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16,000 holidaymakers were said to be stranded abroad after tour operator Goldtrail went into administration on 16 July. Goldtrail specialised in value-for-money holidays to Turkey and Greece.
Soothing noises were being made at the weekend by industry spokesmen, assuring the public that because the operator had been ATOL bonded no-one would have trouble getting home and indeed that most flight arrangements would be unchanged.
The news was not so good, however, for holidaymakers about to depart on a Goldtrail holiday. They would lose their holiday and it could take months for the money to be refunded. Indeed, there are people still waiting for their refund from two years ago when XL Leisure Group went bust.
An estimated 50,000 Goldtrail customers could be affected over the coming months, one of the busiest periods for travel abroad.
As people arrived back at Manchester airport, tales were told of hotels demanding payment again even though the holiday had already been paid for. Some travellers even had their passports confiscated by one hotel manager in Turkey who demanded hundreds of pounds to have them released.
The CAA have advised travellers that the ATOL bond protects against this type of thing happening and has issued a telephone helpline number for passengers caught in this situation.
Despite rumours for several months that Goldtrail were facing financial difficulties, holiday makers were still being allowed to make bookings right up to the eleventh hour, something which Simon Calder of The Independent has criticised, as well as the complexity of claiming a refund.
According to the CAA, Goldtrail is the eleventh travel company to go out of business this year.
The words 'allotment,' 'Scalextric,' and 'hanging basket' might seem like random entries from the Oxford English Dictionary, but they all have one thing in common: over the past month, they have all been mentioned in relation to Manchester Airport.
During June, the Ringway site made the headlines with its innovative allotment scheme, whereby employees were given plots of land to grow their own plants and vegetables. The only condition was that they avoided growing anything that would attract birds, such as fruit and large trees.
When Manchester's Escape Lounge was unveiled on the 1 July, business folk were able to discover the airport's 'quirky' side for the first time – the new £1.7m lounge has been fitted with games consoles and a full Scalextric track. Matt Etchells, the airport's project manager, noted that the racing set is popular with travellers of all ages.
Perhaps the most interesting development at Manchester, however, is its £120,000 'airport learning' scheme, which allows staff members to ditch their job for a few hours, and learn a completely unrelated skill, such as photography, a new language, or how to make a hanging basket.
Bosses claim that the initiative has produced a marked decrease in the number of sick days taken by employees, and helped drive customer complaints down. Tracey Thompson, the coordinator of Manchester's Airport Learning Centre, declared herself 'proud' of those who had participated in the horticulture class.
'It gives them another strength to their bow. Instead of just coming to work, they have another interest,' Tracey explained. 'It is all about having a happier and better qualified workforce, and that can only be a good thing.' The next phase of the horticulture class, which recently included the demonstration on hanging baskets, revolves around the humble plant pot.
Hundreds of people have already finished their course, according to the airport, with a further 400 waiting for a chance to participate in one of the nine subjects on offer. Lessons in career planning, deaf awareness, and first aid have already proved popular with airport employees.
More courses are expected throughout the summer.
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Manchester has one of the best airports in Europe, according to the Airports Council International (ACI), a self-proclaimed ‘voice’ of the global aviation industry. The airport was honoured alongside Lyon, Malta, and Barcelona at a glitzy ceremony in Milan, Italy.
Despite frequent criticism of its expansion plans, Manchester Airport has always proved popular with travel agents, trade and cargo firms, and anybody with a vested interest in the aviation industry; in fact, the hub has claimed over 90 awards since 1990, including nine ‘best airport’ accolades.
The ACI judges were bowled over by Manchester’s commitment to security, particularly its efforts to test the full-body scanner in a working environment. The airport’s customer service standards and the quality of retail opportunities at the site were also praised. Manchester chief, Geoff Muirhead, claimed the ACI award on 18 June.
‘We want to be one of the world’s best airports and providing high quality customer service is at the heart of our strategy to achieve this goal,’ Mr. Muirhead explained. ‘This award is a real tribute to the hard work of everyone at the airport.’
The ACI awards are divided into a number of categories, according to the size of the airports included in them. Lyon, France, claimed the trophy for the best airport with 5-10m passengers, whilst Barcelona, Spain, snatched the award for the best hub with over 25m visitors a year. Malta was also honoured as the best small airport in Europe.
Manchester featured in the 10-25m category, and was the only airport in the UK to have been nominated for the award.
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Green fingered staff at Manchester Airport have pounced on an opportunity to grow their own flowers and vegetables. The airport, which is located in the town of Ringway, Greater Manchester, has given allotments to more than 100 employees, if they promise to avoid growing plants that attract birds.
