Pink Flamingo Travel

05/12/2024

Cruise passengers will be charged from €5 to €20 to visit the Greek islands from 2025.

The Greek Parliament has approved a Bill that will also increase the daily tax on holiday lets from €1.5 to €8 from April to October and from €0.5 to €2 during the winter. The tax on hotel accommodation will increase up to €15 in the summer, depending on the hotel rating.

Greece is hoping the taxes will raise an additional €400m a year, double the amount it raised in 2023.

Cruise ship passengers calling at Santorini and Mykonos will be charged €20 a day, while passengers will pay €5 a day to visit other Greek islands, including Corfu, Crete and Rhodes.

Greece expects to have hosted more than eight million cruise passengers this year, 20% more than last year.

Officials first proposed the introduction of a cruise tax in June, after reports that up to eight ships a day were calling at Mykonos, disgorging 20,000 passengers onto the island that has a population of just 12,000 and limited tourism resources. Santorini was visited by almost 17,000 on some days this summer, outnumbering the 15,500 residents.

At the time the passenger tax was first mooted, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis indicated it would be slapped first on Santorini - the most overcrowded of the islands - followed by Mykonos.

There was also a suggestion earlier this year that there would be a cap on the number of cruise ships visiting Mykonos and Santorini, but this is not included in the Bill.

Mexico is also planning to introduce a tax on cruise passengers, charging $42 per person from 2026.

Greece confirms tourist tax hike, cruise passengers to pay up to €20

28/11/2024

https://www.travelgossip.co.uk/news-details/8725?utm_source=Travel+Gossip+News&utm_campaign=e2dfb4f2f5-Thu-2811&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cb3d45affe-e2dfb4f2f5-421524715

Spain to press ahead with ‘Big Brother’ security checks on tourists from Monday

28/10/2024

✈️TRAVEL ALERT✈️

Bus, coach and taxi drivers are taking part in a nationwide strike in Spain today, causing Jet2 to issue a warning to passengers. The strike is one of six

28/10/2024

✈️TRAVEL ALERT✈️

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for 20 countries due to an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The warnings were issued on 26

02/07/2024

Thought I’d pass this on for anyone travelling soon

27/06/2024

Please give my friends business a like and a follow.

Charming Thoughts Boutique is a small business (Est. 2007) ran by Michelle and her small team in Blyth, Northumberland. Predominately a women's clothing store for all styles and fashion trends, but you can also purchase gifts, fascinators, etc.

01/06/2024

Whoohoooo…..

25/03/2024

Typical….

A threatened strike by airport workers in Valencia and a ‘work-to-rule’ by security staff at Palma airport are likely to disrupt British holidaymakers over Easter.

TUI has warned passengers travelling from Majorca this week that they will need to leave additional time for security checks due to ‘unannounced strikes’ by private security screening company, Trablisa.

Last weekend, there were reports of passengers fainting at Palma airport while they waited for up to an hour to get through security checks.

News outlets have claimed the action by security staff is due to last until Sunday, 31 March, although both Trablisa and the airport operator have denied staff are striking.

Instead, it is believed they are ‘working-to-rule’, which means they are taking longer to carry out checks on each passenger, potentially causing further long queues, especially over the busy Easter weekend.

Jet2 had warned last week that maintenance work at Palma airport might mean that it would take ‘slightly’ longer than usual for both arriving and departing passengers to clear immigration.

In Valencia, airport workers are planning two-hour daily walkouts from 11am from 28 March to 1 April.

Passengers likely to be affected include those arriving on British Airways and easyJet flights from London, which are due to land at Valencia during the strikes.

21/03/2024

Birmingham looks set to be the first major UK airport to allow passengers to carry more than 100ml off liquid in their hand-luggage after installing new 3D security scanners.

The airport is the only major gateway in the UK to confirm it is on track to roll out the new scanners for all passengers by the Government’s deadline of 1 June.

While other major airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow have already swapped some of their old scanners for the new technology, Birmingham is the only one so far to guarantee 3D scanners will be used for all passengers from June.

It will mean that passengers flying from the airport won’t need to remove large electronic gadgets like laptops and tablets from their hand luggage, and they’ll be able to carry liquids in bottles of up to two litres.

