Travel Information
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 5:19PM Updated daily - or more often if there are problems to report
WoW is supported by Beziers Cap D'Agde Airport
The Friendly Airport - Gateway to the "Real" South of France.
+++
Airline links
+++
_________________________________________________________________________________
AVRIL 2013 : TRAFIC EN HAUSSE RECORD DE 17%
L’aéroport de Montpellier Méditerranée affiche le meilleur
score de trafic pour un mois d’avril depuis 2003
L’aéroport de Montpellier Méditerranée a accueilli 123.290 passagers en avril 2013 en hausse de 17% par rapport au même mois de l’année 2012. C’est un record pour un mois d’avril depuis 2003. Tous les axes National, Europe et International sont à la hausse.
La desserte vers Paris (Orly + Roissy) affiche un nouveau mois de hausse, après le mois de mars, à +5.5%.
Paris Orly confirme ce mois encore la tendance positive constatée depuis février 2013 grâce à l’effet Prix Minis et au nouvel horaire plus confortable pour la clientèle affaires sur le 1er vol vers Orly.
Le trafic sur les lignes régionales a plus que doublé d’une année sur l’autre, porté par les ouvertures de lignes directes en concurrence avec les compagnies aériennes Hop et Volotea sur Lille, Nantes et Strasbourg.
Le trafic national – cumul Paris et Régions – progresse ainsi de +22.2%, l’Europe de + 6.3%, et l’International est en hausse de +5.6% avec de belles progressions enregistrées pour les lignes vers Nador et vers Fès.
Au cumul, à fin avril 2013, le trafic de l’aéroport de Montpellier Méditerranée atteint 393.892 passagers, en hausse de +4.4%.
Par ailleurs, un trafic de 3.000 passagers (arrivée + départ) a créé un bonus pour le mois d’avril grâce à l’accueil de vols spéciaux pour la ½ finale H cup. Le mois d’avril est aussi celui de l’ouverture de la nouvelle ligne vers Rome et la reprise des dessertes estivales (Rotterdam, Leeds Bradford, Birmingham, Munich).
Montpellier Airport sees 6.8% growth in March
Montpellier Méditerranée Airport welcomed 103,203 passengers in March 2013 up 6.8% compared to the same month of 2012, driven by two sectors: French passenger number up 9.4% and the rest of Europe up 5.2%.
But bad that affected the northern part of France weather impacted traffic up to 1.6% of monthly traffic.
Lines to Paris Orly and Paris Roissy recorded an increase in traffic of 2.9%.
Regional services continue to grow strongly - up more than 50% - The new low cost French carrier HOP! reports passenger volumes to and from Nantes up by 73%.
European flight increase by 5.2% - mainly Ryanair from Frankfurt Hahn up 26% and London Gatwick easyJet up 11%.
International, the line to Fez grew by more than 16%.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Rome Alitalia baggage handlers arrested over thefts
.
Alitalia said passengers who lost their luggage had been reimbursedItalian police have arrested 19 baggage handlers working for Alitalia at Rome's Fiumicino airport as part of a probe into suitcase theft, reports say.
The suspects were currently being kept under house arrest, police said.
Another 10 of the airline's workers have reportedly been detained and dozens more are being questioned at airports across Italy.
Those in Bologna, Verona and Naples have also been investigated as part of the year-long police operation.
Officers in Lamezia Terme, a town in the southern region of Calabria, told the Ansa news agency that they were investigating more than 100 reports of theft, attempted theft and damage.
"Our security services have collaborated closely with the police," an Alitalia spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
"The passengers who lost their luggage have been reimbursed. We are the victims here."
Those found guilty of stealing luggage could reportedly face up to six months in prison.
RYANAIR APRIL TRAFFIC GROWS 200,000 (+2%)
79.4M PAX CARRIED IN 12 MONTHS TO APRIL 13 (UP 4%)
Ryanair today (2 May) released passenger and load factor stats for April 2013, with its monthly traffic increasing by 200,000 (up 2%) to 7.4m passengers over April 2012. Ryanair’s rolling 12-month traffic to April 2013 rose by 4% to a record 79.4m passengers, as follows:
|
|
Apr 13 |
Change |
Yr to Apr 13 |
|
|
Passengers |
7.2M |
7.4M |
+2% |
79.4M (+4%) |
|
Load Factor |
81% |
81% |
0% |
82% |
BAGGAGE REPORT 2013
Overall rates down 1.78% and transfer mishandling down 9%
The ninth annual SITA Baggage Report shows a continued improvement in the industry's mishandling rates. In 2012, there were 8.83 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, a 44.5% drop over the last six years.
One area the industry is focusing on is improving baggage transfers between flights. This is traditionally a 'pinch point' in the baggage handling process and the leading cause of delay. Last year, mishandled transfer bags were down 9% from 2011.
Download the 2013 Baggage Report for free (registration is required)
(6.83 MB)
Download the full 2013 Baggage Report to get an in-depth understanding of:
- Key statistics
- Six-year trends
- Regional baggage performance - airline and airport perspectives
- Taking control of transfer bags
- Latest industry innovations
- Commentary from major airlines, airports and industry partners - including Iberia, Helsinki Airport, London City Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Bangalore Airport, ACI and IATA
RYANAIR MARCH TRAFFIC DOWN 1%
79.3M PAX CARRIED IN 12 MONTHS TO MARCH 13 (UP 5%)
Ryanair released passenger and load factor stats for March 2013, during which its monthly traffic fell – as previously guided – by 1% over March 2012 as Ryanair grounded up to 80 aircraft.
Ryanair’s traffic and load factor stats for March 2013 are as follows:
|
|
Mar 12
|
Mar 13
|
Change
|
Yr to Mar 13 |
|
Passengers |
5.5M |
5.4M |
-1% |
79.3M (+5%) |
|
Load Factor |
78% |
79% |
+1% |
82% |
LANCEMENT DU PROGRAMME ETE 2013
Nouvelle ligne sur Edimbourg,
Offre en progression de 7%
Le programme Eté 2013 de l’AEROPORT BEZIERS CAP D’AGDE débutera ce dimanche 31 mars pour 7 mois avec, en point d’orgue, l’arrivée du premier vol en provenance d’Edimbourg, 9ème destination desservie par la plateforme et 8ème opérée par RYANAIR.
La ligne sur la capitale écossaise sera assurée deux fois par semaine les mercredis et dimanches. Au vu du bon état des réservations, une 3ème fréquence a été ajoutée tous les vendredis du mois de juillet.
En parallèle, l’aéroport reprend l’ensemble de ses dessertes et fréquences d’été.
- RYANAIR :
Bristol (4 vols/sem.),
Londres Luton (4 vols/sem.),
Paris Beauvais (4 vols/sem.),
Düsseldorf Weeze (2 vols/sem.),
Stockholm (2 vols/sem.)
Oslo (2 à 3 vols vols/sem.),
Manchester (2 vols/sem.) ;
- FLYBE : Southampton (2 vols/sem.).
Des vols supplémentaires sont attendus pour les mois de juillet et août.
L’offre globale sur la période d’été est en progression de 7%.
Le niveau des réservations enregistrées à fin mars est très encourageant. Dans un contexte économique difficile, il devrait permettre à l’aéroport de franchir un nouveau cap historique de trafic avec plus de 230 000 passagers sur l’année 2013.
Cet été, près de 100 personnes travailleront sur l’aéroport, toute activité confondue.
Les retombées économiques générées par l’aéroport ont récemment fait l’objet d’une nouvelle évaluation dans le cadre d’une enquête régionale : elles se sont élevées à 65 M€ pour l’année 2012. Un nouvel espace dédié à la valorisation du territoire et de l’offre touristique a été mis en place dans l’aérogare, en relation avec les agences et offices de tourisme partenaires.
Contact presse
Pascal Pintre, Directeur du Syndicat mixte : 06 80 45 72 76
.
+++
Lo cost trains from Montpellier
TVG Ouigo
| Lundi | Mardi | Mercredi | Jeudi | Vendredi | Samedi | Dimanche |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n° train | départ | arrivée | durée | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6290 | 15:24 | 18:59 | 3:35 | |||
| Lundi | Mardi | Mercredi | Jeudi | Vendredi | Samedi | Dimanche |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
http://ventes.ouigo.com/CalendarSelect.aspx
Refurbished trains
___________________________________________________________________________________
ARRIVER PLUS TOT A PARIS :
MODIFICATION DE L’HORAIRE DU 1ER VOL VERS ORLY - MONTPELLIER
Dès le mardi 02 avril , Air France modifie l’horaire du 1er vol vers Paris Orly en avançant le départ de 30 minutes.
Désormais, du lundi au samedi, le vol AF7541 qui relie Montpellier à Paris Orly décollera à 06h50, au lieu de 7h20,
et se posera sur le tarmac parisien à 08h10 au lieu de 08h40.
C’est donc l’assurance de pouvoir être au centre de la capitale avant 09h15, à l’ouverture des bureaux.
Cet aménagement horaire apporte un confort de transport aux clientèles affaires et loisirs vers Paris.
Pour les Montpelliérains, grâce à l’avion, il ne sera désormais plus nécessaire de se lever aux aurores pour être à Paris à 09h00.
Cette nouvelle offensive de la compagnie Air France vient en complément de la nouvelle structure tarifaire ‘Prix Minis’.
Depuis le 06 février 2013, et désormais toute l’année, l’aller simple entre Montpellier et Paris Orly est à partir de 49€ l’aller simple*
Ce nouveau prix d’appel est applicable aussi au 1er vol du matin, AF7541, départ à 06H50.
Potential adverse weather conditions across the UK
Saturday 23rd March
Weather forecasts for the UK predict the potential for adverse weather on Saturday 23rd March, with Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester likely to see the worst of the conditions.
If travelling from these UK airports we recommend you allow plenty of time for your journey and regularly check the status of your flight.
London Luton & Manchester Airport – Potential Security Queues
Friday 29th March to Monday 01st April
During the busy Easter period, London Luton & Manchester Airports are operating at full capacity. As such, there is a likelihood that there will be congestion at security screening due to increased passenger volumes. We strongly recommend you allow extra time for your travel through the airport, especially if you are travelling on early morning departures.
To help you we will be opening check-in at 3 hours before departure and will close 1 hour prior to departure. If you are not checking in hold bags it will be much quicker for you to check-in online and go straight to security with your cabin baggage.
Gatwick
We're operating as normal today, but please allow plenty of time for your journey to Gatwick.
Check our website for the latest flight information and everything you need to help you prepare for your flight and journey through the airport.
Weather Warning for London Luton Airport
Published: 23 March 2013
Winter weather conditions are forecast for our region
The Airport is currently fully operational however with some delays to flights.
Advice for passengers is to allow extra time for your journey and check the status of your flight with the appropriate airline before travelling to the Airport.
Click here for Airline Contact details.
We will update this message if the situation changes.
Follow us on Twitter @LDNLutonAirport
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ryanair, Boeing complete purchase agreement for 175 737-800s
When finalized, deal will allow Ryanair to grow traffic to more than 100 million passengers per annum, and create more than 3,000 new jobs across the airline
Ryanair today (19 Mar) signed an agreement with the Boeing Company to purchase 175 new Next Generation 737-800 airplanes. When finalised, the deal will be worth nearly $15.6 billion at current list prices, and will allow Ryanair to grow its airline to more than 400 airplanes, serving more than 100 million passengers per year across Europe by the end of the delivery stream in 2018.
The agreement was signed by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President CEO Ray Conner in New York (19 Mar). Upon approval by Ryanair’s shareholders, the purchase will become Boeing’s largest deal to date in 2013 and will be the largest ever aircraft order from a European airline. It will sustain thousands of skilled manufacturing jobs in Boeing and its supplier companies and will represent the largest ever capital investment by an Irish company in U.S. manufacturing and U.S. jobs.
These Boeing airplanes will create more than 3,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers at Ryanair’s growing number of aircraft bases across Europe. Approximately 75 of these new aircraft will replace some of Ryanair’s existing fleet of 305 Boeing 737s, but the remainder will drive new growth of Ryanair’s fleet of young, highly efficient airplanes. These airplanes will allow Ryanair to grow its low-cost airline service by about 5 percent per annum over the next several years, taking Ryanair’s traffic to over 100 million passengers by March 2019.
As Ryanair continues to plan its future as Europe’s low-cost airline leader, it continues to evaluate the benefits of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft which enters service in 2017.
________________________________________________________________________________
From 11 May this year - two flights a week
Montpellier to London Luton
Saturday and Tuesdays
+++
From July there will be four flights a week
Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday
+++
The little yellow train continues through the snow
Pictured Weds 14 March in Font Romeu
Snow plough if needed at the ready!
Montpellier Airport
OBJET : METEO –VOLS ANNULES
|
En raison des mauvaises conditions météorologiques dans le Nord de la France, le trafic est perturbé, à l'arrivée et au départ de Montpellier.
Vols annulés – MERCREDI 13 MARS 2013
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne.
Vous pouvez suivre les prévisions de vols sur www.montpellier.aeroport.fr,
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation.
|
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Note from easyJet
Paris Orly and Charles De Gaulle airports-Hazardous conditions
Wednesday 13th March
Both Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports have experienced adverse weather conditions over the past 24 hours. This has led to icy conditions on the roads and airport access areas, therefore we would strongly encourage all passengers to allow additional time when travelling to these airports.
Ryanair cancellations today
Flight Cancellations - 13 March
13/03/2013
.
| Flight Number | From | To |
| FR5444 | Madrid | Paris Beauvais |
| FR8413 | Budapest | Paris Beauvais |
| FR9631 | Rome Ciampino | Paris Beauvais |
| FR4231 | Bergamo | Paris Beauvais |
| FR9613 | Oslo Rygge | Paris Beauvais |
| FR9135 | Oporto | Paris Beauvais |
| FR24 | Dublin | Paris Beauvais |
| FR9101 | Girona | Paris Beauvais |
| FR9503 | Stockholm Skavsta | Paris Beauvais |
| FR7234 | Paris Beauvais | Vilnius |
| FR6832 | Edinburgh | Paris Beauvais |
| FR5213 | Paris Beauvais | Marrakesh |
| FR8414 | Paris Beauvais | Budapest |
| FR9632 | Paris Beauvais | Rome Ciampino |
| FR4055 | Paris Beauvais | Warsaw Chopin |
| FR2243 | Paris Beauvais | Nador |
| FR5223 | Paris Beauvais | Fex |
| FR9134 | Paris Beauvais | Oporto |
| FR9182 | Paris Beauvais | Marseille |
| FR6921 | Paris Beauvais | Turin |
________________________________________________________________________________
Vols annulés – MARDI 12 MARS 2013
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7688 – 08h45
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7546 –12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7548 –14h40
Bruxelles CRL >> Montpellier FR8077 – 16h00
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7544 –18h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7552 –19h40
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7686 – 19h45
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7689 – 10h15
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Bruxelles CRL FR8078 – 16h25
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7557 – 19h25
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7553 – 20h25
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7685 – 20h40
|
_________________________________________________________________________
12 March 2013 – update 11.30
Severe weather conditions overnight in Northern France and Belgium have led to the closure of the high speed line.
Eurostar is not able to run any services for the remainder of the day.
Passengers will not be able to travel on Eurostar services today and should not come to our stations.
+++
3 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés de/vers Paris Orly, ce qui représente un total de :
9 vols Air France annulés sur les 16 initialement programmés de/vers Paris Orly
4 vols Air France annulés sur les 8 initialement programmés de/vers Paris Roissy
Vols annulés – MARDI 12 MARS 2013
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7688 – 08h45
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7546 –12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7548 –14h40
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7544 –18h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7552 –19h40
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7686 – 19h45
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7689 – 10h15
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7557 – 19h25
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7553 – 20h25
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7685 – 20h40
|
Ryanair 12 Mar- Flight Cancellations -
Belgium & France
Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions Ryanair has been forced to cancel the below flights. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by these flight cancellations.
Current Status (10.00 GMT)
Beauvais Airport is closed until 16.00 local time
Charleroi Airport is permitting aircraft departures only
Hahn Airport is currently closed due to snow
Cancellations for today
| Flight No. | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Flight No. | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR6733 | Alghero | Brussels Charleroi | FR9181 | Marseille | Paris Beauvais | |
| FR6374 | Barcelona El Prat | Paris Beauvais | FR4231 | Milan Bergamo | Paris Beauvais | |
| FR4303 | Bologna | Paris Beauvais | FR6375 | Paris Beauvais | Barcelona El Prat | |
| FR6732 | Brussels Charleroi | Alghero | FR4304 | Paris Beauvais | Bologna | |
| FR6393 | Brussels Charleroi | Barcelona El Prat | FR25 | Paris Beauvais | Dublin | |
| FR6082 | Brussels Charleroi | Budapest | FR9182 | Paris Beauvais | Marseille | |
| FR8023 | Brussels Charleroi | Carcassonne | FR4232 | Paris Beauvais | Milan Bergamo | |
| FR43 | Brussels Charleroi | Dublin | FR9134 | Paris Beauvais | Porto | |
| FR5463 | Brussels Charleroi | Madrid | FR9632 | Paris Beauvais | Rome Ciampino | |
| FR3223 | Brussels Charleroi | Manchester | FR9503 | Paris Beauvais | Stockholm Skavsta | |
| FR4522 | Brussels Charleroi | Milan Bergamo | FR7774 | Paris Beauvais | Tangier | |
| FR3745 | Brussels Charleroi | Pisa | FR3746 | Pisa | Brussels Charleroi | |
| FR6105 | Brussels Charleroi | Rome Ciampino | FR9135 | Porto | Paris Beauvais | |
| FR6053 | Brussels Charleroi | Venice Treviso | FR6106 | Rome Ciampino | Brussels Charleroi | |
| FR8024 | Carcassonne | Brussels Charleroi | FR9504 | Stockholm Skavsta | Paris Beauvais | |
| FR24 | Dublin | Paris Beauvais | FR7775 | Tangier | Paris Beauvais | |
| FR6006 | Lille | Marseille | FR6054 | Venice Treviso | Brussels Charleroi | |
| FR6005 | Marseille | Lille |
+++
RYANAIR DELIVERS RECORD WINTER PUNCTUALITY
OVER 91% OF 226,000 FLIGHTS (SEPT - FEB) ARRIVED ON-TIME
Ryanair today (12 Mar) unveiled its record winter on-time flight performance, with an average 91% of all 226,000 flights during the months of September, October, November, December, January and February arriving on-time despite adverse winter weather.
Less than 400 (0.002%) of Ryanair’s 226,000 flights were cancelled during this six-month period, during which Ryanair carried over 33.5m passengers.
.
RYANAIR’S WINTER 2013 FLIGHT STATS
|
Month |
Pax |
Flights |
On-Time |
|
Sept |
7.8m |
50,000 |
93% |
|
Oct |
7.5m |
49,000 |
92% |
|
Nov |
4.9m |
33,000 |
93% |
|
Dec |
4.8m |
32,000 |
89% |
|
Jan |
4.3m |
33,000 |
90% |
|
Feb |
4.2m |
29,000 |
91% |
|
Total |
33.5m |
226,000 |
Ave: 91% |
.
SNOW - cancellations today from Montpellier to Paris
Vols annulés – MARDI 12 MARS 2013
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7688 – 08h45
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7546 –12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7552 –19h40
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7686 – 19h45
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7689 – 10h15
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7553 – 20h25
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7685 – 20h40
|
_________________________________________________________________________________
RYANAIR FEB TRAFFIC DOWN 3%
79.3M PAX CARRIED IN 12 MONTHS TO FEB 13 (UP 4 %)
Ryanair, today (5 Mar) released passenger and load factor stats for Feb 2013, during which its adjusted monthly traffic fell – as previously guided – by 3% over Feb 2012 as Ryanair grounded up to 80 aircraft. Feb 2012 was a leap year and thus had 29 days which accounts for a further 3% drop in traffic.
Ryanair’s traffic and load factor stats for Feb 2013 are as follows:
|
|
Feb 12 (29 days) |
Feb 13 (28 days) |
Change (-3%) |
Yr to Feb 13 |
|
Passengers |
4.47M |
4.20M |
-6% |
79.3M (+4%) |
|
Load Factor |
76% |
77% |
+1% |
82% |
.
.
Ryanair to increase EU261 fee to
cover compensation claims
LOOK out for an increase from €2 to €2.50 in the fee Ryanair charges to pay for the European Union's EU261 legislation which offers passengers compensation.
The increase comes after the airline lost a case in the European Court of Justice brought by a passenger who was stuck by the volcanic ash cloud in Iceland in 2010, who claimed compensation of £968 to cover accommodation, transport and meals.
Ryanair argued that it could not be held responsible for such events, which it said were beyond its control and that airlines were now the 'insurer of last resort'.
Ryanair said: "Making airlines financially liable for volcanoes in Iceland, snow in Heathrow or regular ATC strikes in France and Spain is the equivalent of making Toyota and Audi liable for traffic jams in London. We should not be liable for compensation for events which are clearly outside of our control."
Current regulations provide passengers with compensation dependent upon the distance involved, and further details can be found on the European Air Passengers Rights website.
Ryanair applies the EU261 fee on a per passenger basis for all bookings, and the increase will come into force from March 1, 2013.
Thanks to LFN for this
______________________________________________________________________________
SNCF unveils Ouigo low-cost TGV service
FRANCE: SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and Director of the long-distance passenger business Barbara Dalibard unveiled details of the national operator's 'Ouigo' branded low-cost TGV service on February 19.
