Air France’s pilots have voted to continue their industrial action yet again, the strike will now run until 30 September.
A commercial policy is in place to assist passengers whose flight’s have been affected and does permit re-booking and refunds.
We (GTM) will monitor all of our customer’s flights and advise them the moment we receive an update from Air France.
The union representing Air France’s pilots has said that they may now continue their strike into a second week. The head of the SNPL union said today that the result of the latest ballot will be known this Saturday.
In light of the continued uncertainty surrounding the strike, and if you are flying with Air France, please remember to check in online; if there are any updates we (GTM) will also notify you of any changes immediately.
Lufthansa’s pilots have now called off their planned strike of today, Tuesday 16th September, that would have affected long-haul flights out of Frankfurt. Normal service resumed!
Unfortunately there are two planned strikes taking place this week, please see the details below.
Firstly, Air France has said that it has been forced to scrap more than half of its scheduled flights starting today, Monday 15th September, for one week. Its pilots are striking over the French flag carrier’s plans to develop its own low-cost subsidiary airline.
Lufthansa’s pilots are also out on strike again tomorrow (Tuesday 16th September), this time the dispute is over their pension and an early retirements scheme.
We (Global Travel Management) are constantly checking all of our bookings for affected flights, and will be in contact if you are on a cancelled service, however, please also feel free to contact us if you have any immediate concerns. Please also remember to check in for your flight online so that the airline can also contact you in the event of any last minute delays/cancellations.
On Wednesday 17th of this week Singapore Airlines will begin operating to and from Heathrow Airport’s new Terminal 2, the Queen’s Terminal. The first flight departing from T2 will be the SQ317 departing at 1130.
Passengers who are travelling in Suites, First or Business Class, or who hold Star Alliance GOLD status can proceed to a Singapore Airlines First & Business Class check-in desk, located in Zone A to check-in for their flight.
Upon arrival at the airport Economy Class passengers can use any of the 66 self-service kiosks to check-in and print their individual boarding pass and bag tags. After tagging their own bags, they may then proceed to any Singapore Airlines bag drop desk in Zone A to complete the check-in process.
Passengers flying into, or out of, London Heathrow Airport (Terminals 1, 2 and 3) may experience delays this Friday, 12th September, because of a planned ground workers strike by members of the Unite Union.
Talks between Unite, the country’s largest union, which represents more than 500 ground handlers, and the management of ASIG broke down on Monday of this week over the delayed 2013 pay award, which should have been implemented 14 months ago. ASIG is a subsidiary of BBA, the largest ground handler at Heathrow.
The strike will run from 00.01 on Friday for 24 hours and the airlines affected will be at Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Ground handling staff cover such duties as check-in and baggage handling.
We are pleased to announce that all of Global Travel Management’s customers are eligible for free Wifi at every Hilton hotel in London.
Hilton have 36 properties in London, with many ideally located at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted & Luton; furthermore, other properties can also be found at Euston and Paddington stations.
More centrally located hotels can be found at Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, theatreland and close to Olympia.
Simply request rate code WYN when booking.
The Foreign Office has warned holidaymakers to be aware of foreign laws and customs to avoid problems on holiday; the advice applies equally to business travellers too.
Every year British nationals get caught out by local laws, the following important changes have been made in 2014, these include:
According to new research from the FCO, less than half of holidaymakers make researching local rules and customs part of their preparations when visiting somewhere new.
Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said: “Laws and customs vary widely from country to country and visitors should respect them to avoid causing offence or even being arrested. Spending five minutes reading our travel advice may save travellers a lot of time in the long run.”
We (Global Travel Management) are more than happy to offer help and advice in this area; please do not hesitate to contact us.
Whilst we’re all used to flight delays and cancellations, and have no choice but to accept them, one lucky group of passengers on board a recent Frontier Airlines flight from Washington DC to Denver, were treated to free pizza ordered and paid for by the captain; so that they left the flight “with a smile on their face”!
Captain Bradner ordered 50 pizzas after his flight was diverted to Cheyenne for 2 hours, due to thunder and lightning in Denver. And if you really want to know, half were cheese and the other half were pepperoni!
Global Travel Management has now been advised by several airlines that the US Transportation Security Administration have implemented additional security regulations for customers flying to the United States.
Effective immediately, we recommend that all travellers flying to the US allow extra time at the airport, as they may be subject to additional searches and questions at check-in, security and at the boarding gate.
The main change is that anyone carrying any electronic, or battery powered device, may be required to turn on their device/s in front of security teams, and/or be able to demonstrate the item’s functionality. If, when asked to do so, customers are not able to demonstrate that their device has power, they will not be allowed to fly on their planned service; however, please note that this new regulation does vary from airline to airline (British Airways is one airline however, which IS implementing this rule).
It will also not be possible for customers to place the electronic device, IE. without power, in their hand or hold luggage – they will have to leave the item behind or rebook an alternative flight.
Further advice for customers includes:
