The verdict on Thomas Cook: costs before customers

A REVIEW of health and safety practices at Thomas Cook following the deaths of two children in Corfu has found that parts of the business put profit before people. 

In a wide-ranging report, written by former Sainsbury's boss Justin King, the tour operator was accused of having a tendency to ‘protect cost rather than maximise the customer experience’.

Mr King, reports Sky News, painted a picture of #ThomasCook as a dysfunctional business, with in-resort staff not empowered to resolve customer crises and equipped so poorly that they frequently had no access to the company’s own website.

He also urged the company and its rivals to re-think the level of disclosure they provide to their customers in areas such as health and safety risk in the wake of the tragedy. He said the travel industry must provide consumers with better information about ‎their rights and the standards they should expect when they travel abroad.

‘The industry has a collective responsibility to help its customers identify real value for money – not just the lowest price’, he said.

Mr King was asked earlier this year by Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook's chief executive, ‎to examine the company's approach to such issues following an outcry over its response to the  deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd in Corfu in 2006.

The children died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty boiler. An inquest jury ruled  in May that they were unlawfully killed. The jury said that Thomas Cook had breached its duty of care towards them after the company had been accused of obstructing their family's efforts to uncover the facts surrounding their deaths. Repeated complaints about Thomas Cook's attitude led its chief executive to publicly apologize‎, but only after it emerged that the company had received a larger compensation payout than the family.

Thomas Cook is now working with Sharon Wood, the mother of the Shepherd children, on a carbon monoxide awareness initiative, which it said on Monday would be launched on November 16.

Mr King also questioned whether the Association of British Travel Agents was well-placed to represent a radically changed travel industry.

In its response to Mr King’s report, Thomas Cook said it ‘made for uncomfortable reading in parts’, but added that it had ‘not stood still since the review was commissioned’. The company pledged to immediately increase the number of staff working overseas and to launch this month a 24-hour hotel satisfaction promise that would empower reps to solve issues in resorts, alongside an additional financial commitment to guarantee that hotels live up to the descriptions that the company provides.

Mr Fankhauser said: ‘It took us nine years to correct the mistakes of the past and to do what everyone would have expected of us; treat the family with the respect and empathy they deserve. We had to learn from this tragedy and do things differently, and this remains our commitment.’


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Brits lead flight claims league

FLIGHT delay compensation claims processed by refund.me, the passenger rights legal services provider, reached record levels during for the peak summer holiday travel season June through September. 

The four-month period saw refund.me process claims for flight delays and cancellations against 151 airlines. UK passengers sought compensation from more airlines than other European passengers, lodging claims against 96 different airlines.

While the number of claims lodged against individual airlines differed from country to country, aggregate numbers show that of complaints against all airlines, 13 percent of compensation claims were directed against Spanish low-cost airline Vueling. easyJet received eight percent of all claims, followed by Ryanair (5%), Air France (3.5%), and British Airways (3%).

Vueling also attracted the highest percentage of complaints from UK passengers during the study period. Of the 96 airlines, Vueling accounted for 11 percent of all claims presented for compensation. EasyJet followed at seven percent, Ryanair at six percent, and British Airways and Norwegian tied at 5 percent.

Eve Buchner, founder and CEO of refund.me, says: ‘Our study confirms the trend for an increase in complaints over travel-intensive holiday seasons. While the data is a snapshot from the UK and selected European countries, it highlights that overall, charter and low-cost airlines consistently under-perform in comparison to scheduled carriers. Passengers endure more travel disruption and we are seeing a significant upsurge in passengers asserting their rights to compensation under EU law.’

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Why light up the Taj Mahal?

HERITAGE experts have raised objections to the illumination of the Taj Mahal in India, saying it’s ‘not a monument to experiment with’. Officials at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) believe illuminating the 17^th century mausoleum jeopardizes its marble surface.  

Sources at the ASI said that there was ‘pressure’ from the tourism ministry to install the lights, even though previous studies have argued against it.

Low-level security lighting posts have been installed at the World Heritage Site, says the ASI, with the aim of lighting it up at night and making it more attractive for tourists.

‘However, the direct illumination of the marble monument has brought with it a big problem – insects,’ says archaeologist M. K. Bhatnagar. ‘These are grass-sapping insects sit on the floors and walls of the illuminated part and discharge their excreta on the surface, leaving a coloured pigment on it, thus spoiling the flawless beauty of the architectural icon.’

 
Says a former ASI director-general, Mr B. R. Mani: ‘The Taj Mahal does not need lighting at all. It is a marble structure and can be seen in all its glory in natural light. On full moon night, one can see it in all of its splendor.’

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Travel facts …

COMPLAINTS against #US airlines in the first quarter of 2015 are up by 15% over the same period in 2014. 

