We get a lot of requests to cancel letters, most of our letter cancellation requests are usually due to the user discovering they made a typo or may have typed in the address of the recipient incorrectly.

We appreciate that we are all human and make mistakes, so we have introduced some new functionality onto our site. The ability to request the cancellation of a letter from your PC2Paper account instead of having to raise a support ticket.

PLEASE NOTE: It is not always possible to cancel a letter that has been submitted on our site and we ask because of this, that users make use of our preview functionality to ensure the letter is correct.

Step 1

To request cancel a letter you may have sent in error navigate to the "Waiting to be sent" folder from the "My Letters" section of the site. You will discover a new drop down menu here called "Actions". From this menu select "cancel letter"

Step 2

You will now be presented with a dialogue that warns you it is not always possible to cancel letters especially during work hours when they may have already hit our print queue.

Hit "Request cancellation" and you will receive a message confirming your request has been received.

Step 3

Now that you have requested a letter cancellation, you will see the following displayed next to your letter. You can now leave the site if you wish.

If it is possible to cancel your letter, you will receive an email sent to the email address on your account, or if you are on the website you will see the following message pop up. The message is showing you that your letter has now been cancelled. You can click the "Refresh my view" button and the "OK" button next to the Letter cancellation message to acknowledge you have read it. Your letter will then be moved to your "Saved" folder when you can edit it to send again. The cost of your letter will also be refunded back to your PC2Paper account.

Some areas of the UK have been experiencing high winds and flooding caused by the tail end of Hurricane Katia. According to this article transport links and power companies in Scotland and northern are facing disruption. The hurricane has already caused today's stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race which would have place between Kendall and Blackpool to be cancelled. The M6 has been closed at the Thelwall viaduct in Cheshire due to high winds and drivers have been advised to use the M61 instead. Central and southern Scotland, North Yorkshire and Cumbria are on amber alert and advised to be prepared. it is not yet clear whether mail deliveries will be affected in the local area.

A series of tube strikes have been announced by the Rail Maritime and Transport union. They are planning six days of action over a two week period later this month and in June. Drivers will walk out for between 9 and 24 hours from Monday 16th May to Friday 20th May and again from Monday 13th June to Friday 17th June. The move follows a 2-1 vote in favour of industrial action by RMT members in protest at the dismissal of two drivers Eamon Lynch and Arwyn Thomas. If it goes ahead it is likely to cause widespread disruption which could affect millions of customers.

Many commuters will have found they are paying a lot more for their train ticket this week as prices have gone up across the network. Prices have gone up an average of 6% but on some routes such as those run by Southeastern commuters have seen increases of as much as 12%. This article has a useful map showing the increases across the rail network so you can see how your journey has been affected.

We are currently unable to guarantee delivery times for letters due to the fact that we are currently experiencing extremely bad snow causing disruption to both our business collections and deliveries in the UK. We will still pass mail into the postal system as soon as we are able to do so but customer should expect delays to all mail.

Londoners are expected to face travel disruption later today when the third in a series of tube strikes goes ahead. The 24 hours stoppage begins at 7pm today (Tuesday) evening and will last 24 hours. Services are not expected to return to normal until Thursday morning. The strike is due to a protest over plans to cut 800 jobs at ticket offices, a move that unions say will compromise safety and security.

Thousands of London Underground workers are due to walk out tonight in the first of a series of strikes. The strike will begin with two 24 hour walkout starting at 1700 and 2100 today. The action is taking place as part of a protest against plans to scrap 800 jobs in ticket offices. Maintenance and engineering staff will walk out at 1700 BST with drivers, signallers and station staff following suit at 2100 BST. During a strike a skeleton staff will be left to man services with the level of service depending on how many managers are able to stand in. Disruption is expected from late afternoon today and is likely to continue for most of Tuesday. Further strike action is planned for the coming months. People travelling tonight might want to check out the following link for some alternative transport options.

London Underground workers are to stage a series of strikes over planned job losses. Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association will walk out for 24 hours from 5pm on the 6th of September. More strike action is also planned for the 3rd of October, 2nd of November and 28th of November. The move comes in protest over plans to cuts 800 jobs among station staff. They are likely to cause widespread disruption and could cost the economy millions of pounds.

If this article is correct rail fares could be set to rise by 10%. The news comes after the publication of July's inflation data. Under current rules train operators are allowed to raise fares by one percent more than the retail prices index (RPI). This stood at 4.8% last month suggesting that fare increases of 5.8% are likely in 2011. Passenger groups, however, are warning that the government is likely to change these rules which would allow companies to raise prices by significantly more. This could in effect mean they could raise some fares by as much as 5% over RPI a rise of nearly 10% in total. Passenger groups point out that passengers in Britain already pay some of the highest fares in Europe. They are calling train operators to show restraint in price rises especially as wage rises are currently lagging behind inflation meaning many customers could struggle to find the extra money for their morning commute.

According to this article a quarter of the UK's Blue Flag beaches are failing to monitor daily sewage contamination. The anti-pollution group Surfers against Sewage have revealed that a quarter of British Blue Flag beaches could be contaminated with sewage from overflows. The information comes from freedom of information requests to local authorities and beach operators. If correct this could mean that thousands of bather might unknowingly have been exposed to raw sewage whilst believing they are swimming in clean water. 131 British beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag status which is only granted if beach operators meet more than 30 strict criteria. The SAS research, however, shows that 35 of the 131 beaches do not meet criterion 28 of the Blue Flag code which require operators to inform the public during and after emergency pollution events such as sewage discharge. The beaches that have no system in place to monitor daily sewage pollution and warn people are listed below.

Cornwall: Polzeath, Gyllyngvase, Carbis bay, Challaborough

Devon: Woolacombe, Bigbury on sea

Isle of Wight: Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown

Kent: Joss Bay, Margate main, Westgate West bay, Botany bay, Ramsgate main

Suffolk: Lowestoft south, Cromer

Lincolnshire: Cleethorpes central

Yorkshire: Filey, North Bay beach, Whitby west cliff

County Durham: Whitburn north

Wales: Prestatyn central, Llanddona, Fairbourne, Abersoch, Aberporth, Llangrannog, Newagle, Langland, Rest bay

Scotland: Fife West Sands, Elie Ruby bay, Coldingham

Northern Ireland: Coleraine Castle rock, Portrush west, Whiterock west

A 48 hour tube strike will go ahead at 7pm tonight after an effort to get a court injunction to stop it failed. The High Court today refused to grant an injunction to prevent the stoppage. The planned walkout is due to a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. The strike is likely to affect the Northern Piccadilly and Jubilee lines. Despite the strike London Underground hopes to run a full service in London.

According to this article the recent change in government will mean that plans for a new runway at Heathrow will be scrapped. It looked at though the new runway would have gone ahead under the Labour government with Gordon Brown saying it was needed for economic reasons. Councils, residents and green groups has all opposed the expansion and it seems the new coalition government agrees with them. It has cancelled the plans for the new runway as part of a joint Conservative Liberal Democrat policy agreement. The new government has also said it will refuse any plans for new runways at Gatwick and Stansted. It is not yet clear whether there will be alternative plans to increase the capacity of Britain's airports but the Conservatives are thought be considering the option of a high speed rail link to and from Heathrow.

Passengers flying with Ryanair over the summer holidays will find they are paying a little more for their bags as the airline raises its fees. They will now be charged £20 for every bag they check in, an increase of £5. The fee will apply to all booking made for travel during July and August and the fee will reduce to £15 again from September. In addition to this the airline has recently announced that it will charge customers to use the toilet. All onboard toilets will now become operated and passengers will need to pay £1 or one Euro for the privilege of using them. The airline is also cutting the number of toilets available on its flights meaning there will now only be one toilet per plane of 189 passengers.

British Airways' chief executive is in last minute talks to try and avert planned strike action due to take place this weekend. British Airways and the Unite union have been in several hours of talks today to try and resolve a dispute over cost cuts. If the talks fail cabin crew are planning a series of stoppages starting on Saturday. BA are expecting to be able to fly around 65% of its customers this weekend during the strike action with a total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 scheduled being cancelled. Cabin crew are also planning another four day walkout starting on the 27th of March.

Please note the last christmas posting dates have already passed.

Because of adverse weather conditions in the UK we cannot confirm if any letters or cards sent now will arrive in time for Christmas

British Airways have won a court battle which will prevent planned strikes going ahead over the Christmas period. Mrs Justice Cox granted a High Court injunction and refused United permission to appeal although the union can apply directly to the Court of Appeal. Mrs Justice Cox said "A strike of this kind over the twelve days of Christmas is fundamentally more damaging to BA and the wider public than a strike taking place at almost any other time of the year." BA said of the decision "We are delighted for our customers that the threat of a Christmas strike has been lifted by the court.

British Airways staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over job cuts and changes to staff contracts. The action is due to start on the 22nd of December and run until the 2nd of January and is expected to cause chaos for passengers over the Christmas period. Many customers who have booked their tickets as far back as September are now likely to be left without flights this Christmas as seats on other airlines are unlikely to available at such short notice.

Travellers using Manchester Airport can expect a first class service at least where the toilets are concerned. The airport has won this years Loo of the Year Award with the lavatories being given a five star rating. A team of 300 toilet attendants keep the airports toilets in pristine condition making them some of the cleanest in the UK and with around 20 million passengers using the airport a year they certainly have their work cut out maintaining the high standards.

Ryanair have announced that they will launch 14 new routes from Leeds-Bradford airport. The airline will offer 63 weekly flights starting from March next year. Destinations will include popular summer holiday destinations such as Ibiza, Malaga and Malta. Flights to Palma, Limoges, Montpellier, Nantes, Carcassonne, Pisa, Venice, Krakow, Faro, Knock and Murcia will also be introduced. The new routes will create and additional 1,000 jobs and increase the airlines annual passenger traffic to over million people.

British Airways will scrap all meals except breakfast on its short-flights. Passengers on flights after 10am will no longer have the option to have food but they will still be able to buy drinks and snacks. Those flying before 10am will still be served breakfast. The Measure will start next week and is likely to save as much as £22m a year. The airline is also considering other cost cutting measures such as removing chocolates and Jacobs crackers from first class passengers, taking away hot towels from those in Club class and axing complimentary gas of pretzels in economy.

According to this article airlines lost 42 million items of passengers luggage in just one year. The figures from Which? Holiday indicate that a growing number of bags are being delayed lost or damaged. Most incidents occur when bags are being transferred from one aircraft to another according to SITA a company that specialises in IT solution for the aviation industry. Problems also arise when the the airport code is misread on the luggage tags. The report also found that budget airlines Ryanair and Jet2 paid out the lowest amount of compensation to people affected with Ryanair often limiting payouts to £15 and Jet2 refusing to reimburse people for claims under £30. With passenger numbers expected to reach 2.75 billion by 2011 experts predict the number of mishandled bags could soon  reach the 50 million a year mark.

Ryanair has recently revealed that it made a £145.9m loss in the year to March. The loss was partly caused by a 59% rise in its fuel bill. The loss compares with a profit of £336.8m in the previous year. Despite the loss the Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said that he hopes to see a recovery in the current year as fuel costs are expected to be lower. Following the news Ryanair shares fell by 6%.

Thousands of tube workers are due to strike in two separate disputes over pay and proposed job losses. The vote by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will mean that workers will begin a 48 hour strike on the 9th of June starting at 1859. The strike is likely to bring most of the tube network to a standstill. RMT members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action with 2,810 and 488 against. The strike comes as a five year pay deal offered by London Underground has been rejected as unacceptable. The RMT is also opposed to TFL's planned efficiency savings package which the union has said will lead to redundancies.

According to this article many UK resorts are charging higher prices for breaks during the summer holidays. Research has shown that UK resorts put a premium on breaks taking during school holidays with families paying up to 65% more at these times. Whilst foreign resorts also increase prices at these time by as much as 25 to 40%, UK resorts impose higher increases. In the research carried out by Abbey Credit Cards a family of four would pay £560 to stay at Butlins from July 13 to the 20th but this would increase to £921 for a week in August. A holiday at Centerparcs would increase from £1,000 in July to £1,450 in August, a rise of 45%. In comparison a self catering in holiday in the Malaga region of Spain would cost £614 for flights and accommodation during mid-July but goes up to £644 for a week in the middle of August. It seems families wanting a cheaper holiday might be better off going abroad.

In their latest move to cut costs Ryanair are scrapping their airport check-in. Customers will now have to check-in online at a cost of £5 and print their tickets out themselves. If they should forget to take their tickets to the airport they will be charged £40 at the airport. Passengers who have baggage will need to use the "bag drop" service as the airline starts to phase out its check-in desks.

245 passengers were left stranded after a Boeing 747 jet sucked a baggage container into its engine. The plane was preparing for take off when the driver of a luggage cart took his vehicle too close. The vacuum created by the engine sucked the empty cart into the planes engine where it became stuck just as the plane was about the take off. No one was injured and passengers were put on alternative flights.

This is interesting, its an new airline due to launch in the US which will cater exclusively for pets. The airline named Pet Airways claims to be the first designed specifically for the transportation of pets. All the animals will travel in the main cabin and owners are not allowed on board. The airline aims to make air travel much less stressful for pets and offers an alternative to conventional airlines where pets are treated as baggage and have to travel in the cargo area. The seats inside the plane have been removed to make way for pet carriers. Pets or pawsengers as they have been dubbed can be booked in online and then checked in at the Pet lounge at the airport. Pet attendants give the animals a toilet break before take off and monitor them throughout the flight promising that they will never be left alone. The airline has scheduled its first flight for cats and dogs for 14 July and will serve five US cities - New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.

According to this article Ryanair are considering charging a fat tax for overweight passengers. The idea comes as a result of a competition on the companies website that gave customers the chance to win free flights by coming up with ideas to save the company money. Around 100,000 passengers took part in the competition and around 30,000 of those voted for a fee for overweight passengers. As a result Ryanair is now seriously considering implemented the idea. Other ideas included a charge for toilet paper with Mr O'Leary's face on it and the option to pay to use a smoking cubicle. It is not clear whether either of these ideas will be implemented.

The cost of sending a text message when on holiday could fall after the EU has agreed to a cap on charges. An EU ruling will see the cost of making a call abroad fall by up to 60% and the price of sending texts will come down from an average of 25p to just under 10p. Mobile companies will be forced to cut their prices from the 1st of July in time for the summer holidays. There will also be new controls on charges to surf the internet and download videos from your phone.

This article suggests that United Airlines may bump obese passengers on overbooked flights. The airline received more than 700 complaints last year regarding overweight passengers. At a time when two thirds of Americans are considered overweight the airline may target customers that are too big to fit into their seats. Under the new rules a passenger who is too large for their seat will be moved to two empty seats at no extra charge. However, if no seats are available as is often the case on overbooked flights the passenger will have to pay to upgrade to a larger business class seat or will be bumped off the flight and will have to pay for two seats on the next available departure. The airline has adopted the policy because it has received so many complaints from passengers who felt cramped by oversized seat mates.

Two tube trains almost collided during the rush hour last Friday. The Piccadilly and District line trains almost collided between Ealing Common and Ealing Broadway at around 6pm last Friday evening. The driver of the District line train which had stopped after going through a red signal was given permission to move on when a Piccadilly line train crossed the track immediately in front of it. A signalman has been relived of his duties following the incident and an investigation has now been launched to find out what went wrong.

The number of passengers at British airports has fallen for the first time in 17 years according to the Civil Aviation Authority. Around 4.6 million fewer passengers flew in and out of the UK in 2008 than in 2007 with the decline being particularly sharp towards the end of the year. The last time numbers were so low was in 1991. The bad news for the airlines is that the decline is expected to continue during 2009.

This article highlights what have been named as Britain's 10 worst hotels in a poll of travellers. The poll was carried out by the travellers website TripAdvisor.com It allows visitors to rank hotels giving them stars on a scale of one to five with the worst receiving one star and the best five stars. Seven out the top worst hotels are in London with the Cromwell Crown in Earls Court in central London topping the list.

The worst 10 hotels are:

1. Cromwell Crown, London

2. Corbigoes Hotel, London

3. Nanford Guest House, Oxford

4. Cosmopolitan Hotel, Brighton

5. Eden Plaza Hotel, London

6. Hanover Hotel, London

7. Rose Court Hotel, London

8. Imperial Hotel, Manchester

9. Gresham Hotel Bloomsbury, London

10. Park Hotel, London

A new station has recently opened in Corby to provide a direct service into London for the first time in 43 years. Corby has not had a station since the 1990's and the new station has been eagerly awaited. The station has cost £17 million to build and should be running one train per hour into London, however due to a shortage of rolling stock there are not currently enough trains to operate the station to full capacity. This means that until more trains can be found there will only be one service per day from the new station. To run to full capacity the operator East Midlands Trains needs three trains but it currently only has one. It is hoping to have an hourly service up and running by April.

It's a sad day for those who like a bit of peace and quiet on their flight, as Ryanair start offering an in-flight mobile service. The service will initially be installed on 20 aircraft and will allow six people to make calls at a time. Calls will cost between £1.50 and £3 a minutes and text about 40p. The Chief Executive of Ryanair has dismissed suggestions that passengers who want a quiet flight might find the service annoying and if it is successful, the equipment could be fitted to the entire fleet within 18 months. Personally I would find this very annoying and this gives me a reason not to fly Ryanair.

British Airways has suffered its worst winter ever as more passengers choose to fly economy rather than pay for the more expensive business class or first class tickets. They are currently losing up to £3 million a day, that's about £20 million per week. BA has traditionally relied on its premium and much more lucrative business flyers who are the key to the their profitability. However, as recession hits it appears people are simply not prepared to pay for them. I wonder whether it might make sense for BA to reduce the cost of the business class service to a more affordable level in the hope that more people will be tempted to upgrade. I would certainly be happy to pay a little more for the extra room but think the prices for business class are currently over inflated.

British Airways have said that they are considering a pay freeze for its staff. The new comes as the group reported a £70 million loss in the first nine months of the financial year. They are also looking at possible redundancies and have started talks with unions over pay and productivity. BA has warned that it expects to report a full year loss of around £150 million after taking into account the slump in Sterling.

Two of the leading British holiday camp operators have announced thousands of new jobs in what could be a revival of the British holiday camp. The multi million pound investment comes as travel experts predict holiday makers will stay in Britain this summer because of the recession and the high value of the Euro. During the 1960's when British holiday camps were at their most popular they attracted around more than a million visitors a week. Pontin's have announced a £50 million investment in its six seaside holiday camps, this will include hiring 2,000 new staff over the new three years. Butlins will also invest £20 million in a new hotel at Bognor Regis and will also hire more staff for the summer. The moves come after they experienced a 15% increase in booking so far this year. At between £414 and £800 a family of four can enjoy a week's holiday in a family chalet during August.

Passengers aboard a flight from Moscow stopped the flight over fears that the pilot was drunk. Shortly before take off the passengers were concerned by the pilots slurred comments and complained to flight attendants. Their concerns were ignored and airline staff threatened to expel the passengers for making trouble. As the situation spread Aeroflot representatives were called in to try and calm the passengers with one announcing it "not such a big deal". The pilot did nothing to allay the passengers fears when he appeared from the cockpit unsteady on his feet with bloodshot eyes and eventually the airline gave in to demands of the passengers and has the pilots replaced. The flight eventually took off three hours late but with a sober pilot at the controls. The pilot told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that he had been celebrating his 54th birthday with friends the night before the flight on December 28, but said that he not been drinking.

This article suggests that choosing a window seat on a plane could be fatal. Research has shown that people sitting by the window face double the risk of deep vein thrombosis, a condition which can cause blot clots. The risk is even more pronounced for those passengers who are obese, they are six times more likely to develop a blockage if they choose a window seat. It is not clear why the risk is greater for passengers who choose a window seat but one theory is that passengers find it easier to fall asleep by a window and it is already known that sleeping for several hours at a time on a long flight raises the chance of a blot clot. It might also be that passengers near the window experience more cramped conditions that those who choose an aisle seat. Preventative methods such as drinking water were found to have little difference to the study. It's not all bad news, if you can afford to fly business class then you are 30 per cent less likely to develop the condition.

Councils opposing Heathrow expansion have prepared a blueprint showing how the airport could also become a rail hub. The coalition of 22 local authorities have launched plans for a new rail network around the airport that could serve large areas of London and south east England. If it went ahead it would allow 40 trains an hours to pass through the airport, the equivalent of one train for every plane. The proposed rail network could offer connections to 150 stations within a 25 mile radius and has the potential to take 1 million cars of the road every year.

Boris Johnson has unveiled plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary that have been nicknamed Heathrow on Sea by some. Under the plans a new airport would be built on two Thames islands as an alternative to expanding the current airport at Heathrow. The airport would cost around £40 billion to build and initial reports have suggested it would serve Britain better than the planned Heathrow expansion. If it were to go ahead it could be built in eight years. The airport would be split in two with four runways split across two separate islands in the mouth of the Thames. Passengers would shuttle between the islands using a tunnel below the riverbed. Underwater turbines built into the ducts running through the island would generate nearly all of the airports electricity by harnessing the tides. The two terminals would then be served by a road and rail links and connected to Crossrail and the Channel tunnel rail link taking passengers into central London in around 35 minutes. Flights would take off and land over water and so would cause little disturbance to nearby towns.

Ryanair have been unsuccessful in a bid for rival airline Aer Lingus.The Irish government have formally rejected Ryanair's bid saying that its bid of 748 million Euros greatly undervalues the airline. It also raised concerns that competition would suffer if the deal went ahead. Ryanair will now need to decide whether or not to make an improved offer.

The new runway that has been proposed for Heathrow could be ready by 2015, five years earlier than previously expected. The government is looking to rush the planning process through as quickly as possible to try and prevent opponents from blocking the expansion. Ministers have asked BA to submit a planning application as soon as possible to try and get the runway completed by 2015. The new Infrastructure Planning Commission which is due to be appointed this year is likely to make the final decision on the expansion of the airport rather than the current practice where a planning inspector makes a recommendation to ministers. This is expected to make the planning process much shorter. The Conservative party have already said that if they win the next election they will scrap plans for the new runway. However, blocking the plans will become much more difficult once the planning process is under way.

After a long consultation the government has finally given the go ahead for a third runway at Heathrow. This is despite widespread opposition against the plans by environmental campaigners and residents. The government, however, has bowed to pressure from business groups and  unions who believe a third runway is necessary for economic growth. Under the plans a sixth terminal will also be built and there will be investment is public transport including a high speed rail link. Under the plans however, the entire village of Sipson containing 700 homes will be demolished. Plans will be put into place to try and limit noise and emissions but it many residents who already live under the flight patch are likely to have a plane fly over their house as much as once every 90 seconds.

The crash landing of a plane into the Hudson river has been called a miracle after every one of the 155 passengers survived. The plane crashed having only been in the air for four minutes after it was hit by a flock of geese shortly after take off. The pilot Chesley B Sullenberger managed to bring the plane down in the water of the Hudson and has been called a hero for managing to avoid crash landing in the city. He has been commended for his bravery and skill in handling the situation. All the passengers were later rescued safely with some suffering from minor cuts and injuries and some from hyperthermia.

It appears more people are opting to travel by Eurostar with the service seeing record ticket sales last year. The service saw a rise of 10.9% in ticket sales and carried 10.3% more passengers which amounts to 9.1 million passengers in total. The figures could have been even higher if if wasn't for a fire in the tunnel which caused disruption last September. Eurostar is optimistic about further future growth and expects more passengers now that the railways new base is at St Pancras International, making the service more accessible to the rest of the UK.

Train passengers should be able to use their Oyster cards on most of the London rail network by the end of 2009. Currently the Oyster card can be used on London Overground, the London underground, buses, trams and the Docklands Light Railway. However, many suburban rail firms do not yet accept the pay as you go card. The London Mayor Boris Johnson has said that an agreement with most rail companies is near. The one exception appears to be South West Trains which currently has no plans to allow customers to use the Oyster card on its service.

Blackpool Airport have introduced a £10 flyers fee. All customers over the age of 16 will pay the fee when departing the airport. The money raised will be put towards a £2m investment project that will upgrade the runways and passenger facilities in an effort to attract new airlines. Passengers will pay the fee at a ticket machine in the main airport and proof of payment will be required to pass through the airport and into the departure lounge.

BAA have failed to meet the governments pollution targets at Heathrow despite initiatives to try and cut down on hazardous emissions. The findings mean that it likely the airport will also breach tougher European Union limits which are due to brought in next year. Data from a air pollution detector near the perimeter fence found the annual mean average level of nitrogen dioxide was 52 micrograms per cubed metre. The EU legal limit is 40 micrograms per cubed metre. Despite failing to meet the current targets BAA is still pushing for another runway and more flights but have said that they can increase the number of flights without breaching the EU's legal limits by 2020. The latest data raises questions about whether this is possible. The government has already said it intends to apply to the EU for additional time to meet the nitrogen dioxide targets. It hopes to comply with the targets by 2015.

Ryanair have launched a new bid for rival airline Aer Lingus. Ryanair already owns nearly 30% of Aer Lingus following an earlier failed takeover attempt. They have offered to pay 1.40 Euros a share for the remaining shares. Ryanair made its first take over bid in October 2006 but this was opposed by the company and rejected by the shareholders. However, the deputy chief executive of Ryanair has said that the aviation industry has changed immeasurably since 2006. In order to be successful Ryanair will need the support of the Irish government which currently owns 25% of Aer Lingus and which has previously rejected Ryanairs offers.

This article suggests that airlines could soon introduce charges for seats with extra legroom such as those location by the emergency exits. The prediction comes after Singapore Airlines introduced the policy earlier this month. Air France and Virgin Atlantic have also already introduced charges for these seats. Travel experts have predicted that customers will have to pay around £75 for a return ticket to enjoy that luxury of stretching their legs and that the charges are likely to become common place across most airlines. Air France currently charges £42 (50 Euros) each way on flights to the US and intends to widen the policy to all of its long haul flights. Singapore Airlines charges £32 per sector on all of its long haul flights and is looking at introducing charges for other seat categories in the future. It all looks like bad news for those of us with long legs, it appears if you want to avoid cramp on the flight, you will need to pay for it.

Train fares will rise in the new year with some tickets going up by nearly double the rate of inflation. Regulated fares including season tickets are due to increase by an average of 6% from the 2nd of January 2009 with unregulated tickets including leisure and advance fares rising 7% on average with some rising as much as 11%. The train companies have said that the revenue will be reinvested but the watchdog Passenger Focus have said that some rises are unjustified.

Virgin Atlantic have said that they are planning a bid for Gatwick airport in conjunction with other parties. Gatwick airport has recently been put up for sale by the current owner BAA. Virgin is talking to a group of interested parties about a bid for the airport which is valued by analysts at around £2.5bn. Australian company Macquarie, Germany's Fraport, and the owners of Manchester airport are among the firms thought to be interested in buying the airport.

Trading standards officers have been handed out leaflets at airports to warms passengers holiday makers about bogus holiday clubs. The scams involve fake Spanish holiday clubs with the tourists being lured by a tout handed out scratch cards and claiming they have won a prize. The cards are often a ruse to lure unsuspecting tourists to a high cost sales pitch. They are then persuaded to sign up for a fake holiday club that can cost thousands of ponds in membership fees. The OFT said "In most cases, consumers find they have bought little more than access to an internet booking service offering the same service they could get at a travel agent for free". Victims of the scam have lost an average of £3,030 each.

The City of Derry airport has spent more than £19 million on safety work. The money was used to extend the airport's runway with the demolition of 17 homes in nearby Donnybrewer. The British and Irish governments paid £14m towards the work with the remaining £5m being paid for by Derry City Council.

BAA has announced a £230m funding package for the Crossrail project. The scheme which will cost a total of £16bn will connect Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex via Heathrow and central London. The project which received the parliamentary go ahead in July is expected to start running its first trains in 2017. The new rail route will provide four fast trains an hour Heathrow and will run direct services from Heathrow airport though central London, the City and Canary Wharf. It will also mean creating new stations Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and the Isle of Dogs. The 74-mile route (118.5km) will be underground for 26 miles (41.5km) and allow for stops at 38 stations.

Profits at Ryanair have fallen 47% in the first half of the financial year. The fall has been put down to a doubling in the price of fuel. Although oil prices have since fallen Ryanair still expects to make a loss within the last six months of the financial year. Despite the fall in profits customer numbers have continued to grow with numbers being up 19% between April and September. Chief Executive Mr O'Leary has said that if oil prices remain below $80 a barrel that profits will recover.

The budget airline Ryanair will offer flights to the US for just eight pounds under a new scheme. The airline will buy planes from struggling rivals as part of a plan to beat the recession. Under the plans Ryanair will buy an additional 50 aircraft in an effort to try and undercut more expensive rivals. The cheap flights are likely to be available by the end of the year and will be available for those who book early. Airport taxes will be payable on top of the ticket price. Flights are expected to be available from Stanstead and Dublin to New York, Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.

Travelodge will open 22 new hotels before Christmas. The hotel chain is benefiting from the credit crunch as people seek lower cost accommodation. Travelodge will spend £125m on the new hotels which are part of its plans to increase its number to 1,000 hotels by 2020. The move will create 450 jobs. Travelodge already has 339 hotels in the UK and 11 overseas.

The budget airline Sterling has collapsed because of financial problems. Two flights to Billund in Denmark were scrapped at Gatwick airport as well as three to Copenhagen and one to Stockholm. The carrier has warned people that have booked direct through the website that they will not get a refund. Around 500 to 700 passengers are thought to be affected. Those who have booked by credit card have been told to contact their credit card company.

An airline pilot has been arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of being drunk. The United Airlines pilot was scheduled to fly to San Francisco but was led off the plane after a breath test. It is thought that the police had been tipped off by a member of the ground staff who suspected the pilot had been drinking before the flight. The man has been released on bail  and asked to return to Heathrow police station on January 16 pending further enquiries.

New plans could mean that George Best Belfast City Airport will have an extra 3,000 scheduled flights. The plans would mean that an additional 0.5m passengers would be able to use the airport every year. The airport will also be subject to tighter regulations on noise and activity levels. Local residents groups have reacted angrily to the plans for more flights.

British Airways and Virgin will cut their fuel charges in response to falling oil prices. The charges will be cut by up to £13 for most passengers as the airlines pass the reductions onto their customers. Whist the charges will be cut in their two cheapest classes those who fly in classes above Virgin's premium economy and BA's World Traveller Plus will not see a reduction.

The Spanish airline LTE International has suspended operations because of serious financial difficulties. LTE stopped taking bookings last Thursday after it announced it could not cover costs for the next few days. The company said that several thousand passengers had been affected by the cancellation of flights. Some customers were also stranded in Spain. LTE currently run flights from Spain to the UK, Italy and Saudi Arabia. They employ 300 staff and have a fleet of seven Airbus 320s. The company has said that it will refund the cost of stranded customers flights but that it is unable to provide alternative transport. It has also said that around 3500 LTE passengers had their charter flights from Tenerife to Europe cancelled and that tour operators are legally obliged to find these passengers an alternative carrier.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is TravelGearBlog. The blog as the name suggests is  concerned with stuff you might need when you are travelling and it contains useful reviews of various travel related products. One of the more recent reviews looks at lightload towels pictured right. These are pocket sized that expand when you get them wet. They come in a dish towel size and a full beach towel size and are super absorbent, quick drying and biodegradable. According to the article they also roll up smaller than a regular towel even after you have used it. They sound like a great space saving idea and at just $6.95 won't break the bank, they get a 10 out 10 rating from TravelGearBlog so its certainly something I will be packing for my next trip.

A product that gets a slightly lower rating scoring only 5 out of 10 is TravelSmith's Disposable Briefs. According to the review the briefs are made out of lightweight cotton and look and feel like regular briefs. The only difference is that they are biodegradable so you can wear and wash them a few times and then simply throw them out with very little environmental impact. The initial reaction of the reviewer is that the product is a little unnecessary but upon further consideration they reach the conclusion that the product could be useful on a backpacking trip when saving space is a concern. They also have the advantage that you can dispose of them before you fly home leaving more space for an extra souvenir. Apparently the same company also makes disposable socks.

Another product that receives a very good review is the SteriPEN Traveler Handheld Water Purifier. This device is a pocket sized travel ready UV powered water purifier. It works by submerging the mini UV flashlight in water for 45 to 60 seconds. Any viruses and bacteria living in the water are then killed, in fact it kills 99.9999% of bacteria. The reviewer points out that the device has the advantage of being quicker and easier the using a pump filter and without the aftertaste of iodine pills. The only drawback seems to be that the device is battery powered but you can purchase a solar charger accessory separately.

These are just a few products highlighted on this blog but it has a wealth of information on a variety of products and is well worth checking out before purchasing any travel gear for your next trip.

A man who attempted to hijack a Turkish Airlines plane was overpowered by fellow passengers. The man had claimed to have a bomb but he was quickly subdued by other passengers. No explosives were discovered on the man who was reportedly drunk. He was taken off the plane and arrested by Russian police. No one was injured in the incident.

Thousands of bus workers will stage a 24 hour strike over pay starting today. Staff at First, Metroline and Metrobus will walkout in a move that is expected to cause widespread disruption. Unite has called the strike in support of a campaign for a single pay rate of £30,000 per week for drivers. The rate currently varies among the 18 bus companies by up to £6,000. The dispute may escalate as Unite is currently balloting workers in other bus companies for industrial action later this month.

Easyjet has been flying more passengers despite the economic downturn. Passenger numbers rose 22% between September 2007 and last month. Easyjet have also said that their planes are fuller than last year with aircraft being 86.9% full in September, 2% higher than the same month in 2007. Although the firm has been hit by high oil prices and is facing an increase of £185m to its annual fuel bill, the company is hoping to offset around 50% of the oil price by carrying more customers.

BA has revealed a 5% drop in passenger numbers in just one month as passengers start to feel the effects of the economic situation. The number of passengers flying with BA dropped by 5.6% last month with 160,000 fewer flying than usual. 2.9 million passengers flew with BA last month compared to 2.96 million in September 2007. BA have said that bookings for future flights are being affected by anxiety in the financial markets and the uncertain economic outlook.

According to this article if you are caught driving in France without a reflective jacket and a warning triangle you could face a fine. The equipment which is not a legal requirement in the UK must be carried in the vehicle under French law. People who do not have it will have to pay a fine of between £70 and £110 whilst the cost of purchasing the kit can be as little as £29.99. The French authorities have been accused of specifically targeting UK registered cars because many UK drivers are unaware of the requirement. Under French law vehicles must have at least one reflective jacket for the driver although many French families carry a jecket for each member of the family.

Boris Johnson has lent his support to plans to close Heathrow and build a new airport in the Thames estuary. If the idea were to go ahead it could mean a new four runway airport in the Thames estuary that could run 24 hours a day because it would not be subject to noise pollution rules which govern Heathrow flight times. The advantage would be that instead of landing and taking off over residential areas planes would fly over the North Sea causing minimal disruption compared to Heathrow. The airport would be connected to the high speed Channel tunnel rail link and would be only 35 minutes away from central London. If it were to go ahead Heathrow could be turned into a business park or used to create more housing for the area.

Ryanair will offer discounts on seats selling £5 million for just £5 each. The move is an attempt to boost demand as customers start to feel the effects of the credit crunch. The seats will be on sale during October and the first two weeks of November and the fee will include taxes and charges.

BA have suspended flights to and from Pakistan due to security fears after the bombing of a Islamabad hotel. 53 people were killed in the blast which happened at the Marriott Hotel at the weekend. No one has claimed responsability for the bomb but it thought the investigation will lead to al Qaeda and Taliban militants. British Airways have suspended its six flights a week to the country and have said "Our people at headquarters are reviewing the security situation."

