Spanish builder Ferrovial must sell three of the seven British airports it bought for GBP10 billion pounds (USD$18.5 billion) two years ago under a tougher-than-expected ruling on Wednesday.

Two of its three busy London airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, plus one in Scotland, will have to go, said the UK Competition Commission, which wants to attract new owners to create more competition and improve the lot of air passengers.

Ferrovial has come under fire from British politicians and airline bosses for delays and poor service at Heathrow and Gatwick in the past two years, culminating in the bungled opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 in March.

The ruling will be subject to a consultation process, but is likely to be rubber-stamped by the Commission in a final report due early next year.

It comes just two days after Ferrovial finalized refinancing of some GBP13.3 billion (USD$24.8 billion), most of it money used to buy the airports in June 2006.

"There are significant competition problems arising from BAA's common ownership of seven UK airports. This is evident from... its lack of responsiveness to the needs of its airline customers and a lack of initiative in planning capacity," inquiry chairman Christopher Clarke said in a statement.

The Commission also criticized Britain's planning process, which is crucial to long-running proposals to expand Heathrow and Gatwick, its government policy and regulation under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Airlines including British Airways and easyJet had called for tighter regulation, with analysts suggesting being the setting of targets for delays.

BAA responded to the ruling by saying the call for airport sales could delay the building of new runways.

"By calling not just for a fundamental restructure of BAA but also for a review of the Government's Air Transport White Paper, the Commission risks delaying that delivery of new runways and making better customer service less, not more, likely," BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said.

But Irish low-cost airline Ryanair hailed the break-up, saying it would lead to new capacity and better service for passengers.

"We are delighted by the decision, which we have been calling for years," Ryanair director of legal and regulatory affairs Jim Callaghan said.

The report was widely expected to recommend a break-up after a preliminary study in April found that under a single owner there was no competition among some of its airports.

However, it was anticipated that two airports at most would be put up for sale.

BAA, formed in 1965, owns the London trio of airports, three in Scotland, and Southampton.

London's five airports include Luton, owned by Spain's Abertis, and London City, bought by American International Group and other investors in 2006.

Germany's Fraport and construction group Hochtief both reiterated an interest on Wednesday, and London City Airport co-owner Global Infrastructure Partners, Australia's Macquarie and Manchester Airports Group are also expected to play a part.

Macquarie owns a string of airport interests worldwide including Bristol in the UK, although earlier on Wednesday its airports fund said it would reduce its stakes in Brussels and Copenhagen airports to cut debt and added it would not be chasing any upcoming airport privatizations.

(Reuters)

Spanish builder Ferrovial must sell three of the seven British airports it bought for GBP10 billion pounds (USD$18.5 billion) two years ago under a tougher-than-expected ruling on Wednesday.

Two of its three busy London airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, plus one in Scotland, will have to go, said the UK Competition Commission, which wants to attract new owners to create more competition and improve the lot of air passengers.

Ferrovial has come under fire from British politicians and airline bosses for delays and poor service at Heathrow and Gatwick in the past two years, culminating in the bungled opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 in March.

The ruling will be subject to a consultation process, but is likely to be rubber-stamped by the Commission in a final report due early next year.

It comes just two days after Ferrovial finalized refinancing of some GBP13.3 billion (USD$24.8 billion), most of it money used to buy the airports in June 2006.

"There are significant competition problems arising from BAA's common ownership of seven UK airports. This is evident from... its lack of responsiveness to the needs of its airline customers and a lack of initiative in planning capacity," inquiry chairman Christopher Clarke said in a statement.

The Commission also criticized Britain's planning process, which is crucial to long-running proposals to expand Heathrow and Gatwick, its government policy and regulation under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Airlines including British Airways and easyJet had called for tighter regulation, with analysts suggesting being the setting of targets for delays.

BAA responded to the ruling by saying the call for airport sales could delay the building of new runways.

"By calling not just for a fundamental restructure of BAA but also for a review of the Government's Air Transport White Paper, the Commission risks delaying that delivery of new runways and making better customer service less, not more, likely," BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said.

But Irish low-cost airline Ryanair hailed the break-up, saying it would lead to new capacity and better service for passengers.

"We are delighted by the decision, which we have been calling for years," Ryanair director of legal and regulatory affairs Jim Callaghan said.

The report was widely expected to recommend a break-up after a preliminary study in April found that under a single owner there was no competition among some of its airports.

However, it was anticipated that two airports at most would be put up for sale.

BAA, formed in 1965, owns the London trio of airports, three in Scotland, and Southampton.

London's five airports include Luton, owned by Spain's Abertis, and London City, bought by American International Group and other investors in 2006.

