p5 news Sept25 23/9/09 19:22 Page 5
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news
In brief
■ Gatwick takes terminal transit out of service Jet2 boss ‘right to
The transit service between terminals at Gatwick
will be taken out of service on Monday. It will be
replaced with a bus service until new shuttles
come into service in May and July next year. Pas-
sengers should allow 20 minutes for the journey.
blast airport staff’
■ EasyJet wages ad war against Luton council
EasyJet has launched a “head in the sand” adver-
tising campaign aimed at Luton Borough Council.
Chris Gray.
airport experience is just not good
The airline claims the council is doing nothing JET2.COM chief executive Philip enough and reflects the fact that
while hundreds of jobs are at risk because of a Meeson has received trade backing they too should get involved and try
stalemate over fees that Luton airport operator after a strongly worded tirade harder,” he said.
Albertis is asking easyJet to pay for next year. delivered to check-in staff at “We all have a responsibility
Routes Conference report, p22 Manchester airport earned him a including checking that staff are
warning by police. serving the public properly. Philip’s
■ P&O Cruises sells Artemis Meeson (pictured) was applauded frustration is understandable and
P&O Cruises has confirmed it has agreed to sell by passengers when he turned on the customers’ response probably
its smallest ship Artemis, following speculation a staff during a “spot-check” at Terminal 1, but says more than he did.”
deal was in the offing. The 1,200-passenger ship, police received a phone call saying a man was Co-operative Travel distribution director
formerly Royal Princess, which joined the P&O being abusive to employees. Alistair Rowland said: “It’s great to see an
Cruises fleet in June 2005, has been sold for an The incident came as Manchester collected the executive from an airline taking a stand in terms
undisclosed sum to MS Artania Shipping. A Airport of the Year award at the TTG Travel of supporting customer service.
statement said the sale will be completed on Awards in recognition of the strides it had made “Manchester airport has made great efforts
October 6 and the ship will continue to sail as in improving customers’ experience. to improve all of its processes. You can now
planned until April 12, 2011. Meeson later apologised for causing any go through and expect to have a pleasant
offence but said he was angry because the experience, which is not something you can say
■ Parents target First Choice over death of son airline was not delivering the levels of customer of many airports today.”
First Choice is facing legal action from the parents service it strove to achieve. A Manchester airport spokesman said: “While
of a six-year-old boy killed when a light aircraft Travel Counsellors chairman David Speakman, abusing staff is not something we condone, we
crashed on an excursion in Venezuela. They said a critic of airport experiences, commended are keen on his passion for customer service.
they planned to sue the operator after an inquest Meeson for being passionate about service levels. “Maybe he went about it in the wrong way but
heard their son could have survived if he had “It is a lesson to every airline chief that the we support the sentiment behind it.”
been restrained properly in the Cessna 208.
First Choice said it had been acting as an agent
for a third-party excursion company, which it no
longer used.
■ Ebookers to trial online chat service
Online agency Ebookers is trialling a “Live Chat”
service in the UK. The instant messaging service
offers customers help when searching or booking
online. Ebookers said it gave them another
option in addition to its call centre.
Ebookers undergoes Mystery Shopper test, p36
■ Gulf Air raises luggage allowance by 10kg
Gulf Air is to increase its free checked baggage
allowance in all three classes from October 1.
Gulf Air first, business and economy-class
baggage allowances will all increase by 10kg,
taking them to 50kg, 40kg and 30kg respectively.
The airline said its allowance levels were now
10kg more than most airlines.
MINI WINNER: Gold Medal consultant Jodie Donoghue-Smith was handed the keys to
ttglive.com
For the latest news, reviews and comment
a Mini last week courtesy of the operator and Emirates. She won the car in the Golden
from the travel industry, visit
ttglive.com Ticket incentive, run exclusively with TTG, after selling a return flight with the airline.
25.09.2009 05
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