FlightCabs

Archive for June, 2010

We all like to bring back souvenirs from our vacations. when you go on holidays those little mementos can be a big help in bringing back those happy memories. however you need to be aware that you are not inadvertently encouraging the loss of an endangered species. Tourist souvenirs are placing a big strain on some species and all across the world customs officials at airports are looking out for people bringing back things they should not be. Some airports have specialist endangered species officers who are able to call on a range of specialists and technologies to investigate suspect items. It could mean that the bracelet or chess set you bought as a holiday keep sake could end up being confiscated and you being fined in the courts.
It’s not always easy to recognise what is legal or not legal to buy and bring back to your own country. There are now so many species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). there are 5,000 animals and over 28,000 species of plants that are banned from being traded internationally – and that includes you bringing in you holiday souvenirs.
That dried flower arrangement you have bought may suddenly get you into a lot of trouble when you turn up at the airport terminal. You may have bought a snakeskin belt but do you really know what species the snake is from – the border control officials will soon tell – there is on defence of ignorance when you come before a magistrate.
Travelling is a great experience and flights are so cheap that long distance travel is affordable for so many people know. If you love wildlife then fly off and visit those exotic countries and experience the diversity of life. But don’t bring it back with you. Take a camera and let you memories come from pictures and video not the deaths of endangered and vulnerable species because no-one wins when that happens.

The relentless growth of low cost airline Air AsiaX is to continue over the next few years. It is currently eying up an expansion of it’s European hubs to possible include Paris and Amsterdam. It’s operation out of London Stansted airport has already provided to be popular with it’s Kuala Lumpur flights. Started last year as a daily flight the schedule is about to increase to a 9 times a week operation with extra flights being undertaken on Tuesdays and Saturdays. As well as increasing the number of flights Air AsiaX has just introduces a premium service on the route which offers flatbed seating. Stansted Airport management seem to be very keen on this type of airline as it seeks additional business. The low cost long haul model would suit Stansted very well particularly as it can offer competitive landing fees when compared to Heathrow Airport.

The distance from London of Stansted Airport is not so important for people flying long haul. If flight prices are low enough then people will accept an additional 45 minute transfer time to central London when compared to Heathrow – it’s not quite as acceptable if your flight is only an hour long into Europe and you’re only saving a few pounds and scheduled flights. As low cost long haul operations go for growth will we see a reduction in airfares on national carrier services in much the same way that national carriers have dropped their European prices>

Air AsiaX has now reached a stage of expansion where the limiting factor is the number of aircraft it owns. as such it has now placed an order for an additional 15 A350′s which will almost triple the number of long-haul aircraft that it operates. Although the company has grown rapidly it has developed a relaxed management style and has a loyal and committed staff. It has also been very effective at community engagement which has developed a loyal customer base. Despite it’s low cost and rapid growth it has still won awards of service from it’s passengers.

Tony Fernandes, co founder of Air AsiaX, clearly believes in the value of informal leadership and encouraging his staff to reach their full potential. As Air AsiaX continues to grow in the midst of one of the worst times ever for airlines he will continue to be a popular speaker at leadership conferences.

We’ve now been able to extend our UK airport transfer service to cover Birmingham International Airport in the West Midlands. As a major regional airport in the UK it services the commercial and conference city of Birmingham.

As business travel is a big part of Birmingham Airport we are pleased to announce that in addition to being able to provide our standard taxi – the 6 seater Kia Sedona – we are also able to offer our executive airport car service. This means that our Jaguar XF service has now been extended beyond just Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport. This is an ideal service for corporate customers who are looking for an executive class service or leisure travelers who want a bit more luxury in their taxi.

As with our other airport transfer services we are happy to carry children and our standard airport car services offers a maximum of 3 child seats (cat 2 or 3) and the Jaguar service offers 1 child seat.

Birmingham has a range of international and domestic flights and by extending our taxi service to BIA we feel that it offers a customers a great range of choice. It also offers visitors to the UK a safe and reliable taxi service that they pay for in advance so they have no nasty unexpected bills when they get a taxi from the airport.

We are well into the holiday season now and just a few weeks away from the main school holidays. for a lot of people money is still tight but a holiday in the sun appears to be one of the few things that you’re not prepared to give up on. With a weak pound when compared to just a couple of years ago a lot of people are avoiding the euro zone and the more expensive counties. So what are the top holiday destinations for 2010? From talking to our clients here is where people are going on holiday this year.

• Turkey
  Just a short 4 hour flight away for most people and a country well served by the UK regional airports Turkey can offer some great value holidays. It has a rich culture that makes it a lively place to visit and some stunning beaches.
• Egypt
  Egypt is always a popular choice with people flying out of the UK. This year the Red Sea appears to be an especially popular area to go to. It does seem that scuba diving is having a bit of a growth in popularity as people look to do more than just lie on a beach.
• Florida
  Florida did have an early start in people visiting but we seem to be taking fewer visitors to the airport who plan on visiting  Florida. Maybe the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is now beginning to affect the number of tourists planning to visit this playground of America.
• Malaysia
  Malaysia seem to be benefiting from the turmoil that is currently happening in Thailand. Quite a number of tourist we have taken who had planned on going to Thailand made this there second choice option. Malaysia certainly offers the beaches, sunshine  and great value once you get there. It’s tourism services are not quite as well developed as Thailand but this could be a blessing in disguise
• Dubai
  Long haul city breaks seem to be particularly popular with those that can afford it. With airlines fighting for passengers and international cities trying to replace international business travelers with leisure travelers theres some good deals to be found. People are heading to this world shopping capital looking for and finding some real bargains.
• Bulgaria
  The Black Sea resorts of Bulgaria are still a favorite with British holidaymakers. Even with the weak pound a holiday in Bulgaria can be a real bargain. Bulgaria is well served by many regional airports and with flying time only 3.5 hours it’s a good option for those with children.
• Spain
  Britain’s favorite holiday in the sun location is still holding up well this year. It’s easy to get to and is a reliable and trusted place for many Britons.
• Hong Kong
  Hong Kong is our second city break location that seems to be very popular this year. Like Malaysia it could be benefiting from the unrest that has recently been seen in Thailand. However there’s not quite the bargains available on a city break that you can currently get in Dubai mainly because of the strength of the ‘tiger” economies.
• The Balearic Islands
  Always a popular choice but it seems that this year in particular it’s not as popular for those with children. Perhaps the reputation of the parties of Ibiza is making the Balearic Islands a place to avoid for traditional family holidays. Certainly most of the people we are taking to the airport that are heading in that direction tend to be young groups and stag or hen parties.
• The Canary Islands
  The Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa, are always a popular holiday location for Brits. This year we seem to be favoring Gran Canaria over the other islands.

This list of popular holiday destinations for 2010 is not based on any scientific basis. It is purely based on the top 10 locations that our leisure passengers are heading to. So remember that this survey is based purely on people using our airport transfer services and should not be seen as a representation  of all people heading overseas on holiday.

With just hours left to the UK emergency budget to tackle the deficit we’ll soon know the full details of changes to the airport departure tax. The plans are widely expected to see airport tax change from a per passenger type to a per flight type and this could have an impact on how airlines operate.

Some of the UK regions are preparing for the worse. Many regional airports will see a reduction in the number of flight using their airports as the cost of fares increase. This is of particular concern to those airports that service city-break and weekend away type flights. Edinburgh airport is one of those. If air fares have to increase to cover the cost of increased taxes because the aircraft is not operating at full capacity then tourists may opt to go to cities that the less costly to fly to. If that happens then it’s not just the lost airfares that the economy losses but also the jobs and sales that come with the overseas visitors.

Extra pressure could also be placed on Heathrow Airport as airlines move out of regionals airports and concentrate their flights in one place to ensure planes operate at full capacity. With the third runway at Heathrow now forgotten it means capacity has to increase in other ways either through larger aircraft or extended flying times. There is, of course, extra capacity still at Gatwick and plenty of extra capacity at Stansted if airlines want to concentrate their flights near London and the south east where the majority of the population lives. This will enable them to maximise their chance of operating full aircraft. however this will do little to encourage the movement of development and industry to the regions which is a stated aim of government.

Will regional airports such as Bristol Airport who have expansions plans in place need to reconsider tat investment if they loss 20% or 25% of their aircraft traffic because they do not run with viable passenger numbers.

We will not have long to wait to discover at what level a flight remains viable. Will the departure tax be based on 50% occupancy of flight or 75% or even set at 100% occupancy when compared with current per passenger airport departure tax rates.