Germany's Fraport and construction group Hochtief both reiterated an interest on Wednesday, and London City Airport co-owner Global Infrastructure Partners, Australia's Macquarie and Manchester Airports Group are also expected to play a part.

Macquarie owns a string of airport interests worldwide including Bristol in the UK, although earlier on Wednesday its airports fund said it would reduce its stakes in Brussels and Copenhagen airports to cut debt and added it would not be chasing any upcoming airport privatizations.

(Reuters)

Spanish construction firm Ferrovial said on Monday it had completed the GBP13.3 billion pound (USD$24.8 billion) refinancing of its British airports which includes GBP3 billion for new investment.

The company won support from its bondholders last week for a key step in refinancing the debt, and had been expected to announce the final details in August.

The deal comes just as the UK competition watchdog is due to report provisional findings on the Spanish group's British airports division BAA, which could lead to a forced sale of one of its seven airports.

On Saturday, BAA Chairman Nigel Rudd told the BBC he expected the watchdog to recommend the breakup, but added it would not be a financial disaster.

On Monday, BAA said if the watchdog recommended the sale of one or more of the airports, the terms of the refinancing were sufficiently flexible to permit the sale without affecting the deal's conditions.

Under the terms of the refinancing, the main airports held by BAA - London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted - will be hived off into a separate structure known as the 'designated airports'.

Ferrovial said of the GBP12.2 billion raised for these three airports, GBP4.4 billion would go towards new bank facilities and USD2.75 billion was new committed, undrawn bank facilities to fund working capital and immediate investment projects.

BAA has secured USD1.255 billion of seven year bank facilities consisting of GBP1 billion of term loans and a GBP244 million capex and working capital facility, secured against its 'non-designated airports'.

BAA's non-designated airports include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton.

(Reuters)

UK airports operator BAA is set to attract interest from a string of companies keen to buy one or more of its airports if, as expected, it is ordered by regulators to divest any.

Britain's Competition Commission is expected this week to call for the Spanish-owned company to sell one or more of its seven airports -- with London's Gatwick the most likely to go on the block.

Germany's Fraport and construction group Hochtief both declared interest on Monday, while London City Airport co-owner Global Infrastructure Partners, Australia's Macquarie and Manchester Airports Group are also expected to take part in any bidding process.

BAA, bought by Spain's Ferrovial for just over GBP10 billion pounds (USD$18.68 billion) in 2006, owns the three main London airports -- Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted -- as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland.

The competition regulator laid the ground for a break-up of the monopoly with the publication of a preliminary study in April, which said that under a single owner there was no competition among some airports.

Some press reports have put the value of Gatwick at around GBP3 billion (USD$5.6 billion), although Collins Stewart analyst Andrew Fitchie said he found that valuation "quite incredible".

"This... is out of line with the fundamental economics facing the aviation industry today and the deteriorating credit and economic environment," he said in a note.

Fraport is interested in principle in BAA airports and is reviewing whether taking a stake in one would make sense, a spokesman for the German airport operator said on Monday.

German construction group Hochtief also expressed interest. "If an airport in Britain is for sale we would take a look at it," a spokeswoman said, adding London's Gatwick airport would be interesting.

An industry source said it would also make sense for Macquarie to participate in any auction, as it already owns airports including Bristol in the UK.

"Macquarie is a major investor in the airport sector globally, so logically it would be interested in BAA," the source said.

A Macquarie spokeswoman declined to comment.

Manchester Airports Group, which owns four airports in the north of England including Manchester, has kept its options open regarding a bid.

"The group is interested in acquiring assets that will add value for our shareholders," chief executive Geoff Muirhead told the Manchester Evening News earlier this year. A source familiar with the matter added that nothing had changed since he gave the statement.

And Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the GE-Credit Suisse investment fund, declared an interest in recent months to trade publication "Infrastructure News".

The company is part-owner with insurer American International Group of London City Airport -- a key link to London's financial areas.

A GIP spokesman declined to comment further, while BAA also declined comment.

(Reuters)

Travelers face severe delays at Britain's second biggest airport over the August public holiday weekend after more than 300 baggage and check-in staff voted to strike over pay.

Staff at London Gatwick Airport plan to walk out on the August 25 public holiday and again on August 29 after rejecting a pay offer from airline services firm Swissport.

A spokesman for Swissport said it was too early to estimate the level of disruption, but added that the company thought it had made a fair pay offer and would now work at minimizing disruption for the traveling public.

He said it was not yet clear whether pay negotiations with the union were continuing.

Gatwick-owner BAA, the airports operator owned by Ferrovial, said it was looking at contingency plans in the event of the strike going ahead.

"Our aim is to minimize the disruption," a spokeswoman said.

Trade union Unite said in a statement Swissport offered a pay increase of 3 percent backdated to July, compared to the union demand of over 5 percent.

