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Staff Christmas Party Transport from Coach Hire Booking

clock September 29, 2010 13:05 by author coachhirebooking
Coach Hire Booking are experiencing an increase in coach and minibus hire for this years Christmas Parties especially compared to last year. Many of our regular clients have already booked, and the new customers who are booking coaches are getting in quick! Booking a coach or minibus for a Christmas party means that your staff can get to and from the venue safely.

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Spanish Strike - UK Airline updates

clock September 29, 2010 10:42 by author coachhirebooking

Air passengers are facing severe disruption on flights to and from Spain today because of a 24-hour strike by Spanish workers. The strike commenced at 00:00 on 29th September 2010 and is expected to officially end at 23:59. Coach Hire Booking are assisting major airlines in the movement of passengers disrupted by the strikes.

 

Current details from the airlines are as follows:

 

British Airwayshttp://www.britishairways.com/travel/flightops/public/en_gb?p_faqid=4081

We have been notified of general strikes in Spain on Wednesday 29September.

This is likely to cause delays and disruption to some of our flights into and out of Spain and possibly other European destinations.  It will also have an impact on our ground handling and we request where possible that customers use online check-in and only bring hand baggage with them. Customers on connecting journeys from Spain will also be unable to through check their luggage.

If you are due to travel to or from Barcelona, Madrid or Malaga on the 29September and you wish to change your date of travel we will allow you to, free of charge. However you will need to contact your local contact centre or travel agent to make this change.

In the event that your flight is cancelled you will be able to

Change your ticket to an alternative date, if the same class is not available then the lowest class in the same cabin may be booked

or

Refund your ticket purchased to your original form of payment

Please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport.

 

Thomsonhttp://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/alerts/thomsonfly-travel-alert.html

 

Spanish Strikes

A general strike affecting Transport Workers, including Air Traffic Control, has been confirmed in Spain for 29th September 2010 commencing at 00:01 (Spanish local time) and lasting until 23:59 (Spanish local time).

At this time the Spanish Government are deciding on the minimum service levels to impose on airline activity and how this will affect each airline. We are working closely with the Spanish Government to try to minimise the impact to our customers.

We would like to reassure our customers that Thomson Airways will not cancel flights; however there may be delays to some flights. Please ensure that you have packed any essential items such as medication, nappies, baby milk etc in your hand luggage; however please bear in mind the hand luggage restriction of 5 kgs.

The majority of our flights are expected to depart on time with the exception of the following. Unless your flight is listed below please check in on schedule.

TOM4310 Gatwick to Mahon scheduled time of departure 0615   estimated time of departure 0945

TOM4311 Mahon to Gatwick scheduled time of arrival 1150   estimated time of arrival 1520

TOM1314 Newcastle to Mahon scheduled time of departure 0600   estimated time of departure 0845

TOM1315 Mahon to Newcastle scheduled time of arrival 1220   estimated time of arrival 1505

TOM7328 Birmingham to Mahon scheduled time of departure 0600   estimated time of departure 0935

TOM7329 Mahon to Birmingham scheduled time of arrival 1210   estimated time of arrival 1530

TOM2283 Palma to Manchester scheduled time of arrival 0625 29th September   estimated time of arrival 0020 29th September

We are endeavouring to contact customers experiencing significant delays to their original itinerary and provide updated web information as appropriate. Please check our website before leaving for the airport.

In addition why not sign up to our Travel Buddy service to do this text REGISTER and your booking reference and surname to 82345 eg REGISTER 247654 PARKER.*

Should you wish to talk to a member of our team regarding your flight they can be contacted 24 hours on the following number - 02476 282501. If calling from overseas the number is + 44 2476 282501.*

Customers may experience some disruption to services whilst in resort and our local resort teams are working to minimise any inconvenience that maybe caused. We appreciate your understanding at this time.

While the circumstances are outside of our control we do apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and reassure customers that we are doing everything possible to minimise the disruption.

Normal booking conditions apply.

 

*Please note, calls from abroad will be charged at international rates. Text messages to 82345 cost 50p plus your network extras.

Thomas Cookhttp://www.thomascook.com/customer-services

As yet there are no updates on the Thomas Cook Website.

 

Monarchhttp://www.monarch.co.uk/news/flights/2010-news/spanish-strike-29-september

27 09 2010

The Spanish unions have confirmed that a general strike affecting transport workers will take place in Spain between 00.00 (Spanish local time) and 23.59 (Spanish local time) on Wednesday 29 September 2010.  This strike will potentially affect the movement of all flights to and from Spain and the Spanish Islands.

Monarch continues to work closely with the Spanish Government to understand the restrictions being imposed on airlines and will endeavour to minimise the impact of the strike action on its customers.

All flights operating to and from Spain and the Spanish Islands are likely to incur delays on 29 September and it may be necessary to cancel some flights at short notice. 

The following flights have been cancelled on Wednesday 29 September

ZB012/ZB013 Luton – Malaga – Luton

ZB736/ZB737 Gatwick – Malaga – Gatwick

ZB970/ZB971 Birmingham – Malaga – Birmingham

ZB654/ZB655 Manchester – Malaga – Manchester

ZB660/ZB661 Manchester – Malaga – Manchester

ZB516/ZB517 Manchester – Barcelona - Manchester

Customers that have booked directly with Monarch to travel on a cancelled Monarch scheduled flight (ZB flight number) are advised to contact the Monarch Customer Contact Centre on the following number to rebook an alternative flight departing within fourteen days or to arrange a full refund. Customers that have booked via a tour operator are advised to contact their tour operator directly.

Additionally, customers that have booked directly with Monarch to travel on any other Monarch scheduled flight (ZB flight number) to/from Spain on Wednesday 29 September may change their flight booking to an alternative flight departing within fourteen days.  Flight changes can be made free of charge by calling the Monarch Customer Contact Centre on the following number.  Customers that have booked via a tour operator are advised to contact their tour operator directly.

 

 

RyanAirhttp://www.ryanair.com/en/notices/gops/100928-NL-ATCstrike28sep-EN-GB

 

ATC Strike Belgium – 28th-29th September 2010

Ryanair have this morning (Tuesday 28th September) just been notified of a Air Traffic Controllers strike in Belgium which will impact Belgian Air Traffic Control from today 15:00 (CET) 28th September until 15:00 (CET) 29th September 2010.  As a result of the late notification of this strike Ryanair have been forced to cancel all flights scheduled to operate to/from Charleroi Airport between 15:00 (CET) 28th September until 15:00 (CET) 29th September 2010. 

 

Jet2.comhttp://www.jet2.com/status.aspx

General Strike in Spain Wednesday 29th September 2010

 

A general strike affecting all workers has been confirmed in Spain on Wednesday 29 September 2010 commencing at 00:01 (Spanish local time) and lasting until 23:59 (Spanish local time).

 

At this time the Spanish Government are deciding on the minimum service levels to impose on airline activity and how this will affect each airline. We are working closely with the Spanish Government to try to minimise the impact to our customers.  

 

We would like to reassure our customers that Jet2.com will do everything possible to ensure your flight operates; however there may be delays to some flights.

 

Please be aware that public transport will be operating to a minimum so we would advise you to allow extra time to get to the airport and arrange transport in advance if possible.  It would also be advisable to take refreshments to the airport as facilities may be limited.

 

Customers travelling to and from Spain on Wednesday are advised to check this section of our website, before they depart for the airport, to check the latest status of their flight.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Flights that are currently affected by the strike in Spain on Wednesday 29 September 2010.

 

LS257 Leeds Bradford to Palma is delayed until 30 September 2010, new flight details as follows;

 

30 September 2010

LS257A Depart Leeds Bradford        14:00            Arrive Palma                       17:40

 

We would like to advise all customers travelling on flight LS257 to Palma on Wednesday 29 September 2010 to stay at home and come to the airport on Thursday 30 September 2010. Check in will open 2 hours before departure at 12:00.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LS258 Palma to Leeds Bradford is delayed until 30 September 2010, new flight details as follows;

 

30 September 2010 

LS258A Depart Palma                    18:20            Arrive Leeds Bradford           20:05

 

We have arranged hotel accommodation for you on Wednesday evening at Hotel Ipanema Park. Jet2.comwill settle your account at this hotel on a half board basis only (all extras must be settled directly by you with the hotel). Due to the situation, we would recommend that rather than making your way to the airport on Wednesday from where you are currently staying, it would be advisable to make your way directly to Hotel Ipanema Park, full address details below.

 

Hotel Ipanema Park

C/ Antoni Maria Alcover 11

07600 El Arenal

Majorca

 

EasyJetNo information is currently available on their site.


 

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Price Vs Quality or You Get What You Pay For.

clock September 21, 2010 14:54 by author coachhirebooking

In 1850, 2 brothers set up a cotton trading company inAlabama. This soon expanding into trading other commodities and over the subsequent years the company was one of the first to trade in share issues.Continued growth in the 20th Century saw the company emerge as one ofthe leading investment banks turning over $19.2 billion at its peak.

Following in the trend of other investment banks, thecompany invested in sub-prime mortgages – those of poor quality and high risk. Eventually all confidence in the investment banks disintegrated as it was unclear just how many high risk, poor quality loans were tied to each investment bank. The company, Lehman Brothers, which was over 150 years old, filed for bankruptcy in September 2008.

It can be argued that the failure of Lehman Brothers was due to an increased reliance on poor quality, high risk trading.

What significance does this have in the coach hire industry? Due to the current economic climate, more and more customers are requesting “cheap coach hire”.  Coaches are assets run by businesses – they have the associated running costs and overheads and in order for the coach operator to stay in business they have a minimum charge that they need to meet.  If customers insist on lower prices, the coach operators have less incentive to reinvest in quality vehicles,as well as maintaining high standards in their staff and drivers.  Coach operators employ hundreds including cleaners, maintenance staff as well as office staff all of which need wages paying.

With reduced investment comes poor quality vehicles and eventually business failure as the coach operator struggles to make ends meet. Perhaps it’s time for people to appreciate that quality of service needn’t come at a prohibitive cost and that by paying a fair price all parties can benefit in the long run.

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Coach and Minibus Cleanliness from Route One magazine

clock April 23, 2010 15:19 by author coachhirebooking
The current edition of route one magazine has a feature has a feature explaining the benefits of keeping vehicles clean. We think that it's essential that coach and minibus operators take every opportunity to keep their vehicles in top condition - not just mechanically which is vital in keeping them safe, but also the interior. A tired looking interior, or one that is just unclean puts passengers off. The first impression that a  passenger gets is the cleanliness of the exterior. The smell and look of the coach that they get on is what they'll remember. If they like it, they'll book again. If they don't they wont.  Coach Hire Booking use operators that are as passionate about their businesses as we are and it's for this reason we get a lot of repeat custom.  If you put time and effort into keeping coaches clean you can be sure that customers will have been happy with the service. .

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Coach and minibus Operators ride to the rescue of stranded passengers!

clock April 20, 2010 09:56 by author coachhirebooking
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our coach operator partners who have assisted us during the chaos caused by the Volcanic Ash Cloud. We have provided stranded passengers coach transportation from places ranging from Rome, Milan, Geneva, Barcalona, Seville, Malaga, Oslo and Paris. None of this could have been possible without the flexibility and understanding of the coach operators. Providing emergency coach hire is always a challenge, but providing it on such a large scale abroad has been even greater. 

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Explanation of coach hire prices

clock March 17, 2010 13:19 by author coachhirebooking

Coach hire prices are quite difficult to understand unless you are able to appreciate the complexities of coach hire. We regularly get queries about our coach hire prices. Often coach hire pricing, like many things is best explained with the aid of an example. 

Quite often people will book seats on coaches in a similar way to how they do on trains - they pay a price per seat. This is a fixed price, calculated by the coach company e.g. National Express, based on an average vehicle "load".  When booking a private hire coach, the pricing differs as there are many parameters included in the coach hire pricing. These include standard of vehicle, distance and length of time the coach is required as-well as any supplementary prices and of course seasonal adjustments.

