A technical glitch on the website of Irish airline Aer Lingus has allowed passengers to buy business class seats to the United States for £4.  About 100 people snapped up the tickets which normally cost £1,433 each way before the error was spotted.

The airline said it will not honour the tickets, but consumer groups have said passengers should be compensated.  Aer Lingus said the problem was linked to an offer where customers buying a premier class seat got one free.  “The problem was the free seats actually leaked on to the website,” an airline spokesman said.  He said that “anyone would have known it was a mistake when they made the bookings”.

The airline has written to customers notifying them of the cancellation.  Aer Lingus said money was not deducted from customers’ bank accounts.  Dermott Jewell, chief executive of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, told Irish broadcaster RTE that customers should be compensated.

“Customers had a binding contract with Aer Lingus,” he said.  “They booked and paid to bind the contract. Realistically Aer Lingus is going to have to do something to abide by the bookings and to help the customers.”  Now that is a great deal!

Beijing just opened its newest airport terminal, an enormous glass-and-steel creation built to accommodate a surge in visitors for the Summer Olympics. Dozens of passengers from the first domestic flight to arrive at Terminal 3 — an hourlong jaunt from Shandong province in China’s east — were welcomed with flower bouquets. A British Airways flight from London landed a few hours later.

A group of 10 musicians played string instruments at an opening ceremony attended by Chinese officials. The terminal, its runway and most of the related infrastructure were built in just under four years, with a compressed timetable to ensure it was ready for the August 8-24 Olympics.

The building’s deep red pillars and matte gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing’s imperial palaces and temples. Triangular skylights which open out onto the gently sloping roof give an airy feeling to the terminal, which houses 64 Western and Chinese restaurants, 90 retail shops, and a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system.

A high-speed commuter train will whisk passengers into the city, while the runway is capable of handling Airbus’ huge A380 superjumbo.

At a news conference earlier this week, Dong Zhiyi, deputy general manager of the Capital Airport Holding Co., declared the project “the pride of the Chinese nation.”  This is a very attractive project and I look forward to many more wonders as they prepare to stun the world for the upcoming Olympics.

Beginning Thursday, U.S. and Canadian citizens who want to enter the United States from Canada must provide border agents with two documents: proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate and a government-issued photo identification such as a driver’s license.  The rules apply to people who are 19 and older and who do not have passports.

Until this week, U.S. and Canadian citizens have been able to enter the U.S. without any proof of citizenship. Saying they were Canadian or a U.S. citizen was sufficient. U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel could ask additional questions if they doubted those claims, but documents were not required.

But the new rules, which are meant to strengthen security in the United States, are causing anxiety for Americans who depend on tourism for a living. They said they are worried that new travel security rules will keep away Canadian visitors, such as those who regularly flock to ski resorts across the border.

On Thursday, people were whizzing through at customs as border protection agents provided some leeway until Canadians and U.S. travelers get used to the new rules. Everyone is watching closely to see how effective these new rules are.

For those that suffer from a fear of flying, the British Airways Boeing 777 crash landing will not have been welcome news. After all, when planes fall out of the sky — for what is still an unclear reason — air travel seems more miracle than science.

The initial report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, released the day after the incident at Heathrow airport, revealed that the two engines “did not respond” to a demand for increased thrust about two miles from touchdown.

The reason for the lack of response is still unknown. Lack of fuel? Nope. Problems with the engine control commands? Apparently not. Another possibility, currently being examined, is a fault in the flow of fuel from the aircraft’s tanks.   Let’s hope there is more concrete information available soon.

If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas your first stop should be Las Vegas Hotel Discounts. They list some of the best hotel deals in the city. If you are interested in staying at the 5 diamond Bellagio then check out the list of Bellagio Promotion Codes. If you are looking for something a little cheaper then maybe check out the list of Luxor Promotion Codes. Whatever your choice you are sure to find a great deal at Las Vegas Hotel Discounts. Good luck and have a great vacation.

JetBlue, Yahoo., and Research in Motion  plan to offer free, in-flight, Wi-Fi Web connections for laptop computers and advanced cell phones, Rim said.  This step will give them some great leverage in brand recognition.

The service will allow passengers to access customized Yahoo mail and Yahoo instant messenger services on their laptops or to access corporate e-mails on Wi-Fi enabled versions of the popular Blackberry device from Rim.  According to a spokesperson for Rim the first JetBlue flight offering the service will be on December 11.  Now that is exciting tech travel news.

Here are some sleeip tips to remember when traveling.

-Even relatively small amounts of light can reset the body’s internal clock, so find as dark an environment as possible when traveling.