"Our members are already struggling to keep up with rising food and energy costs. This pay offer is an insult," officer Steve Turner said.

Workers at London Stansted Airport will vote on whether to join the strike later on Friday.

BAA owns Heathrow as well as Gatwick and Stansted. The company's monopoly control over the three main London airports is currently under investigation by the UK Competition Commission.

(Reuters)

It's probably a good thing I'm by myself, because the amount of trouble I cause would no doubt cause anyone unwillingly subjected to it to have an aneurysm. That stated, let me share the tale of today's misadventure...

After an admittedly brief stay in London (a great place that strongly reminds me of my beloved NYC. However, much like NYC, it's somewhere I'd rather be with someone else and with some disposable income), it was time to head up to Scotland. There's an overnight train, but it was stunningly expensive and, I'd read, quite noisy. The reviews were mixed as to whether it was a 'civilized' or 'uncivilized' way to get there. Thus, I decided to avoid the debate and booked a flight to Edinburgh instead.

So this morning at the hostel, I used my overpriced 30 minutes of Internet access to update my blogs, make sure I knew where I was going tonight, and get the lowdown on getting to the airport. Then I went out and meandered down to Westminster and the Thames. After a few hours of wandering, it was time to head back, get my stuff, and get on the road. My flight was at 6:30 pm, and I headed to the underground station around 3:30pm. Because my credit card doesn't have a chip in it, I can't use any of the automated subway ticketing stations an require human intervention. When the ticket clerk saw me lumbering up like a beast of burden, she asked if I was going to Gatwick. I was confused by the question, but she explained that I could buy a combo subway/train ticket that was cheaper than purchasing the two together. Fantastic! What a coup!

With that, I boarded the subway (so much fun being twice my usual size from the stupid bag on my back and having people ram into me every which way), got to Victoria Station, found the Southern Train to Gatwick, got on, put my bag up with the others, found a seat and – feeling pretty efficient - relaxed for the first time in half an hour. I glanced at my watch and realized I was going to be about two hours early to the airport, but oh well.

It was at that point that a strange dialog started up in my head. Basically, I vaguely wondered to myself, "Are you sure it's Gatwick? What if Gatwick is the wrong airport and you get there and realize that and miss your flight and can't get to Scotland and don't have anywhere to stay tonight?"

"I don't care," I thought back, "I'm tired. Whatever. I'll just stay here or take a train or ..."

However, now that the thought was in my head, the slow burn of panic started to spark. I grabbed my bag and started digging furiously through it, looking for the print out of the ticket I'd made in the U.S.

I found it, unfolded it, and to my complete and utter horror, it said STANSTED AIRPORT. On the total and complete other side of town. At least a solid hour from where I was currently sitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was now 4:01 p.m. I was sitting on the 4:02 Gatwick-bound train. I flew out of my seat. All I knew was that I needed to get OFF THIS TRAIN BEFORE IT STARTED MOVING!!!!! I ran up to the luggage, and for reasons I can't quite comprehend, a passenger was standing there holding my backpack (probably to put his luggage in the spot mine occupied and do god knows what with my bag). I grabbed it from him, but he didn't want to give it up. I yelled, 'It's MINE!", wrenched it out of his hands, threw it on my back, hit the "open doors" button, and jumped off the thing 5 seconds before it started moving.

From there, I found an employee, got instructions as to how to get to Stansted (another subway ride to Liverpool Street, and then a train to the airport) and made it an hour in advance – just enough to get through (the very slow – Great Britain makes everyone take their shoes off like in the U.S. That stupid step sure does slow everything down) security and walk up to the gate during boarding. So I'm here! Edinburgh!

First off, what a GORGEOUS town. Seriously. Amazing in a 'best of what you'd expect' kind of way (cobblestone streets, little shops, castles, crappy gray weather). I'm waiting my turn – as always – to use the hostel computers. Oh yes. It's the Edinburgh Festival all month in August, which means half the population of the planet is here. Which also means rooms are scarce. Which finally means I had to stick with my original hostel reservation. As always, the top bunk. However, in stark contrast to my night in London where every person in the room was lights out, stone cold asleep when I walked into the room at 10:15 p.m. (!?), the folks in the last room where no where to be seen when I crawled into bed at midnight. Not a good sign.

