At the moment we are hearing a lot of positive media attention that London will be ready for the Olympics in 2012 with the completion of the velodrome and main stadium. That’s good, but, is London really ready for the Olympics, I’m not too sure.

Wrong priorities for the London Underground

There will be millions of people coming into the country to watch the games and I cannot help but question are the airports, and London public transport network prepared? The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, seems to be more bothered about people being able to make phone calls and use the internet than actually making sure that the underground is ready for the onslaught of tourists.

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When I read this story it was on 1st April, I was not sure if it was yet another April fool’s joke, but no, it is true, a 6ft 9” passenger was kicked off a Horizon Air flight because he was too tall to fit in his seat. It does seem rather harsh but who is at fault, the airline or passenger.

Airplanes not built for 21st century passengers

We’ve already had the debate on Travel Rants about obese air passengers, and that discussion got a little feisty to say the least, now this, and I wonder if airplanes are built for passengers of the 21st century?

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There’s no doubt that technology is always changing and I admit that I couldn’t travel without my iPhone nowadays, mainly for its HD video and apps like Instagram which makes sharing photos much more fun.

Leaking underwater camera

That said, I have, over the years purchased quite a few useless travel gadgets, including an underwater camera at a shop in Port Douglas, to use while snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, which wasn’t very waterproof. It leaked, and the photos were ruined.

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It’s been announced today that travel industry leaders have joined with ABTA to form the Fair Tax on Flying campaign, which calls for the government to halt further rises in UK aviation tax. While other European countries have axed such taxes completely to avoid a negative impact on their economies, the good old British government does the opposite, to the detriment of travellers.

Current costs for Air Passenger Duty

In the last 17 years, Air Passenger Duty (APD) in the UK has been increased by 2600% since it was first introduced in 1994, with UK travellers now paying disproportionately higher rates compared to other countries that impose this tax.

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There’s nothing worse than boarding the place for an 11-hour long haul flight to find that you are sat near to a baby or toddler that is continuously crying and screaming, even the best noise reduction headphones will not block out the noise. You really have no choice but to sit there and pray that they fall asleep soon.

Adult-only flights

A recent article on Travelmole caught my attention because it highlighted that 83% of a travel poll (which I never trust) said that they would prefer an adult-only airline where kids are banned.

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