As the first step in a £15m project to get the supersonic passenger jet Concorde back in the air, the engines will be examined today. The Rolls Royce engines on a former Air France Concorde will have an initial examination to see what needs to be done to start them. The tests will be performed by a French-British team and will take place at an air museum near Paris. The work is being done through a partnership between the British Save Concorde Group, SCG, and a French group, Olympus 593, at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum.

Vice-chairman of SCG Ben Lord said: “Today marks the most critical date in Concorde’s history since she was retired almost seven years ago.

“Two members of our management team are in France this weekend to observe these amazing developments.

“SCG has always maintained that she could return to flight in a heritage capacity, and the findings of today will hopefully go an awfully long way to proving our point.”

“This is just the beginning, but we are delighted and privileged to be working with a team of skilled Concorde engineers who both worked on the aircraft at British Airways and Air France.”

The first tests are to establish whether the engines can be started safely and whether the aircraft can ground taxi.

Mr Lord said: “After today, we will know exactly what needs to be done with those four engines in order to take this to the next stage of engine test runs with an objective to hopefully perform a ground taxi.”

There are hopes the plane can fly as part of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

Whilst Gibraltar’s marinas are constantly busy, turning away 100 boats a day peak season, large boat-sized gaps are appearing in marinas along the Spanish Costas. The reason is financial. From berthing to fuel to taxation – Gibraltar has the edge.

Whilst Gibraltar’s marinas are constantly busy, turning away upwards of 100 boats a day in peak season, large boat-sized gaps are appearing in marinas up and down the Spanish Costas. The reason is purely financial. From berthing costs to marine fuel to taxation – Gibraltar has the edge.

“For the high level of service we offer, Gibraltar’s marinas are extremely competitively priced,” says Brian Stevendale, Sales & Marketing Director for Ocean Village marina, “what’s more, thanks to our unique tax position, you can reequip your yacht buying goods VAT-free and have them shipped to Gibraltar where there’s no import duty if destined for a yacht in transit. Our marine fuel is tax free and the cheapest in Europe slicing around 40% off refuelling costs in neighbouring Spain. Additionally, British crews or owners particularly enjoy stocking up on provisions in Gibraltar’s Morrison’s superstore – the busiest in the entire chain.”

With affordable berths available up to 90m LOA in Ocean Village marina, many yachts are eyeing Gibraltar for more than just an ‘in transit’ visit. As a Port of Registry, Gibraltar is efficient, friendly, has no restrictions on size or tonnage and offers Cat 1 Red Ensign Group status. It also throws up some advantageous opportunities relating to tax.

Niamh Whelan, Director of Gibraltar-based BoatBiz, who has been registering yachts for 28 years, explains, “There is no VAT in Gibraltar so this would not be applicable upon registering your yacht here. However, we can’t wave a magic wand to stop VAT being payable elsewhere if you’re using EU waters and the beneficial user is an EU resident. As long as VAT is paid in one of the EU member countries then you’re entitled to free movement throughout them all. The most diligent yachtsmen weigh up the lowest rate of VAT – for example it’s 15% in Cyprus v 25% in Sweden – and the member states who tend to underestimate current boat values.”

Of course non-EU registered boats are entitled to temporary importation of up to 18 months (perhaps extended to 24 months if the boat is inactive / laid-up) and associated VAT relief. However, a stay beyond 18 months within the combined EU member countries will result in compulsory importation of that yacht and VAT charged on its estimated value. EU legislation is currently unclear on how long a vessel must be outside of the EU in order to reset the ‘VAT clock’ and commence another 18 month period of VAT relief.

“In Spain,” Niamh continues, “the rate of VAT (IVA) is 16% rising to 18% on 1 July 2010. A matriculation tax of 12% of the boat’s value is also due if the private individual owner spends more than 183 days per year in Spain making them an automatic tax resident. Significantly this applies to the owner and not the amount of time the boat spends in Spain. In this case the boat must also be re-registered as a Spanish-flagged vessel as Spanish residents are not allowed to keep foreign-flagged boats. The Spanish authorities are really clamping down and making it very difficult not to pay these taxes – even going as far as impounding boats.”

Niamh concludes, “The most interesting option for registering boats under 24m in Gibraltar is as a Small Vessel in Commercial Use (SVC). Applicable to new registrations or changing the status of already registered yachts, this exempts the boat from VAT providing it doesn’t generate any income. The downside is that the yacht must be coded and have its SVC certificate renewed every year. However, the cost of coding modifications such as installing safety equipment and undergoing stability tests at full capacity, are considerably lower than any VAT that would be payable. It’s well worth the effort.”

Whatever options you consider and however you want to register your boat, in the name of a company or an individual, Gibraltar has plenty to offer and Ocean Village marina remains the epicentre for luxury berthing, shopping, dining and living. Daily rates for Ocean Village’s new berths with secure, gated and coded entry, start from as little as GBP15.50 for a 15 metre berth rising to GBP450 per day for vessels above 75 metres (low season). A 20% discount is available for annual bookings when paid in advance in full. Demand is high and waiting lists exist for certain LOA. Marina layout viewable here: http://www.oceanvillage.gi/marina/berths.html

For further information on berths at Ocean Village contact Ocean Village’s Sales & Marketing Director Brian Stevendale on brian.stevendale@oceanvillage.gi, telephone 00 350 200 40048 or visit http://www.oceanvillage.gi.

For further information on yacht registration contact Niamh Whelan at BoatBiz on telephone 00 350 200 77296 or email boatbiz@gmail.com.

for further press information or photography please contact Sarah Drane
on sarah@purplecakefactory.com or telephone 00 34 607 564 726

Many UK and European travellers planning to fly today have had their plans interupted by of all things a Volcano eruption in Iceland. Eyjafjallajoekull which began erupting on March 21 is the reason behind nearly 4000 flights being cancelled.

The country’s effected are primarily the UK, Sweden, France, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. All have varying shutdown times as the cloud of Volcanic ash is charted across their airspace.

Many people are frustrated at the reason for the grounding of aircr5raft on such an unprecidented scale. When asked experts explained that the problem comes from the ash entering the turbine engines and melting to coat the turbine blades with a glass like substance. This inturn disturbs the air flow and could over time cause the engine to fail. The obvious problems that this would cause in a single aircraft are catastrophic let alone multiple instances.

Lord Adonis the UK Transport Secretary said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and that emergency meeting were scheduled with transport officials.

This is also causing problems for campaigning politicians as they all had tight travel schedules to meet the electorate which relied on air travel.

At the time of writing no officials could confirm when the grounded aircraft would be allowed to lift off again.

The timeshare market is experiencing more and more complaints of unsatisfied buyers. As it happened last summer, a huge pick of timeshare complaints is expected for summer 2010, due to force or misleading timeshare sales.

The timeshare market is experiencing more and more complaints of unsatisfied buyers. As it happened last summer, a huge pick of timeshare complaints is expected for summer 2010, due to force or misleading timeshare sales.  SellYourTimeShareFast.org alerts timeshare buyers on timeshare scams, and providing free tips to timeshare owners willing to resell their share.

If you will be needing tools such as a printer or a photocopier, you should be looking for a hotel with a business center.

A crucial part of preparing your business trip is booking your hotel, and setting up your transportation. A few years ago airplanes provided the best transportation for business, but with increasing traffic around airports and the never ending security checks, you may consider other means of transportation, such as trains or cars.

It is well known that the effects of sleep loss can be hazardous for those who drive or operate heavy machinery while sleep deprived. In fact, the body of a person who remains awake for 24 hours suffers the effects of having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10, which is well over the legal limit of 0.08.

Studies have confirmed that lack of adequate rest increases the likelihood of memory problems and motor vehicle accidents. Yet, the American Trucking Association is resisting efforts by the Obama administration to restructure hours of service requirements aimed at ensuring that truckers are well rested when they venture out on the road. While the administration’s goal of safety seems simple enough, the arguments for and against the new regulations are complex.

The Need for Sleep

A recent study in Science Translational Medicine confirmed that people who sleep less than necessary for periods of time and then try to make up for the loss by sleeping longer on occasion perform work and motor functions more poorly than those who adequately rest on a regular basis. The study also confirmed that the participants’ performance continued to suffer following longer periods of rest, which made them more vulnerable to errors and accidents. The authors of the study singled out truck drivers as employees who may benefit from a greater understanding of this reality.

Studies have long suggested that lack of sleep affects the brain both in the short term following lack of sleep, such as when a student stays up all night cramming for a test, and over longer periods of chronic sleep deprivation, which affects the body’s ability to maintain normal performance in general. The importance of adequate rest cannot be emphasized enough when the effects of sleep translate to fatigued drivers posing a danger on the nation’s roadways. The debate exists in what constitutes enough sleep in a given time period for safe driving performance.

Hours of Service Requirements and the Call for Change

Under the current hours of service requirements, truckers are allowed to drive pursuant to the following general rules. Truckers:
-May drive for a maximum of eleven hours after ten consecutive hours off-duty
-May not drive “on-duty” beyond fourteen consecutive hours following ten consecutive hours off-duty, unless the driver takes advantage of the “sleeper berth provision”
-May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in seven/eight consecutive days. This period restarts after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off-duty

Basically, unless truckers take advantage of a certain amount of time in the sleeper berth sections of their vehicles, they may be on-duty no more than fourteen hours, with a total maximum drive time of eleven hours, following ten consecutive hours off-duty.

Last year, the Teamsters, Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Truck Safety Coalition challenged the hours of service requirements due to safety concerns, but have agreed to suspend their lawsuit until the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a chance to revise the rules. Specifically, the groups are concerned with the allowance of eleven hours behind the wheel during each shift, the 34 hour restart period and the sleeper berth provision, which allows driving time to be extended under certain circumstances. These groups argue that the regulations do not allow truckers sufficient rest and thus make them a danger on the roads.

Resistance to Restructuring

Though the FMCSA has held several listening sessions in order to gain truckers’ input on what the revised regulations should consist of, many trucking executives have insisted that no changes be implemented at all. Executives argue that the current regulations are based on sound science, have improved roadway safety since they were implemented and that new regulations would cost the industry a great deal of money.

Interestingly, the 158,000 member Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) does not share the sentiments of the American Trucking Association (ATA). OOIDA has called for “meaningful changes” to the current regulations. This split within the trucking industry seems to indicate that cost to the larger industry is a more significant factor for the ATA than it is to the OOIDA and that not all truckers believe that the current regulations ensure properly safe and rested drivers.

The new regulations yet to be proposed are required to become law by 2010.

To get the most for their money at the lowest risk, property seekers are looking to investment firms for guidance. The Resort Group has seen a steady climb in investment interest at the start of the New Year, as Brits have grown hungry for warm weather after suffering through another brutal winter.

It is Eastertime in the Pocono Mountains and to celebrate, Fernwood Hotel & Resort is hosting its Pocono Mountains Easter Weekend Escape April 2-4, with a Grande Easter Sunday Buffet in Fernwood’s Astor Room featuring a full selection of entrees and a parade of Fernwood Hotel and Resort Easter weekend activities that include egg hunts, photos with the bunny, bunny crafts, live entertainment on Saturday night in Fernwood Hotel and Resort’s Trolley Stop Pub plus Easter dinner specials in Mama Bella’s Tuscan Grille.

Gina Bertucci, spokesperson for Fernwood Hotel and Resort, said, “While the kids are playing, you can enjoy a round of golf, live entertainment, soak in the hot tub or swim the indoor pool. Come join us at Fernwood Hotel and Resort for the Easter holiday and celebrate the return of spring to the Pocono Mountains. We have added a late check out on Sunday at 3:00 pm for no extra charge to maximize enjoyment of the Easter Grande Buffet.” Package includes two adult tickets to Fernwood Hotel and Resort’s Easter Grande Buffet and two nights of Fernwood Hotel accommodations starting from just $199.00 for the weekend. You may also add additional nights for just $99.

Fernwood Hotel and Resort is a 440-acre Pocono Mountain resort with both hotel and two bedroom villa accommodations. It offers 18 hole golf, three restaurants, indoor pools, saunas, live entertainment, daily activities, horseback riding, paintball, canoeing on the Delaware River, hiking at nearby Bushkill Falls, shopping at The Crossings Premium Outlets, gaming at Mt. Airy Casino, and is located just off I-80 in Pennsylvania adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Bertucci concludes, “Plan your Easter weekend getaway to Fernwood Hotel and Resort in the Pocono Mountains, and leave the egg hunts, cooking and clean up to us.”

Spring travel begins and there are several types of socks that can be used in travelling to make your journey more comfortable and safe. There are two types of socks ideal for travelling, non-binding and compression. A non-binding top means they do not have elastic in the top like regular socks. This helps reduce constricting your circulation, pay attention if you see sock ring imprints on your leg. The other option is compression socks, which apply pressure to enhance circulation. If you have the sock ring imprint when you remove your socks, you need to investigate if you need a non-binding sock or compression sock.

Most travel socks have the same construction as a diabetic sock, comfort sock or health sock. These are all synonyms for a sock that has a non-binding top. A diabetic sock or health sock is the best non-binding travel sock as it also has a seamless toe for comfort and to avoid blisters. A diabetic sock also contains an anti-microbial function to resist bacteria, this is ideal for wearing socks for long periods of time

The idea of a non-binding top travel sock is too eliminate the constriction of blood flow that normal elastic top socks induce. Elastic top socks tend to itch or restrict blood flow after long periods of use. Compression socks however take a different approach. Compression socks are typically made of a high quantity of spandex and nylon, material designed to apply pressure to the leg. Your blood does not flow efficiently when you are sitting on a flight for hours, the compression socks help squeeze the blood back up to the heart. Compression socks are an interactive approach, where travel socks take an avoidance approach. Sugar Free Sox President Gary Meade said “You will feel the difference when you walk off the plane using compression socks in a four plus hour trip.”

Compression socks are highly recommended for air travel for those who have blood clots in their legs. The compression socks will help hold the clot in place. Often the change in air pressure will loosen clots, throwing them to the heart. If you travel often, you should be using compression socks to avoid (DVT) deep vein thrombosis. DVT clots occur from continual extensive sitting. Drink lots of water when you travel to help prevent DVT. Women who take birth control have an increased risk of DVT.

Don’t you hate taking off your shoes at airport security? Especially for those who like to wear flip flops and sandals. Sugar Free Sox offers quarter socks for both men and ladies that is easy to slip on and off. The sock is ankle high and is also useful on the plane if your feet get cold. The quarter sock is small and compact and easily fit in a purse, briefcase or backpack to bust out at the airport security check.

Create Your Own Adventure, (www.createyourownadventure.com), the largest and most ambitious interactive competition ever staged by Gap Adventures, has garnered more than 7,500 entries from 90 countries on six continents in just three weeks. The contest has also drawn a total of 50,000 online visitors from 150 countries, with a number of intriguing entry trends emerging in recent days.

On the heels of the successful Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, proud Canadians are submitting itineraries reflecting their love of the country’s West coast, Inuit culture and heritage, as well as their pride in the record Canuck gold medal haul.

Some of the most compelling and patriotic itineraries included the 16-day Olympic Torch Relay Tour (http://createyourownadventure.com/tour/a2fLwddeDqP1), which would follow part of the 2010 torch relay route and touch destinations on Canada’s three majestic coasts, as well as the 14-day Inuit Culture and Northern Lights tour (http://createyourownadventure.com/tour/gSBXJTv9uTXU/), which would whisk nature-loving travellers from the quaint confines of Quebec City to the breathtaking shores of the Hudson Bay for a chance to experience traditional Inuit meals, soapstone carving and drum dances–not to mention possible encounters with polar bears, whales and caribou.

“I’m always moved by the tremendous life-changing impact that travel has on people from all walks of life,” Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip said. “It’s been wonderful to see a stronger sense of community build coast-to-coast as people rallied around the flag over the past month and then translated their national pride into building these truly creative dream itineraries.”

The Create Your Own Adventure contest invites everyone from once-a-year vacationers to seasoned globetrotters to submit an itinerary for the tour of their dreams, virtually anywhere in the world, virtually any way they want. Everyone with a winning tour idea can log on to www.createyourownadventure.com and use the customized itinerary engine to build their dream trip. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2010 and the creator of the winning tour will have the opportunity to experience their adventure along with two lucky friends.

African Travel safaris and tours to Kenya lodges have become increasingly popular in the last few years, with more visitors from abroad journeying to Africa’s diverse wonderland kingdom to experience African adventure travel in a pristine natural state. There are so few unblemished natural spaces left on our planet that this awesome territory is considered by many visitors a majestic sanctuary.

If you are looking for accommodation, thorough vacation planning, secure booking facilities, special adventure tours, recommended tours and African safaris, then African Travel Gateway will be able to assist with all your vacation planning. If you are looking to indulge in a unique and memorable holiday like a safari in Kenya, this may be a once in a lifetime experience for you and your family. Allow the experts to co-ordinate your itinerary.

With this in mind, it is best to speak to a consultant at African Travel Gateway because they have unlimited knowledge of safaris and what may be suitable or unsuitable for your family. A safari can be matched to your needs, where activities, game viewing and other factors all have an important role to play in making your final decision.

There are a multitude of safaris to choose from. If you have small children, you may want to do the Kenya Family safari, tailor made to suit your requirements, and includes gorgeous animal encounters near Nairobi. Or you may prefer the Wildlife safari or the African Paradise safari – a ten day safari that begins in Nairobi and continues to Smburu, Aberdare, Mount Kenya, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. It provides safari lovers with magnificent viewings of hyena, leopard, flamingos, Black and White Rhino, waterbuck, zebra, buffalo, the endangered Rothschild Giraffe, all embraced by gold grasslands, meandering rivers and rugged beauty.

Remember that no singular Kenyan safari is comparable to rapture, and to quote Hemingway’s words “Kenya is unknowable, unimaginable, unbelievable”, giving into the absolute uniqueness of the diverse terrain found in Kenya.

A Kenyan tour on the Masai Mara from July to September is a spectacular trip to participate in too. The Mara provides a dazzling annual migration of more than a million wildebeest and zebra that team from the south to cross the Mara River into the Masai Mara National Reserve. In this region of East Africa you can track cheetah, antelope, gazelle, and eland.

There is no point booking a tour or Kenyan safari that only excites some of the guests, especially if you do not enjoy the type of activity on offer. It is wise to look at a range of safari holiday packages and Kenyan lodges. Your tastes and needs will be very different to the next person, and at African Travel Gateway we want you to get the best out of your African holiday adventure. Your dates, your budget, and the length of holiday are all taken into account before we create a vacation especially for you.

The consultants at African Travel Gateway will attend to your query as soon as it is received. Browse their website for more information, where you can complete the contact form or call an agent directly. Exceptional service is offered and an awesome adventure safari will become a reality for you and your family with African Travel’s service team. Contact a consultant at www.africantravel.com for more information about fees and special offers available in Kenya, today!

African Travel Gateway is a definitive guide to Africa and African holidays. The team at African Travel Gateway brokers all incoming tours and African safaris from staying in a private game reserve or experiencing African wildlife in a tented camp, the consultants can assist you with itinerary, travel arrangements and your budget. Please contact a consultant if you require further information on adventure safari bookings.

Travel search site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.com) has seen its traffic spike during one of the worst weeks for the European airline industry, as wide ranging industrial action has brought travel chaos to Germany, Greece and Paris, and news of a fresh BA strike was announced.

“Skyscanner always sees an increase in user traffic during periods of flight disruption as thousands of travellers turn to our site to help them find alternative cheap flights. This week has seen higher than normal traffic on certain routes as several completely unrelated strikes have brought massive disruption to passengers,” said Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Business Development Director.

Lufthansa pilots striking on Monday grounded much of Germany’s air traffic, causing a 13% spike on Skyscanner.de, whilst a four day air traffic control strike in Paris which started on Wednesday 24th has disrupted medium and short-haul flights from the French capital as well as flights to Paris itself and led to an 11% spike in users on Skyscanner.fr.

Meanwhile, industrial action and widespread protests in Greece have paralysed the country’s transport system. Greek airspace has been closed to all flights, causing a 21% rise in flight searches for Greek routes on Skyscanner, despite all flights to and from Greece being cancelled.

Additional uncertainty for air passengers was added yesterday as BA’s Unite union voted in favour of a strike, although the exact dates of the industrial action are yet to be announced.

Skyscanner – never miss a flight

Since Skyscanner was founded in 2002, our mission has been to create the first website in the world to show every single commercial flight on earth – hence our slogan – never miss a flight

By comparing hundreds of airlines and thousands of routes, we make it easy for you never to miss a flight deal. With over 600 different carriers and 670,000 different routes listed, we’re getting closer to this goal every day.