Travel Weekly (UK) articles from January 2004

Travel Weekly (UK) archives from January 2004

sample business class fares.
January 12, 2004... All flights depart on January 26 and return on February 6 Heathrow-New York British Airways (revamped Club World)[pounds sterling]4,037(JFK) Virgin Atlantic (Upper Class Suite)[pounds sterling]4,228(JFK) United Airlines...

Corporate travelling in comfort.
January 12, 2004... THE battle for the long-haul business traveller is hotting up as airlines clamour to offer the best service. Once a passenger has been chauffeur-driven to the airport, checked his or her e-mail for free in the business-class lounge, had an...

Maureen Hill.
January 12, 2004... A really rockin' Christmas Tales of festive romance and gifts of yuletide diamonds have helped to put a warm glow on an otherwise bleak midwinter Love is all around I don't know if it was all the champagne over the festive period...

of the best excursions in Turkey.
January 12, 2004... 5 LAST year wasn't easy for Turkey. In the run up to the Iraq war, worried clients who had already arranged a holiday there cancelled their trips. When the war started, the bookings just dried up. And in November, two days of bombings in...

New move Toward net simplicity.
January 12, 2004... TRAVEL technology body Toward Europe plans to make agents' lives easier by standardising tour operators' on-line information and launching an industry-wide electronic language. The moves are among the wide-ranging proposals outlined in two...

there's no escape from the mystery shopper In association with.
January 12, 2004... The target Hemel Hempstead wanted A family trip to Florida Flight Centre Unit 53 The Marlowes Centre Hemel Hempstead I was interested to see whether a flight specialist would steer me in the direction of booking...

Put on a happy face.
January 12, 2004... Aiwa AM-NX9 MD PC recorder The trend for combining one hi-tech gadget with another is everywhere - fridges with televisions and toasters with trouser presses are all over the place these days. So it's probably no surprise Aiwa has given...

P&O in drive to ward off Norwalk.
January 12, 2004... PASSENGERSon P&O Cruises' Aurora are being urged to prevent further outbreaks of the Norwalk stomach bug by remaining vigilant and observing improved on-board hygiene standards. Captain Michael Fatchen, who sailed a 23-day Caribbean Gold...

Upturn for Egypt.
January 12, 2004... PANORAMA Holidays has relaunched its dedicated Egypt Summer Sun brochure in a clear vote of confidence in business returning to pre-September 11 levels. The operator - which is also introducing more mainstream products to its Eastern...

Turkey predicts more UK visitors.
January 12, 2004... Tourism bosses confident of shaking off security fears TURKEY'S tourism chiefs are predicting an increase in UK visitors for 2004 despite the four terrorist bombs that shook Istanbul in November. Turkey Tourist Office UK director Tolga...

Olympic to list price of flight-only.
January 12, 2004... GREECE and Cyprus specialist Olympic Holidays is listing flight-only prices for the first time in its second-edition summer 2004 brochure. Charter flights are offered from 13 UK airports to Larnaca and Paphos in Cyprus; Halkidiki, Kalamata...

Shame on us.
January 12, 2004... "These girls here, they're always ready. They love sex...they get excited by anything. They let you do things here an American girl would never dream of doing. I can't even say to you what they let you do. ...

ASPIRE will be a winner, says ITT.
January 12, 2004... INSTITUTE of Travel and Tourism chairman Steven Freudmann claims positive responses from industry big-hitters to its first conference for aspiring travel professionals vindicates the decision to hold the event in the UK. ASPIRE 2004 is...

Magical history tours.
January 12, 2004... Thomas Cook Signature Thomas Cook Signature has added the new Movenpick Dream Castle Hotel to its second-edition Disneyland Resort Paris brochure. Prices at the off-site three-star 400-room castle themed hotel start at [pounds sterling]135...

Great Fun to be had in Belgium.
January 12, 2004... BRITALY Travel partner Daniele Broccoli is making his first foray into tour operating with the launch of Great Fun Holidays specialising in Belgian-based attractions. A total of 15,000 brochures will be sent out to independent agents in...

UK suffers 4% drop in flights.
January 12, 2004... flights over the year, with Gatwick the biggest flight loser. OAG marketing director Lynne Fraser blamed the drop on full-service carriers trimming their networks. She said: "There's not one major contributing factor for the fall in...

