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TravelPlus publishes the TravelPlus Guide to Italy “Rediscover the Grand Tour in association with Baglioni Hotels and Alitalia.  The Guide features the key regions and destinations visited by the fashionable young aristocrats a few centuries ago on the Grand Tour. These are Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Veneto, Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicily and Piemonte.

What was the Grand Tour?

If you had been a nobleman in the 18th century, you would have completed your education with a period of European travel. This so-called Grand Tour could last from a few months to 8 years, thus only the very wealthy, with time and means to travel could participate.

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A new rail ticketing website – www.MyTrainTicket.co.uk – has been launched today promising a shake-up in the market rail tickets sold online, currently dominated by thetrainline.com. Passengers using the new site will be able to collect one Airmile for every £10 they spend on train tickets.

MyTrainTicket.co.uk offers corporate travel bookers a significantly-improved online booking experience. It enables bookers to quickly find the right balance between price, ticket flexibility, journey time and on-train facilities such as WiFi and catering. While price will always be important, passengers, particularly in the corporate travel market, place a great deal of importance on these aspects of the journey too – something that is often ignored by other online retailers.

MyTrainTicket.co.uk simplifies the ticket buying experience with ‘one-click’ access to the best fares by price as well as by route, showing all available Advance, Off Peak and Anytime fares on one page. And, to remove a particular passenger irritation, the website shows clearly where two singles are cheaper than a return.

Robin Wells, Executive Chairman, said: “We know the corporate travel market in particular appreciates the value of competition and believe our innovative partnership with Airmiles will encourage more people to book online and use rail for their UK journeys. The rail ticket market is worth an estimated £6 billion, yet currently less than 15% of rail tickets are purchased online; there is huge potential to replicate the transformation achieved in online ticketing for airlines, where more than 50% of tickets are purchased online.

“Passengers buying rail tickets in advance through MyTrainTicket.co.uk can save businesses up to 80% compared to buying at the station on the day of travel. We want to encourage more people and more businesses – particularly SMEs – to use the train rather than the car, and to book in advance online. Our significantly improved booking experience is better than anything which already exists and will help grow the market.”

Other MyTrainTicket.co.uk innovations include the ability to add a Plusbus ticket – giving unlimited bus and tram travel within the urban area of your destination – for over 275 towns and cities across the country. Business and leisure passengers can now reduce their carbon footprint further, and save money, by not having to jump in a taxi for the ‘final mile’.

www.MyTrainTicket.co.uk.

 
To mark the launch of its 2011 sailings and mini brochures MSC Cruises is offering passengers the chance to cruise for just £1*! When one adult books a 2011 Mediterranean cruise paying full brochure price, the second passenger pays just £1. Offer based on two sharing a cabin and bookings must be made between 14 April and 10 May 2010. Children cruise for free with MSC, (paying port taxes, flights and transfers only).

More than 280 departures, 35 itineraries and 60 ports of call/destinations are available on 11 ships, on all year around Mediterranean sailings, for three, four, eight, 10 and 11 night cruises. Terms and conditions apply.

Prices start from £299 for three nights and £799 for seven and 11 nights (cruise only) for the first passenger and the second passenger pays only £1. Flights are excluded from the ‘sail for £1’ deal but can be booked through MSC Cruises’ flight centre, with departures from Barcelona, Genoa, Venice, Livorno and Naples from £230 per person.

Passengers can book extras to enhance their cruise experience, such as hotels, excursions and Spa packages. Whatsmore, MSC Cruises now offer an all inclusive beverage package offering even more value for money.

MSC Cruises operate 11 beautifully designed vessels with state of the art facilities, stunning interiors and cutting edge hardware. The fleet comprises three ship classes, each unique in size and capacity and designed to appeal to different passenger types.

For families and couples wanting the ultimate experience, flagships MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida are perfectly equipped, offering children’s facilities, a huge choice of pools, entertainment facilities and bars and restaurants to be enjoyed. Entertainment includes games arcades, 4D cinema and F1 simulator. 

The Musica Class is slightly smaller in comparison to MSC’s flagships, but still offers a huge range of similar amenities in a more compact and cosy environment. For those wishing to try out MSC Cruises latest offering, MSC Magnifica has just been launched in March this year.

For a more intimate cruise experience the Lirica Class is a collection of smaller ships, their size making them great for first time cruisers and passengers wanting a more intimate space onboard. Thanks to its size, the Lirica Class also visits smaller ports which the larger ships cannot access.    

