Paul

GTM & Travelodge Partnership.

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We are pleased to announce that we can now offer our corporate customers a 5% discount off of the Travelodge Best Available Rate.

Travelodge have over 500 UK hotels with 58 in London and have been carrying out extensive refurbishments which will be complete by the end of 2015. Furthermore you can now get 30 mins free WIFI and 24 hours for just £3!

Also, should you, or your colleagues, require us (GTM) to cover your room costs we can do this too (applic to account holders only).

Paul

Planned Industrial Action Across Europe in April.

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Please note that French air traffic controllers have another strike scheduled for Thursday 16th April. Once we (GTM) have confirmation we will update our customers accordingly.

Please also note that on Wednesday 22nd April there will be a national strike in Belgium which is expected to affect the entire Belgian rail network. This will also affect train services operated by Eurostar, ICE trains to Germany and TGV & Thalys trains to/from France.

Paul

New UK Passport Exit Checks.

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Data on all passengers leaving the UK will now be collected and handed to the Home Office. The new scheme will be phased in at the country’s ports and border crossings.

Officials will now record the details of all travellers leaving by air, sea and rail. It is thought that the new checks will have a dis-proportionate affect on cross-channel ferry and Channel Tunnel travellers.

For the first month all passports will be scanned, but only 25% of the passport holders will have their details verified to ensure they are genuine, in a bid to minimise disruption. After a month, there will be a move to 50% verification and by the middle of June 100% verification will be introduced.

Paul

French ATC Strike 8 & 9 April.

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Please note we have just been informed that there will be an air traffic controllers strike across France tomorrow, Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th April.

As a result, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has mandated the cancellation of a number of flights for all airlines using French airspace. Also, and because of the number of aircraft using French airspace, there may be knock-on effects for other airlines and flights over-flying France.

Please ensure that if you are due to fly tomorrow, or Thursday, that you remember to checkin online for your flight, as this will ensure that the most up to date flight information reaches you in a timely fashion.

Richard

Belgium National Strike – 22nd April

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Please be aware that there is a national strike in Belgium on 22 April 2015. Early indications show that participation is expected to be widespread. The Belgian Railway Network is likely to be closed and an amended Eurostar timetable will be put in place (trains will terminate at and depart from Lille on the continent). As a precaution, sales for Eurostar tickets to and from Brussels are currently closed for sale for this date.

 

STANadmin

Toast of Surrey Business Awards 2015 – Finalist

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Toast of Surrey Business Awards Finalist 2015A big thanks to all Global Travel Management stakeholders with whom we would like to share our success in being chosen as a finalist in the 2015 Toast of Surrey Awards, sponsored by the Surrey Advertiser.

Entering this prestigious event for the first time, GTM has been shortlisted for the ‘Companies with a Turnover over £5 Million’ category, one of the 10 areas in the awards that celebrate the contribution Surrey businesses make to the UK economy.

We have received numerous testimonials to support our entry, confirming that we are giving a top rate bespoke business travel service that prioritises our customers’ needs alongside investment in leading technology.

GTM Managing Director Scott Pawley says: “As a Surrey-based company, we take great pride in being chosen as finalists for the Toast of Surrey Awards.
“I already knew I’m working with one of the best teams in the business which is why we have seen a 25% growth in our client list and a steady increase in profitability since we launched 17 years ago. But I feel this gives the whole GTM team the recognition they deserve.”

Richard

Italy – General strike and Air Traffic Controllers Industrial Action 20 March

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We Have been advised of a national general strike across Italy from 10:00 to 18:00 local time. This will run alongside an Air Traffic Controllers strike from 12:00 to 16:00 local time on Friday 20th March. Every airline flying to and from Italy, as well as those flying within Italian airspace, will be affected. Please check with your travel supplier before you travel. Or contact us for mor e information.

Paul

Lufthansa Pilots’ Strike – Wednesday 18th March

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The pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, has called a Germany-wide strike on all Lufthansa continental flights for tomorrow Wednesday, 18 March from 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours CET. Lufthansa long-haul flights will operate as scheduled.

There will be a significant adverse impact on Lufthansa operations during the strike period. However, the Lufthansa Group will still operate the majority of its approximately 3,000 flights a day and will be able to offer most passengers the alternative of rebooking on other flights.

Flights by the Lufthansa Group airlines Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Germanwings and SWISS (operated by OS, SN, EW, 4U, LX) as well as flights by Air Dolomiti (operated by EN) are unaffected by the strike and will operate as scheduled.

Paul

Fast Track Security Access For easyJet PlusCard Holders.

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Description: http://image.S7.exacttarget.com/lib/fe8d137275620c7b70/m/1/ej-plus.jpg

easyJet Plus annual card holders will now benefit from access to Fast Track security at 35 airports* across Europe from the 19th March 2015.

In order to qualify for Fast Track security, please ensure  that you have advised us (Global Travel Management) of your easyJet Plus card number and/or that it is registered on your easyJet mobile app.  

Also, from 19th March easyJet Plus annual card holders can take a second smaller under seat bag, such as a handbag, or laptop bag, on to flights in addition to a cabin bag up to a maximum size 56x45x25cm (including handles and wheels).   

easyJet Plus annual membership already provides a variety of benefits, including allocated seating including extra legroom and upfront seats on all bookings, Dedicated Bag Drop desks in every airport and easyJet Plus Speedy Boarding. Existing card holders will benefit from this addition immediately. Those wishing to purchase a card can do so via easyJet.com.

* Available at: Aberdeen, Athens, Basel, Belfast, Brussels, Budapest, Cagliari Sardinia, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton (from Oct ’15), London Southend, London Stansted, Lyon, Madeira, Manchester, Milan Malpensa, Moscow, Munich, Naples, Newcastle, Nice, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Porto, Prague, Tallinn and Venice.

 

Richard

France: Rail Strike Beginning 9th March to Affect RER B and TER Trains.

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Rail workers are set to begin a one-day strike at 7pm on Monday night but authorities say the walk-out won’t provoke the kind of travel chaos seen during last June’s industrial action.
Commuters and rail passengers should be spared any serious travel chaos this week caused by a one-day rail strike set to begin on Monday evening, according to SNCF.
The strike is set to begin at 7pm on Monday and will continue until 8am on Wednesday morning.
But according to forecasts from SNCF, most services will run as normal including the TGV, and most of the commuter trains in and around Paris.
There will be “slight disruption” to the RER B service which links the city’s two main airports Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
There will also be some disruption in the regions where only eight out of ten TER trains are expected to run.
The strike, which has been called by the CGT union in protest against planned rail reforms, is not a rolling strike, which means it won’t be extended beyond the set deadline.
The contentious reforms were put into place in January and are intended to tackle the rail sector’s soaring debt, which stands at more than €40 billion and was feared to almost double by 2025 if nothing changed.
The reforms aim to cut costs by bringing together 149,000 employees at train operator SNCF and the 1,500 at RFF railway network to eventually open up parts of the service to competition.
The rolling strikes in June were the longest in years and crippled the transport system. They prompted clashes between riot police and protesters, and lost the state-run SNCF an estimated €80 million.
The CGT union has long argued that the reforms would lead to job losses without reducing debt.