World Travel News: March 2006

Jetting off a short break or trip is now even more hassle-free, with the news that easyJet has introduced online check-in facilities at Newcastle airport. Travellers flying with the low cost airline can take advantage of the time saving initiative as long as they do not have any luggage for the hold. more

At least 13 Britons are thought to be dead after a tourist boat sank in the waters of Bahrain. The overall death toll is reported at 57, after the passenger boat, which was carrying 150 tourists, got into trouble and capsized late last night. more

Residents and tourists on the north-west and north-east coasts of Australia are preparing for the full impact of Cyclone Glenda. Severe weather has already begun to pass over the area, with winds of up to 80 miles per hour battering the shores and people are being urged to take precautions and be ready for the cyclone. more

British tourists have become the second most frequent visitors to Canada, according to latest industry figures. More Brits than ever are choosing to take their holidays in Canada, with figures from the Canadian Tourism Commission showing that over 900,000 British travellers flew over last year. more

Air travel is set to become bigger and better in the future, with plans for planes that can hold even more passengers in greater comfort. Proposals announced by US aircraft manufacturer Boeing suggest that it is looking to expand its current 787 Dreamliner. more

Mexico has been praised for its progress in recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma last year. The clean-up and recovery operation put in place by local authorities and tourism chiefs has helped the area's leading resorts to slowly return to normal and ensure that visitors continue to travel to Mexico. more

Travellers and commuters in France have been hit by severe delays and disruptions as the country faces national strikes. Transport staff have joined in with the strike action as part of protests against new youth employment legislation, leading to chaos within the rail networks and underground services. more

New Zealand is set to become one of the most popular ski destinations in the near future, taking over from more traditional favourites such as Austria and Switzerland. Research into declining snowfall levels across parts of Europe have led to predictions that newcomers including New Zealand will benefit and become new skiing hot spots. more

An explosion in the Philippines has left at least nine people dead and 20 more seriously injured. Officials confirmed the blast at a local shop on the southern island of Jolo and said that initial reports suggested a link with the militant group Abu Sayyaf, an organisation known to be connected with al Qaeda. more

Future travellers are set to enjoy their aeroplane meals at perfect temperatures thanks to the creation of a new high-tech gadget. Designed to combat the often-lukewarm delivery of plane food, the new system aims to serve the meals at the right temperature, helping to improve the overall travelling experience. more

Jordan has become the latest Middle Eastern state to confirm the presence of the deadly bird flu virus. Dead birds from a privately owned farm in the north of Jordan, in the Ajloun district, underwent scientific tests which confirmed the H5N1 strain as the cause of death. more

Travellers heading off for a short break or extended holiday in Europe have been urged to ensure that they fully understand the terms and conditions of the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The advice follows recent research which indicated that a number of holiday makers are confused over what protection the card, which was introduced in place of the old E111 form, provides. more

A terrorist group responsible for killing hundreds of people in its fight for independence has announced a ceasefire. Reports indicate that the Basque separatist group Eta has made the declaration of peace after almost forty years of fighting, calling for the start of a "new democratic process in the Basque country". more

France is set to be hit by massive strike action this week following ongoing disputes over employment law. Trade unions and students are unhappy with government legislation on youth employment, claiming that it allows firms to fire younger workers, those under 26, during a two year probation period without having to give a reason. more

Jetting off to Europe for a bargain break is now easier than ever thanks to the launch of new flights by Easyjet. Tapping into the recent popularity of destinations such as Croatia, France and Italy, the low cost airline has announced a number of additional routes which are sure to appeal to those looking to book a mini break or short trip abroad. more

Tourism chiefs will be hoping that a new ad campaign highlighting the attractions of Australia will encourage more travellers to visit the country after a controversial start to the campaign. The advertisement was initially deemed to be offensive by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC), which argued that the tagline should be changed to remove the word "bloody" from it before it was shown in the UK. more

Travellers looking for the ultimate adventure holiday have chosen China as the most "intrepid" destination. The poll, carried out by Intrepid Travel, revealed that the country is considered the most exciting when it comes to ensuring an adventure packed and culturally-challenging holiday. more

Queensland has been seriously damaged by a cyclone, with reports indicating that many areas are without power and that the majority of buildings have sustained extensive damage. The north-east coast of Australia has been hit by Tropical Cyclone Larry and winds of around 180 miles per hour, leading to a declaration of a state of emergency. more

The European Union has completed a list of airlines which it intends to "blacklist" that will stop those on the list from flying within the Union. It is hoped that the measure, once it comes into law, will reduce the danger of flying to and from member states. more

A new labour law planned to be introduced in France has sent over a quarter of a million people onto the country's streets to march in protest. Concerns that the new rule would give employers too much power have caused many people to protest about change and the scenes turned ugly as protestors clashed with police. more

Melbourne airport has finished its expansion in time for the Commonwealth Games. Its new 5,000 square metre lounge will accommodate more passengers than ever as well as make room for the new double-decker A380 aircraft. more

Kitakyushu city officials opened the city's new off-shore airport yesterday that will link it to cities around the globe. Located half an hour from the centre of Kitakyushu on Kyushu, Japan's south-western island, it replaces the older inland airport. more

