www.beziers.aeroport.fr
WoW is supported by Beziers Cap D'Agde Airport - gateway to the "Real" South of France
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

easyJet to help Pope cut costs on UK visit

Following reports today, and a Downing Street petition, that the Pope’s trip to the UK is expected to cost the Vatican and the UK tax payer in excess of £20million, easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, has offered to help reduce travel costs and fly the Pope from Rome to the UK and back for free.

easyJet can offer his holiness a choice of routes from Rome to airports across the UK and a whole new experience of low-fares travel. His holiness will be able to check in online, take advantage of the airline’s generous hand baggage allowance, sit back and enjoy the excellent customer service from our friendly cabin crew. In addition the airline will also include free speedy boarding, to enable his holiness to be amongst the first to board the aircraft and have a choice of seats.

Usually fares for flights between the UK and Rome start from £ 24.99 one way / £46.65 return, which is substantially cheaper than the Pope’s normal choice of traditional airline, however easyJet is offering to fly the Pope for free on this occasion as we are confident that once he has tried easyJet, his holiness will never look back.

The airline has today contacted the Holy Press Office in Rome to extend the invitation and is currently awaiting a response.

~~~

Ryanair sees high growth end as passengers fasten their money belts

Stalling revenues this winter will herald a sharp slowdown in Ryanair's growth to single digits for the first time since the 1990s
Robert Lea

Ryanair has admitted that it cut fares to record lows in the run-up to Christmas to keep passengers flying and has conceded that its glory days of high growth have ended.
Latest figures reveal that, in its pre-new year trading quarter, Ryanair passengers refused to pay on average more than €30 a ticket and cut baggage payments and in-flight spending.
The budget airline reported a €11 million (£9.6 million) loss in the three months to the end of December, the traditionally profitable third quarter of its financial year. That was better than City analysts had feared, but, having made profits of €387 million in its first six months to the end of September, Ryanair is forecasting that it will lose another €100 million in the fourth quarter, leaving it with profits for the year of about €275 million.
The third-quarter loss came despite a €207 million boost from a fall in its quarterly fuel bill because of the decline in the oil price and the unwinding of unwise hedging policies.

It carried 14 per cent more passengers at 16 million in the quarter as it opened more routes on the Continent, but, with travellers limiting their spending, quarterly revenues stalled at €612 million. “What we saw was that, unless we offered an average fare of €30, people would not fly with us,” Michael Cawley, Ryanair’s deputy chief executive, said. “That is the lowest ever in that quarter.”
The 12 per cent fall in average fares was exacerbated by a slowdown in other spending by passengers, down 20 per cent per head to €7.46, which was “primarily due to lower excess baggage revenues,” the airline said. Mr Cawley declined to comment on passenger reaction to Ryanair’s controversial charges, saying: “It is fact that in this environment there is less discretionary spend and that includes on tea and coffee on the plane or travel insurance or renting a car from us.”
Stalling revenues this winter will herald a sharp slowdown in Ryanair’s growth to single digits for the first time since the regional Irish carrier reinvented itself as a no-frills airline in the late 1990s. In the helter-skelter growth years early in the last decade, Ryanair was growing at more than 40 per cent a year for a time.
Mr Cawley said that the 66 million passengers it will carry this year will rise by only 10 per cent in the next financial year, with the annual rate of growth falling to 6 per cent in 2012-13.
That coincides with the end of new aircraft arriving from Boeing after Ryanair halted orders with the American manufacturer in a row over how much Boeing wanted to charge.
Ryanair said that the decline in growth should not be a reason to sell the shares. It is holding out the carrot that not having to pay for new aircraft will free €1 billion for a special one-off dividend — the company’s first shareholder payout — in three years’ time.
Michael O’Leary, the chief executive, said that he was disappointed by the third-quarter results but said that the impact of the industry’s worst year on record would help Ryanair. He said that Ryanair’s 11 per cent share of the Europe-wide market was likely to increase with the continuing failure rate of regional carriers such as Flyglobespan in the UK, Blue Wings in Germany, My Air in Italy and Sky Europe and Seagle Air in Central and Eastern Europe.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOWER FUEL COSTS NARROW RYANAIR LOSSES

Ryanair's results benefitted from a fall in fuel costs
Budget airline Ryanair has reported a 10.9m euro ($15.3m; £9.5m) net loss for the October to December quarter.

However, the loss was much smaller than the 101.5m euro deficit it reported for the same period in 2008.

Ryanair said the result had been helped by a 37% fall in fuel costs, which had offset a 12% fall in fares. It had also cut some loss-making routes.

The carrier also raised its full-year profit forecast, saying it now expected net profits of about 275m euros.

This forecast was up from its previous estimate of "the lower end of the range of 200m to 300m euros previously guided", the airline said.

Extra charges

Despite the higher profit forecast, Ryanair warned that market conditions remained difficult.

Even so, the Irish-based airline said it would continue to pick up market share from rivals, and expected to do particularly well in Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the UK.

The company has been criticised for charging for a raft of extras on top of its basic ticket price.

Last month, the Office of Fair Trading Budget accused Ryanair of being "puerile and childish" over its payment policy, with customers only avoiding fees when they pay online if they use a Mastercard prepaid card.

In an interview with the BBC, Ryanair chief operating officer Michael Cawley said such criticism was not a concern to the company when it was expanding so fast.

He said it was the fastest-growing airline in Europe - and one of only two in the region that were growing at all.

Mr Cawley added that the fact passenger numbers had risen by 14% in the third quarter - with an expected seven million more customers predicted to fly with it in its next full year - spoke for itself.


