Refunds from BA and Virgin

This week British Airways and Virgin Atlantic start the ‘refund advertising campaign’. Both airlines were ordered to do so by US court who found them guilty of fix surcharges.

Passengers who travelled long-haul flights with BA or Virgin Atlantic between August 11, 2004, and March 23, 2006, might be able to claim between £4 and £20 for a return trip for a ticket purchased in the UK and between $7 and $34 for the US.

A black cab to conquer the world?

Manganese Bronze, the manufacturer of iconic London’s cabs is developing a new ‘zero emission urban taxi’ model which is hoped to appeal to worldwide audience.

There supposed to be around 3,000 international orders placed for the black cab, with first 500 to be supplied in early 2009.

So do not be too shocked if you usual New York’s yellow taxi is a black one indeed.

British Airways plane turned around back to Belgrade

Panic set on a British Airways flight Belgrade and London when passengers smelled foul odour. Fearing a terrorist attack, the captain turned plane around back to Belgrade, where aircraft was evacuated.

After last of the screaming passengers left the plane, the investigators started their examination expecting a leakage of some sort of acidic chemicals. Thankfully, upon further investigation, the source of suspicious odour was narrowed down to a package of curry.

What a curry on!

Hotels in USA in statistics

With pound standing strong against the dollar more people consider taking their holidays in US. So what can you expect from an average hotel in USA? According to American Hotel & Lodging Association :

• 91% offer Internet (15% hotels charge for it, and of those, 75% to 91% of them fit into the luxury to up upscale category)
• 82% have refrigerator in the room
• 75% have a computer in the lobby for guest use
• 70% offer a free newspaper
• 67% have weekend specials
• 66% offer healthy meals
• 58% have outdoor swimming pools
• 56% allow pets, and of those, 67% charge extra for your four-legged family member.
• 48% offer vegan meals
• 47% have indoor swimming pools
• 43% have flat-screen TVs
• 40% have only non-smoking rooms
• 25% have allergy-free rooms

On the other hand, there was a 9% drop in hotels offering free breakfast compered to last survey carried out two years ago and more hotels are charging for late cancellation.

Visas to China double the price

As Beijing Olympics are approaching, China has increased the cost of their tourist visa.

The standard single entry visa remains at £30 per person, but now there is an "application service fee" at £35.25 per person (£47 for express service).

The Chinese Embassy explains the risen fees by the necessity to outsource some of the administrative work associated with issuing visas. From now on, the new visa applications will have to be submitted to the "Chinese Visa Application Service Centre" (CVASC).

New York City Waterfalls

Tourists visiting New York this summer have an unique chance to admire four waterfalls by Danish artists Olafur Eliasson. 90 to 120 feet tall structures are located along the East River waterfronts of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The New York City Waterfalls will be disabled in October. More information can be found on
The New York City Waterfalls website

Wizz Air to operate in Ukraine

Wizz Air finally received approval to operate in Ukraine.

The new service will run on domestic routes from July, linking Kiev with Odessa, Simferopol and Lviv. The cheapest one way ticket will cost around £18.

Wizz Air is planning to open an international link from Kiev later on this year.

Sphinxes avenue and new pyramid discovered

The missing section of Sphinxes avenue and new pyramid has been found in Cairo at Saqqara area.

According to Farouk Hosni, Egypt’s minister of culture, the avenue was mentioned in Roman manuscripts and documents unearthed beside the Serapeum, the necropolis of the Apis bulls at Saqqara.

The newly discovered pyramid might be dated back to the Old Kingdom. Despite the lack of cartouche, Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities believes that it may belong to King Menkauhor of the Fifth Dynasty, which would make it almost 4500 years old.

Guys night out... kind off.

For those who have enough ado about Sex and the City, the Four Seasons in New York has perfect solution; wait for it … "It's-Not-All-About-Sex-and-the-City" package created exclusively for man.

For cool $2000 a night one will be able to enjoy:

- One round of "anything but Cosmos" in The Bar
- Steak Dinner in 57 Restaurant*
- Complimentary DVD library featuring Rambo, Die Hard and Full Metal Jacket
- "Clog Your Arteries" breakfast the following morning in the guestroom or one of the hotel's dining outlets
- Double-bedded accommodations

Am I the only one who thinks this is a conspiracy of Manolo’s devotees, who through the sneaky use of the 'open' bar and cholesterol want to dominate the world?

British Airways increases fares by up to £60

More grim news on flights prices. From 3rd of June, British Airways will increase their surcharges due to soaring fuel prices.

