Mobile Use On Flights One Step Closer

Communications watchdog, Ofcom, has given the green light to the use of mobile phones during flights.

Security concerns were raised, as mobile phones are capable of triggering a bomb explosion. There is also concern that the use of mobiles may annoy fellow passengers, leading to air-rage incidents.

Several bodies still have to approve the use of mobiles on flights, including the European Commission and Civil Aviation Authority.

More Delays, Less Complaints!

Flight delays from UK airports are becoming increasingly common, with average delays for charter flights being 25 minutes, and scheduled flights 17 minutes.

The worst offenders were Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport, with between 33 and 42% delayed flights.

The official airline consumer watchdog, the Air Transport Users Council, reported just over 11,000 complaints in the year 2007 / 2008. Nearly half of these complaints were about delayed or cancelled flights, although there were significantly less complaints than the previous year.

So why are we putting up with more delays? It could be that airports now have much better shopping, catering and leisure facilities to keep us occupied while we wait. It could also be that we are simply getting used to all the delays, especially since the introduction of higher level security checks which means more hanging around.

The more cynically inclined could be forgiven for thinking that airport delays were contrived to make us spend more money at the airport terminals!

Faster Visa Processing Between UK And US

UK and US governments have signed an agreement to develop a 'trusted traveller initiative', allowing pre-screened travellers fast-track processing when arriving in the other country.

Under the agreement, the two governments will work to create a special channel for these travellers and develop fingerprint, iris or facial recognition technology to speed up border controls whilst maintaining security.

The programme is aimed at those regular trusted travellers, such as those working in large international corporations, who frequently travel between the two countries. They will undergo an enrollment and pre-screening process.

Ryanair Launches Text Service

Ryanair has launched a new text service, which sends regular flight status updates to UK and Irish mobiles.

The Flight Tracker service could be very useful for people awaiting the arrival of a Ryanair passenger, saving time spent hanging around the airport and also saving money on airport parking charges.

From the UK, call 0844 8 93 93 93 from your mobile or text FR + flight number to 85122. From Ireland, call 0818 220 333 from your mobile or Text FR + flight number to 57252. For a demo, go to www.flighttracker.ie .

Spanish Holiday Club Scam

The Office of Fair Trading has revealed that a spanish holiday club scam has already earned its creators millions of pounds.

The scam involves the use of scratchcards asking 'have you won a luxury holiday?' All the cards are winning cards, with the prize being a sales presentation designed to push people into parting with cash to join an exclusive holiday club.

The 'exclusive holiday club' offers members access to holidays in resorts such as Fuengirola, Benalmadena and the Canary Islands. However, it appears that the contracts signed are 'nearly worthless', and in many cases the club offers little more than an internet booking service, which members could access equally easily without club membership.

The average amount paid by victims of the scam is 3,000 euros.

The OFT scambusters team have been handing out their own versions of the cards at UK Airports to highlight the problem, whilst staff from the European Consumer Centre have been on hand at Malaga Airport. The OFT has also taken out adverts in inflight magazines and airport walls.

Mike Haley, head of consumer protection at the OFT, urged holidaymakers to take extra care when faced with something aimed at persuading them to attend such a presentation, and to ask themselves three questions:

• Can you take away the contract to consider at your leisure?
• Is everything you are promised in the presentation in the contract?
• Do you know exactly what you are getting for your money?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, the OFT advises you to walk away.

Ryanair Extends Charges For Priority Boarding

Ryanair has announced that passengers checking-in online will no longer qualify for free priority boarding.

Currently, passengers checking-in at the airport are charged a £4 fee for priority boarding. Ryanair offered the service free of charge to passengers checking in online, to encourage them to use the online checking-in facility. However, it was only a temporary measure, and the change will come into effect for all bookings from June 3.

On the same date, Ryanair will also be launching an online name change facility, which will allow passengers to make name changes up to 24 hours before travel. Passengers previously were only able to change names by calling the Ryanair call centre.

BA Increases Fuel Surcharges

British Airways has announced that fuel surcharges on short and long-haul flights will increase from 2 May, following further increases in oil prices.

Short-haul flights will see an increase in surcharge from £10 to £13 each way, equating to a return flight charge of £26. For flights of less than 9 hours, the return flight charge will increase by £20 to £126, and flights over 9 hours will increase by £30 to £158.

Passenger Face Scans To Start At UK Airports This Summer

The days of having your passport checked manually by officers at the airport could be numbered, as face recognition technology is implemented at UK airports starting this summer, according to the Guardian.