~~~~~~~

HEALTH INSURANCE a change to the EHIC - used to be the E 111

Up until now if you lived in France you got CPAM to make you a card.
However the rules change in May and it is the country which pays your state pension (if you are from an EU country) which now provides the card.

If you havent had your card yet - and you need one to go to the UK or you "home" state - Brits should apply to
Overseas Healthcare Team
The Pension Service
Room TC 001
Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE 98 1BA
England

Phone - and they are really helpful 00 44 191 218 1999
fax is 0044 191 218 7376
or email overseas.healthcare@thepensionservice.gs..gov.uk
Website www.direct.gov.uk

People in the department tell WoW that if you need any quick action FAX do not email.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLION - TOURIST STATISTICS

Overall last year was good and August excellent according to the regions statistics office.

It points to a 3.4% growth each year over the last 5 years - with the slightest whiff of the dodgy dossier - there is no growth figure released on the growth or otherwise of 2009 over 2008

However the figures are interesting

The region gets 7% of Frances tourist income

15 million guests stayed for 100 million bednights

Daily spend - the French average €41.30
whilst, on average, foreigners spend €56.10 each

Tourism accounts for 7% of the regions employment and represents 48,000 jobs

The region spends about €105 million on 2 colleges specialising in training for the toursit sector



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATTENTION DRIVERS

New Guide to penalty points and fines - just changed

Withdrawal Points – you start with 12 and they get deducted - rather than "getting points" in the UK.
~~

Slight excess
1 point and 68 euros or 135 euros less than 20 km / h.

Large excess
3 points and 135 euros between 30 and 39 km / h.
>>>>> 4 points and 135 euros between 40 and 49 km / h.
>>>>> 6 points to 1500 euros maxi between 50 mph and more.

No seat Belt
3 points and 135 euros;

Using a mobile Phone
2 points and 135 euros.

Parking in forbidden zone
3 points and 135 euros

Overtaking
- 2 points if you speed up or refuse to keep to the right when you're about to be overtaken
>>>>> - 3 points and 135 euros when you over take on the right or without indicating OR too close to a pedestrian (or cyclist ....) or failure to fall back quickly enough to let a car in.

Jumping a Red light
4 points and 135 euros

BAC ???
6 points automatically, up to 9000 euros

Early alcohol
135 euros. Alcohol level of between 0.5 and 0.8 grams per liter of blood is 0.25 to 0.40 milligram per liter of breath.

