Archive for February, 2011
Monday, February 28th, 2011
An infestation of bed bugs on a British Airways Boeing 747 has caused the airline to ground the aircraft until the problem can be sorted. The decision to take the jet out of service was made after a Californian passenger complained that she had been a victim of the blood-suckers on two journeys with the British flag-carrier.
The first time 28-year-old Zane Selkirk came into contact with the critters was on a flight between Los Angeles and London. She said she saw a bug on the seat in front of her as the aircraft was preparing for take-off. She added that later in the flight, when she went to the toilet, she saw more of the creatures crawling over her shirt.
On a later flight, between Bangalore and London, Selkirk claims she was bitten around 90 times. Claiming that BA staff were utterly unhelpful when she brought the matter to their attention, Selkirk set up her own website to bring the problem to the attention of the public.
She claims that it was only after the media drew BA’s attention to the web page that she was offered any sort of apology. Selkirk claims that the airline has offered her some financial compensation and that she has turned it down.
A spokesman for the carrier said BA always took complaints about bed bugs on their aircraft seriously and would remove any aircraft from service if there was found to be a problem. He added that complaints about bed bugs were rare.
Tags: airline, BA, bed bugs, British Airways, website, Zane Selkirk
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Friday, February 25th, 2011
The Transport Workers Union in the US is hoping to join forces with other airline unions to increase its influence over American Airlines. The union will be meeting with the heads of other organisations in April in Washington to discuss the establishment of a global labour council. The talks will involve unions representing the rights of workers within the Oneworld airline alliance.
The alliance has 12 members including Japan Airlines and British Airways. The Transport Workers Union hopes that by establishing a global alliance it will be able to put more pressure on American Airlines to come to an agreement over issues first raised back in November 2007.
In a news conference, the union said that it hopes fellow members will picket American Airlines’ terminals in their own countries as a way of exerting added pressure on the carrier to arrive at a satisfactory deal.
Air transport division international vice president, Garry Drummond, said he expected there to be a real movement, adding that a labour council established on a global scale would be able to make a massive difference. American Airlines has so far declined to make any comment on the plan.
Transport Workers Local 565 president, Bob Zimmerman, said that the One World of Labour Council will also be able to work towards better ways of increasing the revenues of airlines which operate under the Oneworld banner. Currently the union is working on behalf of some 22,000 American Airlines’ staff to reach an agreement over ground-handling and maintenance contracts.
Tags: american airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Oneworld, Transport Workers Union
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Thursday, February 24th, 2011
As one of the most important tournaments in the cricket calendar gets underway, Avis has announced it is offering a special deal to all those booking a vehicle through Avis India during the ICC Cricket World Cup. A special 20 per cent discount will be offered to customers booking chauffer driven or self-drive car hire from 17 February through to 2 April 2011.
When he announced the special promotion, CEO of Avis India, Sunil Gupta explained that in India cricket is viewed very much as a religion. To celebrate the fact that this year the ICC Cricket World Cup is taking place in India not only citizens of the country, but visitors from around the world will be offered the chance to take advantage of Avis India’s special deals.
Avis customers looking for an easy way to get from the airport to hotels, from their hotels to the cricket grounds or simply to get around town quickly and efficiently can book one of Avis India’s highly skilled chauffeurs.
Customers who prefer self-drive can choose from a range of economy- and mid-segment vehicles including the Honda City, Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Swift; or from the premium-segment which includes Mercedes E and S Class vehicles, the BMW 5 Series and the Toyota Camry.
Vehicles are available in 18 cities across India where Avis stations are conveniently situated in prime central locations. Avis India has a fleet of around 1400 cars and customers can make their reservations through a dedicated call centre or on the Avis website.
Tags: Avis, Avis india, cricket, Ford, Honda, ICC Cricket World Cup, self drive, Suzuki
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Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Leading internet travel agent ebookers.com has recorded a massive rise in customers searching for travel deals to popular tourist destinations such as Dubai and Miami. One of the reasons for the increased interest is the recent social and political unrest in Egypt which saw thousands of holidaymakers have their plans for some winter sun ruined.
Although the Foreign Office has relaxed its warnings about visiting major cities such as Cairo and Alexandria, the tourism industry is likely to take some time to recover.