Television adverts add insult to injury.
January 12, 2004... ANOTHER Christmas and new year, and another round of holiday adverts. Am I the only travel agent getting brassed off with the direct-operator adverts? Especially the one that portrays us agents as gibbering idiot middle men. We provide a...

Marshal law.
January 12, 2004... NEVER forget September 11 2001, reads the sticker on the bag of at least one American Airlines captain. I noticed the sticker as the captain walked past me when boarding a flight from O'Hare Airport in Chicago, destination New York JFK Airport....

Waterway to spend a holiday.
January 12, 2004... FIRST Choice's new Inland Waterways division has launched an agent training website to increase UK sales by up to 18% in 2004. The group's three brands - Connoisseur, Emerald Star and Crown Blue Line - have an annual turnover of [pounds...

Fortunes lifted as ABTA profits rise.
January 12, 2004... ABTA managed to reverse a trading deficit into a profit last year on the back of the sale of its training company TTC. The association's annual report revealed a profit of [pounds sterling]258,010 during the year to June 30 2003 against a...

Louis attacks 'price obsessed' operators.
January 12, 2004... TOUR operators have been criticised for being price-obsessed and selling holidays "like socks and T-shirts". Louis Cruise Lines boss George Michaelides claimed too few industry leaders have a travel background and accused them of treating...

Big four see capacity slip to 49% share.
January 12, 2004... MAJOR operators are continuing to lose their grip on the package market following capacity cuts and the relentless growth of on-line specialists. Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority revealed the big four's share of total...

Price is clients' only concern.
January 12, 2004... MUCH has been written about how current booking trends suggest a departure from the traditional package holiday. While I agree we need to be more flexible toward the needs of the travelling public, I would say clients nowadays don't care much...

Honours for industry's leaders.
January 12, 2004... ter Airports Group to encompass Humberside, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports in 2001, was awarded the CBE for his services to aviation. A spokesman for the group said the CBE particularly recognised the way the airports had been...

European Commission probes airlines on ticket prices.
January 12, 2004... THE European Commission has written to 18 airlines asking if they charge different prices for tickets according to where they are bought - and if so, why. The EC said it is responding to consumer complaints about differences in costs of...

Cruising boosted by new facilities.
January 12, 2004... Improved standards and increased on-board facilities have made cruise ships become resorts in their own right, according to Aurora captain Michael Fatchen. Fatchen said the additional of new facilities on board Aurora - such as alternative...

Travel Weekly ; says:.
January 12, 2004... Help stamp out this evil curse In a week when SARS and terrorism returned to the headlines with a vengeance, threatening to do further damage to consumer confidence, it seems almost unkind to remind ourselves there are some customers who...

l in brief.
January 12, 2004... Expedia seeks partnerships ON-LINE agency Expedia is seeking strategic deals to allow partners to sell its product and use its technology. Talks have already taken place with potential partners and Expedia hopes to complete a deal...

Excel Airways in direct sales drive.
January 12, 2004... EXCEL Airways has targeted an increase in direct sales during 2004 after posting pre-tax profits during 2003 nearly four times higher than the previous year. The airline reported a [pounds sterling]13.4 million profit for the year to...

GDS charges loom as BA ties up deals.
January 12, 2004... AGENTS are facing another financial blow following British Airways' ground-breaking deals with Sabre and Galileo. The deals, which give the global distribution systems access to BA's full range of fares in exchange for a reduction in fees,...

Weak start to year for bookings.
January 12, 2004... HOPES of an upturn in 2004 summer sales remain uncertain after a weak start to the peak booking period. Early indications put the post-Christmas market at 10% down on last year, but it has improved to 6%-8% down. Operators claimed seat-only...

There's something about Mary.
January 12, 2004... The world's biggest passenger liner, Queen Mary 2, has set sail on its maiden voyage. Sarah Thomas reports THELAUNCH of Cunard's [pounds sterling]550 million flagship Queen Mary 2 heralds a new era for the UKcruise market,...

China in spotlight as SARS threat returns.
January 12, 2004... THEtrade is keeping a watching brief on China as a SARS patient in the southern province of Guangdong recovers, but further threats loom. As Travel Weekly went to press, there were reports of another suspected case in Guangdong and three...