Big Alcohol
- Up to 4500 euros. Flow also punishable by two years in prison max for an alcohol content of at least 0.8 grams per liter of blood is 0.4 milligrams per liter of breath.
- The penalty is the same drunk clear or if you refuse to submit to testing.
- In cases of recidivism (state of drunkenness, intoxication or manifest again refused the test), the maximum punishment is doubled (up to 9000 euros and 4 years in prison).

Ignoring a Priority
4 points and 135 euros.

Not indicating
3 points and 35 euros, if you change direction or if you leave a parking space

LightS
4 points and 135 euros, if you are riding without lights at night or in poor visibility.

Driving too close
3 points and 135 euros.

Crossing a Continuous line
1 points and 135 euros, if you ride the line.
>>>>> 3 points and 135 euros if you cross it.

Going down a No entry street
4 points and 135 euros.

MOTORWAY
3 points and 35 euros for driving on the hard emergency shoulder
>>>>> 4 points and 135 euros, if you make a U - turn or perform a reverse.

Having a Radar Detector
2, to 1500.

ROAD Crimes ??
6 points, to 30 000 and 5 years in prison.

Driving licence
Driving despite a suspended license or refuse to show your licence up to 4500 euros and two years imprisonment.

False number Plates
Up to 3750 euros and 5 years in prison when they are false

Reporting an accident
Not reporting an accident, up to €30 000 and 2 years in prison.

Causing Injuries
Involuntary, with temporary interruption of work of less than three months, up to €30 000 and 2 years in prison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BRAVO BEZIERS AIRPORT!

Reconstruction of the terminal is now in hand and will be finished in March.

A new departure lounge is being made in the area which used to house the airport admin - which will now be on a floor above the arrivals area.
The reception area is also being enlarged and work will soon start to create another standing for a second plane

~~~

News from the Aude flyer which might be helpful if you go shopping in Spain

Customs allowances from
Spain & Le Perthus


The following allowances are
PER CAR, not PER PERSON.

Cigarettes – 5 cartons (1000 cigarettes) or 10 cartons if you declare them at the customs offices (on the motorway border beween France and Spain). They will give you an ‘attestation’ (document simplifié d'accompagnement (DSA)) to show to police in France in case you are stopped on the way home.
Rolling tobacco - 1 kilo (2 kilos if declared as above)
Spirits - 10 litres
Beer - 110 litres
Fortified wines - 20 litres
Wine - 90 litres (of which 60 litres can be fizzy)
If you are stopped by the "douane" and found to have more than these amounts you will have the goods confiscated, receive a fine (possibly on the spot) and possibly be asked to accompany them to the customs offices just outside Le Perthus (if they have nothing better to do that day!)

~~~~

RYANAIR and Credit Card charges

John writes

"You may want to let people know that it's no longer free to book Ryanair flights with an Electron card.
They've changed it now to free bookings with a Mastercard Prepaid. Vigin and Freedom are two of the companies that offer them, applications are on-line and there's a £10 fee but if people are making many flights it's worth it.

John
Pouzolles


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EASYJET PASSENGER STATISTICS FOR December 2009



Month ending December 2009 December 2008 Change

Passengers1 3,399,305 3,111,388 9.3%

Load Factor2 85.4% 82.3% 3.1pp

___________________________________________________________________


Rolling 12 months ending
December 2009 December 2008 Change
Passengers1 46,077,459 44,583,476 3.4%

Load Factor2 86.0% 84.6% 1.4pp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MONTPELLIER TRAM - latest courtesy of Peter at the Languedoc Pages

Montpellier Tram :

Tram line 1 has been extended to near IKEA under the new Geant Hypermarket and shopping centre opened in September. The terminus is called Odysseum, and the old Odysseum station is renamed Place du France.
There have also been suggestions to extend line 1 a little further from Odysseum to create a station & parking on the A9 autoroute and from Mosson West to an interchange with the future Line 3.


Tram line 2 is intended to be extended East from St Jean de Vedas to Fabrègues, Cournonterral et Cournonsec as well as Northwest to Castries.


Tram line 3 will be launched in summer 2012 as Juvignac to Perols and work has started. There is a longer term plan to extend the line from Lattes/Perols to run along the coast (but excluding Palavas) as far as Grande Motte. The colour scheme will use a coral reef theme.



Tram line 4 proposals were published in last year and should run from Yves du Manoir rugby stadium in the south west via Promenade du Peyrou, then continue towards Clapiers .

Georges Frêche has indicated that he would like to see a Line 6 following a route from Castries to Odysseum.


Both Lines 5 & 6 are “future wishes” with no finalised programme agreed.

~~~

Rail :

The revised schedule is now :

2010 (was 2009) Nimes - Montpellier TGV line bypass work starts

2011 Perpignan - Figueres TGV line in service

2015 (was 2011) Figueres - Girona - Barcelona TGV line in service

2014/5 Nimes - Montpellier TGV line rail bypass opens

2020 Montpellier - Perpignan dedicated TGV line in service

2020 Paris – Toulouse

2030 Toulouse - Narbonne


Services from Perpignan to Barcelona via a temporary station on the high speed line at Figueres and then the existing line are planned from summer 2010. This will give a one and half hour journey which is two hours quicker than currently via Portbou and Cerbère.

SNCF have announced that they are considering the closure of the Nimes - Clermont Ferrand rail line for passenger traffic. It was still running as of autumn 2009. More : the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=923


Montpellier road upgrades :

There have been various proposals regarding the A9 around Montpellier including a northern loop (creating a ring road) and duplicating the current southern route. Various other proposals (including rail & canal improvements ) are being considered as alternatives.

During 2009 some of the Montpellier A9 junctions were improved to reduce the congestion in busy periods.


Improvements to the Northern Castries - A75 route continue. The forecast route map is here : www.herault.fr/territoire/pdf/lien.pdf and the forecast completion date to the A750 is 2012 – 2015. More details (in French) : fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_intercantonale_d'évitement_nord .

Note that ongoing decentralisation has made many RN (Routes Nationales) the responsibility of individual departments. Not only has much of the road numbering changed, but many of the now departmental roads have new speed ramps and changed traffic rules in places.


Autoroutes :

The final links from the A75-A9 near Beziers are still under construction.

Additional sections will be opened in Spring 2010

The A750 link will eventually join the A9 near St Jean de Vedas. Current scheduling is for completion end 2011.

There is a plan to widen the A9 between Perpignan et le Perthus before 2015.


Canal :

The Canal du Rhône à Sète (which is part of the Canal du Midi Bordeaux to Rhone route) has been carrying much increased freight traffic in recent years. As part of an effort to reduce road freight traffic, there is a plan to improve the capacity of the canal. Essentially the improvements will allow bigger boats and faster transit time through locks by 2013.

Road :

More fixed radar traps have been installed in the area during 2009. There is a map here : www.radarsfixes.com .


~~~~

Eurotunnel blames Eurostar for delay in tunnel evacuation



PARIS, -- Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, on Friday blamed the high-speed rail service Eurostar for delayed passenger evacuation last weekend.

Evacuation time "was unfortunately extended because the Eurostar teams were in complete violation of the safety procedures," the Paris-based Eurotunnel said in a statement.

"It is clear that the Eurostar teams obviously did not give the right information to passengers."

Due to short circuits caused by melting snow filtered into train engines, five Eurostar trains broke down in the tunnel on Dec. 18 and trapped over 2,000 passengers. Some of them were stuck for 17 hours without water or food.

An investigation has been conducted into the case following two days suspension of the railway operation.

On Monday, Eurostar admitted a communication failure, but stressed Eurotunnel also failed to react timely.

