2007 Articles

Glasgow Airport keeping Scotland well connected

Improvements to Glasgow airport mean "Scotland is better connected than at any time in its history", it has been reported.

BAA Scotland chairman Stephen Baxter told the Herald newspaper that the transport hub's 40 new international flights on offer this year were just the start of the airport's growth and that access to foreign destinations was now much easier for Scottish passengers.

The newspaper reports that in the last year alone, Scotland's airports had seen a wealth of new services - with flights now running to Boston and Geneva from Glasgow, and Dortmund, Munich, Madrid and Milan from Edinburgh.
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World Cup effect lasts in Germany

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO)has released figures which show a rising number of visits to the country in 2007 and prove that its popularity as a travel destination is "undiminished" after the 2006 World Cup.

In the first eight months of 2007 there were 37.4 million overnight stays in Germany by international visitors, three per cent more than the year before.

With 2.89 million overnight stays between January and August in 2007, Britain was the third most substantial source market for Germany this year, behind the Netherlands and the US.
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New bmibaby services from Birmingham, Glasgow

Low-fares airline bmibaby has announced new services that it will launch from Birmingham Airport and Glasgow Airport next year.

The carrier will offer two flights a week from Birmingham to Krakow from February 12th, which will depart on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Bmibaby is the largest airline operating from the West Midlands hub and the new service brings its total number of destinations served from the airport to 23.
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AA arrival 'significant moment' for Stansted

The recent arrival of American Airlines (AA) at Stansted Airport was one of the most significant moments in the hub's recent history, a BAA spokesperson has said.

AA, the world's largest carrier, is currently operating a daily service to New York JFK from Stansted and will launch twice-daily flights in April 2008.

A representative for airport operator BAA said that the commencement of AA services gave Stansted a "particular cause for celebration".
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More Stansted Express services in 2008

People flying to and from Stansted Airport next year will be offered more transport services to Liverpool Street station with Stansted Express.

The company is adding a total of 13 extra services in a new timetable that will begin on January 2nd, Travelmole reports.

There will now be a daily service travelling from Stansted to Liverpool Street at 00:30 GMT, as well as additional departures from Stansted at 01:00 and 01:30 on Monday, Friday and Saturday mornings.
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Ryanair opens Bristol base

Low-fares airline Ryanair has opened its base at Bristol Airport today, with flights launched to Budapest, Derry, Knock, Milan, Porto, Riga and Wroclaw.

November 8th will see new Ryanair services to Poznan and Rzeszow in Poland, Bratislava in Slovakia and Dinard in France. Flights to Katowice in Poland will begin on November 10th.

Two more ski destinations will be available from Bristol Airport next month when Ryanair commences services to Salzburg on December 19th and Turin on December 22nd.
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Heathrow 'recruiting staff to cut queues'

Recruitment is being pushed forward at Heathrow Airport in order to reduce queues for passengers, according to BAA.

One of the most problematic areas at airports for the build-up of queues is the security checkpoint and a spokesperson for the airport operator said that more workers are being brought in to deal with this issue.

Money is also being spent on technology improvements to keep delays to a minimum, the representative claimed.
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Congestion, security 'a priority for airports'

The world's major airports see congestion and security as their most significant priorities that necessitate investment in IT facilities, according to a new survey.

Technology and communications company SITA polled the top 200 airport operators from around the globe and found that the 2.1 billion passengers who boarded planes last year highlighted the pressing nature of issues of overcrowding and safety.

The number of fliers is expected to increase at a rate of over five per cent every year.
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More Middle Eastern flights from Heathrow

Heathrow Airport will be the base for more flights to the Middle East in 2008 after bmi announced that it will offer new services to Saudi Arabia next year.

The carrier, which is the second largest operator out of Heathrow, will begin flying from London to Dammam three times a week in early 2008.

This will build on bmi's existing services to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh and the city of Jeddah, which launched in September 2005 and April 2006 respectively.
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Spain 'top for Xmas'

Holiday hotspots in Spain, and in particular the Canary Islands, are the most popular option with Britons looking for some winter sun, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta).

Frances Tuke, a spokesperson for the association, said that winter break options are generally restricted to trips to sunny destinations such as Spain or skiing holidays.

She explained that one of the major factors that attracts many people to the Iberian region is the number of people who own foreign property.
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BAA: Touchscreen machines increasing in number

Increasing number of passengers are making the airport experience simpler for themselves by making use of touchscreen machines, according to BAA.

A spokesperson for the airports operator said that there are a number of generic machines at hubs around the UK that allow fliers to carry out their own check-in procedures for their flights.

However he also explained that a number of major airlines are installing their own self-service machines as the trend becomes more popular.
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