London, I’m Coming Home (Qype does London)

London, I’m Coming Home
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
January 11th 2009

I’m sitting here at Hartsfield International Airport (ick) in Atlanta waiting for my flight back to Heathrow (double ick). Despite the prospect of an especially sinister case of jetlag and an ever increasing pile of work waiting to gang up on me across The Pond, I’m more than ready to return. Three weeks is a long time to be away. I miss my wife, my kitties, my daily routine and the city I call home.

Read the complete London, I’m Coming Home post at Qype does London.

Book UK Airport Hotels with Airport-Hotels.co.uk

Every so often, I find myself with an upcoming flight taking off at the crack of dawn. When I’ve been able to spend the night before the flight at accommodations near the airport, it’s made those trips so much more relaxing than if I would have had to drag myself to the airport in the wee early morn feeling like a zombie.

Have you got a similar travel situation coming up? Consider booking a room at an airport hotel and cut down on any early morning stresses trying to make your airport.

A useful resource for booking your room near the airport is Airport-Hotels.co.uk, which lists every hotel available near every major airport in the UK. Whether situated within the airport perimeter (on-airport) and just a short walk to the airport terminal or off-airport and requiring a short transfer to the terminals, you’ll find the right hotel on Airport-Hotels.co.uk.

Airport-Hotels.co.uk compares relevant hotel prices from five leading hotel providers, including Holiday Extras, Superbreak, APH and FHR, helping to ensure you pay the lowest price for you room. With Airport-Hotels.co.uk, you can also choose to include dinner or breakfast, additional car parking or – of course – simply book a room. In addition to those features, Airport-hotels can be used to reserve hotel parking for up to fifteen days.

You also might want to keep Airport-Hotels.co.uk in mind to bypass any potential late night hassles associated with an upcoming flight arriving just in time for you to want to hit the sack. I’ve been in this situation a few times before too. And when I’ve been able to simply make it to a room quick and move on the next morning after a decent night’s sleep, I’ve gotten more out of my trip. Of course, should you have an upcoming business meeting near a UK airport, Airport-Hotels.co.uk is an obvious choice for booking as well.

Delta + Northwest = World's Biggest Carrier

US merger forms 'largest airline'
Rival US companies Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have agreed to merge in a $5bn (£2.5bn) deal that will create the world's biggest carrier.
BBC News
Page last updated at 07:24 GMT, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 08:24 UK

The new airline, to be called Delta, will have annual revenue of more than $35bn and employ about 75,000 staff.

Click here for complete article.

1000+ American Airlines Flights Cancelled

American Airlines grounds flights
American Airlines has cancelled more than 1,000 flights after grounding its MD-80 aircraft to conduct extra safety inspections on wiring.
BBC News
Page last updated at 19:39 GMT, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 20:39 UK

American Airlines said there could be more cancellations after Wednesday as it continued to check its fleet of MD-80 aircraft.

Click here for complete article.

In Flight Mobile Calls on European Flights

Could be a dream come true should you need to make a call or a nightmare if you find yourself sitting next to a blabbermouth!

Europe clears mobiles on aircraft
Mobile phone calls will be allowed on planes flying in European airspace under new European Commission rules.
BBC News
Page last updated at 10:27 GMT, Monday, 7 April 2008 11:27 UK

The decision means that mobiles could be used once a plane has reached an altitude of 3,000m or more.

Click here for complete article.

Freshly Packed Suitcase Full of Misery at T5

Fresh baggage woes at Terminal 5
Hopes of Heathrow's Terminal 5 operating its first full schedule of flights have been scuppered by a new glitch with the baggage system.
BBC News
Page last updated at 13:19 GMT, Saturday, 5 April 2008 14:19 UK

Airport operator BAA's computer system which sorts bags before they are loaded onto flights malfunctioned and manual sorting had to be carried out.

Click here for complete article.