The reasons for implementing the technology are cited as being to improve security and ease congestion. The technology is considered to be more effective than humans at recognising faces and detecting identity fraud.

The technology works by scanning the face and matching it to the image stored on the chip of the passenger's biometric passport. Around 8-10 million UK passengers now have the biometric pasport.

Singapore Airlines And Virgin Come Out Top In Airline Amenities Survey

SeatGuru, the airline information website, has published the results of a recent survey in which over 1600 travellers were asked their opinions about the amenities and related services received on all airlines.

The airlines that came out top in the survey were Singapore Airlines, voted the best airline for food, and the second best airline for amenities, Virgin Atlantic, voted best airline for amenities and third best for food, and BA, voted second best airline for food, and third for amenities.

44% passengers said that a television at their seat was the entertainment feature they valued most, while 26% said a full meal was the comfort feature they valued most. 36% said the in-flight luxury they would be most willing to pay for would be a bed.

36% said they would give up the complimentary snack to save money on the fare, while 37% said they would be willing to pay up to 10% more for a better seat with extra legroom. 32% said they wouldn't be willing to pay any premium.

When it comes to checking in, 56% of passengers said they preferred to check in online, while 14% preferred to check in at the electronic kiosk and 24% preferred to check in at the traditional manned desk.

Flights to US from UK likely to become cheaper!

On March 30th, air travel between the US and Europe undergoes a significant change, as the open-skies agreement comes into effect. Airlines based in the US and Europe will be allowed to fly between any two airports in the regions, opening up the market for more choice, and most likely cheaper fares, for travellers.

Currently, transatlantic flights are governed by separate agreements between the US and the individual EU country, with restrictions applied in various degrees. For example, there are currently only two US airlines allowed to land at Heathrow airport, namely American and United Airlines. Once the new agreement comes into effect, airlines such as Continental, Delta and Northwest will be allowed to land at Heathrow for the first time. As a result of this change, flights from the United States to Heathrow are expected to increase by 31 percent, according to OAG Back Aviation Solutions.

As well as providing increased competition on established routes, new routes are planned, bringing direct flights from the UK to many more US destinations such as Dallas Fort Worth and Atlanta.

Micheal O' Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has already announced plans to start transatlantic no-frills routes from secondary airports such as Birmingham airport and Liverpool airport, promising base fares from as little as 10 euros.

Flights to Poland contribute to UK airport traffic growth

Flights to Poland accounted for 20% of the growth in traffic at UK airports last year, according to figures published by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The total number of passengers passing through UK airports in 2007 was 241 million, up 2.4% on the previous year. This equates to an extra 5.6 million passengers, of which 1 million came from Poland.

Transatlantic flights experienced an increase of 0.7 million passengers, rising from 21.7 to 22.4 million, reflecting the weakened position of the dollar.

Heathrow Airport handled the largest number of passengers, with 68 million passengers passing through the gates, or 28% of the total. Gatwick Airport handled 14.6%, Stansted Airport 10%, Manchester Airport 9%, and Luton Airport 4%.

Flight cancellations and delays at UK airports

Flights to and from UK airports, including Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Aberdeen and Glasgow International, continue to experience cancellations and delays due to the severe weather conditions.

Passengers travelling to and from all UK airports are advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. Live UK flight departure and arrival information can be found on the UK Airport Guide, by visiting the information pages relating to the individual airport in question.

Monarch Flight Vouchers as Christmas Presents

Monarch Airlines are offering flight gift vouchers as potential Christmas presents through its website www.flymonarch.com. The vouchers can be used as full or part payment for flights to any of Monarch's scheduled destinations. They can be purchased for any amount, and any money left over after a flight has been purchased can be used to book other flights until the total credit has been used up.

The gift idea is valid for up to 12 months from the date of purchase, and while both the voucher and any flights booked with them are non-refundable and non-transferable, the airline allows any flight details to be amended free of charge within 24 hours of booking.

Flybe announces flight schedule for Summer 2008

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, today launches 23 new routes across the UK and Europe with over seven million seats on sale. The summer schedule is effective from 30th March to 25th October 2008, with seats on sale at www.Flybe.com.

Nine additional routes are being introduced from Cardiff, Inverness and the Isle of Man, and South West has brand new routes to Barcelona (Reus), Birmingham, Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Southampton from Newquay airport, in addition to flights from Exeter to Dubrovnik, Brussels, Inverness and Aberdeen.

There are also 12 new routes on sale from Flybe’s Scottish bases in Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow to destinations across the UK and Europe, as well as a new non-stop service to Paris from Belfast and two new services from Jersey to Aberdeen and Doncaster.