After much speculation BAA have put Gatwick airport up for sale. The chief executive Colin Matthews said the continuing inquiry into BAA by the competition commission was a "big chunk of the motivation" in putting Gatwick up for sale. It is expecting to receive interest from state backed investors and sovereign wealth groups such as Abu Dhabi Investment Capital, the Investment Corporation of Dubai and the Kuwait Investment Authority. Manchester Airport Group and Virgin Atlantic have also confirmed an interest in Gatwick.

Plans have been unveiled for a £400m revamp of Reading station. The plans would include five new platforms, an elevated railway, a new station entrance and a new train depot. The measures would allow more trains to run through the station and reduce delays and overcrowding. Work will start in 2010 and should be completed by 2015. The plans are being displayed at a series of exhibitions in Reading Town Hall.

The collapse of XL Leisure has left around 85,000 passengers stranded abroad. The company called in the administrators after the failure of last minute talks with investment group Straumur. XL's fleet of planes have been grounded leaving 85,000 customers stranded and a further 200,000 who have made advance bookings without their holiday. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working with other airlines and tour operators to organise flights for stranded travellers. Anyone who booked an inclusive holiday with XL or a charter flight through The Really Great Holiday Company, Kosmar Villa Holidays, Freedom Flights and Aspire Holidays will be covered by the ATOL financial protection scheme. However, customers who booked direct with XL Airways will have to pay for a flight on the CAA's organised flights or make their own way home. The CAA has recommended that anyone expecting to travel with XL should not travel to the airport.

The Cheshire based holiday firm Seguro Holidays has gone into administration. The firm runs budget package holidays to Spain, the Canaries and Portugal. People who have booked a holiday with the firm are likely to be protected by the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing System which can be used to bring stranded customers home and compensate those who have made future bookings. Around 2,400 people are currently abroad with Seguro Travel and there are 17,253 with forward bookings up until the end of summer 2009.

A new rail ticketing system has been introduced which should make knowing what ticket to buy much simpler. It has two types of ticket "anytime" which as the name suggests can be used at any time, on any train and "off peak" which has restrictions on the time and date it can be used. Under the scheme tickets previously called Saver and Cheap Day returns will now be renamed as off peak.

The Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that bus and underground fares in London will increase by 6% in the new year. Some fares will be cut, with the introduction of a new off peak rate which is aimed at encouraging people to travel after 09.30. There will also be a new half price travel scheme for people on income support, the elderly and war veterans. The rise in fares will go towards helping to fund projects such as Crossrail and the improvements needed for the London Olympics.

A train company has some up with an idea to shut off the trains engines on downhill sections of the route to save money. First Transpennine Express has said the move will save around 7% of its fuel consumption without compromising customer comfort. It works because its trains have multiple engines. They can operate on one, two or three engines but one engine can be shut down on downhill stretches allowing the train to run on just two and so save energy.

A confused Swedish woman checked herself in at Stockholm's Arlanda airport after misinterpreting instructions. The 78 year old lady checked in her suitcase and then climbed on the belt after it. She arrived in the baggage handling bay where she was rescued by surprised airport staff. The woman suffered no injuries and managed to get her flight on time. Perhaps this conveyor belt system could be a way of speeding up the check in process.

XL Airways have become the latest carrier to announce cut backs due to rising fuel costs. The airline has announced that it will cancel all flights to the Caribbean from November. It blames rising costs and the falling popularity of those routes and will affect flights to Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. Travel operators will now have to find replacement flights for hundreds of customers who have already booked. Customers who have a flight booked from November are advised to contact their tour operator.

A solar powered spy plane has set an unofficial record for the longest continuous unmanned flight. The British built planes called the Zephyr stayed in the air for 82 hours and 37 minutes. It is powered by solar panels and a rechargeable battery for flying at night. The aircraft's designers believe that in the future the aircraft will be able to fly for weeks or months at a time.

Automatic number plate recognition scanners are being installed at Manchester Airport as part of increased security measures. Five of the cameras will be installed at the airport. They will be able to read around 500,000 number plates a day providing an extra level of security and allowing police to check whether there is any reason to investigate vehicles at the airport.

Virgin Atlantic have seen a welcome boost in profits due to record numbers of business passengers. The airline has seen passenger numbers rise by 22% this year as they have taken the market share from BA and other rivals. Virgin has put some of the gains down to the problems that faced BA during the opening of Terminal 5. Virgin flew a total of 5.7 million passengers during the year, up 7.6% and has said it had begun the current financial year on a firm footing, with sales between April and June up 16% to £645.3m.

This article suggests that many British beaches are being contaminated by sewage. The problem is down to the wet summer putting increased pressure on water treatment systems meaning millions of litres of toxic waste are being pumped into the sea. According to the article two thirds of the 488 bathing beaches in England and Wales suffered increases in peak sewage pollution last month. The worst affected beaches are also some of the most popular with Totland Bay, Camber Sands and Watergate Bay being affected. In some cases blue flag beaches which should guarantee that no industrial or sewage waste affects the area have also been contaminated. One example is Porthtowan a blue flag beach in Cornwall where cotton buds and sanitary towels have been found. The Environment Agency has found that at 310 testing sites peak levels of bacteria found in faeces were higher in the first three week of July than in the same period in 2006.

New facial scanners are being tested at Manchester Airport. The scanners are under trial as part of government efforts to improve security and reduce passenger congestion. They can be used by adult biometric passport holders. It works by scanning passengers faces and comparing them to the photograph that is digitally stored on their passport. Passengers will be able to pass through unmanned gates to avoid queues and the scanner will check their passport has not been tampered with and that they are not on any security lists. At the next gate a facial scanner will also read their face. If they are rejected by the system they will be directed to immigration officers for further checks.

Strikes by airport staff that were planned for this weekend have been called off after talks. The strikes were expected to caused widespread disruption over the bank holiday weekend as cabin staff and baggage handlers were due to walk out. Although the strikes have been called off at Gatwick and Manchester, flights at Stanstead could still be affected by a separate dispute involving security staff.

Passengers on a flight from Newcastle Airport had to leave their luggage behind at the last minute because the plane was too heavy. The 151 passengers were informed that the aircraft needed to lose weight and were given the choice of half the passengers getting off or all the passengers flying but without their luggage. At first volunteers were sought to get off but as few people were willing to leave the flight eventually left four hours later with the passengers minus their luggage. Passengers were assured their luggage would follow them but some people claim they were had to wait three days before it arrived.

Travellers could face chaos on the Bank Holiday weekend as staff at Gatwick and Stansted airport have voted to go on strike. Workers are set to stage a strike on Monday 25th of August and 29th of August after rejecting an offer in a pay dispute. The unite union has said that all baggage handling and check in operations will be halted at a number of airlines with the dispute likely to spread to other airports over the next few weeks because of similar disputes over pay.

You would expect train travel to be getting better rather than worse but this article suggests otherwise. The article makes the claim that train journeys actually take longer today than they did 20 years ago. This is despite improvements with faster trains and track improvements. The worst area appears to be London and the South East where passengers have to allow an extra five minutes for their journey compared with 20 years ago. A spokesman for London TravelWatch said “Some increase in journey times may be justified by more passengers, thus longer stopping at stations. However, modern trains serving most London routes have better acceleration, which should offset this to some degree.” Does your journey take you longer?

Ryanair will cancel thousands of bookings that are made on third party websites. The airline's boss is taking the hard line stance against websites that compare prices between different airlines but which he says charge more for flights than if they were purchased directly from Ryanair. Any passengers that book through these websites will now see their bookings cancelled. The company also believes that the so called screen scraper website are illegal and that causing disruption by cancelling booking made through them will be easier than taking them to court. Screen scraping sites currently account for 0.5% of Ryanair's bookings but this amounts to 1,000 flights a day. Ryanair has no means of contacting affected customers, this is down to the website that has taken the booking. So if you have made a booking through an external website you might want to check it is still valid before flying.

South West Trains have converted one of its diesel trains to use bio-fuel in order to test an alternative power source. The train will run on a mixture of soya, rape seed and diesel. The experiment will run until the end of the year with the train operating between Exeter and Waterloo. Other rail operators are waiting to see the results with a view to implementing similar schemes if this is successful.

It has been announced that Blackfriars station will close until 2011 to allow extensive work to be carried out. The work will include lengthening platforms, building a new entrance to the station and the redevelopment of the station. During this time the overground routes will remain open but there will be no connection to the Underground. Currently around 44,000 people use the station every day. It is expected that many of these people will have to use Farringdon Station as an alternative as people try to find alternative routes. 

The news that British Airways profits have fallen by 90% is likely to have the effect of soaring prices for customers as the airline tries to avoid going into the red. Already prices have risen by around 7%. Carriers are currently suffering more badly than during the recession that followed the terrorist attacks of 2001. During April, May and June profits at BA plunged to £37m from £298m last year, a drop of 88%.