*Terms and conditions: Passengers must book between 14 April and 10 May 2010 to take advantage of this exclusive offer. Offer only applicable to new bookings and subject to availability. The ‘sail for £1’ promotion cannot be combined with any other offer and is based on double occupancy on 2011 departure cruises. If a single passenger books, MSC Cruises will apply single supplement rates. If the second passenger does not participate (check in) for the cruise, an additional charge will be made to the single passenger at the time of embarkation. Offer is based on CRUISE ONLY rate. Flights are available upon request and are subject to availability. Offer based on Meditterian cruises only. MSC Yacht Club and all other destinations are excluded from this offer.

 
www.msccruises.co.uk

Hundreds of services to and from British airports have been affected by ash from an Icelandic volcano, with more flights expected to be affected later today.

Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle airports are all closed and hundreds of flights have been cancelled at other airports.

Liverpool, Manchester, Stansted, Newcastle, Birmingham, Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow are all affected. A Heathrow Airport spokesman said 150 flights, both arrivals and departures, had been cancelled and more flights were expected to be affected as the cloud of ash moved south.

Source: Daily Mail Online (Last updated at 7:19 AM on 15th April 2010)

To read the full report: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266038/Iceland-volcano-erupts-second-time-month-forcing-new-evacuation-tourists.html#ixzz0l9EnGzBY

Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the United Kingdom from Iceland.

These measures currently affect Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports which are closed but may also affect other parts of the UK later today.

Passengers intending to fly today are asked to contact their airline for further information and should expect disruption in the coming hours.

A new promotion has been launched offering special deals on West End hotels and theatres when staying on a Friday evening in London.

The “Fantastic Fridays” promotion from westendtheatre.com will run until the end of October 2010 and offers a Top Price Seat to a hit show and a Friday night stay in a central London 4 Star Hotel for only £79* per person.

Chicago: The sexy tale of murderous showgirls.

Shows included in the special theatre and hotel package range from smash-hit musicals such as Wicked, Chicago, Grease, Blood Brothers, Dreamboats and Petticoats and Stomp, to hilarious comedy The 39 Steps and thriller The Woman in Black.

Editor of westendtheatre.com Paul Raven told TravelPlus: “We wanted to create a promotion that would help people from outside of London to come and enjoy a show. By offering a great value package that combines a central London hotel and top price ticket to a show, we’ve hopefully made it easy for people to enjoy a theatre break in the capital”.

To book visit: www.westendtheatre.com

SHOWS INCLUDED IN THE PROMOTION:

Wicked (musical): Winner of this year’s audience award at the Olivier awards, Wicked is one of the biggest and most successful shows in London (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Blood Brothers (musical): Willy Russell’s award-winning musical about twins separated at birth, currently starring The Spice Girls’ Melanie C (Phoenix Theatre); Chicago (musical): The sexy tale of murderous showgirls, featuring hit songs and plenty of razzle dazzle (Cambridge Theatre); Grease (musical): Fun and fabulous high school musical now starring Robin Cousins (Piccadilly Theatre); Dreamboats & Petticoats (musical): A love story set in 1961 against a backdrop of fabulous Sixties songs (Playhouse Theatre); Stomp (entertainment): Theatre, dance, comedy and percussion all combine in this infectious and ingenious show (Ambassadors Theatre); The 39 Steps (comedy): A fast-paced, high-energy and hilarious adaptation of Hitchcock’s classic movie (Criterion Theatre); The Woman in Black (thriller): Terrifying ghost story now in its 21st year in the West End, starring Orlando Wells (Fortune Theatre). 

Forget diamonds – gold is a girl’s new best friend! Spectacular Swiss health retreat Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has launched the new “Gold Temptation” massage an extravagant new spa experience that allows guests to indulge in the glamour and opulent health benefits of 24-carat gold! 

Throughout history, gold has been recognised for its rich beautifying properties. It is believed that the classical beauty Cleopatra used pure gold to maintain a radiant complexion and in ancient Chinese medicine, gold was the key to youthful skin. A soft metal, gold extract can hydrate, firm and moisturise the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and leaving skin feeling and looking smooth and radiant. 

The Gold Temptation massage starts with a carefully drawn lavish bath that has been enriched with oils and 23-carat gold leaf that soothes and relaxes tired skin.  Before your therapist then leaves you to bubble away, a glass of chilled Champagne infused with 23-carat edible gold flakes will be poured for you to enjoy. After bathing for a tranquil 20 minutes, the body is treated to a luxurious gold full-body massage. First, 24-carat gold leaf is placed on the back and legs. A skilled Bad Ragaz therapist then gently massages the gold along with a mixture of carefully chosen oils until it is completely absorbed into the skin. The process is then repeated on the stomach, legs and arms. This super-hydrating treatment not only stimulates the mind and spirit but will lift and firm the skin, leaving it feeling silky smooth with a healthy, golden glow. The Gold Temptation massage (100mins) starts from €311 (£280).