Eurotunnel said Friday denied the charges, saying its teams worked quickly and professionally.


~~~~


Latest on 2010 flights from WoW air correspondent


NIMES
London Luton
Liverpool
Brussels Charleroi BUT all 3 have yet to be 100%confirmed!!!!


CARCASSONNE

10 various destinations BUT all are far from certain for 2010


BEZIERS
4 destinations
Bristol (3)
Luton (3)
Stockholm (2)
Weeze (2)
ALL confirmed


MONTPELLIER

NO bristol flights for Montpellier

Stansted ( still to be confirmed)

Brussels

Leeds

Frankfort

and LGW with easyjet of course



PERPIGNAN

Stansted
Brussels both confirmed

although Bristol and Birmingham NOT LIKELY
Flybe- Southampton plus possibly another TBC
BMIBaby - Manchester



AVIGNON

Exeter 1 weekly in high season
Manchester( 2/3 high season)
Birmingham ( " )
Southampton
all above with Flybe

Leeds with Jet2

~~~~

Beziers now has 4 flights with Ryanair
Bristol
Luton
Stockholm
and Dusseldorf/Weeze



~~~
Montpellier
Lists 5 flights with Ryanair but WoW could not find a Bristol flight - so only 4 seem to be working on the website

Stansted
Brussels
Leeds
Frankfort

Gatwick with easyJet is running all winter - 4 flights a week

~~~
Perpignan seems to have 3 Ryanair flights

Stansted
Brussels
Bristol (but WoW could not find a flight which works on the website - even in May/June)

~~~
Nimes lists 3 Ryanair flights

Brussels
Liverpool
Luton

~~~
CARCASSONE still has the most Ryanair flights with 10 places served

Bournemouth
Brussels
Cork
Dublin
East Midlands
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Leeds
Liverpool
Stansted

~~~

MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT ++ MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT ++ MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT

Starting 26 March - new flight from Leeds Bradford

Other services from
Charleroi/Brussels
Frankfurt-Hanh
A Bristol flight is listed on the Ryanair website but "informed sources" say it is not going to happen.

Montpellier airport suffers from severe comunication loss - the press office seems not to exist!

MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT ++ MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT ++ MONTPELLIER NEW FLIGHT


RYANAIR reported a 15% increase in passenger numbers in October following a 17% increase in September


BEZIERS AIRPORT NEW FLIGHT ++ BEZIERS AIRPORT NEW FLIGHT ++BEZIERS NEW FLIGHT

From 13 April a new flight starts from Beziers to Stockholm


Tuesdays - leave Beziers 10.40 - arrives Stockholm 13.40

Saturdays - leaves Beziers 13.55 - arrives Stockholm 16.55


Stockholm to Beziers

Tuesdays - leaves Stockholm 07.15 - arrives Beziers 10.15

Saturdays - leaves Stockholm 10.30 - arrives Beziers 13.30


This latest flight from Beziers brings to 5 the services now offered
Ryanair to
London Luton
Bristol
Dusseldorf Weeze and now
Stockholm

And the Denmark flight will re-open later in the New Year


BEZIERS AIRPORT growth

Last year 90,000 travellers used the airport - an increase of 18.5% putting the airport on schedule to meet it's 120,000 target by the end of next year.

Developements in the new year, costing €300,000 will allow the contruction of a new departure lounge and also creating a second standing so that 2 aircraft can be dealt with at the same time - a necessity if the airport is to grow in the way envisaged.


Reviewing Ryanair's performance in 2009 Janita Govinden explained that only 2 carriers expanded in Europe during the year -
Ryanair, up by 17% and easyJet by 3%.

On the other hand all other carriers were in negative territory
Lufthansa losing 5%,
Air France/KLM down 6%
and the embattled BA losing 7%
The worse performers were SAS down 17% and Alitalia losing 23%.
She told the press conference that "between 2007 and 2012 Ryanair expect to have doubled their profits and are on track to be carrying 100 million passengers in 2012.

Ryanair now operates 130 international lines to France and 6 domestic flights. The Ryanair commitment to France is reflected in their decision to open in Bordeaux with 4 flights and Corsica with 2 flights.


Air travel insiders told WoW that a new flight from the North of England or from Scotland would be very unlikely next year pointing to the fact that the UK is still in recession and continues to suff from a weak pound.

BEZIERS AIRPORT NEW FLIGHT ++ BEZIERS AIRPORT NEW FLIGHT ++BEZIERS NEW FLIGHT


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lignes Fréquences Horaires (heures locales)

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Düsseldorf
Lun.
Ven.
20.05 – 21.55

Düsseldorf-Béziers Cap d’Agde
Lun.
Ven.
17.40 – 19.40

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Londres Luton
Mar.
Sam.
14.00 – 14.55

Londres Luton – Béziers Cap d’Agde
Mar.
Sam.
10.35 – 13.35

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Bristol
Lun.
Ven.
10.05 – 11.05

Bristol – Béziers Cap d’Agde
Lun.
Ven.
6.40 – 9.40

MORE INFO - www.beziers.aeroport.fr

~~~
FRANCE to resume 'black box' hunt

The third search for the black boxes will begin in February next year
French accident investigators say they will begin a third search for the black boxes of an Air France plane that crashed off the coast of Brazil.

The Airbus A330 crashed in a storm en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on 1 June, killing all 228 people on board.

The head of the French investigation agency, Jean-Paul Troadec, announced the move in Rio de Janeiro after meeting relatives of the dead.

The search of the Atlantic Ocean is not due to begin until February 2010.

The cause of the accident is still unknown although investigators believe the plane's speed sensors had been "a factor" involved in the crash.

Mr Troadec was in Brazil to brief relatives about the current stage of the investigation before a new report into the crash is published in Paris next week.

"We tried to convince the families that we are conducting the investigation with the full intention of getting to the truth," he said.

He said a number of experts - including some from the US Navy and National Transportation Safety Board - would assist in the new search for cockpit audio and data recorders.
Private contractors will also be hired to help.
He said the searches would take place over a three-month span about 1,000km (600 miles) off Brazil's north-east coast.
Investigators will use sonar and robot submarines. However, they say the search will be challenging as ocean depths where the plane went down reach about 7,000m (22,950ft).
Maarten Van Sluys, one of the relatives that Mr Troadec met, said the renewed search was welcome but it was important to remember that 178 bodies had yet to be recovered.
He said: "We have expectations of recovering these remains and giving them a dignified burial."
Mr Troadec said the forthcoming report contained no surprises but would highlight new details, "notably in terms of safety recommendations".
The crash was the worst disaster in the 75-year history of Air France.


~~~


easyJet say "160,000 seats still available on 96 BA routes"

Commenting on the news that BA are set to strike, easyJet today gave advice to passengers looking for alternative flights.

Paul Simmons, easyJet’s UK general manager said:

“We have seen additional bookings over the past 24 hours, and we will do whatever we can to accommodate people’s travel needs over the holiday period. We still have over 160,000 seats available during the period on the routes that we share with BA. However, to put this into context, as we stand the flights are already over 75% full, so people looking to get away should act quickly.”

Top routes and their current availability:

Short Haul European:

easyJet operates from London (Luton, Stansted & Gatwick & Luton) to Nice – limited availability

easyJet operates from London (Luton, Stansted & Gatwick) to Barcelona – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Gatwick, Luton & Stansted) to Malaga – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Luton & Gatwick) to Madrid – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Luton & Gatwick) to Milan – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Gatwick & Stansted) to Munich – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Luton, Gatwick & Stansted) to Geneva – selling fast

easyJet operates from London (Gatwick, Luton & Stansted) to Amsterdam – selling fast

