United Kingdom

United Kingdom: GPS Navigation Leads Tourists Astray

Date: October 9th, 2008 |

Aberdulais Falls in the Neath Valley of Wales has become elusive for travelers relying on their GPS navigation systems rather than on maps or their own eyes. The falls and the village of Aberdulais have the same postal code, which drivers enter into their GPS systems to get directions. Then, listening to commands they have [read more]

United Kingdom: Strike on London Underground

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

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A 72-hour strike on the London Underground is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. April 6 and end at the same time April 9. The two labor unions calling for the strike represent 7,500 station staff and drivers who are protesting what they consider a compromise of safety but what management says has nothing to [read more]

United Kingdom: Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crews to Strike

Date: January 2nd, 2008 |

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Virgin Atlantic cabin crews plan two 48-hour strikes beginning Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 in a dispute over pay. Management said it would do everything possible to prevent flight disruptions, but believes its pay offer is adequate and stated that no 11th hour change would be forthcoming. The union representing cabin crew called for a [read more]

United Kingdom: Midland Mainline Rail Strikes

Date: November 9th, 2007 |

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Rail workers for Midland Mainline, the company that operates trains between Derby and London’s St. Pancras station, have been holding 24-hour strikes on Thursdays since Oct. 25 and plan to walk out again Nov. 15, 22 and 29. Schedules will be limited and service is likely to be unavailable to Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Sheffield, Chesterfield, [read more]

United Kingdom: Strikes to Shut Down London Underground

Date: August 29th, 2007 |

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London Underground workers announced two 72-hour strikes for September that will disrupt all Tube transit and clog city streets as commuters find other means to move around the city. The first strike will take place from 6 p.m. Sept. 3 to 6 p.m. Sept. 6, and the second is planned from 6 p.m. Sept. 10 [read more]

United Kingdom: Airport Ground Workers’ Strike to Disrupt Travel

Date: August 21st, 2008 |

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Ground services workers announced four 24-hour strikes to take place at English airports. Strikes will disrupt flights at Gatwick and Stansted airports Aug. 25 and 29, and at Manchester airport Aug. 27 and Sept. 1. Union members at Birmingham and Newcastle airports may also vote [read more]

United Kingdom: Airport Workers’ Strike Canceled

Date: January 10th, 2008 |

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Unions canceled strikes that would have affected seven major airports Jan. 14 and 17-18 when airport operator BAA withdrew changes to employee pension plans. The resolution called for BAA and the unions to meet to discuss the future of the pension fund and bring in independent experts to assess th [read more]

United Kingdom: Airport Workers’ Strike May Disrupt Travel

Date: December 26th, 2007 |

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Workers at seven U.K. airports plan a series of strikes to protest changes to airport operator BAA’s pension plan. The first two strikes will be for 24 hours on Jan. 7 and 14, and the third strike will be for 48 hours beginning Jan. 17. Striking workers include firefighters, maintenance and security personnel and clerical [read more]

United Kingdom: New Record for Chunnel Train from Paris to London

Date: September 5th, 2007 |

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While London was enduring the chaos of a Tube strike Sept. 4 those who headed into town on the Eurostar from Paris were celebrating a new record time for traveling between the cities by train: two hours, three minutes and 39 seconds. The trip was a test run of the new high-speed track on the [read more]

United Kingdom: Protests May Disrupt Heathrow Operations

Date: August 15th, 2007 |

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Some 550 demonstrators protesting the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport set up camp in a field on the airport’s perimeter and plan to stay until Aug. 21. They have vowed to disrupt airport operations over a 24-hour period beginning at midday Aug. 19. Access to the airport may be blocked during that time and travelers [read more]