Trade has no fear of terror.
January 12, 2004... THE trade is confident holidaymakers will remain resilient in the face of renewed fears over terrorism and the safety of travelling. Christmas images of cancelled British Airways flights, sky marshals, increased US security measures and the...

Hot tips for selling Asia 2004.
January 19, 2004... WHILE the long-haul market took a big knock last year following the Iraq war and SARS, operators are optimistic Asia will make a good recovery in 2004. Travel Weekly asked some key Asia specialists what's new and where the most popular...

Brent the Builder.
January 19, 2004... LASTMINUTE.COM is set to make its bricks and mortar debut with the rebranding of retail outlets following the [pounds sterling]12.1 million acquisition of UK hotel booking agency First Option Hotel Reservations. The acquisition will see...

Memphis is the King.
January 19, 2004... The city of Memphis is the birthplace of rock 'n' roll and a mecca for music fans MENTION three kings and it's likely you'll think of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But in Memphis, the only Kings that matter are BB, Martin Luther and Elvis....

The mirror's image.
January 19, 2004... E-SK8 Board Scooters are so last season. The way to get to work in 2004 is on a skateboard. But the e-sk8 is a 4ft-long aluminium 'streetcarving' board with a difference - it has a nifty electric motor tucked under its handsome tail!...

Swap brochures and save.
January 19, 2004... DISTRIBUTION companies are introducing further services to ease the continuing problem of brochure wastage in travel agencies. BP Travel Marketing Services this week begins its pilot of a brochure exchange service, and Dawson Marketing...

ABTA's battle with bottle.
January 19, 2004... GODforbid that last resort would ever deal in shameless tittle-tattle. Oh no, we're far too classy to spread rumours - especially rumours about the travel industry's top brass. So, obviously, we find ourselves completely unable to pass on a...

The freedom to slope off.
January 19, 2004... Crystal's extensive childcare facilities mean being a parent needn't cramp your ski style As a couple who would sacrifice almost anything for a ski holiday, we faced a dilemma when our first child was born. How could we carry on skiing...

there's no escape from the mystery shopper In association with.
January 19, 2004... Liverpool, Merseyside The target A beach break in the Far East with a stopover in Singapore wanted Rules Each week, Mystery Shopper calls on agents across the UK. Shops are judged on five criteria. Scoring system ...

School's out for summer.
January 19, 2004... Plans to introduce a six-term school year may spell the end of the traditional summer holiday and shift the focus on to autumn. Linsey McNeill reports on how this will affect trade Many families are expected to take their annual...

Let's play catchphrase.
January 19, 2004... Corporate values are the buzzwords of today's business world, and those at Virgin Holidays are more memorable than most. DeeDee Doke reports CORPORATEvalues - what a great idea! Now come on, stop yawning at the back. This is a serious...

Thai honoured.
January 19, 2004... Thai Airways recently hosted a party at Jim Thompson's West End Restaurant. The event gave agents and operators the chance to celebrate the success of the airline's 12th weekly flight to Bangkok Talking Thai are, from left, Kim Romanski,...

news in brief.
January 19, 2004... magic of orient deal Magic of the Orient is offering 20% off brochure prices on five-night stays in Hong Kong on departures until February 23. A stay at the five-star Hotel InterContinental including flights and transfers costs from...

Hotel bags business.
January 19, 2004... THE InterContinental Hotels Group has met staff of independent business management company The Travel Company to showcase the group's brands. The hotel chain is a preferred supplier for The Travel Company and brought representatives from Paris,...

Louis cruises to Alexandria.
January 19, 2004... NEW cruises will be introduced by Louis Cruise Lines this year including trips to the ancient Egyptian port of Alexandria. The Cyprus-based company is expected to launch a three-day cruise to the city while new itineraries to Beirut are...

Hong Kong in push for trade.
January 19, 2004... Tourist board aims for post-SARS boom THE Hong Kong Tourist Board is continuing its marketing drive for 2004 and expects to see January and February visitor numbers exceed those of the same months last year. Some of the extra marketing...

48; hours in New Orleans.
January 19, 2004... Ideal for food lovers, you'll never go hungry in this city, as Chris Coplans found out If you're on a diet, avoid New Orleans. If, however, you want to pig out on some of the best food in the US, walk the streets of a fairytale old town...

