Travel Advisories

MADRID — Spanish airline Iberia canceled a third of its flights Sunday (18th Dec) because of a strike by pilots fearing job losses when company planes are diverted for use by Iberia’s planned new budget carrier.

Iberia said it scrapped 91 flights, mostly domestic routes, but that no major disruptions were reported at its bustling Madrid hub or other airports because it managed to find alternative seats on other Iberia flights or with other carriers for about 80 percent of the travelers.

Another one-day strike is planned for Dec. 29.

Iberia, Lineas Aereas de Espana, S.A., plans to divert jetliners from to iits new low cost brand Iberia Express, which it hopes to launch early next year. The company says its plans are for this carrier to have 40 planes in 2015.

Pilots union SEPLA says it ultimately fears job losses among existing staff with the creation of the unit, designed to compete with budget airlines.

Iberia, Spain’s flagship carrier, insists that no job cuts are planned among its current 1,600 pilots

Source : Yahoo Finance

The UK Met Office has issued severe weather warnings of icy conditions across southern areas, as a new cold snap is expected to last for days.

Treacherous ice and snow are set to cause difficulties today and tomorrow for thousands previously affected by buffeting winds making driving conditions hazarous at times.

Another storm is heading towards Britain, which is due to bring more nasty weather Thursday evening. Last week, Scotland was battered by winds of up to 165mph.

The new storm will move along the south coast of England, bringing winds of up to 70mph overnight, but could move further north, affecting more of the south of England, forecasters warned.

Wales and central England could see snow from the early hours of Friday morning, possibly settling even at low levels, and up to 4in on higher ground.

Britain will stay in the grip of the big freeze – the UK Met Office said colder-than-average temperatures are set to continue throughout the weekend.

It has issued warnings of icy weather for Saturday and Sunday, and conditions are only predicted to improve on Monday.

Forecaster Anthony Astbury said: “The unsettled weather over the next few days could bring a range of hazards across the country, from snow and ice to heavy rain and strong winds.

“We’re working closely with Government agencies and the resilience community to keep them up to date with the latest information.

“We’d advise the public to regularly check our latest forecasts and warnings to stay up-to-date with the situation.”

Source Sky News: www.sky.com/news

Motorists are asked to drive with extreme Caution as strong winds and heavy rain are expected to hit parts of Britain from tonight and through the week.

Severe winds of up to 165mph were recorded in parts of Scotland and northern England last week, bringing down trees and power lines, causing disruption to roads and closing schools.

But as Scotland and northern England recovered from the wind damage, there were more warnings of windy conditions further south in coming days.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for strong winds and heavy rain Monday, through to Thursday this week for most of England, with the South East expected to be hit hard.

There were also icy conditions in Scotland, Southern & Northern Ireland and areas of Northern England earlier.

A yellow warning – which advises people to “be aware” – has been issued for many parts of the UK this week.

“It’ll bring gales across Ireland, but particularly Wales and the South West, with gusts of up to 70mph along the English Channel coast.”

Engineers battled to restore power to hundreds of homes in Scotland over the weekend as freezing temperatures hit.
Motorists are asked to drive with extreme caution, check their speed and ensure that their tyre pressure and condition supports wet or icy road surfaces. and to always keep a safe distance from the car in front.

Source: http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16128370

There is a strong posibility that some flights may be canceled or severly delayed due to the delays caused by this industrial action. Please check with your Airlines web site for guidance.

www.heathrowairport.com

www.gatwickairport.com

Many of Portugal’s public services have ground to a halt as workers strike in protest the governments ongoinga bid to weaken the government’s resolve to make deep budget cuts.

Rail services, urban transport, flights, rubbish collection, healthcare and banking were all disrupted by the first general strike in decades.

Parliament is set to vote on a budget meant to tackle the mounting debt crisis on Friday.

Foggy conditions in the south east and east of England caused flights to be grounded at Heathrow and London City airports throughout the day, with the British met office saying fog was likely to persist late into this morning.

A met office spokesman said: “We have seen quite dense fog in the south east and east of England and we expect that to become more widespread, with visibility reduced to 50 metres.

“Monday  21th November fog will take a while to shift in London, the south east and the east of England up to York, and will only become less widespread in the late morning.”

Heathrow airport said it was aware 63 inbound and 78 outbound flights had been cancelled by airlines Sunday 20th.

A spokeswoman for the airport said: “Passengers are being re-booked or put up in accommodation by airlines, while some domestic passengers are being taken in coaches to their destination.

Courtsey of Stephen Simpson/LNP

“Some delays to flights are also occurring so we advise passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.”

Flights were also cancelled at London City airport, although a spokeswoman for the airport said restrictions had now been lifted.

Gatwick airport said last night it was experiencing low visibility but it had suffered no disruption to flights, while Stansted said had been “business as usual” Sunday.

The met office also said fog could also cause problems for drivers and warned them to slow down and leave greater distances between themselves and other vehicles.

Other European Airports have been affected by the fog and We advise you check your local airpots website before travel.

Source:www.irishtimes.com

Residents in more districts of the Thai capital have been warned to evacuate as flood water continues to move south towards the sea. The water has now reached the outskirts of the inner city, although the authorities are still battling to keep the commercial heart of Bangkok dry. Two more industrial estates are threatened, as well as the relocated flood emergency headquarters. More than 500 people have lost their lives as a result of the floods.

Humanitarian organisations are now concerned about communities living among the increasingly dirty water, reports the BBC’s Rachel Harvey in Bangkok. Buses suspended More than a third of Bangkok’s districts are now subject to full or partial evacuation orders. Flood waters are gradually draining away from inundated provinces north of the capital, passing through and around Bangkok as they flow to the sea. City authorities have been given more pumps to try to force the flood water through more quickly. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the 24 pumps he had been sent would double capacity to move water from the east of the capital. Two more industrial estates – in Lat Krabang and Bang Chan in eastern Bangkok – have been surrounded by flood waters. Officials at both sites said the estates themselves remained dry but water had reached surrounding sandbag barriers. Both the subway and the overground SkyTrain are running as normal but bus services have been suspended in flooded areas. The domestic airport at Don Muang remains closed and the new flood headquarters – which moved from Don Muang last week – is in an Energy Ministry building now surrounded by water. Most experts agree that several areas will remain submerged for at least another two weeks, our correspondent adds. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says she plans to set aside more than $3bn (£1.9bn) for post-flood reconstruction. But given the extent of the clean up that will be needed, many here are already predicting the final bill could be much higher.

Source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15615876

The severe flooding that caused the major emergency plan for the Dublin region to be invoked by Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council last night has subsided in many areas, but driving conditions remain difficult and we advise Motorists to drive with extreme care today, to ensure braking systems are working correctly and to allow plenty of time to get to their destination.  There is a lot of debris on the roads following the heavy rain, and local authorities are working to clear obstructions.

All Major  rental locations are operating as normal, but if you have a concern we urge you to check in with the local rental desk shown on your rental voucher before traveling.

Baggage handlers, caterers and ground crews have called off industrial action  due for Wednesday. Instead the union will hold a meeting with airline representatives.

TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon says the union has been buoyed by Qantas announcing it has no plans to outsource ground-handling operations.

Last week, the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association called off its planned industrial action as a challenge to Qantas to resume a full schedule of flights.

More than 500 flights have been cancelled and seven aircraft taken out of service so far because of industrial action against Qantas.

Source: ABC  News Australia

Heavy rainfall across the country continues to cause widespread flooding in north, north-east and central Thailand.

While Airports, including Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport are operating normally there are reports of disruption to road and rail transport services, particularly on routes north of Bangkok. Travelors in the affected areas are advised to exercise caution and follow the advice of local authorities. To check areas affected and transport infrastructure impacted please see the regular reports published by the Thai 24/7 Emergency Operations Centre.

The Government of Thailand is working to prevent flooding in central Bangkok. Some outlying districts have been affected due to the large volume of water coming from the north as it progresses towards the sea. The possibility of flooding spreading to parts of the city of Bangkok and disrupting fresh water and electricity supplies cannot be ruled out.  

If you are planning a trip to Thailand and have Car Rental booked, please check with the local Supplier indicated on your rental confirmation to see if their local office is affected.  For more general weather alerts check the Thai Meteorological Department for up-to-date information and warnings before you travel.

Irish Ferries and Stena Line have been forced to cancel some services between Ireland and the UK due to high winds caused by the remnants of Katia. Travellers are strongly advised to contact their ferry company before setting out to ensure that their service is not affected. Some road travel is being affected in counties Cork, Donegal and Galway due to fallen trees and flooding. Motorcyclists and heavy goods vehicles are at risk due to high wind speeds and are advised to check local weather forecasts before travelling.

Hurricane Katia continues to affect parts of the East coast of America and Bermuda with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125mph or higher. Katia Currently ranks between a Category 3 & 4 Hurricane it is still causing extremely dangerous rip currents in the waters off the East Coast and Bermuda which can carry even the strongest swimmers. Currently there is no major Travel disruption caused by Katia but we recommend you contact your airline prior to travelling if you have any doubts. Most Travel Insurance companies will compensate you for any expense incurred due to weather related travel cancelations. CarTrawler always recommends you take out Travel Insurance before you travel and you check it’s Inclusions to be sure you are covered for all eventualities.

If you are heading by road to or from Heathrow or Gatwick airports this Sunday prepare for severe Traffic disruption as several highways, including the M25, will be closed or heavily restricted due to the Olympic test event, the London-Surrey Cycle Classic bike race.

The 140km road race will start in central London and travel in a loop via Richmond Park, Hampton Court and Box Hill to Surrey and back.

Affected roads, including stretches of the M25, will be closed for the majority of Sunday. Tube services will be running, but they could be busier than usual.

Our Advise is if you are booking a car on that day to allow enough time on to your Journey time to account for any disruption and plan your route with the a map of the affected area on www.tfl.gov.uk , www.ba.com, or www.london2012.com

The ash cloud from Chile’s Puyehue volcano has returned to Australian airspace affecting services in and out of several airports including Adelaide, Canberra and the nation’s busiest airport, Sydney. Melbourne may also be affected later in the day.

QANTAS has announced it will suspend ALL DOMESTIC SERVICES at Canberra from noon, and at Sydney from 3pm June 21st. The airline has already suspended services in and out of Adelaide, as has Jetstar.

Tiger Airways has grounded ALL of its Australian services today.

QANTAS says international services at Sydney are under review, but QF1, QF5 and QF31 WILL all depart from Sydney at 2:15pm today (Friday 24^th of June)

Car Rental Customers who have had their airline flight canceled without notice can submit a refund request using the form on this page.
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The Deputy Manager of Krung Thai Bank, Somsri Buranawong, has issued an alert that fake 1000 Baht notes are rising in circulation in the popular tourist country. Mr. Buranawong said that the bogus bills had been found in several Thai provinces.
The note, the largest paper denomination in Thailand’s currency is generally avoided by street vendors and transport operators. It’s a common occurrence to have shop owners question the validity of the bill, given the recent rise of counterfeit notes.
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