With school holidays beginning and the good weather in full swing, July is set to be a busy month regarding all things travel. If you are due to travel over the next few weeks be sure to check back for any important updates that could affect your journey. Keep up to date with the latest July travel news and advice with our travel bulletin.
18th July
Airlines now diverting routes away from Ukraine
Airlines have taken action following the Malaysian Airlines incident that occurred on 17th July 2014. All major airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are now avoiding flying over Ukraine.
Read more about this issue on Travel Weekly.
16th July
New app released by Ryanair
UK airline Ryanair have released a new app which will enable mobile booking and check-in. The app is currently available in English, Spanish and French and can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android handsets.
The app will allow users to make flight bookings, select seats, add baggage, view live flight information and check in and download mobile boarding passes.
Plans for Heathrow City have been released
‘Heathrow city’ designs have been unveiled by architects which will replace the airport if it moves to Thames Estuary. The designs feature plans for a 190,000 new homes, parkland, a technology centre and a retail centre, have been backed by London Mayor Boris Johnson in light of his arguments for a Thames Estuary Airport. The government’s Airports Commission will decide in 2015 whether an estuary airport is feasible.
Night flights plans for UK on hold
Plans to double night flights at Heathrow from next year have been put on hold by the government. Transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, announced yesterday that existing restrictions on night flights at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted would be maintained until October 2017.
The decision to double night flights was a proposal made in the Airport Commission’s interim report in December. McLoughlin has also postponed plans to create an independent aircraft noise regulator and allowing both runways at Heathrow to be used simultaneously for arrivals to reduce delays, both of which were recommended in the commission’s interim report.
15th July
Airport staff shortages cause delays
Due to airport staff shortages passengers are being warned to expect long delays at baggage reclaim. Last weekend issues at Swissport, a baggage handling company at Gatwick airport, left passengers waiting 90 minutes to collect their luggage.
Gatwick have confirmed they are in discussions with Swissport to improve their services and take on more staff to prevent further problems.
Swissport is contracted to handle luggage for a number of airlines at Gatwick including British Airways, Monarch, Thomson and Thomas Cook. The company also handles baggage at other UK airports such as Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Edinburgh.
For more information read here.
9th July
Strikes set to disrupt UK border control
UK Border Force Staff are due to embark on a day of action tomorrow (10/07/2014). This is likely to affect the time it takes passengers to cross the UK border at all UK airports.
UK airline Easyjet has warned of possible disruption from 6pm this evening until midday on Friday and encourages their passengers to plan their journeys accordingly.
Passengers whose passports qualify for the ePassport gates are encouraged to do so wherever possible to reduce queues. For more information on using the ePassport gates please see here.
8th July
New visa requirements for Turkey from 2015
In April, Turkey launched a new e-Visa system whereby foreign visitors must obtain a visa online before travelling rather than purchasing one on arrival. In accordance with this, new passport restrictions are also due to be put into effect as of January 1st 2015. Visitors must now hold a passport which is valid for at least 60 days from the date of expiry of their visitor visa.
For more information on the new e-Visa guidelines visit the Turkish Consulate Website.
7th July
Airport security across the UK tightened
Airport security has recently been tightened across the UK.
As part of the increased security measures, airports have been asked to intensify their screening of electronic devices. Passengers may be asked to switch on devices. If that equipment that fails to power up, it will not be allowed on board. Therefore, if you are travelling with mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or games consoles please ensure they are fully charged to avoid having your devices confiscated.