British Airways to Cancel More T5 Flights

BA to cancel hundreds more flights from T5
By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent
Financial Times
Published: March 30 2008 17:33 Last updated: March 30 2008 17:33

British Airways expects to cancel hundreds more flights at its global hub at London Heathrow airport this week, as it battles to overcome baggage handling and other operating problems at its showpiece £4.3bn Terminal 5.

Click here for complete article.

T5 Nightmare Continues

What did go wrong at Terminal 5?
Seventy flights have been cancelled in the last two days as teething problems at Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5 caused chaos. But what actually went wrong?
BBC News
Page last updated at 18:43 GMT, Friday, 28 March 2008

The problems appear to be due to a combination of factors.

Click here for complete article.

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BA promising Terminal 5 fix soon
The Press Association - 1 hour ago
BA has moved to reassure air passengers contemplating a third day of travel chaos at Heathrow's Terminal Five (T5) by revealing that just 37 flights would ...

British Airways boss Willie Walsh refuses to quit after Heathrow chaos
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 1 hour ago
Arch-rivals Virgin Atlantic stuck the boot in, saying BA had been given a wonderful gift with T5 "but they couldn't unwrap it properly". ...

Disruption at T5 enters third day
BBC News, UK - 2 hours ago
Cancelled flights, a temporary suspension in luggage check-in and baggage delays blighted the opening day of T5 on Thursday, leaving many passengers ...

Day 2 At T5 .. And It's Business As Usual
Glasgow Daily Record, UK - 3 hours ago
Scheduled flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were axed as T5 saw a second day of long queues, cancellations and baggage delays. ...

SEEING RED IN STYLE
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 3 hours ago
In fact the staff at T5 were faultless - impossibly patient, relentlessly cheerful and endearingly helpful. All in all, it was a very British day out - 18 ...

COMPO TO COST DEAR
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 3 hours ago
The T5 debacle will cost BA millions - but it may try to get some of the cash back from the British Airports Authority, which technically runs the building. ...

ERRORS PILED UP ALL DAY
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 3 hours ago
When they finally got into T5, a programming error meant staff could not log into the baggage handling computer. Passengers arrived to find check-ins ...

T5 Nightmare

Baggage halted at new £4.3bn T5
Flights from Heathrow's new £4.3bn Terminal 5 are departing with hand baggage only after luggage check-in was suspended due to technical problems.
BBC News
Last Updated: Thursday, 27 March 2008, 19:43 GMT

British Airways, which has sole use of T5, announced check-in of all hold luggage was suspended until Friday. The airline has already cancelled 34 flights because of baggage system problems and passengers have had to wait up to four hours for luggage.

Click here for complete article.

Heathrow's T5 Opens to Public

Heathrow's T5 open to passengers
Heathrow's new Terminal 5 has opened to the public as British Airways begins operating from the building.
BBC News
Last Updated: Thursday, 27 March 2008, 07:59 GMT

A BA flight from Hong Kong was the first to arrive at the £4.3bn facility. The first departure was at 0620 GMT, when a service left for Paris.

Click here for complete article.

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'Hassle Heathrow' new terminal opens
CNN International - 44 minutes ago
With 60 aircraft stands actually attached to two new buildings, "T5" can handle dozens of planes at the same time -- including the new Airbus A380 ...

Terminal 5 opens its doors
Guardian, UK - 7 minutes ago
Travellers on the first arrival at T5, flight BA026 from Hong Kong, reported no major problems with baggage or long queues at immigration - two of the ...

Heathrow's T5 Adds Passengers, Fails to Stop Delays (Update1)
Bloomberg - 1 minute ago``T5 was actually designed in the early 1990s and so is already out of date,'' Steve Ridgway, Virgin's chief executive officer, said in an e-mailed response ...

BAA axes T5 fingerprinting plan
Guardian, UK - 4 hours ago
Airport operator BAA will not be taking fingerprints of passengers using Heathrow's £4.3 billion Terminal 5 (T5) following doubts over the legality of such ...

