International Travel News

Travel Briefs

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 22

Batteries on board

As of Jan. 1, 2008, the U.S. Department of Transportation has new rules regarding loose lithium-ion batteries in travelers’ airline baggage. (This rule does not affect alkaline batteries.) The ruling is to prevent any possible fires from accidental overheating or short-circuiting.

In carry-on luggage, any batteries actually installed in electronic devices (cameras, laptops, etc.) are allowed, but only two more rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are allowed as spares and they must be...

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 22

Using cell phones in flight

In December 2007, Air France began a 6-month test allowing e-mail and text-messaging service to cell phones while in flight (no voice calls yet). Only one Airbus A318 plane is testing the program, and no one will know ahead of time if it will be used on their flight.

The service works only with GSM cell phones. Calls will be billed directly to users by their own providers at “international roaming rates.”

New “No mobile” lights will be installed next to the “No smoking” signs...

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 23

Heathrow’s Terminal 5

British Airways’ new Terminal 5 at Heathrow International Airport in London will open in March 2008. The terminal complex alone is equal in size to all of Gatwick airport.

One innovation — in the short-term-parking garages, when you get your parking slip a picture is taken of your license plate. Illuminated arrows on the floor guide you. When you return, slipping the ticket into a reader will display the car’s location on a map.

Another innovation (being built) will be an...

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 23

MAXjet fails

MAXjet, the all-business-class airline based in Dulles, Virginia, declared bankruptcy on Dec. 24, 2007, and ceased flying. Booked passengers should seek a refund from their credit card companies or travel agencies. For more info, call MAXjet at 888/435-9629 (in the UK, phone 44 [0] 1279 216 428), e-mail info@maxjet.com or visit www.maxjet.com.

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 23

Drivers on cells in UK

British laws passed in 2003 ban holding and using a cell phone while driving in the United Kingdom. In December 2007 the penalties were increased.

Drivers used to receive an automatic fine and have points removed from their driver’s license when caught. Now they face up to a 2-year sentence and an unlimited fine.

The ban does not cover using hands-free phones, but drivers still can be charged if police think they are not in control of their vehicle.

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 23

Naples smoking ban

Naples, Italy, has widened its ban on smoking. It now includes outside areas near parks, wherever children under 12 are present, near pregnant women and at outdoor cultural events and demonstrations. Fines of $40 to $370 can be levied on violators.

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 26

Elizabeth I

In the wake of the new film “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” on the website www.eet.org.uk an information sheet can be downloaded that allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), from her childhood home in Hertfordshire to Tilbury Fort in Essex, where she rallied the troops about to face the Spanish Armada.

February 2008 issue | Appears on page 83

‘Tricycle’ tours in Edinburgh

The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh offers a tour with a 3-seat, chauffeur-driven, 1600cc motor-tricycle.

For a 2-night hotel stay that includes a one-hour, 15-minute “Edinburgh City Tour,” prices until September 2008 are £590 (near $1,177) for a deluxe room, £660 ($1,317) for an editor’s room and £395 ($1,576) for a publisher’s suite, with a maximum of two per room.

For an extra £130 ($268), guests can select the 2-hour, 30-minute “Edinburgh and Coastal Tour.”

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