Travel Calendar

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Apr 4, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) –
Avis Car Rental is once again joining America’s top travel brands this spring in the Daily Getaways 2012 promotion. Designed to generate growth in summer leisure travel, the five-week online promotion available at
www.DailyGetaways.com offers great savings on car rentals, hotels, loyalty points programs, theme park admission and city attraction packages.

The U.S. Travel Association promotion runs from April 9 through May 11, 2012, with a preview of deals beginning April 2. Each day a new exclusive deal from a prominent travel brand will be unveiled at 1:00 p.m. EDT and made available for purchase throughout the promotional period, until the limited inventory is sold out.

Beginning April 10, travelers can purchase one-day Avis rental certificates, valued at $50, for just $33. The certificates can be used for one day’s time and mileage charges on a rental vehicle in any of the following car classes: subcompact, compact, intermediate, standard, full-size or premium. Certificates are valid at any participating Avis location in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Last year’s Avis offer in the Daily Getaways promotion sold out in less than two hours,” said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer for Avis Budget Group. “We’re thrilled to join other leading travel brands again in this year’s promotion and offer travelers a money-saving way to rent from a trusted global brand like Avis.”

“The impact of the $1.9 trillion U.S. travel industry is significant and growing,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “As the economy continues to bounce back, more Americans will be planning travel this summer. The Daily Getaways promotion provides an added incentive with fantastic deals to travel within the United States this spring and summer.”

For more information, including terms and conditions, visit
www.DailyGetaways.com .

About Avis

Avis Car Rental operates one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc.


/quotes/zigman/2380077/quotes/nls/car CAR
-2.60%



, which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit
www.avis.com .

The Avis Car Rental logo is available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11593

About U.S. Travel Association

The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and supports 14.4 million jobs. U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States. For more information, visit
www.ustravel.org .

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire,
www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Avis Car Rental

        CONTACT: Alice Pereira
        973.496.6113
        alice.pereira@avisbudget.com

(C) Copyright 2010 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All rights reserved.

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On April 1st, the Tibet travel agency Explore Tibet received its first private group, a group of 4 people from a German family. They took train from Xining to Lhasa, which is one of the highlights of traveling to Tibet. Explore Tibet has managed to get their soft sleeper train tickets in the same cabin so that this family can have their private space.

(PRWEB) April 04, 2012

On April 1st, the Tibet travel agency Explore Tibet received its first private group, a group of 4 people from a German family. They took train from Xining to Lhasa, which is one of the highlights of traveling to Tibet. Explore Tibet has managed to get their soft sleeper train tickets in the same cabin so that this family can have their private space.

This family is very lucky to get a Tibet permit, because many other foreign tourists cannot get a permit for many reasons, such as multiple nationalities in the same group and single traveler, etc.

This is the fifth year in a row that Tibet has closed to foreign tourists in March since 2008. All the Tibet travel agencies do not receive clients in March. Explore Tibet says that anyone who wants to travel to Tibet cannot plan Tibet travel in March. Besides, the best time to visit Tibet is from April to October. Choosing the best time to travel to Tibet mainly depends on the tour destinations. If the tour is going to EBC, the best time to visit would be in May, June, the beginning of July, September and October. In these months, EBC is warmer and clear, blue skies allow people to view the mighty peak of Mt. Everest clearly. If the tour is going to Mt. Kailash, the best time to visit is during the months of May, June, July and September. There will be no rain during Kailash Tibet trekking, and there is also an opportunity to see local pilgrims doing the Kora (trek). Festival tours are mostly took place in August, in which there are numbers of popular festivals both ritual and cultural celebrated in Tibet, such as Shoton festival, Wongkhor festival.

However, having a winter tour from November to February can be pleasant. There is less tourists during this time and the costs are comparatively much cheaper. Nevertheless, many devoted Tibetans from all corners of Tibet travel to Lhasa for pilgrimage in winter.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9369381.htm

Plus-size fliers have a slim new tool to help them get from here to there.

A downloadable, four-page brochure titled “Travel Tips for People of Size” offers tips for packing, booking flights, choosing seats, traveling to and through airports and getting on and off airplanes. A description of each airline’s passengers-of-size policy is included, along with recommendations for ways that travel agents can help a passenger of size have a comfortable flying experience.

