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AIR INDIA
It is being reported in the
media that over 350 Air India pilots have taken part in unofficial
strike action, by calling in "sick", which has resulted in major
disruption including the cancellation of some
flights.
Customers are advised to check the status of their flights
on the Air India website. A statement and a list of flights
that have been affected, can be found on the Air India website
here:
http://www.airindia.in/SBCMS/Webpages/reschedule-flights.aspx
AIR PORTUGAL
Further to our previous communication regarding a series of
strikes have been called by the Portuguese Air Traffic Controllers
on 17, 18, 24 and 25 May. The strikes will take place between
the following times:
07:00 hours - 09:00 hours
14:00 hours - 16:00 hours
21:00 hours - 23:00 hours
In addition to the Air Traffic Controllers strike, a 24 hour
general strike will take place on Friday 18 May (starting at
midnight). The following services are likely to be affected
at the airport:
- Check in desks
- Baggage Handlers
Disruption to flights to and from Portugal on these dates
may be experienced as a result.
RYANNAIR
We have been advised that Ryanair intend to close their website
(www.ryanair.com) for upgrade
maintenance as follows: Online check-in will be unavailable
from 1600hours on Friday 18 May until 1200hours on Sunday 20
May.
Reservations and changes to reservations cannot be
made on their website from 2200hours on Friday until 2200hours on
Saturday 19 May.
Passengers must ensure they have booked tickets, checked
in online and printed their boarding passes in advance of the times
stated above.
TRAIN DELAY
Delays between Wakefield Westgate
and Leeds until further notice.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/sa0359c55c304084bd3a7b5d3a172bea/details.html
ATLANTA AIRPORT
Tomorrow (16/05/12) the new
international terminal at Atlanta_Airport opens
#ATLIntl. Here's what you need to know
about it: http://t.co/Wbe5zcvh
CHICAGO
Travelers could experience disruptions and delays due to
heightened security with transportation in Chicago, Illinois prior
to and after the NATO Summit. This includes but is not
limited to the Metra rail.
Leaders from around the world are gathering in Chicago this spring
for an important diplomatic summit hosted by President Barack
Obama. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold
meetings in Chicago from May 20-21, allowing the
city to highlight its economic vitality, its arts and architecture,
and its can-do spirit.
This will be the first time an American city other than Washington
has hosted a NATO summit. About 2,000 journalists from across
the world are expected in Chicago to chronicle the events.
PORTUGAL
We have received reports that the next Air Traffic control
strike scheduled to take place in Portugal will now take place on
Thursday 17 May and not on Friday 18 May. As
mentioned in our previous alert, the strike will take place from
0700hours -0900hours, 1400hours -1600hours and 2100hours
-2300hours. Disruption to flights to and from Portugal may be
experienced as a result.
The general strike planned for Friday 18 May is still
scheduled to go ahead as planned.
ABERDEEN
Train services to and from Aberdeen on the main East
Coast rail line have been severely disrupted after an
accident two miles south of Aberdeen on Wednesday evening. A
freight train was crossing from a freight route to the main line
when it derailed. Network Rail apologised for the disruption and
said heavy lifting cranes were due on site on Thursday.
Buses are replacing trains between Stonehaven and Aberdeen,
causing delays on all Scotrail services. All East Coast trains are
starting and terminating at Dundee, with replacement coach services
in operation for all passengers travelling between Dundee
and Aberdeen and any intermediate stops.
PORTUGAL
Portuguese air traffic controllers strike have announced that
they intend to take industrial action on the following dates and
specific times, 11, 17, 18, 24 and May 25 2 hours per shift
from 07:00 to 09: 00, from 2-4 PM and from 9-11PM on the continent
and Madeira. Travellers should expect flight delays or
even cancellations.
A Train Strike in Portugal on the 13 May
2012 will be a partial strike, 2 hours per shift and
strikes on the Lisbon Metro are scheduled to take place on Thursday
17th and 22nd May.
UK
UK border workers have announced plans of a 24 hour strike next
Thursday, the 10th May, which may disrupt transportation at all
International entry and exit points throughout the UK.
Workers at major seaports and border controls in Paris and Brussels
connected to the Eurostar train service will also be
affected.
With Heathrow Airport already experiencing a shortage of passport
control workers, the strikes may exacerbate the existing wait-times
further.
We recommend that travellers allow extra time to get to the airport
and factor in additional time for check-in and security checks,
although contingency plans will be in place to ensure
potential disruptions are minimised.
BMI
Bmibaby will be grounded from September, with some routes being
stopped as early as next month, new owner IAG announced this
afternoon.
