Travel Services. Consortium News September In This Issue. Page Hotel Programme Hotelscene Introducing

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1 Travel Services Consortium News September 2009 In This Issue Hotelscene Spotlight on York Page 2-3 Hotelscene Additions to the Page Hotel Programme Hotelscene Introducing Page 6 Mystay Hotelscene Busy Dates Page 7 Focus on Airport News Page 8-10 Focus on Airline News Page Eurostar Update Page 16 Railooto News Update Page Welcome to Computer Cabs Page 21 1

2 Spotlight on York The Royal York Hotel NR Rate B&B Premier Inn Preferred at Best Available Rate Park Inn NR Rate B&B BW Kilima Hotel NR Rate B&B Hotel 53 NR Rate B&B 2

3 Spotlight on York Royal York Hotel Located close to the city centre, The Royal York has 167 bedrooms including standard and garden view rooms, spa facilities, restaurant, bar and business centre Park Inn Only 5 minutes from York Train Station, this 200 bedroom hotel has 32 business friendly rooms, 30 rooms with a river view, restaurant, bar, fitness centre and WiFi throughout. Hotel 53 All bedrooms at Hotel 53 offer WiFi as standard, restaurant & bar and 4 meeting rooms seating a maximum capacity of 35 boardroom style BW Kilima This Victorian Hotel is in walking distance from York city centre, has a private car park, indoor swimming pool and fitness centre and a meeting room accommodating up to 14 boardroom Premier Inn Situated close to the city centre, the Premier Inn York boasts 86 bedrooms, 25 onsite car parking spaces, restaurant and bar 3

4 ADDITIONS TO THE 2009 HOTEL PROGRAMME Holiday Inn Southampton Herbert Walker Avenue, Southampton, SO15 1HJ Situated in the heart of the city with views over the waterfront, the Holiday Inn has 130 guest rooms, 180 car parking spaces, restaurant, bar and 5 meeting room accommodating 140 theatre style The rate for Network Rail is B&B incl VAT Park Inn Peterborough Telephone House, Wentworth Street, Peterborough, PE1 1BA Adjacent to the Queensgate Shopping Centre the Park Inn has 115 bedrooms, lounge bar and restaurant, onsite car parking and is in walking distance from Peterborough Train Station The rate for Network Rail is B&B incl VAT Ramada Crewe Macon Way, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 6DR The Ramada Crewe offers 64 bedrooms, an upmarket restaurant, lounge, & bar, onsite parking meeting room facilities The rate for Network Rail is B&B incl VAT 4

5 Village Nottingham Brailsford Way, Chilwell Meadows, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 6DL The Village Nottingham boasts 135 bedrooms, Village Health & Fitness centre with swimming pool, Grill pub and kitchen, Café, onsite parking and 15 meeting room accommodating a maximum of 45 boardroom style The rate for Network Rail is B&B incl VAT NOT TO BE MISSED! Sleeperz Hotel, Cardiff Station Approach, Saunders Road, Cardiff, CF10 1RH The Sleepers Hotel offers 74 bedrooms, lounge bar and restaurant and is located in the city centre of Cardiff The rate for Network Rail is B&B incl VAT Opened in November 2008, Sleeperz in Cardiff is the first new build hotel to be developed on Network Rail land. The hotel is centrally located, right next to the train station and combines iconic styling with competitive pricing. Through the agreement negotiated by Commercial Property, Network Rail benefits from a percentage of the turnover of the hotel, therefore the better it performs, the greater the revenue we receive. So by booking rooms with Sleeperz, a contribution can be made towards increasing our incoming revenue, reducing OPEX and help towards easing the funding gap of CP4. 5

6 Hotelscene is bringing you a new, improved, online booking service called MyStay. MyStay gives you a user-friendly way to research and book thousands of hotels: it is the next generation in hotel booking. Among the great benefits and features from which Network Rail will be able to benefit are:- Great new Look and Feel: see the screenshot above! Easy to use (complete a booking in just three easy stages!) Faster Responses: bookings confirmed up to 50% quicker Improved mapping to pinpoint exactly where your hotel is located Multiple search facility in just one step (search by city, postcode, airport, or even the local Network Rail office name) Clearer information: quick access to Network Rail s travel policy, and a special news section to keep you up-to-date There s plenty more to look forward to from MyStay, which will be available to Network Rail bookers very soon! 6