Popular resorts in the Red Sea remained open during the troubles with travel firms keen to state that it was business as usual and that the situation remained calm throughout.
However, the turmoil helped internet searches for travel to Dubai rocket by 42 per cent in January compared to a year earlier. Searches for package deals to Miami increased 32 per cent year-on-year.
Marketing chief at ebookers UK, Mario Bounas, said: “Recent political unrest in Egypt has meant travellers have had to turn to other exotic sun destinations when searching for their next holiday. These latest figures certainly show Miami and Dubai have benefited from the issues in Egypt however, now the Foreign Office have removed their advisory not to travel to the Red Sea and Luxor, there are some fantastic offers available as operators try to lure travellers back. Holidaymakers can save up to 30% on some of the deals available but they won’t be around forever, so we’d advise travellers to bite the bullet and book now!”
Tags: Dubai, ebookers.com, egypt, Foreign Office, Miami, travel agent, travel firms, winter sun
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Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Network Rail has announced that it will be pleading guilty to charges brought against the company over the poor conditions of tracks near Potters Bar which caused a train to derail in 2002. The incident resulted in the deaths of six passengers and a pedestrian who was struck by debris from the crash. More than 70 others were injured.
Following a formal inquest into the incident last year, the Office of Rail Regulation decided to launch proceedings against Network Rail claiming it was in breach of laws governing health and safety.
A spokesman for the operator said the decision to enter a guilty plea had been made because Network Rail had agreed to take on all of Railtrack’s liabilities and responsibilities after taking over the firm in 2002.
The Office of Rail Regulation has said it may now bring a prosecution against the company which was at the time responsible for maintenance of the Potters Bar tracks, Jarvis. Although the firm was due to turn up to the court to face a charge of failing in its health and safety commitments, there was no representative present as Network Rail said it intended to plead guilty.
A lawyer working on behalf of the families of the victims, Louise Christian, said there was still a great deal of anger about how long the whole process had taken. She added that there were also a number of concerns over whether the issue of rail safety had been properly dealt with. She went on to say that the most likely punishment for Network rail would be a fine.
Tags: health and safety, Jarvis, Network Rail, Office of Rail Regulation, Potters Bar, Railtrack, train
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Monday, February 21st, 2011
As the world’s airlines continue to look at the advantages of consolidating with each other, Air France and Delta Airlines have expressed an interest in taking over Sir Richard Branson’s 51 per cent share in Virgin Atlantic. The Virgin boss has been weighing up his options since the completion of the tie-up between British Airways and Iberia, a move he has strongly condemned.
The remaining 49 per cent belongs to Singapore Airlines. The Eastern carrier has indicated that it would be interested off-loading its share so that it can concentrate on building its Asian operations. Analysts agree that if Virgin is to attract a buyer then Sir Richard will have to relinquish control. The founder’s stake could be worth between £500 million and $1 billion.
Currently, Virgin Atlantic has not joined a larger airline alliance. Delta and Air France are members of the SkyTeam Alliance. Goldman Sachs has been put in charge of looking at the possibilities open to them regarding Virgin.
There have also been reports that Etihad, the Abu Dhabi based airline, might be interested in acquiring Sir Richard’s Virgin Stake. Etihad’s chief executive, James Hogan, has apparently sent a letter to Deutsche Bank who is looking after business on behalf of Virgin Atlantic. Etihad has appointed Merrill Lynch to examine the matter.
It is likely that airlines will continue to consolidate. British Airways has made it clear that the merger between the flag-carrier and Iberia was just the start and that it was actively looking for more airlines with which to form tie-ups.
Tags: air france, British Airways, delta airlines, Iberia, Singapore Airlines, virgin atlantic
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Friday, February 18th, 2011
As the UK gears up to April’s Royal Wedding, it seems that Europe is also getting excited. According to high speed carrier Eurostar bookings have risen dramatically from those wishing to come from the mainland to celebrate the occasion in London. Compared to the same weekend last year, bookings for the 29 April nuptials are up by 28 per cent.
Visit London has estimated that there will be an influx of around 1.1 million people to the capital wishing to participate in the festivities which will celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanging their vows.
Head of marketing and sales in France for Eurostar, Lionel Benbassat, said: “Not since Charles and Diana married in 1981 have we seen such huge interest across the continent in the British royal family. People are truly fascinated by this wedding and they want to experience the excitement of the big day and the party atmosphere first hand.
