Airport disruption owing to volcano ash....

A cloud of volcanic ash has forced the closure of all UK air space and the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving passengers to choose between a refund or waiting for airports to reopen.

All airlines have been hit by the massive disruption, with most advising customers not to head to terminals at all because of the volume of disrupted passengers.

Most airlines, including British airways, Bmi and easyJet, are offering customers a choice of a refund or a free transfer onto another flight when air services resume.

According to the Tranding Standards Institute, passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic dust blown over to the UK from Iceland have the some rights under the Regulation 261/2004 Air Passenger Rights.

They are entitled to a refund or re-routing if the flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours; if re-routing is offered from an alternative location, the airline must cover the cost of transfers.

Passengers on flights delayed by more than two hours are also entitled to meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary, transport between airport and accommodation, two free telephone calls, faxes or emails.

In cases of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ like this, which are beyond the airlines’ control, consumers are not entitled to further compensation, the TSI said.

The TSI said consumers should also check their own travel insurance as they may be entitled to more under their individual policies, or they could get further information from the government website Consumer Direct or by phoning 0845 4040506.

The Latest update from RYANAIR.COM
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Update 07:30hrs - 18th April

The Met Office has confirmed that the volcanic ash cloud continues to cause the closure of the majority of European airspace with the exception of the southern continental Europe. Consequently, Ryanair flights to the below listed countries/airports have been cancelled up to 13:00hrs Monday 19th April. Passengers are advised NOT to go to the airport if their flight is cancelled. Further updates regarding flights operating on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning will be issued on Sunday 18th April at 12:00hrs.

More Lloret de Mar Stuff !

I've been working on a brand new website about
Lloret de Mar which is not yet complete but well on the way!
On the new site you'll will find lots more 'STUFF' about your favorite
holiday resort on the
Costa Brava!
This will not interfere with this site which has become a firm favourite of Lloret de Mar holiday makers since 2005, I will still be adding news etc here on a regular basis.

http://www.lloret-de-mar-stuff.com/

If there is anything you would like to see included on the pages please let me know.
So far you can find all the links for my other sites about Lloret holiday accomodation, the holiday guide and not forgetting the popular 'old stuff' site!

Lloret de Mar - Easter

The hotels which were open for the Easter holiday in Lloret have reported been 90% full.

Despite Easter falling early this year and the bad news of power failures in town during previous weeks, trade has been very good for hotels.

What has been noticed though is the tourists are not spending as much money out on the streets these days, so it is only the hotel trade that is benefitting just now.

In fact more is said to be spent in the hotels because many people are prefering to take either half board or full board rather than b&b because they get better value for money.

As for the latest news regarding the power supply, the forecast is now for a permanent supply to be complete by late June. We are still experiencing short breaks in Lloret, but I can't grumble as I did miss the long blackout back in early March!

Lloret de Mar Sports Party

Coach after coach could be seen arriving in Lloret today, bringing hundreds of students in for the Sports Party taking place all this week. Since the early 1990s more than 20,000 students have taken part in this event.
With a full entertainment and sporting package planned for this week they are certain to have a fantastic time.

Go to the Sports Party site to read about this fun filled event!

Easter Week-end in Lloret

The start of the new summer season it seems has not brought the trade which Lloret shops and bars were expecting.
Hotels which have been closed since the New Year have been busily preparing for this Easter week-end opening, they it seems have had good trade.
Tourists are in town, you only have to look at the number of cars lining the streets, there's hardly a parking space to be found. Unfortunately though the local restaurants and bars seem fairly quiet and not getting the customers they badly need.

With the fairly good weather this weekend tourist are spending their time out walking along the promenades and not spending their cash in the shops.
As for the boats, they are now running but their takings will largely depend on the weather staying fine and the sea calm and of course if people are prepared to pay the inflated prices for a trip along the coast!