“Airline travel, in particular, is such a hot topic for fat people,” said Peggy Howell, spokeswoman for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). “Some have mobility issues and the trip from the curb to the gate is daunting. Some people are concerned that they may not be able to move quickly enough to make connecting flights. And we often get questions about which airlines have policies regarding the purchase of two seats.”

Howell said the brochure, which was created with input from the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR), will help passengers of size make informed travel decisions and avoid some uncomfortable situations, such as being publicly humiliated by being called out of line to buy a second seat.

“The reality is that purchasing a second coach seat, sharing a third seat with a fellow traveler of size, or considering an upgrade to business or first class may be the most appropriate choice,” said Tony Harrell, owner of Abundant Travel, based in Alexandria, Va.

The brochure recommends that passengers of size book a second seat when flying Southwest, American and Jet Blue. United may require passengers of size to purchase a second seat if they are unable to fit in a single seat with both armrests down. The brochure also suggests that travelers check their airline’s policy at the time of flying.

Live Poll

Should airlines increase the size of their seats?

“Air travel these days is not a pleasant experience, but as passengers we’re all in this together,” said AAPR executive director Brandon Macsata. “So if traveling can be easier and more pleasant for people of size, it will be more pleasant for people of all sizes.”

In addition to urging travelers to choose airlines that are “people-of-size friendly,” the brochure also offers these tips:

• A window seat will give you a little more shoulder room but hip room remains the same. The average seat is (approximately) 18 inches wide.
• While you can discreetly ask your flight attendant for a seat belt extender as you board, you may find it more convenient to carry your own. (A list of sites that sell seatbelt extenders is included.)  
• Smile and say hello to your seat mates. It is harder to be annoyed with someone if they are being nice.
• Washroom size may be an issue. Try to plan accordingly

Despite the brochure’s suggestion that passengers provide their own seat belt extension, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Alison Duquette advises against it. “Passengers should request a seat belt extender from the flight attendant,” she said. “This is a safety control to ensure that the seat belt extender is working properly and not frayed or damaged.” 

Still, some travelers say they find the advice in the brochure useful.

“I’m going to print out the brochure and take it with me when I travel,” said Carole Cullum, a Minnesota resident who usually purchases a second airline seat.

“Society thinks people of size want special accommodations on airplanes, without respect for others,” said Janie Oyakawa, a 34-year-old person of size from McKinney, Texas. “But we just want to know exactly what the deal is, and this brochure removes a lot of the guesswork.

“My hips might be wider,” she said, “but my money is just as green as the next person’s and I want to travel and see the world.” 

Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter. 

More on Travel Kit

• Business class too pricey? Try Premium Economy
• Headset promises to help travelers fight jet lag
• High fuel prices may keep travelers closer to home

LONDON — Britain’s busy airports could be gridlocked with long waiting lines over the Easter holidays because of border staff shortages, airlines including Virgin Airlines and British Airways warned Wednesday.

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The British Air Transport Association wrote to Theresa May on behalf of the 11 airlines, urging more resources to cope with the hundreds of thousands of people traveling over the long weekend.

The U.K. Border Force has cut back on staff since a decision last year to relax some passport checks, but May has reinstated the security controls — triggering concerns that there are not enough personnel to carry out such checks during peak travel seasons.

“Airlines obviously do their best to ensure their customers are looked after properly. But the government has the responsibility as well to make sure the U.K. Border Agency does have sufficient staff and resources to ensure those queues are minimum,” Simon Buck, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, told Sky News.

More than 370,000 passengers are expected to leave Heathrow airport between Good Friday and Easter Monday. About 200,000 will pass through Gatwick, London’s second busiest airport, and heavy passenger flow is also expected during holidays in June to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

“While the decision on what level of check should be made at the border is, of course, a matter for government, we are concerned that there is currently a mismatch between policy and resource,” a spokeswoman for Virgin Airlines said.

BAA, the Heathrow operator, said immigration waiting times during peak periods at the airport are currently “unacceptable.”

“We have called on the Border Force to address the problem as a matter of urgency,” it said.

The head of the Border Force, Brian Moore, insisted that border security cannot be compromised. The force said disruption will be kept to a minimum by “using our staff flexibly to meet demand.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Apr 04, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Tourism to Mexico is on the rise despite the best efforts by the
state of Texas and US travel safety alert systems to warn visitors
away. And perhaps that is because in the country’s well-traveled
touristic zones, there is less crime than happens in most U.S. cities
on any given day.

