Just when you thought airlines were going to be a bit more accommodating to economy (coach) class passengers (see Flat Out Comfort in Economy), along come American Airlines.
American are planning to charge passengers $8 (£5) for a pillow and blanket on domestic trips and some international flights longer than two hours.
Not just any pillow and blanket, mind you. It’s ‘a blue fleece blanket with an inflatable neck pillow in a clear zip-up pouch.’ They’re even going to throw in a money-off coupon for the Bed, Bath and Beyond store. Needless to say, blankets and pillows will remain free in first class cabins.
To be fair to American, I gather US Airways already charge $7 (£4.50) for a pillow and blanket set, which comes with eye-shade and ear-plugs.
Airlines have steadily added or increased fees for various services since 2008, first to help cover jet fuel costs, then to offset large losses. British Airways recently announced that it had made a pre-tax loss of £50 million ($78 million) in the three months to December 2009. This was better than expected and BA said the figures were representative of cost-cutting measures across the company.
by Andy Moreton
It’s being called the first major improvement in economy class comfort for 20 years – the chance to lie down on long-haul flights like those envied fellow travellers in business and first.
Air New Zealand is equipping its new Boeing 777-300 ER range with 22 ‘Skycouches’ in the first 11 rows of economy. The airline’s developers have created a lie-down space for two adults from three economy seats abreast that fold out and stretch right to the seats in front.
For two adults, purchasing the Skycouch will be based on buying two seats at standard prices, with the third seat at approximately half price. Full fare details will be announced when the service goes on sale in late April.
The first arduous routes to offer travellers the Skycouch will be between Auckland and Los Angeles from December 2010 and Auckland and London from April 2011.
“For those who choose, the days of sitting in economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone,” said Air NZ Chief Executive, Rob Fyfe. “The dream is now a reality, one that you can even share with a travelling companion – just keep your clothes on, thanks.”
by Andy Moreton
For some while now, New Zealand has been a ‘must-see’ destination. Let Luxique help you choose from one of eight luxury hotels in New Zealand.
The Spanish capital, Madrid, is one of a number of destinations to which the train is expected become a viable alternative to the plane within Western Europe during the next decade.
It’s thought a high-speed Paris–Madrid train link will be in place within the next two years, bringing the journey time between the two cities to 5½ hours.
Although a flight would take less than half that time, you have to add several hours for checking-in, airport security and travel to and from the city centres. The rail industry is hoping to attract passengers who are becoming disenchanted with this ‘airport hassle factor’.
The German train operator, Deutsche Bahn, is in talks with Eurotunnel about a direct train route to and from London through the tunnel, while Eurostar – which currently runs services from London St. Pancras direct to Paris and Brussels – has also made no secret of its interest in taking trains farther afield.
There would certainly be no lack of support from the respective governments as trains are seen to be more environmentally friendly than planes in short-haul travel.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers a wide choice of luxury hotels in Madrid, from the traditional Westin Palace to the quirky and fun Room Mate Mario.
China is planning to construct the world’s highest airport at an altitude of 14,500 feet (4,436 metres).
The airport will be built in the Nagqu prefecture of Tibet – what’s been called ‘the roof of the world’. The region is home to a mostly ethnic Tibetan population of about 400,000.
The airport, to be located about 140 miles (230kms) north of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, will be the sixth in the region, which has been ruled by China for almost six decades. It is expected to surpass Bamda Airport, also in Tibet, by 335ft (102m).
This is the latest in a series of ambitious infrastructure projects being carried out by China. A railway line connecting Tibet to the rest of China opened four years ago, and the government is constructing six new rail lines in and around the vast region, which is rich in natural resources.
Critics of China’s rule say this new infrastructure is allowing its ethnic Han majority to flood Tibet, exploit its resources and consolidate political control. But Beijing has insisted that such projects will raise the standard of living in the remote region.
Construction will begin next year and is likely to last three years. Experts say the task won’t be easy given the altitude and the climate – average temperatures there stay below zero throughout the year.
by Andy Moreton
The UK government’s announcement that it intends to introduce body scanners at all major airports has stirred up something of a hornets’ nest.
The decision was taken in the light of the failed attempt to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day, but the government has been told the devices might breach an individual’s right to privacy under the Human Rights Act.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has written to the government expressing its concerns.
The scanners produce ‘naked’ images of passengers, and civil rights groups warn they could generate illegal pictures of children and celebrities that could be leaked online. In response to such fears, the Department of Transport said it was developing a staff code of practice for airport body scanners.
In its letter, the EHRC calls on the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to set out in detail the justification for bringing in body scanners, and clarify what safeguards will be put in place.
The Netherlands has also decided to install the scanners, but other countries such as Spain have sounded less enthusiastic.
by Andy Moreton
There was something quite alarming about the revelation last week that five passengers had had their pockets picked while sleeping on an Air France flight from Tokyo to Paris.
