RAIL
Digital editor Tom Newcombe compiles the latest news from
buyingbusinesstravel.com
AIRLINES
Virgin Trains launches Railblazer tool for SMEs
VIRGIN TRAINS IS LAUNCHING A NEW BUSINESS TRAVEL PORTAL targeting small- to medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The new service, called Railblazers, is free to use with no credit card or booking fees.
Airlines face crackdown on hidden charges
THE UK CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAA) HAS CONFIRMED it will investigate hidden fees charged by airlines on top of basic ticket prices.
It will look at whether additional costs are presented to customers in an “open and clear” way. The CAA said “anything that is an additional charge will be looked at”, including name changes on a booking, reissuing of boarding passes, or check-in at the airport rather than online. The CAA said it will “help “people understand what they are actually paying for”.
6 BBT JULY/AUGUST 2016
The review will not be limited to UK carriers but encompass every airline selling tickets in the country. “The government and the CAA continue to emphasise to the airlines the importance of compliance with ticket transparency obligations,” said the UK transport minister, Robert Goodwill. He added: “To enhance consumer protection in this area, the CAA will start work on unfair contract terms with the airlines this summer.” It will also look into the transparency of charging for in-flight meals, advance seat selection, paying by credit card and putting bags into the hold.
It allows firms to make bookings, as well as adding users and departments to its account, to enable one central train travel tool for the whole company. Tickets can also be collected without having to produce the card used to purchase them. Virgin Trains says the new Railblazers website will be supported by a “dedicated UK-based team for clients” and that the portal is “designed to make rail travel easier for SMEs across the UK” . • See Interview with David Horne, managing director Virgin Trains East Coast, p31; and SME feature, p50
TRAVEL STUDY
Biz travel outperforms UK economy
BUSINESS TRAVEL IS OUTPERFORMING THE OVERALL UK ECONOMY so far this year, according to data from the GTMC. The group said that total transactions from its TMC members had grown by 3 per cent year-on-year for the first three months of 2016.
By comparison, UK gross domestic product only rose by 0.4 per cent over the same period. The biggest growth sector has been rail travel, with the number of transactions increasing by 6 per cent, while air bookings have risen by 2 per cent year-on-year.
I would reassure markets and investors that Britain’s economy is fundamentally strong
Prime Minister David Cameron, on the morning of the EU referendum results
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