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BA adds flights as staff offer to cover strike

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:16:14 GMT

British Airways is to increase its flying schedule during a three-day strike by its cabin crew after more staff volunteered to work, the airline announced today.

Click, pack and go: our pick of the week’s travel deals

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:54:20 GMT

It’s St Patrick’s Day today, which means that Guinness is being sunk in festive quantities around the globe and the Chicago River has turned a shade of green. To celebrate the Emerald Isle’s national holiday, our pick of this week’s deals are all island-shaped.

BA 'rushing through' volunteers to break strike

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:52:56 GMT

British Airways cabin crew leaders called on the Government today to launch an urgent investigation into the "rushing through" of 1,000 volunteer staff to help break this weekend's strike.

Weekly top five of five - Colombia

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The ninth annual South American games begin March 19 in Colombia, with officials trying to entice locals as well as visitors to watch by giving away a selected number of free tickets.

Flights soar back to 2008 levels, Africa drives growth

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Global airlines in March 2010 have more capacity than the same period in March 2008, before the start of the recession, according to recent figures from OAG Aviation.

Sanyo sets up solar parking lots for electric bikes

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Japanese electronics giant Sanyo said Tuesday it had opened two "solar parking lots" in Tokyo where 100 electric hybrid bicycles can be recharged from sunlight-powered panels.

Shanghai opens new 'rainbow' airport terminal

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Shanghai opened a new terminal at its domestic airport on Tuesday as China's second-largest city geared up to welcome tens of millions of visitors to the Expo 2010.

BA plans to keep 60% of passengers flying

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:31:26 GMT

British Airways today announced emergency plans to leep 60 per cent of its customers flying during the planned cabin crew strike this weekend – either on its plane or other airlines – as the dispute threatened to hit Labour’s general election campaign.

Virgin air service centre to create 200 jobs

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:14:41 GMT

Virgin Atlantic Airways is to create more than 200 jobs over the next two years following the opening of a new customer service centre.

Brown says BA strike is 'unjustified and deplorable'

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:05:00 GMT

The planned strike by British Airways cabin crew is "unjustified" and "deplorable" and should be called off, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today.

Adonis warns Unite over strike threat to BA's future

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Lord Adonis yesterday became the first senior Labour minister to publicly criticise the Unite trade union, saying the move was "totally unjustified", not just because of the damage to passengers but "the threat it poses to the future of one of our great companies".

Shanghai unveils new-look airport ahead of World Expo

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Shanghai this week will unveil a brand-new airport terminal -- the latest mega-infrastructure project to be completed as the Chinese city prepares to welcome tens of millions of visitors to Expo 2010.

British airport says sorry over T-shirt security gaffe

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

London's Gatwick Airport has apologised after a Briton wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Freedom or Die" was asked to turn it inside-out because it could be threatening, a spokesman said Monday.

Tips and deals of the week: 14/03/2010

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Two for one

STA Travel is currently offering two-for-one deals on flights and holidays. For example, flights to Cairo start at £399 for two.

For full details go to statravel.com

Kate Simon: Need a cheap city break? Try Barcelona, Prague, or maybe Coventry

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

The hotel industry is on the up. So says a report released last week by the business advisory firm Deloitte. It confirms that demand for hotel rooms across Europe has risen since last October, with a 3.3 per cent increase in January compared with the same month in 2009.

Katy Holland: Woodland to Wonderland: Easter escapes that won't break the bank

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

On my to-do list this weekend: make a plan for the Easter holidays that: a) doesn't require a second mortgage to pay for it; and b) will distract the kids from their usual pastime of throttling each other.

Women-only taxis hit Cairo streets

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A waxed rag in hand, Inas Hamam gives her car a good buff as she awaits her first clients of the day -- Egyptian women, tired of sexual harassment, who prefer a female taxi driver.

My Life In Travel: Julia Bradbury, television presenter

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Travel challenge: A spring break in Jersey

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Every week, we invite competing companies to give us their best deal for a specified holiday. Today: a three-night holiday in Jersey, departing on 17 April. Prices are for two people.

Simon Calder: Saga has been a huge boost for BA's rivals

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Stress, unpredictability and exhaustion: that's what working as BA cabin crew can involve.

Something To Declare: Flight delays; Malaysia in comfort; Iberia by train; free wi-fi on Stena Line

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Simon Calder: 'The yoghurt that ate my meal allowance'

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Pay? Rosters? Staffing? None of the above is at the heart of the bitter dispute between British Airways and its cabin crew. I can reveal that the conflict is rooted in something more, well, cultural. Not the ideological clash between staff with a tradition of delivering excellent service versus a macho management seemingly bent on cost-cutting, but the popular dairy product made from cultured milk. Yes, this is the first time a union has confronted an airline over the price of yoghurt.

Travel Agenda: British Tourism Week; impact of tourism on wild animals; Monarch Airlines

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:01 GMT

Today: The ancient turns modern: Hadrian's Wall is being illuminated from the North to the Irish Sea to mark the start of British Tourism Week and 1,600 years since the end of the Roman Britain. Ignition of the lights starts at 5.45pm in Wallsend and continues for 84 miles throughout the evening (illuminatinghadrianswall.com; britishtourismweek.com).

Strikes cause travel headache for BA passengers

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:50:33 GMT

Passengers booked to fly with British Airways on this month's strike days will have to go through the small print of their insurance policies and navigate around the BA website to find out just what effect the dispute will have on their travel plans.

Second rail union votes for strikes

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:05:01 GMT

A second rail union announced today that its members have voted in favour of strikes in a row over Network Rail's plans to axe 1,500 maintenance jobs.