Delays at UK Ports

Travellers to face big delays tomorrow at UK Airports
Travellers have been warned to expect delays at UK ports and airports tomorrow when hundreds of immigration and customs officers join the UK public sector strike.
It is believed that up to 500,000 airline passengers could be hit by the strikes.
Airport operator BAA which runs Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports, is reported to have released a statement which reads: “We have been informed by UK Border Agency that arriving passengers should expect delays at the UK border on Thursday as a result of industrial action by immigration officers.
“UK Border Agency are advising that passengers who can do so may wish to travel on other dates.”
The airport workers will join up to 750,000 teachers and civil servants who are due to strike over planned pension changes.

Babies ban on Superjumbo in First

Malaysia Airlines new fleet bans babies in First Class
Babies balling their eyes out on flights can irritate even the calmest of passengers, but now an airline has come up with a solution.
Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that it has place a ban on infants from flying in the first-class cabin.
The airline has already imposed its “baby ban” on the first-class cabins of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets, operating out of its Kuala Lumpur hub.
The ban affects flights from Kuala Lumpur to London, Amsterdam and Sydney.
The ban is also being extended to its new fleet of Airbus A380s, which will gradually supersede the 747s on some of its most popular routes.
On Twitter, the airline’s chief executive, Tengku Azmil, said the airline’s policy of banning infants from first class had been in place for a while.
He said the ban was a reaction to many complaints the airline had received from first-class passengers who had spent big money to fly in the cabin but were unable to sleep due to crying infants.
He said parents travelling with young children could fly in business or economy class.
In February, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were among a group of airlines to hint that they were considering creating children-free flights.
Malaysia Airlines was voted “World’s Leading Airline to Asia” and “Asia’s Leading Airline” by World Travel Awards in 2010. The carrier has also been nominated for “Asia’s Leading Airline” at World Travel Awards 2011 Asia & Australasia Ceremony which takes place in Bangkok on 28 September.  

Be Smart, Be Carnaval

Seychelles and Emirates Holidays launch Travel Agents Programme

Emirates Holidays and the Seychelles Tourism Board are pleased to announce that they have once more teamed up in a bid to boost tourist traffic to the Seychelles, under a ‘Be Smart, Be Carnaval’ programme for target travel agents from specific markets.

Travel agents from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Russia will be invited to keep track of their bookings to the Seychelles from June 15, 2011 to January 31, 2012.

The four top performing travel agents are then expected to be chosen and sent to the Seychelles Carnaval International de Victoria, next year.

Emirates Holidays are expected to choose two winners from the GCC and Middle East region, as well as two from Europe.

The winners, chosen on the basis of performance, are scheduled to be revealed in February 2012. They will be presented with a complimentary four-night stay in the Seychelles during the festive period of the Seychelles Carnaval International de Victoria.

 

More International Flights

Flynas Launches Seven Weekly Flight to Pakistan

Nasair, the low fare airline based in Saudi Arabia, today announced it will launch new flights to Islamabad, Pakistan on July 15. The airline will operate 4 weekly flights from Riyadh and 3 weekly flights from Jeddah, Seats will go on sale, allowing passengers to book from today up to July 14 for travel through to October. These new flights will bring the number of Nasair's international destinations to 21 cities.

The addition of Islamabad, Pakistan's Capital of tranquillity, to Nasair's international destinations will greatly expand the travel options available to Saudi diplomats & Pakistani expats living and working in Saudi Arabia. The routes will be flown by Nasair's modern, comfortable Airbus A320 aircraft.
These critical route expansions, coupled with Nasair's recent addition of Lahore & Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan, will help support the travel of needs of the nearly 200,000 pilgrims who fly to the Kingdom every year from Pakistan. Furthermore, by increasing its market share in Pakistan and diversifying smart travel options for passengers, Nasair opens the door for the strengthening of bonds between the Kingdom and Pakistan, whether that be in terms of business or leisure.

Heathrow in Crisis?

Chronic overcrowding at World’s Busiest Airport
Vast quantities of fuel are being wasted and thousands of passengers are facing flight delays due to overcrowding at Heathrow, the world’s busiest airport.
Sixty percent of arrivals into Heathrow are caught up in holding patterns, wasting fuel and causing delays to passengers, according to new figures released by air traffic control service NATS.
Planes circulate above the airport for a cumulative 55 hours a day, which wastes 190 tonnes of fuel and costs £119,000 a day. This wastage discharges 600 tonnes of CO2 into the skies above London, according to the report.
Heathrow is the world’s busiest airport, operating at 98 percent capacity and handling more flights on just two runways than any other airport in the world.
Jon Proudlove, managing director at NATS, told The Times: “It is not a great environmental story and it is not something we will be shouting from the rooftops. But it is important that people know that when you are operating at 98 per cent capacity and you have the two most utilised pieces of infrastructure in the world [Heathrow and Gatwick] then one of the results is that you have airborne holding.”
With 476,000 flights a year and just two runways, Heathrow is the busiest international hub in the world.
The release of the report follows last week’s announcement by British Airways, Heathrow’s biggest customers, that it had given up hope of a third runway being built. The flag carrier said it was now seeking alternatives, including developing hubs in cities abroad, such as Madrid.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said Heathrow had been operating close to capacity for years and “perpetually struggling to fit a quart into a point pot.”
He backed a report calling for a brand new four-runway island airport to the east of London that would improve the quality of life in the capital and secure vital trade links with emerging market economies.
Average passengers delays typically range from four to 10 minutes, rising to 20 minutes during the late morning peak, when up to 40 jets can stack over London. 