Sure enough, around 3am, some of them started to come back – drunk, loud, tripping, lights on, and debating whether to go back out for one more hour. Some guy must have asked, "Where's an ATM?" fifteen times. Not in this room, dude. Go back outside...and stay there. That's my only advice. I've heard marching bands that were less noisy - but not by much. Needless to say, this nonsense went on until 5am, and I am not nearly so well-rested as I deserve to be. Oh well. The next two nights I have a room to myself at Glasgow College.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned, I'm waiting for the pay-by-the-half-hour group computer (no wifi, unfortunately), sitting next to a guy cradling a ten pack (minus two) of Carlsburg beer, and studying the posters for the zillion shows in town this month. While waiting forever for the Heathrow Hoppa to my hotel a few days ago, I met a guy from the U.S. who was on his way back from Oslo. He was a comedian who just played a big show there, and he was telling me, "It's a great living." Sounds like it! Where do I sign up?

Sadly, I don't think I'm funny enough – or not that kind of super-sharp one-liner funny. I have my moments, but Kathy Griffin I am not. Meanwhile, I've noticed that I'm on the same tour schedule as Henry Rollins. He played in London last night, and will be up here in a few days. I had a friend in high school that more or less worshiped Henry Rollins. I probably listened to whatever spoken word he had out at the time once a week. It was good storytelling. What I recall is stuff about his obsession with Daryl Hannah and some issues getting through airport security being 6'3" (or whatever he is) and covered in tattoos. In truth, I wish my schedule synced up with his a little better, because I'd love to see him and brush up on the latest version of his craft.

THAT is what I'd like to do - storytelling, spoken word, entertain. And I suspect I'd be damn good at it. Admittedly, I'm not the former front man of the band Black Flag, but I'm willing to get a few tattoos if that's what it takes. Any storyteller job openings out there? Just let me know when you need me to start...

London's recently-elected mayor Boris Johnson on Tuesday called for a new airport to the east of the city to ease congestion at the other five which serve the capital.

"It is... ever more urgent that we investigate the possibility of a long-term solution, in the form of a new and more eco-friendly international airport," he wrote in The Daily Telegraph.

Johnson, who was elected in May, doubted that a proposed third runway for Heathrow, carrying 68 million passengers a year, would ever be built, and said Gatwick, London's second biggest, was "full to bursting".

"The Mayor is keen to know what the alternatives are to expansion at Heathrow and would like to know whether the idea of a new airport in the Thames estuary would be viable or not," a spokesman for the Mayor said.

"He has asked officers to consider the feasibility of a new airport to see if the idea is worth further consideration," he added.

Johnson has said he also supports expansion at east London's City Airport, popular with business travelers due to its proximity to financial districts.

London City, owned by a consortium including the insurer American International Group and Credit Suisse, wants to expand annual flights to 120,000 from 80,000.

A City Airport spokeswoman said the growth would not need any new build, although an application to proceed with the development was delayed by Johnson last month due to concerns it may affect a proposed Thames Gateway bridge.

Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are all owned by BAA -- the subject of a Competition Commission investigation into whether its monopoly should be broken up.

BAA, owned by Spanish group Ferrovial, is under fire from airlines for its high charges, while many critics feel its efforts to improve infrastructure at its airports would be greater if it was competing for passengers.

The Competition Commission could publish its latest report on the issue next week, a spokeswoman said, although no firm date has been set.

(Reuters)

Spanish construction and airport company Ferrovial won bondholder support for a key step in a complex refinancing of over GBP10 billion pounds (USD$19.5 billion) of debt on Wednesday and said it hoped to sew the deal up this month.

An August completion of the deal would come just as the UK competition watchdog is due to report provisional findings on the Spanish company's British airports division BAA, which could lead to a forced sale of one of its seven UK airports.

The construction-to-services group has tried for over a year to renegotiate debt linked to BAA, which it bought in July 2006, but has been hampered by the global liquidity crisis.

An August completion would also meet Ferrovial's most recent deadline for the deal to be sealed early in the third quarter.

"The outcome represents a significant step in the re-financing process," Ferrovial said in a statement.

A London-based BAA bondholder agreed.

"It's removed the greatest uncertainty," he said. "The refinancing is largely done and dusted."

Holders voted to accept BAA's proposal to move existing bonds into a new financial structure, backed by income from London airports Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and the Heathrow Express train service, Ferrovial said on Wednesday.

There are loose ends to be tied up, including the arrangement of banking facilities for the airports group which are not regulated by Britain's aviation watchdog, such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton, BAA said.

A source close to the company said this was not likely to be a big obstacle.

Analysts expect the non-regulated airports deal to raise around GBP1 billion and to complete around the same time as the issue of the new bonds, scheduled for August 14.

The bondholder approval for the new financial structure was a necessary condition for the completion of a GBP7.15 billion loan, aimed at refinancing the debt of the BAA airports and assets regulated by The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The loan to refinance debt at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and the Heathrow Express rail link and to finance improvements was launched in June and is still in syndication.

