Following the eruption of a volcano in Iceland yesterday, an ash plume has entered UK and Scandinavian air space overnight. As a result NATS (Air Traffic Control Service) have closed parts of UK air space and this is causing significant disruption to all airlines due to operate flights to/from the UK today EasyJet spokeswoman.

It has been confirmed that no flights will be operating from Scottish airports this morning and services across the UK are facing delays and cancellations, flights from Manchester, Liverpool, Luton, Stansted, Newcastle, Birmingham, Belfast and Gatwick are amongst those affected. So far 150 flights have been cancelled from Heathrow and 138 from Gatwick. BA has also confirmed no flights will depart from Heathrow, Gatwick or London City airports after 11.30am today, while all domestic flights have also been cancelled.

These steps have been taken as a preventative measure because aircraft engines are particularly sensitive to volcanic ash.

If you have got travel booked be sure to check with your departing airport, airline or tour operator before you leave for the airport for any disruption information.

Weve included some links below that you might find useful;

British Airways Heathrow Airport Gatwick Airport EasyJet

The UK Daily Mail has revealed that Ryanair’s ‘a pound a pee’ is no April fools joke. All on board toilets are to become coin operated forcing passengers to pay £1 or one Euro. As a result the Irish airline hope to cut down on the number of toilets, there will only be one on planes carrying 189 passengers. Ryanair stated “this will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least 6 extra seats”.

They are also planning to increase their luggage check-in charge from £15 to £20 during July and August as an incentive to encourage passengers to travel light this summer.

So how will this affect your travel plans? Please do leave a comment and start the discussion; we look forward to hearing from you.

Facebook Competition

Don’t miss out on the latest Travellers Club competition! Be in for a chance to win this (picture to the right) great four piece Antler luggage set, including large and medium roller cases, a roller holdall and a tote bag. For further details on the competition click here . It couldn’t be any easier to enter; all you need to do is join our Facebook page. The winner will be announced on Facebook just in time for your summer holidays on June the 1st. Visit our Facebook page for your chance to win! Good luck to you all.

Hidden among the small print of the sweeteners handed out in a Budget from a Government in full election mode is the fact that a family of four travelling on a flight of more than 6,000 miles (to Malaysia, Indonesia, Australasia) will pay £340 in APD from November onwards – up from £80 in 2006.

For flights of more than 4,000 miles (Caribbean, India, South Africa) APD is up from £80 to £300, of 2,000 miles or more (Egypt, Dubai, United States) from £80 to £240 and of anything less from £20 to £48. If a family of four wants a little more leg room on a long-haul flight and opts for premium economy, the fee rises to £680 – compared with £160 in 2006.

(from today’s online Telegraph)

The government claim that ‘it’s a green tax’ – yeah, as if – it raises over £2 billion in revenue. Private planes are exempt – where’s the green issue then, here?

Get in touch and share your comments with us and your fellow Travellers Club members.

All this talk of the sensitive issue of “Fat Tax” has arisen after the on/off claims that Air France are planning to impose a mandatory two seat requirement. With the latest news from the airline being that they promise to reimburse obese passengers it asks to buy a second seat if the plane isn’t full and the cost of the 2nd seat will be at a 25% discount.

A poll carried out by Skyscanner has revealed that more than ¾’s of participants were in favour of an airline “Fat Tax”, it is not being considered to cause offense but to enhance comfort and safety.

For a long time Air France has offered obese passengers the option of buying an adjoining seat at a discount, come April it will be at the Captain’s discretion to stop obese passengers from boarding a flight if they do not have a 2nd seat reserved.

The two seat requirement has so far been met with great approval, with only 22% concerned with the extra cost. Barry Smith, co-founder of Skyscanner, stated; ‘on one hand it is not unreasonable for airlines to charge passengers extra if they occupy more than one seat, on the other, many would argue that it should be the responsibility of airlines to adjust their standard seat size, enabling them to comfortably accommodate all passengers’.

We’d love to know what you think; is it up to the Airline or the individual to ensure they can sit comfortably on their flight?

The London hotel chain, Holiday Inn will have employees dressed in special all-in-one sleeper suits available to guests for 5 minute free bed warming sessions before they get into bed, the trials are taking pace in London and Manchester in January.

Spokeswoman for the Holiday Inn states it’ll be “like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed”. The director of Edinburgh Sleep Centre, Dr Chris Idzikowski, has said that the idea could help people get off to sleep as there is scientific evidence to show a cold bed inhibits sleep.

Does this sound like a good idea to you or would you rather stick to the more traditional approach and boil the kettle for your hot water bottle?

Turkey used to be seen as a value destination but the Post Office Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer shows a rise of almost 44% on meals, drinks and other holiday items. This means that Turkey has now dropped 14 places in a table of 30 worldwide destinations to position 22, whereas Spain moved to the 4th cheapest destination with a price drop of 30% on the same items surveyed a year ago, clearly showing Turkey has become much more expensive.

Hungary has come out on top as the cheapest destination for the second year running, with Thailand being the cheapest long haul destination. Overall, things are looking up for holiday makers with tourist costs being down in 17 of the 25 destinations previously surveyed, with the biggest drops being in Bulgaria, Mexico, Mauritius and Barbados.

So with Turkey now being 68% more expensive than Spain and the improved exchange rate it seems the Eurozone could be making its come back this year.

• Those already abroad on an ATOL protected package holiday will be booked on to new flights by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) so they can get home. Arrangements are being made for overseas representatives to provide the necessary information to Globespan customers.
• If you paid by debit or credit card you are advised to contact your card company direct.
• If you have travel insurance, double check your policy to see if covers airline insolvency.

Planning a day out? Why not check out this offer from our sister site Vino Club.

2 for 1 meals at pubs and restaurants including Chef and Brewer

Deciding on where to eat this evening? Well look no further! On behalf of Punch Taverns, Vino Club are giving away these 4 fantastic money saving pub and restaurant vouchers FREE to all. For great food and atmosphere at affordable prices they're hard to beat.

All you need to do is click here and sign up to receive one of their fanatstic vouchers. That's it, nice and easy!

Enjoy these great deals on behalf of the Vino Club Team!

Budget flights online check-in, a convenience or just a con?

Our major budget airlines repeatedly tell us that they are continually reducing their cost base in order to bring us low fares, which is fair enough - no frills carriers for bargain prices.  Now, when making a booking with an airline, you can usually check-in online or at the airport.  What we don't quite understand is why you have to pay irrespective of which option you choose You can't board without checking in, so why charge for both options?  For example, Ryanair charge a whopping £80 return for airport check-in - airport check-in is an expense, so they want to reduce this cost by incentivising us to check-in online. Or, rather not penalising us as much for checking in online. That costs £10 for return check-in online with Ryanair. So, you still have to pay to check-in, just not as much.  Why don't they simply add £10 to the price of every ticket sold and charge an additional £70 for check-in at the airport? Tell us what you think.

It has just been revealed that on board the world's largest cruise ship, the 'Oasis of the Seas' not only will you be able to see broadway blockbusters including 'Hairspray' and the aerobatic show 'Come Fly With Me' but you can pre-book your shows and entertainment up to 3 months in advance. Other venues offering pre-bookable seats include the ice-skating rink, the adult comedy club and the ampitheatre-style AquaTheater featuring dive shows.

What doesn't this ship have? If we've got you intrigued and maybe you'd like to try out a cruise holiday then check out our full article The Oasis of the Seas, but don't forget to book your seats in advance to avoid disappointment.

Does the prospect of no longer putting up with lost baggage, long queues, invasive security checks and heavy luggage appeal to you? The idea of ‘Zero Baggage’ has been raised at the Tourism Futures conference on the Gold Coast, Australia. Travellers will have the opportunity to rent their holiday wardrobes freeing up the need for packing.

Before leaving on holiday travellers would log onto the Zero Baggage website and pack online by picking and choosing clothes to fill their virtual suitcase. When arriving at their destination accommodation their items would be waiting for them. The rental prices are to be just a fraction of what they’d cost new. At the end of the holiday the clothes would be cleaned and re-used for the next customer.