More than one-third of consumer complaints about US airlines stemmed from flight problems, including cancellations, delays, and missed connections.

Among the carriers facing the largest number of flight-problem complaints were American Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines.

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Cancelled or delayed flight?

Get this compensation guide ....

AIRPORT PARKING & HOTELS (APH) has published a guide for airline passengers dealing with delayed or cancelled flights.

Available on the company’s website - www.aph.com - the guide includes research comparing 25 major airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic, highlighting their policies on cancelled and delayed flights, and refund procedures.

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I’m a voter … get me out of here!

While there's still time to GoHoliday ...

ELECTION fever has hit the UK (it says here!) and people are voting with their feet and heading off on holiday. 

Postal votes might be the order of the day for many in the run-up Britain’s general election on May 7 says www.dealchecker.co.uk; voters are ditching party debates for the delights of New York, Las Vegas, Benidorm, Fuerteventura, and Turkey instead.

Greece, Cuba, Egypt, Magaluf, and Malta have also made the top ten as some of the most searched for travel destinations to take off to in early May 2015. Florida and Dubai remain popular, too.

Alice Mariscotti-Wyatt, editor at www.dealchecker.co.uk comments: ‘We noticed that many are keen to escape the politics and enjoy a holiday instead. 

Choose carefully though, if it really is the politics you are trying to avoid, because some of the most popular destinations are in the midst of their own election campaigns. Egypt is due to go to the polls in May or June 2015, and Turkey's elections are also set to take place this June.’

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Take cash, Greece-bound travellers told

PEOPLE going to Greece are being advised to take euros in notes and coins in case the country’s escalating debt crisis prompts banks to switch off their ATMs.

The country’s tourist board in London said that while it anticipated no immediate problems, visitors should avoid relying solely on credit cards or local ATMs.

Holidaymakers should take ‘enough money to cover emergencies and any unexpected delays’, advised the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office added.

Travel experts recommended taking around three to five days' worth of spending money in euro notes, alongside credit and debit cards.

Economists say that if the country is denied emergency funds to cover its summer debt repayments, Greece could opt to leave the eurozone.

Bob Atkinson, of Travelsupermarket.com, pointed to the Cyprus bailout in 2013, when banks limited withdrawals and some shops and restaurants were unable to take card payments.

‘If you're travelling to Greece in the next couple of weeks, keep an eye on the news, check the official travel advice and certainly take a mix of different payment options,’ he said.

The Greek economy edged closer to default recently (April 27) when European finance ministers ruled out an extensive bail-out similar to action taken in 2010 and 2012.

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UK flight cancellations and delays up, claims compensation firm

FLIGHT cancellations and delays rose in the first part of 2015, according to analysis by the compensation company, EUclaim. But the main causes appear to be those over which UK-based airlines had no control: strikes in Italy and Germany, and weather.

Bad winter weather at the start of the year, and a series of strikes led to a 20% rise in the number of cancelled flights to 5,080 over the first four months of last year. The number of delays also increased by 7% to 2,427 against 2,260 in the same period in 2014.

Monarch suffered the greatest increase in delays so far this year with passengers experiencing 64 incidents, compared with 47 in the same four-month period last year. 

easyJet saw a 19% increase, with 245 delays in the first four months, and Jet2 17%. Ryanair and Thomson Airways both saw a 6% rise in delays, and Virgin Atlantic 7%. 

But Thomas Cook Airlines cut delays by 37% and British Airways saw an 11% reduction.

Winter weather across Europe was worse than in 2014, particularly affecting Jet2, easyJet and Monarch, with the three airlines suffering considerable delays on ski routes to Chambery and Grenoble in France.

The second cause highlighted was the number of strikes in Europe. A four-day Lufthansa strike resulted in some 116 flights cancelled to the UK. Industrial action by Italian air traffic controllers and security staff in Germany also compounded the problem, according to EUclaim.

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Travel fears fuels boom in UK breaks

FEARS of flying and terrorism have led to an increasing demand in Britain for homeland holidays, says Andrew Hughes, the managing director of motorhome rental company UnbeatableHire.

Many families are changing their 2015 holiday plans to avoid flying and visiting riskier destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia.

Recent data suggests that self-catering and camping holidays are growing in popularity in response to terrorist attacks overseas, with the most favoured UK regions being the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands, and Cornwall.

Mr Hughes says his company has seen a marked increase in bookings against the same time last year.

‘Families are genuinely worried about taking holidays that involve flying or visiting risky destinations. To meet the demand, we've invested over £3.6 million in 100 new vehicles and opened more new hire depots.’

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Scottish APD changes could create 'unfair’ tax competition – Cameron

UK prime minister David Cameron has admitted that there will be ‘unfair’ tax competition for airports in the north-east of England if Scotland abolishes Air Passenger Duty (APD).

