Oman Air’s Business Class seat

Oman Air’s Business Class seat was confirmed as the best in the world at the World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show this month.
The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman was presented with the Best Business Class Seat award at a ceremony attended by more than 50 airlines and held at the Paris Air Show. The awards are based on the views of nearly 20 million air passengers, who were surveyed by Skytrax over the last year.

Oman Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Hill, commented: “We are delighted that Oman Air has been named as winner in the Best Business Class Seat category of the World Airline Awards, which are the most prestigious accolades available within the global airline industry.
“Our Business Class seat is regularly mistaken for First Class. It offers unparalleled levels of space, comfort and amenity and has proved extremely popular with our customers. Competition at the World Airline Awards for the title of ‘Best Business Class Seat’ is fierce and it is enormously satisfying to know that air travellers regard our seat as the best in the world.
Oman Air’s award-winning Business Class seat offers comfort and luxury within an 82-inch pitch, direct aisle access for every passenger and converts to a 77-inch long fully lie-flat bed. A 17-inch inflight entertainment screen gives access to a huge range of movies, music and games, whilst a universal power point, USB port and iPod sockets enable passengers to personalise their entertainment options by plugging in their laptops, smart phones, tablet PCs or games consoles. Retractable privacy screens, buddy seats and ample storage add to the experience, putting the passenger fully in control of their personal space.
The World Airline Awards, also known as the Passenger Choice Awards, are recognised as the benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. They are informed by a survey carried out over a period of 10 months by renowned independent airline experts Skytrax. The views of 18.8 million air travellers, from more than 100 different countries, are surveyed and responses cover over 200 airlines of all sizes. Standards across nearly 40 different items of airline front-line product and service are measured and analysed, from check-in to boarding, onboard seat comfort and cabin cleanliness to food and beverages, and from IFE to staff service.
Oman Air’s success in the World Airline Awards follows a period of rapid change for the airline, during which it has emerged as a niche luxury carrier. Having introduced a fleet of new Airbus A330 aircraft with outstanding interiors, as well as state-of-the-art Embraer 175 short haul jets, Oman Air has expanded its network to include more than 40 exciting destinations. In addition to offering audio and video on demand and live satellite TV onboard its A330s, Oman Air pioneered inflight mobile phone and Wi-Fi connectivity and has received acclaim for its inflight dining, refreshments and amenity kits.
Having recently unveiled ultra-luxurious First Class and Business Class lounges at Muscat International Airport, the airline has just launched a new First Class lounge-to-aircraft limousine service, with a chauffeur-driven fleet of Audi A8s.

Record breaking Airbus order confirmed

Jun 24, 2011 08:14

Airbus yesterday confirmed the biggest single order of commercial aircraft in history with Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia buying 200 A320neos in a deal worth about $18 billion (£11 billion).
The order eclipsed a deal 14 hours earlier when India's IndiGo confirmed a $15.6 billion order for 180 Airbus A320neos and A320s. The new generation A320 model features more fuel efficient engines making them cheaper to operate.
The AirAsia deal made the Malaysian carrier the biggest airline customer for Airbus’s single-aisle product line. AirAsia has now placed total firm orders for 375 aircraft from the A320 family, with 89 already in service.
“With this historic deal, AirAsia has secured its future with the ability to meet the huge growth potential offered by the Asian market," said the carrier’s chief executive Tony Fernandes.
Airbus estimated it has sold more than 700 A320neo jets so far. There is a possibility that we will be at 1,000 by the end of the [Paris Air] show,” said Airbus sales chief John Leahy.

20 genuine ridiculous complaints made by holidaymakers

1. A woman threatened to call police after claiming that she’d been locked in by staff. When in fact, she had mistaken the “do not disturb” sign on the back of the door as a warning to remain in the room.
2. A tourist at a top African game lodge overlooking a waterhole, who spotted a visibly aroused elephant, complained that the sight of this rampant beast ruined his honeymoon by making him feel "inadequate".
3. "The beach was too sandy."
4. A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too thick and strong. He was inadvertently slurping the gravy at the time.
5. "Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women."
6. "We bought 'Ray-Ban' sunglasses for five euros (£3.50) from a street trader, only to find out they were fake."
7. "No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled."
8. "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home."
9. "My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room but we were placed in a double-bedded room. We now hold you responsible for the fact that I find myself pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."
10. "I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends' three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller."
11. "The brochure stated: 'No hairdressers at the accommodation'. We're trainee hairdressers - will we be OK staying here?"
12. "There are too many Spanish people. The receptionist speaks Spanish. The food is Spanish. Too many foreigners."
13. "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white."
14. "We had to queue outside with no air conditioning."
15. "It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel."
16. "I was bitten by a mosquito - no-one said they could bite."
17. "I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts."
18. "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned."
19. "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food at all."
20. "We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels."

