Belfast’s airports have seen a drop in profits as they face challenges such as increased competition and look for ways of attracting more customers. The International airport saw its 2010 pre-tax profits fall by 11 per cent on the year before to £1.6 million. City airport announced a profit of just £15,000 compared to the [...]
Dollar Thrifty has refused a bid by US rival Hertz for a takeover, but board members say that they are still willing to consider renewed offers from the larger car hire firm or other companies. The budget vehicle rental provider has been involved in an 18 month acquisition battle between Avis and Hertz, in which [...]
The Commons Transport Committee has been hearing how claims firms, credit hire companies and unscrupulous lawyers mean that motorists are paying around £2 billion per year more in insurance costs than they should be. Blackburn Labour MP, Jack Straw, has delivered a report which criticises a culture of suing within the UK. Mr Straw attacked [...]
The latest plans to increase the capacity of airports in the south east have been given tentative support by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The idea is to create a virtual hub by joining Heathrow and Gatwick airports with a high speed railway link. The scheme is being called Heathwick. Mr Johnson said that Philip [...]
Passengers travelling on commuter trains run by Dutch National Railways will now have access to emergency plastic bags if they are caught short. Jeroen von Geusau, a spokesman for the company, said the bags, which are designed to be urinated into, were being placed on trains which do not have toilets and were part of [...]
International Airlines Group, the super-airline formed at the beginning of the year through a tie-up between British Airways and Spanish flag carrier Iberia, has announced a 3.5 per cent increase in economy traffic for September. Premium class tickets were also up by 9.3 per cent for the month compared to September 2010. However, the airline [...]
Investors in regional carrier Flybe have had to face another profit warning from the company, as it says demand continues to be poorer than predicted. The Exeter-based airline floated on the London Stock Exchange in December last year when shares were valued at 295p. They have now dropped again to just 65p. Flybe has blamed [...]
The number of bookings for cruise holidays is set to soar next year, according to recent research. The Passenger Shipping Association said that around 835,000 holidaymakers will set sail from UK ports next year. The figure represents a 28 per cent increase over the last two years. According to industry experts, the popularity of the [...]
British Airways is offering members of its Executive Club a safety training course which could help them, as well as fellow passengers, survive in the event of a crash. The four-hour long session covers a range of procedures from properly releasing a seatbelt to locating a life jacket. The training lesson ends with a simulated [...]
British tourists are being advised by the Foreign Office to avoid travel to the north of Kenya if it is not essential as a second westerner is kidnapped and taken across the border to Somalia. French national Marie Dedieu was taken from her bed on Saturday and bundled into a speedboat which disappeared into the [...]
