From April 2012 Ryanair will start to operate 80 more flights and base 2 planes at Paphos Airport.
Routes between Paphos Airport and 14 other locations have been announced, to include London Stansted Airport. These flights are on sale now.
Ryanair Sets up at Paphos Airport
January 13th, 2012Currency Fees to be Dropped by Banks & Card Companies
December 20th, 2011The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has put pressure on banks and card companies to remove some of the charges applied to customers who purchase foreign currency.
Following an investigation into currency conversion, it has been found that for the same service, charges range from £10 to £30.
At present, banks including Lloyds TSB, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland all charge between 1.5% – 2% when customers use their debit cards to purchase foreign currency whilst still in the UK. It has now been agreed that this fee will be removed.
Companies have also decided to show a breakdown of costs more clearly in monthly statements. Currently, loading fees of up to 3% can be applied to purchases overseas, so now consumers will be able to see the amount of this charge separately, rather than hidden in the cost of the item purchased.
Many companies advertise 0% commission offers, but the exchange rates offered include fees added on by the supplier, so not as fee free as they appear. Companies are being encouraged by the OFT to make offers such as these much more transparent, so people are aware of the fees they are paying.
UK Airports Issue Warning Due to Snow
December 16th, 2011Due to the severe weather affecting parts of the southeast of England on Friday 16th December, some flights have been subject to disruption.
Luton Airport has stated that delays may affect both inbound and outbound flights, whilst London City Airport has reported some minor disruption. Heathrow Airport has also said that some flights may be delayed by the adverse weather.
It is advisable that you check with your airline before you travel to the airport if you are concerned that you may be affected by this.
TAP Portuguese Pilots Set to Strike
December 6th, 2011Eight days of strikes have been announced by the Portuguese Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC). These are due to take place from the 9th – 12th of December 2011 and 3rd – 6th of January 2012.
If you are flying with TAP on the above dates, we would advise that you check that status of your flight before travelling to the airport.
Road Toll in Portugal – Update 29/11/11
November 29th, 2011Charges will be implemented for use of the A22, A23, A24 and A25 in Portugal from the 8th December 2011. A partnership has been created between Via Verde, the company that manages the toll roads and Unicre, who deal with all credit card transactions in Portugal.
There will be a specific contract between clients and car rental suppliers so customer details can be passed over to Via Verde using a secure database/website and charged directly for use of the toll roads by Via Verde.
This does mean that it will be essential for customers to have a credit card when renting a vehicle in Portugal in the future.
This partnership will take some time to set up, so car hire suppliers will have to decide how they will deal with this in the interim period. We will provide an update as soon as we have any more information regarding this.
UK Public Sector Strikes to Affect Heathrow Airport
November 25th, 2011Passengers have been warned that they will experience delays and possible flight cancellations when immigration officers strike at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday 30th November.
Delays of up to 12 hours could be experienced by those scheduled to fly next week to or from Heathrow Airport.
Whilst both BAA and the UK Border Agency are working to minimise any disruption that may be caused, passengers are still advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.
There are concerns that delays at immigration could be so long, that passengers may need to be held for longer on arriving planes, causing gridlock as the amount of available aircraft parking stands would dwindle.
Please contact us if your booking will be affected as a result of this.
Visit Money Saving Expert for comprehensive information about your rights should you be affected by the strikes.
Unexpected Destinations to Beat APD
November 23rd, 2011
Air Passenger Duty or APD has been hitting the news in recent days as some of the major airlines (easyJet, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways) made a call for the charges to be scrapped. They have argued that rather than benefitting from any revenue that is raised, it is in actual fact detrimental to the UK economy and the travel industry. Photo by: Feuillu
The tax charge is applied to every flight that originates in the UK and the costs have soared steeply since the tax was first introduced back in 1994. Originally, customers were charged between £5 and £40 for APD. Now the costs have escalated to between £24 and £170. The bands which define the charges applied to your flights are determined by the distance of each country’s capital city from London. View this table to see which countries that fall into each band.
Generally it’s pretty straight forward, with short haul flights falling into A and B categories and long haul flights dominating categories C and D. 
There are some thoroughly surprising anomalies to be found though which means you may be able to go on a more exotic holiday for a cheaper price than you thought. Photo by: nubui
For example, the amount of APD you will be charged is the same if you travel to Egypt, or anywhere in the USA. Due to proximity of Washington DC to London, the whole of the USA is classified as Band B with the associated cost of £60 per economy ticket. In actual fact, you could fly 5,456 miles from London to LA and only pay £60, as opposed to the higher charge of £75 for a band C flight.
It also costs £60 per economy ticket to fly to Egypt due to the location of Cairo in relation to London, meaning it would cost you £240 for a family of four in APD taxes. You would think that Turkey and Egypt would both be in the same band right? Wrong! Turkey falls into the cheaper band A which results in a staggering £192 saving for a family of four flying economy class.
