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# Monday, 26 November 2007
BAA staff at Gatwick and Heathrow are to be balloted on a strike within the next few weeks. The proposed strike action is in protest at a plan to stop new staff joining the final salary pension scheme from 1 December. A strike would see BAA airports closed from 27 December which would lead to chaos during the New Year travel period.

posted on Monday, 26 November 2007 13:30:47 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Sunday, 25 November 2007

blogoftheweek_thumb This weeks travel blog of the week is carbonneutraltourism.co.uk written by Richard Linington. The blog contains information on leisure and tourism with a particular focus on environmental issues. With so much in the news recently about reducing your carbon footprint this blog offers a lot of useful articles about reducing carbon emissions and offsetting carbon that is produced.

hotelphotogd2One of the most recent articles highlights the TYF Eco Hotel in Wales. The hotel has been working hard to reduce its energy use. All carbon dioxide emissions produced by the hotel are now offset through the support of renewable energy projects in other parts of the world. The hotel also has an ethical purchasing policy and serves organic and local food and drink. In fact nearly all the food and drink served at the hotel is organic. They also reuse and recycle as much waste as possible and even compost all food waste.

Another article looks at Eurostar and how they are addressing the green concerns of their passengers. Travelling by Eurostar is already 10 times greener than flying but Eurostar are trying to minimise their impact on the environment even more. Some initiatives include fitting new controls for train heating, lighting and air conditioning that will reduce power consumption, making better use of train capacity and finding cleaner energy supplies. These are just a few of the articles on this blog but its well worth a read for anyone who wants tips on greener travel.

posted on Sunday, 25 November 2007 15:31:12 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
Ministers have delayed the closure of hundreds of post office until after next year’s local elections. Around 2500 branches are to shut by the end of 2008 but the decisions on which ones are to close have not been made yet. Many people will now not find out whether their local post office is to close until after the polls. It seems rather cynical to me, if they are proposing the freeze until after the polls, then they can obviously see that the local post offices are needed. It seems whilst they benefit the government they will keep them open and once they have been voted back in, then the closures will take place.

posted on Sunday, 25 November 2007 13:35:11 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
If you are interested in cooking you might want to book ticket for The France Show 2008 which runs from the 18th to the 20th of January. The show will feature Jean-Christophe Novelli who will give three cookery demonstrations as well as some other well know chefs. The following press release has been issued giving details about the show. Tickets are free is you register before hand or £8 on the day.

Press Release
Jean-Christophe Novelli, Britain's favourite French Chef, will be one of the star attractions at The France Show 2008, which runs at London's Olympia from 18-20 January.

He will be conducting three live cookery demonstrations each day at the show with his "mobile" Novelli Academy Cookery School, revealing the secrets that have made him one of the most celebrated Chefs in Britain.

The Novelli master classes will be among the main highlights of an already mouth-watering line-up for the Olympia show, which is expected to attract30,000 visitors. It is being organised by Archant Life, publisher of the UK's three leading French lifestyle magazines - France, Living France and French Property News.

Miller Hogg, Regional Managing Director of Archant Life France, said: "We have had a wonderful response to the France Show so far from the public andare extremely excited about working with one of the world's greatest Chefs. For anyone with a love of French food, watching Jean-Christophe Novelli inaction is a must."

Jean-Christophe, who started work at the age of 14 as a baker in his hometown of Arras came to Britain in 1984. He is a Michelin and 5AA Rosette award winning Chef, whose attributes include AA Chef's Chef of the Year, European Chef of the Year finalist representing Great Britain and the prestigious Egon Ronay Desert of the Year. He won Restaurant of the Year on numerous occasions and many other awards for culinary excellence.

In 2005 Jean-Christophe established the Novelli Academy, which was voted among the 'Top 25 Cookery Schools in the World' within three months and offers a diverse range of courses to suit aspiring cooks of all levels. A year ago he branched out again to open his first gastro pub, 'A Touch of Novelli' at The White Horse in Harpenden.

During 2007 Jean-Christophe launched Novelli Wines - "I have always been as passionate about wine as I am about food. As a chef, I know that if you serve the right wine with the right food you can turn a good meal into a truly great one. There is a wealth of small producers in France creating wonderful, and affordable, wines. The France Show is all about sharing and appreciating everything that France can offer."

