Welcome to Britain

BRITAIN is packed full of amazing experiences all year round and 2019 is going to be no exception. From sporting events to literary celebrations, from music festivals to new gallery openings, visitors to #Britain during 2019 are in for a cultural extravaganza.

There is reassurance from both the UK Government and the European Commission that flights will continue to operate between the UK and the EU after the 29 March 2019 regardless of the wider #Brexit negotiations.

EU nationals will be able to continue to travel on ID cards until at least 2021. The expectations is that visitors who are citizens of current EU Member States and who have a valid passport will still to be able to use e-gates to make entry quick and easy. Visitors who are citizens of current EU member states will continue to be able to travel without a visa. Please check the UK government website for the latest advice.


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Industrial action by French air traffic controllers set to cause continuing disruption

FOLLOWING industrial action earlier this week, French unions call for more protests and strikes across the country over two days next week.

The FCO said in an updated travel advisory: “On 21 and 23 September French unions have called for protests and #strike action across #France.

“This could cause disruption and delays to transport services including rail networks and some maritime ports.

“You should allow extra time for your journey and check your chosen operator’s website before you set off.”

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Easter disruptions on the railways

OVER the Easter bank holiday weekend, Network Rail will be delivering more than 200 projects across Britain as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan.

This will provide faster and more frequent services to help relieve over-crowding on Britain's railways. 

More than 95 per cent of the railway will be unaffected but passengers are being advised to plan journeys carefully as there will be changes to some services.

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On the runway . . .

TOURIST arrivals in #SriLanka fell 0.1 percent in February 2017 to 197,517, compared with the same month in 2016, the first fall since May 2009 following a daytime closure of the airport for runway repairs.

Sri Lanka’s Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA) is closed for eight hours a day from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm for four months until 6th which has caused inconvenience for travelers and long waiting time at the main airport.

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Disruption to Rail and Tube passengers

A planned strike will affect Central and Waterloo & City Line #London #Underground services from 23:30, Tuesday 21 February, and all day on Wednesday 22 February.

There will be no service on the Waterloo & City Line on Wednesday and nearby buses, roads, Tube, and National Rail services are expected to be much busier.

There is also planned strike action affecting Southern Services tomorrow but Gatwick Express will operate a full service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport / Brighton.

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BA cabin crew to strike for 48 hours

UNITE cabin crew members working for British Airways ‘mixed fleet’ announced a 48-hour strike starting Tuesday 10 January, after the airline refused to extend the mandate of the strike vote to allow for talks to resolve an ongoing dispute over ‘poverty pay’ to continue.

Warning British Airways of needlessly seeking conflict, Unite said its members were legally required to take industrial action within 28 days of voting for it, unless the airline agreed to an extension.

A two day stoppage scheduled for Christmas day and Boxing day was suspended to allow Unite members to vote on the offer.

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Rail disruption at London Paddington

Up to 200 projects will be delivered across Britain over this holiday period including major upgrades to the rail network as part of the Crossrail project. 

This means there will be no overground services in or out of London Paddington from the early hours of Christmas Eve to 29 December, including services to Heathrow Airport. 

Instead, trains will start and end at Ealing Broadway. There will also be a reduced timetable in place between 30 December and 2 January.

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Picture Credit: strollerdos flickr.com/photos/87466374@N00/320873261 Paddington station pano 1 via photopin.

Industrial action is affecting Southern train services

IN the run up to the Christmas and New Year holidays make sure to check your travel arrangements if travelling by Southern or Gatwick Express services as Southern members of the ASLEF and RMT unions have announced industrial action.

Strikes will affect Southern and Gatwick Express services on the following dates:

Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)
Friday 16 December (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)
Monday 19 to Tuesday 20 December (RMT conductors' strike) - changed date
Saturday 31 December to Monday 2 January (RMT conductors' strike)
Monday 9 to Saturday 14 January (ASLEF and RMT drivers' strike)

Southern announced on their website that services are expected to be particularly disrupted on the drivers' strike dates with no services on most routes.

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More French air traffic control strikes announced

AIRLINES are warning of a possible ‘summer of discontent’ due to an unprecedented wave of air traffic control #strikes in #France. Thousands of passengers will see their #travel plans disrupted again during the weeks leading up to the school summer holidays. 

