Travel News June 2018


UPDATE 9


Driving licence worry after Brexit


The Q400 - backbone of the Flybe fleet for the foreseable future


Bombardier Q400 is the key to Flybe’s future operations


AFTER a comprehensive review of regional aircraft options, Flybe Group plc ('Flybe'), Europe's largest regional airline, has concluded that the Bombardier Q400 is the best core aircraft for its current and future needs. It will therefore remain as the backbone of the Flybe fleet for the foreseeable future.


The Q400 is faster than the alternative turboprops, with a performance close to jet aircraft over the relatively short sectors that Flybe operates. In addition, with excellent operating economics including turboprop fuel efficiency, it is cheaper to operate than similar- sized jet aircraft, and has a much smaller noise footprint. Flybe will however continue to operate a number of Embraer E175 jets for longer or busier routes.


Flybe's stated strategy is to reduce its overall fleet and to concentrate on profitable routes only. In the past twelve months, Flybe handed back six older end-of-lease Q400s. With a further planned handback of all nine Embraer 195 jets, the overall fleet is well on the way to reducing in size from 85 at its peak in May 2017, to a target of around 70 aircraft by early 2020.


Flybe's Q400 fleet remains a relatively young


one, with an average age of just over 10 years. The airline has accordingly concluded that it will retain its remaining Q400 aircraft and, where economic, extend their service lives. This will save considerable capital expenditure over the next few years, by avoiding the requirement to acquire new aircraft.


Flybe still has a heritage order for four Embraer E175s due in 2019. These will be delivered with new 'winglet technology' to help reduce fuel consumption. Apart from these, Flybe is not planning any additional new aircraft orders for the foreseeable future.


Flybe CEO, Christine Ourmières- Widener said: "Flybe's strategy is to reduce the fleet size to an optimum level and make the business demand-driven rather than capacity-led. Our fleet configuration is an important part of that strategy. We examined exhaustively all the options and concluded the Bombardier Q400 is the best core aircraft for us. Its superior economy, speed and quietness is ideal for a regional airline such as ourselves. Together with a number of Embraer E175s, our future fleet will be the optimum required for our specific regional route network."


EAVING or Brexiting the EU is likely to mean that UK driving licences are no longer recognised by other European countries, thus hitting the many thousands of UK travellers who take their cars abroad, or indeed those who hire a car on their holidays on the Continent. As things stand, Brexit will mean the end of European recognition of UK driving licences, thus making it impossible to hire a car on the Continent when you are carrying a UK licence.


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Recently the European Commission, under a presentation titled "Consequences of the UK becoming a third country in the road transport sector" said that Brexit could mean the “end of mutual recognition of driving licences, vehicle registration documents and certificates of professional competence for drivers”.


At the moment UK drivers are required to have an International Driving Permit (IDP) in some non-EU countries. Purchased from the AA, RAC or Post Office, this costs £5.50.


An IDP could be what the UK is required to use when leaving the EU instead. But these can take weeks to process and the additional paperwork could be time consuming. Currently, the pink UK driving licence allows Britons to drive freely within the EU and European Economic Area


(EEA).


A British driving licence currently costs £34 when applying online or £43 by post, when receiving a provisional licence. This then changes for free to a full driving licence upon passing the driving test, although lost passports cost an additional £20.


Fears have previously been raised due to the UK driving licence having a blue EU symbol in the top left corner and what this could mean when the country leaves the EU next year.All licences will eventually have to be replaced to remove the EU symbol and likely, the privileges attached to it. UK Transport Minister Andrew Jones has suggested using regional flags alongside the Union flag on UK licences to replace the EU symbol.


He was quoted in the Daily Telegraph: “The EU flag will have to go – what we are going to replace it with is a matter for debate.”


Once all UK licences have been replaced, there are a couple of possible outcomes.


The first is that Britain and the EU will strike a deal to allow British drivers to access the same privileges of driving in the EEA. But if no deal can be negotiated, Britons could face having to apply for international driving permits to popular holiday destinations like France or Spain.


Warning of travel harassment claims


TRAVEL companies have been warned of a possible rise in sexual harassment claims An employment law says that companies need to take


proactive steps to protect themselves against a rise in the number of claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Rebecca Thornley-Gibson, partner at Ince & Co, warned


that the travel and tourism sector was particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment cases due to its nature. "The travel industry is a bit of a cocktail of fun, parties,


hospitality and overseas trips which could bring about situations where harassment might occur," she told delegates at ABTA’s Travel Law Seminar.


