The first non-stop flights between London Heathrow and Taipei in Taiwan are to be introduced at the end of the month. China Airlines is to start the service three times a week from 28th March.

According to the airline, the new route is the first time that the UK has been connected by a non-stop service to Taiwan.

Return fares from London to Taipei start at £370.

The flight will depart from Taipei on Tuesdays and Sundays at 09.25 and arrive at Heathrow at 17.05, the London–Taipei flight will depart at 21.15 and arrive at 18.15 the following day.

A third weekly Thursday flight will depart Taipei at 09.25 and arrive at Heathrow at 16.55, before returning from London at 22.05, arriving Taipei at 19.05 the following day.

The airline’s chairman Philip Wei said: “As the leading airline in Taiwan, China Airlines is committed to promoting tourism, culture and the economic development of the island.”

With almost 22 million people set to visit countries across the region, the “eurozone” is expected to remain the most popular destination for UK travellers this year. The calculation comes from First Rate Exchange Services and a previous announcement that 58% of UK adults plan to take at least one overseas holiday this year.

Holiday costs have fallen across all “eurozone” countries over the last year, with prices in Spain seeing cuts by as much as 30%, the latest Post Office holiday money report shows.

First Rate managing director Gordon Gourlay said: “Lower tourist prices across the “eurozone” are extremely good news for the millions of UK holidaymakers who are set to make to a return to traditional holiday destinations such as Spain and Portugal this year.

“UK foreign currency retailers can expect strong demand for the currency as savvy travellers stock up on euros in order to get best value from foreign exchange deals in the UK.”

The majority of UK travellers intend to make the most of their holiday money by picking up foreign currency before they travel. Two in five (40%) travellers also said they would have to withdraw cash at ATMs whilst overseas even though this runs the risk of hefty commission and cash withdrawal fees; while travellers’ cheques are still popular with over 15% of travellers including them in their holiday wallet.

Barcelona photo by Flickr User Jsome1

Year-round flights between London City Airport and Barcelona are being re-introduced by British Airways. The service was previously run only in summer but will now resume at the end of the month and will continue all year.

An extra Saturday morning service will be introduced in May, bringing the total number of flights to seven a week.

The expanded Barcelona capacity comes in addition to the start of flights to Majorca and Ibiza in May and an existing service to Madrid.

Luke Hayhoe, commercial manager for BA CityFlyer, the wholly owned BA subsidiary which will operate the services, said: “The Spanish destinations are proving extremely popular from London City Airport. Barcelona has traditionally operated as a summer only destination but there is a big demand from both business and leisure passengers for us to continue through the winter.”

Easyjet Ryanair advert source http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/03/easyjet-ryanair-asa#zoomed-picture

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint by Ryanair against its rival EasyJet after they made a claim in an advertising campaign that claimed that the Irish competitor did not fly passengers “to the place you actually booked”.

The poster, which appeared on a train, suggested Ryanair flew to airports in the proximity of the cities promoted as destinations; but Ryanair successfully argued that the ad was misleading as it implied people would not fly to the city they booked to whereas the advertising and website made clear where the airline flew to.

Upholding Ryanair’s complaint, the ASA said: “While we noted EasyJet’s argument that the ad was merely a comparison between airport locations, we were concerned that by listing the airports which Ryanair flew to but only referring to the ones EasyJet flew to in much smaller print at the bottom of the ad and by not giving any data which readers might use to make an assessment of the facts, the ad did not achieve that end.

“We considered the challenging tone of the headline ‘Who loves flying you to the place you actually booked?’ combined with the implication that Ryanair misled customers and flew them to airports different to the ones they had booked was denigratory.”

EasyJet UK general manager Paul Simmons said: “It is a well-know fact that EasyJet flies to major airports whereas Ryanair serves out-of-town airfields which can be a two hour bus ride away from your destination.

“While we are disappointed by the ruling which is based on a technicality, we respect the ASA’s decision and will not repeat the advert in the same form.”

It’s rather ironic that Ryanair had to turn to the ASA to use the very same codes of conduct that in previous years they have had disputes over.

Foreign travellers to the US face paying a fee of $10 to help fund a planned new body to promote tourism to the country. The Corporation for Travel Promotion public-private partnership is due to be approved by President Obama after winning Senate approval.