IAG said it was still willing to sell the East Midlands-based
budget airline, but it said recently it didn't expect to find a
buyer for the carrier which is losing £25m a year.
British Airways said it is more optimistic of being able to sell
Aberdeen-based Regional, which it also acquired with bmi from
Lufthansa.
Services to Belfast and from East Midlands to Amsterdam, Paris,
Geneva, Nice, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newquay, and from Birmingham
to Knock and Amsterdam, will stop on June 11.
The airline is still selling summer flights from East Midlands
and Birmingham, but there will be no further flights from September
20
GREECE
Transport strike in Greece expected May 1 - http://t.co/MdRqi4zc #businesstravel #travelalert HootSuite
HEATHROW AIRPORT
High winds at Heathrow Airport causing delays - 29th
April 2012
DUNDEE
AIRPORT
Strike scheduled for Dundee Airport on Monday 30 April is
postponed, but flights remain cancelled.
BREAKING NEWS - DISRUPTION IN CENTRAL LONDON
London's Tottenham Court Road has been sealed off and a building
evacuated after witnesses reported a man inside had threatened to
blow himself up.
At about 15:10 BST the Metropolitan Police said a man had been
arrested and a search of the building was under way.The force
advised people to keep clear of the area and said: "It is unclear
if there are other people in the building." Armed police officers
were seen going into a roof of a building opposite. At about 15:00
BST a man was seen being led from the building.
Tottenham Court Road was evacuated while Goodge Street
and Warren Street Tube stations have been closed as a
precaution.
Eight bus routes were also diverted. Transport for London (TfL)
urged people to avoid the area. Passengers potentially affected are
being contacted by our staff.
IBERIA
Iberia's pilots are planning a further day of
industrial action on Friday 27th and Monday
30th April 2012, which may disrupt services operated by
Iberia Airlines. All British Airways flights to and
from Spain are expected to operate as normal as
are flights operated by Air Nostrum and codeshares operated
by other partner airlines.
Please see links below showing the cancellations caused by the
industrial action.
List of Iberia flights cancelled on April 27 due
to pilots strike
List of Iberia flights cancelled on April 30 due
to pilots strike
LUTON
AIRPORT
There was an
evacuation of the terminal building at London Luton airport this
morning, but the airport is now returning to normal.
Please check-in as normal for any flights and allow plenty of
time to get through airport security due to the effect on
operations at the airport caused by the evacuation.
PAKISTAN
A CIVILIAN plane has crashed in bad weather near the capital
Islamabad in northern Pakistan.The aircraft was a Boeing 737
belonging to the Pakistani airline Bhoja Air,
GEO News reported that 127 passengers were on board the aircraft at
the time of the crash.
The plane had flown from Karachi, and was due to land in Islamabad
at 6:40pm local time.Rescue teams were en route to the crash site,
located near the Pakistan Air Force base Chaklala.
EUROSTAR
Eurostar have made Portman Travel aware of essential engineering
works taking place in the Croisilles area, between Lille and Paris,
from Wednesday 18 April until Sunday 22 April. Departure times will
not change but arrivals will be up to 15 minutes later than
scheduled. Travellers should be advised to check-in as normal.
GATWICK - Gatwick Airport Statement - Flights now
resumed
Please be advised that Gatwick airport have resumed flight
operations using their standby runway, however they are currently
operating a reduced service and therefore some delays and
disruption may be experienced as a result. The statement on
the Gatwick airport website is as follows:
Gatwick Airport Statement - Flights now resumed
14.25 Following the emergency landing of a Virgin flight bound
for Orlando earlier today, our standby runway is now open and
flights are departing and arriving. However, we are operating
a reduced service and passengers can expect some knock on
disruptions and delays. We aim to return to normal operations as
soon as possible.
The aircraft made a safe landing, the emergency services are on
the scene and passengers have been safely disembarked from the
plane. A number has been set up for friends and family wanting to
gain information about passengers who were on the aircraft.
Please call 0845 6070 999
BRITISH
AIRWAYS
British Airways have advised Portman Travel of spam emails
being sent out advising passengers to check-in online
British Airways are aware that a large number of customers have
received emails with the subject line of 'It's time to
check-in online'.
These emails are not from British Airways and customers should
not reply to them.
Please advise customers to delete these emails and assure them
that no data has been breached.
The issue has been escalated to the British Airways IT
service centre.
PORTUGAL
With regards to the Air Traffic Control Strikes in
Portugal on 12th and13th April, which will
affect certain Portuguese airports including Lisbon,
Azores, Faro and Porto, ANA Aeroportos de Portugal (Airport
Authority) have confirmed that traffic will be affected.
