Category Archives: Travel & leisure

Thomas Cook in last-ditch talks to avoid collapse

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Up to 150,000 UK holidaymakers affected with 9,000 British jobs at risk as firm looks for £200m in funds

Thomas Cook is holding last-ditch talks with key players on Sunday in a bid to avert a collapse that will affect 150,000 UK holidaymakers abroad and put 9,000 British jobs at risk.

The travel company is at risk of falling into administration imminently unless it finds £200m in extra funds. The government and the UK aviation watchdog are preparing to launch a rescue plan codenamed Operation Matterhorn.

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Outcry as Saga travel firm advertises cruise ‘exclusively for Brits’

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Over-50s holiday company apologises for brochure after Twitter backlash

Saga, the insurance and travel company aimed at the over-50s, has apologised after customers were sent a brochure advertising a cruise “exclusively for Brits”, prompting a furious backlash.

Twitter user Anthony Bale, who is a university professor, said his mother was “outraged” after being sent the magazine, the front page of which outlined the characteristics of the cruise.

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Cockpit coffee spill caused transatlantic flight diversion – AAIB

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Control panel was damaged during Condor flight after captain put cup on tray table

A pilot spilling coffee in the cockpit of a plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean forced it to turn back and land in Ireland.

The hot coffee damaged an audio control panel, which gave off an electrical burning smell and smoke, an accident report found. It created significant communication difficulty for the pilots flying the Airbus A330, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

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BA pilots to strike from midnight in dispute about pay

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Balpa union calls 48-hour walkout with further action planned for 27 September

The first-ever strike by British Airways pilots is set to start at midnight on Sunday night, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and travel disruption for thousands of passengers.

Members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) have said they will walk out for 48 hours in a long-running dispute over pay, with a further strike set for 27 September if the row remains unresolved.

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Passenger anger as tens of thousands hit by BA systems failure

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More than 500 flights cancelled or delayed by IT glitch affecting London airports

British Airways was facing passenger anger on Wednesday as more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed as a result of a systems failure.

In the latest in a series of operational problems to hit the airline, and the travel plans of tens of thousands with holiday and business plans, London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and City were the airports most affected by the computer failure. BA refused to reveal the number of flights affected but according to Flightstats.com, which tracks arrivals and departures, by 5.30pm the airline had cancelled 140 flights and a further 370 had been delayed.

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British Airways flight lands in Spain after smoke fills cabin

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Nearly 200 people evacuated and three taken to hospital after landing in Valencia

Nearly 200 people had to be evacuated from a British Airways flight after smoke poured into the cabin minutes before it was due to land in Valencia.

Three people were taken to hospital after the incident on Monday, and each was later discharged.

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British Airways to resume flights to Cairo after security review

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Airline suspended flights to Egyptian capital last Saturday as a precautionary measure

British Airways said on Thursday it would resume flights to Cairo following a week’s suspension, having reviewed its security measures.

BA flights to and from the Egyptian capital will start again on Friday, it said in a statement.

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BA loses legal action against pilot strikes

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Holidaymakers’ flights could be disrupted as court rejects airline’s challenge to action

British Airways has lost its legal attempt to block planned strikes by pilots, which could take place next month and disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The airline had sought an injunction challenging the ballot in the high court. But the court ruled in favour of the union, Balpa, which can now call strike dates with two weeks’ notice. However, it has yet to set dates and both sides have said they remain open to talks.

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British Airways suspends Cairo flights as security precaution

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Services to Egyptian capital halted for seven days to allow for security review, says airline

British Airways has suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as a security precaution.

The airline made the surprise announcement last night that all flights into the Egyptian capital were halted.

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Ten cities ask EU for help to fight Airbnb expansion

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Cities say short-term holiday lettings market is contributing to soaring long-term rents

Ten European cities have demanded more help from the EU in their battle against Airbnb and other holiday rental websites, which they argue are locking locals out of housing and changing the face of neighbourhoods.

In a joint letter, Amsterdam, Barcelona, ​​Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Krakow, Munich, Paris, Valencia and Vienna said the “explosive growth” of global short-stay lettings platforms must be on the agenda of the next set of European commissioners.

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Chemicals or biological agent ‘may have killed UK couple in Egypt’

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John and Susan Cooper did not die in Red Sea resort from natural causes, court told

A British couple who died on holiday at a hotel in Egypt may have suffered the effects of an infectious biological agent or toxic chemicals, a coroner’s court has heard.

John Cooper, 69, and his wife, Susan, 63, died suddenly on 21 August last year after becoming ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

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Companies abandon Brunei’s Dorchester hotel over gay sex law

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Businesses including Financial Times cancel events at London landmark as backlash grows

High-profile events and awards shows have been cancelled at the Dorchester in London in protest at the decision of Brunei, the hotel’s ultimate owner, to make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death.

The boycott against businesses owned by the Brunei state has continued to grow in recent days, following an outcry from LGBT campaigners including Sir Elton John over the introduction of the new rules, ordered by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.

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Amsterdam to ban ‘disrespectful’ tours of red-light district

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Move is just one of measures taken to limit impact of mass tourism on historic city centre

Amsterdam is to ban guided tours of its red-light district as part of an effort to restrict the increasing throngs of visitors in its historic city centre, and because “they are not respectful” to sex workers.

“It is no longer acceptable in this age to see sex workers as a tourist attraction,” city councillor Udo Kock said. A survey has shown that 80% of sex workers say gawping tourists are bad for their business and councillors last year suggested moving the red light district to another part of the city.

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Super-rich sabbatical: the boom in luxury long breaks for the 1%

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From shark swims to snow leopard treks, a tailored trip of up to a year is now a must-have

The super-rich are going on sabbatical. It turns out having bucket-loads of money can be stressful, leading some of the world’s richest people to take a break for a month or so, or even a year, to escape the pressure of managing their businesses or personal fortunes.

Tom Barber, the founder of the London-based travel agency Original Travel, said so many super-rich customers had asked his firm to arrange bespoke trips ranging in duration from one to 12 months that his firm was launching a special division dedicated to sabbaticals for the 1%.

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The death of Venice? City’s battles with tourism and flooding reach crisis level

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A tax on daytrippers has hit the headlines, but La Serenissima’s mounting problems also include rising waters, angry locals and a potential black mark from Unesco

Why Italy regrets its Faustian pact with tourist cash

Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station is packed as visitors scuttle across the concourse towards the water-bus stops. Taking a selfie against the backdrop of the Grand Canal, Ciro Esposito and his girlfriend have just arrived and are unimpressed with what may greet them in future if the Venetian authorities get their way: a minimum city entry fee of €2.50 throughout the year, rising to between €5 and €10 during peak periods.

It is the price of a cappuccino, but for them “it’s going too far”. “They are using people like a bank machine,” says Esposito. “We are in Europe and can travel freely across borders, yet we have to pay to enter one of our own cities.”

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