(Reuters)

British airport operator BAA is taking Irish airline Ryanair to court over its refusal to pay a 15 percent increase in charges at London's Stansted Airport, Ryanair said on Tuesday.

Ryanair said in April it would not pay the higher charges imposed by BAA, owned by Spanish firm Ferrovial.

"It's most likely (the matter will result in) a High Court action," a Ryanair spokesman said, adding that the court had not formally notified the carrier yet.

"We are going to fight the action," he said. "We don't think the fees are warranted."

A BAA spokesman said Stansted charges remained within the limits allowed by the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority.

"This matter is in the hands of the lawyers so it is inappropriate to make any comment at this stage," the BAA spokesman said.

Rival low-cost airline easyJet also said in April it wanted to withhold part-payment of price rises by BAA at London Gatwick Airport.

Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost carrier, said last month it would cut winter capacity at Stansted, its busiest hub, due to high fuel prices and because the cost of using Stansted was too high.

The Dublin-based airline warned last week that it may make its first loss since 1989 because it will respond to the rise in fuel costs and the threat of recession by cutting fares.

On Tuesday Ryanair reported a 19 percent year-on-year rise in the number of passengers it carried in July to 5.66 million, but it added that the average flight was slightly less full.

Ryanair said its load factor was 89 percent in the month, down from 90 percent in July 2007.

Shares in Ryanair rose more than 15 percent after benchmark oil prices fell to a three month low below USD$119 a barrel at one point, down USD$28 from July's record highs.

(Reuters)

British Airways and Spain's flag carrier Iberia (or Iberia, Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. ) are deep in merger talks with Iberia "have taken direct/indirect 10% stake in British rival". The merger is backed by boards on both airlines and will create the third largest airline in Europe (after KLM-Air France and Lufthansa).

So, as usual, I set out to find how the combined entity would look. Please be aware that I do not account for possible merger related capacity reduction (or airplane retirement) and unforeseeable changes.

British Airways in BLUE and Iberia in RED -

• Headquartered - Waterside, Harmondsworth, UK and Madrid, Spain
• Destinations - 147 + 115 (+19 future) =252 (+19 future) - OVERLAP
• Frequent Flier Program - Executive Club, Premier + Iberia Plus = ?
• Alliance - Oneworld
• Hubs - London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Barajas Int'l Airport
  
• Fleet - Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321, A380-800*; Boeing 737, 757, 767, 747, 777, 787* + Airbus A319, A320, A321, A340; McDonnell Douglas MD-88
• Fleet Size - 235 (+62 orders) + 152 (+19 orders) =387 (+81 orders)
  
• Company Slogan - Upgrade to British Airways + With Iberia , you're more = Upgrade with more???

Since, British Airways is a bigger airline, there might be a possible BA head over the combined airline. Willie Walsh as CEO???

The last time I ventured onto a tennis court was 10 years ago in St. Thomas; I was younger, fitter and had less bacon inside me.

Anyway, there we were at 9:45 am this morning at the local tennis club on an indoor court. Heidi prepared by drinking that Alligator Aid drink thingy, stretching and choosing which racquet she would use............I prepared by drinking a Diet Coke, stretching my throat and bottom muscles by getting rid of any unwanted gases and picking up my old racquet which last saw action when John McEnroe was screaming "You cannot be serious!"

We started by knocking a few balls over the net but I wanted to stop mincing about and get on with the game.......................so we did..................I said I would serve............Heidi had obviously remembered the last time we played because she stood miles behind the line thingy........she was ready for my giant serve and I was ready to unleash the beast .................................I threw the ball high into the air and.........bugger.

Unfortunately, my right arm had lost all its power, which means it no longer fired a Hellfire missile of a serve and instead the ball traveled over the net at the speed of a Centipede with one leg...................bugger

This means I was in trouble because my lack of service power just starts a rally, and that’s exhausting, especially when you’re as fit as Superman with a lump of Kryptonite up his bottom. I couldn’t last more than an hour.  A Blue Whale called Bjorn would have been more able out there.......................game set and match to Heidi.....................bugger.

Anyway, I sit here with my muscles screaming at me and this is yet another reason as to why my June 1 diet will be so important.

In an hour or so Heidi and I will drive to Gatwick Airport to meet Duncan the Hotel Director and Lui the Chief Purser who are flying in from Genoa to meet with me and the people from the port of Dover. We will look at the meet and greet process at both Gatwick and Heathrow as well as discussing where people should report their missing luggage if they are flying into terminal 5 at Heathrow...................kidding..............things seem to be a bit better now and I will give you an update later today.

After our airport visit we drive to Dover, spend the night and then see the port tomorrow morning before driving home.

So, this means another hotel and in the car Heidi was telling me about her latest vacation desire now she knows there is as much chance of me going on safari as Boris Becker being her doubles partner.