Travel-Intel took time at Tourism Mexico’s 37th annual Tianguis
tourism conference to talk to tourism officials and walk the streets
in popular tourist destinations to find out just what’s afoot these
days for people who want to make Mexico their vacation destination.

Tours.com’s Travel-Intel, is a newsletter that goes out twice a month
to the travel industry to keep more than 103,000 North American
travel agents and travel sellers up on what’s happening in the roller
coaster business of travel. As Mexico receives some 22 million
international visitors per year, mostly from North America,
Travel-Intel was able to get a close-up look at what Mexico is doing
to keep the travelers coming and ensure their safety.

Recent issues of Travel-Intel have looked at the changing trends in
the cruise, hospitality and airline industries, and featured
destination close-ups.

The April 1 issue of Travel-Intel offers a glimpse into river
cruising trends through a one-on-one interview with Viking River
Cruises CEO Torstein Hagen. It also sheds more light on Mexico travel
with highlights on destination Riviera Nayarit and a look at the
exclusive Imanta Punta Mita, a member of the prestigious Kurtz-Ahlers
collection.

Finally, the April 1 issue of Travel-Intel offers a barometer of the
travel industry by presenting the results of a recent survey
conducted by the American Society of Travel Agents on travel agency
health and revenue trends. And as the new film The Hunter, starring
Sam Neill and Willem Defoe, is released this week, Travel-Intel
features details on a package to Tasmania, possibly the film’s
biggest star, as launched this week as well by Tourism Tasmania.

Travel-Intel is a digital newsletter sent to more than 100,000 opt-in
travel agents in the U.S. and Canada. Travel-Intel is then posted on
Tours.com for those seeking answers in Tours.com’s comprehensive
directory of tour companies and travel information.

“The travel industry is in as much flux as the economy and travel
agents as well as traveling consumers need good information to make
the decisions they have to make where value is most at stake,” says
Lark Ellen Gould, content director for Travel-Intel. “Travel-Intel
provides that with news of trends in the industry and updates on
destinations.”

Gould, a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel
industry for more than 20 years, brings her incisive perspective to
the publication and emails it on the 1st and 15th of each month to
more 103,000 travel agents in the U.S. and Canada, before posting the
travelzine on Tours.com and Sightseeing.com. Travel-Intel also
partners with CanadaScope and Britain Magazine for easy access to
added sources of information.

About Tours.com: Tours.com is the Official Directory of Tours
Vacations Worldwide. On-line since 1995, tours.com has a deep and
searchable database of tour and vacation companies searchable by
company name, destination and/or activity. A one-stop resource for
major Travel Channels such as travel insurance, passport visa
information, major travel booking sites and categories such as
hotels, air, cars, cruises, barges, yachts ferries, railroad rail
travel, etc., plus all other pertinent travel categories/channels.
The Find a Travel Agent search field allows one to search for travel
agents certified with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty.
For more information visit
www.tours.com

        Press Contact:
        Maria Polk
        President  CEO
        Tours.com
        Phone: 415-332-7916
        maria@tours.com

SOURCE: Tours.com

        mailto:maria@tours.com

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

SEATTLE, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
This week, Scenic Washington State becomes the region’s newest resource for versatile travel planning in the state of Washington. This new suite of products by Destination Media Alliance offers consumers fully integrated print, digital and mobile travel planning capabilities. The interactive glossy publication works in tandem with ScenicWA.com and will soon be optimized for mobile devices, linking directly to suggested itineraries and planning tools that enable users to plan the perfect road trip. Cutting edge Digimarc Discover technology is embedded in the print magazine, allowing readers to scan uniquely identified photos with a smartphone or tablet, opening up a world of rich online content including videos, slide shows and more.

“Travel and tourism is about mobility, and Scenic Washington State is the go-to tool for planning the perfect road trip. It’s different from other guides in its unique on-the-road accessibility,” explained Destination Media Alliance principal and publisher Paul Heppner. “Users can now access everything from saved itineraries to suggested pit-stops, when they want, where they want and how they want – be it in print, online, or mobile format.”

