According to several travel operators and opposition parties in the UK government, the recently deployed electronic border controls, ‘e-Borders’, are not reliable.
Ministers had earlier informed the public that the e-Borders system will check 95 per cent of passenger activities by the end of 2010, but ferry companies and Eurostar told Sky News that they have not agreed a deal with the UK Border Agency yet over the electronic screening system.
The UK Government informed that e-Borders is the country’s forefront to keep the country secured from terrorism and illegal immigration. The advanced system works by electronically checking the details of an [...]

More work-related strikes are threatening to interrupt the travel plans of million of air and rail travellers over the following months, as disagreements between worker unions and two operators British Airways (BA) and Network Rail escalates.
A strike of BA cabin crew next week may be possible if talks between the Unite trade union and the airline company fail. The airline had already asked for an extension to consider the union’s pay cut offer of 2.6 per cent.  As result, unite has decided not to strike during the Easter, but the group warns that a walkout could happen next week if [...]

EU parliamentarians recently approved a new regulation allowing any non-EU national on a long-stay visa to travel within the bloc for three months under the same conditions given to residence permit holders.The new EU regulation will be implemented starting 5 April.
The European Parliament said in a media statement that the increased liberty to travel to EU member states will not cause any immediate security hazard. The new directive however does not cover Ireland, Denmark and the UK.
Under the existing EU law, people holding long-stay visas, like students, are not allowed to travel to other EU member states nor pass through [...]

The recent state visit of South African President Jacob Zuma to Britain seems to be yielding positive effects for the nation. Zuma, together with a dozen of his cabinet ministers and 200 more people from the business sector, came to Britain not only for economic interests but also to promote the upcoming World Cup event – to be held at the African country.
South Africa will host the soccer event in three months time and thousands of soccer fans are expected to flock the nation. With the sudden influx of visitors to witness the sports event, warnings are now out that [...]

The pay-as-you-go car hire service operated by Peugeot using their Mu vehicle program has been successfully launched in France for some time, and now UK motorists can experience the latest driving concept.
Similar to a pre-paid mobile account, the Mu system provides users with top-up options simply by visiting the dedicated website. With sufficient credit, renters can choose from numerous vehicles such as an SUV, the 207 or 308 CC, 407 Coupe and more. There is even the option to rent scooters and bicycles for the more environmentally friendly or exercise conscious, while additional extras such as ski racks and GPS [...]

The ongoing effects of the economic crisis that has driven many car hire and air travel operators out of business over the past 18 months has unveiled a bright side for rail passengers.
With business travellers have been suffering from budget cuts by employers worldwide, many have been forced to turn to rail travel as a more financially viable alternative. The continued push across the UK and Europe for high-speed rail networks has also wooed many to the benefits of business travel by train.
The Guild of Travel Management Companies has released data which shows that train bookings grew by around 13 [...]

Malaysia’s flag carrier, Malaysia Airlines, is adding up two non-stop daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on top of its current flight service. The new service will commence on 28 March. Malaysia Airlines currently has five times flight a week to and from Paris. The additional flights are scheduled to depart Kuala Lumpur at 23:35 and arrive in Paris at 6:50 daily.
Amin Khan, Senior General Manager of Malaysia Airlines, said that the extra flight to Paris was due to the rise on demand from passengers. He added that the airlines’ strong load factor, currently at 80 per cent, makes [...]

Aer Lingus, the Irish national airline, has met with delays in the proposed release of its latest profit figures owing to cabin crew members rejecting a range of new cost-cutting proposals.
Raher, the under-fire carrier will instead issue a new trading update and will delay the release of the much anticipated profit details for a later date. Industry experts have been projecting that the troubled Irish airline could be facing a 2009 loss of up to 90m euro. The forecasted profit announcement from Aer Lingus was to have included restructuring charges but these will now be factored into the later profit [...]

Iceland’s flag carrier has seen dramatic increase in tourism over the years. Thanks to the country’s economic status, many travellers, including Britons, are becoming more interested in the Scandinavian country.
UK travellers head to Iceland because of the pound’s favourable currency exchange rate.  According to Lonely Planet, a population travel guide book, Iceland is the world’s best value destination for 2010.
Birkir Holm Gudnason, CEO of Icelandair, said that the country is a great place to visit because holidaymakers can get more from there money. Meanwhile, Hjorvar Saeberg Hognason, Icelandair General Manager, informed that comparing to the pound travellers had exchanged in [...]

Customers choosing to fly with the US-based Continental Airlines will soon be allowed to request exit-row seats with additional legroom – for a small cost.
The fourth-largest US air carrier, Continental has stated that it will not be undertaking any modifications of its existing fleet of planes to accommodate the decision, and that the number of seats will vary from plane to plane based on size. A group spokesperson said the move was simply a matter of giving customers what they had said they wanted.
The cost for the extra legroom on Continental flights depend on the how popular the route taken [...]