This desire involves one of those hotel resorts in places like Bora Bora, Mauritius and Tahiti................of course this would be again a nightmare for me, arriving at the airport and being bowed to as your butler places loads of flowers around your neck so you look like a human garden center..........a house on stilts on the water surrounded by things that swim and flying things that have the head of wolf and a body the size of a Hummer and can take your head of with one bite.............no TV, no telephone or raspberry......sharing your bath with half a hundredweight of rose petals and finding your toilet paper folded into the shape of a swan every morning.

To complete the picture, the staff is dressed in national costume. Even the blokes in Tahiti had to wear skirts, and to complete their humiliation they walk up and down the superheated sand all day bringing me my bacon and eggs......... in bare feet......poor sods.

Heidi as always had an answer to all of this................"It will be a taste of paradise" she said "and everyone should taste it once in their lives"..............well..........I disagree ......... this would not be paradise.......it would be totally boring and asking me to do this would be the same as asking a vegetarian to see what beef tastes like by licking a cow.

So, I am off to Gatwick and Dover and Heathrow and taking my wife, video camera and raspberry with me.......look out for another raspberry blog later today and a video or two tomorrow.

I am having a hard time writing the word Splendor because the Brit way of spelling it is Splendour.......that's why we are telling all the British folks "come and sail the Carnival Splendor where the only thing missing .....is U.”

Cheers
Your friends
John and Heidi

The figures also showed a continuation in the growth of passengers to and from Ireland with a growth of 44.8% with European scheduled traffic rising by 13.9% and European charter traffic rising by 12.4%. There was a decline in the domestic market by 3.4% with a dip in the North Atlantic market of 0.3%. Further long haul traffic remained static.

March also saw easyJet become Gatwick's largest airline with 62 routes to domestic and European destinations. BAA's UK airports handled 12 million passengers last month.

As passenger figures rise at airports across the country it makes more and more sense to book your airport parking as soon as you've booked your trip. The further in advance the more you stand to save when compared to expensive gate rates. Pre-booking your airport parking will also save you time and stress - no need to rush to the airport and search for a last minute space when you can arrive to a guaranteed space at a conveniently located car park.

Andy
Compare-Airport-Parking

Having arrived in England it’s time to get busy with preparing my mother for her move on Thursday.  There is a lot to do!  Yesterday was spent trying to assess what is going to go to the new flat, what is going to be given away or donated to charity and what is going to be disposed of.  We made some progress but there seems to be an endless amount of things to go through.

My trip over to England went smoothly even though my first flight was delayed by 30 minutes.  I always allow a lot of connection time between my flights when flying overseas as it seems that the airlines love to land you in one terminal and then challenge you to get to the terminal furthest away collecting your luggage and clearing customs on the way.  I would rather spend a few hours sitting in the airport than doing the airport dash!  I was a little disappointed that in my hurry to leave the house and get to the airport I forgot to grab my alpaca energy mat, the flight just was not the same without it.

My friend Linda was at the airport to meet me and drive me to my mothers, the journey on the M25 to Heathrow is a little better than the journey to Gatwick, but the M25 still had an enormous amount of traffic on it, especially compared to the traffic we get in Clovis, New Mexico.  Linda and I took the opportunity to stop and have a cup of coffee together, catching up on our latest news including hearing about Linda’s recent radio interview on Three Counties Radio, a local radio station.

Back at home Ric has been busy too, doing some substitute teaching and keeping up with chores.   The visiting girls were ready for behaviour testing following their breedings.  Celeste was pretty definite that she did not want to see any male alpacas, but Marti and Cariad were a little less certain.  With Marti being a maiden she may be confused about the signals her body is sending her, it is not unusual for a maiden alpaca to be a little difficult to read when it comes to behaviour testing.  Cariad though has been bred before, so her behaviour might be telling us that she has ovulated but has not conceived a pregnancy.  The next behaviour test will give us a better idea of which girls could be pregnant and which will need rebreeding.

The next few days are going to be very busy here in England, the removal van is booked for April 17^th and once everything earmarked for the new flat has been moved we will have to finish clearing out whatever has been left at the old house, but once the job is done it will be a good feeling.

Ric has told me that he has a blog entry to upload in the next day or two, so hopefully I will get a chance to talk him through the new control panel on Wordpress that was installed just a few days before I left for England.  The new control panel is, to me, less simple to follow and it might take Ric a few attempts to get his blog entry loaded.  So keep checking back to see if Ric is successful in loading his blog entry and what he has to tell us about “A Taste of Life at Windrush Alpacas” during my absence.

