The government of Iceland has taken over the country's largest bank, after snatching up two others earlier this week. And in London, frightened investors are buying up dollars, the last refuge for Europeans looking to keep their assets at least somewhat safe.
In travel terms, that means going to Europe has just gotten way cheaper for people spending dollars.
If you're going to cross Europe on a train, you might as well do it properly, and if you've got the budget you can now hit the rail on the Danube Express, the big new rival to the (somewhat decaying) Orient Express.
The Danube Express is basically a five-star hotel on wheels--and there are quite a few routes that this rolling hotel travels. The main route runs all the way from Brussels down to Istanbul but you can also head from Budapest up to Berlin, for example.
But as we said, budget is a factor. One night on the train can cost around $2,700; if you can put up with a nostalgically old carriage instead, things get a bit cheaper. Then again, you could always fly for a fraction of the cost and time.
Related Stories:
· Danube Express [Official Site]
· Europe's New Luxury Rail Route [UK Times]
[Photo: Train Chartering]
0 Comments - Add Yours
by amandak
Up there, where the air is blue, that's where Romanian low-cost carrier Blue Air flies. Despite flying since 2006, they've only just popped up on our radar because of a rumor they're starting London Stansted to Brussels flights--a slightly odd route for a Romanian-based airline.
But it's cheap: For the launch of the London route, they're offering some €1 tickets (plus taxes, of course). Other routes are also going cheap--if not for a euro.
Blue Air have got just eight aircraft at the moment with at least two more on order, and passenger numbers are up over 20 percent on the same time last year. But we don't have any personal experience yet, so all we can hope is that flying on Blue Air doesn't leave you feelin' blue.
Related Stories:
· Blue Air [Official Site]
· Blue Air Reports 49 Million Euros in Turnover [Financialrul.ro]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
While we thought bedbugs were something that only worried our sister blog, apparently our jet-set lifestyle--especially thanks to budget airlines--is spreading bedbugs to places you might not have expected to catch them. In western Europe, pest controllers Rentokil report a 40% increase in the incidence of bedbugs in planes, trains and buses. Ew!
Apparently as well as nestling in seats that aren't cleaned adequately between passengers, the bedbugs also party on in the luggage hold and hop between bags. This summer the bedbugs have been especially active in Spain, with pretty much every hostel along the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim trail infested--they're hoping to close them all down in winter and clean them up until the next Ryanair or Easyjet load of bugs (we mean, tourists) lands.
Related Stories:
· Bedbugs Make a Return Through Low Cost Flights [Guardian]
· Bedbug Plague Strikes Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Route [Telegraph]
[Photo: Alaina B]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
The miracle budget airline that is Ryanair continues to buck the trend of low cost carriers across the world by actually decreasing prices, with a promise to cut fares by five percent--and with a huge sale on now with five million seats going for €10 (including taxes and charges) for September and October travel.
Anyone would think that Ryanair had a mystery supply of cheap fuel, but no, CEO Michael O'Leary has admitted he's messed up on the oil price front already; that's why Ryanair will probably only just break even this year. Even so, he's sticking with the price decrease promise anyway.
The other big drama for Ryanair these days is the crackdown on "scraper" websites that have been selling the carrier's flights. Any customer who buys one of these fares (which, ironically, often end up more expensive anyway) will have their booking canceled, so there's definitely no benefit in going to third-party sites. We're keen on picking up a few €10 fares ourselves, but we'll book direct. Promise.
Related Stories:
· I Screwed Up, Ryanair Boss Admits [Belfast Telegraph]
· Ryanair Clamps Down on Internet Ticket Touts [Reuters]
· Ryanair coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: fabbriciuse]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
European low cost airlines are getting pretty incestuous lately. First Germanwings started sharing flight bookings with Clickair, which then merged with Vueling. The news this week is that Germanwings is in serious talks to merge with TuiFly and Condor, two other German based LCCs.
But we'll have to wait on the legalities of it all: Condor tried to merge with Air Berlin last year but the German cartel office nixed the idea.
If you can sort all that out, you're doing well. We have a simpler suggestion: Just merge the lot of them and call it Cheap German Airlines.
Related Stories:
· Condor Joins TuiFly/Germanwings Tie-Up Talks [Reuters]
· Germanwings and Clickair Get Into Bed [Jaunted]
· Airline Mergers, Spanish Style [Jaunted]
[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
It's definitely trendy these days for airlines to do a bit of merging. The latest one's taking place over the Spanish skies, and we highly approve because it's bringing together two low cost carriers that we actually like.
Spanish LCCs Clickair and Vueling Airlines have agreed to shack up together--with Vueling taking the top bunk. (Sadly, that means Clickair's cool name will disappear.) The two airlines have been negotiating details of the merger for months but just this week agreed that it's the best way to deal with rising costs.
The deal's not a sure thing quite yet: The Spanish authorities have to decide whether this merger goes against competition guidelines. We say go for it, in the hope that we'll get the perfect LCC with on-time flights and luxury leg room.
Related Stories:
· Spain's Vueling Says to Merge with Clickair [Reuters]
· From Barcelona With Love [Jaunted]
· Luxury on a Budget [Jaunted]
[Photo: carthesian]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
German low cost carrier Air Berlin has added its name to the growing list of airlines who think it's a fun idea to make passengers pay extra for stuff.
That's airline life these days, and we're getting used to it. But that doesn't mean we're going to like paying Air Berlin's €10 (more than $15) charge for booking online. We're pretty sure online booking is the cheapest way for Air Berlin to actually get customers, making this seem like one of the most unfair fees we've heard about lately.
Air Berlin also thinks that answering telephone calls is a costly affair and is increasing the surcharge added to phone bookings from €16 up to €20 ($32). With a bunch of flights going for just €29, we really feel these extra charges are a kick in the stomach... or a reason to fly another airline.
Related Stories:
· Air Berlin [Official Site]
· Air Berlin to Introduce 10 Euro Booking Fee [Peanuts]
· Air Berlin Goes (Almost) Everywhere [Jaunted]
[Photo: Andrei Dimofte]
0 Comments - Add Yours by amandak
Next 8 >> |
