Category Archives: Uncategorized

SNCF Rail Booking Tips

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If you are booking trains in France, you may initially think of booking on the SNCF website , branded as Oui.sncf

We experienced difficulties at the final payment stage, with the error message “We have interrupted your browsing due to prolonged inactivity”

This was when using Chrome browser. We switched to Firefox and were able to complete the booking.

But you may prefer to use the UK based “Trainline.com” website with the added benefit of being charged in GBP and avoiding the foreign currency charges that may otherwise apply 

British Airways Online Support

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Booking online an ba.com and experiencing a problem?

Example Problem
You choose to discount your airfare with Avios, you select the amount and when you reach the final payment page the price reduction does not show.

There is a “useful link” to “Online Customer Support Information” which you may be forgiven for believing would provide a team of people who are familiar with the online booking process …WRONG!

The number 0344 493 0787 is eventually answered by a call centre who then offer to sell you a ticket, but first you have to be placed on hold for another 20 minutes by which time, you’ve timed out online and have to start the entire process from scratch!

How to discount your BA flight ticket using Avios?
The answer by trial and error to the above problem is that you must sign in to your executive club (although that was not offered at the choose discount stage)

 

How much do BA charge for payment by credit card?

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The headline prices on BA.com do not include these extra fees and they are only discoverable after you enter the passenger name and proceed to the payment page so we summarise the fees here:

Seat Reservation Fees from £11 on short-haul flights e.g. London-Zurich

If you pay using a credit card or PayPal account billed in the UK, you will be charged a fee of 1% of the cost of your booking, up to a maximum of £20.00 per person.

BA does not charge this fee on the cost of any seat reservations, travel insurance, or donations. The fee will not be refunded to you if you cancel your booking.

There is no fee when paying with a debit card.

Why travel agent e-dreams shares suspended on Spanish stock market

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It comes as no surprise that on Friday 24th October, shares in e-dreams were suspended after British Airways and Iberia said they would no longer supply their fares and availability to the agency

All the links to travel suppliers on our site are genuine and are intended to save you time and money.

We vet each site and will warn you of any advantages or disadvantages.

Some sites for example, hide the total cost until you have taken several steps through the booking process.

Example. British Airways.

I Googled British Airways and the response provided links that looked a little like British Airways own address but it is from a Spanish company, e-dreams

A price quoted on a search for Cape Town was priced at £975 compared to the official ba.com fare of £980 so you’d think you had a deal

but only after completing all the passenger information and submitted to the next page, amongst the total is a £19.99 “service charge” and, for example a Visa credit card charge labelled as £2.50 but actually totalled at £5.00, Total £1,000.25

Thus British Airways and Iberia decided to stop supplying fares to the agency.

e-dreams may continue to offer fares by “screen-scraping” the airline website – time will tell. They used to do this with Ryanair

flights and the airline took legal action over it for similar reasons.

We recommend you book British Airways via the direct links on our site to ensure the best fares.

 

 

 

Flypast Time 5th June 2013

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Again this year we had to search long and hard to find exact details of the Royal Flypast time for the Queen’s birthday celebrations which are on Saturday 15th June

Here is a description of the aircraft that were involved in the rehearsals, and the Red Arrows

http://thelincolnite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/1005870_10151649283444885_1727092325_n.jpg

This site also confirms that the Queen’s Birthday Fly past will begin at 1pm on Saturday 5th June 2013

http://www.raf-ff.org.uk/newsarchive.asp?info=Her+Majesty+The+Queens+birthday+Flypast++Sat+15th+June&start=0

And here are more technical co-ordinates and no-fly zone restrictions

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/831/contents/made

Don’t forget, if you’re looking to fly yourself, we host the most unbiased and accurate flight search engine available here:

http://www.bookingbusinesstravel.com/cheapestflights/

And we also host the best Hotel Comparison site we know of, so do come back!

Airline code TN

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Back in the 80’s and early 90’s when I worked for an Australia and New Zealand bucket shop, the airline code TN stood for Trans Australian Airlines domestic services

Now, TN is used by Air Tahiti Nui and they operate Paris – Los Angeles – Tahiti, amongst other routes.

The airline originated from UTA who used to operate from Paris to a range of interesting destinations in the African continent

Etihad Baggage Allowance now 30kg PLUS golf clubs

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According to the Etihad London Office 0845 608 1225 the new baggage allowance of 30kg  (increased from 23kg) also applies to tickets purchased prior to the change (November 2012) when 23kg was the norm.

AND Golf Clubs, with a weight of up to 15kg are permitted in addition to the above allowance. They must be checked in i.e. they cannot be taken onboard.

As of January 2013, the Etihad website needs to be a little clearer in this respect

Stansted Express Discount September 2012

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The normal online return fare is now £29.50 and the single is £21.50

Book a Stansted Express discount fare through Ryanair and you’ll pay just £25.50 return and £18 single.

