úterý 24. listopadu 2009

Social networks – airlines in Australia and New Zealand

New era of social networking and the usage of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or Flikr reached also many airlines all over the world. Let's focused on Facebook and Twitter in Australia today. Both traditional and low cost airlines trying to sell their airline tickets have their profiles on Twitter and Facebook – are they successful? Let's compare some of them and we will see.

There are many airlines that provides connections to Australia. However, I would like to analyse only the most involved in social networks. Some of them offer polls, news, videos, photos and communicate with their fans or followers manytimes a day. However, others just have their profile and don't use this new method of marketing. Let's find out whose cheap flights are the most attractive!

Twitter

As you can see from the number of followers the most successful should be AirAsia and Virgin Blue. However it is not so easy. Some airlines (e.g. Air New Zealand or Tiger Airways) have more accounts – e.g.for different locations or different „audience“- Air New Zealand has even a special twitter account for airfare deals @airnz_deals and @grabaseat. The best way to find all accounts of one airline is to find their „main“ account and then follow other accounts which you can find in its status.

  • Jetstar: @jetstarnz (almost 1000 followers)
  • Tiger Airways: @tigerairways (almost 1500 followers) and @tigerairwaysaus special twitter profile for all people from Australia (almost 1200 followers)
  • V Australia:@flyvaustralia (almost 1300 followers)
  • Virgin Blue:@VirginBlue (almost 12000 followers)
  • AirAsia:@AirAsiaDotCom (almost 14500 followers)
  • Pacific Blue:@fly_pacificblue (almost 1050 followers)
  • Viva Macau Airlines: don't have a twitter account
  • Air New Zealand:@flyairnz (9200 followers)
Facebook

Facebook in Australia is also very popular. The hugest number of fans belongs to V Australia which has incredible number – almost 12.400 fans! Look at airlines's profiles to find the main differences:


pondělí 23. listopadu 2009

7 places you have to visit in Amsterdam


Summer 2009 has ended. Taverns are closed, deck chairs are locked in the cellars and a cold wind blows on the beach. Where should you go on vacation when your favorite summer destination recalls a ghost town? What about a weekend in the city, going from museum to museum and dining at famous local restaurants?

Amsterdam is one of the best small cities in the world. The city is known worldwide not only for its channels, but also for may museums and historical monuments. There is always something to admire, particularly the pervasive tolerance and diversity. You can find there all the advantages of the city: the history, nightlife, entertainment, international restaurants, good public transportation - but it is a quiet town with little traffic on the roads, especially thanks to its channels. In Amsterdam is nothing far away - but do not forget to rent a bike for an even better experience.

7 places you have to visit in Amsterdam

1. Oude Kerk - right in the middle of the Red Light District is situated this old church with small houses on the sides. Its buildings, especially the octagonal Gothic-Renaissance tower, were used mostly by sailors to get their bearings.

2. Dam square - although we would find more beautiful attractions, Dam Square is the center and heart of Amsterdam. Its history is very fascinating. Dam has witnessed numerous historical dramas over the years, for example Napoleon's soldiers settled there when they occupied the city in 1808. Dam history is well documented in the Amsterdam Historical Museum. The Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis) dominates the square. There was originally a town hall and its classical facade and beautiful statues were intended to celebrate the city of Amsterdam. In contrast to its turbulent history, the square is now a quiet place and home of hundreds of pigeons and tourists who rest there.

3.Begijnhof - is a charming well-hidden garden surrounded by old houses. These houses were inhabited by nuns, and there still live unmarried women. In the center of the garden is a medieval church and the number 34 is the oldest house in Amsterdam. The entrance is on the street Spui and is marked with an engraved emblem. Entry is free.

4. Magere Brug - or "Skinny Bridge" is the most famous bridge out of the 1280 or so bridges in Amsterdam. It is a traditional Dutch drawbridge connecting the banks of the river Amstel. The bridge was built in 1670.

5. Jordaan - once a working class area, now one of the most sought after addresses in Amsterdam. Rebuilt factories attract mainly students, wealthy businessmen and artists. The idyllic atmosphere consists of a mixture of narrow streets, picturesque canals, cafés, shops and art galleries.

6. Rembrandtplein square - is lined with restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels. It is a true magnet for tourists and a popular center of nightlife. You can also find there the traditional Dutch pub with real Dutch music. In the center of the square is a small but pleasant park where you can relax or pay homage to the statue of Rembrandt. Near the square are also great night clubs, diamond dealers, shops with tacky souvenirs and a plenty of gays who are waiting for their date.