National research indicates that the desire for mobile travel features is continually growing. According to an emarketer.com survey taken in 2011, 46 percent of U.S. active travelers use iPads or other tablets to find restaurants or shops nearby, and 26 percent view virtual visitor guides from their devices[1]. With Scenic Washington’s interactive website, Washington state travelers can now plan road trips ahead of time and easily access and share their travel plans and information from their phones or tablets while on the go.

Scenic Washington State’s Senior Editor Anne Erickson leverages knowledge gained as producer of KING 5′s long running television series Northwest Backroads, to lead a group of “insiders” who scour the state providing invaluable expertise in helping readers plan the perfect road trip. This ever growing group of insiders each specialize in activities tailored to a variety of interests, covering topics like food and wine, back roading, family travel and golf. The “Ask the Insider” feature on ScenicWA.com allows readers to interact with these experts directly by asking questions and creating online dialogue.

A digital version of the magazine can be accessed on a tablet or smart phone. For those more traditionally inclined, travel counselors are always available to answer questions and troubleshoot by calling 1-800-544-1800. Free print copies of Scenic Washington can be ordered online at
www.ScenicWA.com . The magazine will also be available at visitor information centers, transportation hubs and AAA offices throughout the Western United States and British Columbia. Find Scenic Washington on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/ScenicWA .

About Scenic WashingtonScenic Washington is an interactive glossy travel magazine that works in tandem with ScenicWA.com to assist savvy travelers in creating personalized getaways. Its publisher, Destination Media Alliance, LLC (DMA) was formed by industry veterans Paul Heppner, Marcus Yearout and Lisa Schwartz and to further develop products and services in the tourism category. The company published The Official Washington State Travel Planner (2009-2011) for the State Tourism office. DMA has created print products including Washington State Scenic Byways Road Trips and Washington State Wine Tour Guide (2011 2012).

Media Contacts:

Erin Petrie Osborne / Katie Links\ GREENRUBINODirect: 206.452.8174 / 206.957.4248erino@greenrubino.com / katiel@greenrubino.com
www.greenrubino.com/pr

[1] Source: via
www.emarketer.com , from Ypartnership and Harrison Group, “2011 Portrait of American Travelers” as cited in company blog, April 28, 2011.

SOURCE Scenic Washington

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

After the General Services Administration was caught spending $820,000 on a Las Vegas conference, it might be hard to believe that oversight governing federal business travel exists at all. But reasonable guidelines have been around for a while — and so has occasional misuse.

Before former GSA Administrator Martha Johnson resigned on Monday, there was a 2007 Government Accountability Office report detailing $146 million in “inappropriate first- and business-class travel” across government agencies between 2005 and 2006 alone.

The U.S. Travel Association, an organization that assists and promotes business travel, jumped to the government’s defense this week with a statement that noted travel, even for conferences and meetings, is an essential part of many federal government jobs and the Las Vegas conference was “a single instance of irresponsible decision-making.”

The organization also pointed out that the GSA inspector general’s report came on the heels of a November 2011 executive order from President Obama directing federal agencies to reduce government travel and a September 2011 directive from the Office of Management and Budget requiring a thorough review of conference spending policies.

But conferences are a small part of federal government employee travel. GSA’s guidelines for travel, lodging and per diems in general appear reasonable, with some wiggle room that could be grounds for criticism and finger-pointing. And, yes, the same agency that made headlines spending on a fancy Las Vegas hotel, mind reader and commemorative coins is actually in charge of making sure all other federal agencies report business expenses responsibly.

Feds receive per diem allowances for lodging, meals and incidentals when on official travel for 12 hours or more. The rates vary depending on location and, in some cases, the nature of government work. You can find and calculate your per diem rates here.

Employees cannot spend more on lodging than the government-set rate. If they stay with a friend or family member who lives in their destination city, they will not be reimbursed for comparable lodging. Ditto for property an employee might own in a city he or she travels to for work.

Transportation gets somewhat more complicated. The basics: Feds must use the mode of transportation “most advantageous to the government, when cost and other factors are considered,” according to GSA guidelines.

When flying within the United States, employees generally must take “common carriers” coach class; when driving, use of government vehicles is encouraged. Federal business travelers cannot receive refunds or credit for any unused travel services and reimbursements from airlines in the event of a cancellation must be made out to Uncle Sam.

