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# Saturday, 12 January 2008
Loganair has announced that it will offer 50,000 permanent low cost fares on its key routes between the Scottish mainland and the islands. It will also introduce an extra weekday return flight on four routes including Kirkwall to Aberdeen, Shetland to Aberdeen, Stornoway to Glasgow and Islay to Glasgow. The discounted fares are offered under the government’s Air Discount scheme which provides 40% on flights to islands and parts of the highlands. Discounts are cuurently available to residents of Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Islay, Jura, Caithness and north west Sutherland.

posted on Saturday, 12 January 2008 19:40:58 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 11 January 2008
Another 40 post offices are to be closed across Glasgow, Argyll and Bute. The original announcement which came in October had said that 44 branches were to be closed. However, four post offices that were on the original list have now been spared. Cultenhove in Stirling, Auchenback in Barrhead and Kelvindale and Hyndland in Glasgow will now stay open although four other branches will now also be closed. The full list of closures is below.

Branches to close in central and south west Scotland are:
Argyll & Bute
•    East Princes Street, The Post Office, East Princes Street, Helensburgh
•    Gallowgate, Gallowgate, Rothesay
•    High Street, The Post Office, High Street, Campbeltown
•    Hillfoot Street, The Post Office, Dunoon
•    Kirn, The Post Office, Dunoon
•    Mossfield, Combie Street, Oban
•    Ralston Road, 125 -127 Ralston Road, Campbeltown
Greater Glasgow
•    Anderston, 76 St. Vincent Terrace, Glasgow
•    Balornock, 34-36 Drumbottie Road, Glasgow
•    Bowling, 32 Dumbarton Road, Dumbarton
•    Brucehill, Brucehill Road, Dumbarton
•    Carmunnock, Clarkston, 17 Busby Road, Carmunnock, Glasgow
•    Croftfoot, 509 Castlemilk Road, Glasgow
•    Crow Road, 304 Crow Road, Glasgow
•    Drumchapel, 135 Garscadden Road, Glasgow
•    Forge St, The Post Office, Forge Street, Glasgow
•    Gilshochill, Glenavon Road, Glasgow
•    Govanhill, 328 Allison St, Govanhill, Glasgow
•    Greenbank, 29 Eaglesham Road, Clarkston, Glasgow
•    High Street, 271 High Street, Glasgow
•    Kingsridge, 55 Inchfad Drive, Drumchapel, Glasgow
•    Levenvale, Co-Op Store, Argyle Street, Alexandria
•    Muirend, The Post Office, 367 Clarkston Road, Glasgow
•    Newton, 107 Glasgow Road, Dumbarton
•    Nithsdale Rd, 8 Kildroston Street, Glasgow
•    Radnor Park, 379 Kilbowie Road, Clydebank
•    Red Road, 51 Red Court, Glasgow
•    Sandymount, 18 Grantlea Terrace, Glasgow
•    Springfield Rd, 98 Springfield Road, Glasgow
•    Temple, 58 Fulton Street, Glasgow
•    West End, 125-127 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow
Central Scotland
•    Bothkennar, Main Street, Skinflats, Falkirk
•    Brightons, Quarry Brae, Brightons, Falkirk
•    Church Street, 206 King Street, Stenhousemuir, Larbert
•    East End, 161 Main Street, Callander
•    Forth Crescent, 36 Abbey Road, Riverside, Stirling
•    Greenhill, 2 Lea Park Drive, Bonnybridge
•    Highland Dykes, 66 Wheatlands Avenue, Bonnybridge
•    Nethermains, 4 Fleming Court, Denny
•    Thornhill Road, 192 Thornhill Road, Falkirk

posted on Friday, 11 January 2008 15:24:46 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 10 January 2008
Birmingham International Airport has submitted a planning application to extend its runway. The application would see the runway extended 405m towards Bickenhill and Hampton-in-Arden. The airport hopes that the extension of the runway will be able to accommodate larger aircraft and allow it operate more long haul routes.

posted on Thursday, 10 January 2008 12:13:16 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 09 January 2008
British Airways passengers are likely to see fuel charges on longhaul flights top the £100 mark for the first time. The rises come as the airline struggles with rising oil costs. The rise follows an increase in November which saw the fuel surcharge on a longhaul ticket rise from £76 to £96. A family of four would now have to pay £464 in fuel charges on a return trip to Hong Kong.

posted on Wednesday, 09 January 2008 12:27:11 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 08 January 2008
Air passengers could face chaos because of confusion over plans to relax baggage security rules. As of yesterday ministers are allowing airlines at some airports to allow passengers to carry two pieces of hand luggage. However, other airports have not been given permission to relax the security rule. This article has a useful guide listing the main airlines and their current baggage allowances as well as airports that do allow two bags. It all seems a little complicated at the moment but its worth checking out the list before you fly.

posted on Tuesday, 08 January 2008 19:02:40 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 07 January 2008
With the rising cost of rail fares you might be better off calling a taxi and sharing the cost with some of your fellow passengers that’s according to this report. The report says that a standard single from Euston to Birmingham New Street now costs £61.50 whereas Rosebery minicabs will take four passengers at a cost of £140, a saving of £26.50 per person.

posted on Monday, 07 January 2008 19:12:45 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Saturday, 05 January 2008

blogoftheweek Happy New Year! We apologise for not having a travel blog last week, but the staff at PC2Paper had a well earned break for a week over new year. Our first Travel Blog of the week for 2008 is The Cranky Flier, a blog focused mainly around (you guessed it!) airline travel.

The blogs author goes by the name of Brett and calls himself "an airline dork" who has had and obsession with the airline industry since he was a boy and became a travel agent by the age of 12!

Brett's blog gives anyone interested in particular airlines or airports a good overview of past problems and things to expect, quite useful if you are booking flights in an area you have never been before. A rather useful aspect is if you are booking flights with an airline that might be nearing bankruptcy.

posted on Saturday, 05 January 2008 20:57:33 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 02 January 2008
New Year price increases will mean that the cost of some rail tickets will rise by nearly 15%. This is despite the fact that many services have problems with chronic overcrowding and punctuality. One of the biggest increases is on the Southeastern Railway's weekly season ticket from Hayes, Kent, to London, which will rise by 14.5%, from £24.80 to £28.50.

posted on Wednesday, 02 January 2008 21:05:30 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
The Unite and PCS unions have cancelled the planned one day stoppage that would have closed seven UK airports. The strike was called off after BAA managers agreed to negotiate any changes that are made to the firm’s final salary pension scheme. Two further strikes could also be called off if a deal is reached by union representatives in a meeting planned for Thursday.

posted on Wednesday, 02 January 2008 15:19:24 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback