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How will Brexit effect your travel next year ?

The UK will leave the EU on Friday 29 March 2019 and there will be many, many changes to get used to, but how will travel and holidaying abroad work ?

A transition period has been agreed, in principle, between the EU and UK, until 31 December 2020.

There is a lot of uncertainty amongst members of the public and some who think things will carry on as normal, but it is clear more lucidity is needed on the impact of Brexit.

Alan Wardle from ABTA says: “Travel is one of those industries that has quite a big impact if … Read more

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Birmingham Airport has unveiled £14 Million worth of improvements

Birmingham Airport has unveiled £14 Million worth of improvements aimed at cutting down congestion for passengers. Last year the airport faced a barrage of complaints after queues built up and some passengers actually missed flights.

They will expand their do it yourself check-in areas designed to make checking in much faster. They also have a new liquid preparation area which reduces queuing in security aisles. The facility has new booths where passengers can clearly see what is and isn’t allowed and what should be bagged up.

The aviation minister, Baroness Sugg, visited Birmingham airport to see some of the changes … Read more

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The latest headlines from the timeshare industry.

Marriott and Starwood Merge for a colossal rebrand.
The merger, which was completed on 1 August, has created the largest portfolio, with 110 Million members and over 6,500 hotels, in 127 countries and 29 brands. They are taking all of these members and brands and combining them into one. This single brand is yet to be named. The company announced their loyalty program will begin in August and will remain in place until 2019 when they change the name. Members have been advised that nothing will change immediately but everyone will be kept informed. A spokesperson for the group said … Read more

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Teletext owes customers more than £7 million in refunds

In a press release on the UK governments website, it claims teletext will face legal action if it does not pay back over £7 million to customers whose package holidays were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Competition and Markets Authority, which is government run, opened an investigation back in February after receiving hundreds of complaints from Teletext customers. Because of the pandemic and the Limitations on travel, most of us that booked a holiday, missed out but under UK law if this happens, people should receive a full refund within 14 days. But the investigation showed customers were not … Read more

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Passengers stuck for up to six hours in heatwave because of Eurotunnel delays!

It was one of the busiest weeks of the year for Eurotunnel but travellers were left frustrated when their holidays got off to a bad start.

Massive traffic jams formed on the M20 near Folkestone, in Kent, with drivers Deserting cars to seek shade, on the hottest day of the year. Some passengers reported seeing a mum holding a child, faint in the heat in the packed terminal, as temperatures in cars reached 39C. Eurotunnel staff resorted to opening a fire hydrant so children and pets could cool off, as drivers complained they had no access to water.

The delay … Read more

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Crackdown on Fraud must target new generation of online scams.

As people are becoming more and more aware of the types of scams out there, scammers are having to create new ones, to replace the old ones. We are all aware of Phising but have you heard about Vishing, Spoofing, Twishing and Smishing ?

Neither had we, but these are just some of the digital-age scams financial investigations unit’s all over the country are looking at. Here are some of the scams to look out for.

First there was Phishing, where fraudsters send out spoof emails in an attempt to steal personal information, such as passwords and banks … Read more

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The Information Commissioners Office issues £100k fine to marketing company who made over 75 thousand nuisance calls.

AMS Marketing LTD, based in East Sussex, made 75,649 calls to people who had registered their telephone numbers on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

The ICO and TPS received a total of 103 complaints about the unsolicited calls between the dates of 1 October 2016 and 31 December 2017.

It is against the law to call telephone numbers registered on the TPS unless the caller has gained specific Agreement to make the call. The company making the call needs to be able to demonstrate they have done this by providing evidence, and the ICO were not satisfied that AMS Marketing … Read more

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Holidaymakers be warned, timeshare scams haven’t gone away !

Trading Standards are warning holidaymakers to be on alert whilst traveling abroad, for salespeople pressuring people into buying timeshares and holiday products, which could lead to people being parted with thousands of pounds of their hard earned cash.

Trading standards have seen a growing number of complaints from holidaymakers, regarding timeshare sales, holiday clubs, timeshare resale and timeshare exit companies. The watchdog is warning consumers not to let their guard down.  Warwickshire County Councillor, Andy Crump said: “Trading Standards are concerned that holidaymakers are still being approached whilst abroad and enticed by offers of further holiday Lodging opportunities, to … Read more

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Ryanair Strikes Threaten To Send The Summer Season Into Chaos.

Ryanair has announced a total of 16 flight cancellations tomorrow, as pilots vote to strike for a third day. With more strikes arranged in the coming days, Ryanair Chief Executive doesn’t seem to be backing down or wavering from his unsympathetic tone, threatening striking workers with job loses if it continues.

This comes after the airline reported a 22 percent fall in profits during the first quarter.

Irish pilots are due to strike tomorrow and cabin crew in Belgium, Portugal and Spain are due to strike on Wednesday and Thursday. The airline have had to cancel a further 600 flights. … Read more

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Financial Ombudsman Service Review Too Lenient ?

Financial Ombudsman Service Independent reviewer calls for blanket response by FCA to mis-selling claims, but is the review too lenient?

Following an undercover investigation carried out by Channel 4 Dispatches programme, the government called for an independent reviewer to internally investigate FOS and the issues raised in the programme.

The review was carried out by former executive director of consumer rights organisation Which?, Richard Lloyd. The 53 page review concluded that although the service did need to improve, there was no evidence to support claims there is institutional bias against consumers within the service.

Among the allegations was that staff … Read more

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