Worst US airports for flight cancellations

TO help travellers to make more informed decisions when it comes to holiday travel, researchers at InsureMyTrip reveal which airports to possibly avoid and how the latest data trends can aid travellers when comparing travel insurance benefits.

New York's LaGuardia (LGA) will be most stressful for travelers this Christmas, LGA reports the highest percentage of canceled flights (4.9%) so far this year.  Flights scheduled for departure between 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm are more susceptible to delays and cancellations.  If a flight is cancelled, most airlines will rebook travelers on the next available flight at no additional charge. However, airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a cancelled flight.

This is the list of the most stressful airports this Christmas, based on flight cancellation rates:

1.   LGA New York, NY:LaGuardia 

2.   ORF Norfolk, VA: Norfolk 

      International
3.   CHS Charleston, SC: Charleston 

      AFB/International
4.   ROC Rochester, NY: Greater       

      Rochester International
5.   PHL Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia 

      International
6.   EWR Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
7.   PVD Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green State
8.   DCA Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National
9.   BUF Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International
10. JFK New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International


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Third of UK rail passengers delayed

ONE IN THREE commuters in the United Kingdom were delayed on their most recent train journey, according to new Which? research.

The consumer affairs organization surveyed almost 7,000 UK rail passengers to find the best and worst train companies, and those with frequent delays. The survey found that not only were 32 percent of commuters delayed, but seven percent of respondents said their last journey was delayed by 30 minutes or more.

Of leisure passengers, 15 percent experienced delays, and four percent of these were delayed by 30 minutes or more.

Twenty-two train companies were rated by Which?

At the top of the satisfaction table, Grand Central got a customer score of 79 percent, with the maximum five stars for availability of seating, punctuality, cleanliness of trains, reliability, and value for money. Abellio Greater Anglia (47 percent), Thameslink and Great Northern, and Southeastern (both with 46 percent) were the worst-scoring companies.

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Monarch extends Sharm el-Sheikh cancellation period

MONARCH has extended its Sharm el-Sheikh flight cancellation period from January 6 to January 24 as the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Transport Department continue to advise against all but essential air travel to the Egyptian holiday resort. 

‘Monarch has taken this proactive decision to allow our customers to make alternative holiday plans as soon as possible,’ said the company in a statement.

Customers affected by the change are entitled to change their booking to a later date or re-book to another destination in the Monarch network. Affected travellers can also request a refund or a credit note towards future travel. 

For customers looking for an alternative destination, Monarch has additional flights to mainland Spain, Faro, Gibraltar, and Tenerife.

Monarch continues to operate to the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Eilat, as well as Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Agadir, and Madeira this winter.

UK airlines and operators had to fly more than 16,500 holidaymakers home following the downing of the Russian Metrojet Airbus which killed all 224 people on board and subsequent security issues at the Red Sea resort airport.

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FCO urges Brits to 'exercise caution' following Paris murders

A THREE-DAY period of mourning is under way in #France after a series of terrorist attacks in the country’s capital killed 129 people and injured hundreds.

Following the massacre, France’s government declared a state of emergency and Britain’s #Foreign&CommonwealthOffice (FCO) advised UK nationals to ‘exercise caution in public places’.

It added: ‘French authorities have heightened security measures due to a risk of further attacks. The advice of the Paris Police is currently to keep movement around town to a minimum. Systematic border control checks have been implemented at all entry points into France.’

Attractions and monuments, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, closed over the weekend, as did Disneyland Paris, which will remain closed until Wednesday.

Responding to the tragedy, a number of other travel companies issued statements and advice:

Airlines, Eurostar, and Disneyland Paris were all offering flexibility for customers booked to travel over the weekend.Flybe said it would continue to accommodate customers following the attacks and on Sunday issued a further statement that it was extending its flexibility for a further two days for those who wished to change their travel plans.The statement said: ‘Any customer who is booked to travel to Paris on Monday or Tuesday and who doesn’t wish to now do so may re-book a later date to any alternative destination or obtain a credit note for future travel.’