Some people who love their long haul holidays have discovered a way to combat the high charges for bands C and D by flying indirectly. They catch a flight to a band A destination and then fly onward to their final destination using a different airline. This will of course require plenty of research but could be worth doing if you are up to the challenge. Photo by: amaidment1980
Whether or not APD will in fact be scrapped or if it will be revamped or replaced by a “per plane” tax remains to be seen, but in the meantime it might be worth giving this some thought before you decide where you jet off of on your next holiday.
The New Natural 7 Wonders
November 22nd, 2011The provisional winners of the New Natural 7 Wonders were finally announced on 11/11/11 after two years and millions of votes had been cast. Whilst the final winners aren’t set to be announced until early in the New Year, we thought we would give you a run down of those in the running. So without further ado, here they are….
Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil
The Iguazu are waterfalls on the Iguazu River which originates near the city of Curitiba in Brazil. The river flows through the majority of the country and also defines the border between Brazil and Argentina; a fact which does a pretty good job in depicting its mammoth size. The breath taking curtain of 275 falls divide the river into the upper and lower parts of the Iguazu River and the highest drop is a pretty staggering 80 metres. Why visit just one waterfall when you can get nearly 300 hundred in one hit! Photo by: *dan*
The Amazon Rainforest, South America
The Amazon Rainforest really doesn’t require much description; it’s the largest rainforest in the world covering a whopping 1.7 billion acres spanning 9 countries. Upsettingly, it is being cut down at an alarming rate so hopefully the new classification will go some way to aid its protection, as opposed to causing further destruction. It’s hard to believe that the amazing Amazon wasn’t already classified as an official wonder of the world!
Jeju Island, South Korea
Jeju is a volcanic island floating 130km off the south coast of Korea and is home to a host of natural exhibits such as the dormant volcano Mount Halla which stands at 6,400ft and contains 360 satellite volcanoes within it. The world’s largest lava column and the beautiful Cheonjiyeon Waterfall can also be found on the island.
Table Mountain, South Africa
Table Mountain, the nucleus of the Table Mountain National Park and aptly named for its flat surface overlooking the city of Cape Town is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area. With impressive features such as Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head, the area affords fantastic scenery and panoramic views. Visitors can choose to hike up the mountain or catch the cableway to the peak. Interestingly, the peak has even had a constellation named after it and is the only place on earth to be awarded with such an honour. Photo by: Cape Town Craig
Komodo, Indonesia
Upon reading this, you will probably be thinking of Komodo Dragons as the Komodo National Park is their official home. It isn’t a fire breathing dragon of course but the world’s largest living lizard which can grow to lengths of 3 metres. The island, which is one of 17, 508 islands which form the Republic of Indonesia, has several other trophies to its name too such as excellent diving in the surrounding waters and of course the beautiful the pink beach!
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, Philippines
The Puerto Princesa is probably one of the strangest rivers in the world. Located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range, it flows underground for approximately 8.2km through a cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites, plus several large chambers, before emptying into the South China Sea. At the mouth of the cave sits a clear, placid lagoon surrounded by ancient trees and a variety of wildlife.
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Regarded as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Vietnam, Halong Bay hosts a variety of eco systems from freshwater swamp forests to sandy beaches with practically everything in between. Additionally, there are thousands of weird and wonderfully shaped limestone islands dotted along the bay with strange formations and secretive caves and grottos. Each of them is uninhabited because they are constantly being eroded, but this only adds to their enchantment. Photo by: mr clearview
Twitter has been alive over the past few weeks with discussions of an article brought to light by blogger Michael Hodson entitled “New 7 Wonders of the World: The Scam Behind the Sham”. How much truth there is in this post remains to be seen, but you may find it an interesting read.
What do you think of these provisional selections? Did you vote for something else?
Have any thoughts on this controversial suggestion? Let us know below.
Flights to be Affected by General Strike in Portugal
November 22nd, 2011There is a general strike that is scheduled for Wednesday 23rd November in Portugal. This will affect flights due to arrive and depart from 9pm on this day until 4am on Friday 25th November.
The times of the disruption will vary across different across air traffic control zones and airports in Portugal.
It is advisable that any passenger due to fly later than 10pm on 23rd November should contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
It was also announced last week by the Portuguese Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC) that eight days of strikes will occur on December 9th to 12th and January 3rd to 6th.
Flight Delays Due to Fog – 22/11/11 Update
November 22nd, 2011Following more than two days of delays and cancellations of flights at both Heathrow and London City Airport, things should now go back to normal on the morning of Tuesday 22nd November.
It is still advisable to check with your airline if your flight has been affected before travelling to the airport, although there should be more no more restrictions in place.