The surcharges on long-haul flights over nine hours will increase by £30 each way and on long-haul flights under nine hours will rise by £15 each way. The short-haul surcharge will rise by £3 per each way.

Silverjet ceased operations today

Silverjet, the all-business-class airline, which flew from Luton to New York and Dubai, ceased operations today.

Travellers who book through the travel agents or bought a ticket as part of a package can expect a full refund.

British Airways has offered Silverjet passengers the chance to re-book flights from Heathrow and will waive both its advance-purchase and Saturday-night stay rules to reduce the cost of re-booking.

Virgin Atlantic offers the Upper Class fares of £759 one-way to Dubai and £899 to New York with proof of a purchased Silverjet ticket.

Customers should contact their travel agent or visit the CAA website at atol.org.uk.

Ryanair's is rising extra charges yet again... again

Ryanair announced changes to its optional priority boarding service which allows passengers to be first to board their flights. From June 3 all passengers flying with Ryanair will be required to pay £4 for priority boarding; this includes passengers checking-in online who till then checked-in free.

Should you be travelling in America this month, you might be in luck for some free buzz.

On Wednesdays in May in June, on selected flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco, Virgin America will serve their passengers two free cocktails.

Your boarding pass will also ‘open bar’ for you in Tao Lounge, XYZ bars and The Venitian.

Please see the promo page for further details, including dozens of pages in fine print.

First Class, Business Class, Economy Class, … Loo Class?

The New Yorker flying with JetBlue from New York to San Diego on a “buddy pass” - a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends – was forced to give his seat to flight attendant and told by the pilot to sit in a… toilet.

When passenger objected, he was told by the pilot that "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command that (passenger) should be grateful for being on board,"

For some reason now the passenger is suing the JetBlue airline for $2 million.

And who was laughing at the Hale&Pace's 'Yorkshire Airlines', ha? But do not worry, we do not sell JetBlue tickets, you are safe… for now at least ;)

Most luxurious hotel to be built t in Antalya

An hotel being constructed by in southern province of Antalya's Aksu region is set to surpass world's most luxurious hotel in Dubai namely Burj al-Arab.

Mardan Istanbul Palace is expected to re-define the concept of luxury in hotels throughout the globe.

Rooms in Mardan Istanbul Palace will be rented for fees ranging from 400 USD to 20,000 Euros.

The hotel will have 500 rooms. 70 percent of all rooms will be 60-70 square meters large. Standard rooms will be 45-50 square meters large while double-bedrooms will be 200 square meters large.

In addition, there will be 20 villas each 100 square meters large and king suites on top floor of the hotel, each 2,500 square meters large.

The swimming pool, which will resemble the Istanbul Strait –Bosphorus, will be 24,000 square meters large and will be the world's second biggest swimming pool. The pool will be surrounded by restaurants.

Interior decoration of the hotel is being made by Zeynep Fadillioglu. All decorative materials resemble historical artifacts from the Ottoman era. Ismailov paid 80,000 Euros for a single sofa dating back the Ottoman era.

While the main body of the hotel will resemble the Dolmabahce Palace, the garden floor will resemble the Covered Bazaar.

Lesbos in court over 'lesbians'

When hearing the word ‘lesbian’, do you think of the geographical destination or sexual orientation?

Well, that’s the point three people from Lesbos are trying to make by taking a gay rights group to court for using the word ‘lesbian’ in its name. According to one of the plaintiffs, the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

So here you go, not all Lesbians like lesbians. I am trying hard to feel sorry of either of the groups, but I just cannot stop laughing at the idea of the court case :D Very un-pc of me.

$1m palm tree

Scientists in Ivory Coast are trying to sell a coconut tree for 1 million dollars.
The tree is botanical curiosity as most of coconut palms have single trunk and head, but this one has three.

Even though the tree is for sale to fund the further research, the idea is just bananas, isn’t it?

Source and photo: BBC

Vatnajokull - Europe's largest national park opens soon

Vatnajokull in Iceland, the largest national park in Europe is to open from 7th of June. The 13,000 square kilometres park covers 13% of Iceland and will include previously unprotected land as well the existing Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur national parks.

Olof Yrr Atladottir, director general of the Icelandic Tourist Board, said: “Personally, I see a myriad of possibilities for all sorts of activities opening up such as action tours, eco-recreation, study visits and learning experiences as well as the chance to experience the nurturing silence of Iceland's highlands.”

easyJet to fly from Manchester to Alicante

A new winter sun flight route from Manchester to Alicante in Spain will start on September 29th 2008.