7 Busy Dates Please be aware of a number of events approaching which may affect hotel availability. Booking in advance is highly recommended. These are as follows: September London Fashion Week September Labour Party Conference, Manchester 27 September Manchester United v Bolton, Old Trafford 5th October 18th October 28th October 1st November Great North Run, Newcastle Manchester United v West Bromwich, Old Trafford Manchester United v West Ham, Old Trafford Manchester United v Hull, Old Trafford November World Travel Market, ExCeL London 19th November Elton John, Birmingham NEC December Clothes Show Live, NEC Birmingham Additional busy dates are listed on the Hotelscene Xtranet - you can access these by clicking on the busy dates icon on the left hand side on the site. 7

8 Focus on Airport News Heathrow Airtrack rail link proposal BAA has submitted detailed plans for the Heathrow Airtrack rail link to the Secretary of State for Transport. The proposed new rail link will connect Heathrow with the national rail network to the south and west of the airport. The recent application for an order under the Transport and Works Act seeks to authorise the works required and the acquisition of any land that is needed either temporarily or permanently to deliver Heathrow Airtrack.. It is planned that Heathrow Airtrack will operate in each direction from Heathrow Terminal 5 to London Waterloo, Guildford and Reading. These trains will be in addition to the services already operating on these lines. At the same time, some Heathrow Express services will be extended through Heathrow Terminal 5 to Staines. For further information, including the procedures in place regarding such a proposal, please click here. Introducing Heathrow's new Terminal 2 Exciting plans for Heathrow Airport s newest terminal were recently unveiled. The 1 billion Terminal 2 will become the new home for Star Alliance airlines and will provide an estimated 20 million passengers every year with a spacious and modern airport facility. This construction is to take place in two phases with the first scheduled for completion in 2013, and the second in For further information click here. Gatwick BA Gatwick to Heathrow route switch With effect from Sunday 25 October 2009, the following BA services will switch from London Gatwick and operate to/from London Heathrow: London Gatwick to Barcelona; London Gatwick to Gibraltar; London Gatwick to Madrid; London Gatwick to Malaga and London Gatwick to Pisa. 8

9 Focus on Airport News Virgin Clubhouse refurbishment Virgin Atlantic have now commenced refurbishing their London Gatwick Clubhouse, with the work expected to continue until 30 November Although the Clubhouse will be closed whilst the work takes place, the fully refurbished Clubhouse will reopen in time for Christmas 2009, and will include a new Cowshed spa. During the closure, passengers travelling in Upper Class, and their guests, will be able to use Virgin Holidays' V ROOM, located in the South Terminal. Gold card members will be able to use the No.1 Gatwick Lounge located in the South Terminal and invite a guest to join them. Upper Class and Gold card members will be handed an invite to the respective lounges at check-in. Aberdeen After only 14 weeks construction time, the brand new Aberdeen Airport car park has opened to the public. The first cars arrived into the new multi-storey construction, which cost around 5 million on 31 August. An additional 500 short stay spaces have been created over two floors in the new facility, spaces which have already been identified as some of the most affordable airport parking in the country. The car park will bring huge benefits, including better availability of spaces during peak times, and a reduction in the need for travellers to kiss and fly, which should, in turn, reduce congestion on nearby roads. When passengers can park more easily, the need to be dropped off and picked up reduces, resulting in less traffic. Southampton Southampton Airport has been nominated for one of the travel industry s most prestigious awards. The airport is a finalist for the Airport of the Year Award in the TTG Travel Awards, run by the industry s leading trade newspaper, Travel Trade Gazette. Lucy Huxley, Editor of TTG, said: We had a record number of entries this year, demonstrating the resilience of the travel industry in this recession, so any firm which is short-listed can feel very proud. Entrants are rated by the travel agents they work with, before being judged by panels of industry experts. Winners truly deserve to be named the best in our industry. 9

