Archive for August, 2010
Hundreds of British families have complained to the European Commission and the Dutch authorities because they have not received compensation from KLM for delays caused by the vulcanic ash cloud earlier this year.
EU rules state that passengers must be compensated for the cost of hotels and meals during the whole period they are stranded. KLM has so far offered compensation for just the first 24 hours.
The EU has threatened to take legal action against KLM if it does not pay up, according to the BBC on Saturday.
A spokesman for KLM rejected that claim and said the British transport ministry is looking into the case. ‘We have compensated passengers for the first 24 hours while new agreements are made,’ he said.
© DutchNews.nl
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has taken full ownership of Terminal 4 at JFK in New York. It is the first time a foreign company has had control of a terminal in the US.
The airport already owned 40% of the shares and has now bought the remaining 60% for €10.1 mln. The agreement includes a provision that any future financial set-backs will have no effect on the Schiphol Group.
New York and New Jersey Port Authority financed the construction of the terminal in the 1990s and will finance the current expansion by issuing fiscally attractive shares, reports NRC. The cost of the expansion is about €935 mln.
The airline industry experienced a double-digit increase in ancillary revenue last year, according to the preliminary results of the Amadeus Guide to Ancillary Revenue by IdeaWorks.
The financial reports of nearly 100 carriers were taken into consideration for the report and the growth – estimated at 43% compared to 2008 figures – highlighting the importance of ancillary revenue for all airlines – from major to small – worldwide to regional – LCC to full service.
Ancillary services can include baggage fees and food sold onboard aircraft, commissions from the sale of hotel accommodations, car rentals, and travel insurance at airline websites, and partner revenue generated by frequent flier programmes.
Philippe Chérèque, Executive Vice President Commercial, Amadeus, the sponsor of this analysis of ancillary revenue and the upcoming 3rd edition of the Guide, commented: “Amadeus is fully committed to helping airlines maximise revenues and profits and deliver unmatched levels of customer service with a comprehensive and multi-channel ancillary services solution.”
He continued: “This month we have announced major milestones to support this initiative including the launch of our comprehensive EMD solution with Finnair and an extensive pilot of a la carte pricing within the travel agency and direct channels with Corsairfly.”
Source ASC
ORANJESTAD — From now on, Columbian travelers will be able to travel to Aruba much easier. This is due to an adjustment in the visa policy. Minister Otmar Oduber (AVP) of Tourism is pleased with the changes and even wants to take this a step further by abolishing the visa requirement for Columbians.
According to Oduber the arguments with which the visa requirement for Columbians was introduced in 2003, are no longer valid. The objectives of the policy at the time are no longer applicable. Oduber states the tourism sector of Columbia looks forward to visa-free traveling to Aruba. In that connection, he refers to travel agents and other representatives in the branch besides tourists. The most recent change in the visa requirement for Columbians regards the abolishment of the regulation that a Columbian must first have traveled to a country with which the Kingdom has treaties, before he may enter Aruba. In that, it regards Canada, the United States and countries that have signed the Schengen Treaty. “That was a very inconvenient situation because it often meant that a group of travelers, for example family members, could not travel together as some people already had used their Canadian, American or Schengen visa, whilst others had not. In similar situations, many Columbians therefore choose a different destination than Aruba.”
Oduber estimates that the visa adjustment will bring 30 to 40 percent more Columbians to Aruba. “There are currently many wealthy people in Columbia who indeed have the other visa – the one of America, Canada and Schengen – but 35 percent of these people never use this visa, which doesn’t make it easy for them to visit Aruba.”
Oduber further states that one is currently viewing at Kingdom level whether the validity of the Columbian visa could be extended from one to three years. Another possible change is letting Columbians use their visa several times. The use of the visa is currently restricted to only a few times, which particularly impedes the business contact between the Aruban and Columbian tourism sector.
Oduber states he would gladly see that the visa requirement is abolished entirely. However, no political agreement has been reached just yet.
Source: Amigoe