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National strike of the pilots in France from November 14th to 17th French airline pilots unions have unanimously called a four-day strike from Friday 14 November at one minute past midnight to Monday 17 November at midnight, to protest against changes to the retirement age currently under discussion in the French Parliament (changing from 60 to 65). Air France is expecting very severe disruptions to its operations and apologizes to passengers in advance for this unacceptable situation. Air France?s normal daily flight schedule comprises 760 medium-haul flights from all its stations and 73 long-haul flights from Paris. The schedule during the strike period is difficult to forecast as it will have to be adjusted each day. As things stand, the approximate estimation for Air France for Friday 14 November is the cancellation of half its long-haul flights from Paris and the same for medium-haul flights. More cancellations to long-haul flights are expected as the strike progresses. Please contact your dedicated branch for more information.
British Airways Terminal 5 Move
Following this move, the only British Airways flights operating to and from Terminal 4 will be services between Bangkok, Singapore and Sydney. As a result, the Arrivals lounge in Terminal 4 will close and eligible customers will be able to use the Galleries Arrivals lounge in Terminal 5 as an alternative. Services to be moved on 22 October 2008:
*All flights suspended until further notice. Longhaul flights already operating to and from Terminal 5:
A number of shorthaul and domestic routes also operate from Terminal 5. January 2009 moves
As BA continue with the phased move at London Heathrow, they are planning to move the following flights from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 on 27 January 2009 :
BA plan to move our Bangkok, Singapore and Sydney flights from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3 during 2009 as part of BAA's London Heathrow improvement programme. For more information please visit www.terminal5.ba.com or www.heathrowairport.com
Following the bomb attack on the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, British Airways has suspended its operations to and from Islamabad indefinitely.
CHANNEL TUNNEL INCIDENT - UPDATE Eurostar is operating a new, modified timetable that makes best use of the available capacity through the Channel Tunnel.
1 daily return service from London/Ashford to Disneyland Resort Paris
CONTINENTAL MOVES OPERATION TO LONDON HEATHROW Continental Airlines has announced that it will be relocating its operation to London Heathrow, in response to passenger preference and the changing marketplace. With effect from Saturday 25 October 2008, Continental Airlines will discontinue flights from London Gatwick to both New York (Newark Liberty) and Houston. These flights will then all operate out of LondonHeathrow. Ground operations will be based at Terminal 4. Continental Airlines also operates non-stop services from Newark Liberty to Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, as well as Dublin and Shannon. BRITISH AIRWAYS UPGRADE TO FIRST/CLUB EUROPE PROMOTION
From now until 19 December 2008 British Airways is offering travellers who purchase and travel a fully published return flight a one-way upgrade: from Club World to First
Please contact your dedicated branch for further information.
British Airways short-haul move date The date for the move of British Airways short haul European services from London Heathrow Terminal 1 into Terminal 3, is now scheduled for 27 January 2009. The move was originally scheduled for 17 September 2008.
The delay affects services to and from Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, and Nice. In addition, British Airways oneworld partners Iberia and Finnair will also move into T3 on the same date.
BRITISH AIRWAYS NEW BAGGAGE POLICY
With effect from 26 November 2008, British Airways will be introducing a Heavy Bag Charge (HBC), for any piece of HOLD bag weighing between 23kgs and 32kgs.
In addition there will be changes to the excess baggage rates and conditions of carriage as of 01 September 2008. Key changes for heavy bag charge: Key changes for excess baggage charge: New online excess baggage rates: The maximum excess baggage allowance per customer will be 10 bags; and this comes into effect from 01 September 2008. Customers will need to use the British Airways cargo facilities if they exceed their excess baggage allowance
Authorisation to Travel to the United States (ESTA) From 01 August 2008, Application for an Authorisation to Travel to the United States (ESTA) will be accessible via the internet and is recommended that customers apply for it on a voluntary basis to familiarise themselves with the new system. Customers travelling to the USA will need to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) prior to their journey with minimum of 72 hours before departure. From early 2009 it will be compulsory for customers travelling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) no later than 72 hours prior to departure. This online form will replace the green visa waiver form (I94W) which is currently completed whilst en-route to the US. Customers should visit the website http://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and fill in the required information. In most cases a response will be received within seconds determining whether travel to the US has been authorised. If the application is not authorised then a visa may be requested through the US Embassy. In some instances customers will need to wait up to 72 hours for authorisation. An approved travel authorisation is valid for two years for multiple entries into the US although a new application will have to be made if a new passport is obtained within the two year period or if the answers to any of the YES/NO questions on the ESTA form change. ESTAs are in addition to the requirement for all customers to submit APIS data.
Corporate Manslaughter Legislation – Your Questions Answered
Under the new Corporate Manslaughter legislation which took effect in April 2008, companies now face criminal liabilities where serious failures in the management of health and safety, result in a fatality when an employee is travelling on company business.
Therefore companies face greater scrutiny than ever before. The message is clear businesses must ensure they implement robust travel policies to ensure that risk management is effective and controlled.
Our role as the travel management company is to assist clients in ensuring they have all the necessary support, information, and tools to manage the health and safety of their travellers.
So how can we help you manage the risks?
Chelsea Travel Management plays an important part in supporting clients. Here are some of the key areas:
We recommend our clients consider a review of their current travel policy taking advice in conjunction with their HR department on the risks and measures required. To help you understand more about the Corporate Manslaughter Act and how we can help we have teamed up with one of the UK’s specialists, Peninsula.
Peninsula offers a wide range of services and advice and has excellent tracking tools specifically looking at risk assessment. The products work well in tracking information and recording data. If you would like further information on the Corporate Manslaughter Act or the services Peninsula can provide please click here.
REFUND FOR FLIGHTS ON BRITISH AIRWAYS & VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS
We are writing to advise clients that British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways travellers can now register for a refund of illegal fuel surcharges made by the airlines.
The two carriers were found guilty last year of unlawfully conspiring to fix the price of fuel surcharges, and, in addition to multi-million pound fines, both airlines have been forced to offer refunds to passengers affected by the charges.
This means that any passenger who purchased transatlantic or other long-haul flights over seven hours departing from the UK with either BA or Virgin, between August 11, 2004 and March 23, 2006, is now entitled to a partial refund of up to £20 per flight.
If you believe that you qualify for a refund your first step is to register your details (either as an individual or business) at airpassengerrefund.co.uk. The airlines says you will then be contacted “in the coming months” in order to fill in a written or online claim form.
The announcement below is from the law firm who brought the class action lawsuit against the airlines:
Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll (www.cmht.com) has negotiated a ground breaking legal settlement that, for the first time ever, resolves a class action lawsuit on a collective basis under both U.S. and U.K. law. The agreement, which affects over 8 million people in the US and UK, provides $59 million fo American ticket purchasers and £73.5 million for UK purchasers who bought tickets from either British Airways (BA) of Virgin Atlantic (Virgin) between August 11, 2004 – March 23, 2006, with no deductions for attorneys’ fees or other costs. This settlement marks the first collective settlement of its kind for British consumers.
Advanced Passenger Information requirements The law requires all airlines to collect API, before travel, for all passengers travelling: 5. To or from United Arab Emirates (Dubai only) 6. To Japan 7. To Spain 8. To Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamacia, St Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago 10. To or from Bermuda
Below is a list of information that may be required.
In order to minimise unnecessary delays at the airport, it is essential that where possible, all travellers provide the API prior to travelling. Please click here to enter API details Please note that we try to keep this list as up to date as possible but there may be other destinations that also require API.
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