“This fascination isn’t just limited to countries that have a monarchy themselves. We’ve seen a surge in bookings from republican Germany and France as well as from Belgium and the Netherlands, which have their own monarchies. After three years of financial austerity, it looks like Europe is gearing up for party.”
It is predicted that thousands of people from across Europe will choose to travel through the tunnel for the big day. Eurostar offers travellers the ease and convenience of allowing them to travel from the centre of major cities. The journey times are also extremely quick.
Tags: Eurostar, Kate Middleton, Prince William, royal family, Royal Wedding
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Thursday, February 17th, 2011
The Competition Commission of India has cleared nine foreign airlines of forming a cartel in order to stop awarding travel agents a commission on any airline tickets they sell to customers. The airlines involved include Continental Airlines, Lufthansa, German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, North West Airlines and Air France.
The Travel Agents Association of India is claiming that because the airlines fly under the umbrellas of either the Sky Team Alliance or the Star Alliance Network, they were complicit with each other in coming up with the decision to do away with the five per cent Standard Agency Commission.
The commission has been looking into the matter for more than a year now and has announced that the airlines could not be branded a cartel because between them they only represent some 20 per cent of the market flying in and out of India. This means that they are not dominant and that their customers are not reliant on one particular carrier to make a journey. None of the airlines were found to have any commercial advantage over the competition.
The TAAI claims that the removal of commission on tickets is anti-competitive and has rejected the commission’s conclusions. Lawyers working on behalf of the travel agents’ body said it was their right to be paid a commission.
The TAAI has asked the CCI to now include the civil aviation ministry in the matter. The airlines involved announced they would no longer be awarding commissions on 1 November 2009.
Tags: airlines, catel, Indian, price fixing
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Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Although last year was a challenging one for many of the world’s airlines, the outlook for 2011 seems to be somewhat brighter. British Airways has reported that it has seen growth in premium traffic already, both domestically and internationally. In January, the flag-carrier announced that the number of passengers’ purchasing premium tickets had risen 7.4 per cent on the same month a year earlier.
According to the airline’s regional commercial manager for the Middle East, Paolo De Renzis, BA is keen to maintain the momentum by offering customers reduced fares on business class tickets from the Emirates to destinations in the US and Europe. He added that by doing so BA would be able to offer more comfort and a better service at a fraction of the price usually paid by customers.
The discounted premium fares can be purchased before 28 February this year and bookings can be made for travel before 30 September. Customers booking a business class seat in Club World will also be offered the opportunity to sort out their car hire and hotel requirements at the same time.
De Renzis said that the special fares were being offered to maintain growth in the UAE, currently one of the regions where airlines appear to be flourishing. He added that BA remained committed to developing and investing in improved services for its customers including the introduction of a new first class cabin on routes to and from the Middle East.
Further information on all services can be found on the BA website.
Tags: airlines, BA, British Airways, car hire, Club World, hotel
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Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Asia is expected to lead the growth of the world’s airline industry over the next few years according to a statement made by the International Air Travel Association in Singapore recently. The body claims that of the 3.3 billion passengers expected to take to the air by 2014, 30 per cent will come from the Asia-Pacific.
According to Giovanni Bisignani, chief of IATA, by 2014 one billion people will choose to get on a plane to travel from the Asia-Pacific. He added that the largest markets for passengers would be Japan, Hong Kong and China, with the latter introducing the most new flyers.
In terms of market value, four out of the five biggest airlines on the globe have their hubs in Asia – Air China, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and China Southern. According to Bisignani, airline industry focus continues to move to the east. In 2009 North America lost its position as the number one aviation market when the title was handed to the Asia-Pacific.
Where Asia appears to by thriving it is not such good news for airlines in the US and Europe where growth is weak. According to Bisignani, the reason for this is not just that the markets are mature, but also because economic recovery has been sluggish.
Growth rates are being dampened by austerity measure, high levels of unemployment and consumer debts, according to the IATA boss. He added that the future of the industry lay in the hands of emerging markets such as India and China.
Tags: Air China, airlines, cathay pacific, China Southern, Giovanni Bisignani, IATA, Singapore Airlines
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