2007 Articles

Flexible holidays to help workers get away

Forthcoming changes in holiday allowance will enable more UK workers to leave the country for short breaks and week-long getaways, Thomson.co.uk has predicted.

From October this year, two million full-time employees will benefit from 24 days' annual holiday including bank holidays, while holiday entitlement will rise to 28 days' holiday by 2009.

Those additional days will give workers added flexibility on working dates, allowing Britons to flee to sunnier climes for extended weekend breaks or longer sojourns abroad.
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Heathrow Airport envisions pick-up in passengers

Passenger numbers passing through Heathrow Airport can be expected to "grow quite rapidly again" with the introduction of Terminal 5, a spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association (AOA) has predicted.

Although a "relative decline" in passenger numbers has been witnessed in recent years due to possible confusion over security limitations on hand luggage and the migration of a small proportion of business passengers across to private jets, "Heathrow and the other London airports are still growing strongly", the AOA representative insisted.

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Costumed characters urge security awareness at Manchester Airport

Passengers flying from Manchester Airport are to be alerted to tighter security arrangements in the UK via a 'multi-channel communications campaign' which incorporates digital signs and costumed characters.

Last-minute jettisoning of valuable cosmetics has become commonplace as customers fail to realise the extent of restrictions on carrying liquid in hand luggage.

Manchester Airport alone disposes of over a ton of liquids such as sun cream and perfumes every day, authorities have reported.
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Edinburgh Airport hotel wins plaudits

Edinburgh Airport's Quality Hotel has been named as a finalist in the international Quality Hotel of the Year Award.

The Quality Hotel chain has over 5,000 outlets worldwide, in destinations as diverse as Copenhagen, Toronto and Berlin, but the Edinburgh branch outperformed all its UK rivals to make it into the global finalists' category.

The hotel's levels of customer service, such as the option for travellers departing early to take a continental breakfast with them en route, earned the Edinburgh Quality high praise from judges.

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Keep hold of holiday insurance, 'Facebook generation' told

Britain's 'Facebook generation' risk being refused medical treatment or emergency financial help if they forget to take holiday insurance documents overseas with them when they travel, data analysts Thunderhead have warned.

More than one in two people aged 23 to 35 confessed that they have omitted to take insurance papers with them on holiday, but their negligence could leave them in a tight corner if they need to contact their insurer in case of accident, theft or loss.

"In many countries holiday-makers are denied assistance unless they can produce the necessary proof of an insurance policy, leading to unnecessary delays in processing medical treatment or financial assistance," Thunderhead's chief executive Glen Manchester explained.

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Baby boy born between Manchester Airport and Gatwick Airport

The parents of a baby boy born in mid-air on a First Choice flight from Manchester Airport to Heraklion, Crete are celebrating his return to good health

His mother, Nicola Delemere, aged 31, was 25 weeks pregnant when her waters broke on board the plane.

The flight was diverted but Mrs Delemere gave birth to tiny Alfie, who weighed just 1lb 1oz and was having difficulty breathing, while the jet was still cruising at 30,000 feet.
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Holidaymakers hope for another bank holiday

As Britons mourn the passing of the last summer Bank Holiday, a leading think-tank has called for a further bank holiday to be instituted.

The Institute for Public Policy Research proposed that a bank holiday be introduced on the Monday after Remembrance Sunday to say 'thank you' to national heroes.

The proposed timing of the bank holiday would position it as a 'national day' of the kind apparently favoured by Gordon Brown.
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Airport convenience almost as vital as price

British holidaymakers value flying from a convenient airport close to home only slightly less than a low-cost flight, a study from Holidays Direct has revealed.

In a poll, 37 per cent of people said the location of the airport they departed from was a key factor they thought about when booking a flight.

Although 44 per cent of people prioritised price considerations, accessing the plane from a convenient locale was much more important than the time of the flight, which concerned only 11 per cent of bookers.
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Cut Bank Holiday queues with forward planning

As UK airports prepare to receive millions of passengers over the Bank Holiday weekend, travellers are being told to organise their airport parking and car hire in advance.

The UK's four biggest airports, led by London's Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport, expect to process 1.94 million people in total between August 24th and August 27th.

Travellers are urged to ensure that they check that documents such as passports are up to date and pre-arranging airport parking to save time.
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Comic plays cross-dresser in All About My Mother

A stage adaptation of All About My Mother, a critically-acclaimed 1999 film from Pedro Almodovar, director of Bad Education, Talk to Her and Volver, will open at the Old Vic theatre as the Bank Holiday weekend draws to a close.

The curtain will rise on the show, staged at Kevin Spacey's Old Vic, on August 27th.

In the past, the possessive Almodovar has resisted adaptations of his work, but his production company, El Deseo (Desire) agreed to this version on condition that the creative talents involved experimented with new angles instead of trying to ape the screen version.
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Manchester Airport to erect symbol of expansion

The deadline date has arrived for architects to submit designs for a new air traffic control tower at Manchester Airport which airport spokespeople have described as "symbolic" of the growth of the travel hub.

The competition to construct the new tower, which has a dedicated budget of £8 million, set a deadline of August 24th for submissions.

At a height of 164 metres, the "high-quality, high-profile" tower will be visible far from its base at the airport complex which includes Terminals One and Three.
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