Rosemary

1. We caught a taxi from the station to the ground.

2. It was dark.

3. I was a bit pissed.

I could, however, tell you of some lovely little back street pubs around Green Park, where I had a few pints before heading Crawley-direction. I could also tell you that the staff at Gatwick Airport, where we stopped off en route for some strange reason, are very helpful, even to a group of somewhat bewildered and internally-lubricated football fans. But such observations would merely be an alcohol-related prefix and, as is likely, uninteresting. Football fan goes drinking; visits some nice pubs, none of which are particularly near the ground he's visiting. Not much you can say about that, which hasn't been said before.

But what observations I can gather about Crawley are thus:

• The town itself seems to exist solely as an afterthought to Gatwick Airport.
• It has a lot of dual carriageways.
• These are offset by a friendly bunch of cab drivers. The one we had was a rare breed who could talk without launching into a spiel about all that is wrong with the world, and struck just the right balance between banter and chatter.
• The club bar at Crawley is one of the most friendly, welcoming in the league, and actually feels like a proper bar that I'd like to drink in outside of football. Another rare beast.
• Banana Bread beer is foul. On no account take the advice of an inebriated Conservative-voting telecommunications worker, who happens to be one of your companions for the trip down, when ordering this drink.
• The above drink is, according to the lovely barmaid who served us, surprisingly popular in the Crawley Town club bar. Quite what this says about the supporters is anybody's guess. Either they're born with no tastebuds, or there's an unending stream of already-tipsy fans who've not experienced the horrors of the beer and are willingly sucked in.
• Clearly the bar staff are good as salespeople as well. Given the crowds Crawley are getting, this is probably a good thing. They need all the cash they can get.

So, from this we can conclude that, despite probably massive overhead pollution from the building they were created to serve, and many quick, straight routes away from the conurbation (which may or may not be a necessity - it's hard to tell), the good folk of Crawley are a chipper and welcoming bunch, making it a pleasanter-than-expected place to spend a few hours.

Although it's difficult to love any club with Steve Evans in charge.

The Broadfields, as a stadium, is one of the better grounds at non-league level. It has proper stands (albeit offset with one uncovered terrace that is about three deep, has a small concrete wall behind it, and is entirely populated by feral youth), a covered away terrace, is well built, has good catering, and, most important, spacious toilets. Anybody who's experienced the horrors of the facilities at Hereford's Edgar Street knows how vital these are.

Crawley's financial situation is less secure, with the owners, the Majeed brothers, not exactly loved or trusted around the town. The Red Devils get a points penalty for financial problems on an annual basis, that the Blue Square Premier would be better off starting them at -6 each season and be done with it. With a home crowd close to being outnumber by the Exeter away support, Crawley do not appear to be a sustainable club at this level at present.

But full credit for the matchday experience, which is as good as I've experienced recently. Better than the match on offer that evening, that much is for sure.

Strangely, Crawley play a better brand of football than Grays and Ebbsfleet, but they're not as clinical as the Kent side in front of goal. The Red Devils are a good counter-attacking side and on more than one occasion could, and should, have hurt Exeter on the break.

But the attacking intentions of both sides got oddly negated in the middle of the park and there were few clear-cut chances. Somewhere, you felt, there was a decent football match just waiting to burst through.

There were moments of class. Exeter are a dangerous side from set pieces and Rob Edwards' opening goal was as good a free-kick as you'll see, curling over the wall into the top-corner of the goal. Dean Moxey's late equaliser was also the result of a well-worked free kick, and inbetween centre-half Matt Taylor headed wide from another set piece with the goal at his mercy.

Crawley rallied well after Edwards' 13th minute strike and their equaliser was the result of a slick passing move out to the wings, a cross, nod-down and a simple poke-home for Ollie "son of Clive" Allen. Exeter didn't defend it as well as they should have, but this shouldn't take anything away from the move.

As for Crawley's second, a penalty, in Arsene Wenger style, I did not have a good view of the incident. I thought Danny Seaborne got the ball - a friend in a different part of the ground differed.

Exeter put together a neat passing move of their own in the second half, when substitute Steve Basham fired narrowly wide following a six or seven pass move.

What City were really lacking though, was pace up front - something injured striker Adam Stansfield and the recently-sold Jamie Mackie have provided in other games. Winger Lee Elam was moved up front and did his best before being substituted while Basham and fellow striker Richard Logan are similar players who aren't blessed with great accleration, so Exeter had to adapt their style.

What Crawley were lacking was a clinical centre forward and a creative midfielder, but were still well-organised. Both sides will feel they could have won the game and a point was probably a fair reflection of a match that flickered sporadically.

Rob Edwards' free-kick aside, the best moment of the night was a chant from the City crowd towards Crawley's loanee keeper, wearing number 22. The familiar 'You're not number one' chant started up. Two minutes and 39 seconds later, the crowd finally reached 'You're not number 21, you're not number 21' and the keeper clapped them for their efforts.

