Welcome

10th November 2008

In this issue:

• Foreign Office advice
• Passport fees to rise again
• Routes - startups and closures
• BA records massive drop in profits
• Delta bags to cost extra
• You can buy a little extra from Singapore Airlines and Air France
• Jet2 apologises and rightly so!
• Late Boeing
• Amsterdam is best
• Remberence day

On 9 November 2008, the Attorney GeneralÕs Office announced that the three men sentenced to death for their part in the October 2002 terrorist attacks in Bali had been executed.  The executions could prompt strong reactions from their supporters, including violent demonstrations which could escalate without notice. Retaliatory attacks against Indonesian government or foreign targets are possible. Travellers to Indonesia are advosed to avoid crowded areas and be vigilant.

The fee for a new passport is set to rise by a third to over £100 the Home Secretary has disclosed. She also revealed that the cost to taxpayers of new identity cards will double from £30 to £60. The huge rises were necessary to pay for taking facial readings and fingerprints for new biometric passports and ID cards.

BMI is to stop long-haul flights from Manchester Airport.  Services to Chicago will end in January 2009, with flights to Las Vegas, Antigua and Barbados after Easter. The firm said the routes were not profitable enough. The announcement comes less than two weeks after British Airways flew its last long-haul flight from the airport. Up to 140 Manchester Airport-based jobs will be cut, mostly cabin crew, onboard chefs, supervisors and cabin service managers, as well as ground crew.

KLM plans to launch a new service between Amsterdam and Liverpool effective 29 March 2009. KLM cityhopper will operate the new scheduled service using Fokker 70 equipment with three daily services. Liverpool will be KLMÕs fifteenth destination in the UK.

Air Sylhet has won the rights to fly from the UK to Jeddah, via Vienna. The airline, which last week announced plans to start flights in December from London Stansted and Manchester to Dubai, via Vienna, plans to operate three flights a week to the Saudi Arabian city early next year. UK passengers will be able to connect to Air SylhetÕs Vienna- Jeddah service from Manchester and Stansted.

Dutch low cost carrier Transavia is to resume flights from the UK following an absence of many years. The airline is flying twice a day from Luton to Rotterdam from December 8th

Half-year profits at British Airways have fallen 91.6%, with the airline blaming "incredibly difficult trading conditions" for the plunge. BA said pre-tax profit totalled £52m ($81.6m) between April and September, down from £616m a year earlier. The airline said it would reduce its number of flights by about 1% in 2009 in anticipation of less demand from travellers. It also plans to reduce its staffing numbers by more than 1000 at Heathrow from the current 7300 to around 6200 by next April.

Delta Air Lines will begin charging passengers $15 for their first checked bag and $25 for a second checked bag on domestic flights but the airline is dropping its $3 fee for curbside check-in.  The fee goes into effect immediately for new bookings for travel after 5th December.

Tired of being cramped in what seems like millimetres of leg space when flying long-haul? Well, help could finally be at hand with Singapore Airlines and Air France.  The carrier is to introduce what it is calling the Preferred Seat Selection programme, allowing passengers to purchase the seats with the most leg room for an additional cost.  For $50 (£30) travellers can secure the prized seats next to the planes' exits, which were previously allocated on request, subject to availability. The seats will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. However, the airline still has no plans to offer seating away from screaming babies, disgruntled drunks and loud snorers.

A disabled man has condemned a budget airline that told him he must pay to take his spare prosthetic legs on holiday. Double amputee Mick Skee is angry that airline Jet2 would not waive the excess baggage charge when he travels to Majorca next May. He lost both his legs after contracting meningococcal septicaemia in 2006. The 47-year-old said, 'In my opinion, prosthetic legs are a disability aid. A wheelchair is classed as that and can be transported free of charge. The legs weigh less than a wheelchair, but I have been told that Jet2 are not prepared to budge. 'If I wanted to take a spare pair of prosthetics, I will have to pay an extra £10 for each way.'  Jet 2 has since apologised for charging the amputee and has refunded the money and also said it was allowing Mr Skee to fly for free on the holiday by way of an apology.

Boeing has delayed the launch of its 787 Dreamliner until next year following an eight-week strike by machinists at its Seattle plant. The Boeing 787 will now enter service two years later than originally planned, meaning airlines must continue operate less fuel-efficient aircraft and postpone planned changes to schedules. The light-weight 787 marks a new stage in aircraft design, with its carbon-composite fusilage contributing to a 28% improvement in fuel efficiency over existing medium-range aircraft. Virgin Atlantic is looking to place a billion-dollar order for 12 new planes to plug the gap that will be left in its fleet by delays to the launch of the Boeing 787. British Airways, TUI, Monarch, Air New Zealand and Qantas have all placed orders for the new 787, which will be capable of flying from London to Australia without refuelling.

Travelodge has announced a £5m package of price cuts for the rest of 2008. It said its average room rates in 15 UK cities would fall by an average of 10% for the rest of 2008. Travelodge currently has 350 hotels in the UK and 11 overseas.

Readers of the "Executive Travel" have voted Amsterdam Airport Schiphol best international airport. The award looks at services and facilities and innovative solutions that airports and airlines offer their customers.

The Travellers' Friend will observe a 2 minute silence for Remembrance Day at 11.00 tomorrow and telephones will not be answered during this period.

Our Travel Industry News will not be buplished next week and our next issue will be on 24th November.