Flights will operate four times per week throughout the winter on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

UK commercial manager for easyJet Carly Brear commented: "This is the first new route easyJet has introduced to its new Manchester base and we look forward to further expansion in the near future."

New routes from Newcastle to Corfu and Rhodes

Jet2.com will be flying to popular the holiday destinations of Corfu and Rhodes this summer from Newcastle International airport.

The two new scheduled services have just gone on sale and the first flights will depart on June 4th to Rhodes and June 20th to Corfu.

The new services from Newcastle airport are part of Jet2.com's continued expansion programme in the north.

Inca Trail sold out for summer 2008

Bad news for all hopefuls who planned to go trekking on Peru’s famous Inca Trail, but did not made a booking yet. The stunning walk route to Machu Picchu is completely sold out the 2008 summer travel season, with the next available opening in September 2008

The restrictions were implemented by Peruvian government back in 2005, limiting a number of daily hikers on Inca Trail to only 500.

End of $40,000,000-a-flight space tourism

Due to national criticism of the space tourism project, Russia is scrapping the $40,000,000-a-flight space tourism enterprise.

There are just 2 year left, so better hurry up everyone!

Further restriction on travel to China

China furthers travelling restrictions with new requirements, just weeks after stopping the issuing of multiple entry visas.

Travellers to China will have to present a copy of a travel ticket both in and out of the country and a hotel voucher before a visa application is accepted. Without this supporting documentation the visa application will be rejected.

In addition, citizens of many countries will now no longer be able to apply for a visa in Hong Kong, which is a popular place to arrange travel into China and has a separate legal and visa system from the mainland.

Nationals from nearly 30 countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, will have to apply at the Chinese embassy in their home capital.

Project Genesis

Royal Caribbean is building its biggest ship yet – the 1,180ft long and 220,000-tonne luxury liner with the working name Project Genesis.
The cruise liner is to have a New York style "Central Park" open air space onboard the ship. The park will be located on Deck 8 of the 16 deck ship and open to the sky, with dimensions of 62ft (19m) wide and 328ft (100m) long. Trees in the park will tower more than two-and-a-half decks tall and the area is to have micro-climate control techniques to make sure the plants thrive.

Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean, said: "This ship is a quantum leap in architecture and design and will deliver an unparalleled vacation experience to all who sail with us."

It is spectacular… but one has to wonder; when big is too big…

Pictures: Daily Mail

Flight delay forecasting

With airline schedules became more and more unpredictable with chronic flight delays would it not be nice to have a crystal ball telling which flight will be actually on time?

Believe it or not, there is a website which predicts flight delays. Delaycast was established to provide information about possible difficulties in flight itineraries and to give travelers realistic expectations about their travel plans. Its goal is to help flyers avoid delays, missed connections, and unintended stay overs.

Online multi language keyboard

So you sit in the internet café in Beijing and look with despair at a keyboard… what do you do?

• I carry on without any problems; I am Chinese and speak Mandarin fluently after all…
• I carry on with slight panic in my eyes, hoping someone will understand…
• I give up and go for Chow Mein instead; after all there is no hurry…
• Chinese keyboard? No problems at all… There is multi-language Virtual Keyboard and I am not afraid to use it!

It does not matter what language you speak, there is Online Keyboard that enables you to write in your language wherever you are in the world, with an online on screen keyboard emulator. After you finish writing, just copy and paste it to your email browser. Easy peasy lemon squeeze!

Oasis Hong Kong Airline - help information for stranded passengers

Oasis Hong Kong Airline announced yesterday its voluntary liquidation cancelling all its flights and leaving passengers stranded in Hong Kong, London and Vancouver.

Notice To Passengers

Date: 9 April 2008 – 2050h HKG time

It is with regret that Oasis Hong Kong Airlines announces that the airline has this morning applied to the Hong Kong Court to appoint a provisional liquidator. The Court has appointed Edward Middleton and Patrick Cowley of KPMG as the provisional liquidators, and they have assumed control of the airline with effect from 1400h HKG time today.

Our flight operations have been cancelled until further notice. The Provisional Liquidators are liaising with other airlines in order to help customers make alternate travel arrangements as quickly as possible.

The Hong Kong government is implementing contingency arrangements with other airlines to help travellers, secretary for transport and housing Eva Cheng told a press conference. Ms Cheng said passengers seeking compensation should approach Oasis or the Hong Kong consumer council for help.

Oasis has set up hotlines for affected passengers - 0844 482 2323 in London and +44 129 359 6633 outside the UK).

