Now Christmas travel hit by virus-related staff shortages December 25, 2021 Thousands of flights have been cancelled over the Christmas weekend as Omicron’s spread leads to staff shortages. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, some 1,779 flights have been cancelled on Christmas Day and a further 402 for Boxing Day. Airlines are struggling to staff their full roster of flights as the new variant spreads [...]
Apology after postal strikes meant just 16 per cent of energy vouchers redeemed December 22, 2022 Royal Mail has apologised after just 16 per cent of energy bill support scheme (EBSS) vouchers were delivered by post this December. The company which has been crippled by strikes this month said sorry after cold Brits were left in the lurch, unable to get hold of energy metre vouchers. Vouchers are claimed by customers [...]
Megabus to double service at Christmas December 9, 2021 Megabus will double its service to ensure customers can see their families over Christmas. The bus operator has said it will operate over 9,000 miles on 25 December, reaching 48,000 miles worth of trips on Boxing Day. Across the whole festive period, Megabus coaches will travel over half a million miles around the country. “After [...]
Austria introduces tougher restrictions for UK travellers December 22, 2021 After France and Germany, Austria has become the latest EU country to tighten restrictions for those coming from the UK. From Christmas Day, Britain will be classified as a virus variant region, meaning that travellers will need to quarantine for 10 days upon entering the country. People who are fully vaccinated and have received their [...]
Harrods brings forward Boxing Day sale as central London footfall drops December 16, 2021 Luxury department store Harrods has brought forward its usual Boxing Day sale as footfall in central London continues to drop amid rising Covid cases. The sale will start on Friday and run into next year, although further discounts will be introduced on Boxing Day. Shoppers have shied away from visiting central London shopping destinations over [...]
Santander mistakenly sends Christmas bonus to thousands of Brits leaving lender £130m out of pocket January 2, 2022 High street lender Santander has handed out an unexpected Christmas bonus to thousands of Brits. The Spanish bank mistakenly sent out £130m to around 75,000 business and people on Christmas day. The news was first reported by The Times. Businesses and people who receive one-off recurring payments from 2,000 companies with Santander accounts were accidentally [...]
Pubs and restaurants swallow £10,000 losses in week before Christmas December 29, 2021 Hospitality venues lost more than £10,000 on average in the week before Christmas, the latest data has revealed. Christmas Day takings plunged 60 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants, industry body UKHospitality found, as the latest Covid-19 wave saw ministers urging a cautious Christmas. London’s hospitality scene has been hit the hardest, the industry [...]
Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: Gunners restore grip on top spot in the Premier League November 6, 2022 The style may have evolved from the days of George Graham but the scoreline is familiar: 1-0 to the Arsenal is a regular sight once more and it’s giving rise to title hopes again. For the fifth time in their last eight games the Gunners won by a single goal at Chelsea on Sunday, scored [...]
Over 100 Brits denied entry at Austrian airport after Covid rule change December 28, 2021 An Austrian airport has refused to allow more than 100 British tourists entry into the country for failing to adhere to new Covid rules. Some 110 tourists were caught out at the weekend at Innsbruck airport by a new rule requiring a negative PCR test within 48 hours, according to police. New rules came into [...]
Sign of the times: Bank branches shut doors in their thousands December 24, 2022 More than 5,000 bank and building society branches have closed over the past seven years, according to analysis from Which? The consumer group counted 5,162 bank and building society branches which have closed since January 2015. A further 206 branches are set to close by the end of 2023, according to the Which? findings, as [...]