Easyjet Suffer Sales Slump

Aeroplane company easyJet could face bad times ahead with the continuation of the heat wave in the UK – even if it is interspersed with thunder storms.

“The budget airline fell 51p to £13.36 as analysts said the hot weather would discourage people from booking a quick break abroad in search of the sunshine. As a result, HSBC cut its recommendation on the company, which issues an update on Wednesday, from overweight to neutral and its target price from £15 to £14.50.

Meanwhile Carpetright closed 4.5p lower at 677p after the company said soaring temperatures had put people off traipsing to the stores to buy floor coverings. Like-for-like sales at its UK shops fell 1.9% in the 12 weeks to 20 July, after having risen 5.6% in the fourth quarter.

Overall, after a positive start following upbeat comments on the Chinese economy, the FTSE 100 finished 25.73 points lower at 6597.44. A disappointing reading on the Richmond Fed manufacturing index for July, which came in at -11 rather than the expected +9, took the shine off, albeit reinforcing the idea that the US Federal Reserve will not end its bond buying programme in the immediate future.

Miners were lifted by the China news, where the country's premier vowed to keep economic growth above 7%. So Glencore Xstrata led the risers in the FTSE 100, up 13.7p at 282.7p, while Rio Tinto rose 97.5p to £30,Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation climbed 8.2p to 219.3p and Anglo American added 30p to £14.35p.

But Tullow Oil slumped 74p to £10.41 after announcing a dry well in French Guiana.

The company also said a well in Mozambique had found only a small amount of gas. Tullow owns 27% of the French Guiana project, with Northern Petroleum, down 5% at 30.5p, holding a 1.25% stake.

Elsewhere BSkyB dropped 20p to 830p as James Murdoch, deputy chief operating officer of the newly formed 21st Century Fox, reportedly said it had no plans to bid for the satellite business again, although it did not intend to decrease its 39% stake either. News Corporation, before it was demerged into Fox and a newspaper business, bid for BSkyB but was forced to withdraw its interest amid the phone hacking scandal.

But Sage added 6.2p to 359p after the software specialist said it would meet its strategic and financial goals after trading in line with expectations in the past three months despite weakness in Europe.

Vodafone slipped 1.1p to 192.9p despite Telefonica Deutschland - the third largest mobile operator in Germany - agreeing to buy the fourth largest player E-Plus for around €8bn.

Meanwhile Vodafone chairman Gerard Kleisterlee told the company's annual meeting it would seriously consider any offer for its 45% in US joint venture Verizon Wireless, but there were no new developments.

Imagination Technologies tumbled 32.1p to 250.7p on worries about future growth.

According to analysts, the chip designer has been replaced by Arm in one of Samsung's new chips, while a slowdown at Apple (which reports results later) would also be bad news for Imagination.

Meanwhile Arm, which reports on Wednesday, dipped 8p to 898p. On Monday rival Intel said it planned to launch a low-power version of its server processors, which could head off the likes of Arm which are moving into the server market from smartphones and tablets. Intel meanwhile is moving in the other direction, raising competition fears for Arm.

Finally Premier Foods, the company behind Hovis, Mr Kipling and Oxo, finished 5.25p higher at 90.25p. after reporting better than expected half year profits, but many in the City still believe it will need a fundraising at some point.

Premier said underlying trading profits - excluding restructuring charges and interest on its debt - rose 50% to £47.4m, and it said full year figures would be at the top end of market forecasts.. It is currently restructuring its baking business and plans to halve the number of its suppliers. It has also been selling off unwanted assets to cut its borrowings, and help with its pension deficit.”

If you are interested in using easyJet to travel, contact their customer services department and speak with a member of their team – all of whom are willing to assist with any enquiry you might have. Click Here for all contact information, or Click Here for the most recent news articles pertaining to Easyjet.

This article was originally published on The Guardian

BA's Silent Picturehouse

British Airways concocted a unique event this week as they combined travel with films and in-flight entertainment; and it brought the stars out in their dozens. Inclusive of delish treats and comfy seats the week-long event is showing films that bring to life the in-flight experience while screening films that connote travel and flying.

“British Airways Silent Picturehouse, a pop-up film event in London, opened its doors this evening (Monday 22 July), with the red carpet attended by a roll call of stars from the big and small screen, including; James Corden, Louis Smith, Laura Whitmore, Craig Roberts, Greg James, Kara Tointon, Alex Zane, Richard Bacon, Emma Willis and host Edith Bowman.

Taking place all week (22-26 July), Silent Picturehouse shows films that inspire travel, with a unique twist – viewers tune in to the big screens using Sennheiser headsets, to bring the in-flight experience to life. The venue is designed to give the impression of stepping inside a movie set, complete with film and travel artefacts.

The movies selected all have different themes relating to flying and travel, including; ‘Skyfall’, ‘The Beach’, ‘Top Gun’, ‘Jaws’ and the fans’ choice – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Speaking about the film that inspired him to travel, Actor and Presenter James Corden, said: “It would be ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’. It’s maybe the funniest film ever, but it reminds you that the journey is just as important as the destination.”

Other films that inspired guests include; ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’ chosen by actor Craig Roberts, ‘The Hobbit’ selected by Olympic medallist Louis Smith, animation ‘Up’ favourited by Presenter Laura Whitmore, ‘The Sound of Music’ voted by actress Kara Tointon, ‘Thelma and Louise’ chosen by actor Douglas Booth, ‘Into the Wild’ picked by presenter Edith Bowman, and ‘Jaws’ selected by film aficionado Alex Zane. Presenter Emma Willis was one of several to nominate ‘The Beach’, which was recently voted the most inspiring travel film in a poll of 2,000 people.

