The airline has warned of delays within Germany and across the globe, with Frankfurt and Munich airports expected to be the worst hit.

Domestic passengers have been offered alternative rail travel, whilst efforts are being made to rebook international travellers on other airlines.

The pilots, who work at Lufthansa and its low-budget subsidiary, Germanwings, are expected to return to work after midnight on Thursday.

Source:worldtravelguide.net

The Foreign Office advice follows heavy storms and flooding in the capital Funchal, which has left 42 people dead, including a British tourist.

Hotels on the Portuguese island, which is a popular winter sun holiday destination, remain open, as does Madeira’s airport.

It is thought that up to 2,000 Brits are currently holidaying in Madeira, with more expected to fly out this week.

However, Lufthansa says it will not revert to its normal schedule until Friday, meaning further delays and cancellations are expected to continue until 26 February, while further strike action could take place after 9 March.

Passengers affected by the disruption will be offered alternative arrangements – including train tickets or flights with partner airlines – or a full refund.

Lufthansa has published an amended timetable of flights on its website, and is providing updates on its Twitter feed.

More than 4,000 pilots were involved in the walkout, organised by the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit, citing concerns over job security, with some 900 flights cancelled across Lufthansa’s network yesterday.

The website is sending one lucky person around the world in return for regular and honest reviews via a blog.

Paul Evans, CEO, lowcostholidays.com comments: “For anyone who fancies a year out, enjoys sunning themselves and who won’t miss talk of the recession, this really is the dream job.

“We’re calling it a ‘joliday’ – less job, more holiday. This isn’t about celebrity, this is about finding that ordinary, every day person who is down to earth and real enough to provide our customers with a no-nonsense view on popular and up-and-coming holiday destinations anywhere around the world.”

Alongside a 20k salary, lowcostholidays.com’s reviewer will receive all-inclusive hotel accommodation, a spending allowance, laptop, digital camera and pocket camcorder to assist them in their role.

The winning applicant will also star in a national advertising campaign, which will include TV appearances.

Apply at www.lowcostholidaysbigsearch.com; as well as answering a set of questions, applicants are asked to upload a video of themselves reviewing something of their choice.

Deadline for applications is 31 March and the winner will be announced in June.

The airline also says it will charter 23 planes if a walk out by cabin crew members of the Unite union starts in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Industrial action could impact on BA’s short- and long-haul flights from London Heathrow Airport, and short-haul journeys from London Gatwick Airport.

Source:cnn.com

The Quality of Life index, published by the International Living magazine, said the French live life to the full, and its bon vivant lifestyle, “best health service in the world” and diverse landscapes set it apart.

“Romantic Paris offers the best of everything, but services don’t fall away in Alsace’s wine villages, in wild and lovely Corsica, in lavender-scented Provence, or in the Languedoc of the troubadours, bathed in Mediterranean sunlight,” the survey noted.

The magazine surveyed 194 countries on nine criteria: cost of living, culture and leisure, economy, environment, freedom, health, infrastructure, safety and risk, and climate.

Australia came second, followed by Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand.

Top 25 countries to live in:

1. France
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. New Zealand
6. Luxembourg
7. United States
8. Belgium
9. Canada
10. Italy
11. Netherlands
12. Norway
13. Austria
14. Liechtenstein
15. Malta
16. Denmark
17. Spain
18. Finland
19. Uruguay
20. Hungary
21. Portugal
22. Lithuania
23. Andorra
24. Czech Republic
25. United Kingdom

Source:worldtravelguide.net

The country’s airport tower is one of the many buildings damaged by the earthquake – measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale – that hit the south of Haiti yesterday afternoon.

“We are completely out of Haiti today, no scheduled operations — we don’t know yet for how long,” said American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith.

In Port au Prince, the Haitian capital, schools and hospitals collapsed, and even the presidential palace and the UN peacekeeping headquarters crumbled amid the strongest quake to hit the Caribbean in 200 years.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises UK citizens concerned about relatives in Haiti to contact the FCO on 020 7008 1500.

“You should monitor local and international media reports and follow advice of international agencies and governments,” says the FCO website.

The overall FCO travel advice to Haiti remains unchanged. See our Haiti travel guide for the latest update.

Source:worldtravelguide.net

The German carrier has announced it is planning to fly to the Iraqi capital and Erbil in the north from Frankfurt and Munich this summer due to high demand and security issues easing within the country.

Lufthansa’s application for the Germany-Iraq flights is currently in discussions with Iraq’s government.

Lufthansa first started flying to Baghdad in 1956 but halted operation in 1990 because of the Gulf War.

According to BTN.com, German low-cost carrier Air Berlin is also planning to reinstate its service from Germany to Iraq (Erbil and Sulimaniyah) as early as next month.

Source:worldtravelguide.net

According to the study, these three destinations have seen their currencies fall dramatically against the pound, meaning that UK holidaymakers are getting more for their money.

A year ago, one pound would have bought a holidaymaker 103 Jamaican dollars; today, it is worth 125.

The pound has also strengthened against the Egyptian pound by 14%, and against the UAE dirham by 13%.

The Post Office also analysed which countries offer the best value for money and Hungary, Thailand and Bulgaria emerged as the three cheapest destinations. Spain is the cheapest eurozone nation.

Source:worldtravelguide.net

Reduced services to Lille are also in operation in the aftermath of Belgium’s worst rail collision in 50 years, which left 25 people dead.

Passengers due to travel to Brussels have been advised by Eurostar to postpone or cancel their journey, and have been offered ticket refunds or exchanges.

Services to Paris have been unaffected.

Source:worldtravelguide.net