He reportedly said that a lower APD rate in the region is a ‘positive suggestion’ and that ‘we will do what’s necessary to make sure that England’s regional airports can succeed’.

The comments were made during an interview with The Northern Echo newspaper. It is first time the government has committed to lower airport taxes south of the border if the Scottish administration acts first under devolution plans.

Cameron said a list of options would be drawn up within months of a Conservative election victory to examine how to vary APD rates.

He sought to head off the growing concern of airport bosses about the threat posed by much lower – or abolished APD – in Scotland, saying: ‘I get it.’

Cameron said: ‘We are not going to accept a situation where there’s unfair tax competition. I’m very keen to make sure that Newcastle airport has a bright future and I think it does. We will do what’s necessary to make sure that England’s regional airports can succeed.’

British Airways, whose passengers paid £646 million in APD last year, jumped on the comments by reiterating calls for the tax to be abolished across the UK.

Adjustments at Newcastle Airport will lead to a domino effect across England, with Leeds Bradford and Manchester airports demanding similar concessions to remain competitive, according to the airline.

‘If APD is on the way out in Scotland, it needs to be scrapped UK-wide,’ said Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group.

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UK to Oz … non-stop!

NON-STOP flights to Australia from Britain could be possible thanks to a European Union-funded project that might see commercial aircraft being re-fuelled in mid-air.

The scheme would involve tanker aircraft along key long-distance routes that would be capable of topping up as many as seven passenger aircraft.

It would be the first time a system of mid-air re-fuelling, which is already in use for military aircraft, had been adapted for commercial flights.

Work on the project has found that overall fuel consumption could be cut by up to a quarter by allowing aircraft to take off and land with lighter loads.

Bart Heesbeen, senior research and development engineer from the National Aerospace Laboratory in Amsterdam, which is leading the programme, said that the cruiser-feeder system could revolutionize air travel.

‘Based on the feedback we received from the pilots who participated on the phase one experimentation, pilots believe it will be possible to operate the aircraft safely during the air-to-air re-fuelling manoeuvre with a highly automated fuel control system.’

The plans, which have been in development since 2011, have yet to proceed to full in-flight trials.

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Picture Credit: "Mid-air refuellinf" by Senior Airman Maeson Elleman via Wikimedia Commons.

For sale: three piers

TWO piers in Blackpool and one in Llandudno have been put on the market with a combined price tag of £12.6 million.

Blackpool Central Pier is for sale at £4.8 million. Blackpool South Pier, which features rides including the Skyscreamer and the Skycoaster rides, will cost £3.3 million. The 2,300ft Llandudno Pier – the longest in Wales – is on sale for £4.5 million.

The piers were built in the 19th century using cast iron piles, steel frames, and wooden decking, and all include promenades, amusement arcades, rides and food outlets.

They generate a total income of more than £1.6 million a year for operator Cuerden Leisure.

Richard Baldwin, a director at Bilfinger GVA, which is handling the sale, says: ‘Each of these piers is an iconic structure, having been popular visitor attractions in two of the UK’s best known resorts for more than a century. Each pier is being offered for sale freehold, subject to the various concession agreements in place.’

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SeaWorld Florida makes conservation charity pledge

THEME PARK giant SeaWorld is to make donations to conservation charities from the UK sale of special ‘extras’ tickets to its parks in Florida.

The company’s treatment of killer whales has been highlighted in the wake of a 2013 film, Blackfish, which criticized SeaWorld.

The company says that SeaWorld Parks Extras tickets are to be offered for sale in the UK, including additional in-park dining packages and quick queue tickets.

For every in-park ticket sold at the company’s Florida parks – including SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa and Discovery Cove – $2 will be donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, which will then go to UK conservation charities.

The donations will help raise additional funds for wildlife via the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, which has raised more $11 million in 11 years.

SeaWorld said the money raised will go directly to charity as the company pays all administrative costs.

The fund has supported 800 wildlife conservation projects across the globe since it was established in 2003, from tracking the migration of penguins in the Antarctica peninsula to funding anti-poaching technology to protect rhinos in South Africa. It has also supported worldwide initiatives led by UK organizations including the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

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Picture Credit: "Sea World Sky Tower Panorama" by Debarguy - Own work via Wikimedia Commons

Call for Stansted rail link to operate 24/7

TRAIN services to Stansted should operate round the clock, or start running from early in the morning, according to the owners of London’s third airport.

The re-franchising of the East Anglia rail network should be used to bring train services to the airport into the 21st century, Manchester Airports Group claims. 

It is calling for Stansted-bound trains to start leaving Liverpool Street station in London from 3.40am by 2017, with a longer-term aim of having services operating 24 hours a day.

Stansted is separately calling for Network Rail to lay more tracks between the airport and London to bypass bottlenecks and halve the existing 45-minute journey time.

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French strike hits post-Easter travellers

HUNDREDS of post-Easter flights have been cancelled because of a strike by French air traffic controllers in a dispute about working conditions and a proposal to lift the retirement age from 57 to 59.

Short-haul flights are expected to be worst affected. 

• Ryanair says it has had to cancel more than 250 flights, with further cancellations likely. 
• Air France says that it expects to operate almost all its long-haul flights and 60% of its medium-haul flights to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

Further action is planned between April 16-18 and April 29-May 2.

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Air travel safer in 2014

DESPITE the twin Malaysia Airlines disasters, 2014 was one of the safest years on record in terms of aviation accidents, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The 2014 global jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per 1 million flights) was 0.23, the equivalent of one accident for every 4.4 million flights. This was an improvement over 2013 when the global hull loss rate stood at 0.41 (an average of one accident every 2.4 million flights), and also an improvement over the five-year rate (2009-2013) of 0.58 hull loss accidents per million flights jet.

There were 12 fatal accidents involving all aircraft types in 2014, with 641 fatalities, compared with an average of 19 fatal accidents and 517 fatalities per year in the five-year period (2009-2013).

‘While aviation safety was in the headlines in 2014, the data shows that flying continues to improve its safety performance,’ said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO.

More than 3.3 billion people flew safely on 38 million flights in 2014.

Future safety gains, says IATA, will come increasingly from analyzing data from the 38 million flights that operate safely every year, rather than just the handful of flights where something goes wrong.

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FGW promises train upgrade

THE largest fleet upgrade in a generation is being promised by rail operator FirstGroup as it won the right to continue operating the First Great Western (FGW) franchise until 2019.

Additional and more frequent services using faster trains with free Wi-Fi will cut journey times from London to Oxford, Bristol, South Wales, Devon, and Cornwall.

Key commuter routes, including Bristol, Exeter, Oxford and Gatwick, will see increased capacity in addition to 16% more peak time seats into and out of London Paddington station.

Approximately three million additional seats a year are to be added to the network by 2018.

The rail operator is to introduce Hitachi's Intercity Express trains between London, Bristol, South Wales, and the Cotswolds from summer 2017.

A £50 million investment is planned to improve stations and car parks, introducing 2,000 more car parking spaces.

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Airlines tighten safety rules after Germanwings suicide crash

EASYJET and a Norwegian airline are to change cockpit security regulations immediately in reaction to the Germanwings plane crash. The new rules will insist that two crew members are in the cockpit at all times.

easyJet made the decision after consulting with the Civil Aviation Authority.

In a statement, a spokesman for the airline said: "easyJet can confirm that, with effect from tomorrow, Friday March 27, it will change its procedure which will mean that two crew members will be in the cockpit at all times.

‘The safety and security and of its passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority.’

The changes come after it emerged that after the pilot had gone to the lavatory, his co-pilot of the Germanwings passenger jet locked himself in the cockpit and crashed the plane.

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Operators monitor Tunisia and admit 'tourists will think twice'

TOUR operators are closely monitoring the situation in Tunisia following Wednesday’s terrorist attack. 

One has admitted that some tourists would now ‘think twice’ about going to Tunisia.

At least 23 people were killed in the shooting at the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis, including at least 17 tourists. One British woman was among the dead, which also included tourists from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Australia, France, Poland, and Spain.

Thomson has cancelled excursions to Tunis for holidaymakers currently in the country, while Thomas Cook said it was monitoring the situation.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice has not changed following the attack.


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Disney's on-gate price breaches $100

ON-THE-GATE ticket prices at prices Walt Disney World in Orlando have risen to more than $100 (£64.70) a day for the first time. 

A 6% hike means that single-day admission costs $111.83 (£72.35), including tax.

The increase applies to anyone aged 10 or over, while younger children aged three to nine will pay $99 (£64).


Ticket prices have doubled since 2003.

Rates for the company’s three other Orlando resorts will rise by 3% to $97. At Disneyland and the Disney California Adventure parks in Anaheim, California, tickets will rise 3% to $99.

A Disney spokeswoman said: ‘We continually add new offerings and experiences, and many of our guests select multi-day tickets or annual passes, which provide a great value and additional savings.’

Simon Applebaum, consumer marketing director at Floridatix.com said: ‘Booking theme park tickets in advance from the UK, rather than on-the-gate once you arrive, can seriously help customers save money. Especially in Florida and the US, when the exchange rate is forecast to worsen, booking ahead of time is highly beneficial for holidaymakers. One benefit is that they can effectively ‘freeze’ the amount they pay in pounds, and budget accordingly.’

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Picture Credit: "Disney World, Orlando" by Juliancolton (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.