Don't monkey with us.
January 19, 2004... IN common with hundreds of other travel agents who had accepted an invitation to see the Queen Mary 2, I set off for Southampton at the crack of dawn to be there for 10.30am. The two-hour self-guided tour around the ship was fascinating -...

It's showtime.
January 19, 2004... Travel agencies are increasingly looking to computer technology to give them a competitive edge, so visitors to the Business Travel Show at Olympia next month would be wise to stop by at the Travel Technology Show next door. The new show...

Butlins gets into the groove.
January 19, 2004... Butlins is continuing with its programme of live music Pop Party Tours and Arena Break weekends for 2004 with the Cheeky Girls, Romeo and Lisa Maffia confirmed acts for this year. Last year's line-up included Atomic Kitten, the Sugar Babes...

TravelMedia in e-brochure move.
January 19, 2004... E-DISTRIBUTION specialist TravelMedia is unveiling a new product that will enable agents and consumers to create a personalised mini brochure complete with prices. Called TravelMedia e-brochure, it is an extension of the company's existing...

Amadeus showcases fares mark-up tool.
January 19, 2004... TRAVEL agents will be shown how to automate their mark-up fees process when Amadeus launches a multi-channel air fare search product at the Travel Technology Show next month. Designed by Ypsilon and distributed in the UK exclusively by...

Delights of the Deep South.
January 19, 2004... Nashville plays host to the Southern Marketplace regional show THE Southern Marketplace - a regional show offering dedicated southern products to the international travel trade - took place in Nashville, Tennessee, last November. A...

Tactical action.
January 19, 2004... OPERATORS claim early tactical offers for 2004 to boost sales to the Far East are paying off, with strong forward bookings over the next three months. Sales to Asia were dismal last year, and operators say they are "cautiously optimistic"...

No place like Rome.
January 19, 2004... Thomas Cook THOMAS Cook has overhauled its second-edition Italy and Sicily 2004 brochure. The new resorts of Torri del Benaco and Lazise near Lake Garda, Lido di Venezia, Verona and Cefalu in Sicily have been added. The number of...

Options widened for 2004.
January 19, 2004... HOLIDAY Options is targeting a rise of 7,000 passengers this year with the biggest expansion of its product range yet. The specialist has launched its two main second-edition brochures - Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro; and Corsica,...

Here's looking at you, kids.
January 19, 2004... Early bookers and off-peak holiday travellers are being lured by a number of attractive family holiday discounts on a wide range of holidays, both in the UK and abroad. Haven and British Holidays are offering half-price holidays at 35...

'Holiday box' idea takes off.
January 19, 2004... Lunn Poly to trial 'gift' concept in 10 stores as retail sales prove successful HOLIDAYS in a Box are to be trialled in Lunn Poly shops and will appear in high street stores Argos, Woolworths and Allsports for the first time. The...

Trade in the dark over ATOLs.
January 19, 2004... THE Civil Aviation Authority has unearthed ignorance across the trade on the issue of ATOL protection after a drive to train up more agents. The CAA is already working with three of the big four retailers - Going Places, Lunn Poly and...

NCL sets new course.
January 19, 2004... THE new sales director of Norwegian Cruise Line has pledged to review the operator's sales and distribution structure to make sure agents have all the tools to build sales. Francis Riley - who was appointed this month and, reporting to UK...

Tourist boards driven on-line.
January 19, 2004... THE International Federation for IT, Travel and Tourism and the World Tourism Organisation are encouraging tourist boards to set up as dedicated on-line travel agents for their destinations. The two organisations will launch a joint...

Bug is out of proportion.
January 19, 2004... FOLLOWING the coverage on Norwalk/Norovirus (Travel Weekly January 12), I must stress this is not a virus endemic to either Aurora, P&O Cruises or the cruise industry in general. There is a worldwide increase in the incidence of this mild...

A change will do you good.
January 19, 2004... From the end of this month the rigid regulations governing GDSs in the US will be relaxed. So how long will it take Europe to follow suit? Michael Clarke reports GLOBAL distribution systems in the US had more than one...

Eurostar: gone in 10 minutes.
January 19, 2004... check-in time for leisure travellers remains at 30 minutes. The operator claimed it had undergone a successful "rebirth" with the launch of its high-speed line and revamped management team, following record fourth-quarter results. ...

