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Archive for the ‘Travel News’ Category

When you think of alternative uses for cooking oil, using it to fill up the tank of air jet might not be your first thought, however Thomson Airways have used it to fly customers from Birmingham to Arrecife.

The airline used a mixture of waste fat and jet fuel to create a supposedly more eco-friendly service in a time where air travel is taking a hammering from environmental campaigners. Thomson’s current tests had been hampered by delay over the testing progress, it was originally meant to take place last July however the fuel only recently passed safety clearance. According to Thomson claims, the eco-friendly biofuel has the potential to reduce aviation emissions by up to 80 per cent in the future and the company aims to use biofuel across their whole fleet within the next three years.

Thomson Airways managing director Chris Browne said: “Sustainable biofuels offer us the opportunity to improve our own individual environmental performance as well as contributing to the UK’s carbon reduction target.”

Aviation minister Theresa Villiers echoes his sentiment, he said: “The British government believes that sustainable biofuels have a role to play in efforts to tackle climate change, particularly in sectors where no other viable low carbon energy source has been identified – as is the case with aviation.”

Biofuel costs a lot more than regular jet fuel, it’s made up of on a 50-50 mix of Jet A1 fuel and Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) fuel made from used cooking oil. This could impact prices and maybe why take-up of using this alternative fuel has been poor. Thomson owners Tui Travel hope it will help them to reduce carbon emissions by 6 per cent from 2008 to 2014.

Although Thomson state production of biofuel will create jobs in developing countries, some environmental campaigners worry that it could have an adverse effect and state the only way to cut down on aviation pollution is to cut flights, stop airport expansion and improve rail travel rather than use alternative fuels.

Thomson Aircraft

Picture courtesy of Deanster1983

The number of flights to the Caribbean will be cut by British Airways due to the rise of Air Passenger Duty tax. They will however be adding extra flights to Florida which although is not far away geographically does have 20 per cent lower APD.

British Airways have called for the government to scrap this unfair tax which sees UK travellers paying more than anywhere else and they say it’s a ‘destructive tax juggernaut’ and says the UK tourism industry suffers from the ‘heaviest tax burden in global aviation’.

Because of the way the tax system works BA have reduced the flights to the Caribbean because its expected that with higher charges less people will be travelling there. For example; a family of four of flying in economy class from the UK to the Caribbean pay £300 in APD whilst the same to Florida would only cost £240 in APD.

According to BA the amount paid in the UK is more than double what a family from Germany would pay and those travelling from France would only have to pay just £15. 22 of the EU countries don’t even charge travellers aviation tax so it’s not like legislation imposed by EU that is causing these high prices.

The Caribbean is worst hit because of the way the system works, countries are placed into band for the taxation and this is based on how far away the capital is from the UK. So travelling to the US to places like Florida or Hawaii is cheap even though further away, because Washington is closer to the UK passengers are charged less.

During the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) annual conference in St Maarten British Airways CEO Keith Williams told delegates that the strict tax regime was ‘jeopardising routes to the Caribbean’.

He said: “The Caribbean is a very important destination for us and we have a long and proud heritage of serving the region. However, we can’t deny the reality that demand is not as high as it has been. Taxation is most certainly a factor in this and sadly, a factor in our decision to reduce our frequency to the Caribbean next summer. It is no coincidence that our reduction in the number of services to the Caribbean is accompanied by a rise in services to Florida – another desirable holiday destination for UK sun-seekers, and a destination that is taxed at a rate 20 per cent less than the Caribbean.”

At the moment the government is conducting a review on APD with the results coming out in November however no one in the industry is sure there will be any reduction.

We know people struggle on flights when they can’t use their mobile phone and a lot of people struggle if they miss an all-important football match or the Wimbledon final when up in the air. However just been stuck with the boring inflight movie or TV show may be a thing of the past after a new development of in-flight WiFi.

Travellers will soon be able to keep up with breaking news or sporting events whilst they are up in the air, thanks to new Wi-Fi technology.  The first airline to use this technology will be America’s Southwest Airlines, they will offer customers the chance to watch BBC World News, Bloomberg Television, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC and VERSUS on their phones or laptops.

An agreement has been reached between WiFi provider Row44, which serves several commercial airlines including Southwest and the news and sport channels about on-board entertainment so new technology will allow live programming to be supplied via satellite link from a network of stations on the ground.

