Archive for the ‘Newcastle airport’ Category
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a new price comparison tool to enable travellers to see a summary of optional charges levied by the top airlines in the UK. The tool details information of costs of hold luggage, in flight meal charges, seat reservation and other optional airline fees. Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of the CAA said: “The diversity of UK aviation offers excellent choice and value to UK consumers with airlines adopting various business models. To really benefit from that choice consumers want to know the full price picture. For some passengers and airlines the headline ticket price will be the most expensive part of the booking, whilst for others the impact of optional fees and charges can change their view of the best overall price. “Our table allows passengers to easily compare the optional fees that airlines charge and it’s important to consider those charges alongside the ticket price and the extra charges that could be applied before making their booking.” To view the fees and charges comparison table click here: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/2200/Comparing_airline_charges_1st_Feb_2012_.pdf The CAA plans to update the charges table on a quarterly basis. easyJet is due to add an Airbus A320 to its base at Newcastle Airport later in the year. The new aircraft will enable the airline to increase capacity on eight of its Newcastle routes. Destinations to benefit from the increased capacity will be: Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Bristol, Majorca, Malaga, Malta, and Paris. Hugh Aitken, easyJet’s commercial manager confirmed: “Due to increased customer demand we are replacing an Airbus A319 with an Airbus A320 to provide additional seats to our loyal flyers. This move demonstrates that easyJet is committed to further growth at Newcastle Airport.”
Jet2.com is celebrating after being crowned Best Short Haul Airline at the coveted Globe Travel Awards 2012. The annual Globe Travel Awards are regarded as the pinnacle of the travel industry calendar with travel agents and industry professionals nominating and voting for the most deserving travel companies across eight different categories. The cream of the British travel industry gathered at Grosvenor House hotel in London for the ceremony where Jet2.com proudly beat bmi, British Airways, easyJet, Iberia and Lufthansa to win the Short Haul Airline category. Steve Heapy, Chief Commercial Officer of Jet2.com, said: “We are delighted to be named Best Short Haul Airline at the Globe Travel Awards beating the likes of British Airways and easyJet. This award follows a string of other award wins in recent months, making this a real highlight for us and a great start to the New Year. This industry recognition is also a fantastic testament to the on-going commitment of Jet2.com staff who make it possible for passengers to travel to some of Europe’s finest destinations. “The secret to our continued success is the fact that we take real pride in listening and responding to our customer needs. We know that with stretched finances, customers want good value for money now more than ever. Our great value flights offer allocated seating, a generous 22kg baggage allowance and a friendly service which is why our loyal customers come back time and again.” This is the latest in a flurry of awards received by Jet2.com which scooped best airline for Mainland Spain and Balearics, as well as the Canaries following a short-haul airline satisfaction survey by Which? magazine. It’s also recently picked up Best Low-Cost Airline in the Scottish Passenger Agents Association Awards and was voted runner up in the Best Short Haul Airline category of The Telegraph Travel Awards. Sister company and package holiday expert, Jet2holidays has also had its share of the glory in recent months after being named Best Tour Operator to the Iberian Peninsular and Canary Islands at the British Travel Awards.
Manx2.com has nominated the Royal British Legion IOM as their charity of the year for 2012. The support for the Isle of Man branch of the Royal British Legion will include flight tickets to help raise money for the charity and also travel support for Isle of Man-based service personnel – who are having their travel warrants withdrawn in the near future. Manx2.com staff have also committed to raise money and awareness for the charity throughout 2012 – and as in 2011 they will participate in events such as the Parish Walk and a sponsored Plane pull and for this summer they are planning a Swing Night with 1940’s music, food and a static Spitfire display. Colonel Charles Wilson, Royal British Legion IOM: ‘Following on our 90th anniversary last year we are thrilled to receive support from Manx2.com and all their staff. The contribution will undoubtedly prove a real boost to our work here in the Isle of Man and will be very much appreciated.” Noel Hayes, Chairman, Manx2.com added: “Royal British Legion IOM is a key Isle of Man charity and continues to make an invaluable contribution here providing financial, social and emotional support to those who are serving or who have served in the armed forces, and their dependants. We are looking forward to working with them to ensure Manx men and women serving in the forces are not disadvantaged when returning home from duty and also helping the Legion’s fund raising throughout 2012.”
Flybe can now offer passengers an even greater choice of routes to France through its Air France codeshare agreement. With the addition of new routes from Aberdeen, Bristol and Newcastle to Paris Charles de Gaulle and from Birmingham Airport to Lyon. In addition to Flybe’s 11 UK departure points serving the French capital, passengers can now connect seamlessly to a selection of 19 new European destinations. The new codeshare routes onward from Paris, and operated by Air France, are available for booking in conjunction with a connecting Flybe flight between the UK and Paris. They are as follows:
Andrew Strong, Flybe UK’s Managing Director, comments: “Flybe is once again opening up the UK regions by providing new and better travel options. For example, a customer from Newcastle can now book in one simple transaction a flight to Paris and onward to Madrid. Similarly, someone booking a flight to Paris from Bristol can now choose to fly seamlessly to Budapest, Vienna or a number of other attractive destinations. This is an exciting step forward in the relationship between Flybe and Air France.”
Jet2.com is offering free ski or board carriage for bookings made from 9 January to before 19 February 2012. To qualify for free carriage, enter the code FREESKI at the time of booking.
Iberia pilots are planning to take strike action next Monday 9 January and Wednesday 11 January 2012. For more information on cancellations and disruptions click here.
Jet2.com is celebrating after being named the best airline for three European hot spots by Which? members. The Which? Travel short-haul airline satisfaction survey, for the January edition of the magazine, revealed that Jet2.com has scooped best airline for Mainland Spain and Balearics, as well as Portugal and the Canaries, beating competition from some of the main airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Monarch. Ian Doubtfire, Managing Director of Jet2.com, said: “Naturally we are delighted with these accolades which reinforce our commitment to providing exceptional service and good value for money. Which? members also named Spain the most visited country so we’re especially pleased to be getting our service, on our numerous Spanish routes, so right. “It’s great to receive this feedback which is hot on the heels of our recent success at The British Travel Awards where we were named Winner of Best Tour Operator to the Iberian Peninsula & Islands. We continue to enhance our service and travel products to ensure we remain the airline of choice for these and other destinations.” Jet2.com has today announced a series of major investments in the North East, demonstrating its commitment to Newcastle Airport. As part of a planned expansion programme, the airline is adding four new services to Bodrum, Rome, Reus and Venice next summer, bringing the total number of summer 2012 destinations served by Jet2 from Newcastle to 27. Flights to Bodrum will operate weekly from 4 June, flights to Rome will operate twice a week from 31 May, flights to Reus will operate twice a week from 1 June and Venice flights will operate three times per week from 31 May 2012. In addition to the new services, Jet2 will base a sixth aircraft at Newcastle taking seat availability to 600,000 per year. A further 100 jobs will be created to accommodate the new routes and additional capacity created – potentially an extra 80,000 passengers per year. Jet2 will also increase frequencies on flights to Faro, Menorca, Malaga, Cork, Prague and Krakow. Ian Doubtfire, managing director of Jet2.com, said: “We have been closely monitoring the success of this airport over the past year and we believe there’s real potential for this region. The people of the North East have genuinely embraced Jet2.com and we see exciting horizons for our organisation right here. That’s why, contrary to many other operators at the moment, we have decided to invest for the coming year and really focus and plan for a strong future in the region. “In these tough economic times we are delighted to be creating more job opportunities for local people. Our partnership with Newcastle College to deliver first-class training to our growing team of cabin crew across all our bases, further demonstrates our commitment to the local economy. We are really excited by the wider opportunities this will create for the pool of talented learners already studying within the college.”
The war of words over border control strike action continues in the press and it is unknown how badly affected airport passengers are going to be by the action – reports vary from minor disruption to significant. Border control will be affected from the evening of Tuesday 29 November until midnight on Wednesday 30 November – strike action start times will depend on shift patterns. Any delays will affect passengers arriving into the UK that need to pass through passport control – outgoing flights should not be affected. Tips to help avoid delays:
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has said that it has robust arrangements in place to maintain the security of the border and that it has
Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, said: ‘Securing the border is our priority and over the last weeks and months we have considered all options to ensure we are prepared for union action. ‘We always aim to minimise any disruption caused by the decision of unions to strike, but travellers could see longer waiting times at some ports and airports.’ For up-to-date UKBA information visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ |
