Majorca packages from Manchester

SPANISH specialist independent operator, JetsGo Holidays, is to offer Majorca holiday packages from Manchester Airport next summer. 

Flights will run on Saturdays between May 28 and September 24.

Prices start at £230 per person for seven nights self-catering, and £290pp for all-inclusive breaks.

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Picture Credit: Cala Fornels by Guenter Wieschendahl - Eigenaufnahme--selfmade. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons 

Get ready for the Sydney 7s

WHEN they’re not watching Rugby World Cup matches, fans are preparing to converge on New South Wales for the #SydneySevens #Rugby in February.

Part of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Sydney Sevens will see the world's greatest players from 16 countries meet to play 42 matches in two days (February 6-7).

With fast-paced play (statistically, a try is scored every 70 seconds in Sevens games), the fixture will be the last chance for the world's top-ranked teams to battle it out ahead of the sport's first appearance in the Rio Olympics in Rio.

Off-field entertainment will create a rich mix of partying and rugby for which the series is known. Fans wanting the full carnival experience should book tickets in the South Stand, the ultimate party zone in which fancy dress is a must.

Qantas Holidays is offering fans a variety of packages starting from A$445 per person.

www.packages.qantas.com/events/hsbc-sydney-7s
www.sydney.com/events/sydney-sevens 

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Picture Credit: www.sydney.com

BA coins it for art

BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) has created what is believed to be the world's biggest piece of ‘money art’ using a combination of ten, five, two and one penny coins to promote its fares and prices for flights and holidays. 

Six hundred thousand coins were taken from a London bank vault to the airline's Heathrow engineering base, where a team created a giant mural depicting the Statue of Liberty on an aircraft hangar floor.

The artwork measured 33ft by 26ft and took seven members of the BA team six hours to create as they laid the coins out by hand. The money weighed 53.6cwt.

Sara Dunham, British Airways' head of marketing, retail and direct, said: ‘We've decided to re-create an iconic image from one of our most popular destinations to celebrate the Big British Airways Take Off. We offer a great range of fares and holiday packages which will allow our customers to bank plenty of money to spend on their holidays’’

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Picture Credit: British Airways

EU’s package travel directive will ‘disadvantage’ consumers

THE head of a UK government advisory committee has warned that the European Union’s Package Travel Directive threatens ‘real disadvantage’ to consumers.

John Cox, chairman of the Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee (ATIPAC), said: ‘How does a customer unfortunate enough to have their travel company go bankrupt navigate a situation where the company may not be established in the UK? How do you ensure the customer is adequately protected?’

The directive, due to come into force in 2017, will move responsibility for regulation from the country where a holiday is sold to the jurisdiction in which the holiday company is ‘established’.

Mr Cox said: ‘You could have a UK customer of a tour operator based in any member state. We have to take it on trust that the regulator in that state has been as rigorous as it should be.’

In its annual report, ATIPAC warned: ‘It will require strict enforcement from the European Commission to ensure protection is consistently applied. If there is an insolvency, who does the customer contact? This has the potential for real disadvantage. Confusion is almost a certain. History does not inspire me with confidence.’

ATIPAC looked into the Spanish system after Low Cost Holidays re-located to Majorca in November 2013, and found: ‘Responsibility [in Spain] is delegated to regional governments. It would mean consumers having to go through the Spanish court system to establish a claim, and there is no fund to pay for repatriation or refunds.

‘Most tour operators will maintain businesses in different member states to take advantage of re-assuring customers that the local scheme applies. But where that is not the case, how is the consumer expected to understand how the scheme applies and how to make a claim? What is the process? You can imagine all kinds of claims management companies being established to deal with this. We can see Citizens Advice being inundated as soon as a company fails.’

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Picture Credit: "European flag outside the Commission" by Xavier Häpe - http://www.flickr.com/photos/vier/192493917/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Brits flock to Greece despite economic warnings

WITH overall sales to #Greece up 40 percent on the same time last year across its 400-plus contingent of independent travel agents, The Global Travel Group reports that bookings show no signs of slowing down.

The average sales value of package holidays has risen by more than £300, with Rhodes, Crete, and Corfu topping the list as the most booked destinations, the company says.

The Global Travel Group’s managing director, Andy Stark, commented: ‘It’s encouraging to hear that the ongoing economic turmoil in Greece is not deterring British holidaymakers from booking trips to the country. Enquiries and bookings are on the up, showcasing once again that we Brits are savvy when it comes to a good deal, informed, and will travel this summer regardless of the country’s economic problems.

‘Our agents are reporting some stand-out deals to Greece and its islands. I would encourage people travelling to Greece to keep abreast of the situation and ensure they take the relevant measures with cash to ensure they are well prepared, but I firmly believe that a holiday to Greece right now is a good idea all round.’

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Picture Credit: "Oia in Santorini, Greece 003" by Moonik - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons