Ian Currington’s Post

Other governments have recognised the need to make public transport more affordable so that more people will use it, why can't ours? The cost of rail tickets is a barrier to travel and the fact that fuel duty for drivers has been frozen for many years, brings home the need for action to make rail fares more affordable. Read our blueprint for fares and ticketing reform👇 https://lnkd.in/eU9-v6Ar

Benefits of Airport Transfer Services: The first thing most passengers do when they arrive at an airport is looking for a local cab, hire a self-driving car, or book airport transfer services. While each taxi service has its own set of benefits, airport transfers outperform them all in terms of safety, comfort, the convenience of boarding, and pricing. These 24-hour transfer services operate directly from and to airports, saving travelers both time and money. There is no need for lengthy documentation because most of these services can be quickly hired online and are generally extremely affordable. They are especially useful for traveling authorities or business travelers who frequently have to rush to a meeting after arriving at the airport. https://lnkd.in/ebu8tE6s

Did you know that UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees are at an all-time high? It's time to #DroptheDropOffFees! ✈️ With UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees soaring, we're getting behind The BTA's campaign against excessive airport drop-off fees to support travellers and remove barriers to travel. Airport drop-off fees are an unfair and excessive charge that UK airports impose on travellers. It's often claimed that high drop-off and pick-up fees lead to more sustainable travel decisions by passengers but discounted longer-term parking on site is heavily promoted to travellers, which still encourages car journeys. Plus, no incentive is offered by the airports for the use of electric vehicles. We've written to members of the House of Commons to ask them to engage with Clive Wratten, The BTA and the UK business travel community to investigate the principle and price of these regressive fees. The BTAs latest white paper tackles this issue head-on, showing how the charges harm consumers, business travel, and the whole travel industry. Download the full white paper here. #businesstravel #corporatetravel

Airports are profiteering from consumers. Have you noticed that going to the airport now for drop off and pick up costs a lot! Some airports are charging up to £10 for a basic requirement - getting to the airport. I’m a big believer in free market but the latest figures show that airports are making £2m a day from drop off fees. I’m happy to pay for service which is valuable and if there are meaningful alternatives. Take Manchester Airport Group - they are making almost £700m from car parking charges. The trains to the airport are terrible, there is no reasonable free drop off location so this just has a knock on impact for everyone using the airport. Taxis then become more expensive because they are also required to pay the charge. It ultimately becomes a travel tax. Drop off charges are becoming the airports business model rather than air travel. Are they reasonable or should all airports have meaningful free alternatives?

WestJet has plans to soon introduce a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag. Some strategy considerations to look for as WestJet introduces this fare class; i) WestJet's RBC credit card allows for one free checked bag per ticket; Therefore adding extra workload for agents to facilitate the change ii) Passengers purchasing this fare class may lead to moving the bottleneck with more processing to check passenger bag allowance iii) The practicality of this fare class needs debate since business passengers with same day return do not book ultra low-cost fares iv) Passengers who are promised carry-on space as part of their fare may find themselves disappointed if airlines continue to encourage check-ins to prevent overhead bin crowding that delays departure as last passengers struggle to make space - ultimately failing to receive the service they paid for #WestJet #airtravel #aircanada #economy #aviation #boeing #airbus #canada https://lnkd.in/daZ6gW9S

We don't really do trains in Canada, and even when we do, we find new and creative ways to make them not really work. This might seem trivial but if you're a monopoly operating a train between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal then you're still competing with driving or flying. So what do they do? Create a fare structure that mimics the airlines, then whack on a seat booking fee if you pick the cheapest one. If you're a train operator you should be going out of your way to differentiate the product against the airlines, not nickeling and diming with extra fees ... especially when they're exorbitantly expensive in the first place! We're about to, maybe, build a proper dedicated passenger train in this country. So it would be nice if the people operating them would recognise what makes rail travel distinctive and desirable elsewhere.

LNER has launched a pioneering pilot to simplify train fares. 🚆 LNER has launched Simpler Fares, a significant fare reform to make fares simpler that will be piloted on LNER services only between London King’s Cross to/from Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed and Edinburgh Waverley on sale now for travel from 5 February. Simpler Fares comprises of two significant changes. 🚆Firstly, fares will be made simpler. The pilot will see the removal of complicated ticket types and replacement with just three ticket options on the trial routes. 🚆The changes also mean journeys will be priced more closely to demand, helping to smooth demand for services over the course of the day, all aimed at making rail travel even more attractive. LNER will be seeking feedback from customers on stakeholders during the two year pilot. Find out more here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ehfYeycg

Did you know that UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees are at an all-time high? It's time to #DroptheDropOffFees! ✈️ With UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees soaring, we're getting behind The BTA's campaign against excessive airport drop-off fees to support travellers and remove barriers to travel. Airport drop-off fees are an unfair and excessive charge that UK airports impose on travellers. It's often claimed that high drop-off and pick-up fees lead to more sustainable travel decisions by passengers but discounted longer-term parking on site is heavily promoted to travellers, which still encourages car journeys. Plus, no incentive is offered by the airports for the use of electric vehicles. We've written to members of the House of Commons to ask them to engage with Clive Wratten, The BTA and the UK business travel community to investigate the principle and price of these regressive fees. The BTAs latest white paper tackles this issue head-on, showing how the charges harm consumers, business travel, and the whole travel industry. Download the full white paper here. #businesstravel #corporatetravel

Did you know that UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees are at an all-time high? It's time to #DroptheDropOffFees! ✈️ With UK airport drop-off and pick-up fees soaring, we're getting behind The BTA's campaign against excessive airport drop-off fees to support travellers and remove barriers to travel. Airport drop-off fees are an unfair and excessive charge that UK airports impose on travellers. It's often claimed that high drop-off and pick-up fees lead to more sustainable travel decisions by passengers but discounted longer-term parking on site is heavily promoted to travellers, which still encourages car journeys. Plus, no incentive is offered by the airports for the use of electric vehicles. We've written to members of the House of Commons to ask them to engage with Clive Wratten, The BTA and the UK business travel community to investigate the principle and price of these regressive fees. The BTAs latest white paper tackles this issue head-on, showing how the charges harm consumers, business travel, and the whole travel industry. Download the full white paper here. #businesstravel #corporatetravel