We are very pleased to welcome to the UNIGLOBE family as our newest Global Partner, AR Group of Sweden.

Headquartered in Umeå in the north, where you can play golf at 2 a.m. in June, AR Group also has offices in Stockholm and Upsalla.

Internationally the only airlines to be affected are Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines as they are the only ones that operate between these times. Both Airlines have made alterations or cancellations to their schedules accordingly.

Officials have also added that as they are able to keep part of the runway open for use by smaller aircraft such as ATRs, Boeing 737’s, Airbus-319 and Airbus-320 they will be able to take off and land. This should mean that short haul internal flights will remain largely unaffected.

It is very important that you check with your travel agent that any flight that you have booked is not effected by this disruption as you my find that flights have been diverted to an other airport such as Pune or Ahmedabad.

Terminal 3 has undergone a multi-million pound transformation to enhance the customer journey at London Heathrow and will feature;

• A separate Qantas and British Airways First check-in suite for the exclusive use of First customers, Chairmans Lounge members and Platinum Frequent Flyers located in Zone G
• Dedicated Business and Premium Economy, Qantas Club check-in counters located in Zone G
• Economy, Online Check-in, Bag Drop counters located in Zone F
• The Galleries First lounge for Qantas First customers, Chairmans Lounge members and Platinum Frequent Flyers, and the Galleries Club Lounge

The Star Alliance network aims to provide fast and convenient connections for customers needing to transfer between flights of different Star Alliance member carriers. Effective immediately, through check-in from the originating airport is available for any itinerary involving a Continental flight in conjunction with another Star Alliance flight.

OnePass members may accumulate and redeem miles on Continental and 24 Star Alliance member airlines, while Elite members will be recognized with added benefits around the world. Going forward with over 800 locations, the Star Alliance lounge network is the largest in the world.

Please check with your consultants before booking, alternatively we do have a copy of the new timetable in our office should you need to take a closer look.

Return flights to New York from as little as £299, Dubai from £324 and a one way London – Zurich from £49, please check with our consultants for more details on your specific route of interest.

Key information:

• Duration of the sale – 2 weeks
• World & Euro Traveller must be booked by Tuesday 17^th November
• First, Club and World Traveller Plus must be booked by Tuesday 24^th November
• Travel dates – 05 November 2009 – 30 June 2010 – depending on class of travel and destination

In giving you more leg room you would think that they are effectively reducing the number of seat that can be installed and you would be right. This had led to some lateral thinking by the airlines over the physical configuration of the seating itself. Idea’s that go back as far as the 50’s 60’s and that are currently in use on military aircraft are now being reconsidered by the various think tanks that have been employed by the airlines to maximise seating.

Probably the least controversial idea being explored is that of simply raising the seating by around by as little as seven inches which would allow bag storage below and far greater head room above. You would simply step up to your seat, leading to a more spacious feel to your trip in addition to extended vertical leg room.

A more radical suggestion is for sideways seating with your backs against the windows and centre rows facing the windows. Whist the flip base seats will lead to a very spacious feel to the cabin, especially on boarding, it is hard to see how this could translate to a viable space for business travellers. The biggest drawbacks for the business traveller over the ad hoc leisure traveller are likely to be the lack of privacy and seat back tray to work on. Whilst the military currently use this format for flights of up to 14 hours, it is thought to only really be appropriate for up to 2 hours for civilians (with harness-style belt at every seat).

It is important to remember that anything that an airlines wishes to put in place has to conform to very strict safety legislation and the potential re-fitting of aircraft cabins with any of the above is not likely to happen for many years.

Initial discussions have taken place and Mark is now welcoming fellow Uniglobe agents along for the challenge. This is expected to be a once in lifetime trip that will be exhilarating, exciting, exhausting and most of all a huge achievement,  however the main goal will be to raise as much money as possible for charity.

Each climber will need to raise a minimum amount, half of which can be put towards a local charity of their choice while the other half will go towards The Laurie Radloff Fund which has been making a difference and changing children’s lives in Africa for the better for several years now.

Closer to the time of ascent we will post details of how you can support Mark and the team by donating money to their nominated charities. All the money you donate goes directly to the charities, and provides much needed motivation on what is sure to be a daunting but rewarding challenge!

There has been and still will be much conjecture and debate over the future of the Airport. Gatwick will be the second airport that GIP own, the first being London City and they have made clear their intension to improve and expand the services and capacity of the Gatwick site. It is reported that GIP intend to the look more towards the leisure market for it’s growth but not at the expense of business travellers. Gatwick currently services approx 45 million passengers and they are looking to increase this to 80 million in the coming years. To put that into perspective, last year 67 million people used London Heathrow.

There are plans to build a second run way to give the extra capacity target and that is only going to mean more flights and busier schedules. More passengers means more cars needing more car parks service by more shuttle buses on the roads in the surrounding area. Their is currently an injunction preventing the second runway till 2019, but GIP is looking to accelerate the planning process so as to be in an position to take full advantage once the time comes.

Of course, any expansion will mean more employment opportunities, whether that be in the construction aspect at the beginning or the everyday staff side of things to make the infrastructure to keep it working ongoing. Much needed opportunities for local businesses and individuals alike are bound to be a very positive spin off.

This has all been brought about by Lufthansa working closely with Panasonic and it will mean that passengers will be able to use text messaging and high speed wi-fi during flights. Also available will be text messaging via GSM / GPRS. We understand that Lufthansa are hoping to have the ‘major part’ of it’s long haul fleet equipped by the end of next year.

How much will it cost
Lufthansa have yet to publish any prices for the service but it is thought that there is to be a number of pricing structures. these could range from a ‘pay as you go’ method through to monthly fee for regular flyers. It is also likely that loyalty points will be redeemable against access.

CT Business Travel Analysis
Lufthansa are not the first to be talking about a service of this nature but given their size it is likely to come about and it will be a very attractive lure to business travellers. In the past American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Virgin America have announced deal with technology providers. Interestingly BA already offer the service on its London city to New York route which commenced last month.