Recent industrial action is to be followed by further strikes announced for June 3-5 and June 14, meaning more cancelled flights, delayed journeys, and detours across Europe, according to industry lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E).

Strikes by air traffic controllers in Greece, Italy, Belgium, and France in March, April, and May caused more than 2,500 flight cancellations in European airspace.

A4E managing director Thomas Reynaert comments: ‘For the seventh time in the past two months the air traffic controllers in France are infringing people’s rights. The overall impact of these strikes will be immense as they are taking place at a very busy time of the year.

‘We are hurtling towards a summer of disruption and frustration for customers. The European Commission and governments must act immediately to protect the rights of millions of European travellers affected by this repeated and disproportionate industrial action.’

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Picture Credit: By Wouter Engler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45254270

Fuel shortage in France could lead to holiday problems

UNION-LED blockades of French oil depots and refineries have led to fuel shortages across the country, with reports of British and European holidaymakers finding themselves stranded due to panic buying and shortages at gas stations.

The UK’s Automobile Association (AA) has warned that half of the country’s petrol pumps could run dry as French drivers store fuel in fear of supply shortage.

Travel advice has been issued by Britain’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office, with a warning over fuel rationing in parts of northern and north-west France. The problem could become severe later this week as UK families travel to France for a half term or bank holiday break.

EDMUND KING, AA PRESIDENT, said: ‘AA breakdown services in Europe have been taking calls from UK drivers who have run out of fuel. We are recovering vehicles stuck at the side of the road to places of safety until fuel supplies are resumed. We are strongly advising our members heading to France to fill up their tanks before crossing the Channel and moderate their driving to get the best miles per gallon from their fuel. The only silver lining might be less traffic that will allow a car to travel further, typically 300 miles on one tank of fuel.’

The industrial action in protest against new labour laws has spread to all of France's eight oil refineries.

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Flybe to run London-Cardiff ‘rescue’ flights

#FLYBE will run up to four ‘rescue flights’ on weekdays – and two a day on weekends – between Cardiff and London City Airport, later this year, when the planned six-week closure of the Severn Tunnel (from September 12 to October 21) will disrupt rail services to and from South Wales.

Fares, one way, start from £34.99 inclusive of taxes and charges.

Vincent Hodder, Flybe’s chief revenue officer says: ‘We have pulled out all the stops to ensure that customers wanting to travel between the capital cities of Wales and England still have convenient and affordable travel options during the period when the Severn Tunnel will be closed and there will be no direct rail link.

‘We hope these rescue flights will help to alleviate the travel woes of the thousands of passengers displaced by the loss of the region’s direct rail services.’

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Eurostar faces Easter strike threat

#EUROSTAR faces the threat of strike action over the Easter holiday period. Services through the Channel Tunnel could be halted during the Easter weekend after staff threatened to strike over the ‘victimization’ of a union activist.

Passengers could have to make alternative arrangements after the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced plans for industrial action. Almost 100 train managers based at St Pancras station in London will be balloted for action.

The dispute concerns the treatment of a train manager who acts as an RMT representative, the Times reported. She objected to a company instruction to manage a train along a section of the route alone, according to the union. The union claims that working alone is unsafe and says she was within her rights to refuse.

The ballot will close on March 15, just over a week before the Easter weekend. By law, the union needs to give seven days’ notice of any action.

Any walkout of train managers could lead to mass cancellations, as they perform a vital safety function by leading evacuations in an emergency.

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Xmas rail travel warning for Gatwick passengers

RAIL services run by Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express between London and Gatwick Airport will be disrupted by ‘major improvement’ works from 10pm on December 24 to 04am on January 4, the airport has warned.

During this period there will be no trains between South Croydon and Redhill. The Gatwick Express will be suspended, but travel by train from London Victoria to Gatwick will be possible via Horsham, but this will take approximately 90 minutes, rather than the usual 30. Alternatively, passengers can travel by train to East Grinstead where replacement bus services will be operating. The journey will take approximately 90 minutes via East Grinstead.

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: No surprise there, then; if it’s a holiday period with thousands of people going to or coming from an airport, that’s exactly the right time to schedule ‘major improvement’ works.

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Forth Bridge closure to hit Edinburgh air travellers

TRAVELLERS using Edinburgh Airport face major disruption following the closure the #ForthRoadBridge until the new year. 

Edinburgh Airport is advising passengers that alternative routes will add at least one hour on to their journeys. "Drivers will need to use the Kincardine or Clackmannanshire bridges," it said. "However, this will add at least an hour to journey times, with this likely to be even greater due to congestion."

Gordon Robertson, the airport’s communications director, said: ‘We have alerted passengers via social media about the Forth Road Bridge closure and are requesting people to plan alternate routes from the north and factor in extra time for their journey to the airport. Passengers travelling from the west should also be aware of potential traffic delays as a result of the closure."
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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7790703@N02/5085800159">Forth Bridges</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(license)

Euro strikes hit plane and rail travel

AIR and rail travel in Europe has been disrupted this week by strikes in Italy, France, and Belgium.

Flights to and from Italy were cancelled due to a nation-wide walk-out by airport ground handlers. British Airways and easyJet were among airlines which cancelled flights from the UK.

Flight schedules to and from France faced disruption when air traffic controllers stopped work, causing a high level of delays at Paris Orly and Marseille.

In Belgium, railway workers planned to start 24-hour strike from 10pm on Thursday, meaning trains from London to Brussels will terminate at Lille.

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Britain ‘least affected’ by transport strikes

ACCORDING to research by Gopili.co.uk, British travellers have been luckier – so far this year – than their neighbours when it comes to transport strikes. Of five major European countries, the UK is the only one that has not faced either pilots or air traffic controllers’ strikes.

The Gopili.co.uk study assessed the number of days of transport strikes with national impact that occurred in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy, plus the number of days of transport strikes in their capital cities.

Spanish travellers have been worst affected by transport strikes, with 48 days of travel disruptions so far this year, including 31 days of a Ryanair baggage handlers strike in Madrid.

The second country most affected was Germany with 22 days of transport strikes with national impact, especially because of industrial action by railway workers and Germanwings and Lufthansa pilots.

France and Italy share third place with 21 days of transport strikes.

Rome and Berlin have been particularly hit, with 16 and ten days of travel disruptions respectively.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13066221@N03/2563417399">British Airways Boeing 747 contrail</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Spanish flights delay warning; Eurotunnel entrance blocked by strikers

A WARNING of flight delays has been issued ahead of the latest planned strike by Spanish air traffic controllers this weekend. Airlines have been notified of a second wave of industrial action for three hours each day on Saturday and Sunday – a peak weekend for summer holiday travel.

It follows action by controllers in Spain on July 11 and 12.

Walkouts are planned between 10am and 1pm on Saturday and 5pm and 8pm on Sunday.

easyJet said: ‘We plan to operate our normal schedule and like all airlines flying to and from Spain, we expect to be impacted by moderate delays during this period as a result of the strike. We recommend that all customers flying to or from Spain on those dates check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker page before going to the airport.’

Calais Eurotunnel entrance hit by fresh strike action

Eurotunnel has been hit by further problems as striking ferry workers set fire to tyres in Calais, blocking one of the entrances to the French terminal. Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing over the port as authorities worked to remove the blockade and repair the road this afternoon.

A statement on Eurotunnel’s website read: “The Maritime Nord Union has this morning blocked access to, and exit from our French Terminal in the Calais direction. Entry is still possible from the Boulogne direction following local diversions in place. If your arrival to check-in at Calais is delayed, please rest assured that we will accommodate you on the next departure with space available.’

Eurostar said its service was unaffected.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41407408@N00/332101971">3 Hour Line to check in at TAM</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/27119837@N06/8140636461">Eurotunnel - Le Shuttle</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

easyJet faces summer strike threat

HOLIDAYMAKERS face travel disruption peak summer period because of a #strikethreat by easyJet cabin crew in a row over pay. Staff are planning to walk out over pay after talks between the unions and the airline broke down following months of negotiations.

The dispute involves more than 2,000 cabin crew. #easyJet has said it was confident that its summer flight schedule will operate as usual, but the Unite union is expected to announce its intention to hold a strike ballot. 

easyJet says it will go ahead with pay awards ranging from 4.1%to 5.1% over the next two years, "on top of an already market-leading set of pay and conditions in the UK", despite it being rejected by union members, adding that its proposed deal is well above inflation and pay increases for British Airways and Thomas Cook employees.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9441896@N08/3604810570">Subiendo al avión</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)