Visitors to Kew Gardens can now take advantage of a hi-tech tour guide. The device is a handheld computer that uses a global positioning system to pinpoint where the user is. It then automatically tells them about the plants and trees that they are walking past and shows information on the colour screen. It costs £4.95 a day to rent and is able to show video, text and pictures as well as having games for children.

British Airways will reduce the number of flights from Scotland to London with the frequency of services from Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh falling by 6%. Under the proposal dozens of flights between Aberdeen and Heathrow will be cancelled during the winter schedule which runs from October to March. BA have blamed the cuts on the doubling of fuel costs and the worst trading environment ever.

British Airways will cancel one in twenty flights in order to try and lessen the impact of the economic downturn. The cut backs are likely to affect domestic, regional and European services and will mean that around 6,000 flights disappear from the winter schedule. Gatwick could lose up a fifth of its BA services with Heathrow also suffering some losses. Passengers are likely to also face rising fares and fuel surcharges.

Safety officials have confirmed that an exploding oxygen cylinder was probably responsible for the hole that appeared in one of its jets during a flight. Inspectors had previously ruled out corrosion as the cause of the accident. It appears that the oxygen tank exploded through the passenger cabin floor causing the large bang and decompression of the cabin. Qantas will now inspect every cylinder on its Boeing 747 fleet in case of similar problems.

This week's travel blog of the week is Family on Bikes.

It is the story of a family of four's quest to cycle from Alaska to Argentina using one tandem and two single bikes. The families aim is to break a Guinness World record for the "Youngest Person to Cycle the Pan-American Highway" and a quest to bring the world to young children in classrooms as part of a non-profit organization called Reach the World. Reach the World has been linking travelling educators with classrooms across the globe since 1998.

I have been on a lot of cycling holidays in the past but never one that involved using a tandem with a "bicycle trailer" attached to the back. What I find fascinating is the tandem actually takes three people! Shouldn't it be called a "tridem"?

BA and Iberia are holding talks about a possible merger of the two airlines. Willie Walsh, the BA boss has said that the merger would help the airlines in the current economic environment and should allow them to reduce costs. Iberia currently employs 22,000 staff, has 198 aircraft and flies to 109 destinations. Under the merger it would operate mainly in South America and Africa, with BA focusing on the Middle and Far East. If the merger goes ahead the British Airways and the Iberia brands would both be retained.

Emirates will introduce the first in flight showers on the new superjumbo A380 Airbus. From Friday first class passengers will be able to enjoy a shower spa during the flight. They will, however, be limited to just five minutes in order to ensure that all first class passengers can enjoy the luxury. The plane carries enough water for 14 first class passengers to each have a five minute shower. The shower itself is big enough to accommodate one person so showering with a friend it not an option. First class passengers can also make use of a private suite which includes a work desk, mini bar and in flight entertainment system. It all sounds great but at a price of £4,737 its certainly not cheap.

Ryanair have abandoned plans to raise ticket prices and will instead cut them by 5%. The news comes as the company admitted the sales outlook has worsened since June. They fear that customers are more likely to turned away by costlier flights. The cuts come at a time when Ryanair is experiencing an 85% plunge in profits in the first quarter and a 15% drop in its share price.

The governments of Britain and Ireland have proposed the first formal border checks for more than 80 years. A Home Office paper will propose substantial changes to the passport free zone called the Common Travel Area. The identity checks would involve a full passport inspection with airlines and ferry operators facing fines if they carry passengers who do not have the appropriate documents.

Safety engineers looking at the Qantas plane which developed a hole during flight have ruled out corrosion. Other possible causes might include accidental external damage to the plane on the ground, or something inside the plane which had not been properly secured moving around during the flight. Investigators are still looking at the incident to determine what caused the hole.

If you are heading to the Mediterranean this summer you might want to watch out for jellyfish. Some areas are experiencing problems with the mauve stinger jellyfish. There have been reports of tourists being stung in the stretch of coast between Nice and Cannes and the problem is also affecting the Cote d'Azur, the west coast of Italy, Sardinia and parts of Spain. The sting of the mauve stinger jellyfish can cause severe burns and in some cases can cause scarring to the victim. So if you see them, its best to stay out of the water.

A firm of engineers have unveiled a plan that would enable passengers to take a high speed train from Heathrow directly to the continent. The scheme would involve extending the high speed rail link from St Pancras to Heathrow. If the scheme were to go ahead it would cost around £4.5 billion and could be completed by 2019.

MPs have approved a bill which will se the £16bn Crossrail scheme go ahead. The rail scheme will link Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex via Heathrow. Under the scheme a number of new stations will be built. The first trains are expected to start running in 2017 and are expected to carry 78,000 passengers an hour during peak times.

This article suggests that an increasing number of British families are now taking their summer holiday in the UK. The main factors influencing their decision seems to be that they are trying to save money and also avoid delays and problems at the UK's airports. Whilst people still appear to be booking short haul holidays to places like France, Malta and the Canaries customers seem to be steering clear of long haul destinations.

Qantas Airways have announced that they will cut 1,500 jobs worldwide and abandon plans to create 1,200 new jobs. The move has come as the company tries to deal with high fuel costs. The losses will include closing call centres in Tucson, Arizona and London with the loss of 99 jobs. Around 1,300 jobs will be lost in Australia with the rest overseas. The airline is also scrapping plans to increase its capacity by 8% in the 12 months to mid 2009 as they are not expecting any growth in that period.

This article suggests that landing slots at Heathrow are so valuable that it can take companies years and millions of pounds to get just one aircraft into the airport. Heathrow is constrained in the number of flights that it can accommodate meaning an airline wanting to set up operations there can pay up to £30 million for take off and landing times. As a result the landing rights are sometimes more valuable than the airline themselves. The companies must continue using the slots otherwise they will lose them. This means that many airlines will continue flying even if its planes are virtually empty.

Ryanair has announced cut backs of the number of winter flights from Stanstead. It plans to reduce the number of flights by 14 per cent meaning the number of weekly flights will be cut from 1,850 to just 1,600. The plan is part of an effort to try and reduce losses and comes after a similar announcement from BA.

BA will cut capacity on winter flights by up to 5% in an effort to avoid losses. They will reduce the amount of flights on its routes and axe some service between October and March. There will be fewer services on the least cash generative routes with no more than two out of 154 routes being axed. Many airlines are currently cutting capacity due to falling demand and high fuel prices with US carriers leading the way. There are signs that the slowing economy is starting to affect travel with BA seeing a decline of 3.7% or 87,000 fewer passengers in June.

When booking a holiday you might want to check the small print to see what is says about fuel surcharges. This article highlights a case where a couple were hit with a surcharge of £892 a few months before they were due to set off on a cruise holiday. In their case the extra charge was simply too much to afford and they had no choice but to cancel the holiday. Unfortunately because the charges amounted to £8 less than 10% of the total holiday cost they were not entitled to a refund of the £900 deposit they had paid for the £9,000 holiday.

Exeter International Airport has unveiled expansion plans. Under the plans the airport would expand to include more destinations and would make improvements to taxiways. The plans could increase on site jobs from 1,400 to 3,550 by 2030 with the local economic contribution rising from £105m to £264m over the same period. However, Friends of the Earth have said that plans to increase annual passengers number at the airport are bad for the environment and that any economic benefit would be outweighed by the effects on climate change. The plan is open for consultation for three months.

It has been announced that injured war veterans will get free travel on London transport. Boris Johnson made the announcement last week on Veterans Day. The scheme will come into effect on the 2nd of November and will benefit an estimated 2,600 war veterans living in London.

If you don't fancy dragging heavy bags around when you travel then you might be interested in this new suitcase. It has an "anti gravity" system that distributes the weight over the wheels making the case feel lighter. The system can make pulling 30kg of baggage seem like just 3kg. The case does have a flaw, however. It weighs 10.kg when empty which is quite a lot more than the average suitcase. With strict baggage restrictions at airports this could be a disadvantage and mean you have to pack a lot less luggage. At £700 its also quite expensive.

We apologise for missing last month's travel blog of the week, we have all been very busy with upgrades to the PC2Paper website. This week's travel blog of the week is the rather unusually named Hedgehogs Without Borders. The blog covers Jessica and Tim's 18 month "round-the-world adventure" to places such as Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, England, Turkey, Greece, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos....

An article I found interesting was their visit to the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu its usually on top of every adventurers list when visiting Peru. What I liked about their visit was they also decided to scale Wayna Picchu the mountain peak you usually see in the back ground when pictures are taken of Machu Picchu. On top of this peak is an ancient complex of Incan guardhouses which leads to a spectacular view below of the Sacred Valley.

Air travellers will soon have to pay for luggage trolleys at Luton airport. From next month the airport will introduce a £1 charge for luggage trolleys, or two euros for people who do not have any British currency. The airport expects to earn million from the coin operated trolleys which will be similar to schemes already in place at some supermarkets. The difference with the airport trolleys, however, is that users will not get their money back when they have finished using the trolley.

Network Rail are looking at plans for five new high speed lines. If they go ahead the new lines would be on some of the busiest routes including Chiltern, East Coast, East Coast, Great Western and Midland Main Line. Consultants will be appointed to look into building these new lines and they will produce a report of their findings next summer.