From April 2 Ouigo services will run from Marne-la-Vallée Chessy station on the eastern outskirts of Paris to Marseille and Montpellier. There will be three return services a day and four on Sundays.
Tickets can only be booked on line, with fares for the single class priced according to demand and ranging from €10 to €85. Children accompanied by an adult pay a flat fare of €5 and SNCF says that 25% of the seats will be sold at less than €25.
Four double-deck TGV Duplex sets have been refurbished at SNCF's Bischheim workshops to operate Ouigo services, operating in pairs to offer a total of 1 268 seats or 20% more than a standard formation. No catering facilities are provided and the bar area has been replaced with additional luggage space. Each Ouigo passenger is entitled to take one piece of baggage free of charge, up to two extra items being charged at €5 or €10 each.
To enable tickets to be checked before boarding, passengers are required to arrive at the station at least 30 min before departure. SNCF says at least four on-train personnel will be present during the journey.
'The challenge that we have wanted to meet is to reduce our operating costs by 30%', said Dalibard. According to Pepy, 'with unbeatable value for money and more choice for everyone, SNCF has created the model for hyper-accessible high-speed travel'.
__________________________________________________________________________________
New brand of low cost airline - but really Air France plus
From Montpellier to 4 French airports
Lille
Nantes
Strasbourg
Lyon
It is expected that 165,000 passengers a year will use this new service from Montpellier which starts at the end of March. Not really intended for Anglophones - the website is only in French.
AirFrance, BritAir and Airliner are re-branding their planes which will connect 81 French airports and 20 outside the Hexagone and boast a capacity of 4 million passengers
Starting in April with single prices from 59.15€ this is not too much of a threat to easyJet and Ryanair
RYANAIR JAN TRAFFIC FALLS BY 50,000 PAX (-1%)
79.6M PAX CARRIED IN 12 MONTHS TO JAN 13
Ryanair has released passenger and load factor stats for Jan 2013, with its monthly traffic falling – as previously guided – by 50,000 (-1%) over Jan 2012 as Ryanair grounded up to 80 aircraft following the busy Christmas period.
Ryanair’s traffic and load factor stats for Jan 2013 are as follows:
|
|
Jan 12 |
Jan 13 |
Change |
Yr to Jan 13 |
|
Passengers |
4.40M |
4.35M |
-1% |
79.6M |
|
Load Factor |
71% |
71% |
- |
82% |
Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:
“As previously guided, Ryanair’s January 2013 traffic fell by 50,000 (-1%) over January 2012 as we grounded up to 80 aircraft following the busy Christmas season. However, Ryanair enjoyed another record 12-month period to January 2013, with almost 80m passengers choosing one of our ultra-low fares since January 2012.”
EU COURT DECISION WILL INCREASE CONSUMER AIRFARES - Ryanair
Ryanair regrets the decision of the European Court which now allows passengers to claim for flight cancellations which are clearly and unambiguously outside of an airline’s control.
When governments closed large swathes of European airspace unnecessarily in response to non-existent ‘ash clouds’ over Ireland the UK and continental Europe in 2010, the travel insurance companies escaped liability by claiming it was an ‘act of God’.
Week’s ruling by the European Court now makes the airlines the insurer of last resort even when in the majority of cases (such as ATC cancellation or national strikes in Europe) these cancellations are entirely beyond an airline’s control.
Week’s decision will materially increase the cost of flying across Europe and consumer airfares will increase as airlines will be obliged to recover the cost of these claims from their customers, because the defective European regulation does not allow us to recover such costs from the governments or unions who are responsible for over 95% of flight cancellations in Europe.”
NOTE TO EDITOR
The decision in week’s test case has no retrospective impact for Ryanair as all other ‘ash’ related claims have been settled with passengers
++
At last! - a roundabout for Beziers Cap D'Agde airport
.
Duration of work : 3-4 months
Amount of works : € 620,000 VAT
Funding : Department 80% + 20% Syndicat Mixte Airport Beziers / Cap d'Agde
Number of passengers airport Beziers / Cap d'Agde : 223 800 2012
Number of passengers airport Beziers / Cap d'Agde : 240,000 2013 projected
Number of vehicles / day was on RD612 : 27,000
Number of vehicles / day in the year RD612 : 20,000 (average) with 4.45% PL
Plastic fantastic: EU driving licence launched on 19 January
New European driving licences will be issued according to a new credit-card style format; currently, more than 300 million drivers across the EU use a variation of paper and plastic models. Of all the great details of the new unified driving licence (such as theoptional microchip), its comparison with a bank card perfectly defines the climate of privatisation that is sweeping Europe in its fifth year of the crisis. In the ‘one Europe, one driving licence’ video released by the European commission, a series of walking ID cards and official documents from the 27 EU member states attend a fictional catwalk show to unveil the new EUdriving licence. It’s funny, but why make the walking Dutch passport the spoilsport of the party – and where does the punchbowl come from that it accidentally drops in the first twelve seconds of the advert? For an advert about harmony in the EU, it’s less than harmonious with its pointers
________________________________________________________________________________
93% OF RYANAIR PASSENGERS WILL FLY RYANAIR AGAIN
62% FLEW 4 (OR MORE) TIMES LAST YEAR
95% THINK RYANAIR PROVIDES EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY
Ryanair today (29 Jan) published results of a customer service survey of 10,000 passengers taken across the 28 European countries it operates to/from, which revealed that 93% of passengers will fly Ryanair again and that 62% flew on its low fares at least 4 times in the last 12 months.
Ryanair’s survey, completed by over 10,000 passengers, found that 95% of passengers said Ryanair offered excellent value for money, with 93% enjoying an on-time flight, 87% expressing their overall satisfaction and 84% confirming they would recommend Ryanair to a friend.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“Ryanair will carry over 80m passengers this year by delivering the lowest fares and the best customer service comprising the most on-time flights, the least mishandled bags and the fewest cancellations, as well as the low fares and no fuel surcharges.
Ryanair will continue to deliver the lowest fares on Europe’s largest flight network, with a commitment to continuing to deliver the best customer service, which has resulted in 93% passengers confirming they will fly with Ryanair again.”
Chairman of easyJet to step down
 File photo of an EasyJet plane parked on the snow covered tarmac of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport, outside Paris, France. (AFP Photo) |
|
LONDON: British no-frills airline easyJet announced on Sunday that its chairman Mike Rake is to step down this year, following a long battle with the company's founder and largest shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
"Sir Mike Rake has informed the Board of his intention to step down as a non-executive director and as Chairman of easyJet plc in Summer 2013," the airline said in a statement.
It added that Rake, who has been easyJet chairman since January 2010, has agreed to remain in the post until a suitable replacement is found.
Haji-Ioannou had made several attempts to oust the chairman following disputes over executive bonuses and plans to order new planes.
The airline, which on Thursday announced a 9 percent boost in revenues in the last quarter, is poised to enter the FTSE 100 share index of Britain's largest 100 companies.
"EasyJet has by any definition enjoyed a period of success and profitable growth in the last three years," said Rake.
"As this takes the airline to the threshold of entry to the FTSE 100 it is the right time for me to stand down."
Rake is also chairman of British telecoms giant BT and his departure means he avoids a breach of guidelines stating that no one should lead more than one FTSE 100 company at once.
Haji-Ioannou, who founded easyJet in 1995, has had several high-profile rows with executives in recent years over the running of the company.
Last year he was defeated in his attempt to throw out a multimillion-pound pay deal for executives, while another dispute has developed over a large plane order which will require shareholder approval.
He tried to oust Rake in August, arguing that his role as deputy chairman of Barclays bank meant he was too busy to devote enough attention to easyJet, but 96 percent of shareholders backed the chairman.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday update
It seems all flights to the UK are running normally today according to all the info WoW has managed to find
+++
More flight disruption (Monday 21 Jan)
A L’ARRIVEE A MONTPELLIER
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF7540 - 08h15 Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7688 - 08h45
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF7546 - 12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF7550 - 17h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF7552 – 19h40
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF7686 - 19h45
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7681 - 06h45 Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7541 - 07h20 Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7543 - 09h00 Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7689 - 10h15
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF7547 - 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7551 - 17h50
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF7553 - 20h25
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7685 – 20h40
|
A L’ARRIVEE A MONTPELLIER
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF7540 - 08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7688 - 08h45
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF7546 - 12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF7550 - 17h05
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF7686 - 19h45 |
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7681 - 06h45
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7541 - 07h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7543 - 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7689 - 10h15
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7547 - 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF7551 - 17h50
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF7685 |
SNOW IN PARIS -
Trains disrupted and the following planes cancelled from Montpellier
MONDAY 21 Jan
Montpellier Airport
NEIGE A PARIS –VOLS ANNULES
|
En raison de chutes de neige à Paris, la DGAC a demandé aux compagnies aériennes de réduire le nombre de vols ce lundi 21 janvier. En conséquence, le trafic est perturbé à l'arrivée et au départ de Montpellier avec un total de 10 vols annulés sur les destinations de Paris Orly et Paris Roissy. Pour l’heure, 5 vols de/vers Paris Roissy opérés par Air France sont annulés sur les 8 vols initialement programmés pour cette journée. 5 vols de/vers Paris Orly opérés par Air France sont annulés sur les 17 vols initialement programmés pour cette journée.
Ce qui représente environ 40% des vols annulés sur Paris (Orly/Roissy) au départ et l’arrivée de l’Aéroport de Montpellier.
Des retards sont constatés sur la plate-forme montpelliéraine à l'arrivée et au départ.
VOLS ANNULES – LUNDI 21 JANVIER 2013
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne. Vous pouvez suivre les prévisions de vols sur www.montpellier.aeroport.fr,
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation.
|
|
+++ |
New French Driving licences
| UPDATE Due to technical problems, the new form of licence will now be available from the end of 2013. Holders of the old form of licence will have until 2033 to renew it! After that, it must be renewed every 15 year The transition from old to new starts in January 2013 |
The old pink paper driving licence is to be replaced over several years, starting in 2013 by a new ’credit card’ style digital licence.
New licences will have a photo which must be updated every 15 years, and contain relevant personal details and info such as points already racked up by the driver. The new system will enable the French authorites to exchange driving offense data within the European Union, and crack down on foreign offenders.
It will also provide a long discussed opportunity for France to bring in medical examinations to check out fitness to drive for elderly drivers. At present, (2012) there is no age limit.
If you have swapped your British driving licence for a French one, you will be expected to change to the new digital style next year.
.
European sharing of driving licence registration information
A new European directive for 2013 will mean that traffic penalties will apply for all motorists throughout the European Union.
In the past, despite geographical proximity, French vehicles flashed by a radar in Spain, and vice versa, were not followed through and penalized, because the whole process was time consuming, and not economically viable.
From 2013, thanks (?) to EUCARIS (EUropean CAR and driving license Information System), all european countries will now be able to share their car and driving licence registration information. The multilingual programme will go a long way towards helping to fight car theft and registration fraud, and will also share information on driving offenses such as using phone while driving, speeding, going through red light, parking violations…..
A European driving license, with an electronic chip, is also on the cards for 2013, to enable all European police forces to access data from all European drivers.
"Clever" scam to steal luggage
- thanks Roland for this
.
.+++
Bristol flight to Beziers - departed at 16.45 for Beziers
| BEZIERS | Ryanair | FR6022 | 0720 | Boarding |
+++
4 vols sont annulés de/vers Nantes et Paris Roissy.
Des retards de 30mn à 1h sont constatés sur la plate-forme montpelliéraine.
Vols annulés – VENDREDI 18 JANVIER 2013
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7686 –19h45
Nantes >> Montpellier AF 3274 – 20h15
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7685 – 20h40
Montpellier >> Nantes AF 3275 – 20h45
|
http://www.montpellier.aeroport.fr/fr/passagers#
___________________________________________________________________________________
Vendredi 18 janvier 2013 :
GREVE DES TRANSPORTS de la société CARPOSTAL :
Les perturbations prévues sur les lignes régulières :
Ligne 102 :
Seul le service de 06h40 au départ de Sabines ne sera pas assuré.
Ligne 103 :
Dans le sens Pézenas vers Saint Jean de Védas
Le départ de 06h35 ne sera pas assuré.
Le service de 07h20 sera retardé de 20 minutes.
Dans le sens Saint jean de Védas vers Pézenas
Tous les services seront assurés.
Ligne 209 :
Départ 07h45 : Pinet - Béziers : Retardé de 20 minutes
Ligne 216 :
Le service de 07h15 au départ de Béziers sera fortement perturbé (pas de doublage prévu)
Les lignes 208 et 210 circuleront normalement.
Les perturbations prévues sur les services scolaires :
Services scolaires secteur agathois :
Services perturbés :
Scolaire 338 : 07h35 Vias vers Bessan : 10 minutes de retard
Scolaire 338 : 07h25 Preignes vers Bessan : 20 minutes de retard
Scolaire 331 : 08h05 Pinet – Marseillan vers Loubatières : 15 minutes
Services non assurés :
Scolaire 330: 07h15 Bessan – Vias vers Loubatières
Scolaire 330: 07h20 Florensac vers Loubatières
Scolaire 330: 07h30 Pinet – Pomerols – Florensac vers Loubatières
Scolaire 330: 07h30 Vias – Tamarissière vers Loubatières
Scolaire 331: 07h20 Marseillan Plage vers Loubatières
Scolaire 331: 07h30 Marseillan ville vers Loubatières
Services scolaires secteur Piscénois :
Services non assurés :
Scolaire 340: 06h55 Marseillan vers Pézenas
Scolaires 340: 07h05 Agde – Bessan vers Pézenas
Scolaire 340: 07h10 Florensac – Castelnau vers Pézenas
Scolaires 340: 07h25 Nézignan vers Pézenas
Scolaire 340: 07h30 Castelnau vers Pézenas
Scolaire 216 : 06h45 Caux vers Beziers
Scolaire 216 : 07h05 Pézenas – Valros vers Beziers
Air France launches low-cost ticket option
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-COPENHAGUE Durée du vol : 2h15
Du 24 juin au 15 août 2013
Ligne Départs Arrivées Jours
Montpellier >> Copenhague 14h55 >> 17h10 Lundi
Copenhague >> Montpellier 11h55 >> 14h25 Lundi
Montpellier >> Copenhague 20h15 >> 22h30 Jeudi
Copenhague >> Montpellier 17h15 >> 19h45 Jeudi
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-ROME Durée du vol : 1h30
Du 28 mars au 27 octobre 2013
Ligne Départs Arrivées Jours
Montpellier >> Rome 11h00 >> 12h30 Jeudi, Dimanche
Rome >> Montpellier 08h30 >> 10h05 Jeudi, Dimanche
Réservations sur www.alitalia.fr ou en agence de voyages
Ryanair, has just released passenger and load factor stats for Dec 2012, with its traffic and load factor both increasing by 2% over Dec 2011.
Ryanair’s traffic and load factor stats for Dec 2012 are as follows:
|
|
Dec 11 |
Dec 12 |
Change |
Yr to Dec 12 |
|
Passengers |
4.76M |
4.84M |
+2% |
79.6M (+4%) |
|
Load Factor |
79% |
81% |
+2% |
82% ( - ) |
__________________________________________________________________________________
How come the UK has one of the meanest state pensions in the developed world and the most expensive trains in Europe?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Beziers Cap d'Agde traffic grows by 15.5% last year
With 223,800 passengers in total on 31 December 2012, the airport Béziers Cap d'Agde, Languedoc has set a new record annual traffic since it was remodelled with a longer runway.
This increase was primarily due to:
- Opening of the Béziers / Manchester flight with good attendance recorded since its launch
- The rise of the link Beziers / Paris Beauvais,
- The strength of all lines of the airport, with renewed links found to the UK.
Surveys conducted by the airport show the value of the tourism exceeded 65 million € for the year 2012.
The airport development will continue in 2013 with the opening of a 9th route from Edinburgh next March.
The 2013 projected traffic is 240,000 passengers
____________________________________________________________________________________
+++
9th December 2012 - 17th March 2013
Winter special - 10 € !
Some days out are just for fun. Any day you choose to take advantage of the 10 euro return on the Yellow Train is guaranteed to be just that. Board the connecting train at Perpignan at 7.46 or the Yellow Train at Villefranche de Conflent at 9.05, sit back and relax.
Free navettes will transport you from stations along the way to the ski resorts, reduced prices apply at the Hot baths of St Thomas (get off at Fontpedrouse) or at the ski stations of St Pierre de Forcats (off at Mont Louis) or Eyne ( off at Bolquere Eyne the highest station in France).
Stop in Bourg Madame and you can stroll into Spain for a leisurely lunch in Puigcerda. The special offer lasts till March 17th. a different perspective on the landscape from driving up the road. The line is a hundred years old, the pace fits its vintage, more charm than comfort maybe but for a great day out, hard to beat.
__________________________________________________________________________________
RYANAIR TAKES DELIVERY OF 2 NEW BOEING 737-800s AS FLEET
GROWS TO 305 AIRCRAFT
Ryanair announced it had received the final two aircraft of its current Boeing order, growing its fleet to
305 Boeing 737-800s.
Ryanair’s fleet is the youngest in Europe, with an average age of less than four years, making Ryanair the greenest and cleanest airline. Ryanair confirmed its intention to place a significant order for further aircraft once a sensible pricing agreement with a suitable manufacturer can be reached.
Ryanair’s 305th Boeing aircraft preparing for take-off in Seattle en route to Dublin.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“The arrival of two new aircraft brings to 305 the number of Boeing aircraft in the Ryanair fleet. We remain ready to place a significant order for more aircraft if and when we can reach a sensible pricing agreement with one of the manufacturers.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New line BÉZIERS – EDINBURGH
Ryanair, la seule compagnie ultra low-cost en Europe, a annoncé l’ouverture d’une nouvelle ligne Béziers-Edimbourg, avec les premiers vols dès la prochaine saison été, à partir du 31 mars 2013.
Cette nouvelle ligne à bas prix est en vente dès maintenant sur www.ryanair.com. Les billets sont proposés à un tarif de lancement à partir de 35€*.
Afin de célébrer cette nouvelle destination, Ryanair offre des billets à partir de 14€* (taxes et charges comprises) pour voyager de Béziers vers Bristol et Paris-Beauvais en janvier 2013. Ces billets sont disponibles dès maintenant et sont à réserver avant lundi (17 déc.) minuit (24.00) sur www.ryanair.com.
EDI-BZR
Mer 16:00 19:30
Dim 11:30 15:00
BZR-EDI
Mer 19:55 21:25
Dim 15:25 16:55
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Delta and KLM sued over 'too fat to fly'
Delta Airlines says its staff spent an hour trying to get Mrs Soltesz on board
The husband of a US woman who was too big to be flown home from Europe - where she later died - is to sue the airlines involved for damages.
Vilma Soltesz, who weighed about 30st (193kg), was refused a place on two flights in October.
She died of kidney failure before a suitable flight could be found, after refusing treatment from local doctors.
Delta Airlines said every effort was made to accommodate her but it had been "physically unable" to get her aboard.
But Peter Ronai, the lawyer acting for her husband, Janos, told CBS: "They [the airlines] took on the responsibility to get her to Hungary, it's their responsibility to get her back."
Mrs Soltesz needed to return to New York from her holiday home in Hungary to resume medical treatment.
She suffered from kidney disease and diabetes and reportedly "did not trust" Hungarian doctors.
But the Dutch airline KLM was unable to get her on board a flight on which she had booked two seats to accommodate her.
She was then told to drive to Prague in the Czech Republic where she would be given seats on a larger Delta Airlines flight.
But, according to Mr Ronai, she was unable to be belted into that plane and "the captain came out of the cockpit and made her get off".
Mrs Soltesz died of kidney failure before an alternative flight could be found.
In a statement Delta Airlines and KLM said they had done everything possible to assist the family.
"Our records indicate Delta staff in Prague made repeated attempts for nearly an hour to board the customer, but they were unable to get her onboard the aircraft," Delta claimed.
Mr Soltesz is seeking $6m (£3.7m; 4.6m euros) in damages from Delta and KLM.
________________________________________________
Major roadworks
Iberia to cut 4,500 jobs under IAG restructuring plan
.
Iberia's chief said the airline was in "a fight for survival"British Airways-owner IAG has announced 4,500 job cuts at Iberia as part of a widely anticipated restructuring of the Spanish carrier.
Iberia is cutting its 156-strong fleet by 25 aircraft, and reducing 15% of its network capacity, with the airline focusing on the most profitable routes.
The plan aims to stem Iberia's cash losses by mid-2013, and raise profits by at least 600m euros ($766m; £479m).
IAG also revealed a 30% drop in pre-tax quarterly profits to 221m euros.
The drop was due to the poor performance at Iberia and at the recently-purchased UK regional airline BMI, as well as rising fuel, operating and engineering costs.
"The group performance is coming back to the levels seen in 2011 and this is particularly true if you strip out the BMI losses of 31m euros in the quarter," said IAG chief executive Willie Walsh.
"However, there remains a strong difference between the performances of British Airways and Iberia."
The parent company said it now expected to make an overall operating loss of 120m euros for the year - excluding any costs associated with the Iberia restructuring - with further losses likely in the remaining three months due to the impact of storm Sandy in the US.
Its pre-tax losses for the first nine months of the year have now reached 169m euros, compared with a 355m-euro profit in the same period last year.
'Bleak' future
Iberia has been suffering record losses, and IAG flagged up three months ago that job cuts were likely to come.
"Iberia is in a fight for survival," said the Spanish subsidiary's chief executive, Rafael Sanchez-Lozano. "It is unprofitable in all its markets.
"Unless we take radical action to introduce permanent structural change, the future for the airline is bleak."
The 4,500 job losses are not as steep as the 7,000 figure that reportedly had been expected by the airline's unions.
IAG said the restructuring would safeguard 15,500 posts at the airline.
However, the restructuring plan also includes "permanent salary adjustments to achieve a competitive and flexible cost base".
The airline has set a deadline of 31 January next year to reach agreement with unions over the cuts.
"Time is not on our side," said Mr Sanchez-Lozano, claiming that: "The company is burning 1.7m euros every day.
"If we do not reach consensus, we will have to take more radical action, which will lead to greater reductions in capacity and jobs."
The restructuring plan comes a day after IAG announced that it would pay 113m euros to buy up the remaining 54% stake in Spanish budget airline Vueling that it did not already own.
Mr Walsh had said that the acquisition of Vueling would be "good for Spain" and "create new Spanish jobs".
'Playing hard ball'
On Wednesday, IAG released its latest passenger figures for October, which showed that traffic rose by 6.2% at British Airways from a year earlier, while at Iberia traffic was down 3.7%.
The airline's woes in part stem from the weakness of the eurozone economy, including a sharp downturn in its Spanish home market. However, according to Mr Sanchez-Lozano, the airline's problems are also "systemic and pre-date the country's problems".
The cost of the restructuring will be borne by Iberia itself, IAG said, and by implication will not be subsidised by the more profitable British Airways.
"IAG and Iberia are now playing hardball with Spanish unions," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.
"As a global industry, airlines and governments are unable to duck the issue of labour competitiveness."
Iberia's loss contrasts with the success of budget airline Ryanair, which raised its full-year profit forecast earlier in the week by 20%.
"Consumer demand for low-priced fares continues to apply pressure across the industry, with flexible labour laws now lying at the heart of the issue," added Mr Bowman.
RYANAIR OCTOBER TRAFFIC UP 4% (+273,000 PAX)
TRAFFIC OVER 7M FOR 7 MONTHS IN A ROW
Ryanair has released passenger and load factor stats for October 2012 as follows:
|
|
Oct 11 |
Oct 12 |
Change |
Yr to Oct 12 |
|
Passengers |
7.27M |
7.54M |
+4% |
79.3M |
|
Load Factor |
84% |
82% |
-2% |
82% |
________________________________________________
Direct flight - Montpellier to Marrakesh - starts 14 Nov
________________________________________________
UK driving licences – 10 year rule
If you are still driving on a UK licence – which is of course allowed in the EU – you might be in trouble if your photo is over 10 years old. Most of us think UK driving licences are valid until the age of 70 after which one need a medical but.................
A UK “credit card” licence has a time limit on the photo of 10 years. If a sharp eyed hire car company spots it you will not be able to hire a car in the UK. But that is not the only problem as an equally watchful Gendarme might also spot your EU/UK licence is out of date and hence you would be driving without a valid licence.
Look now – and if you can claim a UK address then renew the licence as soon as possible but note – you risk a £1,000 fine if you make a false declaration on the form – and that includes your address and it is possible the DVLA could check with the tax authorities where it is you have your principal residence.
Your only option may be to get a French licence but get going before your UK licence goes out of date otherwise you will have to have a special medical costing around €32. (Heaven knows why an out of date photo means a medical – but those are the rules) Normally you can trust your local Mairie to provide you with the list of papers and translations (certified) that you need BUT the rules have changed and the requirements now require more supporting paper work – birth certificate and passport and so on and most Mairies only have out of date information. And each sub-prefecture might have different rules and requirements
Best advice is to go to your local prefecture or sub prefecture and get the complete list of required papers – do not think you can wing it with your paper UK licence – we know of someone who had to make 8 trips to the prefecture before the paper work was accepted.
The good news is – a French driving licence is free!
We have heard of naughty people who write to the DVLA in Swansea claiming to have lost their licence and asking for a duplicate – which they hand in when they apply for a French Driving licence. Clearly dishonest as it means such naughty people can avoid losing points on their French licence.
The main advice though is to look at your UK licence now and apply for a French licence before the photo expires – it will save you paperwork, 32€ and a visit to an approved doctor.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Strike - AIR FRANCE - Montpellier Airport
Following the strike notice filed by a union for Air France on Friday, 26 October, Air France teams mobilize to limit the impact of this movement.
At the moment Montpellier airport unaffected by the strike.
AIR FRANCE flights are all on time.
You can follow any forecasts flights www.montpellier.aeroport.fr
www.facebook.com / AeroportMontpellier or www.twitter.com / mplaeroport
____________________________________________________________________________________
Au départ de Montpellier, Volotea annonce
deux nouvelles lignes à destination d’Ajaccio et de Lille
Volotea, la compagnie aérienne des capitales régionales annonce l'ouverture de deux lignes supplémentaires au départ de Montpellier à destination de Ajaccio et Lille à partir du 28 mars 2013, en plus de ses lignes à destinations de Nantes et Strasbourg.
"Avec l'ouverture de la ligne vers Lille, Volotea apporte une réponse adaptée aux besoins des montpelliérains et à l'ensemble du Languedoc-Roussillon", souligne Edo Friart, responsable développement France Volotea. "Nous permettrons aux familles et aux hommes d'affaires de bénéficier de vols directs à destination des capitales régionales françaises et européennes, en leur évitant des correspondances et ceci à bas prix. De plus, la ligne vers Ajaccio permet enfin un accès adapté à la Corse.
Nouvelles lignes Volotea au départ de Montpellier
Ajaccio: à partir du 31 mai 2013, avec 2 vols hebdomadaires, les mercredi et dimanche
Lille: à partir du 28 mars 2013, avec 3 vols hebdomadaires, les mardi, jeudi et dimanche
Lignes Volotea existantes au départ de Montpellier
Nantes: ligne opérée à l’année, 5 vols hebdomadaires
Strasbourg: ligne opérée à l’année, 4 vols hebdomadaires
____________________________________________________________________________________
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Nantes >> Montpellier AF 3270 –07h45 – Retardé 8h20
Strasbourg >> Montpellier T7 011 – 8h10 – retardé 8h50
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7540 – 8h15 – prévu à 9h30
Nantes >> Montpellier V7 2124 – 8h25 – prévu à 12h00
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7681 – 06h45 – retardé à 8h30
Montpellier >> Lyon AF 5800 – 7h05 – retardé 7h50
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7541– 7h20 – prévu à 8h50
Montpellier >> Nantes AF 3271 – 8h20 – prévu à 11h30
|
FRENCH FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS
Fog affecting South East of the UK
23rd October 2012 - updated 06:00 UK time 23rd October
Fog across the south of the UK is causing disruption to the easyJet programme. Flights departing from London Southend to Belfast (EZY7401) and Amsterdam (EZY715) will operate from London Stansted. Flights from Belfast (EZY716) and Amsterdam (EZY7402) to London Southend will now arrive at London Stansted. Coach transportation will be provided between both airports for all affected passengers
Due to the nature of fog, some of the limitations imposed by Air Traffic Control are flexible and so we would encourage you to present yourself at the gate at the normal time. Our team at the airport will give you further information as and when it becomes available.
easyJet would like to assure you that we are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption to your travel plans and we would encourage you to use our flight checker tool for the latest updates on your flight. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience these delays will cause.
Potential Industrial Action Affecting French Flights
23rd - 24th October 2012 - updated 06:00 UK time 22nd October
easyJet have been informed of potential industrial action affecting French flights from Tuesday 23rd October until the morning of Wednesday 24th October.
The situation remains unclear as to what the impact of the strike would be. Our aim will be to protect our customers travel plans and keep them fully informed. Therefore we recommend customers regularly check this page for updates.
Although outside of our control we apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.
____________________________________________
Note from the Prefecture of Herault
Les services de l’Etat dans l'Hérault œuvrent au quotidien pour la sécurité routière. Afin d’illustrer cette mobilisation et pour rappeler à chacun les dangers de la route, une série d’opérations de sensibilisation est programmée du 22 au 26 octobre prochains.
Au cours de cette semaine, l’objectif sera d’atteindre particulièrement deux catégories d'usagers :
è Les usagers de deux-roues motorisés, spécialement les jeunes pour lesquels plusieurs actions de sensibilisation seront menées par l'Escadron Départemental de Sécurité Routière sur les collèges et/ou lycées de Castelnau, Lodève et Lunel.
Une journée de sensibilisation sera par ailleurs organisée par la Maison de la Sécurité Routière pour les élèves du lycée de Nevers de Montpellier.
Des actions de sensibilisation en primaire seront également menées par l'EDSR à Poussan et à Lunel.
Enfin une information sur les risques liés à la conduite sous l'emprise d'alcool ou de stupéfiants sera proposée, toute la semaine, aux étudiants fréquentant les quatre restaurants universitaires de Montpellier.
è Les seniors : les actions prévues feront l'objet d'une communication spécifique.
En parallèle, des contrôles seront mis en place tout au long de la semaine :
- par la police nationale sur tous types d’infractions
- par l’EDSR, avec des opérations ciblées deux-roues motorisés et poids lourds ainsi que des contrôles de vitesse dont un avec alternative aux poursuites – mercredi 24 octobre à Mireval sur la RD 612.
M. Thierry LATASTE, Préfet de l'Hérault, Préfet de la région Languedoc-Roussillon sera présent sur cette dernière opération à partir de 17h15.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road works - a note from the Prefecture
HÉRAULT
A75 :
- Au niveau de la commune de Pézenas, en raison de travaux, la voie de gauche sera neutralisée
dans les deux sens sur 4km, le 8 octobre 2012.
A750 :
- Pas de travaux ou travaux ne créant pas de gêne à la circulation
___________________________________________________________________________________
RYANAIR’S SEPT TRAFFIC GROWS BY 8% (+587,000 PAX)
TRAFFIC OVER 7M FOR 6 MONTHS IN A ROW
Ryanair today (3 Oct) released passenger and load factor stats for September 2012 as follows:
|
|
Sep 11 |
Sep 12 |
Change |
Yr to Sep 12 |
|
Passengers 1 |
7.25M |
7.84M |
+8% |
79.07M |
|
Load Factor |
85% |
84% |
-1% |
82% |
September 2012 was the sixth month in succession that Ryanair has carried over 7m passengers (including a record 8.9m in August). Ryanair remains the only airline in Europe to carry over 7m international passengers in one month.
____________________________________________________________________________________
NOUVEau : « MARRAKECH » au depart de montpellier
La S.A Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée d’annoncer qu’ Air Arabia Maroc ouvre, dès cette saison hiver 2012-2013, une nouvelle ligne vers le Maroc au départ de Montpellier Méditerranée. Marrakech sera désormais reliée à raison d’un vol hebdomadaire.
A compter du 31 octobre 2012, la compagnie low-cost Air Arabia Maroc assurera la liaison Montpellier-Marrakech en 2h40 de vol. Un Airbus A320 de 168 sièges effectuera la rotation chaque mercredi avec un départ de Marrakech programmé à 15h20 pour un atterrissage à Montpellier à 19h00. Dans l’autre sens, le vol au départ de Montpellier est prévu à 19h45 pour une arrivée à 21h25 à l’aéroport de Marrakech.
Depuis son arrivée en mars 2010, la compagnie low-cost marocaine dessert 3 lignes au départ de Montpellier vers Casablanca, Fès et Nador. Avec plus de 75 000 passagers transportés en 2011 et sur la base des potentiels économiques, touristiques et communautaires avérés de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon, Air Arabia Maroc continue d’étoffer son réseau au départ de Montpellier.
Cette nouvelle destination, Marrakech, la « Perle du Sud » et quatrième ville du Maroc est possible grâce à l’engagement des collectivités partenaires Région Languedoc-Roussillon, Conseil Général de l’Hérault, Montpellier Agglomération, Ville de Montpellier, C.C.I.T de Montpellier et Pays de l’Or Agglomération.
La vente est ouverte et les billets disponibles sur le site internet de la compagnie www.airarabia.com, par téléphone au 0 899 190 023* ou en agence de voyages.
|
_____________________________________________
EasyJet brings in allocated seats
|
|
Courtesy of The Connexion magazine |
________________________________________________________________________
RECORD 8.9M PASSENGERS IN ONE MONTH for Ryanair
Ryanair today released passenger and load factor stats for Aug 2012 as follows: Aug 11 Aug 12 Change% Cumulative
|
Passengers 1 |
8.14M |
8.90M |
+9% |
78.48M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
89% |
88% |
-1% |
82%
|
August 2012 was Ryanair’s highest-ever monthly traffic figure and the second month this year that Ryanair has carried over 8m passengers.
Ryanair is the only airline in Europe to carry over 7m passengers in one month.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lufthansa cabin crew's day of strike action ends
A number of flights from Frankfurt are being affectedThe union representing cabin staff at the Germany's biggest airline, Lufthansa, has ended a day of strike action at Frankfurt airport.
Lufthansa cancelled some 200 short and medium-haul flights in and out of Europe's third biggest airport.
A small number of long-haul flights were cancelled as well, among them services to and from New York, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle.
The union and the airline have been in dispute over pay and work conditions.
The UFO union had said earlier this week that it would stage strikes after talks broke down.
The union is seeking a pay increase of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases.
It also wants guarantees that Lufthansa will not outsource jobs and use more temporary workers, as it has done in Berlin.
Lufthansa's latest offer was for a pay increase of about 3.5%.
Airline spokesman Klaus Walther said the union had put its demands "on the back of the customers" and called on it to return to the negotiation table.
UFO head Nicoley Baublies has said that the airline has also not assured that its staff will not be transferred to a cheaper contract if they moved to a low-cost airline within the group.
And he told Bayerischer Rundfunk radio that Friday's action may just be the first of many if Lufthansa does not meet its demands.
Lufthansa has about 19,000 cabin crew and the UFO union represents about two-thirds of them.
Lufthansa strike to begin on Friday
Strike action will disrupt hundreds of flights, the union saysCabin staff at German airline Lufthansa will begin their strike action on Friday, the workers' union has said.
The UFO union did not say where the strikes would take place, but said it would give six hours' notice.
"We do not want to give Lufthansa the opportunity to prepare for the strike by getting replacement crews ready," UFO head Nicoley Baublies told Reuters.
The union and the airline have been at loggerheads over the past year over pay and working conditions.
The union is seeking a pay increase of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases.
Lufthansa's latest offer was for a pay increase of about 3.5%.
__________________________________________
Lufthansa staff to go on strike
Loss-making Lufthansa has already announced it will cut 3,500 jobsCabin staff at German airline Lufthansa are to go on strike, possibly as early as Thursday, after wage talks broke down this week.
"We'll strike tomorrow at the earliest," said the head of the UFO labour union, Nicoley Baublies.
The union and the airline have been at loggerheads over the past year over the amount of hours worked at its hubs and low-cost airlines.
Loss-making Lufthansa has said it will cut 3,500 jobs.
Lufthansa shares fell 1.8% in Wednesday morning trading in Frankfurt, making the firm the biggest decliner in the benchmark Dax index.
The union is seeking a pay increase of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases.
Lufthansa's latest offer was for a pay increase of about 3.5%.
Mr Baublies also said that the airline had not assured that its staff would not be transferred to a cheaper contract if they move to a low-cost airline in the airline group.
In April, Lufthansa completed the sale of loss-making UK airline BMI to IAG, the company that owns British Airways and Iberia.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Ryanair warning to passengers
RYANAIR ADVISES PASSENGERS TO BOOK DIRECTLY ON
RYANAIR.COM AND AVOID HIGH-CHARGING ONLINE TRAVEL AGENTS
OVER 300 COMPLAINTS RECEIVED FROM PASSENGERS WHO BOOKED WITH ‘ON THE BEACH’ SCREENSCRAPING WEBSITE
Ryanair, warned passengers to book directly with Ryanair.com and not through online travel agents (or “screenscrapers”), following persistent calls from passengers who have suffered problems having booked with screenscraper websites. Some of these websites are charging hidden administration and handling fees without providing even basic services, such as confirming special assistance arrangements, advising passengers of flight changes or advising of Ryanair’s Terms and Conditions of travel.
In some cases, these passengers have not received e-mail reminders from Ryanair about web check-in requirements (because customer emails are not passed on by some screenscrapers) and have had to pay the boarding card reissue fee of €60/£60 solely because of the non-existent or inadequate service provided by these high-cost low-service intermediaries, some of whom have been:
- Mis-selling Ryanair flights with hidden agent mark-ups as part of packages;
- Failing to provide consumers with a proper breakdown of the flight price;
- Failing to notify passengers of Ryanair’s Terms and Conditions of Travel at the time of booking;
- Failing to provide Ryanair with contact details, preventing Ryanair from communicating directly with passengers in the event of schedule changes/flight disruptions.
- Failing to notify Ryanair of special requirements (e.g. wheelchair assistance).
Ryanair has received calls from over 300 passengers in recent months who have experienced problems after booking with screenscraper ‘On The Beach’, whom Ryanair has initiated legal action against for breach of Ryanair.com’s Terms of Use and intellectual property rights. Ryanair is seeking to prohibit On The Beach from unauthorised screenscraping and mis-selling of Ryanair seats at inflated prices to consumers.
In the interests of consumers and price transparency Ryanair allows and encourages “price comparison only” websites to access its timetable and pricing information, for an annual charitable donation of just €100
______________________________________________________________________________________
easyJet strike news
A potential strike impacting some French flights on 15, 17 and August 19
easyJet has been notified by the National Union of French Airline Pilots (SNPL) potential industrial action affecting some 15 flights on Wednesday, and Friday 17 Sunday, August 19
As the industrial action will affect only the French crews on site, only certain flights to and from France will be affected.
"Discussions are continuing between easyJet and representatives of SNPL to reach an agreement.
If agreement is not reached, the operational plans are developed and posted on this webpage.
We recommend our customers to visit again this page Monday, August 13 for an update on the situation.
We apologize for any inconvenience and we will do everything we can to minimize disruption, while keeping our clients fully informed."
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Speed cameras -
Useful video http://www.liguedesconducteurs.org/radars-mobiles-embarques.html
_____________________________________________________________________________________
LE TRAFIC DE RYANAIR AUGMENTE AVEC
645.000 PASSAGERS SUPPLEMENTAIRES EN JUILLET
Ryanair a publié aujourd’hui (3 août) ses statistiques passagers et taux de remplissage pour le mois de juillet 2012 :
|
|
Juil 11 |
Juil 12 |
Progression |
Année à juil 12 |
|
Passagers (m) 1 |
8,08m |
8,72m |
+ 8% |
77,72m |
|
Taux de remplissage 2 |
89% |
88% |
-1% |
82% |
FIN
1. Représente le nombre de billets vendus (unité m = million)
2. Représente le pourcentage du nombre de passagers par rapport au total de sièges disponibles.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Montpellier Airport - Grève – Du vendredi 20 au lundi 23 juillet
Air France regional is facing a strike which will disrupt flights from 20 to 23 July inclusive.
Accordingly, delays and flight cancellations are expected over this for flights departing and arriving from Montpellier Airport.
Other routes served by Air France are maintained.
Friday, July 20, 2 flights cancelled in and out of Nantes - but others may follow
|
Vols annulés – VENDREDI 20 JUILLET 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne. Vous pouvez suivre les prévisions de vols sur www.montpellier.aeroport.fr, Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation.
|
_____________________________________________________________________________________
.
Michael O'Leary goes into a bar in Dublin and says to the barman:
"top of the mornin to ya, oid loik a pint o Guiness, please"
The barman replies, astonished:
"Bejesus and praise the saints; it's Michael O'Leary, to be sure!"
"That it is" Michael replies.
"Well, for you, Sor, that'll be just one Euro"
"That's a very good price, indeed"
"Well, we try to follow your example and you are in a low cost bar"
"I'm pleased to hear that" Michael replies, smiling.
"So tell me, Michael. Would you be wantin a glass with your Guiness?????"
.
RYANAIR’S JUNE TRAFFIC UP 460,000 PASSENGERS
Ryanair today (4 Jul) released passenger and load factor stats for Jun 2012 as follows:
|
|
Jun 11 |
Jun 12 |
Change |
Yr to Jun 12 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
7.33M |
7.79M |
+460,000 |
77.08M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
84% |
84% |
- |
82% |
ENDS.
1. Booked seats sold
2. Passengers as a percentage of total seats available.
More flights now by Air Arabia Maroc from Montpellier
Since May 21, the Fez service has a third flight on Friday,
Adding to the Wednesday and Saturday flights
.
Nador, the Tuesday and Friday flights now have been increased with a third flight each Wednesday from July 1.
Casablanca is now connected four times a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Fares start at 69 € TTC1 the one-way.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Summer flights from and to Montpellier Airport
The Region extends its range of TER tickets for just 1 euro.
After the Gard, the Pyrenees-Orientales and the Aude, the low rate started on Saturday, June 23 a rate of 1 € in Lozere, between Marvejols The Bapstide / St. Lawrence.
The new Translozérien line will be inaugurated tomorrow (Sunday) at 11am at the station in Mende.
Take the local TER train for just 1€
There are 4 lines in the Languedoc-Roussillon region which operate the €1 fares:
(The 1€ ticket is valid just for the day and cannot be exchanged or refunded)
· Nîmes - Le Grau-du-Roi
· Perpignan - Villefranche/Vernet-les-Bains – which connects with the narrow gauge « Yellow Train which takes you up into the mountains.
· Carcassonne - Quillan Consultez les différents avantages et partenariats pour le train à 1€ Carcassonne - Quillan
· Marvejols - La Bastide / Saint-Laurent
By the end of this year (December) the same low cost travel will be available on the Béziers – Bédarieux line which also serves Magalas
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Spotted near Beziers
______________________________________________________________________________________
New Breathalyzer law
From the 1st of July you must carry an unused Breathalyzer in your car or motorbike/scooter - but not mopeds.
However - isn't there always - though the law as passed in November and comes into force on the 1st July they "say" there will be no prosecutions until 1st November.
It must be a French NF-Approved Digital Breathalyzer or Breathalyzer Kit.
The French Police are suggesting vehicles carry at least two, so that if one is used to check the driver, a second remains for inspection but the law requires either an NF Approved digital breathalyzer or one unused breathalyzer kit.
The regulation was passed into law on the 28th February and will be effective from 1st July - however while it won't be enforced until November, stocks are so short that drivers are being advised to order NOW to ensure delivery before the November deadline.
_______________________________________________________________________________________The
RYANAIR’S MAY TRAFFIC GROWS 5%
May 11
May 12
Change
Yr to May 12
Passengers (m) 1
7.15M
7.51M
5%
76.6M
Load Factor 2
82%
81%
-1%
82%
Travel by train for €1!
To encourage train travel and raise much needed funds for rail maintenance, the Languedoc-Roussillon region has launched certain lines where it is possible to travel for just one euro.
Due to the enormous success of the first two lines opened last year between Nîmes and Le Grau-du-Roi (July 2011) and also Perpignan and Villefranche (December 2011) a third line has recently been introduced between Carcassonne and Quillan. The first two lines have seen numbers of travelers triple during the same period as the previous year. Similar success is predicted for this third route.
Following on from this, two other lines will open this year - in June 2012 it will be possible to travel between La Bastide and Le Monastier and at the end of the year a fifth line between Béziers and Bédarieux will open.
You can get on and off at all the stations it stops at between the two points providing a fantastic way to explore the region. At that price you don't have to attempt to do it all in one go either, you can spread out your sightseeing and get off at a different station every day of the week if you want to.
For more information, including stations along the route and timetables, visit their website.
________________________________________
RYANAIR THE WORLD’S CLEANEST, GREENEST AIRLINE CELEBRATES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
PEOPLE WHO CARE – FLY RYANAIR
Ryanair celebrated World Environment Day with the publication of independent research which confirmed Ryanair is the world’s cleanest, greenest airline as it urged ‘people who care’ to fly Ryanair.
The in-depth Brighter Planet research report on the world’s 20 largest airlines showed that Ryanair is the most efficient, and with an average fleet age of less than three years any passenger that flies on Ryanair’s low fares ensures that their flight is the greenest, cleanest, flight possible.
http://www.ryanair.com/doc/about/ryanair_brighter_planet_2011.pdf
Even though aviation accounts for just 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions Ryanair has invested billions in new aircraft, which produce 50% less CO2 and deliver a 45% reduction in fuel burn and noise. The Brighter Planet report mirrors the findings of the Dutch Consumer Organisation which in 2007 confirmed Ryanair as Europe’s greenest, cleanest airline.
_______________________________________________
SITA STATS CONFIRM RYANAIR IS NO 1 WITH FEWEST LOST BAGS
PASSENGERS 18 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BAGGAGE LOST WITH OTHER AIRLINES
BA LOSES UP TO 16 BAGS PER 1,000 PAX WHILE AER LINGUS REFUSES TO PUBLISH ABYSMAL BAG STATS
Ryanair welcomed independent statistics which again prove it loses far fewer bags than any other airline. The SITA World Tracer Statistics for 2011 showed a worldwide average of 9 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers. However, Ryanair misplaces less than 0.5 bags per 1,000 passengers, compared to high cost flag carriers BA, which loses over 16 bags per 1,000 passengers, while Aer Lingus loses so many bags it refuses to publish its stats.
SITA World Tracer, which is used by 450 airlines worldwide, found that many European airlines are very careless with passenger bags. 53% of all lost baggage was a result of mishandled transfers by high cost flag carrying airlines – a statistic which is continuing to grow rapidly – providing yet another reason for passengers to choose one of Ryanair’s 1,500 low cost point-to-point routes.
_________________________________________________________________
European Health Insurance Card - EHIC
Remember when you leave your "host" EU country you will need an EHIC.
Pensioners
normally need to apply to the country paying their pension - see below
http://www.applyehic.org/index.htm
If you working and have a French carte vitale - then contact the issuers
Summary of Cover
- Any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your stay because of either illness or an accident.
- The card gives access to reduced-cost or free medical treatment from state healthcare providers.
- It allows you to be treated on the same basis as a resident of the country you are visiting i.e. you may have to pay a patient contribution (also known as a co-payment). You may be able to seek reimbursement for this when you are back in the UK if you are not able to do so in the other country (and limited to the equivalent cost on the NHS).
- It includes treatment of a chronic or pre-existing medical condition that becomes necessary during your visit.
- It includes routine maternity care, (provided the reason for your visit is not specifically to give birth).
- It includes the provision of oxygen, renal dialysis and routine medical care.
Not Covered by the EHIC
- The EHIC is not a substitute or replacement for private travel insurance. You should always take out an appropriate private policy in addition to carrying your EHIC.
- It will not cover the costs of private healthcare or services that are not part of the state healthcare system..
- It will not cover the costs of being brought back to the UK.
- It will not allow you to go abroad to specifically receive treatment (including going abroad to give birth).
- The card may not be used in some regions, as there may be no state provided healthcare available.
.
___________________________________________________
Stansted baggage handlers' strike next weekend - disruption expected
GMB members to walk out in June over rota changes, though airline says 'we just won't check in bags'
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says flights will continue despite strike by Swissport's GMB union members. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA
Passengers face the threat of disruption at Stansted airport over the jubilee weekend after baggage handlers announced seven days of strikes.
GMB union members employed by Swissport, an airport services business, are poised to walk out from 5.30am on 2 June until 5.30am on 6 June, as well as holding a 24-hour strike from 5.30am on 23 May, and a 48-hour walkout from 5.30am on 26 May.
GMB said the walkouts, in a dispute over rota changes, would cause disruption. Ryanair said the dispute would have "no effect" on flights although passengers will not be able to check in bags. Ryanair is Stansted's biggest carrier and Swissport also handles bags for Thomas Cook, Thomson, AtlasJet and BelleAir. The next largest, easyJet, uses a different baggage handling company that is not involved in the row.
Gary Pearce, a GMB organiser, said: "You are looking at 150 people who will not be at work on those days. That has got to slow things down. Ryanair could take up the option of not putting bags on flights but that will cause disruption as well."
Swissport said the airport would "open as normal" and that passengers should expect "no disruption to their services". The company's Stansted boss, Richard Prince, said the alternative to the rota changes – which involve converting a shift pattern of four consecutive days into five consecutive days – is job cuts. "The proposed changes to working patterns mean we will avoid job losses; we are asking our employees now to work a five-day week rather than a four-day week. We are not cutting people's pay. We are not increasing the amount of hours they work. We are keeping people in jobs."
Pearce said the changes would disrupt employees' domestic arrangements, adding that Swissport had withdrawn a proposal that would have retained the 'four days on, two days off' rota. "The membership are getting to the stage where there is no trust in what management are saying."
Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, said the strikes would have no effect. "The unions do this every bank holiday. They always seem to find a way of climbing back. It really doesn't matter. Flights will continue, we just won't check in bags." He said that since his airline had imposed swingeing charges on checked baggage, only 25% of passengers used the handlers' service anyway.
For the first time, people can travel in less than an hour and a half by express bus between Perpignan and Girona cities AND for unbeatable prices! With departures from early morning to late night, it is now possible to hop easily between these Catalan cousins to enjoy the delights that both these beautiful cities have to offer.
To celebrate the Inauguration, Frogbus is very pleased to announce a very Special Promotion. Until midday next Friday June 1st, book Perpignan city – Girona city tickets for ONLY 99c each way. Simply go online to http://www.frogbus.com/en and snap up these incredible value fares for travel anytime during summer 2012. (Promotional tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged)
We value your feedback; please do not hesitate to contact us at info@frogbus.com with your suggestions & comments.
Public enquiry for new dual carriageway
Pezenas to A9
You can consult
the plans in
the Mairies listed
on the right
_______________________________________
RYANAIR.COM 24-HOUR WEBSITE CLOSURE 18 & 19 MAY
After the closure the company promise faster access
Ryanair has announced that their website will be closed from 22.00hrs (GMT) on Fri 18 May until midnight Sat 19 May. Flights will be unaffected and Ryanair has already advised passengers due to travel over the weekend (Sat 19 & Sun 20 May) to make sure they check-in online before 16.00hrs (GMT) on 18 May.
From Sunday, passengers can look forward to faster access and improved passenger updates with an upgraded version of Ryanair.com, which will deliver:
1. 3 times faster access to Ryanair’s low fares
2. 3 times faster access to RyanairHotels.com’s guaranteed lowest hotel prices
3. new SMS text alerts in rare instances of delays over two hours or during periods of widespread disruption.
__________________________________________
Montpellier - new flight to Strasbourg
From 4 june a new twice weekly flight announced
Not exactly low cost – prices start at 195€ TTC** return
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-STRASBOURG*
Départs Arrivées Jours
Montpellier >> Strasbourg 08h35 >> 10h15 Lundi au jeudi
19h50 >> 21h30 Lundi au vendredi
Strasbourg >> Montpellier 06h30 >> 08h10 Lundi au jeudi
17h45 >> 19h25 Lundi au vendredi
Réservations en agence de voyages, sur www.twinjet.fr ou au 0892 707 737***
________________________________________
Let us face it - it is expensive and hard to park in Montpellier
But there is another way - next time you are driving into the city do not avoid parking where you see signs like this.
There is often plenty of room in the parking lots.
And if you take the tram in the rates are good - and you dont have to worry about finding a spot
Not many deals as good as this around - virtually free parking and cheap tram ride thrown in!
RYANAIR’S APR TRAFFIC GROWS 6%
Ryanair today (3 May) released passenger and load factor stats for Apr 2012 :-
Apr 11
Apr 12
Change
Yr to Apr 12
Passengers (m) 1
6.8M
7.2M
+6%
76.3M
Load Factor 2
82%
81%
-1%
82%
_________________________________________
Traffic lights - some now have a cameras to
check cars jumping red lights - we cannot confirm but it might we worth a look
http://www.radar-feu.com/emplacements-radars-feux.php
.
Montpellier - 2 new tram lines
New trams start running a full service today - Saturday
The central control room which monitors the towns 56kms of tramway
Traffic controllers faced with a bank of monitors
And every thing can be stopped with this one button!
The 4 line service - which in 2017 will have a 5th added - integrates Bus, Hire cars and Velomags (hired bikes).
Line 3 is 19.8 kms long - from Juvignac to Perols and Lattes and line 4 is the only "circular" tram route in France. Future extensions of the lines includes one to serve the new Montpellier TGV station at Odysseum. Future extensions are planned which will take lines as far out as Castries, Gigean and Montbazin
There is plenty of parking - 5,000 spaces in 12 parking lots and secure bike
stores.
See left - users have a card to enter the bike stores
And the new simpler to operate -Velomag bikes - a simple system allows a credit card to access the code - and then off you go!
.
On our journey we were joined by the designer of the new tram - "the sexiest in Europe" says the New York Times
Christian Lacroix in front of the tram with the livery he designed.
And a memorial to Georges Freche
who as Mayor of Montpellier had the vision to create the most integrated public transport sytems in France and perhaps in the whole of Europe.
A tram has a very light carbon footprint and carries the same number of people as 177 cars or 3 buses
Below - the system which will be in full operation from today - Saturday 7th April
And below - the vision for the system in the future
_______________________________________
RYANAIR CONDEMNS EU COMMISSION BIAS AGAINST LOW FARES AIRLINES
Ryanair has called for an end to the EU Commission’s discrimination against low fares airlines (and favouring state owned flag carriers) which was again highlighted by the EU Commission’s ban on booking flights on low fares airlines or reimbursing travel expenses to/from Brussels Charleroi Airport.
Ryanair accused the EU Commission of telling lies about this travel ban when its (unnamed) spokesperson last week denied any such policy existed.
At a Brussels press conference Ryanair released copies of e-mails received from the EU’s travel agency (Amex) which clearly stated “The European Commission does not allow us to book low cost flights, so we can only arrange the transfers from/to Brussels (Zaventem) Airport”.
Ryanair also released a letter from the EU Commission (Director for Administration and Payment) which stated “It is true that the terms of this contract do prevent Amex from booking tickets with ‘low-cost’ airlines”.
Ryanair called on the EU Commission to explain why (when it is preaching austerity on EU states and citizens, and is incapable of balancing its own budget) its own travel agency is “prevented” from booking tickets with low cost airlines which would save EU taxpayers millions of euro and many wasted hours (because low cost airlines are more punctual that the flag carriers).
Ryanair believes this Commission prohibition against using low fares airlines as the latest example of the its bias against low fare airlines in general, and Ryanair in particular, as the following examples show;
a) The Commission prohibits bookings on low cost airlines while it wastes time and its taxpayer funds flying high cost (frequently delayed) flag carriers
b) The Commission’s travel agency refuses to arrange pick-ups at Brussels Charleroi Airport claiming that it can only do so at high fare Brussels Zaventem
c) The Commission has in recent years rubber-stamped a series of mergers between flag carrier airlines including Air France/KLM/Alitalia, Lufthansa/SN Brussels/Austrian and BA/Iberia/BMI, which collectively account for over 50% of intra-EU air travel, yet prohibited Ryanair’s 2006 offer for Aer Lingus when Aer Lingus accounted for less than 1% of EU air travel.
d) The Commission has repeatedly ignored blatant state aid to EU flag carriers, or (in cases involving Air France and Alitalia) has ruled that state aid existed but the flag carriers were not obliged to repay the illegal aid received.
e) While the Commission repeatedly ignores state aid to flag carriers, it is currently investigating 16 different Ryanair airport agreements despite the fact that the European Court (in 2008) dismissed the Commission’s claims of state aid in the Charleroi case. Despite their failure to appeal this damming EU Court ruling, DG Comp has now reopened the Charleroi case despite the fact that Charleroi has grown to 6m passengers annually and is now trading profitably, thereby complying with the MEIP competition rules.
f) The Commission’s EU261 regulations, which establish high fixed sum compensation amounts of €250 - €400 per day clearly discriminates in favour of EU flag carrier airlines whose average fares are significantly higher than this fixed sum amount whereas the average fare of the EU low fares airlines is a fraction of this compensation limit. The EU Commission’s equivalent regulations for competing coach, ferry and rail operators link these compensation payments to the ticket price paid. Ryanair continues to campaign for reform of the EU261 regulations which would link any compensation paid to the airfare chosen by each passenger at the time of booking.
Speaking in Brussels Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said;
“The Amex e-mails and EU Commission letters which we have released today unequivocally admits that the EU Commission “prevents” its travel agency from making bookings on low fare airlines, which would save the hard pressed EU taxpayer millions of Euros each year. Yet all the EU spokesmen can do is lie about it. There is no substance to the Commission’s claims that this prohibition is designed for the “convenience” of its travel agency (i.e. making credit card payments) or the “convenience” of its bureaucrats.
This prohibition is a blatant subsidy to EU flag carriers and discriminates yet again against Europe’s low fares airlines which have now overtaken Europe’s flag carriers in terms of passenger popularity.
___________________________________________
WoW note - this is the best info we can find for Tuesday flights into local airports.
Please note - the situation is very fluid - Ryanair for example did not post Beziers as a problem yesterday (Monday) but in the event all but one of the flights were cancelled. (The one not cancelled was diverted to Nimes)
Latest from Montpellier Airport
Objet : Grève – 4 vols supplémentaires annulés
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit,
et continue de perturber le trafic aérien sur la plate-forme montpelliéraine.
4 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés : 2 vols de/vers Nantes et 2 vols de/vers Paris Orly.
Ces 4 vols annulés se rajoutent aux 14 annulations
de/vers Lyon, Paris Orly, Paris Roissy et Londres Luton, déjà annoncées.
Les dessertes de Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador
ne sont, pour l’heure, pas affectées par ces annulations.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Londres Luton >> Montpellier
U2 2025 – 09h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7546 – 12h35
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier
AF 7680 – 13h55
Nantes >> Montpellier
AF 3272 – 16h00
Lyon >> Montpellier
AF 5803 – 16h30
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7550 – 17h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7544 – 18h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Londres Luton
U2 2026 – 09h35
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Lyon
AF5802 – 13h50
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy
AF 7683 – 14h40
Montpellier >> Nantes
AF 3273 – 16h40
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7551 – 17h50
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7557 – 19h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
IMPACT DE LA GREVE SUR L’AEROPORT DE MONTPELLIER EN QUELQUES CHIFFRES…
Journée du lundi 02 avril
Total vols annulés : 36 %
· Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés
· Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés
· Lyon : 33% vols annulés
· Francfort Hahn : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Nantes, Birmingham, Londres Gatwick, Leeds
Journée du mardi 03 avril (à 18H00)
Total vols annulés : 39%
· Paris Orly : 62,5% vols annulés
· Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés
· Lyon : 33% vols annulés
· Nantes : 33% vols annulés
· Londres Luton : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador
Air France Air Arabia Maroc Easyjet Ryanair
12h40 – Mardi 03 avril 2012
Objet : Grève – 2 vols supplémentaires annulés sur Paris Roissy
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit.
2 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés de/vers Paris Roissy,
opérés par la compagnie aérienne Air France.
Rappelons également les annulations des 8 vols de/vers Paris Orly avec Air France
et les 2 vols annulés de/vers Londres Luton avec easyjet.
Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes) et
internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador)
sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Londres Luton >> Montpellier
U2 2025 – 09h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7546 – 12h35
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier
AF 7680 – 13h55
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7544 – 18h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Londres Luton
U2 2026 – 09h35
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy
AF 7683 – 14h40
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7557 – 19h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
IMPACT DE LA GREVE SUR L’AEROPORT DE MONTPELLIER EN QUELQUES CHIFFRES…
Journée du lundi 02 avril
Total vols annulés : 36 %
· Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés
· Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés
· Lyon : 33% vols annulés
· Francfort Hahn : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Nantes, Birmingham, Londres Gatwick, Leeds
Journée du mardi 03 avril (à 12H40)
Total vols annulés : 26%
· Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés
· Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés
· Londres Luton : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Lyon, Nantes, Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador
Air France Air Arabia Maroc Easyjet Ryanair
11h00 – Mardi 03 avril 2012
Objet : Grève – 2 vols supplémentaires annulés
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit pour cette journée du 03 avril 2012.
2 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés de/vers Paris Orly, opérés par la compagnie aérienne Air France.
Soit un total de 8 vols de/vers Paris Orly sur les 16 vols programmés vers cette destination.
Rappelons également les 2 vols annulés de/vers Londres Luton avec easyjet.
Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes, Paris Roissy) et
internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador)
sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Londres Luton >> Montpellier
U2 2025 – 09h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7546 – 12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7544 – 18h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Londres Luton
U2 2026 – 09h35
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7557 – 19h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
_______________________________________________________
MONTPELLIER airport issued this at 08.30 Tuesday morning
Objet : Grève – vols annulés
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) est reconduite pour cette journée du 03 avril 2012.
Dans ce contexte, Air France avait prévu, dès hier, la réduction de son programme de vols
avec l’annulation de 4 vols de/vers Paris Orly pour cette journée.
Ces annulations sont confirmées, auxquelles se rajoutent aujourd’hui 2 annulations supplémentaires.
Soit un total de 6 vols de/vers Paris Orly sur les 16 vols programmés de/vers cette destination pour cette journée.
La compagnie low cost Easyjet vient également d’annuler sa rotation Montpellier- Londres Luton,
soit 2 vols annulés.
Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes, Paris Roissy) et
internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador)
sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont à prévoir pour cette journée.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Londres Luton >> Montpellier
U2 2025 – 09h05
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7546 – 12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Londres Luton
U2 2026 – 09h35
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
_______________________________________
Ryanair 3RD April - FRANCE STRIKE CANCELLATIONS
FR3456
Luton
Beziers
FR3457
Beziers
Luton
FR3257
Nimes
Luton
FR73
Carcassonne
Stansted
FR9917
Carcassonne
Liverpool
FR8024
Carcassonne
Charleroi
FR937
Perpignan
Stansted
FR72
Stansted
Carcassonne
FR936
Stansted
Perpignan
FR6407
Weeze
Beziers
WoW is sorry about the layout - it is the best we can do at present
Check - http://www.ryanair.com/en/notices/gops/120402-FRStrike_table_3RD-GB
easyJet
French Strike
3rd April
easyJet is aware of strike action called by Air Traffic Control in France for Monday and Tuesday. Significant disruption and cancellations are being experienced and we would advise all our passengers to check the status of their flight regularly.
Cancellations
Customers booked on cancelled flights on Monday and Tuesday can arrange free transfers or refunds by referring to the easyJet flight checker at flightchecker.easyjet.com
Passengers flying on domestic services within France are advised to expect significant disruption but can rest assured that easyJet will do everything it can to minimise this.
Unfortunately, flights overflying France could also be disrupted due to the nature of the strike. Again, we are doing everything we can to avoid delays and additional cancellations. We strongly recommend that all passengers check the status of their flight and regularly monitor our web page for any additional information before heading for the airport.
easyJet would like to apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience caused by French Air Traffic Control strike action and assure you we are doing everything possible to make your journey as smooth as possible.
Montpellier advises WoW
Mardi 3 avril
Pour l’heure, Air France prévoit d’annuler 4 vols de/vers Paris Orly.
Des retards sont à prévoir pour cette journée.
Vols PREVUS annulés – MARDI 3 avril
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Beziers Cap d'Agde regrets cancelling flights on Monday
While many national and regional airports had some flights on Monday, Beziers Cap d'Agde was subjected to a cancellation of nine of its 10 flights scheduled for the day
Beziers / Oslo,
Bristol / Beziers, Beziers / Bristol,
Manchester / Beziers, Beziers / Manchester,
London / Beziers, Beziers / London,
Paris Beauvais / Beziers, Beziers / Paris Beauvais.
Only the Oslo flight came in during the morning but had to divert to Nîmes due to action by the air controller in Beziers.
The Chairman Daniel Galy and Director Pascal Pintre said “this is unacceptable and unprecedented Beziers Cap d'Agde, which troubled 1,800 passengers."
The airport apologizes to its customers for the inconvenience and called on the local air traffic controllers to allow traffic to resume onTuesday, April 3.
The airport estimate the loss caused by the strike is near to € 25,000.
________________________________________
Montpellier Airport info on Monday strike
Objet : Grève – Lundi 2 avril – Vols prévus annulés
En raison de l’appel à la grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile),
des perturbations sont attendues lundi 02 et mardi 03 avril 2012.
Dans ce contexte, la compagnie aérienne Air France réduit, de manière préventive,
son programme de vols pour la journée du lundi 02 avril.
8 vols sont ainsi prévus annulés à Montpellier de/vers Paris Orly.
Vols prevus annulés – lundi 02 avril 2012
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7546 – 12h35
Paris Orly >> Montpellier
AF 7550 – 17h05
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier
AF 7552 – 19h40
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7547 – 13h20
Montpellier >> Paris Orly
AF 7551 – 17h50
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy
AF 7553 – 20h20
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
________________________________________________________________________________________
When I book return flights from Beziers to Luton
I use my FairFX prepaid mastercard and I am not charged the £6 booking fee.Also the fare is in euros so you save some money if your card is in pounds even though the rate of exchange is poor!
If you read the section on fees on Ryanair's website you will see in the notes that there is no fee charge when the flight originates in France.
However if it originates in the UK then using your pre-paid mastercard incurs the £6 charge.
Eric
Two things for WoW readers writes John
There are many pre-paid mastercards that are much easier to get hold of than the one described at length in the ‘travel’ section by ‘Alan R’.
However, please advise you readers not to waste their time – it has to be a ‘RYANAIR’ pre-paid mastercard, others will no longer do! And the initial load has to be £150 on which I am sure M O'L is delighted to have the interest!
The other thing – there are a few trains daily from the new Figueres Vilafant station (TGVs) which go on to Paris, via Perpignan. However, they keep this a secret and will only sell you a ticket as far as Narbonne. You can then stay on the train to Béziers, Agde etc. (you might have to change seats as those you were in may have been reserved by someone else from Narbonne). Why can’t they get their act together and sell you a ticket to Beziers?
________________________________________
4 maps showing possible places for new stations on the TGV line between Beziers and Narbonne
Thanks LFN for sharing this
Prepaid credit cards for Ryanair.
Fed up with paying so-called Ryanair Administration Charges when you use your credit card to book a flight then read on……….
Probably many readers like us, object to paying this hidden credit card charge of Ryanair, but, because we live permanently in France and have no UK address, we cannot apply for the Ryanair pre-paid card.
After a little ‘Googling’ I have discovered an alternative which costs 10€ a year and we have used it twice in the last month and avoided the charges and more than got our fee back.
Moneybookers has a French section and you set up a Euro account with which you are issued a pre-paid MasterCard. The site is www.moneybookers.com and you can opt for it all in an English language on-line version. Moneybookers is a UK company covered by the FSA. Their security procedures are very thorough so be prepared for about 2-3 weeks before you receive your card.
Before you start the process it will help you to have a colour scan of the page passport which has you photo and a colour scan of a utility bill ( EDF, France Telecom, Veolia etc) but smaller then 1Mb size for each.
You will then register you French bank account and any credit cards you may wish to use to transfer money in advance to your Moneybookers account. This process will involve quite a lot of emails exchanges to verify various stages of the process, including them making a small test charge (less than 2€50 to each credit card, which is then refunded to you.) Be patient – difficult for me as my family will testify.
When it is all set up, you simply log on and transfer money to your Moneybookers account and you can spend up to this limit with you pre-paid card. During the Ryanair booking procedure when you are asked for the type of card you want to use, just select ‘pre-paid MasterCard’. EASY!!
Of course you can also use your card like any other online or at any business premises which show the MasterCard sign or withdraw money at cash machines.
Even more exciting for some maybe, is that Moneybookers is part of the new SKRILL scheme which allows the transfer of money to anyone else (family or friends perhaps) who is registered with the scheme and has an email address. Too complicated to expand on here but look at their site.
Good luck – mine’s the reserved seat in C1 Alan R.
PS I am not an employee of Moneybookers or have any links with them other than as a customer.
RYANAIR NO 1 Customer Service StatS - FEBRUARY 2012
Ryanair, today (22nd Mar) published its Feb 2012 customer service statistics which confirm that Ryanair remains Europe’s No1 customer service airline.
· 88% of over 33,000 flights arrived on-time (down 4% due to snow)
· Less than 1 complaint per 1,000 passengers was received.
· Less than 1 mislaid bag claim per 2,000 passengers was received.
FEB
2011
2012
On-time flights
92%
88%
Complaints per 1,000 pax
1.88
0.98
Bag complaints per 1,000 pax
0.41
0.38
Complaints answered within 7 days
99%
99%
· Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 on-time airline (beating Easyjet every week since 2003);
Béziers Cap d'Agde airport continues expansion
After welcoming 195,000 passengers in 2011, up 48.3% growth on 2010, the airport will continue to grow this year.
Summer flights
From 25 March, the airport offers a new summer program with 8 European destinations, new routes and more flights:
- London Luton: 4 flights a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
- Bristol: 4 flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
- Düsseldorf: 2 flights a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Stockholm: 2 flights a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays (third flight extra every Thursday during July)
- Oslo: 2 flights a week on Mondays and Fridays
- Southampton: three weekly flights on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays
- The eighth new line to Manchester - 2 flights on Mondays and Fridays.
The line to / from Paris Beauvais - 4 flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with the late afternoon schedule is particularly suitable for short stays during the week or on weekends.
Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport is expected to host nearly 215 000 passengers this year generating economic benefits of nearly € 65 million on the year.
Shuttle buses at € 1.5 are available to and from the arrival of each flight to / from Beziers * Bus and train stations, Vias, Agde train station *, * Marseillan Ville (* correspondence with Transport networks Herault, Herault Mediterranean Thau agglo).
Information and bookings on www.beziers.aeroport.fr
___________________________________________
Government confirms new breathalyzer law
The French government has announced officially that all cars must
carry a single-use breathalyzer kit from July 1st.*
The move, which has been widely reported for some time, was made official
in a decree on February 28th and published on Thursday.
"Every driver of a motorised land vehicle, excluding mopeds, must possess
an unused and immediately available breathlyzer, " said the decree,
published in the official gazette ("Journal Officiel de la République
Française").
Transport ministry officials told The Local that the rule would apply
equally to vehicles from outside France.
July and August are busy months on the French roads as millions of French
people and tourists head for their holiday destinations.
A fine of €11 ($15) will be charged to anyone not carrying the breathalyzer
kit, but police have been told to start fining only from November 1st.
The new law is the latest attempt to reduce France's road accident rate.
Around 4,000 people died on French roads in 2011, a very slight improvement
on the figure for the year before.
Drink driving is believed to be responsible for one in three road deaths.
The government hopes having a kit in the car will allow people to test
themselves and to give them the means to test others if they suspect they
are over the limit.
The legal blood alcohol limit in France is 0.5 grams per litre.
The single-use tests cost between €0.50 and €1.50 and manufacturers are
rushing to produce enough to meet expected demand.
President Nicolas Sarkozy promised the measure in November in the hope of
slashing drink driving, responsible for 31 percent of fatal road accidents.
Disposable breathalysers have been available in French bars and nightclubs
since then.
New coaches have been equipped with breathalyser tests that prevent drivers
starting the ignition since January 2010. The devices are to be installed
in all coaches by the start of the 2015 school year.
A total of 3,970 people died on French roads in 2011, down barely 0.5
percent or 22 lives compared to 2010.
When Sarkozy came to power in 2007 he set the government the ambitious
target of reducing annual road deaths to 3,000 by 2012.
The new breathalyzer requirement will be added to the existing rules
compelling drivers to carry a warning triangle and a fluorescent safety
vest.
Failure to have these in the car can lead to a €90 fine.
A9 in top 20 for speed camera flashes
Last year total revenues received by the government from speed camera offences was €630 million, of which around €100 million was late payment fines.
Locate cameras in France http://www.speedcameramap.com/
Montpellier airport launches new catering outlet
Bright and inviting - the new Trib's outlet lifts the departure lounge.
Comfortable chairs and sensible sized tables, with fresh, simple and quality food should be a hit with passengers and "collectors" alike. Plat du jour at 14.90€.
If the food given to the Press at the opening is anything to go by the offerings will be delicious.
Care has been taken with the ambiance -
Black and stainless steel for the professional look of the servery.
Wood
flooring for warmth and "serenity", touches of green for freshness - and here WoW stumbles. Orange for vitamins and smiles?
There may though be few smiles from locals in Frances
largest vineyard when they read the labels on the wine bottles.
Surely the company who run Trib's might have found some local wine. The vignerons in the area need all the help they can get and for passengers coming to wine events at the exhibition centre this is not perhaps the best impression one could give.
RYANAIR’S FEB TRAFFIC DOWN 2%
Ryanair today (5th Mar) released passenger and load factor stats for Feb 2012 as follows:
Feb 11
Feb 12
Change
Yr to Feb 12
Passengers (m) 1
4.57M
4.47M
-2%
76.1M
Load Factor 2
76%
76%
0%
82%
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“As previously guided, Ryanair’s 2011/12 winter traffic was expected to decline by approx 5% as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices.”
Montpellier Tram line 3 preview
Montpellier Transport showed off their fine new trams on line 3 - the one in green above - top left to bottom right - on Friday.
This truly collossal work will open to the public on the 6th of April
It all started at Juvignac on the North West of the City in what appears to be a field but which is destined to be a housing area. The start of the 19.8 km trip to Perols
(Yes the press do look a bit of a shambles as they avoid the work in progress as the final touches are put to the Juvignac terminus)
It was a dull day but there is nothing dull about the Christian Lacroix designed trams - especially the boistrous interior.
The attention to detail is exceptional - interesting stations, fine planting and careful renovation to buildings disturbed by the building
Not all of the signalling is yet fully functioning and so we were "escorted" by Police motor cycle outriders to make our way across the junctions.
This chap took risks driving down the track alongside the tram.
At some junctions there were as many as 4 riders ensuring the safe passage of the tram.
Parking for 1,000 cars in Mosson, 400 at Garcia Lorca and the immense parking at the exhibition halls which the line serves will enable motorists to drop their cars and take the tram.
Altogether the line serves 29 stations with 18 tram sets and in central areas there will be a tram every 6 minutes - every 12 minutes on the outskirts of the town - together carrying 77,000 people a day.
It is a shame the tram does not serve the airport - (not in the Agglomeraton we were told - though to be fair the shuttle bus from the airport is not greatly used)
The line does though serve the massive out of town shopping centre as well as the New Arena and the Exhibition halls. Plans to take the line right down to the cost are on the drawing board but cost and the unstable soil and crossing the canal makes it but a dream at the moment.
Planning on line 5 has though started already and line 3 will open - with a semi-circle central line 4 will open in April.
On the open line towards Perols and the branch line to Lattes the tram hits a top speed of 70 kms/h.
A drivers view of the fast track back into town.
Montpellier now has one of the longest tram systems in France and over the next few years for more lines, extensions to the existing tramways and a link to the new TGV station which will be built at the Odysseum
A look at what the future network might be.
WoW learns though that there are considerable problems with taking the line over the Canal as the soil is unstable and bridges have a tendency to sink - already a problem we learn with some road bridges
Ryanair - Stansted to Perpignan and Toulon
By Craig McGinty of http://www.thisfrenchlife.com
A COUPLE of new summer routes to France from London Stansted, operated by Ryanair, have been announced.
Operating from the end of March, flights to Perpignan and Toulon will be on offer for holiday makers heading to the south of France.
Also note that from 6 March, 2012 all Ryanair flights to/from Manchester Airport will operate to/from Terminal 3.
____________________________________________________________________
Thanks to LFN organisation for this
However your French driving licence is valid in the UK after the age of 70 without a medical
_________________________________________
Montpellier: Saint-Roch station - major project
.
________________________________________
Montpellier Station - warning of delay
Perhaps some of your readers might like to be aware that Montpellier Train Station is a complete shambles!
The station is undergoing extensive modifications.
The problem is the parking at the 1st floor level of the station which was used to drop off and pick up passengers is now closed !
Now you pass the old entrance to this parking on your right, continue and take the first turn to your left by the bus stop.
There is a Parking Sign. This brings you into a large parking place.
Now comes the crunch, even if you find a parking place close to the entrance you have at least a 1km walk to the main entrance of the station.
There is no access via the closed parking.
If you are doing a 'drop off' there is an illegal trick to get closer to the station entrance, instead of turning left to the parking turn right and you arrive at the Taxi parking close to Station
main entrance. Attention there is no parking place it is just a fast illegal 'stop and go!'
For Pick Up you will have to use the Parking.
Be prepared to have 30 minutes before the train leaves to be sure you find the parking and get to the Station.
Thanks for this from LFN
_________________________________________
Renewing UK driving licence at 70+
Your driving licence entitlement will expire when you reach the age of 70 and if you want to continue to drive, the entitlement will need to be renewed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Your renewed licence will normally be valid for three years.
However - if you live in France - swap your UK licence for a French
one - you don't need a medical and it is valid in the UK
A WoW tip!
________________________________________
Montpellier airport - cool cars -make electricity
.
______________________________________
easyJet first airline trials electric taxiing system
easyJet, in collaboration with Honeywell and Safran, has announced that it will be the first airline to support the development and trial of the innovative new electric green taxiing system
Due to the high frequency and short sector lengths of easyJet’s operations, around 4% of total fuel consumed annually is used when the airline’s aircraft are taxiing. easyJet’s aircraft average 20 minutes of taxi time per flight – the equivalent of 3.5 million miles a year.
The first operational trials are expected to start in 2013
Ian Davies, easyJet’s Head of Engineering and Maintenance, said: “easyJet is always seeking innovative ways of reducing our environmental footprint as well as our operating costs so this technology is of great interest to us.
John Bolton, President, Honeywell’s Air Transport and Regional business,
The EGTS (electric green taxiing system) allows aircraft to taxi without requiring the use of aircraft engines by using the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator to power motors in the main wheels.
Each of the aircraft’s powered wheels is equipped with an electromechanical actuator, while unique power electronics and system controllers give pilots total control of the aircraft’s speed, direction and braking during taxi operations. The system would therefore reduce, if not remove altogether, the need for tugs to manoeuvre aircraft in and out of stands.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Watch the progress of the final few minutes of
Costa Concordia
Hit this link for the actual AIS (Automatic Identification System)
data taken off the 'Costa Concordia' GPS/Chart Plotter on
the night of the grounding. Hit any part of the address below
http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/news.qps.nl/Grounding+Costa+Concordia.wmv
Thanks to Mike for sharing this with WoW
.
RYANAIR’S JANUARY TRAFFIC DOWN 6%
Ryanair released passenger and load factor stats for Jan
Jan 11
Jan 12
Change
Yr to Jan 12
Passengers (m) 1
4.66M
4.39M
-6%
76.2M
Load Factor 2
71%
71%
0%
82%
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“As previously guided, Ryanair’s 2011/12 winter traffic was expected to decline by approx 5% as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices.”
1. Booked seats sold
2.Passengers as a percentage of total seats available.
_________________________________________
An on-line check for drivers - click below
http://www.alcoroute.com/testVirtuel.php
_______________________________________
French air workers strike
Security workers at French airports staged a last-minute strike before Christmas
Unions representing French pilots, cabin crew and ground staff have announced a four-day strike.
Workers plan to strike from Monday to Thursday to protest against a bill currently going through parliament.
The bill, put forward by President Nicolas Sarkozy's party, would require aviation workers to give more notice of industrial action.
Unions say the bill, which has already passed through the lower house, would affect workers' rights.
Air France says its customers due to travel between 6 and 9 February can change their flights.
In a statement, the airline said it was doing "all it can to limit the impact of this strike on its operations".
The French pilots' union SNPL said the right to strike was non-negotiable and the union had decided to mobilise all its energies "against a bill which is unfair and destructive to our profession".
Before Christmas a last-minute strike by security staff at French airports led to the government deploying police to try and minimise disruption.
____________________________________________
Beziers summer flights pattern start next month
Düsseldorf Weeze 27 Mar
Manchester T2 26 Mar
Oslo Rygge 26 Mar
Stockholm Skavsta 27 Mar
+++
The cheapest fuel in l'Herault? +++
If you know a cheaper place - please email WoW
hicks-france@wanadoo.fr
We filled up yesterday (1 Feb) at Hyper U in Agde at 135.5 euros a litre for diesel.
Anyone better that?
The French Government launches
New campaign for road safety - click below to see
___________________________________________
.
New seasonal line MONTPELLIER – Deauville
La SA Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée a le plaisir d’annoncer l’ouverture d’une nouvelle ligne Montpellier- Deauville, opérée par Régional, filiale d’Air France.
Air France, lance pour la saison estivale une liaison entre l’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée et l’aéroport de Deauville Normandie, du 26 mai au 15 septembre 2012, à partir de 83 euros TTC l’aller-simple. Elle sera opérée par un Embraer Jet de 50 sièges, chaque samedi.
Horaires des vols (Heures locales)
Ligne Départs Arrivée
Montpellier >> Deauville 08h50 >> 10h15 Samedi
Deauville>> Montpellier 10h50 >> 12h15 Samedi
Réservations au 3654*, en agence de voyages, ou sur www.airfrance.fr
Flybe is to offer a number of new routes between the UK and France this summer.
New routes from Aberdeen, Bristol and Newcastle to Paris Charles de Gaulle and from Birmingham to Lyon will be on offer, and the codeshare agreement will offer new onward travel options.
Passengers flying from any of Flybe’s 11 UK departure points serving the French capital can now connect seamlessly to a selection of 19 new European destinations.
Providing onward travel from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Budapest, Geneva, Ljubljana, Lyon, Madrid, Munich, Nice, Nuremburg, Prague, Sofia, Vienna, Warsaw, Zagreb and Zurich
__________________________________________
New flight - MONTPELLIER – MUNICH by Lufthansa
Starts 31 Mars
Lufthansa opèrera ce vol chaque samedi en jet CRJ 900 de 86 sièges. Durant tout le mois d’août, un vol supplémentaire le dimanche reliera Montpellier à Munich pour couvrir le pic de la saison estivale.
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-MUNICH Durée du vol : 1h40
Du 31 mars au 27 octobre 2012
Ligne Départs Arrivée Jours
Montpellier >> Munich 18h35 >> 20h15 Samedi
Munich >> Montpellier 15h50 >> 17h30 Samedi
Du 05 août au 26 août 2012 – vol additionnel
Ligne Départs Arrivée Jours
Du 05 aout au 19 août
Montpellier >> Munich 18h35 >> 20h15 Dimanche
Munich >> Montpellier 15h50 >> 17h30 Dimanche
26 août
Montpellier >> Munich 11h15 >> 12h55 Dimanche
Munich >> Montpellier 09h00 >> 10h40 Dimanche
Réservations sur www.lufthansa.fr ou en agence de voyages
________________________________________
EasyJet increases administration fee – and keeps credit card charge
.
• £9 upfront fee is response to government call for transparency, says easyJet
• Increased surcharge to be displayed at first stage of booking
EasyJet is to charge an administration fee regardless of payment methods – as well as an additional fee for credit card payments Photograph: Alamy
EasyJet has responded to government calls to make surcharges for card payments fairer for customers by restructuring – and increasing – its fees.
The airline previously charged a booking fee of £8 for anyone paying for its flights by debit card. The credit card fee was either £12.95 or 2.5% of the costs of the booking, which ever was higher.
It will instead charge an administration fee of £9 for all passenger bookings, a fee that will now be included in all advertising and displayed as part of a full and final flight price at the first stage of the booking process.
This will be applied to all bookings regardless of payment method and how many flights are made. But the airline is also continuing to charge an additional £4.95 or 2.5% for those who pay by credit card. This means that credit card payments will now incur a fee of at least £13.95.
A spokesman for the airline said the new "administration fee" was to cover costs such as those associated with its IT infrastructure and added that the changes to transparency were "exactly what consumer groups have been asking for".
In a statement the airline said: "These changes have been made in order to address the concerns raised by consumer bodies and regulators across the European Union whilst retaining a simple, transparent and consistent booking process for all passengers regardless of nationality."
In December, Treasury minister Mark Hoban announced that the government was preparing to legislate to prevent airlines and other businesses from imposing hefty charges on credit and debit card bookings that are difficult to detect.
