Check your EHIC Card Validity !

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provided free medical insurance cover for UK and EU nationals. The Brexit “deal” states that individual cards will continue to be valid until their expiry. As they last for 5 years. maybe, just maybe, you can still renew online? I’ve requested mine here but it says to allow 10 […]

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Travel restrictions – Switzerland 2021

UK passport holders will be refused entry into Switzerland from 1st January 2020 as citizens lose freedom of movement rights. This has been confirmed to me in writing from the Swiss authorities this morning. Switzerland currently refuses entry from countries that they have designated as being “high risk”. But EU/EFTA/UK citizens have enjoyed an exemption […]

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Prepare for Brexit – Travel from 1st January 2020

1. If you have a British passport you’ll need at least 6 months remaining and it must have been issued within the last 10 years You can check the validity of your passport on the UK gov website here. Be sure to do this as you may be surprised by the result. My passport expires […]

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Free Covid-19 insurance with Emirates

Emirates customers can travel with confidence, as the airline will cover medical expenses of up to EUR 150,000 and quarantine costs of EUR 100 per day for 14 days, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel, while they are away from home. This cover is provided by the airline, free of cost to […]

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The Ned London July August Discounts

The fabulous Ned Hotel in London re-opens from Saturday 5th July Book a room for July or August 2020 before 13 July, and you’ll be able to stay in a Cosy room for £200, a Medium room for £250 or a Large room for £300 The Ned is even including breakfast, and that’s a total […]

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Where can we travel to?

As we know, at present, all travel is severely restricted. All borders are currently closed to any “non-essential” travel. Some borders that are open require 14 days quarantine. No-one knows when travel can begin again, for UK citizens, with any surety. Some gradual changes are scheduled: Austria, Switzerland, Germany and France appear likely to agree […]

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Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania open borders

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania open borders with each other. Anyone who has not been outside of these countries in the last two weeks, is not infected and has not been in contact with an infected person may travel freely within the three countries. Anybody arriving from outside the zone must self-isolate for 14 days.

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Free advance seat assignment on Emirates

If you’re booking business class or first class flights on Emirates, your choice of seat is available free of charge. But if you’re booking the lowest economy fares then pre-seating is normally a chargeable extra cost which is not immediately clear. Members of Emirates Skywards loyalty scheme however, are eligible for free advance “regular” seat assignment, […]

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US Visa ESTA change to processing time

Visitors to the U.S. require a visa which is known as a “Electronic System for Travel Authorisation” Up until now, it has sometimes been possible to gain the approval immediately or within an hour which has been a lifeline for those that have forgotten to apply or who choose to travel at short notice. Customs […]

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How to prepare for a no-deal Brexit eventuality

The UK Government has provided advice regarding the impact on travel to the EU if there is no deal, from the 29th March 2019 The main issue is one of passport validity. You will have to show that your passport is still valid for at least 6 months from the date you arrive in the Schengen area. If […]

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Ryanair system shutdown Wednesday evening

Ryanair will shutdown the Ryanair.com website and App from 5pm Wednesday 7th November to Thursday 5am and as online check-in is mandatory, you must check-in before or after this time slot. New bookings will not be possible during this period either. More details on the Ryanair website here

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British Airways Data Breach

We are awaiting more detail from BA but at the moment, it appears to only apply to bookings made or changed and paid for online at ba.com Quote from the BA website: “This [data breach] relates to customer bookings made or changed between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 and 21:45 September 5 2018 inclusive. We […]

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More Air France and French Rail Strike Dates

Air France / KLM chief, Jean-Marc Janaillac has resigned after French staff at Air France rejected a new pay deal. This means that in addition to the ongoing rail strikes, that Air France staff are likely to increase their (in) action beyond the current date due Monday 7th May According to Connexionfrance.com these dates are set: Monday, May […]

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Which is the Busiest International Air Route

I would expect the busiest route to be a long-haul city pair such as London – New York but was surprised to read in this BBC Article  that it is …. Singapore – Kuala Lumpur Given that there is an existing railway between the two cities it is a shame that over 80 flights a day […]

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How secure is your hotel room?

If I stay in a very cheap hotel with minimal security I take extra care to ensure that valuables are placed in the room-safe and that the door is locked securely I have always assumed that when I close the door in one of the international chains such as Radisson, Grand Hyatt, Sheraton, Waldorf Astoria, […]

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Ryanair flight cancellations

The airline has published a list of cancelled flights. It is in a PDF format which in itself is quite unfriendly. Most decent airlines would provide an online search function rather than pages of flight numbers. The details are available here Don’t expect to see an explanation or an apology. The author of the page is […]

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Laptop Ban – Latest Update

Direct flights from these countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia You will not be able to carry laptops, tablets and larger mobile phones in your hand baggage on these flights. Only mobile phones smaller than the following dimensions will be allowed in the cabin: Length: 16 cm Width: 9.3 cm Depth: 1.5 cm […]

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BA strike back on and this time for two weeks

According to the BBC , BA Unite cabin crew are to stage a two-week strike from Saturday 1st July 2017  to midnight Sunday 16 July.

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BA Strike on hold

According to the Sunday Times today, (11th June), the four day strike planned by cabin crew for next weekend has been suspended to allow for talks.

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New Hilton Honors Loyalty programme

Yes, Hilton has rebranded and dropped the superfluous two h’s, previously “Hhonors” Other changes? Part pay for reservations using Points and Money. A great benefit especially for those of us with only a few points Release date during February 2017 Pool points with family and friends This is idea is similar to the Avios Household […]

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Airport disruption 23 & 24 December 2016

Airport workers who handle check-in, baggage and cargo have announced strike date of 23 December for 48 hours At this time we do not know what the impact will be. Our advice? Consider travelling with hand-baggage only, if possible.

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BA Strike 25 & 26 December 2016 Key Points

British Airways Strike Dates Sunday 25 and Monday 26 December 2016 Does not affect London City airport or London Gatwick airport All long-haul flights expected to operate to normal schedules The short-haul routes listed below are being reviewed and BA is offering refunds or free rebooking to travel the same route as originally ticketed and to travel within 355 […]

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Skyscanner can only get better!

We have always recommended skyscanner for general flight search and have hosted their search widget on our flight search page. The company, based in Scotland, has always been best for the UK market with better links to more UK low-cost carriers than other companies such as Kayak from the USA, etc. And we are delighted […]

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Emirates to introduce seat reservation charges

Another airline sees an opportunity to earn extra revenue per passenger! It is announced as giving customers more choice. They say it’s another “step away from a one-size-fits-all approach”. Of course that’s ridiculous. Everyone needs a seat. Everyone prefers an aisle or a window and no-one likes to be stuck in the middle of a […]

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New – Free Automated Online Checkin

It’s always been another task to do. Now, Lufthansa Innovation Hub have created a process that automates the checkin procedure across approximately 100 airlines! Check-in online opens at different times, sometimes 24 hours or 36 hours before departure. You no longer need to schedule this task. Forward your confirmation emails to AirlineCheckins.com and they will […]

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