Several airlines have increased baggage fees and fares in an effort to cut costs. The Australian airline Virgin Blue will raise ticket prices by $5 Australian dollars. United Airlines and US Airways have both announced they will charge a $15 fee for the first bag that is checked in. A number of US airlines have also increased fuel surcharges to $20 per roundtrip.

This weeks travel blog of the week is the official blog of the Romow travel directory. The blog has lots of useful tips for travellers. One post entitled how to make the most of your family vacation suggests stocking up at home for some of your vacation needs as its often cheaper. Packing plenty of sunscreen, batteries and first aid supplies will mean you don't need to pay over inflated prices at the airport and in the resort. The post also suggests travelling off season which can save you as much as 50% off high season prices and also enjoy your destination without crowds of other tourists. It also recommends doing your research and comparing prices on car rental and accommodation before booking and looking out for bundle deals which can often offer large discounts.

Another post looks at travel safety and security. It includes advice such as wearing a money belt to protect your paperwork and your travellers checks and also recommends making copies of all of your important documents before you go and storing them separately from the originals. There is plenty of other useful advice on this blog from tips on what to pack to advice on getting the most of your railway journey. Its well worth a look for any traveller.

This is interesting and if it works could help a holiday makers. Its a patch impregnated with toxins which could stop you suffering from stomach upsets. It has been found to be 75% effective against diarrhoea attacks caused by E.coli and people that wear the patch also recover more quickly. It has been estimated that over 27 million travellers suffer from E.coli related bugs every year so this could soon become an essential item to pack in your suitcase.

Airline bosses have warned that tickets prices are likely to become much more expensive because of rising oil prices. Passengers are likely to face a lot of new extra fees such as paying to check in luggage and paying to eat on the flight. According to John McCulloch the managing partner of Oneworld Alliance (which represents leading airlines including British Airways,Cathay Pacific, Iberia and Qantas) mainstream airlines are likely to follow Ryanair as they try to cut costs. He says this will mean that charging for meals is likely to become standard practice and that charges for bags could be introduced.

This week's travel blog of the week is Coomers Family World Adventures. The blog is about a family of three Shawn, Shawn and Jasmine who set about a two year trip around the world. Amongst their destinations are Australia, Belize & Honduras, Canada, Fiji, Guatemala, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the USA.

One interesting article is entitled "Have We Died and Gone To Hell?" Which explains the families trip through the Australian outback and suffering the severe heat which was so intense they had to cancel a trip and spend most of the time indoors with an air conditioning unit. Shawn mentions that in the brief time they were outside even the animals stayed out of sight in the shade.

The government will investigate claims that contaminated air in planes is making pilots and passengers ill. Figures suggest that one in every 2,000 flights is polluted with engine oil but unions claim that the problem occurs much more often. Last year there were 116 contaminated flights reported to the Aviation Authority. Pilots and passengers have reported symptoms including nausea, headaches, dizziness and lethargy. The investigation will use equipment to measure the cabin air on five different types of aircraft from five different airlines to try and identify any toxins that might be in the air filters.

BA have announced an increase in fuel surcharges on all tickets sold from Tuesday 3rd of June. The surcharge will increase by £3 per flight to £16 on short haul flights and increase by £15 per flight to £78 per flight on long haul flights. The increase comes at a time when the airlines are facing rising costs of jet fuel due to soaring oil prices. It is likely that other airlines will now follow suit.

Last summers storm has meant that bathing water at beaches across the UK is more polluted. As a result the number of beaches with excellent water quality has fallen by 10% on last year. 779 beaches were tested, with 443 getting a good rating compared with 495 last year. The tests were carried out between May and September last year coinciding with the wettest British summer on record. The society has said that heavy rain would have washed sewage and animal waste into the rivers and the sea making the waters more polluted than normal. The tests also found that the number of beaches failing to meet the minimum standard has tripled from 17 to 53. If you want to find out how a beach scored before swimming you can see the results here.

American Airlines will bring in a charge for checked bags from the 15th of June. They will charge $15 for the first checked bag and already have a $25 charge for the second checked bag. It will also raise other fees for service such as reservation help and fees for oversized bags. The changes come because the airlines fuel costs have increased by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year. Other airlines such as United Airlines are also looking at whether to impose a fee on checked luggage. It seems checking in baggage free of charge might soon become a thing of the past.

If you are planning on using your credit or debit card when you go on holiday abroad then you might want to check how much your bank charges. That's the message from some financial experts who warn that many holidaymaker's are charged much more than they expect for using their card abroad. Many banks have increased their fees for using cards abroad in the past year. These increases mean that if you withdraw £100 from a cash machine abroad you could be charged as much as £4.95 whereas spending £100 on a credit card will incur a charge of up to £3. Whilst the charges may seem relativity small if you unaware of them it can soon add up so the message is to check how much your bank charges before you go away.

This weeks travel blogs of the week is The World Is Not Flat.

Usually when we choose a travel blog we like to make sure it has been updated regularly to ensure its current. On this occasion we have chosen a travel blog that is "frozen in time". The main purpose of The World Is Not Flat was to record the 2 years travels of Lee and Sachi LeFever. At the end of their travels they catalogued their experiences into Favourite Overall Countries, Favourite Experiences, Not So Favourite and Favourite Cities.

The blog is vast and covers travels through places such as Japan, New Zealand, China, Russia, Thailand and Portugal with a wealth of photos and articles of their experiences. From scamming tax drivers to how to deal with street hawkers in India.

It has emerged that hundreds of foreign passengers have passed through Terminal 5 without proper checks. Problems at the airport have led to confusion meaning that overseas passengers have been treated as domestic arrivals and have passed through the airport without going through immigration or customs controls. In one case passengers arriving from Libya left Heathrow without having to show their passports and there are claims that six passengers from a Tripoli flight have never been found. The security breaches occurred when shuttle drivers collected passengers from overseas flights but dropped them off at a gate meant for domestic arrivals. BA has admitted there have been a small number of incidents and have said there are aware of 10 flights where passengers were taken to the wrong gates.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Sixintheworld, covering the travels of a family of six's year long trips around the world. The reason they decided to do the trip was to build family relationships and teach their kids that they have the power to make a difference in the world through good deeds along the way.

The site is well laid out featuring items such as the family's Itinery, Non Profit deeds and Photo collections. The family is so famous for their travels they have even been featured in national newspapers. 

British Airways has announced that it will move its long haul flights to Terminal 5 on 5 June. The move will include its services to New York, Abuja, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Cape Town, Lagos and Phoenix. Flights to 40 other long haul destinations will continue to operate from terminal 4 for the time being but will be moved at a later date.

BA tickets will get more expensive because they are due to increase their fuel surcharge. Passengers on long haul routes will now pay £30 more for a return flight. The decision comes as the prices of oil continue to rise. The surcharge for short haul flights will also increase by £6 for a return flight, rising from £20 to £26. The increases will affect all tickets issued after Friday.

After 40 years the Wrexham to London Marylebone train service has resumed. The service will run five times a day and will re-establish a direct link to Shropshire, Walsall and London. The train stops at ten stations between Wrexham and London. Although only 11 passengers used the service today it is hoped that demand will grow as word spreads.

This weeks travel blog of the week is The Perrin Post written by Wendy Perrin. This blog is particularly useful because it deals with several issues that have been in the news recently, such as what to do when your flight is delayed or when you are stranded at the airport. 

One useful post entitled top ten things to do when you are stranded at an airport has useful advice on how to amuse children if your flight is delayed. It includes suggestions such as using cots and blankets to make a fort and building towers out of packs of Starburst Fruit Chews. Another useful post includes advice on what you are entitled to if you are bumped from your flight and another post has ten ways to keep your children occupied on a plane without toys. It includes games such as "what shape is that cloud" and a "find the city" game which you can play using the air route map, as well as other advice to buy a drink for the other passengers within earshot. Its all very useful and should make travelling with children a little bit easier.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Claire takes on the world, an amusing and feature rich blog of Claire's worldly travels.

What I enjoyed about Claire's blog is that out of the many blogs I have seen Claire had actually been to the Amazon. After 8 months in South America she had finally arranged a 3 day trip to the Amazon where they attempted to cross a river sitting on a wooden raft. While half way through the water Claire yelled to her friend "Jenny, where's your camera?"

Jenny replied "Claire, it's not the time for pictures!" and then suddenly realised when checking her money belt that her camera and mp3 player were covered in water!

When they finally reached the Amazon, of which Claire likens to looking like a forest in Ireland, Jenny referred to the experience as "We're getting to meet the entire cast of A Bugs Life today".

You can read the rest of Claire's adventures here

Today's Travel Blog of the week is Boedus Travel, its one of my favourite types of travel blogs - one with a lot of pictures. One of my favourite articles on this blog is that depicting a photo album of Yemen, it has some amazing pictures of this beautiful country and its people.