The initiative is funded through a matching program of up to $100 million in private sector contributions and a $10 fee on visitors to the US who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the country. The fee will be collected once every two years in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. This will mean the US taxpayer will avoid making any contribution.

The Corporation will work with the US departments of Commerce, Homeland Security and State to develop a nationally co-ordinated, multi-channel marketing and communications program to attract more international visitors and explain changing travel security policies.

Caroline Beteta, chair of the US Travel Association and president and CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission, said: “We know how successful a public-private partnership to promote travel can be from our own experience at the state level.

“With the best minds coming together from government and private industry to boost international travel to our country, we can make travel an even stronger economic engine for America.”

Commenting on legislation which establishes the Corporation, US Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow said: “The United States Congress has sent a clear message that travel is a high priority to our nation and that tangible steps must be taken to increase travel to and within the United States.”

It has also been reported that US airlines must also take an active role in the new partnership, not out of good-will, but out of self-interest by purchasing advertising space on the DiscoverAmerica.com website once the site traffic has increased and thus improving their own exposure.

BA strike pic by Flickr User quinn.anya

I wrote about reactions to the possible British Airways strike earlier in the week which indicated a feeling of disenchantment towards the airline from passengers. However, a recent  consumer poll has found that 75% of people are actually behind BA in the dispute with its cabin crew, describing them as “overpaid and underworked”.

Only 20% of the 1,087 people asked gave support to the flight attendants, who they endorsed as being “the best in the industry”. The remaining five per cent said they would consider backing the strike but only if their flight was not affected by any disruption it brought about.

The online poll was conducted by Cheapflights UK. It closed two hours before the result of the Unite union strike ballot was announced.

Participants were asked whether they would support BA cabin crew if industrial action was called, choosing from three responses: Yes, No or Maybe. The results point to overwhelming support for BA in the row over pay and working conditions.

“This survey definitively adds the flying public to the chorus of voices already pleading with cabin crew to see sense and call off the strike,” said Cheapflights global brand director Joseph Sikorsky, a former BA head office employee.

“BA cabin crew are far more privileged than their counterparts at airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Bmi and EasyJet.

“The changes that have been made to their working conditions reflect fundamental restructuring which is vital if the flag carrier is to avoid the fate of so many other airlines that ceased operations during the recession.

“The numbers speak for themselves, and our survey shows that passengers have no illusions about the gravity of BA’s predicament.

“Cabin crew will only add to their woes if they press on with this damaging and unjustifiable strike.”

Is this support for British Airways reflected by the readers of this blog? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below, it’s always interesting to get some different opinions.

Yesterday’s announcement that British Airways cabin crew voted to give the union a mandate for industrial action is a “disaster” for the airline, according to Bob Atkinson, travel expert from travelsupermarket.com.

“Customers will get a sense of déjà vu as they face travel disruption yet again,” he said.

“But today’s result isn’t just a kick in the teeth for loyal BA passengers, it’s a disaster for both British Airways and BA’s staff, as all stand to lose out unless the airline re-engineers itself to compete in the cut-throat airline market. Customers are already deserting the airline – we have seen a significant 19% reduction in people clicking through to BA flights since this latest ballot started.

“Customers will undoubtedly be questioning why and how their travel plans could be disrupted by possible strike action yet again, and justifiably so” Atkinson added.

“What BA lacked last time was customer communication, so it is even more important that they get it right this time – with each and every customer. Travellers deserve to understand exactly how their bookings and plans will be affected, not left in limbo.

“Customers who booked before the ballot announcement on 18 January and have travel insurance covering strike action should be able to recover losses from making new bookings if their BA flight is cancelled. However, those who booked after 18 January or have no insurance will be left high and dry to make new arrangements if their flight is cancelled.

“Whilst BA may rebook, re-route or refund them for the original ticket price as a last resort, nothing is guaranteed. Availability for booking alternative destinations or airlines may not be ideal, and it’s almost certain that many customers will be forced to pay more for their revised travel plans should BA fail to deliver on an original booking.