They’re hoping it will mostly appeal to business travellers who could keep a Zero Baggage locker at the hotels they regularly frequent for work. But the scheme has also attracted support from the young and retired who will be taking part in a pilot project in Toronto, Canada from November 2010.

Does this sound like something you and your heavy bag would be interested in? Let us know what you think; we’d love to hear from you.

The Great Barrier Reef Caretaker needs some mates!

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to help Hamilton Island caretaker Ben Southall reach his target of exploring 600 islands and 300 coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef.

Tourism Queensland has launched a global search for 4 mates to join Ben as they don’t think 6 months will be long enough for him to do it alone. The friend’s will be required to share their experiences with Ben via photos, videos and the guest blog.

So if you want a chance to take part in an experience that money can’t buy, you will be able to apply online at www.islandreefjob.com. It’s open to anyone around the world, so why not give it a shot, good luck!

You may have read our article in our ‘In the News’ section about the concept and expected launch of the world’s largest cruise ship at the end of this year. Well we’ve got an exciting update; The Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas has undergone its first week of sea trials. They took place near the Finnish shipyard where the vessel is being constructed.

This $1.4 billion, 1187ft long cruise ship will overshadow all other cruise ships in the Caribbean with its 16 passenger decks and 2706 cabins.

It has already been afloat for 6 months but this is the first chance they’ve had to test all its systems in a fully operational environment.

Passengers will even have the option to have hot air balloon – style rides in a gondola beneath an aerostat tethered to the back of the ship.

For more information see our full article The Oasis of the Seas.

34 year-old, Ben Southall, from Hampshire in South West London has been announced as the official ‘caretaker’ of the Great Barrier Reef. The once Project Manager, Charity Fundraiser and one-time African Tour Guide managed to convince Tourism Queensland he was the one for the job.

Ben stated, ‘To go away as the island caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour. I hope I can sell the reef as well as everyone is expecting. My swimming is hopefully up to the standard’.

We bet he can’t wait to start the ‘perfect job’ on the 1st of July this year.

We’re one step away from a full global epidemic being announced as the UN’s World Health Organisation has raised the swine flu alert to level 5, this means that swine flu has been passed on from human to human in at least 2 countries. The first death from the flu virus outside of Mexico, a 23 month old Mexican child in Texas and the first case of swine flu in someone who has not travelled to Mexico has been reported. New cases have been revealed in Switzerland, Costa Rica and Peru, whilst tests are being carried out on 23 people in Scotland.

What steps are being taken?

Director General of WHO has asked for countries to activate pandemic plans with increased urgency, including heightened surveillance and infection control measures.

Thermal scanners are being introduced; 8 of Australia’s international airports are using them. If a passenger has a raised temperature a clinical assessment will be carried out.

Flights are being cancelled:

Thomson and First Choice – cancelled until the 8th May.

Thomas Cook – cancelled for 7 days.

Monarch – up to and including the 8th May

Kuoni – suspended holidays to Mexico but normal booking conditions apply to all departures from May the 4th onwards.

BA – continuing to fly to Mexico and are letting the customer decide whether or not their trip is essential.

We are being reassured however, that we are currently ‘better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history’. We will do our best to keep you up to date with all the latest updates and travel news

The outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has claimed 149 lives (at time of blog entry) and now cases have been confirmed in the US, Canada, Spain and Scotland. However, so far the cases outside Mexico have not been fatal.

You may be wondering how this will affect you and your travel. The Foreign Office is urging travellers to postpone non-essential trips to Mexico. If you are returning from the infected area, monitor your health closely for 7 days on your return home, if you do develop any flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue, within the week contact your GP of NHS Direct on 0845 4647 and explain your symptoms and details of travel.

For more information see out full article on our Travellers Club site.

Over 100,000 passengers voted in Ryanair’s online poll and we can reveal that 30,000 passengers voted in favour of very large passengers being charged excess weight fees… ‘Fat Tax’.