Flash mob demo expected as T5 opens The Press Association
Heathrow T5 opens amid tight security Reuters UK
Protests planned as T5 opens for business ITN
TeleText - MSNBCall 321 news articles »

Cheap Flights to London (Travelocity and United)

From the Travelocity website:

Round-Trip Flights From $341+
As the days grow warmer and that famous fog begins to lift, London bursts into full bloom. Now is the perfect moment to visit this storied city with United's round-trip flights from $341+. Book today and take a jolly holiday before the summer crowds arrive.

- Tickets must be issued by March 26, 2008.
- Outbound travel must completed by May 15, 2008.
- Fares are valid for travel Monday - Wednesday.
- See Terms and Conditions for advance purchase requirements.

Click here for more info at Travelocity (and let me know if you're coming for a visit!).

Trans-Atlantic leg room and high attendent to passenger ratio

Airline Commits 'Eco-Crime'
Trans-Atlantic flight arrives in London with just FIVE passengers on board
eTurboNews
Mar 05, 2008

Furious environmental campaigners have hit out at an airline that sent a plane on a 4,000-mile journey with just five passengers on board.

Click here for complete post.


Photography by Cubbie_n_Vegas via Flickr.

Biofuel's Virgin Flight

Airline in first biofuel flight
The first flight by a commercial airline to be powered partly by biofuel is to take off from Heathrow airport.
BBC News
Last Updated: Sunday, 24 February 2008, 09:36 GMT











Billed as a green fuel breakthrough, the Virgin Atlantic flight to Amsterdam will not have any passengers on board.

Click here for complete article.

TSA blogs about security and how to cope with airport security checks

Fight Or Flight
On the Media
NPR
February 15, 2008

Frustrated with the liquid ban while flying? Too bad. Wondering why the Transportation Security Administration can strip search you? Good luck with that. That is, until now. The TSA has started a blog and security expert and TSA critic Bruce Schneier thinks it may usher in a new era of understanding between the government and the jet set.


























Click here to visit the On the Media website.
Click here to visit Evolution of Security, the TSA's blog.

Be extra careful packing for Dubai

Thanks to Emiana for passing on this Sky News article:

How Dubai Holiday Could Land You In Jail
By Julia Reid
Sky News
Updated:10:47, Friday February 08, 2008

Fair Trials International is advising travellers to "take extreme caution" to ensure they are completely free of any substance banned by the country they are visiting.

Click here for complete article.

Supersonic all the way to Oz (in only 5 hours!)

The hypersonic plane designed to reach Australia in under five hours
UK firm unveils exploratory plans for 3,000mph eco-friendly passenger jet
Steven Morris
The Guardian
Tuesday February 5 2008









... a hypersonic passenger plane that could fly to Australia from northern Europe in less than five hours has been designed in Britain. With funding from the European Space Agency, a team of engineers and scientists has come up with the A2, a plane they believe could carry 300 passengers at a top speed of more than 3,000mph.

Click here for complete article.

In-Flight and Online

Airlines add in-flight Web access
JetBlue has begun to offer in-flight Web access. Frequent fliers say the temptation to go online will be overwhelming, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
By ANICK JESDANUN, Associated Press
Miami Herald
Posted on Wed, Dec. 12, 2007

On Tuesday, JetBlue Airways began offering e-mail and instant messaging on one of its aircraft. Broader high-speed services, including Web surfing, are to come next year on some flights on American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.

Click here for complete article.

British Airways Baggage Policy: Effective November 6, 2007

BRITISH AIRWAYS BAGGAGE POLICY

British Airways’ revised hold baggage policy will come into full effect from November 6.

The new policy was partially introduced in February to give staff and customers sufficient time to familiarise themselves with the changes. Since then, the airline has conducted extensive research involving its customers and its staff.

As a result, it will make a number of changes, designed to address the key concerns highlighted.