Cathay Pacific is offering to help stranded Oasis passengers

"We sympathise with the many passengers in Hong Kong, London and Vancouver who have been stranded by the Oasis’ decision, and we will do our very best to help them through this difficult and stressful period,” Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Tony Tyler said today.

Cathay Pacific is adding two extra flights to London, scheduled for the early hours on Friday and Sunday . A number of seats would be set aside on these as well as scheduled flights, where possible, to accommodate the returning students.

"We hope our contingency arrangements can accommodate as many as possible of the school children affected, and take people home who have been stranded by the closure,” Mr. Tyler added.

Special ticketing arrangements have been made to help Oasis customers who had confirmed bookings on the airline over the next two weeks – effective up to and including 23 April 2008.

A special one-way Economy Class fare at HK$2,500 (plus applicable charges) will be offered to eligible Oasis ticket holders on Hong Kong to London, or Hong Kong to Vancouver. The special fare from London to Hong Kong is GBP160 and from Vancouver CAD320.

A hotline has been established and the airline urges Oasis ticket holders to call the number on 2747 6181 to ascertain details of Cathay Pacific’s special ticketing arrangements. The Hong Kong hotline is open 24 hours and available with immediate effect until further notice. Details can also be found at www.cathaypacific.com.hk.

"We will be doing our utmost to help people out, but our efforts are complicated by the fact that our own flights are very full at the moment, and remain so for the next few weeks,” Mr. Tyler said.

China halt multiple entry visas until further notice

According to Singapore travel agents, China stopped issuing multi-entry visas and one-day travel visas from Hong Kong until further notice. There is also news of considerably slower visa processing times.

Finnish student fined and banned after vandalizing Easter Island statue

A Finnish tourist, who vandalized a Moai statue on Easter Island last month, was sentenced by Chilean court with €10,000 fine, banned from entering the island for three years and also compelled to make a public apology.

According to Finish newspapers, this is the highest fine that the local Chilean court has ever imposed for a similar offense.

"Sex and the City" perfect days

"Sex and the City" fans now have a chance to live life of their favourite character for four days.

For a cool $24,000, a New York based travel agency offers "Sex and the City" tours, filled with chauffeured trips to chic department store Saks Inc and Barneys New York, dinning experience in famed restaurants including Balthazar and Pastis, and clubbing at Bungalow 8 and other exclusive nightclubs.

The experience varies depending on a character; Charlotte’s fans will take a trip to jeweler Tiffany & Co and a tour of art galleries, while Samantha’s devotees will shop on Madison Avenue and visit a high-end sex shop.

The same travel company plans future trips based on films including the Lord of The Rings including a trip to New Zealand, where it was filmed.

Tsukiji Market restricts tourist access

Anyone visiting Tokyo has to visit Tsukiji Market (築地市場, Tsukiji shijō) – the largest fish and seafood market in the world and its world famous tuna auction.

So far tourists could roam the Tsukiji Market freely. Unfortunately, from 1st April tourists will have restricted access due to numerous complaints from traders. From now on Tsukiji Market visitors will be able only to watch the tuna auctions from a designated area. The entry times are also being restricted from 05.00am to 06.15am.

Metropolitan Opera to transmit La Boheme to Princess ships at sea

In an industry exclusive event, Princess ships will become the first cruise vessels ever to broadcast a live performance from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The special The Met: Live on the High Seas presentation of Puccini's La Boheme will be held on Saturday, April 5 as part of the Met's series of eight opera performances that are transmitted live via satellite to movie theaters around the world.

This unique experience will be offered across Princess' 16-ship fleet. On vessels equipped with Movies Under the Stars, passengers can enjoy a unique "Opera Under the Stars" event, as they take in the production on the giant poolside LED screens. Other vessels will show the broadcast in the Princess Theater. Opera lovers and newcomers alike can enjoy this famous love story while sailing in locations such as Mexico, the Caribbean, or Hawaii, as well as exotic locations such as Cape Horn and Egypt.

"It's quite unusual to be able to sit by a pool in the Caribbean and watch a world-class opera live from New York," said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president. "We're very excited to be breaking new ground with this first-ever live Metropolitan Opera broadcast at sea. It's a rare opportunity to present our passengers with such an enriching cultural experience included in their cruise."

Kanye West - travel agent

So probably you have already heart about Kanye West opening online travel agency. Putting aside divagations ‘is it an April’s Fool joke or not’ where the sense of such a decision? Whatever next? Posh Spice with a helpline "How to gain few pounds?"...

I have no idea about plumbing… maybe I should open the plumbing services, sounds great! www.nocluewhatiamdoing.com and here I come!

No Eiffel Tower flower power

It seems that Eiffel Tower will not get its makeover.