'Streamline US security needs'.
January 19, 2004... BRITISH Airways chief executive Rod Eddington has urged US authorities to streamline the security bureaucracy for travelling to the country. Eddington claimed recent delays to the US, particularly the airline's service to Washington, were...

Paris tops cities league.
January 19, 2004... PARIS and Amsterdam have clung to their positions at the top of Travelscene's annual cities table but could be under threat from 'secondary' cities in the next year. Travelscene has released its annual cities survey exclusively to Travel...

New kids on the block.
January 19, 2004... THE European Union is expanding, with 10 new countries - including Estonia, Latvia and Malta - joining this year. So what does membership mean for these countries - especially for tourism? And what will be the impact? Over the past few...

American adds Boston service.
January 19, 2004... AMERICAN Airlines is launching a Manchester to Boston service - its first new UK route since September 11 2001. The airline will operate a daily all-economy flight to the destination from May 15 to October 31, using a 118-seat Boeing 757....

Duo adds routes from Edinburgh.
January 19, 2004... FLEDGLING airline Duo is embarking on the expansion trail with a batch of new routes and the appointment of a new sales and marketing director. The carrier, which formerly operated British Airways' Birmingham routes as franchise Maersk,...

Sex tourism fight hots up.
January 19, 2004... THE Travel Weekly and ECPAT campaign to create a training programme for agents on sex tourism has scored its first major victory after winning backing from the UK Government. Officials from both the Home Office and the Foreign and...

Thomson Cruises to expand fleet in spring 2005.
January 19, 2004... Thomson Cruises to expand fleet in spring 2005 Cause for Celebration TUI UK aims to continue developing a "high standard" of cruise product with the addition of a new ship to its fleet in spring next year. Thomson Cruises...

Reasons to be cheerful.
January 19, 2004... There wasn't much to celebrate in 2003, but despite sky marshals, cancelled flights and the return of SARS, the first two weeks of the new year have been good for the travel industry. First up was the fantastic response in the national press to...

Discounts 'not worth matching'.
January 19, 2004... AGENTS are turning down some holiday bookings because they cannot match aggressive prices of rival retailers without losing money. Package holiday sales are almost flat following a pick-up in the second week of January. Industry...

'Biggest threat is direct sell'.
January 19, 2004... Former MyTravel chief attacks operators' sales tactics EX-MYTRAVEL boss Steve Endacott has warned high street travel agencies are under threat from the rapid growth of tour operators' direct-sell businesses. Endacott - who left...

'DIYholidays are no threat to trade'.
January 26, 2004... MORE consumers self-packaging holidays is not a threat to major operators because the total market is growing, according to First Choice UK and Ireland managing director Dermot Blastland. At a debate on the impact of the DIY holidays trend,...

Ebookers reports boom.
January 26, 2004... EBOOKERS has cited the revival of the mid and long-haul markets as reasons for strong fourth-quarter and January sales. Chief executive officer and chairman Dinesh Dhamija said October-December 2003 sales were greater than sales during the...

Group eyes web expansion.
January 26, 2004... FIRST Choice Holidays' on-line business has steadily increased over the past year with web sales now making up 6% of total UK sales. The vertically-integrated group, which plans further investment and development on the web this year, said...

E-tailers keep off high street.
January 26, 2004... ON-LINE retailers have ruled out opening big retail networks, claiming maintenance costs make shops too expensive as a viable form of distribution. Lastminute.com head of sales and marketing Andrew Windsor said there would be no further...

Dawn of the pods.
January 26, 2004... THE hotel of the future will be a moveable 'pod' on stilts that has no environmental impact on the destination it is put in. The hi-tech accommodation will have its own waste disposal system and generate its own power. The pods could be...

Trade will need skill to survive.
January 26, 2004... AGENTS of the future will be highly trained, well-travelled destination specialists - and there will be fewer of them. In a stark warning, on-line retailers said agents must have specialist knowledge and first-hand travel experience to...

Kuoni deserves a medal for training.
January 26, 2004... If I could hand out a new year medal for services to travel agents, I'd give it to Kuoni for its long-haul college training. I did the course last year - it's a self-study pack that you do more or less at your own pace, covering all the areas...