JAPAN AIRLINES FUEL SURCHARGE INCREASE
Japan Airlines is announcing an increase a fuel surcharge effective for tickets issued 1st April - 30th June 2010. The charge of £31 per sector means an extra £62 on a return ticket to Japan if the ticket is issued after 1st April. So if you plan to travel to Japan on Japan Airlines in April, contact your JTB UK travel consultant to have your ticket issued by the end of March, before the increase comes into effect.
BA ONE-WAY UPGRADE FROM CLUB WORLD TO FIRST
From 4th January to 31st March, UK customers of BA can enjoy a one-way upgrade to First class when they book and fly an eligible fully flexible Club World return ticket.
The upgrade can be booked on either the outbound or return sector of travel and can be taken as many times as you want, whenever you book and fly an eligible Club World flight during this period. Upgrade must be requested at the time of booking, and is subject to availability. Booking, ticketing and travel must be between 4th January - 31st March 2010.
Note that certain routes do not operate with a First class cabin, eg. Denver, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv.
To take advantage of this offer, please contact your JTB travel consultant on 020 8237 1601.
BRITISH AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES NEW BUSINESS-ONLY SERVICE LONDON CITY - NEW YORK
A new all-business (Club World) service from London City airport to New York JFK has been introduced by British Airways. The service operates twice a day Monday - Friday, and one flight in each direction on Sundays. En route to New York, the flight stops at Shannon airport for US Immirgation procedures.
London - New York:
- Check-in closes just 15 minutes before departure time with hand luggage only, and 20 minutes with baggage to check in
- OnAir allows you to send and receive texts and emails and surf the net on board
- Personal service with just 32 seats on the aircraft
- clear US Customs and immigration in Shannon and speed through the airport at New York
- hot meal, afternoon tea, snacks and complimentary drinks
New York - London:
- pre-flight dining maximises your sleep time on board
- fully flat bed for a good night's sleep
- your choice of hot breakfast on board, or a take-away option
The air fare from JTB is £ 4,068 return excluding taxes.
INDIAN VISA: NEW ONLINE APPLICATION
Visa application for India should now be made online at vfsglobal.co.uk. In addition, the Indian government requires that all passengers arriving from the UK complete a "Health Screening card" (for Swine flu) and present it to Indian immigration on arrival: part1 | part2 (pdf documents, open in new tab/window)
VIRGIN ATLANTIC: BAGGAGE POLICY
From 25 November 2009, Virgin applies a ‘piece policy’ for the whole of the network.
| Route | Economy | Premium Economy | Upper class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya, Nigeria | 2 x 23 kg | 2 x 23 kg | 3 x 23 kg |
| All other international destinations | 1 x 23 kg | 2 x 23 kg | 3 x 23 kg |
| On line | at airport | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st extra bag | UK£ 32 | UK£ 40 |
| 2nd & subsequent bags | UK£ 32 | UK£ 90 |
| Overweight (23-32 kg) | not available | UK£ 30 |
Bags weighing over 32 kilos will not be accepted, and should be carried as freight or cargo.
Online payments available at www.virginatlantic.com.
Passengers transferring to/from another airline should adhere to each airline's allowance when travelling.
For any further questions, please contact your JTB travel consultant.
BRITISH AIRWAYS - SECOND PIECE OF HAND BAGGAGE DIMENSIONS
British Airways are introducing clearer guidelines for hand baggage. This is to ensure when customers choose to take two bags in the aircraft cabin these can be accommodated comfortably.
From 15th March, BA will introduce dimensions for the second piece of hand baggage – 45cms x 36cms x 20cms – these measurements ensure your bag, which should be a laptop carry case, briefcase or personal handbag, can be accommodated under the seat in front.
Should your second piece of hand baggage exceed the dimensions, you will be asked to check one of your items of hand baggage into the aircraft hold and you may be subject to an excess baggage fee.
Your first piece of hand baggage is unaffected by this clarification. The standard-sized bag remains unchanged as no more than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels.
Due to current restrictions, you can only take one piece of hand baggage onboard flights to the United States when travelling in World Traveller or World Traveller Plus. Customers travelling in First and Club World are permitted two pieces of hand baggage as standard. If you are an Executive Club Gold or Silver member travelling in any cabin you are now permitted two pieces of baggage.
ADVANCE PASSENGER INFORMATION (API) TO BE REQUIRED FOR ALL UK DEPARTURES
From 2009, the UK Government will require Advanced Passenger Information for all passengers travelling internationally into and out of the UK. This is being rolled out over the coming year.
Advance Passenger Information means providing certain information to the authorities before passengers travel, such as passport details and, where necessary, contact information.
For this reason it will become even more important that all travellers with JTB submit full details on our "Client Profile" form. This enables JTB to input all the required information into your flight booking, so you can avoid delay and inconvenience at check-in.
Advance Passenger Information
Download Client Profile form (pdf)
BA LAUNCHES MOBILE PHONE CHECK-IN
British Airways has launched remote check in service, allowing travellers 'on the go’ to check in for flights wherever they may be, via their mobile handsets. The service is quick, free and available in 11 languages (including Japanese) - without any need to download accompanying software.