After reports about Serero Architects winning the bid to temporarily redesign the Eiffel Tower’s viewing platform, The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel said that it had never solicited a redesign and that it envisaged no changes to the tower’s appearance.

David Serero, principal of Serero Architects, now says that his firm’s proposal was merely a spontaneous design. I was neither in response to a design competition nor a project contracted by the tower's management; the architectural firm had merely put pictures of the proposed project on its website and the media jumped all over it, assuming it was a fixed deal.

Recourse

Terminal 5 shambles continue

The chaos at London Heathrow Terminal 5 seems to carry on today.

British Airways cancelled a fifth of its flights from Heathrow's Terminal 5 this morning as it admitted the £4.3billion facility was not ready to be opened.

The airline continues to offer apologies. It has set up an information line for passengers: 0800 727 800 and service updates are available at www.ba.com.

I think today’s Metro summed this national embarrassment very well with a question; ‘Why can’t BA and BAA get you from A to B without A BA**S-UP?’

Picture: Daily Mail

Mobiles on airplanes are OK

Ofcom has given the go ahead to mobiles on UK-registered airplanes, although subjected to approval by both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK.

Ofcom also said that when people received a call in-flight, the cost would be a matter between them and their mobile operator – however they added that they were, "Concerned about this issue as tariffs may well be high relative to other mobile communication services and there is a danger that consumers will receive unexpectedly high bills."

Satellite comms vendor Inmarsat welcomed the decision since it currently provides inflight communications for government and private users – "Much of the required infrastructure for inflight mobile phone use is already in place," added Inmarsat.

Gordon Ramsay to open hotel in London

The celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is opening a boutique hotel and restaurant in Camden, North London, in May.

It will be located in York and Albany pub in Parkway, Camden Town, which opened in 1827 and was designed and built by Regent’s Park architect John Nash and named after his friend the Duke of York and Albany.

The venue will be most likely run by one of Gordon Ramsay protégés, Angela Hartnett, formerly head chef at Mayfair hotel’s The Connaught.

“It’s Angela Hartnett’s project,” said a spokeswoman for the project. “It’s owned by Gordon Ramsay’s group but it’s very much Angela who’s taking it under her wing.”

Paris bargains - free museum admissions

Until June 30th 2008, some of the Paris best museums will be admission free.

• Musée Guimet - National Museum of Asian Art
• Musée Cluny - National Museum of the Middle Ages
• Musée des Antiquités Nationales de Saint-Germain-en-Laye - National Museum of Archeology
• Musée National de la Renaissance d'Ecouen - Everything from Renaissance sculpture and paintings to furniture
• Musée des Arts et Metiers - Houses the collection of the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, which was founded to preserve scientific instruments and inventions
• Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace - National Museum of Air and Space

Also, four other famous Paris museums are opening their doors free to students aged 18-25, with one night a week;

• Centre Pompidou - Wednesday nights
• Musée d'Orsay Thursday nights
• Louvre Friday nights
• Musee du Quai Branly Saturday nights

KLM pilot misses new Hyderabad airport

One would thing that all that state of the art equipment on board of airplanes should make it impossible for pilot to miss the arrival port, but then one would be mistaken.

In a slip-up barely hours after the Shamshabad airport opened for business, a KLM flight from Amsterdam, which was supposed to land at Hyderabad, skipped the airport and flew across the country — first to Delhi, and then to Mumbai.

Apparently, the pilot knew nothing about the new airport and was flying towards Begumpet only to be told that the facility had been shut. He was directed to Shamshabad, to which the pilot asked the air traffic control: "Shamshabad? What’s that?" The pilot then flew to Delhi, from where, after being refused permission to land, he took the plane to Mumbai.

Next time, give a guy GPS system, I heard TomTom is good.

Atlantic Alliance to promote west coast of Europe

Fifteen ports from seven countries on Europe’s West Coast have joint their forces in Atlantic Alliance to launch a campaign to promote themselves as the new cruise destinations.

“Europe’s West Coast is a treasure trove for travellers seeking exclusive experiences beyond what has become conventional luxury,” said Dirk Moldenhauer Managing Director, Hamburg Cruise Center and Managing Director of the Atlantic Alliance, at Seatrade 2008.

The Atlantic Alliance expects more ports and tourism boars to join existing members; Hamburg and Bremerhaven - Germany; Ijmuiden, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam - The Netherlands, Antwerp – Belgium, Cherbourg, St. Malo, Brest, Nantes, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux - France, Santander and Vigo - Spain and Lisbon – Portugal.