~~~

esayJet - "Help out" during BA strike

Commenting on today’s news, Paul Simmons, easyJet’s UK General Manager, said:
“Don’t take the risk of being disrupted by strike action this festive season. easyJet, the largest British airline, still has availability and low-fares across its network of 28 countries and 485 routes over the Christmas and New Year period - see easyJet.com for details.
For the duration of the disruption, we will offer BA Gold Executive card holders free Speedy Boarding, just show your card at the airport to take advantage of this.”

~~~

East Midlands link to Nice dropped by easyJet
By Craig McGinty

LOW cost airline, easyJet, is to withdraw all its services from East Midlands Airport, bringing to an end its route to Nice.
The airline has said that it will end operations on January 5, 2010, with passengers booked to fly after this date being offered a refund, a transfer to an alternative easyJet flight from another airport or the option to take an alternative flight with bmibaby from East Midlands Airport.

Alongside its route to Nice from East Midlands Airport, easyJet also served Prague, Venice, Faro, Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma and Geneva.

WoW thanks Craig for this info - see his website

www.thisfrenchlife.com/

~~~

NEW TGV line route is finalised

It will go South of both Beziers and Pezenas


Sorry about the picture quality
Broad green and yellow lines are the width of the "corridor" within which the line will be built - depends of local conditions and a full survey

NEW STATIONS

There will need to be a new station for MONTPELLIER - the map suggests it could be close to the airport

New stations are also envisaged near to

BEZIERS - on the airport side but does not appear to be very close

NARBONNE


The South route was chosen
Less damage to patrimone and biodiversity
Less noise polution
Less damage to areas with good quality wine

Fuller info at
www.rff.fr/en/
www.ladecisionderff.fr/decision.html

WoW rail correspondent, Chris Eliott writes

My guess is that as there are still some issues to be decided and these relate in principle to stations etc, they, RFF, prefer to have not made a song and dance about these taking into account the forthcoming regional elections next March

However
RFF have decided to proceed on the following items
Route, they prefer the southern route as is shown in the map on page three of their blog
This is the coastal route and not the inland route
This means that they will now move to choosing a kilometre wide strip for all of their technical and planning issues
However the most important and significant decision is that they are going to go ahead with option A the 300 km per hour TGV mixed freight line
This will mean the construction of some 95 kilometres of additional track to enable the freight trains not to get in the way of the high speed TGVs, so in effect allowing the TGVs to overtake the freight trains.
The contentious decision about new stations has resulted in two new stations, one at Manduel for Nimes and the other at Odysseum for Montpellier International.
Discussions will continue about the need for and the location of stations to serve Béziers and Narbonne.
Meanwhile bids are now being invited for the Nimes to Montpellier diversion line that will come into use in 2015 and will be a combined freight and TGVs line.
The TGV line between Perpignan and Figueras open since February will come into use late in 2011 when ADIF the Spanish Infrastructure Company hands over the TGV line from Barcelona to Figueras, work on this line is now well advanced and progressing well


~~~~

easyJet demands legislation for cleaner aircraft

easyJet, the UK's largest airline, today became the first airline to call for tough, mandatory emission standards for aircraft that would lead to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions from the next generation of aircraft.

Speaking at a press conference in London today, Andy Harrison, easyJet’s Chief Executive said:

“Aviation needs a global solution. Government’s first instinct is to tax, but this won’t deliver sustainable aviation as the industry’s growth is concentrated in China and India. Step change technology is in the pipeline, and we need tough legislation on emission standards for it to be delivered sooner.

Wartime has led to the biggest leaps in aviation technology. Governments must ensure that the war on climate change delivers the next big leap in technology.

We demand legislation for cleaner aircraft to stop the industry flying old, inefficient aircraft. If we get cleaner aircraft and ground the old smokers we can reduce the industry’s overall emissions and tackle climate change head on.

Since most aircraft are manufactured in Europe and America, tough emissions standards at the manufacturing source will deliver the global environmental benefits as these aircraft are exported to the fast growing markets of China and India.

Minimum standards of efficiency are already legislated for aircraft noise, diesel engines, refrigerators and many other products. ICAO and European leaders must extend these minimum standards to aircraft emissions.”

The standards would be introduced in three steps, starting with short-haul aircraft where the current aircraft families, the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families are already over 20 years old. easyJet proposes that:

By 2015 every new aircraft type would have to meet the standard

By 2024 airlines could not add to its fleet any new aircraft that did not meet the standard

By 2030 airlines could not operate aircraft that did not meet the standard

Under easyJet’s proposal, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) should lead the process to ensure global reach and consensus and to establish standards and timescales for other aircraft types. The standards would apply to all developed countries. Governments would have to play an active role in funding research and development.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

easyJet responds to the news that British tourism is showing signs of growth

Commenting on today’s news easyJet’s UK General Manager Paul Simmons, said:

“The weak pound has led to a shift in perception on the continent. The UK is no longer seen as an expensive destination but as good value. There are more seats on low-fares flights to London than to any other European city, which leaves visitors with more money to spend during their stay.”