10 Focus on Airport News London City Airport London City Airport has been awarded a certificate of compliance for indoor air quality in its terminal building. The Green Air Monitoring survey showed that none of the components associated with contamination from aircraft or vehicle exhausts have affected the airport s facility to any degree. Both nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide levels are well below the respective workplace exposure limits. These findings demonstrate that London City Airport is fully compliant with air quality limits for the workplace. The airport has had in place a comprehensive air quality monitoring and management programme throughout the airport for a number of years, being awarded this certificate gives external verification of the airport s efforts. 10

11 Focus on Airline News Airlines review baggage allowance policies British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, in addition to various other airlines, have recently announced changes to their hold baggage allowance policies. In some cases this could mean a reduction to the amount of free baggage being allowed on board, together with an additional charge being made for any extra baggage required. To find out whether these changes are likely to affect you, please contact your Portman consultant who will be able to advise accordingly. e-zone unveiled in Dubai Business Class Lounge Emirates is opening new dedicated airport lounges in Manchester and Birmingham for Business Class and First Class passengers. With Manchester opening on 1 st October and Birmingham on1 st December, this will bring the total number of Emirates lounges to 21. Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC) has been honoured with the prestigious Caterer of the Year award by Delta Air Lines; with Delta Air Lines Managing Director IFS, Peter Wilander and his team travelling to Dubai to personally present EKFC with the coveted trophy. The award, which is presented under the category of Best Business Elite Kitchen Outside of the United States is extremely competitive, with Emirates Flight Catering beating off 53 of the world s top flight catering facilities to take out the title. Qatar Airways will expand its operations in Switzerland by adding an extra flight on the Doha-Zurich route commencing October 25. The extra service on the Zurich route will offer excellent connections via Qatar Airways operational hub of Doha to a host of cities across the airline s global network covering Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East, South East Asia and North America. 11

12 Focus on Airline News From the 25 October, Brussels Airlines will offer twelve weekly flights between the European capital and the Milan Linate airport. With thirty scheduled flights weekly to the city s Malpensa Airport, this means a total of some 42 flights weekly offered between Brussels and Milan. The new service offers a choice of no less than seven daily departures to the economical and tourist key Milanese region. British Airways will launch the first ever longhaul route from London City airport in September. The airline has taken the decision to press ahead with the launch and set a September 29 date for the first flights. The business class-only service will be given the airline's most prestigious flight number, BA001, previously used by Concorde until its retirement in The aircraft on the City-New York service will be specially configured Airbus A318s, the largest aircraft that can be flown from the Docklands airport. Fitted with just 32 seats, which convert to fully flat beds, the aircraft will fly across the Atlantic after a brief refuelling stop at Shannon in the west of Ireland, where customers will be able to clear US Customs and Immigration. Return flights from New York will be non-stop, as the aircraft can use JFK's fulllength runways and take off with sufficient fuel for the whole transatlantic crossing. Key benefits include: Check in just 15 minutes before departure Dedicated departure gate with 'lounge' facilities Customs and Immigration clearance at Shannon, Ireland saving valuable time on arrival at JFK airport 12

13 Focus on Airline News Flybe, the UK's only carrier serving the South West with a direct daily service to London Gatwick, is delighted to celebrate the opening of Newquay Cornwall's new Executive Lounge: its presence now not only firmly positions it as one of the South West's two top leading airports but also as a serious national aviation player. The new Executive Lounge at Newquay Cornwall would normally only be open to Flybe's Economy Plus passengers but, to celebrate the opening of this impressive new facility, Flybe has extended the privilege to now include its Premierecard holders until December 31, Rewards4all, flybe s generous frequent flyer programme, gives members who have collected 20 points or more, the redemption option to receive a Premierecard that allows them access to all Flybe's network of 11 dedicated lounges in major airports around the UK. The opening of this new facility for South West business passengers extends Flybe's ability to offer its passengers Executive Lounge access to no less than 18 UK airports, a much sought-after option not available with any other airline. United Airlines has announced Cashless Cabins, which came into effect from 2 September. The airline will now accept only credit and debit cards for most onboard purchases on flights to and from the UK. To speed cabin service, provide receipts and increase efficiency, cash will no longer be accepted onboard these flights, except for duty-free purchases. Continental Airlines has announced a new daily non-stop service from its hubs at Houston and Cleveland to Washington Dulles International Airport, beginning 1 Nov Continental will offer three daily flights to Dulles from Houston Bush Intercontinental, in addition to two daily flights to Dulles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The new flights will begin just days after Continental plans to join Star Alliance on 27 October. 13

