Protecting your holiday money May 22, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Air Australia, airlines, tourism, Travel, travel agents, Travel Compensation Fund
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As administrators continue sorting out the mess left behind by Air Australia, the travel industry is fuming that governments have still done nothing to fix consumer protection for travellers.
Australia’s consumer protection scheme for travel does not cover against the collapse of airlines and many other suppliers, leaving travellers out of pocket and travel agents in the firing line of public wrath. Australian governments have been working collaboratively on a review of the scheme, known as the Travel Compensation Fund (TCF), for several years but progress has been painstakingly slow and there is still no date for an announcement.
“We’re putting out a lot of fires for consumers,” says the veteran travel agent and chairman of Axis Travel Centre, Max Najar. ”With Air Australia, travel agents did so much after-hours work, at no cost, to help consumers [who were stranded by the airline].”
The question is: whose responsibility is it to protect travellers against the collapses that inevitably occur? Should taxpayers bear the brunt, should the industry be made to cover itself (with the scheme expanded to include airlines and all other suppliers) or is it our responsibility as consumers to… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Mauritius takes a hit April 26, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Africa, Airlines, Travel.Tags: airlines, Mauritius, tourism, Travel
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Travel to Mauritius will take a hit when the national carrier withdraws its services next month. Air Mauritius will stop direct flights to Sydney at the end of next month, making it harder for travellers to reach the idyllic destination in the Indian Ocean.
The managing director of Mauritius specialist Beachcomber Tours, Rod Eather, says the withdrawal of the flights is sure to have a negative impact, especially on travellers with limited time.
However, Eather says travellers from Sydney have the option of flying with Virgin Australia to Perth and connecting with twice-weekly Air Mauritius services. ”Air Mauritius have increased their services from Perth and have changed their schedules to ensure smooth connections into and out of Perth,” he says. “Flights from Sydney will (more…)
Heading to London for the Olympics? March 22, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: Britain, London, London Olympics, Olympic Games, Travel
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The London Olympic Games are playing havoc with travel patterns, sending bookings soaring and crashing around the event. Travel to Britain is expected to be disrupted well beyond the six-week period of the Games, with many avoiding London and other areas both beforehand and afterwards.
The holiday period leading up to the Olympic Games is also being affected, with travellers concerned about the availability and pricing of hotel rooms and other travel bookings and expenses. The online travel agency Zuji Australia reports a “clear change” in traditional booking patterns, with many people… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Edible airline food? So they say March 19, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Aer Lingus, airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, food, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Skyscanner, Travel, Turkish Airlines
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The best airline food — if it’s not an oxymoron — can be found in an unexpected place….
A panel of international travellers has named Turkish Airlines as having the best airline food. The flight comparison website Skyscanner sent 100 passengers from around the world on a flight with one of 19 international airlines to survey the food and Turkish Airlines scored 86 out of 100. The carrier serves Turkish dishes such as stuffed eggplant along with special meals including children’s, vegetarian and kosher.
For those of us who are unlikely to fly Turkish Airlines anytime soon, the top 10 includes many carriers that fly to Australia. Singapore Airlines, which has a “culinary panel” of top international chefs, came in second place with a score of 81, while Etihad came in third with 80 out of 100.
Etihad’s rival Emirates came in fifth place, behind the Irish carrier Aer Lingus and just ahead of Cathay Pacific. Qantas (more…)
Onboard dating: matches in the sky February 7, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: dating, flying, Travel
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It seems many an airline traveller takes a fancy to the person in the seat next to them.
Hundreds of people have left their details on a new website that aims to reunite people who have met on plane journeys. In its first few weeks, wemetonaplane.com has had more than 20,000 page views, as people search for that attractive someone with whom they never traded numbers.
Stories have been logged by people from all over the world, leaving the flight number, date and other details of the flight to help identify the person they are trying to find. A search algorithm is used to find any stories posted by other passengers from that flight, in the hope the attraction was mutual.
The site, which is the brainchild of Sydney businessman Will Scully-Power, is yet to declare a match but he says (more…)
Chip fat to fuel our planes? January 23, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, biofuel, green travel, Qantas, Travel, Virgin Atlantic
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If there’s something we can expect to see a lot of this year, it is airlines talking up their green credentials. From chicken fat to algae, carriers are busy looking for new ways to fuel their planes and reduce their emissions.
Several airlines have already claimed “world-first” initiatives such as the first commercial biofuel flight, the first scheduled biofuel flight and the longest distance biofuel flight, and Qantas has announced its intention to operate Australia’s first biofuel flight early this year.
IATA has declared work on biofuels to be a major priority for the industry in the year ahead, with the association’s chief executive, Tony Tyler, saying it is “one of aviation’s great challenges” to reduce its carbon emissions. ”Sustainability is our licence to grow,” Tyler says.
The problem with biofuels and other green initiatives is that they… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Top travel trends for 2012 January 17, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Hotels, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, China, Facebook, Frommer's, near field communication, Travel, travel technology, travel trends, Twitter, voluntourism
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In a fast-changing world, here’s five things you’ll need to keep up with in 2012.
1. Prices are rising
We’ve had a fantastic run with cheap travel in the past few years but expect to pay a bit more in the next 12 months. Strong demand for business travel is expected to drive up prices of both airfares and hotels.
American Express predicts economy class airfares will rise between 6 per cent and 10 per cent on short-haul routes and 5 per cent to 9 per cent on long-haul routes, despite airline competition and the growth of low-cost carriers.
Hotel rates are also on the rise, with American Express predicting mid-range hotels will increase their rates by 3 per cent to 8 per cent and upper-scale hotels will add between 6 per cent and 10 per cent to their prices.
Global forecasts by Carlson Wagonlit Travel show we can also expect to pay more at overseas hotels, with modest increases in North America, Europe and Africa and increases of about 10 per cent in Latin America.
2. Channels are changing
Travel deals and information will be released in different ways as social media and other technology-based channels continue to grow. Hot deals are increasingly being sent out through… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