7. Red Light District - atmosphere of alcohol, party, sex and various Peeping Toms is omnipresent. Shops offer hardcore videos, magazines and toys for adults. The Red Light District is a some sort of a sinful sexual amusement park visited by hordes of tourists. The famous red light distracts from the beautiful old houses around the channels. The area is constantly guarded by the police, but even though you should be careful. There is a strict ,,no photography“ policy.

And do not forget – a trip to Amsterdam is not complete without a boat cruise on a canal and a visit to a windmill.

How to get there

Amsterdam is one of the best European destinations and can be reached easily both by air and by land, or even sea. Book your cheap ticket with one of the many low cost airlines that fly to Amsterdam. Getting there might be really cheap if you take advantage of various airfare deals on flights to Amsterdam´s airport Schiphol which is located just a few kilometers from the city center. on


středa 18. listopadu 2009

Pre-Christmas traveling guide



Are you impatiently looking forward to Christmas and Christmas holiday? Do you miss the right Christmas mood in your city? Read about the best destinations that are well-known for its festive spirit. Christmas markets are not only about buying present, but also about some relaxation from all the rush.

Vienna

The most beautiful Christmas markets are traditionally in the Austrian capital. Buy yourself a cup of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts and start on a journey. The busiest place is in front of the Vienna Town Hall. The neo-Gothic building is surrounded with a park which is from middle November full of stalls. Vienna at Christmas is not just a market at the town hall. There are many interesting places.

Fill in your wine again, buy a baked potatoes and go towards the Mariahilferstrasse. Back streets like Sigmundgasse or Guttenberggasse are perfect for a slow promenade and enjoying the peculiar atmosphere. Vienna has one of the busier airports so it is not a problem at all to find some cheap flights and reach this beautiful city.

Nuremberg, Germany

Nowhere does it better than Germany, where Nuremberg is just one among more than 2,500 markets. Other great German venues include Dresden, Augsburg, Dusseldorf and Baden Baden. The Christmas market in Nuremberg is arguably the most famous one. The 180 or so wooden stall, with their jaunty red-and-white striped awnings, that line Nuremberg´s main square compete for the prize of best design. There are no plastic wreaths or tinny Christmas muzak. This is real deal! Handmade candles, carved wooden toys, Christmas tree angels, wooden and enameled music boxes and also the city´s famous spicy gingerbread. In particular, look out for the cute Nuremberg Plum People – little figures made from prunes.

When you get hungry, try the roast bratwurst and mulled wine, it will keep you going when you need sustenance. There´s a special children´s market near Hans-Sachs-Platz too. Children can enjoy old-fashioned carousels, steam train and get really messy baking cookies and making candles. Don't you know how to travel to Nuremberg? Just catch one of the airfare deals before Christmas and fly very cheaply.

London

Do you have a soft spot for pre-Christmas London? Check the airfare deals from many low cost airlines that fly there and visit London. Many routes are operated to London e.g. by easyJet, Ryanair and Wizzair. The festive atmosphere is ravishing, famous Oxford Street is illuminated by thousands of little light bulbs and Trafalgar Square is decorated with a traditional Christmas tree. The city of Oslo presents every year a tree for London as a thank for the help during the World War II. The tree is then decorated with white candles in a Norwegian style.

London also offers an inexhaustible amount of museums and exhibitions. If you want to spend your time in the city more originally, go a try some sport. You may visit one of the temporarily open ice rinks - Natural History Museum Ice Rink, Tower of London Ice Rink or Hampton Court Ice Rink. The best end of a long day is in a typical London pub with a glass of mulled whiskey with clove and orange and with a real Christmas pudding. London is waiting for you.

pondělí 16. listopadu 2009

Airlines start to use Facebook more and more

New era of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks reached also many airlines all over the world. Let's focused on Facebook today. Why? Because it helps airlines to engage their customers. Both traditional and low cost airlines have their profiles which provides their Facebook fans many services.

As Facebook has really a huge amount of members airlines have to try more to follow the latest trends. Their Facebook profiles contain company information and latest news of course, they are often also enriched in fan photos, interesting videos, discussion board and many other apps.

Some airlines also offers search flights, travel managers, frequent flyer program access and current airfare deals. As for the airfare deals – many airlines have special Facebook airfare deals to involve their fans more in their profiles. Some airlines are of course more successful in this – it also depends on company's policy.

What is the point of it? Facebook profiles reminds you of an airline's website so is it really necessary to invest in social networking? The answer is yes. If you look at airlines' profiles you will see how successful this way of marketing is. Airlines can target their customers very well and moreover they can promote their brand in modern and different way.

Customers are likely to buy more airline tickets and airline becomes more popular among more people in general. Moreover there is one old rule: happy customer means returning customer. Don't you believe? Look at some Facebook profiles and see it is really working!

Just few examples of airlines' profiles worth visiting with number of fans (November 2009)

(notice differences between continents)

North America:
  • Virgin America - more than almost 40.000 fans
  • American Airlines - almost 35.000 fans
Europe:
Asia:
Australia & New Zealand:

úterý 10. listopadu 2009

What kinds of airfare deals can I try?

Do you want sometimes take a break, grab your bag and fly to some unknown destination? Enjoy the night life of a city or rather explore the countryside? An airplane can take you to any place around the world. Are you objecting that flying is expensive? On the contrary! There are lots of low cost airlines on the market which offer a variety of airfare deals. Traditional airlines do not get left behind with budget flights too. You can also make use of a huge offer on sales and discounts.

Probably the biggest sale is on early booking. The earlier you book your ticket, the bigger the sale is. If you know the date of the departure don't hesitate and book your flight as soon as possible – you can save even more than 50%! And this is worth considering.

If you don´t mind getting up early, you might like the early bird airfare deals. Early morning flights are usually cheaper than the later ones. You can also travel during night – the many airports have lower taxes during night and early morning hours and that's why you can save a lot.

Students might be acustomed to sale almost at every step and the budget flights are no exeption. They can enjoy the student discount on various flights. Some airlines offers special students card thanks to which student or young under 26 can book their flights very cheaply. On the other hand, not only student and young people in general are interested in travelling. Also senior discounts are quite popular among seniors and pensioners.

Spending a few days in warmth and on the beach is great. But in summer is it pretty difficult to find a quiet place on the beach where you can put your towel and relax. Book your ticket in late spring or in autumn and you can not only enjoy the serene holiday but also the off-season discount on your flight ticket.

Very popular among travellers are the introductory fares. The airline launches a new destination and the few first flights are cheaper. It is also possible that the airline introduce a special airfare deal on the occasion of its birthday or a Bank holiday, etc.

Flying nowadays is all about airfare deals and budget flights. When you are patient enough, you will definitely find the right price for you.

pondělí 9. listopadu 2009

5 most popular secondary airports in Europe



Secondary airports are very popular mainly within people who travel a lot with low cost airlines. Such airports have lower taxes and that's why the final price of airline tickets can be lower. On the other side, such airports are also further from the city than the primary airport is. Let's have a small look at 5 most popular of them: Dusseldorf Weeze Airport (NRN), Venice Treviso Airport (TSF), Oslo Rygge Airport (RYG), Girona Airport (GRO) and Malmo Airport (MMX).

Dusseldorf Weeze Airport

Airport Düsseldorf Weeze (IATA code: NRN) is a small airport located in Weeze approximately 50 km north of Düsseldorf, Germany. It is served mainly by low cost airlines (e.g. Ryanair). Dusseldorf Weeze
Airport is accessible by trains and shuttle buses. Passengers can also rent a car via many car rentals (e.g. Hertz, Avis, Sixt) or pay for taxi (e.g. Mietwagen Hottgenroth, Taxi Cox). Parking is divided into two car parks: Park 1 and Park 2. There are 7.000 parking spaces in total. Both short-term and long-term parking are possible.

Venice Treviso Airport

Airport Venice Treviso (IATA code: TSF) is a small airport located close to cities Aachen and Venice, Italia. Venice Treviso Airport is served from single terminal mainly by low cost airlines (e.g. Ryanair, GermanWings). Venice Treviso Airport is accessible by buses. Passengers can also rent a car via many car rentals (e.g. AutoEuropa, AutoServizi Maggiore) or pay for taxi (taxi ranks are available in front of the airport – e.g. Radio taxi). Both long-term and short-term parkings are available at 4 parks: Park A (50 short-term places), Park B (170 long-term places), Park C (155 long-term places) and Park 3 Municipal (270 places).

Oslo Rygge Airport

Oslo Rygge Airport (IATA code: RYG) is located near Rygge in south-eastern Norway approximately 60 km from Oslo. Although the airport has only single terminal building it is quite busy thanks to low cost and charter airlines operating their flights to Oslo at this airport (e.g. Ryanair, Norwegian). The airport is accessible by NSBs regional train, Rygge-Ekspressen and Local Airport Coach – Flybuss Ryggeeven and what is really interesting it is even accessible for pedestrians and cyclists using the pedestrian and bicycle path following the access road to the airport. Passengers can also rent a car via many car rentals (e.g. Avis, Budget) or pay for taxi which can be found just outside the terminal building. There are 5 kinds of parking: P1: outdoor parking – max 30 min, P3: outdoor parking – max 3 days, P10: parking in parking garage – max 3 days, P11: parking in parking garage with no max time and P12: outdoor parking with no max time.