In recent years using Wi-Fi on airlines has increased in popularity and accessibility, more and more airlines are providing the service on selected flights. It looks like early next year American airline Delta will be introducing WiFi service to all of its regional jets, including shuttles between New York-LaGuardia and Boston and Chicago-O’Hare and Washington, DC.

However over the sky’s of Europe and of course the UK we seem to be sadly lacking in the use of this technology, with on-board WiFi connectivity in Europe is scattered and less accessible. Back in January 2003 Lufthansa became the first airline to run a scheduled flight with broadband internet access, they are now looking to equip their entire long-haul fleet with internet access by the end of this year. However they do not provide the service on shorter flights.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic have also been looking into WiFi technology and providing it on their aircraft however at the moment there is no time frame for this to happen.

A travel alert has been issued by the US State Department warning Americans living and travelling abroad to remain vigilant ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Although the US State Department haven’t found any specific threats that may occur over the remembrance period they have warned that Al Qaeda had ‘demonstrated the intent and capability to carry out attacks’ against the US and US interests. It also stated: “In the past, terrorist organisations have on occasion planned their attacks to coincide with significant dates on the calendar.”

The warning issued does not specify any particular area and covers the entire globe, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: “We remain at a heightened state of vigilance, and security measures are in place to detect and prevent plots against the United States should they emerge. While threats remain, our nation is stronger than it was on 9/11, more prepared to confront evolving threats, and more resilient than ever before.”

The alert issued by the US State Department will not expire until January 2nd 2012.

Since the tragic events of September 11th 2001 many passengers have had to deal with tighter security measures at airports and when flying. As well as the attempts since by terrorists wanting to emulate the same destruction by the Al Qaeda September 2001 plot has also added to extra security measure being put in place to ensure passenger safety.

David Learmount, operations and security editor of aerospace publisher Flight Global said: “One thing is certain. Tight security is here to stay. The hope is that the checks, although remaining stringent, will become less invasive.”

Some of the latest security checks to be implemented include the introduction of body scanners and a ban on liquids being brought into the airport by travellers and items such as razors and nail scissors are no longer able to be brought on board in your hand luggage. Extra baggage checks were made more stringent in the US even for internal flights. The US has also introduced armed Air Marshalls onto their flights plus many cockpit doors now come re-enforced and are locked during flights.

Mr Learmount said: It’s certainly getting harder for terrorists to breach airport security. But the would-be bombers are persistent and security experts have to try to anticipate their next move. It’s a game of cat and mouse. What the International Air Transport Association and the equipment manufacturers would ideally like to see is a situation where passengers walk through an airport security area and as they do so they are scanned, their bags are scanned, their biometric passport is scanned and the whole process is relatively painless and queue-free. The checks will continue. It’s the way they are done that will change.”

At the moment many families spending is being squeezed, not leaving a lot to even take a holiday with, especially when you factoring the poor exchanges and rise in fuel increasing costs across the board. So it’s no surprise that families are now turning to all-inclusive holidays to keep their spending low for that all important breaks away.

The great thing about package holidays is that they offer food and drink as well as your flights, transfers and accommodation all in price and you shouldn’t find any additional extras to pay whilst you’re away. In four years bookings have increased by 50%, only a couple of years ago people became travel savvy and book aspects separately for their hols to get a bargain, but price increases across the board have made this a more expensive option, especially for families.

According to of seven million bookings over the past four years by The Co-operative Travel a third of package holidays are now all-inclusive, which shows the popularity of this type of holiday as families face increasing financial pressures but are reluctant to give up their annual breaks.

Once over all-inclusive was considered a luxury holiday, but for a lot of places prices have dropped. Don’t get me wrong though there are still a lot of places to go which offer accommodation at the higher end and these are still quite pricy. But at the moment families can get all-in breaks working out as little as £372 a person for a week in Majorca, however compare that to a typical non inclusive holiday and people can spend that amount alone whilst away, not including the air fare and hotel costs.

Co-operative director of retail distributions, Trevor Davis, said: “The growth in all-inclusive holidays is remarkable and shows no sign of slowing. By next summer, just under half of all package holidays are likely to be all-inclusive if the current trend continues. With holiday budgets still tight, it’s clear that more and more people prefer a fixed cost option, meaning that they can relax during their break without counting the pennies.”

It is important though to thoroughly investigate all-inclusive offer before booking, to make sure you are aware of what’s included and what’s not, so you don’t get any surprises once out there. According to a survey by the Post Office Travel Money, four out of five holidaymakers on all-inclusive holidays had to pay for items they thought would be part of their package. Things like buffet dining and basic drinks, made with non-branded alcohol will most often be included in packages however a lot of places will then charge extra for dining in a la carte restaurants or drinking premium drinks and some even charge for soft drinks.