If a coach company provides a regular service, for example for Away supporters they also take into account the volume of work they are receiving and as such reduce the cost accordingly. It makes sense - if you can have 20 coach hire jobs a season the coach operator will give a better coach hire price than just a single hire. 

As we provide coach operators corporate and private hire work throughout the year on a nationwide basis, we are able to negotiate better coach hire prices.  Our prompt payment initiatives ensure that the coach operators we use have a consistent and reliable source of income throughout the year.

 

 

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How important are your customers?

clock March 4, 2010 11:53 by author coachhirebooking

You've no doubt heard the phrase "the customer is always right", and there is a valid argument that this is indeed the case. In the coach hire industry, you're not just dealing with the customer at the end of a phone or on email, you need to remember that there are many other customers behind the scenes travelling on the actual coach or minibus. We're privileged to work with excellent coach and minibus operators who all have the same respect and courtesy for the customers that we have. 

There was an incident the other day where one of our clients flights was delayed and was unable to contact us.  As we track all flights where we are doing an airport transfer we we able to seemlessly re-arrange the coach transportation to the new arrival time.  The customer was very thankful to us as he'd been concerned that he'd miss the airport transfer. It just shows that a bit of forward planning can save a heck of a lot of time in the long run - if we hadn't tracked the flight we would have potentially had to send the vehicle twice and also have the customers waiting around!

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Using Coach Travel to Racecourses

clock February 23, 2010 15:27 by author coachhirebooking

With the jump horse racing season fast approaching we're started to get lots of coach hire bookings for The Aintree Grand National, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. If you are planning on going racing via coach travel it's vital that you pre-arrange coach parking at the racecourse - this is simple to do if you have prebooked tickets for a group of you travelling by coach.

Private Coach Hire is  a good alternative to using public transport such as the train and quite often it works out to be much cheaper and convenient. Visit Racecourse Express if you are interested in an Express Coach Service to Ayr Racecourse .

Be sure to arrange your coach hire quickly as availability for coach travel to these events quickly reduces and coach hire prices tend to increase.

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In the summer time when the weather is hot...

clock June 3, 2009 17:32 by author coachhirebooking

Long time no blog. It's been an incredibly busy time for us here at coach hire booking, arranging coach hire for many of the festivals and sports events that are happening over the summer.

We're proud to be supplying coach hire to GlastonburyV-Festival and many other festivals.   Due to the higher demand for coach hire in the summer, prices do rise so if you are planning on leaving the coach booking to the last minute, you may end up paying more that you would do by booking early.

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Coach Hire Prices - It's all about supply and demand

clock March 12, 2009 08:15 by author coachhirebooking

Yesterday we were inundated with phone calls and requests for customers wishing to travel to Wembley to watch Everton play in the 2009 FA Cup Semi Finals after Everton beat Middlesbrough 2-1. As we deal with literally hundreds of coach operators on a monthly basis we have a unique capability within the coach hire market of understanding the availability of coach hire and the prices being commanded by coach operators.  Understandably when there is a massive demand for a limited resource (coaches), the price tends to increase - this is seen regularly for large sporting events, and music festivals where coach hire is used to transport large numbers of passengers.

 

Unfortunately many customers are not aware that prices can fluctuate so rapidly and as such can get rather animated on the phone as was the case on a few occasions yesterday. "Jumping on the band wagon" was a phrase used on a number of times when we explained coach hire prices had increased significantly - unfortunately we can not dictate prices that coach operators want for work, nor would we want to.  We have excellent relationships with coach operators througout the country which means we are able to ask for much cheaper coach prices than would normally be the case.

 

 

 

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About Us

Coach Hire Booking are an independent coach hire specialist. They are equally capable of managing transportation for large events as dealing with smaller bookings for members of the public.  Established in 2007, the team has over 40 years combined experience in managed transport solutions.

With a large number of blue chip corporate clients, Coach Hire Booking have established themselves as one of the leading providers of managed transport services in the UK. 

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