“We urgently call on BA and Unite to resolve this long running issue once and for all, to put an end to the customer misery from this strike action, and to do so behind closed doors to allow the Great British travelling public to carry on with their plans undisrupted.

“It’s not surprising that many BA customers have opted to travel with alternative carriers where possible, and if this is not resolved we could see many more follow suit.”

After such a damning response to the latest news, I’d be interested to know if any of you echo this feeling and what your experiences have been with British Airways over the period of strike threats? Has it put you off flying with BA?

BA Tail picture by Flickr User Simon_Sees

Passengers face fresh risks of strike action with British Airways as it was announced today that the cabin crew backed the Unite ballot for industrial action. Unite have said that they don’t plan on announcing strike dates just yet as they hope to reach a negotiation with BA before resorting to strikes.

80.7% of the ballot papers were returned, with a whopping 78.7% voting in favour of industrial action. Len McCluskey, the union’s general secretary said this was “a clear indication of the deep sense of grievance that our members feel”.

The union has pledged that it will not allow the strike, which if it goes ahead will start 1st March at the earliest, to affect the Easter holiday plans of thousands of Brits. However, some crew writing online and commenting on the situation suggest that there is a plan to “play dirty” and strike around the long Easter weekend, causing chaos as services are backed up.

According to an online poll by Unite, some two thirds of cabin crew want ten days of action so that the message would be put across of disgruntlement at changes in salaries and staffing levels.

There is an official response to the ballot on BA’s website which states:

“In the weeks before and during the ballot period, Unite claimed that we had breached individual crew members’ contracts by making modest changes to on board crew numbers on flights from Heathrow. We have always said this claim was false, and it was rejected by the High Court three days ago.

The vast majority of crew who voted in this ballot will have done so before the High Court decision. We hope Unite will bear this fact in mind as it considers its next steps.”

In the event of strike action BA state that you will be able to:

 Rebook onto another British Airways flight to the same destination within 355 days of the original date of travel

Rebook onto another British Airways flight to/from the nearest alternative airport (for example, if booked to/from Boston you could rebook to/from Philadelphia or New York)

Cancel your booking and get a refund.

All of these booking options, of course, will be subject to availability.

BA will also keep you informed via email (or SMS text if you have supplied your mobile number) with any news which may affect your flight as soon as they can, to check your details are correct, click here.

The Unite and British Airways battle has finally come to a head as the High Court battle ruled in favour of British Airways. The long dispute started late last year when Unite challenged the debt-ridden airline’s cost-cutting measures which included reducing crew numbers in cabin.

This ruling does not signal the end of it all however, as BA chairman Willie Walsh will have to face another challenge today when ballot results will reveal whether the airline is set to face a series of strike actions from cabin crew.

Walsh told airline insiders at a monthly meeting of the Association of European Airlines in Brussels last week that 1000 pilots will train as cabin crew in order to keep the carrier flying through any union action. Pilots already have the security clearance and safety knowledge to allow them to easily take on the role of crew.

An airline source is reported to have revealed: “Willie Walsh made no bones about it. He told all the airline bosses at the meeting ‘we now have 1,000 pilots who are going to train as cabin crew and act as crew on the flights.’ He also said he expected the strike would go ahead.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has waded in to the body scanners row. In a letter to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, they have warned that the use of scanners at UK airports may be unlawful. The commission has expressed concern that the technology – currently in place at Heathrow and Manchester – may be breaking discrimination law as well as breaching passengers’ rights to privacy.

In the letter, the commission said it acknowledged the threat posed by terrorist activities but it had concerns ”about the apparent absence of safeguards to ensure the body scanners are operated in a lawful, fair and non-discriminatory manner”.

It added that it also had ‘’serious doubts that the decision to roll this (body scanning) out in all UK airports complies with the law”.

Currently the scanners are being trialled and passengers may ask for same sex scanners to help them feel more more at ease with the procedure, however there may still be allegations from people such as that from Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, who claimed his naked image was printed and circulated by Heathrow scanner operators. This sounds rather implausible from what we know about how the pictures are treated, in private, and are not held or saved anywhere; but cases such as these are likely to continue to arise if people lack confidence and trust in the system and if what the Equality and Human Rights Commission state is true.

See my last blog post regarding the scanners here.