I think it was the violation of that unwritten code that, although some fellow travellers may snore, some may chat when you’re trying to read, and some may get up rather too often to visit the loo, everyone is basically honest.
The Air France-KLM Group said the incident was ‘very rare’ and wouldn’t prompt the airline to change proceedings by cabin crew, whose primary concern remained the flight’s safety.
The passengers on the Boeing 777, who were in business class, lost about £3,600 ($5,750) and the police in Paris are investigating.
An Air France spokeswoman said the airline didn’t provide a secure safe for valuables on board, and cabin crew ‘were not mandated’ to query passengers on which bags they were opening or if they were the rightful owners.
While Air France was responsible for the loss of any baggage in the hold, she said, it was up to the passengers themselves to protect money and other valuables they took on to the plane.
by Andy Moreton
My seasonal award for the most thoughtful travel gesture this holiday time goes to Air Berlin.
The airline – the second biggest in Germany after Lufthansa – is allowing passengers to take their Christmas trees with them on flights at no extra cost. Customers can take trees of up to two metres (six feet) in height until Christmas Eve on condition they notify the airline at least 24 hours in advance.
Titus Johnson, Air Berlin’s manager in the UK and Ireland, said: “Most of the demand for this comes from our German customers – it seems they can’t bear to be parted from their trees at Christmas. After all, it was Queen Victoria’s [German] husband, Prince Albert, who brought the tradition with him to England in the first place.”
The trees will, of course, go in the hold, not on the empty seat on the aisle. I’d love to witness the scene at the baggage carousel!
by Andy Moreton
Efforts are being made to bring home more than 3,500 passengers stranded abroad after the collapse of Scotland’s biggest airline, Flyglobespan.
Rival budget airlines including Flybe, EasyJet and Ryanair have been offering reduced price rescue packages. The Transport Minister, Paul Clark, said efforts were being made to get the passengers home for Christmas. “We are working with the industry and the Civil Aviation Authority to minimise the regrettable disruption,” he said.
Flyglobespan had 800 staff and had operated flights from Manchester, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Belfast to 24 destinations in Europe, North America and North Africa.
The airline had expanded aggressively in recent years. This year, it has carried more than 1.5million passengers and operated 12,000 flights.
The company had hoped for a last-minute reprieve against administration with a cash injection from a Jersey-based company, but eleventh hour talks seemed to have failed.
It was already a bad month for aviation in the UK, with the announcement of a 12-day Christmas strike by British Airways cabin crew over pay and conditions. That strike is now off, having been declared unlawful. The High Court in London ruled that the union had not correctly balloted its members.
by Andy Moreton
I didn’t know whether to rejoice or hold my head in my hands at the news that the plane maker Airbus has sold the first two 840-seater airliners.
My first thought was: I hope there are enough toilets.
The two planes are all-economy versions of the giant A380. They’ve been sold to Air Austral, the flag carrier of Reunion in the southern Indian Ocean. The island is officially part of France, and the airline has nine flights a week to Paris.
The configuration of passengers, euphemistically known as ‘high-density’, has been certified for use by civil aviation authorities after a fire test in which 873 passengers and crew were safely evacuated in under 80 seconds.
Airbus’s Chief Operating Officer, John Leahy, said that far from people being crammed in, it would be more comfortable for them. He said the plane’s size meant there would still be wider seats, wider aisles and more space for each passenger than on its competitors.
The standard A380 recently made its maiden transatlantic flight. Air France took one of the airliners from Paris to New York with 538 passengers, 380 of whom were fans of the super-jumbo and had bid for the seats on eBay.
by Andy Moreton
Cyprus has opened an ultra-modern airport that it hopes will boost flagging tourism and revive prospects of it becoming a regional transport hub.
The Cypriot President, Demetris Christofias, opened the new Larnaca terminal, built by a consortium of French and Cypriot companies, at a ceremony attended by 2,000 guests.
“Today serves as a landmark in the history of tourism development and the island’s infrastructure in general,” said Christofias. “This work plays a significant role in upgrading Cyprus as a main transit hub in the coming decades.”
The high-tech terminal is four times larger than its predecessor, which is just a couple of miles away on the island’s south coast. The old terminal was originally built as a makeshift facility in February 1975 after the island’s only airport, in the capital Nicosia, got caught up in no-man’s land as a result of the Turkish invasion eight months earlier.
The new Larnaca airport took three years to build at a cost of 656 million euros (£586 million / $974 million) in what was one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Cyprus. It now has the capacity to handle passenger traffic of up to 7.5 million people annually with a provision to extend this to nearly 10 million when the need arises.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique can secure you the best rates at three luxury hotels in Cyprus: the Anassa in Polis, the Annabelle in Paphos and the Londa in Limassol.