Nightly B&B rates at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz start from €587 (£495) staying in a Spa Suite. Rates include complimentary internet access, non alcoholic drinks from the mini bar, use of the To B. Wellbeing & Spa area and Tamina Therme as well as VAT.

www.resortragaz.com

Getting There: Swiss International Airlines offers up to 20 daily flights a day to Zurich from London Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester. Return fares, including all taxes and charges, start from £107 in economy class and £376 in business class.

www.swiss.com/uk;

History was made at London Luton Airport this week when the airport welcomed its first ever Boeing 777-200 type aircraft operating as a scheduled service.

Due to unprecedented demand, the twin engine aircraft was operated by Israel based carrier EL AL Israeli Airlines on their daily Tel Aviv service. This increased the daily seating capacity by nearly 50%.

EL AL Israeli Airlines has been operating from London Luton for nearly a year and has already carried over 75,000 passengers on the Tel Aviv / London Luton route.

Uri Danor, CEO UK & Northern Europe, EL AL Israeli Airlines, said, “EL AL is proud to be the first schedule carrier to operate the B777-200 into London Luton, especially when so many of our passengers want to get home for the holidays.”

He added, “We are sure that it will also attract more business passengers to London Luton in the future”

Simon Harley, Airline Manager, London Luton Airport, said, “We are pleased to welcome our first ever scheduled Boeing 777-200 aircraft and are delighted EL AL Israeli Airlines made this historic day happen.’

On Sunday, 28 March TAM Airlines will move its daily Boeing 777-300ER services between London and São Paulo to London Heathrow Terminal 1 from Terminal 4. The move is part of TAM’s full integration into the Star Alliance. 

“The move to Terminal 1 is an important step in improving the overall travel experience of our passengers and for TAM to maximise the benefits of becoming a full member of the Star Alliance,” says Paulo Castelo Branco, TAM’s Commercial and Planning Vice-President. “London Heathrow is one of the world most important international hubs. The move to Terminal 1 will allow TAM, in partnership with our Star Alliance colleagues, to offer more convenient connections to more destinations over London than ever before. The facilities at Terminal 1 will also help and benefit our customers who are starting or ending their trip in London. The UK-Brazil route is a very important one for TAM, and we are proud to have been serving Heathrow since October 2006.” 

Passengers flying on TAM from Terminal 1 can look forward to a substantial improvement in their travel experience from Heathrow, as compared to Terminal 4. The move to Terminal 1 will also facilitate connections with TAM’s new Star Alliance partners who operate from both Terminal 1 and 3. Star Alliance is the largest alliance operating out of the core Central Area at Heathrow.

KLM bids a fond farewell to its Fokker 50 fleet this month signalling the end of the propeller era for the Dutch carrier. Its final Fokker 50 aircraft will take to the skies for its final commercial flight on March 27th after 25 years of flying with KLM.

The Fokker 50 was built in the Netherlands at the Fokker Factory, taking to the air for the very first time on 28th December 1985. KLM cityhopper (KLC) flew its inaugural Fokker 50 flight on 23 July 1990 and ordered a total of ten aircraft to join its fleet.

At the time former KLM CEO A.J. Leyer spoke of his contentment at the continuation of the Fokker and KLC partnership saying, “We have acquired this aircraft because it is best suited to our main goal - to transport business people by air.”

KLC had a total of fifteen Fokker 50s in service between 1990 and 2010, but the Cityhopper fleet is now set to consist entirely of jet aircraft — namely the Fokker 70, the Fokker 100 and, the newest addition, the EMBRAER 190. KLM cityhoppoer will take receipt of its final Embraer 190 in March 2010, marking the completion of the carrier’s fleet renewal and fleet adjustment program. The move to jet aircraft also strengthens the airline’s commitment to the environment and its position as a leading fuel efficient carrier amongst comparable European airlines.

London Luton Airport announce the expansion of Blue Air with additional flights to Romania offering more choice for passengers.

Commencing 28 March 2010, the Romanian based airline will further expand the London Luton Airport route network into Romania with daily flights to Bucharest, 4 weekly flights to Sibiu and 3 weekly flights to Bacau.

Flights are on sale now and can be booked at www.blueair-web.com.

Simon Harley, Airline Manager, London Luton Airport, said, “We are delighted to announce further expansion with Blue Air at the Airport.  Low fares flying continues to make business and leisure travel increasingly accessible to millions of Europeans and the launch of these new services provide yet more choice for our passengers.’