The changes will mean:
Excess baggage charges will be significantly reduced.
Customers will benefit from a 20 per cent discount if they pay excess baggage charges online at ba.com.

Revised online excess baggage rates will be:
UK domestic flights - £14 one-way (previously £24)
All other short haul - £24 one-way (previously £48)
Long haul - £60 one-way (previously £96)

Customers paying excess baggage charges at the airport will pay:
UK domestic - £20 one-way (previously £30)
All other shorthaul - £30 one-way (previously £60)
Long haul - £75 one-way (previously £120)

Continued flexibility for customers who are unable to carry one bag, provided they remain within the 23kgs weight limit.

Customers who check in bags within their piece allowance but that exceed 23kgs will pay a flat-rate of £25, with effect from November 4, 2008, once the airline’s transition into London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is complete.

Customers will continue to be able to take their sporting equipment such as golf bags and skis for free in addition to their normal personal baggage allowance.

The airline has redefined the list of sporting equipment to make it easier for customers to understand what they can and cannot check in. It also takes into account limitations of airport baggage systems and size and weight restrictions in the aircraft hold.

All other aspects of the policy will remain the same.

Since introducing its new baggage policy in February 2007, the airline has conducted research with its staff and customers. The revisions to the policy reflect the outcome of this research.

With effect from November 6, passengers’ personal baggage allowance will be:

One bag weighing no more than 23kgs for Euro/World Traveller economy passengers with the exception of some longhaul routes including, the USA and Canada, Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria. Customers travelling in World Traveller (economy) to and from the above destinations will be able to take two bags, each weighing no more than 23kgs.

Two bags, each weighing no more than 23kgs for Club Europe and World Traveller Plus passengers.

Three bags, each weighing no more than 23kgs for Club World and First passengers. Sporting equipment such as golf bags and skis can be taken free of charge in addition to a passenger’s personal baggage allowance.

Where it is clear that a passenger cannot manage one bag of 23kgs, they will be able to check in an additional bag free of charge, as long as both bags are within 23kgs. Infants’ personal allowance is one bag, weighing no more than 23kgs. Pushchairs, car seats and wheelchairs can be taken in addition to the baggage allowance.

Hand baggage allowance remains:
Passengers departing from or transferring through a UK airport can take one standard-sized bag no bigger than 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm (22 inches x 17.5 inches x 9.85 inches).

Passengers departing airports outside the UK, and whose journey ends in the UK can take:
One standard sized bag no bigger than 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm (22 inches x 17.5 inches x 9.85 inches) and a laptop sized bag or briefcase.

There is no weight limit for cabin bags, provided customers can lift the bags, unaided, into the overhead lockers in the aircraft cabin.

Restrictions remain in place for the carriage of liquids, gels and creams in hand baggage for all passengers departing from and transferring through all EU airports, the USA and Canada. Some other airports around the world operate their own restrictions. Customers are advised to check before they travel.

Please visit www.ba.com for full details of the revised baggage policy.

Air Travel on the Rise in China

Air China profits rise three-fold
Air China has seen its profits increase three-fold in the first six months of the year, thanks to passenger demand and a stronger local currency.
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 29 August 2007, 10:34 GMT 11:34 UK

The number of people flying in China has grown significantly as its continuing economic boom creates a growing middle class prepared to spend more on travel.

Click here for complete article.

Photography courtesy of zzathras777's photostream on Flickr

Japanese/French lead initiative to develop new supersonic Concorde-like jet

France, Japan eye 'new Concorde'
Japanese and French companies have signed an agreement to develop a supersonic aircraft to succeed the disused Concorde jetliner, according to Japanese media reports.
CNN
Friday, June 17, 2005 Posted: 0947 GMT (1747 HKT)

Under the deal, the various parties will conduct research into composite materials, technology for reducing engine noise and other difficulties unique to supersonic flight.

Click here for complete article.