A Victory of Joy

Bahrain is set for a month-long celebration this Summer with colourful events featuring an eclectic mix of must-see shows performed by world-famous artists and a variety of educational and artistic events to be held in the Kingdom.
Held under the slogan “A Victory of Joy” and organized by the Ministry of Culture, the 'Bahrain Summer 2011' kicks off on July 1 at the Cultural Hall and Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC).
The show has an exciting line up of spectacular shows and a plethora of accompanying educational and artistic events, highlighted by the festival’s mascot “Nakhool” who will be hosting daily free cultural entertainment and educational activities for children throughout the festival month in the Nakhool Tent next to the Arad Fort.
The ministry officials said the final preparations for the Summer event were underway as the launch of the popular annual festival approached.
The ministry officials confirmed that there has been an overwhelming demand for tickets with many people coming from abroad to purchase their tickets now on sale exclusively through the festival kiosk in Bahrain City Centre until the end of the festival.
Events at the Cultural hall are free of charge, while those held at the BIECC start from BD1 up to BD 10 depending on the seating location.
Respected vocalist Samar Kammouj will pay homage to the legendary Egyptian composer Riyadh Al Sonbati by singing his most admired work.
Audiences can also look forward to the unique sounds of “Chen Lo and The Low Frequency” which mixes hip-hop, jazz, blues, kwaito, soul, rock & roll, R&B and afro-beat music.
“The Dhol Foundation Concert” will entertain crowds with the deep soulful sounds of traditional drums, said the organisers.
“Bahrain Summer” sets also include kid-friendly through family shows such as Barney’s Space Adventure, Fan Yang’s Gazillion Bubble Show, and Alice in Wonderland performed by Canadian theatre Tout A Trac. More on......    http://www.bahrainsummer.bh/    

Honoured at Skytrax

Skytrax World Airline Award goes to THAI

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) was honoured at the 2011 Skytrax World Airline Awards in two categories, winning the title of Best Airline Economy Class Onboard Catering and also picking up the title for Best Airline Economy Class seat.  THAI also placed 5th worldwide in the 2011 World’s Best Airlines category, moving up from 9th place in last year.

Mr. Piyasvasti Amranand, THAI President, said, “THAI is honoured to receive the top awards in these two categories and having moved up to 5th place in the World’s Best Airlines category.”  THAI has been implementing ongoing retrofitting projects of a number of aircraft to create higher customer satisfaction and to improve THAI’s overall competitiveness.

"In addition to collecting these category Awards, it was pleasing to see Thai Airways moving up the global rankings, into 5th place worldwide for 2011, improved from 9th place last year. With these awards directly reflecting customer opinions, it is a clear sign that Thai Airways is now delivering a better overall product and service quality to their passengers," said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax."

Over 18.8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities voted in the World Airline Awards.  A total of 200 airlines were featured and awards reflected customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

WTM 2011 now Live

Register to Attend WTM 2011 is now live

World Travel Market (WTM), the leading global event for the travel industry, has opened registration for WTM 2011, which will focus on the emerging sector of sports tourism and particularly the Olympics with it being the final WTM before the 2012 London Olympics.
Next summer, the Olympics comes to WTM’s home of east London, with its host venue ExCeL, London, playing a prominent role in hosting the games with boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling medals all being hotly contested under its roof.
To celebrate, promote, discuss, and debate the role the travel and tourism industry will play in the success of the 2012 Games, World Travel Market will, for the first time, have two headline sessions on sports tourism.
A Meridian Club – the WTM club for the industry’s most senior buyers - Think Tank session this month has already highlighted the issues of a hosting such a large sporting event as the Olympics.
Inbound operators and agents to the UK are so concerned about the availability and price of London hotel rooms next summer, many are considering dropping the UK from their European brochure tours, the Think Tank discovered.
The Sports Tourism program will debate the advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Games and will provide a great insight for future host countries, including Brazil, which is hosting the 2014 football World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
To pre-register visit: https://www.wtmlondon.com/register