Sarah Munro, Post Office head of Travel Money, said: “Although it is perfectly possible to stick to all inclusive deals, our research found that in practice only one in five holidaymakers actually spent nothing extra on their trip. Our research made it clear that holidaymakers expected food and drinks to be included but in many cases packages only covered basics like buffet food and local drinks. Two-thirds of the hotels surveyed excluded a la carte meals and well over half did not include cocktails, bottles of wine and branded alcoholic drinks.”

‘port of call’, however by applying for permission to accept lucrative ‘turnaround’ they will be able to accept vessels to begin and end their journeys there, which would make them a direct competitor for Southampton’s business.

This change of use could booster local economy, with more people visiting the city before and after their cruise holidays. It would also bring in income after investment in car parking, baggage and passenger handling. However if the application is approved it could have serious effects on Southampton Port which is known as the cruise capital of northern Europe and currently caters for 67 per cent of the cruise trade, which is quite a big share.

The news that Liverpool could become a ‘Turnaround’ port has already put Southampton’s planned £30m fifth terminal in jeopardy. Not only that the country’s third largest cruise port Harwich in Essex could also be at risk of losing passengers and businesses as well if the plans go ahead.

This isn’t the first time Liverpool has applied for a ‘turnaround’ permit, a few year ago they applied, however it was rejected by the Labour Government as giving an unfair advantage. Unlike other UK ports Liverpool’s cruise terminal was built using public funds and EU grants rather than private investment and development.

Consultation has been launched by the Department for Transport after an offer by Liverpool city council – the owner of the terminal – to repay £5.3m of the £20m grant over the next 15 years.
Royston Smith, Southampton’s Labour leader added: “it’s big business, and Liverpool want a slice of it and I don’t blame them. But you can’t use public money to take on a private company. It’s simply not right.”

Cruises are big business in the UK, at the moment its worth £2bn, if permission was granted for a ‘turnaround’ port in Liverpool an extra £2m per ship could be injected into the economy after things like hotel stays and car parking charges are taken into account.

For some singing on a cruise ship may be the final nail in the coffin of a singing career, but hopefully this is not the case for POP Idol winner Gareth Gates. Since he won back in 2002 ahead of favourite Will young, Gareth has had a rather faltering career, with fewer hits than his runner up, so perhaps now the only gigs he can get are on-board cruise ship crooning to passengers.

Gareth will be performing on a two-night sailing to Bruges early next month, as the ship sails from Southampton to Belgium. Some 2,000 will; be lucky enough to see him perform some of his biggest hits including; Unchained Melody and Spirit in the Sky, he will also be signing autographs and posing for photos.

Although many critics may see this as a step down for the little popstar, Gareth has a more positive outlook on the matter saying: : “I’m really excited about performing on board Oceana, I’ve never been on a cruise ship before but I’ve always wanted to and so this is going to be a fantastic experience for me.”

P&O Cruise’s managing director; Carol Marlow was also excited with having him sing she said: “Entertainment is one of the key elements of any cruise holiday and we are proud of our vast range of entertainment and guest appearances. Gareth is a worldwide pop star and we are very excited to have him perform on board Oceana. We are sure he will be a great hit with passengers on this weekend cruise.”

Other celebrities who have worked on cruise ships include: Loose Woman Jane McDonald who started her career on a cruise ship as well as Britney Spears and Taylor Swift, who have both sung on-board cruise ships.

Over the years Gareth Gates has sold over 3.5 million records in the UK as well as taking over the lead role in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat from Lee Mead in 2009.

It’s been found that where you go on holiday can affect how much weight you put on whilst your away.  One of the best parts of going on holiday is experiencing local cuisines so it’s no surprise people put weight on quickly, especially if they have been dieting beforehand.

The study found that people put on the most weight when visiting the States, in fact the average gain for Britons holidaying in the USA is 8lb, which could be down to enjoying some of their world famous ‘all you can eat’  buffets and their supersize portions.

However it’s not just the US where visitors pile on the pounds, coming in behind America for holiday weight gain is its neighbours the Caribbean. The average weight gain there is around 7.4lb for a two week holiday. It doesn’t help that many of the hotels in the Caribbean are all inclusive which makes it quite easy to stuff yourself silly.