The prices are actually in Euros (20.49 single and 29.03 return) so depending on the exchange rate that your bank applies, you could achieve a price of approximately £16.80 and £23.79 respectively using a rate of 1.22 to the pound

Book on the Ryanair website here

You do not need to be a Ryanair passenger and surprisingly, there are no extras!

We earn no commission from this information.

We’re just happy to find you the best deal.

That’s our policy – impartial advice – which is why you’ll benefit if you use our flight search and hotel search pages.

Remember, we’re good for leisure and business travel

 

 

How to redeem British Airways On Business Points

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It makes sense to get the best value that you possibly can from your British Airways On Business points.

You must compare the fare you would otherwise have to pay before redeeming points

EXAMPLE

London-Glasgow-London costs 1,560 points return plus tax.

The equivalent flight at the full economy fare is £432 therefore the value per point is 27p and that is about the highest value that you can achieve.

The lowest restricted fare is just £68 therefore the redemption value would drop to just 4p per point.

To make bookings and for other booking tips please visit our British Airways Page

 

Best airline reward scheme

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If you are a UK based company then it is likely that of your business air-travel, British Airways comprise approximately 50%

Business travel agents also report approximately 40% to 50% simply because British Airways is the dominant carrier.

So it makes sense to sign up to a very rewarding loyalty scheme for all that travel, regardless of whether BA is a “preferred” airline or not.

We recommend that all companies sign up to the British Airways On Business Reward Scheme.

Before you begin, decide who will be the company authoriser and the administrator for the account. Have your company registration number to hand and an estimate of your annual travel spend.

Also, if you work with a travel agency, you’ll need their details and IATA number

Points are rewarded for most fare types starting at 60 points upwards and we calculate each point to be worth between 10p and 30p depending on how you redeem them.

 

 

Redeeming BA On Business Points Marriott Copenhagen

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Copenhagen does not appear to be listed in any of the three Marriott categories, on the British Airways On Business Award Voucher offer

European Classic Award
European Signature Award
European Premier Award

Malmo in Sweden is offered, and as a Premier category despite being cheaper than the Copenhagen (room rates approximately £167 compared to £224)

The points required are 2,000 3,000 and 4,500 respectively therefore the value per point is 3.7p which is very low compared to a value of up to 27p for flights.

 

SAS Cash back Scheme

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This scheme is only worth registering for if your company will fly to Scandinavia in business class several times between now and the end of 2012

The scheme is for travel from the UK to Scandinavia and Finland with SAS, Widerøe or Blue1

Tickets have to be issued by a travel agent and you’ll need to spend at least £1,000 air fares (not tax/fuel surcharges etc) before you receive a payment.

Each business class flight earns £20, Economy Extra £15 and standard Economy just £2 in cash back

A CMP code needs to be entered into the booking by your travel agent.

Register by 30th September for travel 1st October to 31 December

 

Sorry these redemption options are not available

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You wish to redeem points for flight tickets on your BA OnBusiness account but there is no search option, just a message stating:

“Sorry, these redemption options are not available”

The client had over 5,000 on the account.

We’ve discovered that the reason for this message is that only one traveller has accrued points to date whilst the scheme requires a minimum of two travellers.

So you need to wait for a second passenger to contribute points before you can start to redeem them.

If you appreciate this information, please use our flight and hotel search, Thank you!

 

How far in advance can I book Eurostar?

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I’ve just been asked this question and for flights, I know that the answer is up to one year but I’ve checked and rail bookings have a surprisingly short selling period:

For Eurostar journeys to mainline Paris, Lille and Brussels stations, you can book up to 4 months in advance, minus 2 days

This applies to both French Rail, the UK arm of French SNCF railways and Eurostar. For the genuine links to both companies and for booking tips please visit my Eurostar Page

Etihad Chauffeur with Opodo or Expedia

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FREE CHAUFFEUR CARS WITH ETIHAD

If you book business class Etihad flights online, with, for example Opodo or Expedia, you may not be aware that you are eligible for free chauffeur transfers.

The online booking systems do not automatically offer you the service and you could miss out from several hundred pounds worth of free Etihad transfers.

You need to phone or email the online agent to request the transfers and you’ll probably have to deal with an agent in India so you’d better give clear and concise instructions, address and postcode and your mobile phone contact (for the chauffeur company).

My recent article provided details of the new chauffeur limits

http://www.bookingbusinesstravel.com/etihad-chauffeur-new-limits/

HOTELS

Our hotel search engine compares more prices than any other comparison site.

And with over 300,000 properties featured, you’re sure to find the ideal hotel at the lowest price.

See how much you could have saved on your last booking – or plan for your next!

Do try our Hotel Search from the menu above

 

 

Etihad Frequent Flier Flyer Agreements

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You can accrue points on Etihad reward scheme with the following airlines:

Airline (Flight Prefix)

American Airlines AA
Air Berlin AB
Royal Air Maroc AT
Alitalia AZ
BMI BD
Virgin Australia DJ
Air Seychelles HM
Malaysia Airlines MH
All Nippon NH
Air New Zealand NZ
Czech Airlines OK
Asiana Airlines OZ
Bangkok Airlines PG
Ukraine International PS
Brussels Airlines SN
Air Lanka UL
Virgin Australia VA
Oman Air WY
Jet Airways 9W

We recommend that you use our comprehensive flight search tool to obtain the best deals. Click on FLIGHT SEARCH above.

And

Our hotel search engine compares more prices than any other comparison site.

And with over 300,000 properties featured, you’re sure to find the ideal hotel at the lowest price.

See how much you could have saved on your last booking – or plan for your next!

Do try our Hotel Search from the menu above

 

Are Golf Clubs allowed Etihad checked baggage in Pearl Business Class

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Golf Clubs are permitted as checked baggage with a maximum weight of 15kg

This is in addition to the free checked in limit of 30kg

And the cabin baggage (combined) allowance is 12kg (2 pieces permitted)

Our hotel search engine compares more prices than any other comparison site.

And with over 300,000 properties featured, you’re sure to find the ideal hotel at the lowest price.

See how much you could have saved on your last booking, or plan for your next!

Try our Hotel Search from the menu above this article

 

 

Prague Hyatt

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We searched for the Prague Hyatt Hotel using our hotel directories and couldn’t find one listed. We also used the Hyatt.com website and discovered that the closest hotel of that chain is in Berlin.

As of August 2012 there is no Hyatt in Prague.

For recommended alternatives, we suggest using our hotel search facility and narrow down the choice to the 5* properties. You’ll be surprised by the choice and rates offered.

Our recommendations for centrally located Prague hotels are:

Four Seasons Hotel,
Jalta Hotel
Prague Marriott

But do use our comparison site to ensure you find the best deal.

 

 

Discount fares from Australia to the UK

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How to find discount fares for travel from Australia to the UK, if you are buying the ticket here in the UK.

Here’s a trick that just saved £471 on the price of a business class ticket:

Scenario: You’re in the UK and you want to buy a ticket originating in Sydney, Australia to travel Sydney-London-Sydney, in Business Class

Emirates airline fare, priced on the Expedia UK site, was £6,636 return.

But if you search on the Expedia Australia site, the fare was AUD9338 which equals £6,165 saving £471

This is because availability and prices are often cheaper locally as airlines can be somewhat protective about their local fares.

To find the Australia Expedia site, click on the link on our Expedia Page (above) and at the very bottom of the site, look for the Australia Flag.

Click on the Flag and then search for fares. Ensure that you have an up-to-date exchange rate to hand.

Booking Tip: Google the following: “AUD to GBP” and you’ll be given the exchange rate which is currently only 1.51 dollars to the pound.

I remember the time when it was 2.20…

 

How to apply for a free Australia Visa

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Never use the companies that advertise on Google for a Australia Visa as you’ll end up paying a fee to them – unnecessarily.

Only use the official government site, which is free of charge. You can identify an official site because the address will end with a .gov.au (as per below)

Full details are here:

http://www.immi.gov.au/

But if you are from a European country and require a tourist visa or a visa for business purposes, you can apply free of charge directly here:

https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/visas/app/uu?form=TV

IMPORTANT NOTE: After clicking on the link above, you must SAVE the first page after which you’ll be asked to make up a password and the system will generate a Application ID, before proceeding with the “Next” button!
I wasted time trying to figure that out!

I hope that you appreciate this advice and that you compare hotel and flight prices using the search engines that we provide on this website

Thanks!

 

China Eastern Airlines to Australia

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Skyscanner offers low fares on China Eastern Airlines to Australia from four travel companies, all at a similar price.

So who should you choose to book through? Who offers a reliable service?

We put them to the test.

A search for London to Sydney flights resulted in a cheap price offered with China South Eastern Airlines but the return journey requires a stopover in Shanghai.

Three companies offered fares of approximately £666 return:

Travelup, Omega Flightstore, 9Flights.co.uk and Travelpack

I called each company enquiring about the stopover, about the free hotel offered in Shanghai, and most importantly, would I need a visa as a transit passenger? I did not want to rely on a Google search for this information, because China visas can be very expensive, so I wanted to know before I chose to book. And I was reading conflicting information about visas, online.

Travelup phones appeared to be answered in India. The consultant seemed only capable of asking repeatedly what my departure date was. When he eventually addressed (or understood) my question, he couldn’t help and said I’d have to contact the Chinese embassy.

Omega Flightstore on their London Number, no reply, no queuing system, nothing!
Telephone: 020 7484 8909. The 0844 493 8888 did offer English or Chinese but nobody answered

Travelpack in Wembley 08444 930 461 understood the question but suggested that I phone China SouthEastern directly 020 7935 2676 where a very responsive consultant gave clear advice….

No China visa is required for a UK passport holder in transit and holding an onward international ticket, and a free hotel is provided. China Eastern suggested that we contact the online travel agent after making the booking as they need to obtain the stopover voucher from the airline.

Our advice: Travelpack is the best known to us, of the three quoted, so I would choose them in preference to the others.

But always use our recommended search engine for your initial comparison.