We were offered a lift by to Gatwick by a friend, and despite going a completely different route, all that was visible was yet more dual carriageways. Like the game, it somewhat felt like a road to nowhere.

Menorca has always been a popular holiday destination amongst holiday makers from all over the world. This is more than likely due to the tropical climate, beautiful beaches and abundance of activities available. Unsurprisingly this has also led to an increase in the number of people buying Menorca villas because they can see the potential in investing in homes in holiday hot spots.

The level of tourism is set to increase further as it has been announced that coming up to the summer season more flights are going to be flying to and from the island.  Not only does this mean that more people can holiday there because there is more availability, but it also means that people are more likely to go there because it is easily accessible.

This can only be good news for holiday makers as airlines are no doubt going to start competing against each other in order to offer the lowest air fares. This as well is likely to increase the number of people buying Menorca villas because it is clearly an up and coming place that is going to see a lot of tourists visiting in the next couple years.

Whereas previously holiday makers could only fly to the island from the major UK airports there is now a much better selection. Flights are now available from London Gatwick, Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle. This means that people who may have wanted to go to Menorca before but couldn’t now can. This is ideal for those who simply want to holiday there or who are interested in investing in Menorca villas.

Although the new flights will see an increase in the level of tourism on Menorca, tourist authorities are keen to make sure that the island keeps it reputation as a relaxing holiday destination. It is currently popular with families, couples and groups of friends who are keen to take some time out and escape the stresses of everyday life. The island is less busy than some of its neighbours such as Ibiza and is keen not to turn into a resort filled with young party animals.

This is more than likely one of the many reasons why so many people are interested in buying Menorca villas because the country offers the perfect combination of everything you want for a holiday. There is plenty to do yet you are not faced with hundreds of clubbers filling the streets until the early hours of the morning.

Image belongs to: Christian Bachellier. Taken from: www.flickr.com

The aim of the campaign is to increase ticket sales to the event which is taking place in London on the 28^th and 29^th of July. Being the equivalent of 60 tennis courts, this Red Bull publicity stunt is guaranteed to attract people’s attention.  

The outdoor adverts will be supported by the first ever 60-second 3D cinema advertisement and posters which will be displayed around Gatwick Airport. The campaign strategy will generate 80 million consumer impacts led by a three week burst of television advertising.

Several other advertisers have come up with this concept before which has caused a lot of controversy. A Lynx deodorant advert was removed shortly after it was unveiled because the company did not get consent from the local authority. Others have been removed due to their inappropriate nature. A spokeswoman from Crawley Borough Council has said that so far no complaints have been made about the advert, but if any were to be made they would have to investigate the matter.

BAA are keen to stress that even though the advert is under the flight paths of Heathrow and Gatwick, it is not on their land and therefore it hasn’t got anything to do with them. 

There are many reasons as to why British Airways have introduced this new system but it is mainly to benefit their customers. Having a consistent check – in time ensures that travellers always know how much time they should allow themselves to go through this process.    

All passengers should be aware of the fact that all British Airways and Great Britain airport check – in desks, kiosks and bag drop desks at Heathrow and Gatwick Airport will close 45 minutes before the flight is scheduled to depart. However, online check – in is not affected and will continue to close 60 minutes before departure. Check – in times for flights from all other airports both in the UK and around the world remain unchanged.

• As of the 14^th November 2007 hand luggage restrictions were loosened as the one bag rule was lifted. However, this doesn’t mean that all airports have honoured this and some may still enforce that you can only carry one bag so again, it is wise to check before leaving for the airport.
• There are still hand luggage restrictions regarding travelling with liquids, creams, gels, pastes and aerosols. You are only allowed to take liquids in containers holding no more than 100 ml on board with you and they must be carried separately in a transparent, re – sealable plastic bag. There are a few exceptions to the rule including baby food or milk and medicines. However you may be asked for a doctor’s note to prove you need the medication for the flight so make sure you bring one with you.
• Sharp or pointed items are strictly prohibited in hand luggage and will be confiscated at security control no matter what you need them for. Some of the more obvious things include knives, scissors and hypodermic needles unless required for medical reasons. However, some people don’t realise that things such as razor blades and certain toys will be confiscated if it is thought that they could cause harm.
• Other hand luggage restrictions include no Christmas crackers, party poppers and non – safety matches. One cigarette lighter per person may be carried but any more will be taken away.
• Many people are confused about how the hand luggage restrictions affect what you can buy at the airport. Once you have gone through security control anything you buy can be taken on board including alcohol, fragrances and cosmetics in sizes over 100 ml.  

Google Earth 11_Gatwick Airport

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