Last month independent travel agents Travel Councellors launched a monitoring and lobbying website for travellers to voice their opinions and experiences of delays at UK airports.

As of Monday this week the site ranked Gatwick the worst with average delays of 45 minutes to clear security on the way out and 30 minutes to get through immigration on the way back. Stansted was second and Heathrow third.

David Speakman, Travel Councellors founder and Chairman who set up the site said. “Despite this summer’s outcry about airport standards, I’m livid that airports are still continuing to treat travellers with such distain.

“The airports have a 27 point list of performance standards they are supposed to uphold for airlines. But BAA has the audacity to ask for this set of standards to be put on hold for the opening of Terminal 5. With that lack of accountability passengers are going to be left completely in the lurch and we need to complain hard and fast to stop this happening.

“To make a difference we need to know from travellers the reality of what they are facing. I’ll take this information to politicians and airport authorities and will campaign hard to make a difference”.

www.ukairportdelays.co.uk

8/14/2007 9:26:54 AM UTC     

El Al has introduced a new micro site for the launch of their new Boeing 777 aircraft. It includes details of the new seats throughout the plane as well as information on new meals and in-flight entertainment system.

London passengers should be able to experience the new services from this summer depending on aircraft rotation. A more frequent service will be introduced during 2008.

www.elal777.co.il/eng/  

8/13/2007 3:43:45 PM UTC     

Earlier this year Malaysian low cost carrier AirAsia announced they would be launching a long haul version called AirAsia X. Virgin has now confirmed that it will take a 20% investment in the new long haul airline.

AirAsia X has leased an Airbus 330 and already confirmed orders for 15 new A330-300s. It is expected to launch operations in the fourth quarter of 2007 including destinations in China, Australia, Europe and India.

Founder and Director of AirAsia X, Dato' Tony Fernandes, said, “AirAsia X aims to dramatically expand the market for long-haul, value-based travel – both leisure and business related, and reinforce Malaysia's status as a low cost aviation pioneer. AirAsia X will simplify the current long-haul product and provide highly affordable, value-for-money travel without sacrificing core passenger comforts essential over longer flight times.”

Sir Richard Branson commented on his investment in AirAsia X, “Tony Fernandes and his team have had phenomenal success with Air Asia on the short haul and we believe they will have the same success with AirAsia X on the long haul. I am thrilled to be able to support them in this venture and look forward to seeing low cost long haul travel being opened up from their base in Malaysia.”

www.airasiax.com

8/13/2007 3:13:00 PM UTC     

Etihad Airways is to boost its weekly flights from 564 to 716 from the winter season, which starts on 28 October. Most of the increases set to take-off in the GCC, Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

London flights rise from 14 to 19 a week, Dublin goes from four to six flights a week, Frankfurt will increase from seven to ten a week and Geneva moves from three to four flights a week

Flights from their base in Abu Dhabi to Bahrain double from 14 to 28 flights a week and Muscat jumps from seven to 21 flights a week. Etihad’s strong network across the Middle East will be strengthened further with increases on routes to Doha, from seven to 14 flights a week, Amman from six to daily and Damascus from five to daily.

The airline’s services to the Indian subcontinent will receive a significant boost, as Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, Etihad’s two Kerala routes, and the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, will all increase to daily flights.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said, “Customers will benefit tremendously with the extra number of flights and a much improved timetable which will see better, shorter and more frequent flight transfer connections at our Abu Dhabi base”.

www.etihad.ae

8/13/2007 2:15:23 PM UTC     

Passengers who book and fly with Eos to New York’s

JFK before 31^st August can choose to receive a free

Apple Video iPod or 45,000 Club 48 points.

www.eosairlines.com

8/10/2007 10:56:18 AM UTC     

Accor has accelerated the development of its newest global brand, All Seasons hotels, with key additions in prime business and tourist destinations around Thailand.

The mid-market brand was launched in Thailand late December 2006 with the All Seasons Pattaya. Three more All Seasons hotels, the All Seasons Gold Orchid Bangkok, All Seasons Sathorn Bangkok and All Seasons Naiharn Phuket, will join it.

Accor Asia Pacific Managing Director Michael Issenberg said the All Seasons brand had an important role to play addressing the shortage of international-quality economy and mid-market hotel accommodation in Thailand.

With 14 hotels under development around Thailand, including 4 more in the next 2 months, Accor will build its network from the current 30 hotels to over 50 by the end of 2009.

www.accor.com

8/10/2007 9:35:36 AM UTC     

Tiger Airways has been granted an operating permit to fly to Brunei. This will be Tiger Airways’ 21st international route from Singapore.

Tony Davis, CEO of Tiger Airways said, "Singapore and Brunei share deep historic and economic ties and have a long history of co-operation between the two governments. The two countries recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their currency interchangeability agreement with the issue of a first ever $20 currency note by both countries. The people of Singapore and Brunei have also maintained strong personal and social ties and the launch of this new route will help to bring this relationship to a new high”.

www.tigerairways.com

8/10/2007 8:47:09 AM UTC     

From 14 August, Lufthansa's First Class customers and HON Circle members will be able to enjoy the exclusive atmosphere of a new Lufthansa First Class Lounge at Munich Airport. As at Frankfurt, the First Class Lounge at Munich has a range of comfortable facilities and conveniences on offer. These include a gourmet restaurant, a bar area, a cigar lounge and luxury bathroom areas.