Birmingham Airport CEO Nick Barton said: “Birmingham Airport has invested £60m in a new security hall and scanning equipment. From the 1 June our customers will start to see the benefits of the new security systems as we roll them out which will result in a speedier, simpler pre-flight security screening process for our customers.”

London City Airport and Teesside Airport were the first UK airports to fully install the new scanners and scrap the 100ml rules, but they are much smaller than Birmingham, which handled more than 11m passengers last year. London City saw 3.4m travellers pass through in 2023, while Teesside’s figures sat close to 200,000.

EasyJet this week launched its first flights from Birmingham, from where it is operating to 16 destinations, nine of which will be served year-round.

Heathrow – which has 146 security lanes – said it is investing more than £1bn in new scanners but is yet to give a date for completion.

Gatwick said it has made ‘significant progress’ in installing 3D scanners in both terminals, and plans to have its rollout completed by the first quarter of 2025.

London Luton Airport told us that it is ‘continuing to work towards the June deadline’ but didn’t confirm it will have all the scanners in place by then.

Likewise, Manchester, East Midlands and Stansted airports are currently rolling out the new technology and expect the full programme to be completed by 2025, but they’ve given no set date.

Edinburgh Airport also confirmed it will have a number of new scanners in place by June, with the remainder by the end of the year. Glasgow Airport said it is working on the changes, but did not give specific completion dates.

Birmingham is reminding passengers that until 1 June they must comply with existing hand luggage rules, and even after that date, they should check the latest hand luggage rules for all airports on their itinerary when packing for a trip.

In Europe, it is a similar picture to the UK with airports gradually adding technology with trial lanes in place in many destinations. As far as popular tourist spots go, Majorca’s Palma Airport is expected to be ready by the end of 2024 and Malaga in 2025.

02/03/2024

TUI is increasing the allowance for checked-in luggage by 5kg.

Checked-in baggage allowance for passengers who booked on or after 21 December 2023 for travel from 1 May this year will increase from 15kg to 20kg for most packages on TUI Airways flights.

This includes Marella Cruises and Marella Cruise and Stay holidays.

Customers booking TUI BLUE, Sensatori by TUI BLUE, Holiday Village, A La Carte or a TUI River Cruises packages with TUI Airways flights will get 25kg of luggage allowance per person.

TUI has just conducted research that showed one in three customers (29%) claim say they get stressed out when trying to squash everything in their bag and 18% worry when waiting to find out if their bag is the right weight.

The research reveals 22% of Brits take their own pillow on holiday; 34% take their slippers, 38% take their own tea bags or coffee, 11% pack a kettle, 10% take a childhood teddy and 7% take a picture of their pet.

Commercial Director Phillip Iveson said: “This research shows just how much Brits love to take home comforts on holiday with them.

“That’s why we’ve decided to increase our luggage allowance for TUI Airways to 20kg as standard, and add an extra 5kg for guests staying at TUI BLUE, Holiday Village and A La Carte hotels.

“With all that extra weight to play around with guests will have plenty of room to take along photos of their pets, a hearty number of teabags, and even a loaf or two of sliced bread.”

27/02/2024

National fraud and cyber crime reporting agency Action Fraud has launched a campaign warning people to do their research before booking trips online as new data shows holidaymakers lost £12.3 million last year.

Action Fraud said 6,640 holidaymakers reported they were ripped off last year, with an average loss of £1,851 per person.

The highest number of reported scams was in July and August, at 804 and 781 respectively.

Head of Action Fraud Pauline Smith said: “As people think ahead to book their holidays, understandably everyone is increasingly on the lookout for the best deals. With the cost-of-living crisis squeezing our finances, it’s easy to forget to stay vigilant against fraudsters offering cheaper deals and great prices that are too good to be true.”

Advice from Action Fraud includes checking for ABTA and ATOL logos before booking. ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer said: “Fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers, with a particular focus on destinations and times of year when demand is high and availability limited, as they know people will be looking for good deals.

“Victims will often only find out they have been defrauded just before they are due to travel, or even in resort, when it can be very difficult to find a legitimate replacement leading to yet more cost and potential disappointment.

“One of the simplest ways to protect yourself when booking is to look for a company that is a member of ABTA when booking your holiday.”

