Zoombu

Archive for April, 2010

Tips for alternative routes to flying as ‘volcanic ash’ cancellations persist

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull Volcano over the North Atlantic at 13:20 UTC (9:20 a.m. EDT) on April 17, 2010, by NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team

If your flight has been cancelled recently due to volcanic ash and you are looking for alternatives ways to reach your destination in Europe, then Zoombu can help.  It is the only website where you can enter in your precise starting location and destination and run a single search across many modes of transport, including ferries, Eurostar, trains, coaches, driving and taxi options, and (when they are running) flights to find the best door-to-door route.

Currently news reports estimate that flights will continue to be suspended over Britain until 1am Tuesday 20th at the earliest. Here are some tips for travelling during the flight disruptions:

1. Run a search on Zoombu to see what door-to-door route options exist, including ferries or Eurostar trains. You can ’switch off’ flights in the results filter to exclude this option entirely

2. Click through to transport suppliers to check availability and make a booking directly.  Be wary that some options, for example Eurostar trains, are booked out for up to a week ahead from now.  Cross-channel ferries including Brittany Ferries and SeaFrance do still have some space on crossings despite a huge surge in bookings over the weekend, but tickets are being snapped up quickly.

3. Consider teaming up with others and hiring a car to reach the port (many car hire companies will let you return the car at a depot close to a port, rather than the pick-up depot, for an additional fee). There are also many train options to take you close to the ports. If you run a Zoombu search we can help you pick your way through the options.

4.  If you have booked a flight that has been cancelled, you may be due compensation. The Which website is a great source of information about your rights. You should contact your airline straight away to request a refund or a ticket change.

5. If you’re stranded abroad you can call the helpline +44 207 008 0000 for travel updates and information on exceptional services.

Good luck with your travels and keep checking in for further updates.

- Posted by Rachel

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Ryanair fees hiked this summer – beware of flying ‘budget’

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Be prepared and travel light on budget. Image taken by panS

The cost of additional fees charged by budget airlines have soared recently, so keep this in mind if you are planning to take a ‘budget flight’ this summer.

In particular, fees currently charged by Ryanair include:

  • Administration Fee of £5 for each flight leg purchased
  • First bag check-in fee of £15 each way, unless you happen to travel in July or August in which case you’ll pay an additional £5 since it’s “peak rate”
  • Second bag check-in fee of £35 each way, or £40 during “peak” times (up from £20 last year)
  • If you make the mistake of not booking with ryanair.com, you’ll pay £35-£40 to check-in the first bag and a shocking £70-80 to check in a second bag depending on the month you choose to travel
  • Check-in fee of £5 each way (you must check-in online), and if you book via a call centre or the airport and forget your boarding pass you’ll pay a £40 ‘Airport Boarding Card Re-issue’ fee
  • Musically minded or sporting folk are punished with a £40 each way for transportation of equipment

Don’t even think about taking more than 15kg per bag, or you’ll be stung by an unstated fee per extra kilo at the airport.

And as usual, you’d better not make any changes to your flight after booking as it costs £25 to change your flight and a whopping £100 for a name change with Ryanair.

So whilst you may be able to get a bargain flight for a few quid, watch you don’t get stung on the extras when it comes to travelling.

We are planning to add a fee calculator feature to our multi-modal travel search engine, so we’ll help you understand the full cost of flying ‘budget’. [If this is something you'd value, speak up and we'll move it up our priority list.] Furthermore, because we calculate the door-to-door cost and duration of a route, we factor in any pricey transfer costs sometimes associated with flying to a budget airport which could be a fair distance from your destination.

- Posted by Rachel

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