-Try to get a window seat near the front of the plane when flying. It’s quieter and you’ll have more control over the amount of light surrounding you, particularly with your own window shade. Bring along an eye mask to block more light.

-When staying in a hotel, bring a nightlight or penlight if you get up at night. Using the least amount of light possible to get around helps avoid disturbing the body’s circadian clock.

-Try to keep the thermostat in your hotel room between 68 and 72 degrees. That’s the optimal temperature for most people, but adjust to the temperature that is best for you. Make sure your hands and feet are extra warm.

-Lavender oil or a spritz of lavender linen spray on your sheets often helps with restful sleep. The Sense of Smell Institute found that lavender increases the amount of time spent in the restful, restorative phase of sleep.

-A nap during the day helps make up for midnight tossing and turning for people who normally sleep well but don’t get enough sleep one night. Naps also help when you know you’re going to have to stay up later the same night.

-Try not to nap too close to bedtime or for more than 90 minutes. Doing so can throw off your body’s internal rhythm and set you on the path for a miserable sleepless vacation.

The only people who shouldn’t be napping are those losing sleep from insomnia or depression. Napping can worsen these conditions.  Otherwise a cat-nap is a great way to recharge.

If you are like me and have been seriously considering moving yourself and your business to a new country then do yourself a favor and put Thailand at the top of your list.

I did a little research into Thailand property and found some great deals in many different areas of this amazing country. I recently narrowed it down to two areas, Phuket, a beautiful award winning island and Hau Hin because it is a popular resort area for UK visitors (and I have a thing for English women).

Thailand also has an open-market economy that actively encourages foreign investment, so relocating my web business there will be a breeze.

A travel agency is accused of charging more than 50 Muslims thousands of dollars on a Mecca pilgrimage tour only to leave them standing in airports at the last minute without tickets.
The state attorney general’s Office alleges Shama Hajj Ziyarat Tours L.L.C. and its owner, Molana Syed Alihaider Abidi, violated the state’s Consumer Fraud Act by selling the trip packages to Saudi Arabia, then failing to provide either the tour or a refund.

“Hajj is a very important thing in a Muslim’s life … We were looking so forward to it,” said Nahid Attarwala, 48, of Simsbury, Conn., who was stranded at the airport with her husband. “(The travel agent) said ‘Everything is all set. Come to the airport.’ … He wasn’t even there.”  The state wants the company, which also does business as Karwan-E-Iman-E-Sajjad (USA), to give refunds.

A man who answered the telephone at the travel agency who identified himself as Abidi’s son wouldn’t answer questions. He directed all inquiries to Thomas Monahan, a lawyer representing the agency. Monahan didn’t return telephone calls seeking comment Wednesday.  The complaint alleges that the travel agency’s Hajj Travel Package was supposed to include round-trip airfare to Saudi Arabia, hotel accommodations and travel within the Arab kingdom. The trips cost $4,500, and some customers paid an additional $1,000 for upgraded hotels, according to the attorney general’s office.

The customers were supposed to leave Dec. 20, 2006, and return Jan. 4. But when they arrived at airports around the country, they discovered there were no tickets waiting for them.  During the next few days, the agency told the customers the tour had been canceled. A few of the customers received partial refunds of $1,000 but most never received any money.

The Attarwalas paid the travel agent a total of $10,810 – including an additional $2,000 weeks before they were scheduled to leave because the agent said air and hotel prices had increased.   Attarwala said she’d called the agent repeatedly as she became more concerned about the trip, including why he hadn’t mailed them educational information about the rituals they’d be expected to perform during the pilgrimage. She said the agent continued to tell them everything was fine and to be at the airport.

The tour agent eventually returned $2,000 of the couple’s money after they and other customers went to his office and complained. Then he stopped answering her telephone calls, Attarwala said.   Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. Around 4 million people make the trip every year.

The travel agency has been advertising for hajj tours that would leave this December, but a judge ruled Friday that it must stop advertising and selling the 2007 trips.  Well that is a good start.  I think this is a really sad chapter in the ever mounting negative attitude towards Muslims.

If you are anything like me then you love to snack at night, especially while watching TV or movies.  Since I started going to the gym regularly around 18 months ago I have often sought out evening snacks that are tasty but not too brutal on the waistline.  Raw honey has become one of my all-time favorites!  I love dipping apples in it or spreading it on melba toast or crackers.  It is yummy and healthy.

Now for the most important part, choosing your honey, you should look at some of the tropical honey because they seem to have the best favor and just the right amount of sweetness.  So next time you or anyone you know heads over to Hawaii make sure they come back with some tasty honey as part of their Hawaiian gifts.