BMI Regional is also offering customers flying between Bristol and Paris the option to re-schedule or cancel future flights to the French capital.

Eurostar advised passengers to check in 60 minutes before departure. Security was increased across all departure points.

P&O Ferries: ‘We would like to re-assure all our customers that we maintain a safe, reliable, and secure service to/from France. Due to adverse weather conditions some services are subject to delay of up to 20 minutes. Please check in as normal.’

DFDS Seaways: ‘Please allow extra time for your journey and expect increased security checks, Dover-Dunkirk-Dover services are operating to the advertised schedule with space currently available. Dover-Calais-Dover services are operating with around 60 minutes delays due to weather conditions in the channel.’

Brittany Ferries: ‘At present, our ships continue to operate as normal. There may be some additional security checks but at present check-in times remain unchanged.’

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle: ‘Our service is operating as planned. However, due to reinforced border checks, customers travelling should allow extra time.’

easyJet: ‘Our schedule will operate as normal. However we would advise that all passengers due to fly with us check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker page at www.easyjet.com/en/flight-trackerfor real-time information before going to the airport and to allow extra time for security checks due to the reinforced security measures in place. easyJet will continue to comply with all recommendations and guidance from the French authorities."

British Airways: ‘We continue to monitor the situation in Paris after attacks in the city on Friday.The French government has asked for extra security checks at all airports in the country, and this may lead to delays to flights from France.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42907325@N00/2833152502">L'Arc de Triomphe</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)

Heathrow tops in Europe for delays and cancellations

HEATHROW suffers from the highest percentage of delayed and cancelled flights over its main rival airports in Europe, says flight data company EUclaim.

It found that #Heathrow had the highest number of delays or cancellations over 30 minutes between 2012 and 2014.

Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt – both of which deal with a similar number of flights to Heathrow every year but have more runways – had a much better record.

The company’s UK manager, Adeline Noorderhaven, issued the statistics as the Airports Commission recommended Heathrow be expanded with a third runway.

‘Heathrow is currently running at 99% capacity,’ she said. ‘The reason London Heathrow has such a high percentage of delays compared to its European counterparts is because it’s functioning with two runways while Frankfurt and Amsterdam have four and five respectively.

‘The proposed third runway will make a huge difference to passengers, lessening the chance of delay and the need to claim flight delay compensation.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25093253@N05/4418036970">Welcome to Britain!</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Jet2 axes Tunisia sales

JET2.COM and Jet2holidays has stopped selling flights and holidays to #Tunisia for the remainder of this year and summer 2016. Customers of the low-cost airline will have their flight bookings cancelled and their payments refunded.

Consumers with Jet2holidays can change their bookings without an amendment fee, according to the operator.

‘We have been pro-actively calling all our passengers to discuss their options,’ a spokeswoman said.

‘We currently have no Jet2.com and Jet2holidays customers in Tunisia. The last remaining passengers have returned. In light of this cancellation we have added more flights and holidays to our popular destinations to ensure we are offering the best possible choice of holidays.’

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22490717@N02/7863503376">Tunisia-4483 - Camel with a Howdah</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Portugal, Heathrow top flight delay league

A SURVEY published by passenger compensation company Flightright has found that more than half (51%) of flights to Portugal from the top six UK airports were delayed or cancelled in June, July, and August last year.

Greece and Egypt had the least flight disruption, with fewer than one in five flights affected by delays or cancellations.

Percentage of flights from top UK airports delayed or cancelled, by destination (June 1-August 31 2014):

Portugal 51%, France 45%, Spain 37%, Turkey 33%, Egypt 19%, 

Greece 14%

Travellers planning their summer holidays should avoid Heathrow Airport if at possible. Flights departing from Heathrow were the worst affected, with more than half (54%) of delayed or cancelled. Gatwick also faced disruption with 40% of flights delayed or cancelled, while only one in four departing from Stansted were affected.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46695600@N03/6673884605">Mosteiro Santa Maria da Vitória</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)