 The poll results are as follows:

• 29% - excess fee for overweight passengers.
• 25% - €1.00 for toilet paper with O’Leary’s face on it.
• 24% - to allow smoking in a converted toilet cubicle.
• 14% - Annual subscription fee to access ryanair.com
• 8% - €2.00 ‘corkage’ fee for passengers who bring their own food on board.

Ryanair now want you to vote again, this time on how the charge will be measured.

Should it be?

• A charge per kg over 130kg/20 stone for men and 100kg/15 stone for women.
• A charge per inch for every waist over 45 inches for men and 40 inches for women.
• A charge for every point in excess of 40 points on the Body Mass Index (+30 points is obese).
• A charge for a second seat if a passenger’s waist touches both arm rests at the same time. 

Ryanair claim they have set their boundaries to a high level so that ‘fat tax’ does not get out of hand and will only apply to very large passengers encroach on the space of the passengers beside them. They also believe these charges may have a positive outcome and encourage passengers to loose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle.

You can vote online at www.ryanair.com until the 27th April 09. So get voting the revenues from the tax will be used to lower airfares even further.

Leave a comment with us here at the Travellers Club; we’d love to know what you’d choose and whether or not you think they’ll go ahead with the charges.

The latest.....20th April 2009

Tourism Queensland have narrowed down their 34,000 applications to top 15 with one wild card entry. The 16 hopefuls will be arriving at Hamilton Island on the 3rd of May for the final interview process and the successful candidate will be announced on the 6th of May. Among the finalists are students, receptionists, teachers and charity workers to name a few, from 15 different countries around the world, 10 men and six women aged between 20 and 38.

So we'll wait and see who will be lucky enough to get the perfect job, starting on the 1st of July and earning $AUD150,000 for 6 months work.

Ryanair are taking suggestions for the best way to make money and therefore reduce our flight costs with a cash prize of €1000 for the winner. They received 12,000 suggestions from passengers, you can now vote online at their website to decide who should win out of the top five entries;

• €1.00 for toilet paper with Michael O'Leary's face on it
• €2.00 "corkage" fee for passengers who bring their own food
• €5.00 annual subscription fee to access ryanair.com
• €3.00 to smoke in a converted toilet cubicle
• Excess fees for overweight passengers based on body mass index

What would you choose? You've got until the 17th of April to cast your vote.

Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline has launched an in-flight mobile phone service on 20 of its aircraft. They intend to be the first airline in Europe to offer a mobile phone service fleet wide. 

Passengers will be able to make and receive mobile calls and texts on over 170 of their aircraft. Price tariffs are subject to each mobile phone provider and each customer's individual price plan.

Do you think this is a positive change or do you like to 'get away from it all' when you board your flight? Send us a comment, we'd love to hear your views.

A new scheme has been launched today to help fight fraud in the travel industry. ABTA, along with other leading travel organisations and the Metropolitan Police have launched 'PROFIT'-Prevention of Fraud in Travel.

ABTA have always worked hard to make people aware of the dangers and how to protect themselves against fraud in the travel industry, whether it be businesses or consumers. PROFIT is the latest element of this ongoing project.

So if you're planning a long awaited holiday, do check the advice on their website www.profit.uk.com before booking.

On Monday the 12th of January this year, the Queensland tourist board announced a job opening for a caretaker on the idyllic Hamilton Island off mainland Australia.

The successful candidate will be paid 6000 a month to feed turtles, go whale watching, collect the post, write weekly blogs, keep a photo diary and record video updates to attract visitors to some of the Great Barrier Reefs 900 islands. In addition to the very generous salary, the employee will receive flights, transfers, expenses, transport and will live in a three bedroom villa set on a shady hill overlooking the sea. Does this sound like the perfect chance to escape your troubles and the January weather? Apply online at www.islandreefjob.com. However, due to an amazing amount of interest, 2000 hits per second, the website is proving to be slightly temperamental. But dont think about it for too long, applications can only be submitted until the 22nd of February. In May, ten lucky candidates and one wildcard entry, voted for by visitors, will be invited to the islands for a four day interview process.