Source: Telegraph

todays LIVE Funway 241 offers

Here are todays LIVE Funway 241 offers as sourced again by my own fair hand.

Grand Pineapple £846 flying VS

Grand Pineapple £1119 flying BA

Halcyon £1407 flying VS

Grand Riviera £993 flying BA

Beaches Turks and Caicos £1629 flying BA

Beaches Negril £1252 flying BA

Whitehouse £1244 flying VS

Royal Caribbean £1463 flying BA

Royal Bahamian £1624 flying BA

Halcyon £1599 flying BA

Antigua £1659 flying BA

sandals 2 for 1 holiday offer now on!

We have a Sandals 2 For 1 Offer available between 15th & 31st May 2011 on many rooms & suites for 2011 departures!

Get your enquiries in now!

Sample of offfers currently available
Grand Pineapple Beach, Antigua       Oceanview Room      10-30 November 11   7 nights        £699

Grand Pineapple Beach, Antigua            Oceanview Room                01-30 September 11            7 nights            £799
Sandals Grand Riviera, Jamaica              Concierge                             24 Nov to 9 Dec 11              7 nights            £949
Grand Pineapple Beach, Antigua            Oceanview Room                10-30 November 11             14 nights            £1099
Sandals Halcyon, St Lucia                        Luxury Room                        22 Sept to 15 Oct 11            7 nights            £1099
Beaches Boscobel, Jamaica                     Concierge                             10 Nov to 23 Nov 11            7 nights            £1159
Sandals Grand Riviera, Jamaica              Butler                                     24 Nov to 9 Dec 11              7 nights            £1199
Sandals Whitehouse, Jamaica                 Concierge                             29 Sep to 12 Oct 11             7 nights            £1229
Beaches Negril, Jamaica                           Concierge                             29 Sep to 12 Oct 11             7 nights            £1239
Beaches Negril, Jamaica                           Concierge                             29 Sep to 12 Oct 11             10 nights            £1599
Beaches Turks and Caicos                        Concierge                             01-30 September 11            7 nights            £1599
Sandals Royal Bahamian                          Concierge                             01 Sep to 7 Dec 11              7 nights            £1624
Sandals Grande Antigua                           Med Village Concierge       22 Sep to 12 Oct 11             7 nights            £1639
Sandals Emerald Bay, Exumas                Concierge                             01 Sep to 7 Dec 11              7 nights            £1799
Sandals Halcyon, St Lucia                        Luxury Room                        22 Sept to 15 Oct 11            14 nights            £1999
Sandals Whitehouse, Jamaica                 Concierge                             29 Sep to 12 Oct 11             14 nights            £2139

Prices are per person including flights. This is just a selection, other dates, room types, durations will be available (all prices subject to change too).

Portsmouth's new terminal welcomes first cruise passengers

Portsmouth's new terminal welcomes first cruise passengers

Monday, April 18, 2011

The first cruise passengers to use Portsmouth International Port’s newly opened terminal arrived last week.
Classic International Cruises’ ship Athena, arrived on Thursday from Freemantle in Australia on March 6.
The new terminal opened its doors to passengers on April 1 and is designed to accommodate both ferry and cruise ship passengers. The building is part of a £16.5 million investment in new facilities at the port.
Commenting, Martin Putman, port manager said: "This is just the start of a busy season of cruise ship visits for us at Portsmouth International Port. The changes we've made are already attracting more business from cruise ship companies."
The port is expecting around 34 cruise ship calls between now and the end of December, with All Leisure Group basing three ships in Portsmouth for their summer season.
Other visits will include the expedition ship the National Geographic Explorer, and Fred Olsen’s Boudicca.

Ryanair found guilty of disability discrimination case

Apr 15, 2011 07:26

Ryanair left a wheelchair-bound passenger on the runway at Luton Airport because “all it was interested in was getting the plane airborne on time” according to a judge.

Jo Heath, who suffers multiple sclerosis, had to be carried on to the aircraft by her husband Paul using a fireman’s lift. Northampton County Court ruled the airline broke disability discrimination laws and breached its contract with Heath after its staff refused to help the couple in June 2008. The court awarded the Heaths £1,750.

Husband Paul said: “Ryanair tried to brush us under the carpet. They offered us more money than we eventually received but we refused it because they wanted us to sign a confidentiality clause.”

Jo Heath said: “I’m not terribly impressed with the pay-out but it’s not a question of money. It’s about standing up for people with disabilities.”

Judge Paul McHale ruled: “I find as a matter of fact that anything that interfered with the [aircraft] turnaround time was going to be ignored. All the defendant was interested in was getting the plane airborne on time.”

Ryanair said it would appeal on the grounds that Luton Airport was responsible for assisting the passengers under European Union law. The couple had submitted a special requirements request for a hydraulic Ambulift, which failed to turn up on the day.