Violence has once again reared its ugly head in the Middle East following an Israeli raid on a Palestinian jail. Kidnappings and violence against Western agencies and people has spread across the West Bank after the Israeli army moved against a senior Palestinian militant at a prison in Jericho. more

Airport operator BAA has signed a deal that will take Wi-Fi access to six major British airports. Signing a deal with ISP The Cloud, which already provides Wi-Fi at several non-BAA airports, travellers will be able to access the internet from a wide variety of locations. more

Maoist insurgents have blocked the Himalayan kingdom Nepal in a bid to stop supplies reaching the capital. Rebels claim that they are acting to force the king to end direct rule and return to democracy. more

Scotland's smaller airports experienced a rise in numbers last year with passenger increases as high as 17 per cent. The record year saw Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) handle more than one million passengers in the past 11 months at their ten airports. more

Heavy snowfall hit the northern parts of the British Isles over the weekend, with Scotland's two principal cities shutting their airports. Edinburgh airport reopened yesterday morning at 9.30am GMT and Glasgow only at 4pm causing two flights from the US to divert to Belfast. more

A fourth African country has reported that it has detected the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu. A spokesman from the government of Cameroon said that a duck has died from it in the northern town of Maroua. more

A computer glitch at the air traffic control centre on Long Island in New York caused major delays to three main airports on Tuesday. Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports were forced to stop departing flights from taking off for 28 minutes, affecting flights as far away as Chicago. more

Indian security forces have announced they are to adopt "psycho-profiling" to identify potential terrorists at all of the country's airports. The Central Industrial Security Force, which controls 54 airports all over India, already uses psycho-profiling at its Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports, in addition to all those in the north east of the country. more

A passenger plane sustained severe damaged after being hit by lightning over Iceland. The aircraft, an Icelandair Boeing 757, had taken off from Keflavik Airport five minutes before being struck by a bolt of lightning. more

A survey of tour operators in Europe shows that fear of terrorism is not likely to deter tourists despite the attacks in London last year. In fact, almost every operator told the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) survey that they were expecting more visitors in 2006. more

Indian cities are on high alert following yesterday's double bombing in the city of Varanasi. Blasts at a railway station and Hindu temple have killed at least 28 and injured over 100 according to local reports, though these figures are yet to be confirmed. more

Flights to Landvetter Airport, near Gothenburg in Sweden, were delayed following an armed robbery of a flight arriving from London. A gang of robbers burst onto the airstrip and at gunpoint took foreign currency that was being unloaded, leaving a box behind that caused a bomb alert. more

The European Parliament has condemned Greece's authorities for their heavy-handed approach to visitors bringing foreign cars into the country. Travellers have had their cars confiscated, received fines up to €1 million and even spent time in prison following charges of smuggling and tax evasion. more

The Japanese government has introduced measures in its latest Immigration Bill which would make the fingerprinting and photographing of all tourists arriving in Japan mandatory. The measures, slated as an attempt to improve Japan's security against terror attacks, will be voted on by the Japanese parliament towards the end of the summer. more

South Africa's air travel infrastructure will be taking the strain this weekend as it helps transport 76,000 cyclists to the country's biggest one-day sporting event. The Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa), which runs South Africa's seven international airports, has predicted record numbers of passengers travelling to the Cape Argus Pick 'n' Pay Cycle Tour, which takes place on Sunday March 12th. more

A series of severe snowstorms across the Alps have killed 17 people over the weekend and plunged the region's travel infrastructure into chaos. Two people were killed in separate avalanche incidents, while road accidents and falling buildings in winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour were responsible for the other deaths. more

The Department of Health has published advice on avian flu for British people travelling abroad. The leaflet, which will be distributed from GPs and health centres as well as airports and seaports, urges travellers to avoid live, as well as raw or undercooked, poultry. more

Low fare airline easyJet has claimed it is "environmentally friendly". New chief executive Andy Harrison told the Guardian in his first public interview that his company would back an emissions trading scheme in Europe, although he refused to countenance proposals for an aviation fuel tax. more

Unusually powerful storms have hit southern California during the past 24 hours, with the region's meteorologists issuing warnings for floods and mudslides. Ten inches of rain are expected to fall on the upland areas of San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino, causing the erection of barricades across roads and warnings to motorists. more

Low-budget airline company easyJet will fly outside the EU from this summer to Marrakech, Istanbul and Rijeka, it has been announced. Flights from Luton to Turkey's capital Istanbul and Rijeka in Croatia will begin on June 29th and 30th respectively, while services to Marrakech will fly from Gatwick from July 4th. more

Worldwide passenger numbers in January increased by 6.2 per cent on January 2005 figures, it was announced today. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed January's traffic figures, showing that the month did not reach 2005's overall growth rate of 7.6 per cent. more

Ryanair's brand of low-cost, no-frills airline travel will be opening up Mexico to travellers on a budget as soon as this September, it was announced today. Irish aviation magnates the Ryan family gave details of their partnership with bus company IAMSA at a press conference in Mexico City, promising to join the flood of low-cost airlines currently setting up shop in Mexico. more