What did your journey to work look like

How was your journey to work this morning? This was the view as one of us contemplated the journey into work, after more heavy snow fall in Essex last night. If you have any snow filled pictures you'd like to share with us, please send them in, we'd love to see them.

With six inches of snow fall throughout the night and more this morning in London and the South East, it may look like a picturesque postcard from your kitchen window but many travellers have been left in disappointing situations with severe disruptions to flights. Many delays are due to runway closures through the night, those badly affected are Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, London City Airport and Southampton, with interruptions to many connections due to road, rail and public transport problems. As a result, many flights have been delayed and cancelled.

Further snowfall is predicted today and tomorrow with conditions unlikely to improve. Passengers due to travel are advised to check with their airline in advance.

Let us know what troubles you may have encountered today and what advice you may have for travellers in the same position.

XL Leisure Group joined other airlines as it went into administration in the early hours of Friday 12^th September with debts of £143 million, resulting in a staggering 85,000 tourists stranded abroad and another 200,000 holidays cancelled.

Consumer groups have urged anyone who has paid for holidays to check their travel insurance covers them. People who paid for holidays with credit cards are protected, as are those who bought package holidays, which are covered by the industry's Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Atol) agreement, but passengers who booked with debit cards will lose their money, as most travel insurance schemes do not cover companies going bust.

The failure of XL comes just weeks after low-cost airline Zoom went into administration, one of 26 airlines which has gone out of business this year.

As well as XL Airways UK, companies no longer trading include Excel Aviation, Explorer House, Aspire Holidays, Freedom Flights, Freedom Flights (Aviation), The Really Great Holiday Company, Medlife Hotels, Travel City Flights and Kosmar Villa Holidays.

For advice on what to do next – visit www.xl.com.

The Civil aviation Authority has set up emergency helplines for holidaymakers affected by XL Leisure Group’s failure. For customers abroad the number is: +44 (0) 2891 856547. For those in the UK with advance bookings, the number is: 0870 5900927.

Here at the Travellers Club we hope those affected have been able to recover financially and that future holidays can be replaced.

News of Zoom’s Doom

News has broken today that hundreds of travellers are left stranded following the collapse of the low-fare airline Zoom.

The airlines collapse will leave an estimated 900 passengers on both sides of the Atlantic stranded, and facing long and expensive journeys home.

Zoom, which operated from five UK airports, blamed its financial difficulties on a massive jump in fuel bills as a result of the high cost of oil, and has grounded all flights as they prepare to go into administration.

The Scottish brothers who founded the Airline have been quoted as saying:

"It is a tragic day for our passengers and more than 600 staff. We are desperately sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment that this will cause passengers and those who have booked flights."

This is indeed bad news, and hits home here at the Travellers Club office where one of our own is now one of the many stranded in San Diego, trying to get home! We hope passengers manage to find other arrangements amidst this airline disaster.

Do you know someone affected by this News? Contact us or post a comment on our blog.

The adventure begins!

The Olympic Games

Members - my apologies it has been some time since I posted an entry, a sudden and unexpected operation has left me recovering gradually from home.

The surgery has resulted in me working from my couch, but allowed me to witness the incredible Olympic Games this year! Watching Britain breaking records left, right and centre has been fantastic and I think China has done a superb job at hosting the games this year. We are going to have to live up to quite alot come 2012!

This has left me aching to see more of the Capital Beijing, and I have never been to china before. You can see all the latest news from the games at http://en.beijing2008.cn/. To read more about visiting China and its Capital City, browse our mini fact-file in the A-Z list of destinations, or visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/china/beijing/

Been to China? email us and tell us more!

The Travellers Club New Blog!

Welcome to the brand new Travellers Club website, the one stop portal for all the latest news, information and features on travel! We hope you like our new look and find our site useful for all your travel needs.

Got any comments or ideas? Then get in touch as we love hearing from our members. Have a good look around, you'll find news snippets, holidays ideas, Useful links, A-Z destinations, recipes, advice and much more!

Look out for a new exciting blog by engaged couple James and Frankie, who have just left their jobs, sold their home and set off for the open seas on a sailing adventure!

Stay Tuned!