Anna Bowles, Head of Consumers and Enforcement at the CAA added: “Some protective measures include visiting the atol.org website to check your package trip is financially protected by ATOL, pay by credit card if you can, and take out travel insurance as soon as you book. By Linsey McNeill (Travel Gossip)
25/02/2024

22/02/2024

FOR ANYONE HEADING TO PARIS

One of Paris’s main tourist attractions, the Eiffel Tower, has been forced to temporarily close due to a strike by up to 200 employees.

The monument, which is normally open 365 days of the year, shut on Monday and it is not known when it will reopen.

A notice on the official Eiffel Tower website reads: “Due to a renewable strike notice, the opening of the Eiffel Tower could be disrupted on February 21.”

Visitors are advised to check the website before travelling.

Unions claim the Paris City Hall, which owns 99% of the tower’s operating company, is underestimating the cost of maintenance and repairs.

They say this could result in poor maintenance and put visitors at risk.

The Eiffel Tower is visited by around 6m people a year.

08/02/2024

Stay safe guys….

Jet2 is warning customers that flights could be disrupted today as the UK is hit by snow, heavy rain and high winds.

The Met Office has issued several weather warnings, including an amber warning of snow and ice in the Midlands, part of the north and Wales.

Elsewhere, there are yellow warnings for snow and ice, while in the south of England the Met Office is warning of heavy rain.

In an online statement issued last night, Jet2 said: “If you are travelling with Jet2.com we plan to operate our flights as close to schedule as possible, however, there may be some disruption should the weather deteriorate.

“We advise all customers to allow extra time to get to the airport if you are travelling from an affected area and check in as scheduled (our check in desks close 40 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time).

“Our friendly Red Teams in the terminal will keep you up to date.”

It went on to say that affected customers will be contacted direct via SMS and email, while regular updates will be posted on Jet2.com.

“We will, where possible, board all flights for an on-time departure, however, please be prepared for a longer than normal wait either in the terminal or onboard the aircraft to depart,” it add

01/02/2024

EasyJet holidays is offering free holiday places for grandparents in what it calls a ‘unique twist’ on the traditional free kids’ places offers by package providers.

The operator’s ‘Grans Go Free’ offer allows one grandparent to go free on a family booking that includes at least one child.

The offer is available on family bookings to several European destinations including Spain, Greece and Italy. EasyJet holidays launched the offer after research conducted on its behalf revealed 51% of families have never holidayed with their grandparents abroad.

The offer has been launched during the final week of the easyJet holidays Big Orange Sale, which runs until Monday and has been launched to encourage the nation to take a ‘3G’ holiday – the term for getaways with three generations or more.

In the poll of 2,000 British adults, 56% said they regret not spending more time with grandparents and 54% said they hope to bring them on upcoming holidays. Furthermore, 59% of those surveyed say they want to spend more time with the older generations in their family, with 57% expressing a desire to make memories with grandparents on a holiday.

EasyJet holidays Chief Operating Officer Matt Callaghan said: “We’re proud to offer thousands of free kids places, but we feel it’s time to recognise the grandparents. This research shows how important grandparent and grandchild relationships are and how much can be learned from making time for them.

“We’ve launched our ‘Grans Go Free’ offer to tighten these important family relationships and allow travellers to get even better value, in addition to our Big Orange Sale.

“More families are choosing to holiday with grandparents, recognising the joy of a getaway is amplified when shared across generations. They are able to create new family memories which each generation will cherish – and for some of the parents, they might even have a free babysitter on hand too.”

The most popular destinations for a multi-generational holiday abroad are Spain (18%), Italy (13%) and France (13%). However, 54% say they would likely let their grandparents pick the destination if they were planning a trip together.

Despite the fact that 45% of those surveyed said the grandparents in the family are the bigger earners, only 35% would expect a grandparent to contribute financially to the overseas holiday.

Free grandparent places go on sale at 12 noon today (Thursday 1 February).

01/02/2024

The Government of the Canary Islands is warning of an ‘extreme’ calima that will affect the whole of the archipelago from today.

The calima is a thick cloud or haze caused by dust blown over from the Sahara.

People are being urged to keep doors and windows closed and those with chronic or respiratory diseases are advised to stay inside.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has forecast the calima will persist ‘for a few days’, but the weather is expected to clear by the weekend.

Until then, visitors are being advised to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous exercise and take extra care driving due to reduced visibility.