Logging on to www.ba2go.com using any mobile device with wireless connectivity (such as BlackBerrys and mobile phones), customers can access the BA timetable in real time, as well as select seats and check-in individuals, groups and families for departure or return flights.
The check in service offers full seat change and seat selection functions and the ability to enter passport information – everything that can be done on ba.com apart from printing the boarding card. At the end of check-in customers will be presented with the option to collect the boarding pass at the airport from a kiosk or desk, email the boarding pass, or fax the boarding pass.
Chris Carmichael, British Airways innovation and planning manager said: "We are proud to be the first UK airline to offer a remote check-in service in 11 languages. We recognise that our customers have busy lifestyles, and by offering greater accessibility we hope to enhance their overall travel experience."
British Airways news
EUROPEAN HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
Currently 28 million Britons have an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, many of the originally issued cards are now expiring.
Anyone travelling with an out-of-date EHIC is putting themselves at risk when travelling in Europe as they will not be covered for basic medical care.
The EHIC, which replaced the E111 form four years ago, entitles travellers to reduced cost or free state-provided healthcare in most European countries if they fall ill or have an accident whilst abroad, but only if it is in date.
Recent research by the Department of Health worryingly revealed that over 52% of Brits were not even aware that the
EHIC has a shelf life. Paul Siddell, Overseas Healthcare Programme Manager at the Department of Health says: “Many Brits are putting themselves at unnecessary risk by not checking their EHIC expiry date. If you’re travelling in Europe it’s vital that you carry an EHIC, as well as comprehensive travel insurance. If travellers find that EHIC’s are out-of-date, it is very easy to renew them online or over the phone and they will be delivered within ten days. Card holders can renew up to six months in advance of expiry so we are urging people to check their EHICs now.”
To renew or obtain an EHIC, log on to www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad or call 0845 606 2030.
For further information call the EHIC enquiries line on 0845 605 0707.
EUROSTAR
Following the incident on the Belgian railways last week, services between the UK and Brussels operate over a diversionary route which will add up to 50 minutes to the normal journey time to/from Brussels. Full services are not expected to resume until Tuesday 2 March at the earliest.
Services will be reinforced by the frequent shuttle coach service between Lille and Brussels which has been operating successfully since the incident.
Normal timetable valid 13 December 09 - 03 July 2010 (pdf document, opens in new tab/window)
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORISATION (ESTA) TO THE USA - MANDATORY
US Regulations
UK travellers planning to visit the United States under the visa waiver scheme must ensure they comply with the U.S requirement for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).
Applying for ESTA online
Travellers are required to apply for authorisation to travel under the scheme before arriving at the airport.
This is mandatory for all passport holders from 34 countries currently participating in the visa-waiver scheme, including UK passport holders.
You are required to obtain ESTA authorisation before arriving at the airport: apply online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
The application process may take up to approximately 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately but may take up to 72 hours. We recommend that you apply for authorisation at the time of booking or at least 72 hours before your flight, to ensure that you are able to travel.
Once granted, authorisation is valid for two years. You do not need to have firm plans to travel to apply for authorisation: the airline, boarding city and staying address in the USA are optional fields in the application. Bear in mind that if you do complete the travel details fields, before each new trip to the US, you will need to update your travel plans and staying address details via the ESTA website.
This requirement for approved authorisation is in addition to the requirement for all customers to submit APIS data.
Travellers will still need to complete the green I-94W non-immigrant visa waiver form onboard their flight (this is expected to be phased out during 2010).
Travellers with a resident permit ‘green card’ or travelling on a visa do not need to apply for authorisation as they are not travelling under the visa-waiver programme.
For more information, go to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov, or www.visitusa.org.uk
TERMINAL 5
Which terminal do I depart from?
Information from British Airways
Facilities
Latest information on all facilities of Terminal 5 from www.ba.com/T5.
BRITISH AIRWAYS AND VIRGIN ATLANTIC PASSENGER REFUNDS
As you will be aware, a class action has been brought in the US relating to surcharges on airline tickets. Both BA and Virgin have admitted to participating in unlawful fixing of the "fuel surcharge" that was added to base ticket prices.
Eligibility
Consumers and businesses may be entitled to a fuel surcharge refund of up to £20 per passenger per return flight if they bought a ticket in the UK on BA or Virgin between 11 August 2004 and 23 March 2006 for a long-haul flight (over 7 hours) from the UK.
List of applicable British Airways flights - download pdf
All Virgin Atlantic flights qualify, as they are all long-haul.
Timescale
Information and application forms are available now, on the website https://www.airpassengerrefund.co.uk.
The cutoff date for applications to be submitted is 31 December 2012.
Method
Individual travellers can submit an application directly through https://www.airpassengerrefund.co.uk.
Alternatively, corporate clients of JTB UK can request JTB to handle the procedure for the company as a whole. A handling fee will be charged.
LATEST UPDATE:
From the Air Passenger Refund Administrator on 31 December 2008: "On 21 October 2008, three Objectors appealed the Order and Final Judgment approving the Setllements. Resolution of this appeal is likely to take at least six months and could take more than a year, depending on the speed with which the appeals court decides the issue. Payments to all claimants in the USA and the UK will be delayed until the appeal by the three Objectors is resolved."