Etihad revelas 3-room suite on A380

from The Travel Trade Gazette

Etihad has chosen Heathrow as the debut route for the Airbus A380 superjumbo, which will also include a suite costing $20,000 per flight.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline will launch its first superjumbos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners in December with both aircraft seeing the introduction of new seats across all three cabin classes.

While economy and business class seats will be the same on both aircraft, Etihad is aiming for a “private jet” experience with its first class service on the A380.

This upper-deck cabin will feature nine “apartments”, six of which will have connecting doors,  plus The Residence – a three-room 125 square foot cabin with lounge, bedroom and shower-room, as well as exclusive service from a butler trained at London’s Savoy hotel.

The new cabins will feature on the first A380 service from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow on December 27. Fares for The Residence will cost $20,000 one-way for single or double occupancy on these flights.

Etihad chief executive James Hogan said: “With The Residence, we are taking the concept of the private jet or super yacht to create a private three-room suite. It will be exclusive and we want people to aspire to it – there will be no upgrades and that includes staff.

“We are confident that there’s a strong market for The Residence and our apartments onboard the A380. We have been working on this for five years and believe it’s a step change for the industry.”

Etihad’s second A380 will also fly on the Abu Dhabi-Heathrow route from early 2015, while further deliveries will see the aircraft begin flying to Sydney and New York later next year.

The carrier’s first Dreamliners, which will also include new first-class suites, will initially be used on routes from Abu Dhabi to Washington DC, Dusseldorf and Mumbai, before being extended to other destinations.

Hogan confirmed that Etihad would not be using an A380 on its route to Manchester although the city could eventually be served by a Dreamliner although plans were “not set in stone”.

New Ryanair check-in rules

from the Travel Trade Gazette 

Changes to Ryanair’s online check-in rules are forcing agents to make customers buy allocated seats for packages of more than seven days.

Ryanair last week told passengers that online check-in was only available between seven days and two hours before departure for those not taking its regular or premium seat reservation option, costing €5 or €10. Those opting to pay extra can check in from 30 days before.

Previously, Ryanair allowed non-reserved seat boarding passes to be printed 15 days before departure, which catches a normal fortnight family holiday.

However, the change means agents packaging a week’s holiday with Ryanair flights cannot now issue the return boarding card before clients leave the UK.

One agency, Thorne Travel, which is close to Prestwick airport, has told clients: “To ensure you get the best customer service for all flights booked with a six day or longer duration, we will require you to
pre-book your seats.”

Agency owner Shona Thorne said hotels had been happy to print boarding cards for existing bookings, but that this would create problems in the future.

“Hotels are not going to be happy,” she said. “We’ve done this before for customers going for three weeks and most hotels have been quite comfortable doing that, but we have a group of 30 going soon - do they want to do that? No.”

Thorne said the agency would be greatly affected, being 10 minutes from Prestwick. “To change the rules on existing bookings is wrong,” she said.

Ryanair charges £40 to print boarding cards at the airport, meaning a family of four caught unawares faces a £160 bill at the end of their holiday.

The airline’s changes come only weeks after it launched a charm offensive, promising to be less obstructive. A Ryanair spokeswoman said check-in times had been extended for those who purchased allocated seats.

“Customers who don’t wish to pay for a premium or regular allocated seat can check-in online between seven days to two hours prior to each flight, and will be allocated a seat free of charge,” she added.

Helder Lemos, who runs Gallivant Travel Agency near Stansted, said Ryanair had “reverted back to type”, adding: “What comes to mind immediately is the saying ‘the leopard never changes its spots’.

It found a subterfuge to force ancillary revenues and annoy the customers.”

Also Read : 8 Stages Everyone Goes Through Booking a Holiday

And : Amazing Amsterdam

Travelling Alone, want to make new friends? There's an app for that!

Thousands of singles have benefitted from the resources found on the TripTogether.com website and will attest to the fact that some things are just better when experienced together.

Sharing a trip is one of the best ways to truly experience a new location. Finding the perfect travel partner and planning your dream vacation on the TripTogether.com social travel network, makes the experience so much brighter.

Go Exploring

Enjoying new and exciting experiences is the best part of sharing a trip. Take some time to see the sights that you may not find in a travel brochure. TripTogether.com has a team of experts and avid travelers at hand who are more than happy to share great tips about the real places of interest. Experience the unique culture of your vacation destination firsthand, visiting the best unknown eateries and taking part in local festivals.

Educate Yourselves

Learning about new cultures and customs together is a great way to get to know more about your traveling partners. Take the time to go sightseeing or join a guided tour, learn together about the history of this amazing location that drew you both to it. Vacations don’t have to be all about thrills and excitement, many members of TripTogether.com have discovered that sharing a learning experience with a friend not only enhances the experience, but also the relationship.

Treat Yourselves to a Little Downtime

With all the excitement of new adventures, don’t forget that you and your travel partner still deserve the rest and relaxation that make travel so worthwhile. Travelers have noted that one of the most rewarding parts of traveling together is enjoying some downtime; take a nap, read a good book poolside, or simply take a stroll on the beach. Pamper yourselves together with a soothing massage to help you ease any tension you may have accumulated throughout your journey. Finish off the day with your travel partner by finding a nice scenic spot to watch the sunset on another perfect day of vacation.

TripTogether.com is a social travel website and iPhone app designed to boost the vacation plans of members by connecting over 300,000 single travelers worldwide. Using the Live Chat feature, members can discuss planned trips, hook-up with new friends overseas, show visitors their favorite spots, and share hot tips about real places of interest. TripTogether.com uses the combined knowledge of a team of Internet experts (all avid travelers) with over 15 years of experience to give their members the most valuable vacation planning advice. All profiles are verified by TripTogether.com staff, ensuring authentic interaction between members looking for the perfect travel companion.

Also Read : 5 Free Apps you should have when travelling

O'Neills Irish Bar, Madrid

Fantastically friendly staff, a lovely, welcoming atmosphere and a feeling of being home. These are just a few of the many positive things that can be said about one of my regular haunts from my time studying in Madrid. Myself and Andrew were lucky enough to stumble upon the bar, located not far from the Sol metro station, in the first couple of weeks in Madrid. We had the pleasure of befriending one of the barmen, Mark, who convinced us to come to one of the "intercambio" nights that he organises. Thanks to him, we made a number of firm friends from attending these nights, as well as improving our level of Spanish immensely.

Aside from the fantastic atmosphere and great location, O'Neills has a delicious food menu. I could not praise it highly enough. If I had not been living on a tight budget I probably would have eaten there every night! They show a variety of sports and have most Soccer games, including Champions League, live on TV. If you're lucky enough to be in Madrid in the future, make sure to visit O'Neills and tell them I sent you.

Also Read : What Happens When You Live Abroad

And : My Erasmus Diary

Data Roaming Charges

So I'm just back from another trip to Slovakia (I will never get sick of the place) where I spent the long weekend. I have a pay as you go plan for my mobile phone and it struck me at how quickly I ran out of credit without realising it. Small things like a status update on Facebook, reading news articles or a few retweets on Twitter and my €20 credit had all but disappeared.

Now that's not too bad for me, when my credit is gone I just can't use the phone any more. But what about the poor souls on bill-pay plans? Imagine the shock you could get after a 2 week holiday if you're not extremely careful, you could get a very nasty surprise with your next phone bill.

Picture : The Guardian

Thankfully, the EU is introducing laws, taking effect from later this year, which will essentially eliminate data roaming charges within the EU. But for people travelling to and from the United States, Canada, Asia etc, it can get very expensive to use your phone. Still, there is hope, some companies such as TravelCell have seen a chance to offer cheaper international connectivity when abroad, and it is well worth your time to have a look at them.

TravelCell has been providing global wireless and data communications for well over 15 years. We have hundreds of thousands of satisfied clients throughout the USA and Canada. We offer free incoming calls, low outgoing calling plans, reliable & proven worldwide networks and offices in NY, NJ and abroad. We also offer corporate and group discounts and work closely to ensure everything runs smoothly. TravelCell is an easy choice for anyone traveling overseas. In today’s troubled times, the importance of global communications is on everyone’s mind. Therefore, TravelCell offers you safety, security and peace of mind.  

Many travelers return to the USA and get sticker shock from bills over $1000 for international roaming and data fees. Smartphones automatically update and use tremendous amounts of usage at high cost per megabyte. Instead of using your own phone while traveling abroad, which could incur extremely high bills, use a TravelCell! Travel worry-free, knowing that you got the best deal on your international cell phone. To get a list of all products and plans please visit www.travelcell.com

Also Read : 8 stages everyone goes through when booking a holiday

And : My Top 5 tips for a European Summer Break