Airport Girona Barcelona

Airport Girona Barcelona (IATA code: GRO) is located 12 kilometres south of Girona and 92 kilometres from Barcelona, Spain. Girona Barcelona Airport is served by many traditional and low cost airlines (e.g. Ryanair, Jetairfly, Transavia). Airport Girona Barcelona is accessible by buses. Passengers can also rent a car via many car rentals (e.g. Atesa, Avis) or pay for taxi (taxi ranks are available in front of the airport). Two basic parking possibilities are available: parking area P1 and P4. There are 3400 parking spaces in total.

Malmo Sturup Airport

Malmo Sturup Airport (IATA code: MMX) is located 28 kilometres from Swedish Malmo and 55 kilometres from the capital of Denmark – Copenhagen. Malmo Sturup Airport is served mainly by low cost airlines (e.g. WizzAir). Malmo Sturup Airport (MMX) is accessible by buses. Passengers can also rent a car via many car rentals (e.g. Avis, Europcar) or pay for taxi (taxi ranks are available in front of the airport). There several possibilities of parking. Car parks P4, P2 are dedicated for indoor parking and 24-hour parking. Parks P3, P1 are for those who want to find a place for long-term parking. And finally there is also Hourly parking (Timparkering).

středa 4. listopadu 2009

5 most interesting places in Barcelona


Do you plan a trip to Barcelona and are not sure what to visit? Great! We introduce you 5 must see places in Barcelona!


Sagrada Familia (Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia)
This architectural master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi is one of the Barcelona´s top tourist attractions. Sagrada Familia, or Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, is 200 meters high and there is nothing similar to it around the world. Interesting is that the temple has been built constantly since 1882. It is rumoured that Gaudi himself didn´t want his master-work to be finished but to grow continually. Majestic pseudo-Gothic building with unique Gaudí design and with its slim towers and picturesque archways definitely please all fans of romance. If you are interested in more Gaudí work, you should also visit Casa Mila, Casa Batlló or Park Güell.

Park Güell
It is another unique work by Gaudí and one of the most interesting places to rest in Barcelona. Entrance to the park is free. A walk through the park is fantastical because of the little colourful houses and original petty buildings designed by Gaudí. Hilly terrain of the park is used for the construction of stone archways and beautiful pavements and walks. The focal point of the park are the stairs (from the main entrance) with a mosaic dragon fountain and a long roadway with columns like tree trunks. Another interesting part of the park is the main terrace where you sit on a long bench with ceramic mosaic of the most quaint colours and patterns. Welcome into the fairy tale about the harmony of architecture and nature by Gaudi!

La Rambla a Plaça de Catalunya
La Rambla is the Barcelona´s main street and also one of the busiest places there. You can find there hundreds of artists, musicians, dancers or even human statues. Rest your feet after the long walk through the streets of Barcelona, admiring sights and shopping for souvenirs, and visit one of the many coffee-houses and restaurants. You can find there simply anything you want. But we aware of pickpockets!
Placa de Catalunya is at the end of the street La Rambla, it is the very center of Barcelona and also the biggest crossroad where meets the ,,old” and the ,,young” Barcelona. Whether you take a guided tour with an organized group or explore the city on your own, you most probably start and end here.

Aquarium
Barcelona Aquarium is one of the best known tourist attraction. Not only you will be amazed at the quite high entrance money (an adult pays approx. 20 EUR, that is much more than an entrance to any museum), you will also be amazed at the impressive expositions where you can see over 11.000 animals (in 6.000.000 l of water) and enjoy the atmosphere of a 80 meters long sub aquatic tunnel and observe the sea animals. Especially children will enjoy the aquarium immensely and will be most grateful for this experience. They learn many interesting things about biology and at the end of the day they will be dog-tired from all the running across the aquarium.

Last but not least: Flamenco
Can you imagine Spain without its traditional dance flamenco? So if you plan to visit a restaurant in the evening, do not hesitate and add a pinch of Spanish culture and entertainment to your dinner. Colourful flamenco shows are very popular and are usually part of a dinner program in many restaurants. The price is approximately 30 EUR, including dinner. If you are more interested in the show alone, we recommend you to visit the beautiful poble Espanyol.

How to get to Barcelona by air?

Barcelona is a great city for all who want to travel by air. There two airports – Barcelona (BCN) and Girona (GRO) both served by many traditional and low cost airlines. As there is quite big competition within airlines they often promote themselves with airfare deals and sales. That's why it is not difficult to buy your airline tickets very cheaply! So what are you waiting for? Grab your ticket and enjoy Barcelona!