Birds might seem harmless enough when they are strutting around your back garden, but Britain’s feathered beasts pose a huge danger to aeroplanes – sucked into a jet engine, they can cause serious structural damage. Manchester Airport, as well as regional site, East Midlands, employ ‘bird-scarers’ to protect aircraft from avian pests.
Manchester Airport’s new allotments are located within a few hundred yards of the main runway. The airport has forbidden its urban farmers from cultivating any kind of tree, berries, or fruit to prevent ‘bird-strikes’.
Airport PA, Marija McGuiness, is growing lettuce on her allotment – ‘It’s getting quite competitive. I’m in a team and it’s quite funny really as we’ve started to want our plot to be the best.’ Manchester bosses have employed a wildlife officer to monitor the plots, but staff members are responsible for keeping their own land in order.
Earlier in the year, East Midlands Airport planted hundreds of willow trees, in a bid to become the first UK airport to embrace biomass energy. The trees, whilst not providing much in the way of food for animals, are ideal nesting locations, and the airport has been forced to step up its efforts to keep aeroplanes safe from flocking birds.
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On Tuesday morning, members of the Plane Stupid campaign group broke into Manchester Airport, suspending all flights out of the Ringway site for 20 minutes. The protestors, who endeavour to ‘bring the aviation industry back down to earth’, chained themselves to the wheel of a stationary plane, before being swiftly removed by police.
Plane Stupid is a non-violent network of activists. The group has been responsible for a number of high profile protests in recent years, most of which have been directed at UK airports and the offices of major airlines. Plane Stupid claims to have ‘shut down’ EasyJet, laid siege to Heathrow, and even scaled the roof of the House of Commons.
The group’s protest on the Manchester apron was designed to draw attention to the plight of towns and villages near the airport, as well as giving the obligatory nod to accelerating climate change. Annie McLaughlin, a member of Plane Stupid, explained that local councils were not informing residents that their houses could be demolished.
Manchester Airport made the headlines in December last year, when two listed buildings were destroyed, and a colony of rare animals relocated, to make way for a new 18,000sq metre hangar at the site. The buildings, which were rented out to local families, were located on airport land, however.
Low-flying planes have also been a thorn in Plane Stupid’s side, but the news that Manchester could be allowed to handle twice the number of aircraft movements by 2050 has proved to be highly controversial. The surge in traffic would be facilitated by an expansion to the airport’s World Freight Centre, which was also blockaded by Plane Stupid members on Tuesday.
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Thomson Airways, one of the largest airlines in the UK, has announced a new weekly flight to Aruba from Manchester Airport. The route will begin on the 7th May, and operate every Friday morning until the 23rd October.
Aruba, which was immortalised in the Beach Boys’ 1988 hit, Kokomo, is an island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean. The island is famed worldwide for its white beaches and tropical climate, despite being relatively arid inland.
Joanna Walding, director of the Aruba tourist board, called the island ‘one of the fastest growing destinations in the Caribbean.’ The town of Oranjestad is particularly popular with British tourists, as is Palm Island, a private resort located just off the coast.
Manchester’s new route is the resumption of a similar service that operated during the 2009 summer season, albeit at a far greater frequency. The airline has also resumed its Aruba route from Gatwick, departing every Saturday from the 1st May. Previously, flights to the Caribbean island were only available via an indirect flight from the US.
Tickets for Thomson’s new route are expected to cost around £389 for a return journey departing on Friday 14th May. The airline is hoping that customers will book through its package holiday company, First Choice, which is offering a seven-day stay in Aruba for £975 per person.
A number of Thomson flights are currently disrupted. Passengers are advised to check the airline’s travel alert website before booking a flight or leaving for the airport.
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In a special document to the Committee on Climate Change, the UK government has predicted a 100% surge in the number of aircraft movements at Manchester Airport. The report, which discusses carbon dioxide emissions over the next four decades, has been labelled ‘shocking’ by anti-expansion campaigners.
Last September, the residents of Wythenshawe, in southern Manchester, filed more than 200 lawsuits against Manchester Airport. The villagers claimed that low-flying planes, which can be loud enough to shatter light bulbs, reduce house prices, and keep some people awake until the early hours.
More recently, in December 2009, airport bosses were forced into a battle with campaigners over the future of several historic townhouses. The buildings, which were located in the Ringway area of Manchester, have since been demolished, and the site cleared pending construction of a new hangar.
The expansion of Manchester Airport remains a controversial topic, but the government is determined to find an airport that can serve as a pressure valve for Heathrow. The London hub has had its expansion plans rubbished by the Conservatives, and recent news suggests that Birmingham is no longer a shoo-in for the position.
If Manchester is allowed to expand as expected, the hub will be capable of handling 450,000 aircraft movements by 2050, up from 213,000 in 2005. Airport bosses are thrilled, but local MPs, residents and campaigners are outraged at the plans, which they claim have been hidden from the public.
Manchester is not expected to overtake Heathrow as Britain’s number one airport, but the loss-making Gatwick and terminally unpopular Stansted could lose out to Manchester over the coming decades. Bosses were quick to deny rumours that expansion would force the construction of a new terminal, however.
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The failed attempt of the 'Christmas Day Bomber' to blow up a plane over Detroit precipitated a major upheaval in airport security protocols, especially for passengers hoping to travel to the United States. Hand luggage was prohibited on certain flights, and a select few airports were handed a new toy – the highly controversial full-body scanner.
Since their introduction in February, these ‘naked’ scanners have become the most polarising aspect of UK aviation, inviting criticism from journalists and modesty campaigners, and enjoying more column inches than a celebrity wedding. The machines are here to stay, however, regardless of their effect on holidaymakers.
Last month, two women were turned away from Manchester Airport after refusing to take part in a full-body scan. The pair was due to board a plane to Islamabad in Pakistan, but a gauntlet of border officers and circuitry put an end to their plans.
According to airport bosses, Manchester’s security guards were simply following orders. They stated that "body scanning is a big change for customers", and confirmed that they have "strict procedures to reassure them that their privacy will be protected".
Manchester has not revealed the names of the women, despite their new-found fame as the first passengers to refuse a full-body scan. One of the pair was a Muslim, who refused on religious grounds. The other claimed a health issue that was incompatible with the scanners.
Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester are the only airports to use full-body scanners, but Gordon Brown hopes to introduce the machines to all major airports within the next few months.
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Manchester Airport has introduced compulsory full-body scanning for ‘certain passengers’ in a bid to control the flow of dangerous terrorists onto British planes. Bosses have warned that refusal is not an option for anybody who wishes to fly.
The ‘naked scanner’ is not a popular piece of equipment. Critics have noted that the machine produces imagery that violates child pornography laws, and an attempt to make under-eighteens exempt from the scan was recently thrown out by the Government.
Further complaints include the sensitivity of the hardware – remarkably low, considering the hi-tech nature of global terrorism. The scanner cannot detect liquids or chemicals, both of which are used in homemade bombs.
Security staff seized a suitcase of white powder at Manchester last week, prompting the question – would a scanner have been able to detect the mysterious substance, and potentially save the lives of hundreds of travellers? Many experts say no.
The issue that continues to bother the cabinet concerns the identity of the passengers selected for full-body scanning. Civil rights campaigners fear that people from the Middle East and Africa could be unfairly targeted as potential terrorists, just because of their religion, or the way that they choose to dress.
Despite the accusations, the Government sees selective screening or ‘racial profiling’ as a very real alternative to traditional airport security measures. People who refuse to be scanned, due to modesty, for example, will be treated as potentially dangerous, and will be turned away from flights.
Heathrow and Birmingham airports join Manchester as pioneers of full-body scanning. The former has also begun compulsory screening, whilst the latter is due to receive a big parcel of scanners over the coming month.
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A ‘chemical incident’ caused a stir at Manchester Airport earlier this week, after a mysterious white powder was found in the hand luggage of a passenger. Tests have yet to determine the identity of the substance, but officials are confident that the powder poses no risk to aircraft or travellers.
The passenger, a man in his late twenties, was catching a plane from Manchester to Heathrow, when security staff spotted the suspicious chemical in his carry-on bag. The airport informed the local police, who sent a bomb squad to the site.
Manchester’s Terminal 3 was closed for six hours while officers combed the aisles and armchairs for evidence of an explosive threat, but came up empty handed. The terminal was reopened at 7pm, and the passenger released without charge.
Experts continue to puzzle over the nature of the white powder. Cocaine, gunpowder, and even freeze-dried chemicals can be carried in powder form, but scientists have found no correlation with known contraband. The mysterious substance was also found in the passenger’s main suitcase.
Airport bosses reported minimal disruption, amounting to a few flight delays only.
Manchester police have since apologised for the trouble – "The powder was unidentified, so we had to take every precaution to protect the safety of passengers at the airport. Public safety is our primary concern.”
Visitors to the Manchester Evening News website have speculated that the passenger might have been testing the sensitivity of airport security, especially as the alert came just days after the Home Office raised the terror threat level from ‘substantial’, to ‘severe’.
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