Another article in a similar vain is Ethiopia Photo Raid an article where the author prefers to show his experience of this African country in photos and like the Yemen article the photos are truly stunning.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week  is The Brel Chronicles written by Brendan and Mel (Brel). The blog charts their travels over a 10 month period and although it is still relatively new with the first post in January of this year, it already contains a number of interesting articles.

I have always loved monkeys so was interested to see their pictures from Costa Rica where they have come across Howler Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys and Squirrel Monkeys all of which are really really cute. Much of the couples time in Costa Rica was also spent stalking the local bird population with Mel spotting an impressive 75 bird species including toucans, trogons, kingfishers and parrots.

They have also set up a foundation that is designed to try and give something back to the communities they visit. It is called The Brel Drop in the Ocean Foundation and the idea is that they will select a cause in each country that they visit and try offer what help they can, whether it is donating money or some of their time by volunteering on a local project. So far they have helped address the problem of stray cats in Placencia by helping  to reduce the population with a neutering program. They also have plans to contribute to an organisation that provides monkey bridges to help Titi monkeys avoid being electrocuted by electric wires. This blog is certainly off to a promising start despite being only three months old, I am looking forward to reading more of this great content over the coming months.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week  is Location Independent Living. Ever grown tired of the usual rat race? Working 9 to 5, five days a week to earn a salary to pay off your mortgage and eventually retire on a good enough pension and live the good life? Well this blog was started by people who didn't want to live that sort of life, they wanted to live a good life now and from anywhere in the world.  So they sold all of their worldly possessions to travel the world and set up a location-independent business. This blog is here to help anyone else who wants to live this kind of live, it is also quick to add the caveat "without being a millionaire". To me this ensures people do not mistake this site as a get rich quick scheme but as a new way of living.

An article I found interesting had the rather humorous title "How To Travel The World Working With Your Other Half And Not Split Up (Or Kill Each Other)". It covers the challenges facing couples who choose a Location Independent Lifestyle. One example it gives is the insecurity you might feel not being in your home town or close to friends to talk to instead of having to talk to your partner all the time. One solution it gives is to make new friends and to make use of online social networks to talk with friends.

A scheme to help cut the cost of ferry journeys to and from the Western Isles has been announced by the Scottish Government. It currently costs £140 for the return car ferry from the mainland to Stornoway with local people saying this cost holds back tourism and development. The new scheme which will run as a pilot will cost £22 million to operate over three years but could see the cost of journey cut by a third. The routes chosen for the trial are Stornoway to Ullapool, the routes between Uig on Skye, Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy in North Uist and the routes linking Oban, South Uist, Coll Barra and Tiree.

Aberdeen Airport has been named the industry’s most improved by the Airports Council International (ACI). The title goes to the airport that has managed the biggest improvement in overall customer satisfaction. The quality survey was based on data from 200,000 questionnaires which were completed by passengers in 2007.

This weeks travel blog of the week is China Travel. The blog covers the travels of Tom Carter who has spent 2 years backpacking in China. Focusing more on the the things you probably wouldn't see if you went on a packaged holiday.

One of the most amusing articles on the blog is titled Chinese Youth Hostels. As a veteran backpacker, hostels are essential for Tom. He quite comically recalls an extended stay in a laid back hostel in Chengdu over 7 days. Encountering several Australians, Europeans and Americans who had also got pulled into the laid back life style of the hostel. Tom likens the hostel environment to that of a Reality TV Series 'Backpackers Behaving Badly', his stay is filled with occurrences of dorm mates arriving back drunk passing out in the early hours of the morning after going out partying each night.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Riding the Spine. The blog charts the progress of Jacob, Goat and Sean and their three year trip cycling the Continental Divide. They began their trip in July 2006 and are currently in Nicaragua. One of my favourite articles charts an incident where Sean has a run in with the local police. Whilst looking for a place to camp for the night, he had ended up on private property and venturing out for some groceries Sean came across the landlord who called the police. Three policeman quickly arrived armed with automatic rifles and after searching him they proceeded to ask lots of questions. Sean tried to make the Spanish speaking officer understand that he gone out to get some groceries but feared the worse when they ordered him into the police car. The police then proceeded to drive him to the grocery store before helping him pick out the groceries and even feeling each piece of fruit to check for ripeness. They then drove him back to the campsite.

Another article from their time in Mexico highlights the abundance of scorpions. Jacob describes finding scorpions under his mattress every night before being stung by one. He was left with a painful and numb arm and still had a numb finger several days later. These are just a few articles from this blog but there is a wealth of interesting stories here.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Nate and Shelly's RTW Trip, a married couples blog of their travelling experiences around the world.

The blog covers Nate and Shelly's travels to Argentina, France, Guyana, Italy, Peru and Uruguay and is filled with interesting stories and photo's of their travels. One article I found interesting was their trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina where they visited Recoleta Cemetery which is also the resting place of Eva Peron.

I found Nate's 3 points on "what we throw away" in Argentina quite amusing. He says that garbage is collected every day in the city and can be quite a dangerous excise as bin men run down the street next to the truck throwing rubbish into the truck narrowly avoiding pedestrians. Recycling appears to be done by enterprising locals sifting through the rubbish you put out before the bin men collect it. Avoiding dog mess is another issue when walking through the streets as it is never cleared up and requires one eye constantly focused on the ground.

This weeks PC2Paper travel blog of the week is Conor's Mildly Thrilling Tales. Its author Conor Grennan travel stories, have been featured in well known travel publications such as Traveler's Tales and  Lonely Planet. He is also the founder of the non-profit organisation Next Generation Nepal, setup to to reunite trafficked and conflict-displaced children with their families. Conor lives in Nepal where he started a home for trafficked children.

Conor's blog focuses a lot on the great work he does helping these children in Nepal. My favourite article was "Searching for families in Nuwakot" a fascinating story on how Conor managed to find the parents of 17 out of 18 children on a trip through the mountains. How he went on the trip on a beaten up bus and was encouraged to try a local fruit which ended up giving him food poisoning. If that wasn't enough he was unable to sleep on the bumpy bus journey, the buses suspension so bad he had to sit on a fleece to protect his hind quarters. At times he and the other passengers had to get out of the bus to help guide it along steep cliff ledges. But in the end it was all worth it when they got to their destination finding the parents of these children. read the full article >>

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.

This Weeks Travel Blog is India Travel Blog by Arun a blog dedicated to his travels around India in his spare time. What makes things interesting is the brilliant photos he has taken of all the places he has been with his Canon EOS 350D.

An article I found of particular interest was "An eventful trip to Melukote", all  about a two day trip to the temple town of Melukote, a place hardly touched by the passage of time. Because the town is so old and untouched there is generally no place to stay so it is usually visited as a day trip from Bangalore. However Arun was able to stay for 2 days by accepting the hospitality of one of the kind locals who allowed them to stay and fed them! Melokote is described as quiet, pleasant and easygoing  where most of the inhabitants are friendly and mainly priests. It has some breath taking views of temples that just have to be seen, to find out more you can read the rest of the article here.

Easyjet has recently brought GB Airways for £103.5m. GB Airways currently operate services under the British Airways brand to Southern Europe and North Africa. They currently operate a total of 39 routes from Gatwick, Manchester and Heathrow and have a fleet of 15 Airbus aircraft.

You may soon need to use your passport to travel to Ireland. Irish officials have been asked to work on ending an agreement that currently allows free movement between Britain and Ireland. There are reports that an electronic border problem will be put in place by 2009 although the home office has said it has no immediate plans for a change. The system would help in the tracking of terrorist suspects, criminals and illegal immigrants.

The Airbus A380 superjumbo completed its first flight last week. The flight had 471 passengers on board and flew from Singapore to Australia. The passengers had bid for the tickets on eBay with the proceeds going to charity. The planes includes double beds and 23 inch flatscreen TVs. It sounds great.

This week's travel blog of the week is Travel-Junkie.com written by Boris Glumpler. One post that I found interesting is about travelling on a Pelni boat in Indonesia. The experience doesn't sound very pleasant with 50 people sleeping in one room for four days with poor food and smelly toilets and showers. He does, however, point out that travelling on the boat is very cheap and also safe and gives some useful tips on how to survive the experience.

One tip that he gives is to remember to take a large sheet with you that you can use for sleeping and also to wrap yourself in. He also says you should take your own cutlery unless you want to eat with your hands.

Other interesting articles include this picture of a Komodo dragon and a list of his top ten dive spots in South East Asia including what you are likely to see there.

This week's travel blog of the week is Travel Babel written by Claire Walter from Colorado. One of her most recent articles talks about what services are included when you stay at a hotel. Claire mentions her stay at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and the fact that internet access was not included in the price. She ended up having to pay £15 for 24 hours of high speed internet access which amounted to around $30 dollars taking into account the exchange rate. Personally I always look at hotels that include internet access in the price, as I have found you do tend to pay extortionate rates especially when travelling abroad, and internet access is often essential when travelling on business.

Another interesting article highlights a luggage lock that uses words instead of numbers. This is something I would find really useful as I can never remember pin numbers and like Claire tend to be better at words than numbers. Called the WordLock, they are available in a range of different colours to co-ordinate with your bags and use a simple 4 letter word rather than numbers. What a good idea!