Paul

Planned Ground Workers Strike At Heathrow Airport.

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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.

Paul

Complimentary Wi-Fi at all London Hiltons.

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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.

Paul

Important New Advice For People Travelling.

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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:

  • Parents travelling to South Africa with children under 18 will have to have a birth certificate showing their name, and if travelling without one parent a sworn affidavit to say the trip is authorised. This comes into force on October 1
  • Fines have been increased to AUS $500 for swearing publicly in parts of Australia
  • E-Cigarettes are now banned from being brought into the United Arab Emirates
  • Visitors to Turkey must have a valid passport for at least 60 days from expiry date of their visitor visa from January 2015.

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.

Paul

US Pilot Buys Pizza….

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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!

Paul

**Important New Security Regulations**

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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:

  • Please do all you can to ensure that items you bring with you are fully powered before you arrive at the airport.
  • If you are flying to the US as a transfer customer, especially on long journeys, please make sure that you do not deplete the power in your devices while on the first part of your journey. There will be very limited charging points at airports.
  • Please do not bring any broken devices in your hand luggage to the airport as you will not be able to fly as planned.
  • Please make sure you arrive in good time for the various stages of your journey, including check-in, main security search areas and at the boarding gate.
Paul

Significant Eurotunnel Delays.

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Hundreds of passengers have had to be evacuated from a broken-down train in the Channel Tunnel this morning, in an incident which has led to long delays for travellers today (Monday 7th July).

The French-bound Eurotunnel passenger shuttle train came to a halt about a quarter of the way through the tunnel after a problem with the overhead power line. As it was likely to be some time before the train could be moved, the 382 passengers and four dogs were evacuated and taken on to the French terminal.

Services through the tunnel, using one of the two running tunnels, were able to continue but Eurotunnel warned that services were being delayed, with hold-ups possibly lasting for the rest of the day.

The problem has also affected Eurostar’s services, with four services already being cancelled today.

Paul

Belgian Railway Workers Strike 30 June.

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Belgium’s national union of railway workers will participate in 24-hour strike action today, Monday 30th June 2014. The strike which actually started last night at 10pm CET, is due to finish tonight at 2200 CET.

Due to the strike Belgium’s rail networks are closed and are unable to operate services to and from Brussels. The strike is also affecting Eurostar services, which will terminate and commence at Lille Europe. In addition, a reduced timetable will operate for Eurostar services between London and Lille in both directions.

Paul

French ATC Industrial Action: 24-30 June.

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There remains a possibility, despite conflicting media reports, that Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) in France are planning to strike from tomorrow, Tuesday 24 until Sunday 30 June 2014.

The level of disruption is likely to fluctuate in different parts of France at different times of the day. It is expected that industrial action will disrupt numerous airlines’ services during this period and, also, for other services which overfly French airspace.

Information from the French authorities on the number of mandated cancellations is expected later today, therefore, we (GTM) strongly recommend that even if you are not flying directly to France, but are also flying to Italy, Span & Switzerland, that you check-in online for your flight/s. We will also be monitoring all of our customer’s flights for updates from the airlines whose flights are affected.

Paul

A Very Proud Sponsor of Local Sports Clubs!

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Global Travel Management is proud to sponsor two local sports clubs, Woking & Horsell Cricket Club and Goldsworth Park Rangers Under 10s football team.

Woking & Horsell Cricket Club is today (Friday 6th June 2014) celebrating the opening of its new club house, situated on Brewery Road in Woking, with a drinks reception attended by the town’s local MP Jonathan Lord.

Meanwhile Goldsworth Park Rangers’ U10 football team has had a very successful season, winning both the Premier division of the Surrey Primary League and the Senior Cup!

Congratulations to both clubs on their development and success from all at GTM.

Paul

Terminal 2 | The Queen’s Building Opens Today!

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Heathrow Airport’s brand new Terminal 2 opens today, Wednesday 4th June 2014, with Her Majesty the Queen officially opening the building on Monday 23rd June 2014.

The first flight, a United Airlines’ flight from Chicago, arrived at Terminal 2 this morning shortly before 0600 BST. Officially known as the Queen’s Building, Terminal 2 will become home to all Star Alliance carriers, plus Aer Lingus, Germanwings & Virgin Atlantic Little Red.

It is important to note that there will be a phased approach, with all of the aforementioned airlines moving into T2 over the course of the next four months. United Airlines is the first airline to move in today, followed by Air Canada on 18th June, with Air New Zealand, Asiana, SAA & TAP Air Portugal being the last carriers to move across from Terminal 1 on 22nd October 2014.

Enjoy the new Terminal 2, I (PB) was fortunate enough to go on a tour of the building earlier in the year, and it will be a fantastic new terminal from which to fly into and out of.

If you travel through the new terminal in the nest few weeks, do let us know what you think.