Archive for May, 2007

Turkish Airlines increases codeshare use

Friday, May 11th, 2007

Turkish Airlines has increased its codeshare use, improving the number of flights between northern Europe and Turkey. In a deal with Lufthansa, customers traveling to their property in Turkey will be able to avail frequent flights from Munich to Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. An added bonus for the frequent fliers is the air miles that they can collect from both Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.

The Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa deal could lead to more codesharing deals between Turkish Airlines and US flights to Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Washington and Charlotte.

Posted in Airlines | No Comments »

British Airways garners praise

Friday, May 11th, 2007

British Airways landed two accolades at the recent Business Traveler Middle East (BTME) awards. The airlines will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of it services to the Middle East in this year. Reader surveys in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt gave British Airways the top spot in the Best First Class and the Best European Airline categories.

“It’s fantastic to be recognised by the people who really matter – the businessmen and women who rely on airlines, hotels and car hire companies in their everyday working lives,” said Claire Guppy, British Airways’ Corporate Sales Manager, Middle East, who collected the awards for the airline.

Posted in Airlines | No Comments »

European tourists give US the wide berth

Friday, May 11th, 2007

Traveling to the US is being seen as a hassle by a large number of tourists from Europe and the US is steadily losing European tourists to other destinations. Issues regarding visa, fingerprinting, and a daunting immigration procedure have led to a record fall in tourists from across the pond into the US.

“There’s a perception out there that it’s tough to get into the United States at the moment. So people tend to look at what are the other options. There are plenty of attractive destinations around the world,” said Geoffrey Lipman, assistant secretary general of the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization, based in Madrid, Spain.

Posted in Security, Tourism | No Comments »

50th anniversary of Frommer’s landmark travel guide

Saturday, May 5th, 2007

“Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The book which came out in 1957 became an immediate bestseller is still used by the average American as a guide for leisure travel in Europe. The original by Arthur Frommer is due to bow out this year after selling millions of copies. The Frommer brand is being carried forward by Pauline Frommer.

Arthur Frommer’s book caught the imagination of the Americans who were struck by the thought of doing Europe on five dollars a day. Back then, travel to Europe was a consideration only for the wealthy. Factors that led to the success of Frommer’s book included the affluence in the American society post WW2 and the growth of air travel.

Posted in General, Tourism | No Comments »

Europe in autumn

Saturday, May 5th, 2007

Abercrombie and Kent is offering its patrons a chance to visit and experience the beauty of Europe in autumn. The 2006/07 World of Excellence brochure gives tourists an idea of what they can expect when visiting the more than 50 properties in the regions of Italy and France. The brochure serves as a guided tour of the historical places in the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

The Baltic region is quickly developing as a favored tourist destination with many sites offering grand old castles for viewing, country manors and cathedrals. A tour in autumn also means the chance to absorb the beauties of the season at lower costs as compared to travel in summer. 

Posted in Tourism | No Comments »

Stretch your dollar in Europe

Saturday, May 5th, 2007

Even though the majority of travelers from the US to Europe are keen to spend, the fact that the dollar these days is worth around 50 cents in Great Britain is a bit of a dampener. There are always a few things that tourists can do to get maximum mileage out of their hard-earned money. For example, you should give a wide berth to the currency exchange companies found near airports, hotels, and tourist spots.

These businesses are not only not up-to-date with the latest exchange rates, they also charge a fee for offering you local currency; a better alternative is to convert from American banks if you are using their credit cards or ATM cards.

Posted in General | No Comments »