Under the legislation, airlines, cinemas and holiday firms will be stopped from imposing millions of pounds in "hidden last-minute" charges on internet bookings. The ruling will put the UK ahead of many other EU countries, all of which would have to ban the same fees from 2014 under the Consumer Rights Directive.
Ryanair enraged consumer groups last month when it reacted to the news by claiming that it does not charge its passengers any credit or debit card fees. Instead, it calls them administration fees.
___________________________________________________________________________
Bouygues selected to build TGV line Nîmes-Montpellier
Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) announced Thursday it had awarded the contract to Bouygues for the high-speed line (LGV) Nîmes-Montpellier which will cost 1.83 billion euros, - da Vinci was also a candidate.
The Bouygues-led consortium includes Alstom Transport.
The contract should be finalized in the first half for a start of work this year.
RFF said the project also included the creation of two new stations for a total of 230 million euros, for which financing has not yet been decided.
___________________________________________________________
RYANAIR TO INTRODUCE €0.25 ETS LEVY TO COVER NEW EU "ECO-LOONEY" TAX
Ryanair has announced it will introduce a €0.25 levy per passenger for all bookings made from Tuesday 17th January to cover the costs of the EU’s new “eco-looney ETS tax,” which will cost Ryanair passengers €15m - €20m during 2012.
The impact of ETS on Ryanair passengers at €0.25 per one way booking will be less than the impact upon those travelling with other EU airlines as Ryanair is Europe’s greenest, cleanest, airline (confirmed by Brighter Planet 2011 report) which enjoys lower ETS costs than high fare European flag carrier airlines who operate older, noisier, more polluting aircraft.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“Ryanair will introduce a 25c ETS levy on every seat from Tues 17th January next to cover our estimated €15m - €20m ETS bill for 2012. Ryanair does not believe that European aviation should be included in the ETS scheme since it accounts for less than 2% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. This latest EU stealth tax will damage traffic, tourism, European competiveness and jobs at a time when no other economic block is including aviation in their ETS schemes.
This new ETS tax is the latest in a long line of cost increases imposed on Europe’s air passengers by the European Union, which reduces the competitiveness of EU air transport with yet another misguided ‘environmental’ tax which does nothing for the environment but penalises EU consumers and families.”
59 Ryanair routes at Girona airport for summer
Ryanair have today announced a new schedule at Girona airport (GRO) which will see a total of 59 destinations on offer from Girona during summer 2012 . From March 2012, 19 new routes have been added in addition to the reinstatement of routes cancelled during Ryanair's dispute with the government of Catalonia.
New routes from Girona from March 2012 include Aarhus, Bydgoszcz, Cagliari, Cork, Doncaster, Dusseldorf, Gdansk, Ibiza, Knock, Krakow, Madrid, Malmo, Nador, Perugia, Poitiers, Skelleftea, Stockholm, Thessaloniki and Turku.
___________________________________________________________________________
RYANAIR’S 2011 TRAFFIC GROWS 5%
Ryanair have announced 5% traffic growth for 2011, with over 76m passengers choosing Ryanair last year, up from 72m in 2010.
Ryanair’s 2011 traffic highlights include:
- Traffic grew 5% from 72.7m to over 76.4m passengers.
- A new record of 8.1m passengers in August (up 6% on Aug’10).
- The busiest day was Fri 12th Aug when over 280,000 flew on over 1,600 Ryanair flights.
- The busiest booking day was 28th Mar when over 310,000 bookings were made on www.ryanair.com.
The long term plan for Trams in Montpellier
_____________________________________________________________________________
If you like knowing where planes are and which one is flying over your house - try this website
_____________________________________________________________________________
LUTON AIRPORT - always a pain but even worse this month - see easyJet note
London Luton - Security Delays
During the month of December, Luton Airport will be operating at full capacity and there is a likelihood that there will be congestion through the security area. We therefore strongly recommend passengers allow extra time for travel through the airport.
To help you easyJet will be opening check-in at 3 hours before departure and will close 1 hour prior to departure.
Montpellier: 350 tram drivers in training
The commissioning of two tram lines simultaneously scheduled in the month of April is a great challenge for Montpellier Agglomeration!
This is a first in France!
To successfully launch the new lines, on April 6th, drivers are preparing for the operation of new trains.
To do this, the TAM has established a special driving simulator, the only one in France. It will include simulating the different possible cases of traffic during the commissioning.
The most sensitive point on the Gare Saint-Roch, which will be the interconnection of many means of transport across the network Montpellier.
RYANAIR’S MAY TRAFFIC GROWS 5%
|
|
May 11 |
May 12 |
Change |
Yr to May 12 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
7.15M |
7.51M |
5% |
76.6M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
82% |
81% |
-1% |
82% |
Travel by train for €1!
To encourage train travel and raise much needed funds for rail maintenance, the Languedoc-Roussillon region has launched certain lines where it is possible to travel for just one euro.
Due to the enormous success of the first two lines opened last year between Nîmes and Le Grau-du-Roi (July 2011) and also Perpignan and Villefranche (December 2011) a third line has recently been introduced between Carcassonne and Quillan. The first two lines have seen numbers of travelers triple during the same period as the previous year. Similar success is predicted for this third route.
Following on from this, two other lines will open this year - in June 2012 it will be possible to travel between La Bastide and Le Monastier and at the end of the year a fifth line between Béziers and Bédarieux will open.
You can get on and off at all the stations it stops at between the two points providing a fantastic way to explore the region. At that price you don't have to attempt to do it all in one go either, you can spread out your sightseeing and get off at a different station every day of the week if you want to.
For more information, including stations along the route and timetables, visit their website.
________________________________________RYANAIR THE WORLD’S CLEANEST, GREENEST AIRLINE CELEBRATES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
PEOPLE WHO CARE – FLY RYANAIR
Ryanair celebrated World Environment Day with the publication of independent research which confirmed Ryanair is the world’s cleanest, greenest airline as it urged ‘people who care’ to fly Ryanair.
The in-depth Brighter Planet research report on the world’s 20 largest airlines showed that Ryanair is the most efficient, and with an average fleet age of less than three years any passenger that flies on Ryanair’s low fares ensures that their flight is the greenest, cleanest, flight possible.
http://www.ryanair.com/doc/about/ryanair_brighter_planet_2011.pdf
Even though aviation accounts for just 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions Ryanair has invested billions in new aircraft, which produce 50% less CO2 and deliver a 45% reduction in fuel burn and noise. The Brighter Planet report mirrors the findings of the Dutch Consumer Organisation which in 2007 confirmed Ryanair as Europe’s greenest, cleanest airline.
_______________________________________________
SITA STATS CONFIRM RYANAIR IS NO 1 WITH FEWEST LOST BAGS
PASSENGERS 18 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BAGGAGE LOST WITH OTHER AIRLINES
BA LOSES UP TO 16 BAGS PER 1,000 PAX WHILE AER LINGUS REFUSES TO PUBLISH ABYSMAL BAG STATS
Ryanair welcomed independent statistics which again prove it loses far fewer bags than any other airline. The SITA World Tracer Statistics for 2011 showed a worldwide average of 9 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers. However, Ryanair misplaces less than 0.5 bags per 1,000 passengers, compared to high cost flag carriers BA, which loses over 16 bags per 1,000 passengers, while Aer Lingus loses so many bags it refuses to publish its stats.
SITA World Tracer, which is used by 450 airlines worldwide, found that many European airlines are very careless with passenger bags. 53% of all lost baggage was a result of mishandled transfers by high cost flag carrying airlines – a statistic which is continuing to grow rapidly – providing yet another reason for passengers to choose one of Ryanair’s 1,500 low cost point-to-point routes.
_________________________________________________________________
European Health Insurance Card - EHIC
Remember when you leave your "host" EU country you will need an EHIC.
Pensioners normally need to apply to the country paying their pension - see below
http://www.applyehic.org/index.htm
If you working and have a French carte vitale - then contact the issuers
Summary of Cover
- Any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your stay because of either illness or an accident.
- The card gives access to reduced-cost or free medical treatment from state healthcare providers.
- It allows you to be treated on the same basis as a resident of the country you are visiting i.e. you may have to pay a patient contribution (also known as a co-payment). You may be able to seek reimbursement for this when you are back in the UK if you are not able to do so in the other country (and limited to the equivalent cost on the NHS).
- It includes treatment of a chronic or pre-existing medical condition that becomes necessary during your visit.
- It includes routine maternity care, (provided the reason for your visit is not specifically to give birth).
- It includes the provision of oxygen, renal dialysis and routine medical care.
Not Covered by the EHIC
- The EHIC is not a substitute or replacement for private travel insurance. You should always take out an appropriate private policy in addition to carrying your EHIC.
- It will not cover the costs of private healthcare or services that are not part of the state healthcare system..
- It will not cover the costs of being brought back to the UK.
- It will not allow you to go abroad to specifically receive treatment (including going abroad to give birth).
- The card may not be used in some regions, as there may be no state provided healthcare available.
.
___________________________________________________
Stansted baggage handlers' strike next weekend - disruption expected
GMB members to walk out in June over rota changes, though airline says 'we just won't check in bags'
Passengers face the threat of disruption at Stansted airport over the jubilee weekend after baggage handlers announced seven days of strikes.
GMB union members employed by Swissport, an airport services business, are poised to walk out from 5.30am on 2 June until 5.30am on 6 June, as well as holding a 24-hour strike from 5.30am on 23 May, and a 48-hour walkout from 5.30am on 26 May.
GMB said the walkouts, in a dispute over rota changes, would cause disruption. Ryanair said the dispute would have "no effect" on flights although passengers will not be able to check in bags. Ryanair is Stansted's biggest carrier and Swissport also handles bags for Thomas Cook, Thomson, AtlasJet and BelleAir. The next largest, easyJet, uses a different baggage handling company that is not involved in the row.
Gary Pearce, a GMB organiser, said: "You are looking at 150 people who will not be at work on those days. That has got to slow things down. Ryanair could take up the option of not putting bags on flights but that will cause disruption as well."
Swissport said the airport would "open as normal" and that passengers should expect "no disruption to their services". The company's Stansted boss, Richard Prince, said the alternative to the rota changes – which involve converting a shift pattern of four consecutive days into five consecutive days – is job cuts. "The proposed changes to working patterns mean we will avoid job losses; we are asking our employees now to work a five-day week rather than a four-day week. We are not cutting people's pay. We are not increasing the amount of hours they work. We are keeping people in jobs."
Pearce said the changes would disrupt employees' domestic arrangements, adding that Swissport had withdrawn a proposal that would have retained the 'four days on, two days off' rota. "The membership are getting to the stage where there is no trust in what management are saying."
Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, said the strikes would have no effect. "The unions do this every bank holiday. They always seem to find a way of climbing back. It really doesn't matter. Flights will continue, we just won't check in bags." He said that since his airline had imposed swingeing charges on checked baggage, only 25% of passengers used the handlers' service anyway.
For the first time, people can travel in less than an hour and a half by express bus between Perpignan and Girona cities AND for unbeatable prices! With departures from early morning to late night, it is now possible to hop easily between these Catalan cousins to enjoy the delights that both these beautiful cities have to offer.
To celebrate the Inauguration, Frogbus is very pleased to announce a very Special Promotion. Until midday next Friday June 1st, book Perpignan city – Girona city tickets for ONLY 99c each way. Simply go online to http://www.frogbus.com/en and snap up these incredible value fares for travel anytime during summer 2012. (Promotional tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged)
We value your feedback; please do not hesitate to contact us at info@frogbus.com with your suggestions & comments.
Public enquiry for new dual carriageway
Pezenas to A9
You can consult
the plans in
the Mairies listed
on the right
_______________________________________
RYANAIR.COM 24-HOUR WEBSITE CLOSURE 18 & 19 MAY
After the closure the company promise faster access
Ryanair has announced that their website will be closed from 22.00hrs (GMT) on Fri 18 May until midnight Sat 19 May. Flights will be unaffected and Ryanair has already advised passengers due to travel over the weekend (Sat 19 & Sun 20 May) to make sure they check-in online before 16.00hrs (GMT) on 18 May.
From Sunday, passengers can look forward to faster access and improved passenger updates with an upgraded version of Ryanair.com, which will deliver:
1. 3 times faster access to Ryanair’s low fares
2. 3 times faster access to RyanairHotels.com’s guaranteed lowest hotel prices
3. new SMS text alerts in rare instances of delays over two hours or during periods of widespread disruption.
__________________________________________
Montpellier - new flight to Strasbourg
From 4 june a new twice weekly flight announced
Not exactly low cost – prices start at 195€ TTC** return
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-STRASBOURG*
Départs Arrivées Jours
Montpellier >> Strasbourg 08h35 >> 10h15 Lundi au jeudi
19h50 >> 21h30 Lundi au vendredi
Strasbourg >> Montpellier 06h30 >> 08h10 Lundi au jeudi
17h45 >> 19h25 Lundi au vendredi
Réservations en agence de voyages, sur www.twinjet.fr ou au 0892 707 737***
________________________________________
Let us face it - it is expensive and hard to park in Montpellier
But there is another way - next time you are driving into the city do not avoid parking where you see signs like this.
There is often plenty of room in the parking lots.
And if you take the tram in the rates are good - and you dont have to worry about finding a spot
Not many deals as good as this around - virtually free parking and cheap tram ride thrown in!
RYANAIR’S APR TRAFFIC GROWS 6%
Ryanair today (3 May) released passenger and load factor stats for Apr 2012 :-
|
|
Apr 11 |
Apr 12 |
Change |
Yr to Apr 12 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
6.8M |
7.2M |
+6% |
76.3M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
82% |
81% |
-1% |
82% |
_________________________________________
Traffic lights - some now have a cameras to check cars jumping red lights - we cannot confirm but it might we worth a look
http://www.radar-feu.com/emplacements-radars-feux.php
.
Montpellier - 2 new tram lines
New trams start running a full service today - Saturday
The central control room which monitors the towns 56kms of tramway
Traffic controllers faced with a bank of monitors
And every thing can be stopped with this one button!
The 4 line service - which in 2017 will have a 5th added - integrates Bus, Hire cars and Velomags (hired bikes).
Line 3 is 19.8 kms long - from Juvignac to Perols and Lattes and line 4 is the only "circular" tram route in France. Future extensions of the lines includes one to serve the new Montpellier TGV station at Odysseum. Future extensions are planned which will take lines as far out as Castries, Gigean and Montbazin
There is plenty of parking - 5,000 spaces in 12 parking lots and secure bike stores.
See left - users have a card to enter the bike stores
And the new simpler to operate -Velomag bikes - a simple system allows a credit card to access the code - and then off you go!
.
On our journey we were joined by the designer of the new tram - "the sexiest in Europe" says the New York Times
Christian Lacroix in front of the tram with the livery he designed.
And a memorial to Georges Freche
who as Mayor of Montpellier had the vision to create the most integrated public transport sytems in France and perhaps in the whole of Europe.
A tram has a very light carbon footprint and carries the same number of people as 177 cars or 3 buses
Below - the system which will be in full operation from today - Saturday 7th April
And below - the vision for the system in the future
_______________________________________
RYANAIR CONDEMNS EU COMMISSION BIAS AGAINST LOW FARES AIRLINES
Ryanair has called for an end to the EU Commission’s discrimination against low fares airlines (and favouring state owned flag carriers) which was again highlighted by the EU Commission’s ban on booking flights on low fares airlines or reimbursing travel expenses to/from Brussels Charleroi Airport.
Ryanair accused the EU Commission of telling lies about this travel ban when its (unnamed) spokesperson last week denied any such policy existed.
At a Brussels press conference Ryanair released copies of e-mails received from the EU’s travel agency (Amex) which clearly stated “The European Commission does not allow us to book low cost flights, so we can only arrange the transfers from/to Brussels (Zaventem) Airport”.
Ryanair also released a letter from the EU Commission (Director for Administration and Payment) which stated “It is true that the terms of this contract do prevent Amex from booking tickets with ‘low-cost’ airlines”.
Ryanair called on the EU Commission to explain why (when it is preaching austerity on EU states and citizens, and is incapable of balancing its own budget) its own travel agency is “prevented” from booking tickets with low cost airlines which would save EU taxpayers millions of euro and many wasted hours (because low cost airlines are more punctual that the flag carriers).
Ryanair believes this Commission prohibition against using low fares airlines as the latest example of the its bias against low fare airlines in general, and Ryanair in particular, as the following examples show;
a) The Commission prohibits bookings on low cost airlines while it wastes time and its taxpayer funds flying high cost (frequently delayed) flag carriers
b) The Commission’s travel agency refuses to arrange pick-ups at Brussels Charleroi Airport claiming that it can only do so at high fare Brussels Zaventem
c) The Commission has in recent years rubber-stamped a series of mergers between flag carrier airlines including Air France/KLM/Alitalia, Lufthansa/SN Brussels/Austrian and BA/Iberia/BMI, which collectively account for over 50% of intra-EU air travel, yet prohibited Ryanair’s 2006 offer for Aer Lingus when Aer Lingus accounted for less than 1% of EU air travel.
d) The Commission has repeatedly ignored blatant state aid to EU flag carriers, or (in cases involving Air France and Alitalia) has ruled that state aid existed but the flag carriers were not obliged to repay the illegal aid received.
e) While the Commission repeatedly ignores state aid to flag carriers, it is currently investigating 16 different Ryanair airport agreements despite the fact that the European Court (in 2008) dismissed the Commission’s claims of state aid in the Charleroi case. Despite their failure to appeal this damming EU Court ruling, DG Comp has now reopened the Charleroi case despite the fact that Charleroi has grown to 6m passengers annually and is now trading profitably, thereby complying with the MEIP competition rules.
f) The Commission’s EU261 regulations, which establish high fixed sum compensation amounts of €250 - €400 per day clearly discriminates in favour of EU flag carrier airlines whose average fares are significantly higher than this fixed sum amount whereas the average fare of the EU low fares airlines is a fraction of this compensation limit. The EU Commission’s equivalent regulations for competing coach, ferry and rail operators link these compensation payments to the ticket price paid. Ryanair continues to campaign for reform of the EU261 regulations which would link any compensation paid to the airfare chosen by each passenger at the time of booking.
Speaking in Brussels Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said;
“The Amex e-mails and EU Commission letters which we have released today unequivocally admits that the EU Commission “prevents” its travel agency from making bookings on low fare airlines, which would save the hard pressed EU taxpayer millions of Euros each year. Yet all the EU spokesmen can do is lie about it. There is no substance to the Commission’s claims that this prohibition is designed for the “convenience” of its travel agency (i.e. making credit card payments) or the “convenience” of its bureaucrats.
This prohibition is a blatant subsidy to EU flag carriers and discriminates yet again against Europe’s low fares airlines which have now overtaken Europe’s flag carriers in terms of passenger popularity.
___________________________________________
WoW note - this is the best info we can find for Tuesday flights into local airports.
Please note - the situation is very fluid - Ryanair for example did not post Beziers as a problem yesterday (Monday) but in the event all but one of the flights were cancelled. (The one not cancelled was diverted to Nimes)
Latest from Montpellier Airport
Objet : Grève – 4 vols supplémentaires annulés
|
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit, et continue de perturber le trafic aérien sur la plate-forme montpelliéraine.
4 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés : 2 vols de/vers Nantes et 2 vols de/vers Paris Orly.
Ces 4 vols annulés se rajoutent aux 14 annulations de/vers Lyon, Paris Orly, Paris Roissy et Londres Luton, déjà annoncées.
Les dessertes de Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador ne sont, pour l’heure, pas affectées par ces annulations.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
IMPACT DE LA GREVE SUR L’AEROPORT DE MONTPELLIER EN QUELQUES CHIFFRES…
Journée du lundi 02 avril Total vols annulés : 36 % · Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés · Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés · Lyon : 33% vols annulés · Francfort Hahn : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Nantes, Birmingham, Londres Gatwick, Leeds
Journée du mardi 03 avril (à 18H00) Total vols annulés : 39% · Paris Orly : 62,5% vols annulés · Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés · Lyon : 33% vols annulés · Nantes : 33% vols annulés · Londres Luton : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador
Air France Air Arabia Maroc Easyjet Ryanair
|
12h40 – Mardi 03 avril 2012
Objet : Grève – 2 vols supplémentaires annulés sur Paris Roissy
|
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit. 2 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés de/vers Paris Roissy, opérés par la compagnie aérienne Air France. Rappelons également les annulations des 8 vols de/vers Paris Orly avec Air France et les 2 vols annulés de/vers Londres Luton avec easyjet. Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes) et internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador) sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
IMPACT DE LA GREVE SUR L’AEROPORT DE MONTPELLIER EN QUELQUES CHIFFRES…
Journée du lundi 02 avril Total vols annulés : 36 % · Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés · Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés · Lyon : 33% vols annulés · Francfort Hahn : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Nantes, Birmingham, Londres Gatwick, Leeds
Journée du mardi 03 avril (à 12H40) Total vols annulés : 26% · Paris Orly : 50% vols annulés · Paris Roissy : 25% de vols annulés · Londres Luton : 100% vols annulés
100% des vols maintenus sur Lyon, Nantes, Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador
Air France Air Arabia Maroc Easyjet Ryanair
|
11h00 – Mardi 03 avril 2012
Objet : Grève – 2 vols supplémentaires annulés
|
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) se poursuit pour cette journée du 03 avril 2012.
2 vols supplémentaires viennent d’être annulés de/vers Paris Orly, opérés par la compagnie aérienne Air France. Soit un total de 8 vols de/vers Paris Orly sur les 16 vols programmés vers cette destination.
Rappelons également les 2 vols annulés de/vers Londres Luton avec easyjet.
Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes, Paris Roissy) et internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador) sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont constatés.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
_______________________________________________________ |
MONTPELLIER airport issued this at 08.30 Tuesday morning
Objet : Grève – vols annulés
|
La grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile) est reconduite pour cette journée du 03 avril 2012.
Dans ce contexte, Air France avait prévu, dès hier, la réduction de son programme de vols avec l’annulation de 4 vols de/vers Paris Orly pour cette journée. Ces annulations sont confirmées, auxquelles se rajoutent aujourd’hui 2 annulations supplémentaires. Soit un total de 6 vols de/vers Paris Orly sur les 16 vols programmés de/vers cette destination pour cette journée.
La compagnie low cost Easyjet vient également d’annuler sa rotation Montpellier- Londres Luton, soit 2 vols annulés.
Les autres liaisons nationales (Lyon, Nantes, Paris Roissy) et internationales (Bruxelles Charleroi, Casablanca, Londres Gatwick, Nador) sont pour l’heure maintenues.
Des retards importants d’environ 1h à 1h30 sont à prévoir pour cette journée.
Vols annulés – MARDI 03 avril 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
|
_______________________________________
Ryanair 3RD April - FRANCE STRIKE CANCELLATIONS
| FR3456 | Luton | Beziers | ||||
| FR3457 | Beziers | Luton |
|
FR3257 |
Nimes |
Luton |
||||||||||||||
|
FR73 |
Carcassonne |
Stansted |
||||||||||||||
|
FR9917 |
Carcassonne |
Liverpool |
|
|||||||||||||
|
FR8024 |
Carcassonne |
Charleroi |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
FR72 |
Stansted |
Carcassonne |
||||||||||||||
|
FR936 |
Stansted |
Perpignan |
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
FR6407 |
Weeze |
Beziers |
||||||||||||||
WoW is sorry about the layout - it is the best we can do at present
Check - http://www.ryanair.com/en/notices/gops/120402-FRStrike_table_3RD-GB
easyJet
French Strike
3rd April
easyJet is aware of strike action called by Air Traffic Control in France for Monday and Tuesday. Significant disruption and cancellations are being experienced and we would advise all our passengers to check the status of their flight regularly.
Cancellations
Customers booked on cancelled flights on Monday and Tuesday can arrange free transfers or refunds by referring to the easyJet flight checker at flightchecker.easyjet.com
Passengers flying on domestic services within France are advised to expect significant disruption but can rest assured that easyJet will do everything it can to minimise this.
Unfortunately, flights overflying France could also be disrupted due to the nature of the strike. Again, we are doing everything we can to avoid delays and additional cancellations. We strongly recommend that all passengers check the status of their flight and regularly monitor our web page for any additional information before heading for the airport.
easyJet would like to apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience caused by French Air Traffic Control strike action and assure you we are doing everything possible to make your journey as smooth as possible.
Montpellier advises WoW
Mardi 3 avril
Pour l’heure, Air France prévoit d’annuler 4 vols de/vers Paris Orly.
Des retards sont à prévoir pour cette journée.
Vols PREVUS annulés – MARDI 3 avril
|
A l’Arrivée à Montpellier
Paris Orly >> Montpellier AF 7540 –08h15
Paris Roissy >> Montpellier AF 7552 – 19h40
|
AU DEPART DE MONTPELLIER
Montpellier >> Paris Orly AF 7543 – 09h00
Montpellier >> Paris Roissy AF 7553 – 20h20 |
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Beziers Cap d'Agde regrets cancelling flights on Monday
While many national and regional airports had some flights on Monday, Beziers Cap d'Agde was subjected to a cancellation of nine of its 10 flights scheduled for the day
Beziers / Oslo,
Bristol / Beziers, Beziers / Bristol,
Manchester / Beziers, Beziers / Manchester,
London / Beziers, Beziers / London,
Paris Beauvais / Beziers, Beziers / Paris Beauvais.
Only the Oslo flight came in during the morning but had to divert to Nîmes due to action by the air controller in Beziers.
The Chairman Daniel Galy and Director Pascal Pintre said “this is unacceptable and unprecedented Beziers Cap d'Agde, which troubled 1,800 passengers."
The airport apologizes to its customers for the inconvenience and called on the local air traffic controllers to allow traffic to resume onTuesday, April 3.
The airport estimate the loss caused by the strike is near to € 25,000.
________________________________________
Montpellier Airport info on Monday strike
Objet : Grève – Lundi 2 avril – Vols prévus annulés
|
En raison de l’appel à la grève des contrôleurs aériens (aviation civile), des perturbations sont attendues lundi 02 et mardi 03 avril 2012.
Dans ce contexte, la compagnie aérienne Air France réduit, de manière préventive, son programme de vols pour la journée du lundi 02 avril. 8 vols sont ainsi prévus annulés à Montpellier de/vers Paris Orly.
Vols prevus annulés – lundi 02 avril 2012
L’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée recommande aux passagers de se rapprocher de leur compagnie aérienne
Un nouveau bulletin sera envoyé selon l’évolution de la situation
________________________________________________________________________________________
|
When I book return flights from Beziers to Luton
I use my FairFX prepaid mastercard and I am not charged the £6 booking fee.Also the fare is in euros so you save some money if your card is in pounds even though the rate of exchange is poor!
If you read the section on fees on Ryanair's website you will see in the notes that there is no fee charge when the flight originates in France.
However if it originates in the UK then using your pre-paid mastercard incurs the £6 charge.
Eric
Two things for WoW readers writes John
There are many pre-paid mastercards that are much easier to get hold of than the one described at length in the ‘travel’ section by ‘Alan R’.
However, please advise you readers not to waste their time – it has to be a ‘RYANAIR’ pre-paid mastercard, others will no longer do! And the initial load has to be £150 on which I am sure M O'L is delighted to have the interest!
The other thing – there are a few trains daily from the new Figueres Vilafant station (TGVs) which go on to Paris, via Perpignan. However, they keep this a secret and will only sell you a ticket as far as Narbonne. You can then stay on the train to Béziers, Agde etc. (you might have to change seats as those you were in may have been reserved by someone else from Narbonne). Why can’t they get their act together and sell you a ticket to Beziers?
________________________________________
4 maps showing possible places for new stations on the TGV line between Beziers and Narbonne
Thanks LFN for sharing this
Prepaid credit cards for Ryanair.
Fed up with paying so-called Ryanair Administration Charges when you use your credit card to book a flight then read on……….
Probably many readers like us, object to paying this hidden credit card charge of Ryanair, but, because we live permanently in France and have no UK address, we cannot apply for the Ryanair pre-paid card.
After a little ‘Googling’ I have discovered an alternative which costs 10€ a year and we have used it twice in the last month and avoided the charges and more than got our fee back.
Moneybookers has a French section and you set up a Euro account with which you are issued a pre-paid MasterCard. The site is www.moneybookers.com and you can opt for it all in an English language on-line version. Moneybookers is a UK company covered by the FSA. Their security procedures are very thorough so be prepared for about 2-3 weeks before you receive your card.
Before you start the process it will help you to have a colour scan of the page passport which has you photo and a colour scan of a utility bill ( EDF, France Telecom, Veolia etc) but smaller then 1Mb size for each.
You will then register you French bank account and any credit cards you may wish to use to transfer money in advance to your Moneybookers account. This process will involve quite a lot of emails exchanges to verify various stages of the process, including them making a small test charge (less than 2€50 to each credit card, which is then refunded to you.) Be patient – difficult for me as my family will testify.
When it is all set up, you simply log on and transfer money to your Moneybookers account and you can spend up to this limit with you pre-paid card. During the Ryanair booking procedure when you are asked for the type of card you want to use, just select ‘pre-paid MasterCard’. EASY!!
Of course you can also use your card like any other online or at any business premises which show the MasterCard sign or withdraw money at cash machines.
Even more exciting for some maybe, is that Moneybookers is part of the new SKRILL scheme which allows the transfer of money to anyone else (family or friends perhaps) who is registered with the scheme and has an email address. Too complicated to expand on here but look at their site.
Good luck – mine’s the reserved seat in C1 Alan R.
PS I am not an employee of Moneybookers or have any links with them other than as a customer.
RYANAIR NO 1 Customer Service StatS - FEBRUARY 2012
Ryanair, today (22nd Mar) published its Feb 2012 customer service statistics which confirm that Ryanair remains Europe’s No1 customer service airline.
· 88% of over 33,000 flights arrived on-time (down 4% due to snow)
· Less than 1 complaint per 1,000 passengers was received.
· Less than 1 mislaid bag claim per 2,000 passengers was received.
|
FEB |
2011 |
2012 |
|
On-time flights |
92% |
88% |
|
Complaints per 1,000 pax |
1.88 |
0.98 |
|
Bag complaints per 1,000 pax |
0.41 |
0.38 |
|
Complaints answered within 7 days |
99% |
99% |
· Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 on-time airline (beating Easyjet every week since 2003);
Béziers Cap d'Agde airport continues expansion
After welcoming 195,000 passengers in 2011, up 48.3% growth on 2010, the airport will continue to grow this year.
Summer flights
From 25 March, the airport offers a new summer program with 8 European destinations, new routes and more flights:
- London Luton: 4 flights a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
- Bristol: 4 flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
- Düsseldorf: 2 flights a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Stockholm: 2 flights a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays (third flight extra every Thursday during July)
- Oslo: 2 flights a week on Mondays and Fridays
- Southampton: three weekly flights on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays
- The eighth new line to Manchester - 2 flights on Mondays and Fridays.
The line to / from Paris Beauvais - 4 flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with the late afternoon schedule is particularly suitable for short stays during the week or on weekends.
Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport is expected to host nearly 215 000 passengers this year generating economic benefits of nearly € 65 million on the year.
Shuttle buses at € 1.5 are available to and from the arrival of each flight to / from Beziers * Bus and train stations, Vias, Agde train station *, * Marseillan Ville (* correspondence with Transport networks Herault, Herault Mediterranean Thau agglo).
Information and bookings on www.beziers.aeroport.fr
___________________________________________
Government confirms new breathalyzer law
The French government has announced officially that all cars must
carry a single-use breathalyzer kit from July 1st.*
The move, which has been widely reported for some time, was made official
in a decree on February 28th and published on Thursday.
"Every driver of a motorised land vehicle, excluding mopeds, must possess
an unused and immediately available breathlyzer, " said the decree,
published in the official gazette ("Journal Officiel de la République
Française").
Transport ministry officials told The Local that the rule would apply
equally to vehicles from outside France.
July and August are busy months on the French roads as millions of French
people and tourists head for their holiday destinations.
A fine of €11 ($15) will be charged to anyone not carrying the breathalyzer
kit, but police have been told to start fining only from November 1st.
The new law is the latest attempt to reduce France's road accident rate.
Around 4,000 people died on French roads in 2011, a very slight improvement
on the figure for the year before.
Drink driving is believed to be responsible for one in three road deaths.
The government hopes having a kit in the car will allow people to test
themselves and to give them the means to test others if they suspect they
are over the limit.
The legal blood alcohol limit in France is 0.5 grams per litre.
The single-use tests cost between €0.50 and €1.50 and manufacturers are
rushing to produce enough to meet expected demand.
President Nicolas Sarkozy promised the measure in November in the hope of
slashing drink driving, responsible for 31 percent of fatal road accidents.
Disposable breathalysers have been available in French bars and nightclubs
since then.
New coaches have been equipped with breathalyser tests that prevent drivers
starting the ignition since January 2010. The devices are to be installed
in all coaches by the start of the 2015 school year.
A total of 3,970 people died on French roads in 2011, down barely 0.5
percent or 22 lives compared to 2010.
When Sarkozy came to power in 2007 he set the government the ambitious
target of reducing annual road deaths to 3,000 by 2012.
The new breathalyzer requirement will be added to the existing rules
compelling drivers to carry a warning triangle and a fluorescent safety
vest.
Failure to have these in the car can lead to a €90 fine.
A9 in top 20 for speed camera flashes
Last year total revenues received by the government from speed camera offences was €630 million, of which around €100 million was late payment fines.
Locate cameras in France http://www.speedcameramap.com/
Montpellier airport launches new catering outlet
Bright and inviting - the new Trib's outlet lifts the departure lounge.
Comfortable chairs and sensible sized tables, with fresh, simple and quality food should be a hit with passengers and "collectors" alike. Plat du jour at 14.90€.
If the food given to the Press at the opening is anything to go by the offerings will be delicious.
Care has been taken with the ambiance -
Black and stainless steel for the professional look of the servery.
Wood flooring for warmth and "serenity", touches of green for freshness - and here WoW stumbles. Orange for vitamins and smiles?
There may though be few smiles from locals in Frances largest vineyard when they read the labels on the wine bottles.
Surely the company who run Trib's might have found some local wine. The vignerons in the area need all the help they can get and for passengers coming to wine events at the exhibition centre this is not perhaps the best impression one could give.
RYANAIR’S FEB TRAFFIC DOWN 2%
Ryanair today (5th Mar) released passenger and load factor stats for Feb 2012 as follows:
|
|
Feb 11 |
Feb 12 |
Change |
Yr to Feb 12 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
4.57M |
4.47M |
-2% |
76.1M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
76% |
76% |
0% |
82% |
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“As previously guided, Ryanair’s 2011/12 winter traffic was expected to decline by approx 5% as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices.”
Montpellier Tram line 3 preview
Montpellier Transport showed off their fine new trams on line 3 - the one in green above - top left to bottom right - on Friday.
This truly collossal work will open to the public on the 6th of April
It all started at Juvignac on the North West of the City in what appears to be a field but which is destined to be a housing area. The start of the 19.8 km trip to Perols
(Yes the press do look a bit of a shambles as they avoid the work in progress as the final touches are put to the Juvignac terminus)
It was a dull day but there is nothing dull about the Christian Lacroix designed trams - especially the boistrous interior.
The attention to detail is exceptional - interesting stations, fine planting and careful renovation to buildings disturbed by the building
Not all of the signalling is yet fully functioning and so we were "escorted" by Police motor cycle outriders to make our way across the junctions.
This chap took risks driving down the track alongside the tram.
At some junctions there were as many as 4 riders ensuring the safe passage of the tram.
Parking for 1,000 cars in Mosson, 400 at Garcia Lorca and the immense parking at the exhibition halls which the line serves will enable motorists to drop their cars and take the tram.
Altogether the line serves 29 stations with 18 tram sets and in central areas there will be a tram every 6 minutes - every 12 minutes on the outskirts of the town - together carrying 77,000 people a day.
It is a shame the tram does not serve the airport - (not in the Agglomeraton we were told - though to be fair the shuttle bus from the airport is not greatly used)
The line does though serve the massive out of town shopping centre as well as the New Arena and the Exhibition halls. Plans to take the line right down to the cost are on the drawing board but cost and the unstable soil and crossing the canal makes it but a dream at the moment.
Planning on line 5 has though started already and line 3 will open - with a semi-circle central line 4 will open in April.
On the open line towards Perols and the branch line to Lattes the tram hits a top speed of 70 kms/h.
A drivers view of the fast track back into town.
Montpellier now has one of the longest tram systems in France and over the next few years for more lines, extensions to the existing tramways and a link to the new TGV station which will be built at the Odysseum
A look at what the future network might be.
WoW learns though that there are considerable problems with taking the line over the Canal as the soil is unstable and bridges have a tendency to sink - already a problem we learn with some road bridges
Ryanair - Stansted to Perpignan and Toulon
By Craig McGinty of http://www.thisfrenchlife.com
A COUPLE of new summer routes to France from London Stansted, operated by Ryanair, have been announced.
Operating from the end of March, flights to Perpignan and Toulon will be on offer for holiday makers heading to the south of France.
Also note that from 6 March, 2012 all Ryanair flights to/from Manchester Airport will operate to/from Terminal 3.
____________________________________________________________________
Thanks to LFN organisation for this
However your French driving licence is valid in the UK after the age of 70 without a medical
_________________________________________
Montpellier: Saint-Roch station - major project
.
________________________________________
Montpellier Station - warning of delay
Perhaps some of your readers might like to be aware that Montpellier Train Station is a complete shambles!
The station is undergoing extensive modifications.
The problem is the parking at the 1st floor level of the station which was used to drop off and pick up passengers is now closed !
Now you pass the old entrance to this parking on your right, continue and take the first turn to your left by the bus stop.
There is a Parking Sign. This brings you into a large parking place.
Now comes the crunch, even if you find a parking place close to the entrance you have at least a 1km walk to the main entrance of the station.
There is no access via the closed parking.
If you are doing a 'drop off' there is an illegal trick to get closer to the station entrance, instead of turning left to the parking turn right and you arrive at the Taxi parking close to Station
main entrance. Attention there is no parking place it is just a fast illegal 'stop and go!'
For Pick Up you will have to use the Parking.
Be prepared to have 30 minutes before the train leaves to be sure you find the parking and get to the Station.
Thanks for this from LFN
_________________________________________
Renewing UK driving licence at 70+
Your driving licence entitlement will expire when you reach the age of 70 and if you want to continue to drive, the entitlement will need to be renewed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Your renewed licence will normally be valid for three years.
However - if you live in France - swap your UK licence for a French one - you don't need a medical and it is valid in the UK
A WoW tip!
________________________________________
Montpellier airport - cool cars -make electricity
.
______________________________________
easyJet first airline trials electric taxiing system
easyJet, in collaboration with Honeywell and Safran, has announced that it will be the first airline to support the development and trial of the innovative new electric green taxiing system
Due to the high frequency and short sector lengths of easyJet’s operations, around 4% of total fuel consumed annually is used when the airline’s aircraft are taxiing. easyJet’s aircraft average 20 minutes of taxi time per flight – the equivalent of 3.5 million miles a year.
The first operational trials are expected to start in 2013
Ian Davies, easyJet’s Head of Engineering and Maintenance, said: “easyJet is always seeking innovative ways of reducing our environmental footprint as well as our operating costs so this technology is of great interest to us.
John Bolton, President, Honeywell’s Air Transport and Regional business,
The EGTS (electric green taxiing system) allows aircraft to taxi without requiring the use of aircraft engines by using the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator to power motors in the main wheels.
Each of the aircraft’s powered wheels is equipped with an electromechanical actuator, while unique power electronics and system controllers give pilots total control of the aircraft’s speed, direction and braking during taxi operations. The system would therefore reduce, if not remove altogether, the need for tugs to manoeuvre aircraft in and out of stands.
|
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Watch the progress of the final few minutes of Costa Concordia
Hit this link for the actual AIS (Automatic Identification System) data taken off the 'Costa Concordia' GPS/Chart Plotter on the night of the grounding. Hit any part of the address below
http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/news.qps.nl/Grounding+Costa+Concordia.wmv
Thanks to Mike for sharing this with WoW .
|
RYANAIR’S JANUARY TRAFFIC DOWN 6%
Ryanair released passenger and load factor stats for Jan
|
|
Jan 11 |
Jan 12 |
Change |
Yr to Jan 12 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
4.66M |
4.39M |
-6% |
76.2M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
71% |
71% |
0% |
82% |
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“As previously guided, Ryanair’s 2011/12 winter traffic was expected to decline by approx 5% as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices.”
1. Booked seats sold
2.Passengers as a percentage of total seats available.
_________________________________________
An on-line check for drivers - click below
http://www.alcoroute.com/testVirtuel.php
_______________________________________
French air workers strike
Security workers at French airports staged a last-minute strike before Christmas
Unions representing French pilots, cabin crew and ground staff have announced a four-day strike.
Workers plan to strike from Monday to Thursday to protest against a bill currently going through parliament.
The bill, put forward by President Nicolas Sarkozy's party, would require aviation workers to give more notice of industrial action.
Unions say the bill, which has already passed through the lower house, would affect workers' rights.
Air France says its customers due to travel between 6 and 9 February can change their flights.
In a statement, the airline said it was doing "all it can to limit the impact of this strike on its operations".
The French pilots' union SNPL said the right to strike was non-negotiable and the union had decided to mobilise all its energies "against a bill which is unfair and destructive to our profession".
Before Christmas a last-minute strike by security staff at French airports led to the government deploying police to try and minimise disruption.
____________________________________________
Beziers summer flights pattern start next month
Düsseldorf Weeze 27 Mar
Manchester T2 26 Mar
Oslo Rygge 26 Mar
Stockholm Skavsta 27 Mar
+++
The cheapest fuel in l'Herault? +++
If you know a cheaper place - please email WoW
hicks-france@wanadoo.fr
We filled up yesterday (1 Feb) at Hyper U in Agde at 135.5 euros a litre for diesel.
Anyone better that?
The French Government launches
New campaign for road safety - click below to see
___________________________________________
.
New seasonal line MONTPELLIER – Deauville
La SA Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée a le plaisir d’annoncer l’ouverture d’une nouvelle ligne Montpellier- Deauville, opérée par Régional, filiale d’Air France.
Air France, lance pour la saison estivale une liaison entre l’Aéroport Montpellier Méditerranée et l’aéroport de Deauville Normandie, du 26 mai au 15 septembre 2012, à partir de 83 euros TTC l’aller-simple. Elle sera opérée par un Embraer Jet de 50 sièges, chaque samedi.
Horaires des vols (Heures locales)
Ligne Départs Arrivée
Montpellier >> Deauville 08h50 >> 10h15 Samedi
Deauville>> Montpellier 10h50 >> 12h15 Samedi
Réservations au 3654*, en agence de voyages, ou sur www.airfrance.fr
Flybe is to offer a number of new routes between the UK and France this summer.
New routes from Aberdeen, Bristol and Newcastle to Paris Charles de Gaulle and from Birmingham to Lyon will be on offer, and the codeshare agreement will offer new onward travel options.
Passengers flying from any of Flybe’s 11 UK departure points serving the French capital can now connect seamlessly to a selection of 19 new European destinations.
Providing onward travel from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Budapest, Geneva, Ljubljana, Lyon, Madrid, Munich, Nice, Nuremburg, Prague, Sofia, Vienna, Warsaw, Zagreb and Zurich
__________________________________________
New flight - MONTPELLIER – MUNICH by Lufthansa
Starts 31 Mars
Lufthansa opèrera ce vol chaque samedi en jet CRJ 900 de 86 sièges. Durant tout le mois d’août, un vol supplémentaire le dimanche reliera Montpellier à Munich pour couvrir le pic de la saison estivale.
Horaires des vols MONTPELLIER-MUNICH Durée du vol : 1h40
Du 31 mars au 27 octobre 2012
Ligne Départs Arrivée Jours
Montpellier >> Munich 18h35 >> 20h15 Samedi
Munich >> Montpellier 15h50 >> 17h30 Samedi
Du 05 août au 26 août 2012 – vol additionnel
Ligne Départs Arrivée Jours
Du 05 aout au 19 août
Montpellier >> Munich 18h35 >> 20h15 Dimanche
Munich >> Montpellier 15h50 >> 17h30 Dimanche
26 août
Montpellier >> Munich 11h15 >> 12h55 Dimanche
Munich >> Montpellier 09h00 >> 10h40 Dimanche
Réservations sur www.lufthansa.fr ou en agence de voyages
________________________________________
EasyJet increases administration fee – and keeps credit card charge
.
• £9 upfront fee is response to government call for transparency, says easyJet
• Increased surcharge to be displayed at first stage of booking
EasyJet is to charge an administration fee regardless of payment methods – as well as an additional fee for credit card payments Photograph: Alamy
EasyJet has responded to government calls to make surcharges for card payments fairer for customers by restructuring – and increasing – its fees.
The airline previously charged a booking fee of £8 for anyone paying for its flights by debit card. The credit card fee was either £12.95 or 2.5% of the costs of the booking, which ever was higher.
It will instead charge an administration fee of £9 for all passenger bookings, a fee that will now be included in all advertising and displayed as part of a full and final flight price at the first stage of the booking process.
This will be applied to all bookings regardless of payment method and how many flights are made. But the airline is also continuing to charge an additional £4.95 or 2.5% for those who pay by credit card. This means that credit card payments will now incur a fee of at least £13.95.
A spokesman for the airline said the new "administration fee" was to cover costs such as those associated with its IT infrastructure and added that the changes to transparency were "exactly what consumer groups have been asking for".
In a statement the airline said: "These changes have been made in order to address the concerns raised by consumer bodies and regulators across the European Union whilst retaining a simple, transparent and consistent booking process for all passengers regardless of nationality."
In December, Treasury minister Mark Hoban announced that the government was preparing to legislate to prevent airlines and other businesses from imposing hefty charges on credit and debit card bookings that are difficult to detect.
Under the legislation, airlines, cinemas and holiday firms will be stopped from imposing millions of pounds in "hidden last-minute" charges on internet bookings. The ruling will put the UK ahead of many other EU countries, all of which would have to ban the same fees from 2014 under the Consumer Rights Directive.
Ryanair enraged consumer groups last month when it reacted to the news by claiming that it does not charge its passengers any credit or debit card fees. Instead, it calls them administration fees.
___________________________________________________________________________
Bouygues selected to build TGV line Nîmes-Montpellier
Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) announced Thursday it had awarded the contract to Bouygues for the high-speed line (LGV) Nîmes-Montpellier which will cost 1.83 billion euros, - da Vinci was also a candidate.
___________________________________________________________
RYANAIR TO INTRODUCE €0.25 ETS LEVY TO COVER NEW EU "ECO-LOONEY" TAX
Ryanair has announced it will introduce a €0.25 levy per passenger for all bookings made from Tuesday 17th January to cover the costs of the EU’s new “eco-looney ETS tax,” which will cost Ryanair passengers €15m - €20m during 2012.
The impact of ETS on Ryanair passengers at €0.25 per one way booking will be less than the impact upon those travelling with other EU airlines as Ryanair is Europe’s greenest, cleanest, airline (confirmed by Brighter Planet 2011 report) which enjoys lower ETS costs than high fare European flag carrier airlines who operate older, noisier, more polluting aircraft.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“Ryanair will introduce a 25c ETS levy on every seat from Tues 17th January next to cover our estimated €15m - €20m ETS bill for 2012. Ryanair does not believe that European aviation should be included in the ETS scheme since it accounts for less than 2% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. This latest EU stealth tax will damage traffic, tourism, European competiveness and jobs at a time when no other economic block is including aviation in their ETS schemes.
This new ETS tax is the latest in a long line of cost increases imposed on Europe’s air passengers by the European Union, which reduces the competitiveness of EU air transport with yet another misguided ‘environmental’ tax which does nothing for the environment but penalises EU consumers and families.”
59 Ryanair routes at Girona airport for summer
New routes from Girona from March 2012 include Aarhus, Bydgoszcz, Cagliari, Cork, Doncaster, Dusseldorf, Gdansk, Ibiza, Knock, Krakow, Madrid, Malmo, Nador, Perugia, Poitiers, Skelleftea, Stockholm, Thessaloniki and Turku.
___________________________________________________________________________
RYANAIR’S 2011 TRAFFIC GROWS 5%
Ryanair have announced 5% traffic growth for 2011, with over 76m passengers choosing Ryanair last year, up from 72m in 2010.
Ryanair’s 2011 traffic highlights include:
- Traffic grew 5% from 72.7m to over 76.4m passengers.
- A new record of 8.1m passengers in August (up 6% on Aug’10).
- The busiest day was Fri 12th Aug when over 280,000 flew on over 1,600 Ryanair flights.
- The busiest booking day was 28th Mar when over 310,000 bookings were made on www.ryanair.com.
The long term plan for Trams in Montpellier
_____________________________________________________________________________
If you like knowing where planes are and which one is flying over your house - try this website
_____________________________________________________________________________
LUTON AIRPORT - always a pain but even worse this month - see easyJet note
London Luton - Security Delays
During the month of December, Luton Airport will be operating at full capacity and there is a likelihood that there will be congestion through the security area. We therefore strongly recommend passengers allow extra time for travel through the airport.
To help you easyJet will be opening check-in at 3 hours before departure and will close 1 hour prior to departure.
Montpellier: 350 tram drivers in training
The commissioning of two tram lines simultaneously scheduled in the month of April is a great challenge for Montpellier Agglomeration!
This is a first in France!
To successfully launch the new lines, on April 6th, drivers are preparing for the operation of new trains.
To do this, the TAM has established a special driving simulator, the only one in France. It will include simulating the different possible cases of traffic during the commissioning.
The most sensitive point on the Gare Saint-Roch, which will be the interconnection of many means of transport across the network Montpellier.
.
Paris - to Moscow - new route direct train
| Моscow - Paris |
08:00
|
09:23
|
51:23 |
3 177 |
Smolensk |
| Paris - Moscow |
20:20 monday |
20:35 wednesday |
46:15 |
More info http://eng.rzd.ru/statice/public/rzdeng?STRUCTURE_ID=4127#paris2
The Paris line follows the Moscow - Nice route
| 017Б | Moscow - Nice |
18:18 Thursday
|
17:44 Saturday |
50:23 | 3 315 | Smolensk Minsk Brest Warsaw Vienna Innsbruck Bolzano Milan Genoa San-Remo |
| 018Б | Nice - Moscow | 19:43 Sunday |
00:17 Wednesday |
49:34 |
___________________________________________________________________________
Regional airport/travel news
€1.6 million is being spent to upgrade Montpellier Airport - work will finish in 12 months
€550,000 was spent last year by the departement to encourage tourism – this has been cut for next year by 40.000€
€661,000 was spent by the Montpellier Agglomeration to “encourage” lo cost flights
In 2010 the 5 regional airports (Montpellier, Beziers Cap d’Agde Carcassonne, Nimes, and Perpignan) handled more than 2,200,000 passengers.
RYANAIR URGES PASSENGERS - TRAVEL LIGHTER DURING PEAK TRAVEL TIMES
ONLINE CHECKED-IN BAG FEES TO INCREASE BY €5/£5 FOR PEAK SUMMER 2012 FOR BOOKINGS FROM 15th DEC NEXT
Ryanair today (9th Dec) announced that it will continue to encourage passengers to travel lighter, particularly during peak travel periods (June, July, Aug, Sept and Christmas 2012), by increasing its peak period checked-in baggage fees by €5/£5 (from €20 to €25) per bag for all online bookings made from 15th Dec next. To encourage online payment of baggage fees, Ryanair will also increase its checked in bag fees paid at call centres and airports by at least €25/£25 (from €35 to €60) per bag. Low season (Oct – May) online checked-in bag fees will remain unchanged at €15/£15 per bag.
Ryanair will continue to encourage all passengers to avoid its baggage fees by not checking in any bags and instead travelling with Ryanair’s free of charge 10kg carry-on bag allowance.
Ryanair will also increase its ‘boarding card reissue penalty’ from €40/£40 to €60/£60, from 15th Jan 2012, to try to persuade the less than 10 passengers per day who refuse/fail to bring their boarding card (despite email reminders) to their departure airport as 99.9% of Ryanair passengers already do.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“Ryanair continues to incentivise passengers to travel light especially during peak periods by raising our online checked-in baggage fees. As always, baggage fees are avoidable, but for those who chose to check-in a bag during peak travel periods the new fees will apply for bookings made after 15th December next for travel in June, July, August and September 2012. Over 70% of Ryanair passengers will be unaffected by these changes as they already travel with no checked-in bags and instead use Ryanair’s free of charge 10kg carry on allowance.
Also, in a move to persuade the less than 10 passengers per day who fail to print or bring their boarding cards to their departure airport, to do so, we will increase our boarding card re-issue penalty to €60/£60 from 15th January.”
RYANAIR BAG FEES €/£
|
Bag Type |
SEASON
|
ONLINE OLD/NEW |
APT/CALL OLD/NEW |
|
Bag 1 (15kg) |
Low |
15/15 |
35/60 |
|
|
High * |
20/25 |
40/100 |
|
Big Bag (20kg) |
Low |
25/25 |
45/75 |
|
|
High * |
30/35 |
50/105 |
|
Bag 2 (15kg) |
Low |
35/35 |
70/105 |
|
|
High * |
40/45 |
80/135 |
__________________________________________________________________________
From: Christopher Elliott Subject: new train timetables
I imagine WoW readers may not be au fait that 80% of all of France’s rail: timetables change this coming Sunday.
Two major events are causing this, first is the opening of the new High Speed line from Dijon to Belfort and second the introduction of interval train times in this and other regions
This new system offer trains starting at the same minutes past the hour on a regular basis
It has been in operation in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other European countries for many years but SNCF has been a reluctant newcomer to the club.
So my advice to anyone planning a train journey to check in advance as their usual train may well have been retimed.
The introduction of the winter timetable will see the arrival of the first international trains operated by DB German Railway and a new Private Italian operator; this will bring real competition to the rails of France
Chris
______________________________________
Béziers Cap d'Agde airport generates
58.9 million euros a year to the local economy
The airport commissioned a large scale visitor survey last summer - it makes interesting reading and is not afraid to be hard hitting and critical of facilities - however 97.6% plan to return
Profile of customers
80% of passengers are foreigners, confirming the positioning "receptive tourism" Airport Beziers Cap d'Agde. Only 10% of French users are from the Languedoc Roussillon:
They have high purchasing power and are mostly aged between 45 and 65 (62%), and 54% are senior executives, professionals, engineers, teachers and retirees, in contrast to the usual clientele in the region.
They travel up to 100 km after arriving at the airport
54% would not have come without low cost airlines
How they learned about the area - 60% had already visited and 21% via the Internet
The average stay eight nights, 57% stay with friends and family or in a second home.
For the rest of the 43%
Rent: apartments (14.5%),
Hotels (9.5%),
Camping (7.2%),
Holiday village (4.2%),
Bed and Breakfast (2.3 %)
and boat (1.6%) probably on the Canal du Midi.
Activities
76% just “chill out and 65% go to the beaches
Other interests not usual for summer tourists: are visits to wineries / wine tasting / markets and tasting of local products (53%),
visits to castles / museums / cities (34%),
Walking / Hiking / Canal du Midi (34%),
outdoor activities / cycling (23%) .
Festivals, concerts, shows and water sports come second with 13% and 8% of responses.
7.4% were looking for a second home
The ranking of sites / most visited cities shows the vast majority of respondents radiate primarily in the territory west Herault -
Béziers (49.6%),
Agde / Cap d'Agde (38.9%),
Pezenas (22, 9%),
Valras (15.3%),
Other places of interest or major cities in the Languedoc Roussillon Carcassonne (19.1%),
Sète (17.5%),
Montpellier (16.4% ),
Narbonne (15.6%),
Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert (6.5%).
"Satisfaction levels"
Accommodation:
- The reception is generally appreciated
- The intrinsic quality of accommodation is fairly valued
- The quality / price ratio shows quite marked dissatisfaction recorded
Dining out
- The reception and quality are quite popular
- But on quality / price ratio there is a fairly strong level of dissatisfaction
Tourist sites:
- Hospitality and cleanliness need to improve
- Opening hours are very unsatisfactory
- Services on the beach (access, parking, toilets, showers) a lot of dissatisfaction (15%), particularly from Scandinavians.
On the whole passengers interviewed appreciate the hospitality of local people, although more effort with language would be appreciated.
Traffic and road signs are judged negatively by 15% of respondents.
In general, despite the steps taken to improve the quality of care, customers want a better price / quality ratio.
With higher purchasing power than normal tourists to the area, there is a clear demand for higher quality.
However, 96.7% plans to return,
- 35% in less than 6 months.
Economic impact
The value per night per passenger staying in the area is: € 72.6 (between € 41 and € 45 for the usual tourists in Hérault)
The overall budget for a group / family staying in the area is: € 1,150 (Norwegians, Swedes, Britons). (€ 1,521 in commercial accommodation, € 721 if staying with friends or family.
In a full year, the number of tourist nights generated by the airport is: 893 500, - 2.4% of total bednights in Herault of 38 million per year.
Of the 362,500 overnight stays in commercial accommodation :
Furnished rentals/Gites 134, 907,
Camping 83, 161
Hotels 47, 563,
Residential Tourism 28,943
Bed and Breakfast 11, 826.
Total spending in the area over a year is estimated is put at 58.9 million euros – which represents 3.5% of the total for Hérault of 1.7 billion euros).
Breakdown of revenue
Accommodation (€ 12.3 million),
Restaurant (14.3 M €),
groceries (€ 8.5 million),
transportation ( € 7.7 million),
Recreation / Activities / Sites (5.5 M €),
Souvenirs (4.6 M €), Other consumer goods (5.7 M €).
Other data socio-economic impact:
o Direct expenditure to benefit businesses 1, 085 M €
§ Airport: 50
§ 20 people
§ Aircraft: 10 people
§ Civil Aviation and service of the State: 15 people
o Job creation in the tourism sector and services: 200 jobs since 2008
Nearly 10,000 questionnaires were distributed in six languages on regular passenger lines (London, Bristol, Düsseldorf, Paris Beauvais, Stockholm, Oslo, Southampton)
2149 questionnaires were analyzed, representing a return rate of approximately 22%
More Southampton - Beziers flights next year.
flyBe had a good first year of operations between Béziers Cap d'Agde and Southampton.
Launched in May this year and running through until the end of September - two flights per week with an Embraer 195 (turbo engine) with 118 seats, the link carried around 6,000 passengers with a load factor of more of 70%.
As a result flyBe and Beziers Cap d'Agde airport will increase the supply of seats for the upcoming season of summer with an extra flights each week (against two in 2011)
The new 3 flight a week pattern will start from 25 May until 28 September on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays.
flyBe expect to carry nearly 10,000 passengers in its second year into airport Béziers Cap d'Agde
Flybe 9 matching destinations will continue to be available via Southampton International Airport: Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Dublin, Jersey, Guernsey.
It is estimated the Southampton / Béziers Cap d'Agde has generated an economic impact of € 1.9 million in the Beziers area.
Information / Reservations: www.flybe.com www.beziers.aeroport.fr.
RYANAIR’S NOV TRAFFIC DECLINES 8%
Ryanair yesterday (5 Dec) released passenger and load factor stats for Nov 2011 as follows:
|
|
Nov 10 |
Nov 11 |
Change |
Yr to Nov 11 |
|
Passengers (m) 1 |
5.06M |
4.68M |
-8% |
76.7M |
|
Load Factor 2 |
80% |
80% |
0% |
82% |
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“As previously guided Ryanair’s 2011/12 winter traffic will decline by approximately 5% as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices. November was originally expected to decline by up to 10%.”
1. Booked seats sold.
2. Passengers as a percentage of total seats available.
New tram reaches Lattes on Line 3
Construction workers photograph and clap the new tram as it arrives on it's inaugeral visit to the town
Welcomed by the Maire and greeted by the children
Line 3 is 19.6 kms long and is expected to carry 77,000 a day when it opens in April next year. The total cost of the line and its 19 tram sets (designed by Christian Lacroix) was €530 million - 375€ funded by the Montpellier Agglo.
.
The tram design is exotic, as are the adverts. Allure in Lattes eh?
Lattes has it's own 2.5 km spur from the mainline and it is expected central Montpellier will be just 15 minutes away by the new tram.
Before the tram way is fully functioning next year - the station will be built, extra parking provided, racks for 50 bikes to hire, a lavatory block and a new public park.
It was, as ever, a launch with style - food and drinks were ready once the speeches had finished.
It promised to be a great event - which perhaps explains why the flowery line 2 tram sidled in to share in the civic pride - keen not to miss a party perhaps
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
RYANAIR Customer Service Stats - OCTOBER 2011
Ryanair has published its October customer service statistics.
- 92% of Ryanair’s over 46,000 flights arrived on time, up 7% on October 2010.
- Less than 1 complaint per 1,000 passengers was received.
- Less than 1 mislaid bag claim per 2,000 passengers was received.
|
OCTOBER |
2010 |
2011 |
|
On-time flights |
85% |
92% |
|
Complaints per 1,000 pax |
0.94 |
0.58 |
|
Bag complaints per 1,000 pax |
0.47 |
0.42 |
|
Complaints answered within 7 days |
99% |
99% |
· Only Ryanair guarantees the lowest fares and ‘no fuel surcharges ever’;
· Ryanair operates Europe’s youngest, greenest, cleanest fleet;
· Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 on-time airline (beating Easyjet every week since 2003);
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“Ryanair’s unbeatable formula of the lowest fares, no fuel surcharges and No 1 customer service delivery continues to encourage passengers to switch from high fares, fuel surcharging flag carriers such as Air France, BA and Lufthansa.
Once they have switched to Ryanair’s prices they keep coming back for our unbeatable on- time flights, fewest lost bags and great customer service.”
RYANAIR HALF YEAR PROFITS RISE 20% TO €544M
|
RYANAIR HALF YEAR PROFITS RISE 20% TO €544m
TRAFFIC GROWS 12% - FULL YEAR GUIDANCE RAISED 10% TO €440m.
|
|
Half Year Results (IFRS) in euro
|
Sep 30, 2010
|
Sep 30, 2011
|
% Change
|
|
Passengers
|
40.1m
|
44.7m
|
+12%
|
|
Revenue
|
€2,182m
|
€2,712m
|
+24%
|
|
Adj. Profit after Tax
|
€451.9m
|
€543.5m
|
+20%
|
|
Adj. Basic EPS(euro cent)
|
30.47
|
36.62
|
+20%
|
RYANAIR’S OCT TRAFFIC GROWS 4%
Ryanair today (3 Nov) released passenger and load factor stats for October as follows:
|
|
Oct 10 |
Oct 11 |
Increase |
Yr to Oct 11 |
|
Passengers 1 |
7.02(m) |
7.27(m) |
+4% |
77.1(m) |
|
Load Factor 2 |
85% |
84% |
-1% |
82% |
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“We are pleased to report a 4% growth in traffic in October, bringing our summer schedule to a close. As previously advised Ryanair’s winter traffic will decline each month from November onwards as we ground up to 80 aircraft for this winter period.”
More easyJet flights to Montpellier.
Flights will increase from 5 to 10 a week from March 27 next year
And up to 17 a week during the summer holidays.
easyJet, carried over 94,000 passengers in to Montpellier last year and expects to bring in some 125,000 passengers this year with the increased capacity.
During the summer, Montpellier-London Gatwick, will have and extra three flights a week.
The Montpellier to London Luton, flight will start from March 27, with 3 flights a week.
easyJet expect to sell than 41, 300 seats against 16,000 in 2010.
This means Montpellier airport will be connected to the British capital up to 3 times per day during the height of summer.
.
___________________________________________________________________________________
WoW hears that Montpellier airport were offered the Ryanair - 4 flights a week to Paris Beauvais but turned it down!
They told WoW recently they were now concentrating on Lo-cost.
"Oh no they are not" seems more factual
The history is the Montpellier was always keen to be seen as a "grown up" airport and rahter looked down its nose at the lo-cost sector.
We had been told that had changed - ah well - lucky Beziers snapped up the offer - well done Beziers Cap d'Aged
_____________________________________________________________________________________