Turning out to see the Eclipse


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ELEBRITY Eclipse cruise ship has started a season of tours from Dublin which includes trips to Iceland and Norway. Our contributor Paul Clements sampled a flavour of the life on board. From the outside it looks like a wide apartment block, each with its own balcony. But once you see the gangplank it’s clear that the Celebrity Eclipse is much more than a tall block of flats. The first ever ship to be based in Dublin, it started its season for 2018 from the port at the end of April. To the strains of ‘Galway Girl’, musicians, dancers, stilt-walkers, and two Irish wolfhounds greeted guests disembarking from a transatlantic cruise that had left from Miami two weeks earlier. On its way to a 10-day sailing on an inaugural itinerary to Iceland and a trip through the Norwegian Fjords, the ship also stopped briefly at Belfast Port. To give an idea of its size, the Celebrity Eclipse is twice the length of the Croke Park pitch in Dublin and measures 315 metres. It carries 2,850 passengers, and with a crew of 1,255, guests are assured of attentive service. Sixty-four different nationalities are represented in the make-up of the knowledgeable staff, giving it a small United Nations feel.


No fewer than 19 cafes, restaurants and bars serve a wide culinary selection that includes Italian, French and Japanese cuisine. The classy Moonlight Sonata restaurant comes with a huge wine tower, while in the Martini Bar over 100 different martini cocktails are on offer. One aspect of life on board is that the spacious public dining and drinking areas, with their light-filled floor to ceiling windows, are decorated in a tasteful contemporary design. Entertainment includes Broadway-style shows, comedy, film and live music. The ship has a multi-generational appeal with a supervised children’s club.


Another outstanding feature of the Eclipse is a half-


PAUL CLEMENTS has lunch onboard Eclipse as its starts a new programme from Dublin


acre of real grass lawn on the top deck where guests can play croquet. For those who prefer adrenaline-pumping activities, there is a fully equipped fitness centre, as well as spa and steam rooms, swimming pool, hot tubs, and an adults-only solarium. The traveller wishing to soak up the heat can choose a lounger on the sunbathing deck or relax at the outdoor pool with a book from the well-stocked library. Accommodation ranges from cosy interior rooms through to opulent suites with personal butlers.


The staff captain, Christos Trifyllis, who grew up in Athens, began his career at sea on tanker and cargo vessels travelling the world. He joined Celebrity Cruises in 2000 and is responsible for the well-being of the officers, staff and crew on the Eclipse. In an age of digital computer screens, he says it is important to keep up to date with the ever-changing technological developments in ship design and operation. ‘I always think ahead to the next step-change,’ he says. ‘Your brain has to work fast to cope with the demands of everything on board, as well as the currents and the winds. Each new ship being built is more powerful and larger all the time. Every port requires different technical skills to negotiate the way in, but it is a great job with a wonderful social side to it by meeting so many people from all over the world.’


Celebrity Cruises sail on every continent. The Eclipse is one of a fleet of 12 ships in the company


Celebrity Eclipse - starting a new programme from Dublin She said employers need to put steps into place because


more claims are expected following high profile cases in other industries. The recent 'Me Too' and 'Time's Up' movements have


given employees much greater awareness of their rights and a feeling of empowerment to bring claims, she explained. At the same time, companies in other sectors have been


moving away from quiet settlements to public naming and shaming, with the idea of protecting their corporate reputation. "We're definitely going to see more claims," she


emphasised.


Kathy Thompson and Debbie Campbell from Tui on board Eclipse


brand; a new vessel, Celebrity Edge, currently being built in France at the St Nazaire shipyard west of Nantes, will be launched in November 2018. For those who have never experienced a cruise, then the Eclipse is an ideal starting point, especially if you are tired of long haul flights, transfers and hassle at airports, and wish to exchange it all for a calm life on the ocean waves.


Northern Ireland visitors Brian Gillespie, Oasis Travel and Kyle Christie, onboard Celebrity Eclipse in Dublin with Celebrity’s Elaine Quinn


FACT BOX A 10-night cruise for two people on the Celebrity Eclipse departing from Dublin to Iceland and Norway, costs from €2,358. A supplementary fee is payable for dining in some restaurants. The company also offers an eight-day cruise to the Norwegian Fjords, or a 12-night British Isles and French Open cruise on June 7. Log on to: celebritycruises.ie


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