But as the 2007 GAO report shows, there is room for pricier, top-flight travel if you’re a fed. Agencies have some discretion in determining if a higher-cost flight is “most advantageous.” Employees may travel first class under specific circumstances, such as for trips overseas and travel that is 14 hours or more, including nonovernight stopovers.

In 2007, many agencies reported to GAO that “they did not know the extent of business-class travel.” OMB and GSA at the time did not require reporting of travel. In addition, agencies varied greatly in their restrictions for executive- or premium-class travel.

Watching the Pan Am television show brought back fond memories of a special time when travel was prestigious and glamorous. I graduated valedictorian of Pan American Airways flight school on February 14th, 1970 in Miami, Florida. I was elated to be known as a Pan Am stewardess — a member of an elite group of women who had the world as their oyster. An even more elite group of Black women who traveled to exotic places that most only read about.

In a broader historical context, I was hired as a result of the Civil Rights act of 1964 that mandated equal rights for African Americans and women. By law Pan American World Airways had to increase the number of African-American stewardesses. The airline had recently purchased the Boeing 747 which was going to revolutionize the airline industry by transporting over four hundred passengers at one time on an aircraft with two levels in first class; including a lounge area requiring an increase in the number of stewardess to serve them. It was an auspicious time for us African-American stewardesses.

At every layover we stewardesses went shopping together. There were certain stores that we frequented because they gave a Pan Am discount. We shopped at the most elegant boutiques. In Panama we bought molas from the San Blast Indians; on dresses and wall hangings. I loved shopping in Guatemala for baskets and cotton dresses. Some of the best shopping was in Mexico City. I really enjoyed buying leather clothes in Uruguay. Although we didn’t have a layover there, we could order items on the way to Buenos Aires or Brazil and pick up the items on our way back to Miami.

Shopkeepers and tailors were so accommodating of our schedules because we were the consummate shoppers. I was based in Miami at that time and owned a green convertible MG midget sports car and had leather suits, hats and driving gloves to match made during these layovers. Shopping while living in Miami was fantastic because the dollar was so strong. In Haiti we bought wooden salad bowl sets of which I still use today!

On cross-Atlantic trips I observed the mature European women and decided early on that I would emulate them. I loved their elegant demeanor and timeless style. They always looked so chic in their conservative suits, accessories and well-coifed hair. They carried themselves so different from the casual American women. They definitely influenced who I am today and the image I wish to project; a more classic style.

Back in the 1970′s African Americans were few and far between outside the continental USA. We were an anomaly in-flight and people were in awe of the young, gifted and Black women who strolled the international airports with such confidence. Many passengers thought we were European, or from the Caribbean. It was beyond their imagination that we could be African American. Racism was still strong at home and abroad. This was most apparent among the white American travelers.

As a Pan Am stewardess we often had access to fashion trends before they hit America because we were purchasing them in Europe. I recall shopping on Carnaby Street in London, buying platform shoes and makeup that were not available in America.

Today my daughters are wearing dresses a local woman crocheted for me in Sao Paulo Brazil; a red fox coat, hat and boa I had made in India, cotton dresses from Guatemala, Louis Vuitton bags from Paris, silk scarves and leather gloves from Rome. I bought pearls from Tokyo, gems from Rio, gold from Liberia and Ghana and the list goes on. Whatever I acquired back then it was with the expectation that one day my daughter would wear it, especially the jewelry. I am grateful to have three daughters who enjoy my purchases and the accompanying stories behind each item.

The Pan Am experience opened my eyes to the world. I was trained to communicate with people from all walks of life, from the villager traveling to Europe or America for the first time to visit a family member to the Head of State attending a meeting at the United Nations. I am instinctively in tune to ones fears and know how to alleviate them with compassion and professionalism. I look forward to encountering new people, food, places and experiences. I take pride in serving others. I am a Pan Am Black Bird!

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Easter weekend will see many in the UK take to the roads, trains and airports visiting family and friends or travelling to take advantage of the school break or bank holiday. But how will transport be affected by Easter? Will the shops still be open and where can you find out this kind of information?

We’ve put together a guide to useful websites, journey planners and travel guides to help you survive the Easter getaway and Bank Holiday traffic log.

If you’ve found other useful websites and links to help plan out your Easter travel, let us know by sharing them in the comments section.

What days are bank holidays?

Good news! If you get bank holidays off you don’t have to work on Good Friday 6 April (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) or Monday 9 April (England, Northern Ireland and Wales only). See all the bank holiday dates for 2012 here and bank holidays for Scotland here.