“The percentage of First Class passengers and HON Circle members has grown at a disproportionately high rate in recent years. We are confident that our new service offering will continue to boost this trend,” said Thomas Klühr, Group Representative and Head of Hub Management Munich.

www.lufthansa.com

8/10/2007 8:45:39 AM UTC     

After an absence of more than five years, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will resume flights to Muscat. Effective 3 December 2007, the airline will operate five weekly roundtrips to the Omani capital with Airbus A330-200 equipment, offering 30 Business Class seats and 221 Economy Class seats.

Departures from Amsterdam will be on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday mornings, and will fly to Muscat via Kuwait.

www.klm.com

8/10/2007 8:42:56 AM UTC     

EL AL, the national airline of Israel, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at JFK Airport to celebrate the inaugural flight of the company’s new state-of-the-art Boeing 777 aircraft. Every aircraft in the EL AL fleet is named after a city in Israel. This newest 777, named to honour the town of Sderot, which is located in southern Israel, will be utilized on the non-stop New York-Tel Aviv route.

www.elal.co.il  

8/8/2007 2:22:21 PM UTC     

Vistors to London can now download an innovative new range of audio walking tour experiences available from Soundmap. The walks all feature well-known narrators giving the low-down on their neighbourhoods and immersing listeners through music, sounds and interviews.

Soundmap takes listeners on an audio journey around some of the most vibrant and exciting parts of the city such as Camden Town, Soho, King's Road, Brixton and Brick Lane. Users simply download the walk, transfer it to their iPod / MP3 player, then go to the start point and press play.

Over the course of each hour long walk, listeners are introduced to a range of local characters such as Jerry the Stitch, tailor to the notorious Kray brothers; Blacker Dread the renowned Rastafarian record shop owner; Norman Balon publican for 63 years of Soho's Coach & Horses and Michael Wojas, caretaker of the legendary members club, the Colony Room.

Three walks (Camden Town, Soho and King's Road) are available now, with Brick Lane and Brixton to follow soon.

www.soundmap.co.uk

8/8/2007 1:59:12 PM UTC     

Marriott is to launch its deluxe serviced apartment brand, Marriott Executive Apartments (MEA), in Kazakhstan later this year in Atyrau, the centre of Kazakhstan’s oil industry. The 21-story, 160-unit property will be located on Satpaeva Street in Atyrau and will be one the first internationally branded serviced apartments in the city.

The Renaissance Atyrau Hotel, also managed by Marriott International, is located approximately 800 meters from the site and the Atyrau International Airport is located approximately 15 minutes from the city centre, which is served by a number of regional carriers.

There currently are 15 Marriott Executive Apartments in key global cities such as Brussels, London, Prague, Dubai, Bangkok, Budapest, Mumbai, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. Additional Marriott Executive Apartments are scheduled to open in Gurgaon (India), Seoul, Cairo, Doha (Qatar) and Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) in the next 24 months.

www.marriott.com

8/8/2007 1:43:08 PM UTC     

Finnair flights to Bangkok will be boosted during the winter season in response to high demand. As of December 3, flights to Bangkok will operate twice daily as the peak season gets under way.

Finnair's other Asian destinations also include: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Delhi and Mumbai. Seoul in South Korea is to be added to the list in summer 2008.

www.finnair.com

8/7/2007 11:21:34 AM UTC     

Forty independent transportation companies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, France, Italy, Scotland and Spain have announced the formation and launch of the world's largest door-to-door airport shuttle company, GO Airport Shuttle, Inc.

Serving 110 airports as geographically diverse as Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, Love Field in Dallas Fort Worth, London Heathrow and Edinburgh, GO boasts a fleet of 3,765 vehicles, carrying almost 29 million passengers annually.

The local companies, each of which formerly operated under a separate name, are currently converting their vans, motor coaches and sedans to a uniform green and white GO identity.

A key component of the new company's business model is a central, Web-based reservation system, which also launches today. Through it, customers can book transportation to and from both departure and destination airports, or they can call one phone number

John McCarthy, newly-elected president of GO Airport Shuttle and president of Continental Air Transport in Chicago, which operates GO Airport Express said, "Corporate travel managers, convention managers and travel companies tell us they want to do business with one supplier and one billing system. We believe that individual travellers also will appreciate the opportunity to have a single reliable source for airport transportation, regardless of destination”.

www.goairportshuttle.com  

8/6/2007 3:44:41 PM UTC     

EasyJet and Wizz Air have announced that they will start charging for each piece of checked baggage.

EasyJet will be charging £2.00 per piece of hold baggage per sector from October 1st. Previously, they did not charge for the first bag but levied £5.00 for each additional piece. Maximum weight per passenger remains at 20 kg.