INDONESIA, INDIAN OCEAN
Tsunami warnings issued yesterdayacross most of the Indian
Ocean, have now been lifted. The alerts followed an 8.7 magnitude
earthquake which struck south-west of Indonesia's Aceh
province.
Whilst 14 aftershocks and waves of around one metre in height
were observed in coastal areas of some regional countries,
including India, Indonesia and Thailand, no major damage has been
reported.
In Thailand, authorities yesterday issued evacuation warnings
for the entire Andaman coast, including the Phuket and Rangong
provinces. Whilst Phuket International Airport (HKT) was
temporarily closed and flights diverted, normal services are now
resuming.
Travellers can expect minor disruption to travel and essential
services in earthquake affected regions.
STANSTED
Industrial
action by baggage handling staff at Stansted airport this weekend
has been called off, following talks between trade
unions and employers Swissport.
PORTMAN TRAVEL - 24/7 Bank Holiday
Availability
A quick
reminder with so many Bank Holidays coming up over the next few
weeks that Portman Travel is available to service your travel
requirements 24x7, through either your dedicated branch or through
our Portman24 Out of Hours Service.
FIJI
Inbound flights to Nadi International Airport have been
cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
A state of emergency has been declared in Western Fiji (Viti Levu
Island) following
severe flooding that has left at least 3 people dead and stranded
4000 others.
With the tropical depression expected to intensify into a cyclone
over the next 24 to 36 hours, all inbound flights to Nadi
International Airport have been cancelled.
Today, airlines such as Jetstar, Air Pacific and Qantas will
continue to operate outbound flights from Nadi, whilst all inbound
flights would be empty or carrying only humanitarian supplies, as
requested by the Fijian government.
With roads to the international airport in Nadi blocked and extreme
weather expected to continue until Tuesday, officials
have asked airlines to cease delivering inbound tourists until
later today, at the earliest.
The following Air Pacific flights are operating today,
Monday 2 April:
• FJ911 - Nadi (depart 0900) to Sydney (arrive 1140L Sydney) (B747
service)
• FJ411 - Nadi (depart 1000) to Auckland (arrive 1400L
Auckland)
• FJ915 - Nadi (depart 1750 to Sydney (arrive 2125L Sydney)
• FJ923 - Nadi (depart 2040) to Brisbane (arrive 2255L
Brisbane)
• FJ431 - Suva (depart 1420) to Auckland (arrive 1820L
Auckland)
The following Air Pacific flights have been cancelled
today, Monday 2 April:
• FJ231 - Nadi to Tarawa (0500L departure)
• FJ230 - Tarawa to Nadi (0900L departure)
• FJ810 - Nadi to Los Angeles (0700L departure)
• FJ430 - Auckland to Suva (0810L AKL departure)
• FJ410 - Auckland to Nadi (1445L AKL departure)
• FJ910 - Sydney to Nadi (1310L SYD departure)
• FJ412 - Auckland to Nadi (1900 AKL departure)
• FJ922 - Brisbane to Nadi (2355 BNE departure)
• FJ811 - Los Angeles to Nadi (2330L LAX departure)
QANTAS
Qantas has closed three of its airport lounges in
Melbourne following a fire early this morning
The Qantas Club, Qantas Business Lounge and Chairman's
Lounge at Melbourne Airport have all been closed this morning
following a fire which broke out in the Qantas Club kitchen.
Reports say the fire began in a refrigerator before spreading
through the lounge's kitchen, sending smoke through Terminal
One.
Whilst Qantas flights from Melbourne's T1 are unaffected,
Qantas has not yet advised when the lounges will
reopen.
The airline is now offering lounge members $30
vouchers redeemable at airport cafes to grab pre-flight food
and beverages.
Portman are in contact with Qantas and our RADIUS partner
Traveledge to keep abreast of the latest situation.
CAR
RENTALS
As you may be aware there is currently some indication across the
media and from the UK Government that the UK may shortly be
experiencing fuel supply issues as a result of potential strike
action. The threat has this week led to a significant increase in
localised demand as a result of panic buying.
Following
discussions with all major UK car rental suppliers, we can confirm
that all these suppliers advise they have reserves of fuel and
disaster recovery plans in place to help support customers through
this challenging period.
However in
some areas car rental suppliers are subject to the same supply
constraints as everyone else, and are already seeing restricted
supply from some forecourts with maximum purchase levels.
Our advice
to all car rental customers remains the same, to return the rental
vehicle with a full tank in order to avoid re-fuelling
surcharges.