You can find out more about your rights to annual leave and bank holidays here.

What time will the supermarket close/open?

This Opening Times website lets you type in your postcode and find out when the supermarkets and shops nearest you are open. iOpeningTimes is also useful for finding opening hours for specific store branches in your area.

Major supermarkets have their opening times written on individual store pages – just search through Tesco’s store locator on its website, for example. You can check the opening times of your local Morrisons here, information for Asda at this link, more on Sainsbury’s opening times and here’s the Marks and Spencer store locator.

What shops are open at Easter?

Shops will often close for Easter Day, but it’s worth looking up individual retailers’ websites to see if the usual opening hours for the Friday, Saturday and Monday have been changed.

For the larger retail centres: Birmingham Bullring will open on Good Friday and Saturday, but will close on Easter Day and re-open from 10am to 6pm on Monday.

Westfield Shopping centre in London is open on the same days and closed on Easter Day, though it’s worth checking its website for more details on changes to opening hours, as it will be closing an hour earlier than usual on Good Friday at 9pm. Stratford Westfield is only closed on Easter Day during the holiday weekend, but has more details on which facilities may be affected.

The Trafford Centre in Manchester is open from 10am – 8pm on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, but its shops will be closed and only the restaurants and leisure area open on Easter Day.

Cabot Circus in Bristol closes at 6pm on Good Friday and is open for business as usual on Saturday 7 April. It’s shops won’t be open on Easter Day but will reopen from 10am-6pm on the bank holiday.

Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow says it opens on public holidays from 10am to 6pm – more details are on its website.

Are petrol stations open on Easter Day and Monday?

Yes. Motorway Services says all motorway service areas (anything signed as such from a motorway) must be open with basic services (fuel, toilets, hot drinks) on Bank holidays as a condition of their licence. However don’t expect all the food and drink options, and you may have to endure a freezing cold walk over a motorway bridge to find a toilet. If signs say ‘not 24 hours’ it’s most likely 8am-8pm. There’s more on the motorwayservice.info site.

Moto also says its services are open 24 hours, 365 days a year and has a searchable map and Texaco’s station finder is here. Shell has an online store locator and app for mobile too. BP has this open spreadsheet of all its 24-hour stores and there’s also a branch locator page.

Opening Times has a list of UK petrol stations by location linking to more details for individual locations. You could always tweet @motorwayservices or @mwayservices and see if they reply.

Traffic and travel hotspots

At Christmas we asked for your help to map the roads, railways and journeys to avoid during holiday seasons. We’re opening up this collaborative map again for your tips on avoiding travel trouble during the Easter holidays and weekend – we hope it will help you plan your journey. View the map directly by clicking on this link.

View Traffic and travel Christmas black spots in a larger map

A map of readers’ tips for places to avoid on holiday travel

The map doesn’t feature live traffic and travel updates, but we’ve included some links in this post for where you can find out this information for roads, trains, buses and flights.

Roads

The Highways Agency’s website offers current traffic information and there are more helpful tools for planning your road journey here. You can search for roadworks or planned disruptions in England that might affect your Easter road travel, in Wales here, works in Scotland at this link and more from the BBC on roads in Northern Ireland. There are details of live traffic feeds and other ways to keep updated on the go on the respective sites.

Trains

This site gives an overview of the services that each train operater Company will be providing during Easter, including individual pages for train operators and a map of all rail engineering work taking place. There’s more on these planned disruptions from Network Rail too.

For those travelling in London, Transport for London has a guide to planned works that might cause disruption on the underground.

Airports

With the school holidays in full swing it’s safe to say that airports are going to be busy places over Easter weekend, but how can you plan ahead for a stress-free journey?

The best advice is to go direct to the live information on the airport’s website (or your flight provider). Airportsinformation.co.uk links out to 23 of the UK’s major airports, but here are also the direct links to live flight departure information for London Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

BBC Travel has air information here including a list of delays and disruptions and you can check your rights for delays and cancellations on the civil aviation authority’s website here.

National Rail Enquiries has a helpful page full of details on travelling to the UK’s airports by rail over Easter.

Buses

Bus services may be affected by the public holiday on Monday and operators often run a limited service on this day. Individual service providers tend to list changes to services on their own websites, for example Arriva Midlands has an Easter timetable, First Group has Easter bus times for Leicester listed, so you are best to check in with the operator.

