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# Sunday, 18 November 2007
Baggage rules are likely to be eased from January 2008 as the one bag rule for hand luggage is likely to be relaxed. Airports will need to show that their security procedures meet government standards. Once they have done this, passengers will then be able to take more than one bag into the cabin. Restrictions on carrying liquids are likely to stay in place. There will also be limits on the size of hand luggage. The dimensions of hand luggage must not exceed 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 17.7in x 9.8in approx), including wheels, handles and side pockets.

posted on Sunday, 18 November 2007 12:21:40 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Saturday, 17 November 2007
A study carried out by the European Commission has found that around 200 European airline websites are misleading. The main problems are that they fail to show all the taxes and charges when advertising their prices. The Commission has not named any of the airlines involved in the study, in order to give them time to improve their services. However, if they do not improve it could force misleading websites to close.

posted on Saturday, 17 November 2007 13:45:13 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 16 November 2007
The Eurostar service has now stopped running out of Waterloo International and now leaves from St Pancras. The first service from St Pancras left at 1103 GMT on Wednesday and arrived in Paris just over two hours later at 1317 GMT. The new route has cut journey times to Paris by around 20 minutes making the average journey take around two hours and fifteen minutes.

posted on Friday, 16 November 2007 10:23:42 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 15 November 2007
There is likely to be disruption to Air Lingus flights next Tuesday and Friday as staff are due to strike. The trade union said that new employment contracts meant staff would be forced to work more hours for less money. If the strike goes ahead it will affect Air Lingus ground staff.

posted on Thursday, 15 November 2007 13:32:18 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 14 November 2007
British Airways customers will see another rise in the cost of their tickets after BA raised it fuel surcharges for the third time this year. The rise is due to record oil prices meaning oil is currently at around $100 a barrel. Fuel surcharges for short-haul flights will increase from £4 to £20 and on flights longer than nine hours the charge will increase from £30 to £116. Long haul flights of less than nine hours, will also increase from £20 to £96.

posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 13:41:57 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Some Australian health experts have suggested that obese airline passengers should start paying a fat tax to cover the cost of transporting their excess weight. The tax would be determined in the same way as excess baggage with customers paying per extra kilo. The calls to introduce the tax come as obesity rates and fuel prices have recently seen a huge rise in Australia. The new proposals are controversial with many people saying it discriminates against people with weight problems.

posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2007 15:26:02 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 12 November 2007
Following a long battle Rutland will now be recognised as a separate postal county. Rutland is England’s smallest county but until now has been listed in the Royal Mail database as having an address in Leicestershire. Rutland measures only 18 mile long and 17 miles across and contains two towns, Oakham and Uppingham.

posted on Monday, 12 November 2007 16:58:08 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback
# Sunday, 11 November 2007

blogoftheweek_thumb This week's travel blog of the week is Old World Wandering London to Shanghai by land. It is written by Claire van den Heever and Iain Manley and follows their journey from London to China through Western Europe, the Middle East, India and South East Asia. The most recent posts follow their progress through India. One recent post describes the not so luxurious journey on a train in third class where although you do get a seat (unlike here in the UK) you do have to sit crossed legged on a luggage rack.

Backwaters 1

The same post also describes how the local ladies make strong ropes out of coconut fibre by twisting them together before attaching them to a spinning wheel. Another thing that I found really interesting was the way that people get around needing an alcohol license which is apparently a rarity on the island. Beer is served in a teapot to disguise it and if a policeman should come to investigate they are offered an incentive to turn a blind eye.

Another interesting post which is well worth a read describes a ride on the typical Indian bus which the author describes as being "made of metal sheets, generously dented". The bus has no set fare, that must be negotiated with the conductor. It also has no set capacity. This blog contains a wealth of information and stunning pictures. It also includes a useful map that charts their progress so far and shows how far they still have to go.

posted on Sunday, 11 November 2007 18:18:20 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Trackback