Test your Travel Knowledge

This Traveler IQ challenge compares your geographical knowledge against the World's First Travel Blog's other 3,295,975 travelers who have taken this challenge as of Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 01:23PM GMT. (TravelPod is a TripAdvisor Media Network member)

Watchdog Poll Results

A few weeks back we mentioned that the BBC Watchdog program was carrying out a poll about peoples feelings about airlines and air travel. Well the results are now out, they were aired on BBC One last night. The whole program will be on the BBC iplayer until the 18th November and is worth watching if you have time.

The top two airlines where British Airways and Virgin, I have included the graph in the post. For full details of the report visit the BBC website

QE2 ready to set sail for final voyage

The QE2 will set sail this evening from Southampton and take is final voyage to Dubai. The trip was sold out almost instantly, with the highest-priced berths going for more than £28,000.

The ship & its boarders will stop and hear a pre-recorded message from her master, Captain Ian McNaught, which will also be broadcast on a specially-erected screen in Southampton's Mayfair Park. There will then be a firework display and the QE2, with whistle blasting, will move away from Southampton for the last time.

The QE2 will arrive on November 26 and will then be handed over to the Nakheel company, which is part of Dubai World and the creators of the Palm Jumeirah, the largest man-made island in the world. The ship will then undergo extensive refurbishment before taking up a permanent docking on a specially-constructed berth on the Palm Jumeirah.

Yahoo! News covers the story well here and also where the QE2 hit problems coming to shore this morning. We couldnt let this story pass without a mention, so bon voyage!

TravelMoles’ top Story today - Ryanair profits nosedive by 47%

This is such a massive drop in profits that we wanted to share the story with you. The Travel Firm saw its half-year profits slump by 47% to €215 million as a result of soaring fuel costs.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said “If oil prices remain at approximately $80 per barrel next year then our earnings will rebound strongly. We have a significant cost advantage over our competitors many of whom have hedged fuel next year at significantly higher levels than current market prices. This will force competitors to further increase air fares and widen the price gap between them and Ryanair's lowest fares.“

Read the full news story on TravelMole/RyanAir

Travel Recruitment remaining 'grounded' for time being

An article we read in the recruiter news is, in our opinion, very refletive of the current market-place;

The travel recruitment sector is waiting for business to ‘take off’ again, a recruiter claims.
Julia Fuell, managing director at travel staffing firm New Frontiers, told Recruiter that there were still lots of jobs and skills shortages across the industry but many firms are holding off on recruitment for the moment.

Fuell said: “The travel industry, like many other industries, is paralysed by not being able to 'read the future', and so vacancies are on and then they're on hold and then they're on again. Candidates, meanwhile, are taking jobs then worrying about being 'last in, first out' and changing their mind! This uncertainty isn't good for business, but is very understandable.

“Having been in business for the last 15 years and been through one recession, two Gulf Wars, the 9/11 disaster and SARs outbreak, I've got my battle jacket back on!”

What are your thoughts in this? Is it a complete reflection or are you doing particularly well at the moment?

Take Watchdog Airline & Travel Survey

"We take more than 56 million flights abroad every year. Whether it's scheduled, budget or charter, a short hop or long haul, more than 250 companies now fly us in and out of British airports every day. We've never had so much choice when it comes to who we fly with. Now Watchdog wants to find out what you think about the airlines."

Take the survey; BBC - Watchdog - Airline Votes

Businessman sues tour operators after skiing accident leaves him in wheelchair

British businessman Graham Anderson, 46, is suing his tour operators for millions of pounds after a skiing accident where he collided with a tree during a holiday left him needing a wheelchair. The full article can be found on CPD Webinars.

Mr Anderson who is now tetraplegic, is suing the Cambridgeshire-based tour operator Snowbizz, for breaching the terms of the holiday contract that services would be provided with reasonable care and skill.

Snowbizz deny any liability, saying Anderson was himself careless is attempting a slope he should have known he was not capable of tackling safely.

Have a read of the article, will only take you a minute and let me know what you think. For Tour Ops jobs visit TravelJobSearch.com/touroperators