The busenthusiast site a really useful update linking out to the Easter timetables for more than 50 bus operators.

You can also check this live bus map, which covers local authorities in England and Wales, to see when your next bus is.

Please leave your tips and advice for Easter travel and links to more information in a comment.

By Rosemarie Francisco

MANILA |
Wed Apr 4, 2012 7:54am EDT

MANILA (Reuters) – San Miguel Corp, the Philippines’ most diverse conglomerate, said it will buy minority stakes worth a total $500 million in flag-carrier Philippine Airlines and a sister airline, extending its business reach as it seeks to out-grow the local economy.

The deal is the first partnership between San Miguel and its main brewing rival, billionaire Lucio Tan, who owns Asia Brewery and Tanduay Holdings (TDY.PS). Tan is the country’s second-richest man, with Forbes estimating his family’s net worth at $3.5 billion.

Under the deal with Tan’s Trustmark Holdings, San Miguel will take indirect stakes of 40 percent in Philippine Airlines Corp PAL.L and 49 percent in its low-cost partner Air Philippines Corp, also known as Air Phil. San Miguel, valued at $6.4 billion, will gain management control of PAL, the country’s biggest airline.

Asked when San Miguel (SMC.PS) will take over the carrier’s operations, company president Ramon Ang said in a mobile text message: “After the (Easter) holidays.”

Carlos Jalandoni, vice president at BPI Asset Management, which has $15.6 billion of assets under management, said the deal gives San Miguel new distribution channels for its food and drinks business. Previously, Tan didn’t allow his rival’s drinks on Philippine Airlines’ flights.

“Obviously there are synergies: food, airlines, consumer, but a minority stake is unusual,” Jalandoni said. “Now the question will be: is this an initial step to something bigger?”

EXPANSION

San Miguel has spent at least $3 billion since 2007 when it embarked on an aggressive plan to diversify from its food and drinks businesses into almost every capital intensive sector – from power and telecoms to mining, banking and infrastructure.

The expansion, aimed at accelerating profit growth, has failed to stir fund managers, with institutions holding less than 2 percent of the company.

“It certainly has very good assets … And I know there are people who like these assets,” said Jalandoni. “I think people are cautious about San Miguel because they don’t really understand the company as it’s gone through so many changes so quickly.”

San Miguel is majority-owned by Top Frontier Investments Holdings led by businessman Roberto Ongpin, a former cabinet official under Ferdinand Marcos. Other significant shareholders include chairman Eduardo Cojuangco, who because of illness has handed the reins to Ramon Ang, a close associate.

Net income fell 13 percent last year to 17.5 billion pesos, sliding 24 percent in October-December mainly due to weakness at its liquor unit. Its flagship arm, San Miguel Brewery (SMB.PS), is part-owned by Japan’s Kirin Holdings (2503.T).

TAKING WING

San Miguel’s investment will be used to help upgrade PAL’s fleet and expand operations to better compete with budget operators such as Cebu Air Inc (CEB.PS).

PAL has been hit by rising fuel costs and labour problems, and lost $33.5 million in October-December. Cebu Air posted net income last year of $84.3 million, though that was down by almost a half from 2010.

San Miguel’s entry into the airline business is likely to have been triggered by the growth potential of the Philippines’ tourism industry. The government is targeting 10 million visitor arrivals by 2016, up from nearly 4 million last year.

“They’re banking on tourism … on making the airline more efficient the same way Cebu has done,” said Fitz Aclan, senior assistant vice president at BDO Trust in Manila.

It wasn’t immediately clear how San Miguel will fund its airline ticket. The group has sought a loan equivalent to $800 million to complete the $577 million acquisition of a majority stake in Esso Malaysia Bhd and of both ExxonMobil Malaysia Sdn Bhd and ExxonMobil Borneo Sdn Bhd.

Shares of PAL’s majority stakeholder PAL Holdings (PAL.PS), 97 percent-owned by Trustmark, which hit a life high on Tuesday, slid as much as 2.4 percent on Wednesday before closing down 0.12 percent.

San Miguel rose 0.8 percent, its biggest 1-day gain in five weeks, while the broad market .PSI slipped 0.4 percent.

(Editing by Ian Geoghegan)