Abigail Comber, British Airways head of marketing, said: “Silent Picturehouse pays tribute to some of the movies that inspire a wanderlust. From classic summer blockbuster hits such as ‘Jaws’, to ‘The Beach’, which made Koh Phi Phi Island famous, as well as everyone’s favourite flying film ‘Top Gun’. We know that film is something our customers are passionate about, as they watch more than 30 million movies on flights every year.”

Exclusively for the event, Michelin Star chef Simon Hulstone and his experimental team have created unique ‘film flavoured’ popcorn, based on the movies being shown, these include; Shark Bite popcorn, Take My Breath Away popcorn, Shaken not Stirred Martini popcorn, Suncream popcorn and Millionaire’s Curry Caramel popcorn.

Guests are also treated to lip-licking hotdogs, retro pick n mix, Taittinger champagne, Union ice-cream, Hotel Chocolat treats and cocktails from the movies.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Disney’s Planes the venue transforms into Silent Picturehouse Kids during the day, showing, Disney films including; Up, Cars 2, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Muppets and a sneak peak of Planes.”

For more information on the products and services offered by British Airways, contact their customer services department and speak with a member of their team. They populate their phones with friendly and helpful employees with all the information you might need at their fingertips. Use the British Airways phone number to contact them. You can also find out all the latest news stories about British Airways if you click here.

This article was originally sourced from ba.com.

Why Emirates?

The word ‘Emirates’ literally means a province ruled by an Emir – a prince or independent ruler. The connotations that are found in this are nigh on endless and the air travel company Emirates have taken these qualities and established themselves as a high quality company offering exceptional travel opportunities.

The level of service offered exceeds that of any expectations if you are a new flyer with the company. The emphasis is on luxury and ensuring that you have whatever it is that you desire on your flight. Upon doing some research on the company it becomes apparent that they offer services that are barely comprehensible to be carried out on an aeroplane but they also understand that the stress, or potential stress, of the journey starts a long time prior to the actual plane journey.

If you are a First or Business Class customer you receive the option of chauffeur driven service both to and from the airport to ensure that you have hassle-free, relaxing transfers. This is just the first example of Emirates taking the strain of your journey off you and putting it on themselves. They also think about the younger travellers – their service covers everything from complimentary pushchairs to assist with your luggage and transport to themed give-aways and meals in-flight to keep the little ones entertained.

It sounds like such simple customer service, looking after your customers’ every need but the fact of the matter is not all companies think of these things and therefore the ones that do, excel in that field. It’s often the smallest things that aid flyers the most.

Another service they offer is based in the airport before you’ve reached the plane: in the departure lounge. They kit their lounges out for the upper cabin classes and the frequent flyers with anything from spa treatments to newspapers so that you can unwind and prepare for your flight however you would prefer. This is truly elite service; it can be tedious waiting for hours on those plastic rows of chairs staring at strangers and if the company you’re flying with appreciates that, that’s a big step towards earning the trust of your passengers.

Emirates are extending their presence in a variety of markets all the time, they are sponsors for at least three major sporting venues – Durham International Cricket Stadium (home of Durham County Cricket Club), Old Trafford International Cricket Ground (home of Lancashire County Cricket Club), Arsenal football ground and these are without researching their sponsorships. The service they offer on their flights reassures their customers that they deliver this service across the board and therefore quality is practically guaranteed.

To contact Emirates and discuss the services they offer, follow this link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/emirates-customer-service-2/. To discover more information about Emirates, Click Here.

Stansted Airport Expansion Plans

Plans for the expansion of one of London’s busiest airports have been released suggesting the capacity of the airport could be increased from 17.5 million to an astonishing 160 million.

“The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) submitted potential options to the Airports Commission that include a £10bn "hub" with four runways.

Campaigners against expansion called them irresponsible and opportunistic.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG, said developing Stansted would be a ‘pragmatic approach’.

The expansion plan has been submitted to the government-appointed Airports Commission, headed by former Financial Services Authority chairman Sir Howard Davies.

Best for passengers

It is reviewing how the UK might expand its airport capacity in south-east England.Mr Cornish said: ‘Stansted is uniquely placed to meet the UK's aviation capacity needs now and over the next 15 years.’

‘Almost overnight, Stansted could double the number of flights it handles without any need for significant investment in new infrastructure.’

‘Looking to the long-term, the interests of passengers will be best served by a pragmatic approach, focused on delivering new capacity that is cost-effective and flexible, and capable of driving competition across the aviation industry.’

‘Developing new capacity at a number of airports is likely to be best for passengers.’

Completely Unnecessary

‘Should the Commission take a different view and conclude that the UK needs an effective hub to provide international connectivity, then Stansted could certainly fulfil that role in a cost-effective way.’

Peter Sanders, Stop Stansted Expansion chairman, said the MAG proposals had been ‘framed’ in an ‘unenthusiastic, half-hearted way’.

Mr Sanders said: ‘We will be doing everything possible to convince the Airports Commission to reject the idea of any new runways at Stansted.’

‘With the airport currently operating at only half its permitted capacity a second runway - never mind a four-runway hub double the size of Heathrow today - is completely unnecessary on business grounds and it would be completely unacceptable on environmental grounds.’

The Airports Commission will consider MAG's proposals for Stansted alongside expansion proposals it has received for Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham and plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

The commission is due to produce a shortlist by the end of the year and make its final recommendations in two years' time.”

Stansted currently do not use British Airways as an airline but in light of these expansion plans it may well be that we see major airlines become a feature at the north east London airport. If you are interested in finding out any more information about British Airways and the services they offer, contact them directly on the British Airways contact number. We also strive to stay up to date with all of British Airways’ business developments and publish as many news articles as we can to you equally up to date. Follow this link for all news stories http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news/british-airways-news-update-new-plane-added-to-fleet/.

Article originally found on the BBC website.