Hi (members name), Don here your Travellers Club secratary
How are your travel and holiday plans going? When the weather shines here you wonder why we look for overseas sun. Is a mild winter a sign of a good summer? If you recall, we had one of the warmest Aprils' on record last year, everyone thinking that summer would be arriving early and then we experienced one of the wettest, dullest summers ever. One thing about the UK weather, it's varied and unpredictable.
There are plenty of holiday bargains both here and abroad. Many of these involve making your own travel arrangements. If you're looking for cheap airfares you'll find some important information in this latest newsletter and a few things to make you smile
By way of a change, in this newsletter we give you some ‘allegedly’ true answers to quiz questions that happened on popular TV or radio programmes. They just have to be true, you couldn’t make them up - and Henry the Eighth is the office favourite.
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BEG, BORROW OR STEAL (BBC2)
> Jamie Theakston: Where do you think Cambridge University is?
> Contestant: Geography isn't my strong point.
> Theakston: There's a clue in the title.
> Contestant: Leicester . |
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Airports are preparing to allow passengers to carry more than one piece of hand luggage on to planes and so far, 21 airports are permitting two items of luggage to be taken on board flights, including Heathrow and Manchester. But, it really depends on what the carrier will permit. Some airlines, particularly the budget airlines, such as easyJet, Ryanair and Flybe, are operating their own arrangements, claiming that the one-bag rule reduces turnaround times for their aircrafts. This had led airlines to decide their own weight and size restrictions on hand luggage, causing much confusion among travellers. For airlines with no weight restrictions, the rule applies that passengers must be able to lift hand luggage items above their head, unaided and or be within certain size limits. |
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It would seem, however, that the charges enforced for extra luggage prove to be very profitable for many, with easyJet charging as much as £8. This charge has been reported to have increased the airline’s revenue to £29 million between October and December 2007 alone. Other restrictions on hand luggage also remain in place, with passengers only permitted to take bags measuring 56cm x 45 cam x 25 cm on board aircraft. |
Because conditions and rules vary so widely we strongly recommend that passengers are advised to contact the airport they are using or their airline should they have any questions on their travel arrangements or security in place at airports. |
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GWR FM ( Bristol )
> Presenter: What happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963?
> Contestant: I don't know, I wasn't watching it then. |
Ryanair’s website claims to "guarantee" the lowest fares for its passengers, as low as"1p", in fact, but its taxes and charges are often much higher than those of rivals budget airlines. Consumer magazine, Holiday Which? claimed that Ryanair was the worst offender among airlines when it came to misleading passengers with hidden charges. Having finally bowed to pressure from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) such advertisements for these ‘cheap’ air fares must from now on include all taxes, fees and charges in its headline prices. The OFT had threatened legal action against any airline that advertised fares that bore little relation to the final price. |
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Ryanair's website was closed between February 22 and February 25, and on re-opening its fares include all taxes and charges. But, not to be outdone, they also offered 1 million flights for just 1p including all charges to celebrate the relaunch of their site. |
But once this ‘giveaway’ (which must have cost Ryanair millions) is over they will find it harder to claim that it always has the cheapest tickets. Initially when comparing the fares of Ryanair and easyJet for flights to a variety of cities Ryanair's initial fare appears to be cheaper on every occasion. But once taxes and charges are included, then the reverse could apply. (For example, Ryanair's fare from Stansted to Alicante costs £79.98 return, compared with easyJet's inclusive fare of £99.98. Once Ryanair's taxes and charges are included (£39.18 compared with easyJet's £22), its fare rises to £119.16 - £20 more than easyJet's). |
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But in our experience, prices offered by budget airlines can change (up and down) frequently, depending on demand – so check round before booking. And, be warned, there can be other hidden ‘extras’ to watch out for. Those planning a golfing holiday may find it cheaper to go with BA, as Ryanair charges up to £60 per return flight to carry a set of clubs, and simply checking in a bag can cost up to £30 return. |
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PHIL WOOD SHOW (BBC RADIO MANCHESTER )
> Phil: What's 11 squared?
> Contestant: I don't know.
> Phil: I'll give you a clue. It's two ones with a two in the middle.
> Contestant: Is it five? |
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Cunard's QE2 and new ship Queen Victoria have met in Sydney Harbour.
February 26th 2008 marks the final call at Sydney for QE2 - 30 years to the day of its first call there in 1978 - prior to it leaving service in November 2008, and Queen Victoria's first call at the Australian port. |
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RICHARD AND JUDY
> Leslie: On which street did Sherlock Holmes live?
> Contestant: Er...
> Leslie: He makes bread...
> Contestant: Er...
> Leslie: He makes cakes...
> Contestant: Kipling Street ? |
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You may recently have seen or read about the success of Virgin Atlantic completing a test flight using biofuel composed of babassu oil and coconut oil. The Boeing 747-400 flew from Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
The aircraft reached an altitude of 25,000 ft - which was the planned highest altitude it would reach using the renewable fuel. The oils used can both be found in everyday cosmetic products, such as lip balm and shaving cream, and do not compete with staple food sources, according to the airline.
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And this looked like an airline trying to do something positive for the green issues of air travel – but they still got criticism. Although, the biofuel was made from babassu nuts and coconuts and were harvested from existing, mature plantations, ‘friends of the earth’ still complained that more CO2 would be emited into the atmosphere in producing biofuel than using existing oil source – seems like you just can’t win. |
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JAMES O'BRIEN SHOW (LBC)
> O'Brien: How many kings of England have been called Henry?
> Contestant: Er, well, I know there was a Henry the Eighth ... ER?ER ...
> Three? |
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The web domain name www.cruises.co.uk has been purchased by cruise community website www.cruise.co.uk for $1 million. The company claims the price has set a new British record. Previously, the highest price paid for a 'co.uk' domain name was when venture capital firm ASAP Ventures acquired the domain recycle.co.uk for £150,000.
Cruise.co.uk, which launched in the UK earlier this year, said www.cruises.co.uk has become its new site for online social networking. Its original domain, cruise.co.uk, is now more focussed on cruise deals. |
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The top five highest prices for .co.uk domain names are:
* cruises.co.uk, £560,000 – purchased January 2008, by www.cruise.co.uk
* recycle.co.uk, £150,000 – purchased October 2007
* ink.co.uk, £130,425 – purchased 2007
* mobile.co.uk, £120,000 – purchased 2007
* taste.co.uk, £110,000 – purchased 1997 |
World's most expensive domain names are:
* sex.com, $12 million – purchased 2005
* porn.com, $9.5 million – purchased 2007
* business.com, $7.5 million – purchased 1999
* diamond.com, $7.5 million – purchased 2006
* beer.com, $7 million – purchased 1999 |
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DARYL DENHAM'S DRIVETIME (VIRGIN RADIO)
> Daryl Denham: In which country would you spend shekels?
> Contestant: Holland ?
> Denham: Try the next letter of the alphabet.
> Contestant: Iceland ? Ireland ?
> Denham (helpfully): It's a bad line. Did you say Israel ?
> Contestant: No. |
Happy Holidays.
Don, Travellers Club secretary. |
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