mind, we’ve put a lot of work into updating our brochure and we now offer holidaymakers some of the best all-inclusive hotels for this winter and next summer, combining great value with a fantastic holiday for families and couples alike,” said Richard Calvert, tour operations director at Thomas Cook.

Thomas Cook is one of Britain’s most popular tour operators, and a leader in all-inclusive and package tours, sending hundreds of thousands of people on holiday cheaply each year. The company, named after its founder, was the early pioneer in tour operating.

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Car rental company in China gears up for larger market share

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Although rental car agencies may be facing dismal times in the United States and Europe, there is hope that a new car rental agency venture from Shanghai China may succeed.  China’s eHi rental car company is a new business that might take off in China.  The company recently finished raising over $20 million dollars from private investors, and plans to make an initial public offering in 2011.

This bold move comes as rental car agencies in the United States, such as Hertz and Avis have laid off workers.  But observers say that China offers a very different market landscape that the United States.  President and co-founder of eHi Ray Zhang said in an interview that in the future, car owner ship in China will be restricted because of the lack of availability of space and antipollution measures in major cities.  Zhang is betting this will create a large market for rental cars in China.

Though the money raised will help eHi upgrade its fleet, the company still faces stiff competition from international and domestic rental companies such as Jinjiang, a state owned Rental Company.

Zhang points out that if eHi is able to secure a larger market share, it will have the potential boost profits to 100 million yuan.

Thanks to www.reuters.com for the above quotes, for more information visit their website.

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CEO of Virgin Blue steps down amid profit warnings

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Chief Executive and co-founder Brett Godfrey said he would step down next year, as Virgin Blue released news of profit loses.  The airline is now seeking an influx of cash to shore up its weakened balance sheet.

Virgin Blue, Australia’s second largest airline, expects losses of over 165 million Australian dollars by the end of June.  Currently it is seeking to raise over 231 million Australian dollars in capital, by reissuing new shares.  It is hoped that the issuance of shares will solve the current cash insolvency problem.  Richard Branson’s Virgin group said it would be involved in the capital raising process.

In a press release, Virgin Blue said, “The operating environment over the last 12 months has been the most challenging in the airline’s history.  The strengthening of Virgin Blue’s capital position combined with the current strategic initiatives will position the business to weather the current market environment.”

Brett Godfrey, the co-founder of Virgin Blue, more than a decade ago, said he will stay on until 2010 to supervise the transition.

Virgin Blue hopes that the re-issuance of shares will help improve the company’s liquidity and strengthen its financial flexibility.  The move could help airline position itself for a rebound when the markets improve.

Thanks to www.usatoday.com for above quotes, for more information visit their website.

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