BANGKOK - Airport update
Passenger congestion at Thailand's 'golden' airport has left
travellers waiting for up to two hours to be stamped through
immigration. Those flying out of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport are
now being advised to arrive three hours before their flight
departure - an hour longer than most other international
airports.
The airport is reportedly operating on overdrive, carrying six
million more people a year that its original proposed capacity of
45 million. Ongoing renovations, staff shortages and the reluctance
of immigration officers to work at the overcrowded airport have
also been suggested as causes for congestion. It has left arrival
and departure halls hugely overcrowded.
AIR CANADA - Strike causing delays and disruptions
A wildcat strike by Air Canada ground employees is causing
significant delays at Toronto Pearson International Airport and
Montreal Trudeau airport today.Workers walked off the job last
night.
Customers travelling with Air Canada should check their flight status before heading out
to the airport.
CROISILLES - engineering works from 20 March to 02
April
We wanted to make you aware of essential engineering works taking
place in Croisilles area, between Lille and Paris, from
Tuesday 20 March until Monday 02 April.
A temporary speed restriction will be in place on the
worksite for the whole duration affecting Paris to London services
only, with trains departing Paris up to 15 minutes earlier than
advertised.
Please click here for full details of these
changes
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates
accordingly. If you require further information please contact your
nominated Portman branch.
AMSTERDAM
Customs staff at Amsterdam Airport will work to rule on
Tuesday 13th March between 12:00 and 13:00 local
time. All arriving passengers will be checked and there
are also delays expected for departing passengers.
Heathrow Express
The Rail Maritime and Transport union said 24-hour walkout will
take place on 11 March from 1215hours.
Due to planned Industrial Action by the RMT Union,
Heathrow Express will be operating a service every 30
minutes.
Normal frequency will resume as follows.
Services from Paddington - Normal frequency service will be
resumed from 14:40 hours
Services from Heathrow Terminal One - Normal frequency service
will be resumed from 14:48 hours
Services from Heathrow Terminal Five - Normal frequency service
will be resumed from 15:12 hours
EUROSTAR
Portman Travel have been advised by Eurostar that essential
engineering works will take place from Saturday 10 until
Tuesday 13 March 2012 in the
Hondeghem area, between Calais and Lille.
The works will affect all routes, with services from the Continent
to London departing up to 9 minutes earlier than
advertised. Knock on effects are to be expected on the
London to Continent direction.
Please check your departure times as Portman Travel have not yet
been notified via our reservation system of these schedule
changes.
Please click here for full details of these
changes
KINGFISHER
AIRLINES
International Air Transport Association (IATA) suspended India's
Kingfisher Airlines from its clearing house effective Wednesday
7TH March due to non-payment of dues, a spokesman for
the industry body of global airlines said.
During this suspension Portman Travel will not be facilitating
reservations with Kingfisher Airlines. We expect this to be a
temporary and purely precautionary measure, until the situation is
clarified. We will continue to monitor, and update you
accordingly.
CROATIA
Croatia Airlines will likely have to cancel 30 flights, or
around half its schedule, during a planned 24-hour strike by most
employees due to start at 0500 GMT Thursday 8th
March.
Croatia Air's website said on Wednesday it will operate 26
flights during the strike, a local law obliges the airline to
keep operating some flights during a strike.
CYPRUS
Air traffic controllers in Cyprus have announced they would be
shutting down Larnaca and Paphos airports for four hours each day
from 12pm on March 2, 7, 12 and 15.
The controllers want to be excluded from a raft of austerity
measures, which include pension contributions and a two-year pay
freeze, passed in December.
The two sides entered discussions to resolve the matter but this
has since been broken off with no sign of a resolution.
Last month ATCs shut down the island's airports for four hours,
affecting some 5,000 passengers
CHILE
Student protests in Chile have turned violent again as tens of
thousands took to the streets demanding changes to public
education.Protests in Punta Arenas have led to blockades which
currently prevent access to and from the local airport.
We advise all travellers to monitor the local news and seek local
advice for the latest information. Portman Travel are in contact
with our RADIUS partner in Chile, Blanco Viajes S.A to keep up to
date with the latest situation.
HUNGARY
Hungary's Malev airline has ceased operations and grounded all
flights to 'minimize damage' after its financial situation became
unsustainable. Please contact your nominated Portman branch
for more details.
LIBYA
Due to the political unrest in Libya, travel disruption
may continue. Please contact your airline for flight information
before travelling. For up to date information from the FCO please
click here.
SYRIA
Due to the recent political unrest in Syria, travel disruption
may continue. Please contact your airline for flight information
before travelling. For up to date information from the FCO please
click here.
Further information can also be found here.