14 Focus on Airline News bmi s new schedule between Manchester and London Heathrow now offers more convenient flight times for travellers connecting onwards with bmi to key destinations within the Middle East, such as Tel Aviv and Beirut or with Star Alliance partners to the Far East. Travellers can now choose from seven daily flights including the new mid-morning service from Manchester to Heathrow, departing 10:50, arriving in the capital at midday. In addition, bmi's services between London Heathrow to Venice, and London Heathrow to Palma will end in November. bmi have also, from September, cancelled services between East Midlands and Cologne, Manchester and Glasgow. Gulf Air recently announced that it will be expanding its network into Iraq. The airline will commence flights four times per week to Najaf from 26 September. This will become a daily service from 26 October. Services to Erbil will begin on 26 October with three flights per week. This will also become a daily service in due course. Etihad Airways to move to LHR Terminal 4 From 30 September 2009 Etihad Airways will operate from Terminal 4 at LHR. This move coincides with the launch of their new daily service to Cape Town. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is to open a new premium lounge at London Heathrow airport as part of the airline s flights moving from Terminal Three to Terminal Four on 30 September First and business class customers and Etihad Guest Gold and Silver card holders will have access to the new lounge, conveniently located opposite the gates most commonly used by Etihad Airways for flight departures. 14

15 Focus on Airline News Ryanair recently announced that it will operate eight new Edinburgh routes to Barcelona (Girona), Brussels (Charleroi), Gdansk, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Memmingen (Munich West), Oslo (Torp) and Tenerife this winter from 30 October. The airline is also extending its summer routes to/from Malta and Rome (Ciampino). Expansion at its Dusseldorf (Weeze) and Madrid bases has also been announced, with two new routes at Dusseldorf (Weeze) to/from Agadir and Fez and four new Madrid routes to/from Fez, Marrakesh, Nador and Tangier. After New York and Tokyo last April, Air France will soon be selling tickets in the Premium Voyageur cabin on flights to four new destinations: Beirut and Singapore on 28 December 2009, then Hong Kong and Beijing on 18 January Air France will also be offering a second daily flight equipped with the Premium Voyageur cabin to Tokyo and New York, starting on 7 and 8 December respectively. By the end of 2010, the Premium Voyageur cabin will be available on the entire Air France long-haul network served by B777s, A340s and A330s. Iberia and its associated carriers. Are now using the new Terminal 1 building at Barcelona s El Prat airport for all flights they operate. After operating for 82 years from the old El Prat terminal buildings, Iberia will now concentrate all its Barcelona flying operations at the single terminal, improving service to passengers. Iberia and its partners will account for the majority of the new terminal flying operations. Together, they will operate some 336 daily outgoing and ingoing flights at the new terminal, connecting with 43 domestic and international destinations. 15

16 Eurostar News From 01 Oct 2009, the lifts at Ebbsfleet International will be closed for essential maintenance for approximately five months. Access to the platforms is available by escalators or stairs however travellers with impaired mobility may prefer to travel from St Pancras International or Ashford International during this period. Eurostar, has now returned to operating a full timetable with more frequent services and faster non-stop journeys - ideal for business travellers. 16