It’s not just countries known for their quantity of food, but also some on the list are more known for their quality. Both France and Italy found themselves on the ‘holiday fat map’ in the top five in the study. People who visited France found that they piled on around 7.3lb and those who visited Italy put on around 7lb. Although I would hazard a guess that a lot of that weight comes from eating lots of cheese whilst away which both countries are known for as well as their fine wines!

Greece also found themselves on the list with many people citing the Greek Taverns to blame, which serve copious amounts of alcohol as well as fattening snacks such as Greek olives and feta cheese which are always popular.

During the study around 2,000 Britons were questioned on their holiday eating habits, researchers found that six in ten regularly gain weight and typically put on 5lb during their time away. However a quarter put on at least 7lb and one in 20 piles on a stone or more!

A lot of people who were questioned by Obesimed weight-loss Company for the study said they blamed larger portions for putting on weight as well as being more sedentary during their break than they normally would be. Out of those people asked, four in ten said alcohol was at fault, while one in six found it hard ‘saying no to seconds’ and one in five said free refills were responsible.

The research also showed that half of holidaymakers only realise they have gained weight once they are back at home, with one in ten noticing the gain on the pictures taken on holiday.

Fuel regulations which will be coming into effect next month could have a damaging effect on cruises to Antarctica. From August the 1st cruise ships will be banned from using heavy oil in the region, which will mean that they will have to switch to using a more expensive form of fuel.

This will cause the cost of cruises to Antarctica to rise because many cruise lines will have to pass the cost onto passengers or stop sailing to the region altogether.

At the moment heavy fuel is commonly burned by the larger cruise ships, however the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is introducing a ban on using and carrying heavy fuel in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of a potential oil leak. As of next month a switch to the more environmentally-friendly marine gas oil, will be made by all cruise ships, to the new fuel which is less polluting but more expensive.

According to tour operators, the new regulations will cost them millions of pounds extra each year and its thought that some cruise companies including Crystal, Princess, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania, will no longer offer cruises to Antarctica after dropping it from their brochures.

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of CruiseCritic.co.uk says: “Antarctica used to be a once-in-a-lifetime destination and it was very popular five years ago – there weren’t so many environmental regulations at that time. But, like the Galapagos Islands, it is such a fragile environment so these new regulations are good news for Antarctica. The bad news is that prices are going to go up for passengers.”

Speaking about the future of cruising, Ms Spencer Brown says the old style of cruising in large ships will be replaced with trips in smaller, more environmentally-friendly ships that are already using marine gas oil, offered by companies such as Lindblad Expeditions, Abercrombie & Kent and Polar Cruises.

She added: “The old style of taking people into Antarctica was on board huge cruise ships that were so big they couldn’t get in close to the ice. Passengers never got off the ship. The smaller ships can pull up anchor and let people on to the ice. Passengers learn about the environment from specialist guides and are offered experiences such as kayaking around ice floes on such trips. It is the end of cruising in the Antarctic as we know it now but it’s not the end of cruising in the Antarctic – it’s going to be more expensive but more authentic and rewarding.”

UK travel giant, Thomas Cook have seen a slump in their profits and share prices after families have shunned their usual foreign holiday this year. The summer is normally boom time for holiday companies with many families looking to get away, however this year and even the past couple of years the number of people taking foreign holidays, or any holiday at all has dropped.

Whether it’s all inclusive holidays, self-catering holidays, cruise holidays or even camping holidays, they have all taken a hit. This is mainly due to the high fuel prices bumping up costs and family incomes been squeezed that people are no longer able to afford to go away.

Other reasons for slow take up of holidays is also that people are waiting to the last minute to see if they can get a good deal, last year most of the major travel companies famously dropped their prices for last minute summer holidays so I would expect many families are hoping the same will happen again this year.  If not many families will look to stay at home with the family rather than go away.

If you still want to take that foreign holiday with the family then there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you get the most for your money, it is quite hard at the moment to get anything for the pound however if you look at staying all inclusive then you won’t have to exchange as much money. Sometimes you can find last minute rooms for all inclusive, especially if it’s a cancelation, if you book as a package holiday then your flight is also included and it’s not normally too expensive.

Other good holidays for your money also include; cruise holidays, on board the pound is good for food and drink, you only need a bit of spending money like some euros for the port stops, everything else is catered for on board. Like package holidays, you can find great cruise deals online with numerous operators offering different breaks, plus you get the freedom to visit many different fairly cheaply.

The main thing to remember when booking a last minute holiday is that you do research first, package deals offered by tour operators are covered and if you’re not sure what you have booked make sure the company you use is ABTA registered.