Jean-Christophe's new recipe book "Everyday Novelli" will be available from1 February 2008, from Headline Publishing, and advance copies can be ordered at the show.

The Novelli Food Theatre will be one of the main attractions at the France Show offering demonstrations of cookery to suit all palates. There will be six cookery demonstrations each day, three by Novelli, two by his protégé, Steven Kitchen and one by Franck Raymond, the head Chef of London's oldest French restaurant, Mon Plaisir.

Other highlights of the France Show 2008 include a huge property zone, London's largest French market and an extensive holiday travel fair, as well as insights into French culture, language and lifestyle.

Visitors who pre-register can obtain free tickets or else pay £8 at the door on the day. For your free tickets and further information about the France Show, visit the official website at www.thefranceshow.com

posted on Sunday, 25 November 2007 13:32:19 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Saturday, 24 November 2007
Further to my earlier post on BA flying empty planes on some routes, it appears the airlines are likely to face a crackdown on this practice. The Treasury and the Department for Transport are considering levying new environmental taxes on airlines that continue to fly empty planes. BA has already admitted to flying at least one empty plane a day across the Atlantic because of a shortage of cabin crews.

posted on Saturday, 24 November 2007 13:00:11 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 23 November 2007
I read this article the other day that suggests the government is likely to approve a new runway at Heathrow. If it does go ahead it will mean an increase in the volume of flights from 480,000 to 720,000 by 2020 with the number of passengers rising from 60 million a year to 100 million. Whilst this might be good news for the Britain’s economy it is certainly bad new for the residents who currently live around Heathrow Airport, many of whom already have to put up with unacceptable levels of noise. A consultation will take place to look at the environmental issue and specifically air quality and noise. Despite the fact that this expansion will affect around 50 towns and villages around the airport, I suspect the quality of life of ordinary people is likely to be ignored.

posted on Friday, 23 November 2007 11:53:12 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 22 November 2007
If you have ever had your luggage lost at the airport this article might not come as a surprise. An enquiry has been mounted at Stansted Airport to investigate the extent of thefts from passenger’s luggage. 22 baggage handlers were arrested between December 2006 and July 2007 in connection with baggage theft after a whistleblower alerted the BBC to the extent of the problem. Police officers concealed hidden cameras around the airport and baggage handlers were caught hiding jewellery, watched and i-pods inside their steel toe-capped boot so they could get them out past security scanners.

posted on Thursday, 22 November 2007 10:54:57 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Under new measures announced by Gordon Brown, rail passengers could face having their baggage screened. He aims to bring in measures such as vehicle exclusion zones and blast resistant buildings in order to improve security at railway stations, airport terminals and other sensitive locations. Baggage screening is also likely to be brought in at large railway stations.

posted on Wednesday, 21 November 2007 11:24:07 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 20 November 2007
British Airways have been flying empty planes on some routes because they have no cabin crew to staff them. In the last two weeks empty planes have flown between Britain, Canada and the US. BA said the practice is extremely rare and only occurs when there is no cabin crew available for the flights. He also said that it is better to fly empty planes one way if the return leg is full rather than the cancel both legs. In a time when the phrase carbon footprint is being used daily, flying empty planes seems ridiculous.

posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2007 10:21:43 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 19 November 2007

blogoftheweek Elliott is another one of those blogs that champions the cause of the poorly treated traveller. Seen as one of America's top travel ombudsmen, his blog is full of useful advice and warnings about scams. If you've been unfairly treated by the travel industry and don't know where to turn, Elliott is probably your knight in shining armor.

One post I found of particular interest is about rental car scams, car rental companies are becoming more an more innovative in adding all kinds of hidden fees to their rates. From charging you for a full tank of fuel when the meter isn't exactly on F down to even charging you for the disposal of old tires! Elliott says the best way to avoid these fees is to play the car rental companies at their own game. Read their terms and conditions very carefully, stick to them and argue about any fee that is not disclosed on your rate quote.

posted on Monday, 19 November 2007 12:31:30 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback