The already troubled European airline industry is facing yet more disruptions after pilots working for German carrier Lufthansa voted in favour of their largest strike in almost a decade in reaction to ongoing job security.
Of the airline’s pilots, a staggering 93 percent said yes to the strike, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. All of the pilots will be asked to participate in the strike which will have massive consequences given Lufthansa is one of the ‘big three’ airlines in Europe along with British Airways and France-KLM.
Management has accepted full responsibility for the action, which dates back to acrimonious [...]

With the tentacles of the European high-speed rail network and budget air carriers spreading to more and more locations, a whole new range of relatively undiscovered destinations are now within easy reach… we look at some of the hippest places to be right now.
First up is the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, a massive and beautiful city of monasteries, open-air parks and stunning architecture. Often compared to Budapest or Prague the lack of tourist masses make it just as appealing. Budget airline Wizz Air is now offering flights from most European countries to what could be the continent’s most exciting location, [...]

With the festive season almost upon us and winter nights a reality, many minds turn to roaring fireplaces, snow-capped piazzas and mulled wine in some of Europe’s most beautiful historic towns.
Christmas markets have long been a winter highlight across the continent, with Belgium a traditional favourite.
With rail links making Belgium reachable in a matter of hours from London’s St Pancras station, the nation’s weekend marketplaces are one of the easiest to access. The cities of Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Mechelen and Ostend all offer annual Christmas markets and let us not forget the Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival held each [...]

The latest report on online travel in Europe shows the industry set to show a slight growth for 2009. A projected figure of 0.6% growth has been announced in the soon to be released European Online Travel Overview Edition 5 from research group PhoCusWright.
The figures are in stark contrast to the overall European travel industry which is expected to see a decline of close to 10% for this year.
Online travel companies generally have lower overheads due to a smaller wage budget and therefore have managed to stay afloat in the recession far easier than traditional operators. However, even with the [...]

In what is believed to be a UK industry first, luxury cruise company Amawaterways has announced plans to launch a range of guided rail and cruise holidays in conjunction with the UK leader Great Rail Journeys.
The US based Amawaterways is the fastest growing river cruising organisation in Europe and offers excursions on all of the continent’s most famous waterways such as the Rhine, Danube and Seine. The group also features a range of Russian excursions along with a specialised Mekong adventure.
Its latest venture is aimed squarely at those travelers seeking to avoid the increasingly stressful airline industry. The partnership with Great [...]

The Malaysian budget airline AirAsia will soon be flying to Europe after the announcement of its successful bid for landing rights in Paris.
The landing rights achievement at the southern Parisian Orly Airport represents the second European destination for the successful carrier following on from the success of the London route launched earlier this year.
AirAsia is the largest budget carrier in Southeast Asia and was recently voted the world’s best low coast airline. Building on the recognition and success it has achieved in the region the group is now looking further afield with deputy CEO Kamarudin Meranun claiming that the addition [...]

Despite the ongoing financial crisis, which is finally showing some signs of slowing, Rail Europe is continuing to move ahead in business. The latest good news story for the world’s leading rail travel distributor is studies that show travel times have been reduced across the globe with the introduction of new, high-speed trains.
During a visit to Australia recently, CEO of Rail Europe Poerre-Stephane Austi highlighted the Paris-London trip, along with Brussels-Paris, as examples of how rail travel has all but eliminated air competition. Austi proudly declared that any journey less than 1500km should be done by train.
The reach of high [...]

2010 will see the addition of five new UK itineraries for Britain’s leading escorted rail holiday company Great Railway Journeys. The weakening pound has seen the UK rise in popularity as a rail destination with GRJ expanding its services which began last year with just a single solitary British route.
The biggest addition to the UK rail sector is the two week ultimate trip which covers Land’s End to John O’Groats. The trip uses a combination of heritage rail lines and mainstream services in the voyage from Britain’s southern tip to Scotland. Leaving for Edinburgh four times over the summer next [...]

Australian company Macquarie Airports has announced major changes to its European portfolio following the revamp of its holdings in Copenhagen and Bristol Airports.
The reshuffle has resulted in an agreement to raise the group’s holdings in Denmark’s capital to 30.8% while at the same time off-loading its 35.5% share in Bristol. The Bristol venture will see the £128m investment sold to the Canadian pension group Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. In exchange, the Canadian outfit is selling back 3.9% of its stake in the Danish airports group.
The decision comes on the back of the split by Macquarie Airports from parent company the [...]

A group of united European travel industry operators has requested the urgent undertaking of the EU to make a decision on the processing and publication of the 12-day driving derogation in its September edition of the EU Official Journal.
The decision, which would reinstate the mandatory break period for coach drivers after working for 12 straight days, has already been postponed once by the EU. The change is seen by many as a boost for tourism operators as the existing legislation requires an enforced break after just six days, something which provides considerable inconvenience to coach travel firms.
The delay in the [...]