Wizz Air too was charging only for additional pieces but said it will now charge €3.00 per bag at the time of the initial booking or €6.00 per bag if paid after the initial booking. The policy change is effective for travel from October 27th unless already booked. Wizz will continue to charge €8 for each kg. above the 20-kg. allowance.

www.easyjet.com www.wizzair.com

8/6/2007 11:31:35 AM UTC     

Christmas is a special time of year, and London is the special place to be. And Red Carnation is offering, It's a Wonderful Life package at their three five-star London properties: The Milestone, The Egerton and "41."

Available between 23 November 2007 and 6 January 2008, It's a Wonderful Life includes a minimum two night stay in luxurious accommodations plus a DVD of the classic movie
It's A Wonderful Life, full English breakfast daily tea for two with Christmas cake on one day, a bottle each of red and white wine with the hotel's compliments lunch or dinner for two on one day - with mince pies, of course and if you are staying Christmas Day, a stocking stuffed with seasonal goodies.
  
Rates are from: The Milestone Hotel - £600 for a Double and £1172 for a Suite; "41" - £560 for a Double and £857 for a Suite; and The Egerton - £560 for a Double and £852 for a Suite Rates quoted are based on double occupancy, inclusive of taxes, and subject to availability.

www.redcarnation.com  

8/3/2007 9:15:13 AM UTC     

The 59 all-suite Anantara Resort Seminyak in Bali, just a 30 minute drive from the international airport, is scheduled to open 15 December this year.

www.anantara.com

8/3/2007 8:53:48 AM UTC     

Etihad Airways' award-winning loyalty programme, Etihad Guest, has unveiled a series of spectacular promotions to celebrate its first anniversary.

The 'Birthday Bonanza' prizes include tickets to the Formula 1 grand prix in Belgium and Italy, which feature the Etihad-Aldar Spyker Formula 1 team, as well as a trip to the ' Boeing Experience' in Seattle, USA.

Members can win flights to Brisbane, holidays to Thailand, and a 'mega raffle' with prizes including shopping vouchers, ipods and diamond jewellery, plus hotel stays at the luxurious Shangri-La Qarayat Al Beri or the Emirates Palace.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' executive vice president marketing and product, said, 'The variety of prizes on offer during the 'Birthday Bonanza' promotion underlines the importance Etihad places on rewarding members of the Etihad Guest programme. We also anticipate many new members joining in order to take advantage of these fantastic prizes.'

Since the programme's launch in 2006 Etihad Guest has gained more than 170,000 members worldwide.

Etihad Guest has 60 global partners and more than 600 rewards. The latest additions include Millennium Hotels, Shangri-La, Banyan Tree and Etihad In-flight duty free shopping.

www.etihad.ae

8/2/2007 4:10:25 PM UTC     

This coming winter will see a massive increase in flights from the UK to Budapest from airports that have not previously served the city. The addition of 15 Ryanair services from Liverpool, Bristol, East Midlands and Glasgow Prestwick plus the services by EasyJet, Wizz Air, Malev and British Airways from Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow will boost both business and leisure traffic to Budapest.

8/2/2007 11:20:19 AM UTC     

Business and leisure travellers have been paying more for their hotel rooms so far this year according to a survey from Deloitte. The HotelBenchmark survey shows that European hotel rates have risen by 5.8% this year.

Visitors to the Americas Cup held in Valencia helped hoteliers increased average room rates by a staggering 33.4%. Istanbul hoteliers have benefited from increased demand from a range of conferences, trade shows and sporting events. Lisbon has continued to perform well with the city also hosting a number of conferences, including the biennial Alimentaria International Food Show in May, which attracted 40,000 visitors.

London did not disappoint either with business and leisure travel to the UK’s capital remaining strong. As a result London continues to achieve the highest occupancy in Europe at 80.5%. London also had the second highest average room rate at €185.00 with Moscow topping the list at €263.00.

The region continues to benefit from robust economic performance – particularly across the euro area – which is helping drive both business and leisure demand for hotels. The outlook for the rest of the year looks promising however concerns remain over continuing rising credit levels and the prospect of further interest rate rises, which would place pressure on consumers discretionary spending and dampen leisure travel.

8/2/2007 10:37:05 AM UTC     

Passengers on the ‘kangaroo route’ to Australia now have extra options as Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) add extra flights to Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth from Hong Kong this autumn.

Melbourne becomes a three-times-daily service from October 1, while flights to Adelaide will become a daily service, operating on a triangular routing through Melbourne. There will also be an extra flight to Perth every Sunday increasing the service to five-times-a-week service with effect from October 28.
 
The extra services coincide with the imminent arrival of the new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which will include the new three-class long-haul cabin product.

Cathay also fly 3 times a day to Sydney and once a day to Brisbane and Cairns. 

Cathay Pacific operates four non-stop flights a day from Heathrow Terminal 3 to Hong Kong International Airport.

www.cathaypacific.com

8/2/2007 9:52:30 AM UTC