17 Focus on Rail News Important update To date, bookings that are directed to 'manual intervention' ticket queues for printer devices located within your premises have been available for ticketing up until 1800 hours on the next working day after that upon which they were created. Acting on ATOC instructions Railooto has been compelled to reduce the ticketing time limit to 1800 Hrs on the same working day as that upon which the booking is made. The automated booking confirmation from Railooto will be updated to reflect this change in line with the system release and any bookings made after 1800 hours will be held until 1800 the next working day. Please note: this does not affect kiosk/walk-up bookings / ticket issues. Currently, we are unable to give an exact date in October for this change as RSP will not confirm this to us until the accreditation process has been successfully completed, however, we will communicate this to you as soon as we can. Improved seat reservation functionality Railooto will be enhanced to provide additional seat selection options during the reservation process which will mean you can select a seat with a table or a seat with an electric socket etc. The booker will also have the choice as to whether or not they wish to actually reserve a seat (this option will only apply when a seat reservation is not mandatory and on services that offer pre-booking of seats). This enhancement is due in October At the beginning of July it was announced that National Express had advised the DfT that while the National Express East Coast business will continue to operate the East Coast franchise, National Express can only continue to provide financial support for the business until the committed funding that was agreed at the time the franchise was created is fully used. At this point, the franchise will then pass over to the DfT, December 2009 is thought to be the change over date however nothing has been confirmed yet. 17

18 Focus on Rail News Updates from Virgin Trains Virgin Pendolino trains run on services between London Euston and the West Midlands, North West England and Scotland. Virgin Super Voyagers run on services between London Euston and North Wales via Chester, between London Euston and North West England and from Birmingham to Glasgow/Edinburgh. Virgin Pendolino trains now feature Wi-Fi internet access onboard, charged at a special rate in Standard. This is available across their network where we operate Pendolino trains, it's easy, simple, fast and reliable. Super Voyager trains will also be fitted with Wi-Fi towards the end of the year. Pendolinos and Super Voyagers differ slightly from each other, so please be sure to familiarize yourself with the train you are traveling on when you board. Virgin trains travel at speeds of up to 125mph making your journey smooth, fast and enjoyable. What's more, Pendolino trains emit 76% less CO2 than cars or domestic flights. Virgin offer exciting onboard facilities including Wi-Fi internet access, boosted mobile phone signal, a specially designed self-service shop, selling everything from fresh coffee and tea to sandwiches and magazines, power points for charging mobile phones and laptops and window blinds. The onboard magazine, Hotline, is packed full of interesting articles, events across the Virgin network and useful information. Customers can also relax and recuperate in the Quiet Zone carriage on both Pendolinos and Super Voyagers. In addition to the onboard features, designated wheelchair and priority seating areas are available for mobility impaired customers, complete with audio system and panic alarm, as well as specially adapted toilets. We close boarding gates at least one minute before the train is ready to depart to make sure it is prepared safely for departure and can leave on time. At London Euston this time is extended to two minutes. 18

19 Focus on Rail News High Speed Line HS1 The new HS1 140mph commuter service (the high-speed line which runs for 68 miles between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel) will be fitted with premium economy seats. Hitachi Rail Group who made the carriages said that they did a lot of work with UK interior designers and did a lot of research with passenger groups mostly headed up by the operator Southeastern. Hitachi Rail Group built a full size mock-up of a passenger coach and cab and ordered three or four different designs of seats from different suppliers, they then used them in their office s for six months. By doing this all day every day they soon found out what was comfortable and what worked. The new carriages are just one class, with a total of 338 seats in each train in a 2-2 configuration, with power sockets situated between each pair of seats. The maximum capacity for each train is 508 including those standing, although there are no grab rails running down the centre of the coaches. The trains have been designed to the latest European highspeed standards which are incredibly demanding in terms of structural safety. The new service started its preview runs on 29th June 2009 whilst its full service commences on 13th December

20 Focus on Rail News Missed your Tube Why not walk instead? 20

21 Welcome to Computer Cab services, Network Rail s preferred supplier of taxis within London and the M25. To use our services you will need to register. To register please send an to accountadmin@comcab.co.uk providing the below information: Employee No Cost Centre Address You will then receive an detailing your account number, registration number and the telephone number you will need to make bookings. You can either book your taxi by ringing your priority booking line or alternatively book via the internet at: You will then need to: State your 5-digit account number or your 9-digit Cabcharge card number (NB: If booking on a Cabcharge card you must also State your 4-digit security code) State your 6-character registration number State your cost centre State required time & date State Pick-up address State Destination Address State the contact name State contact telephone number State any special instructions for driver Please note that without the appropriate account or Cabcharge card number and a valid registration number you will not be able to proceed with the booking. Please note Cabcharge cards are available for EGU s only. 21