~~~

TGV ROUTE and plan

DÉCLARATION DES VILLES POUR L’INTERCONNEXION DES RÉSEAUX DE
GRANDE VITESSE ESPAGNOLE ET FRANÇAISE

Narbonne, le 29 Octobre 2009

Réunis à Narbonne à l’invitation de cette ville, nous Maires et représentants des villes de Barcelona, Béziers, Carcassonne, Figueras, Girona, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan, et Toulouse, sommes convenus de la déclaration suivante :

• Nous réitérons les demandes, exigences et engagements formulés dans les déclarations signées conjointement à Barcelone le 16 Octobre 2008 et à Montpellier le 05 Mars 2009 nécessaire à la création d’un espace économique compétitif et innovant tout en concevant un territoire transfrontalier harmonieux et un réseau de villes articulées autour de la grande vitesse.
• Nous nous réjouissons de l’adhésion de la Ville de Carcassonne au Sommet des 9 Villes pour la Grande Vitesse. Cela atteste de la dynamique engagée par le Sommet et de la nécessité de travailler conjointement sur le tronçon Toulouse Narbonne.

• Nous insistons sur l’importance de l’intégration de ce projet dans la dynamique européenne. Dans ce cadre :
o Nous affirmons que l’arc méditerranéen est une priorité, qu’au cours de la présidence espagnole européenne de 2010 l’arc méditerranéen doit être déclaré axe prioritaire dans la TEN-T de l’Union Européenne.
o Nous souhaitons que le maillage de la Grande Vitesse à l’échelle européenne se réalise de manière cohérente et notamment en tenant compte des connexions avec l’Arc Atlantique Bordeaux – Toulouse – Narbonne ainsi que du contournement fret de Perpignan.
o Nous constatons que le débat sur le tronçon Montpellier Perpignan a mis en évidence le besoin d’une participation financière plus importante de l’Union Européenne dans le développement des infrastructures stratégiques européennes.
o Nous appelons le Gouvernement français et Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) à solliciter les financements européens pour les études pré opérationnelles à l’occasion du prochain appel à projet prévu en 2011.
o Nous faisons remarquer que ce maillon manquant Montpellier Perpignan permet d’achever l’interconnexion entre le Nord et le Sud de l’Europe à un coût raisonnable.

• Nous nous réjouissons que les travaux réalisés dans le cadre des Sommets des Villes aient enrichi le Débat Public et nous nous félicitons d’avoir contribué à faire évoluer les pré études fonctionnelles. Nous espérons que les décisions de l’Etat et de RFF suite au débat public permettront de dégager un scénario unique et sans ambiguïté afin de pouvoir enchaîner sans perte de temps sur les études fonctionnelles puis opérationnelles.
• Nous réaffirmons l’ensemble des exigences formulées par notre cahier d’acteurs
o La prise en compte de l’ensemble des services ferroviaires incontournables (TGV, intercités à Grande Vitesse, Train Express Régional (TER) grande vitesse et TER) pour renforcer le réseau des Villes.
o Priorité à la Grande Vitesse voyageurs et à la prise en compte du développement du Fret
o Un scénario complet évolutif permettant à terme d’avoir deux lignes dédiées sur une même plateforme impérativement réalisée au profil Fret.
• Nous exigeons l’accélération des travaux déjà engagés et le lancement dans les plus brefs délais des études techniques et de clientèle et du dossier de Déclaration d’Utilité Publique (DUP).

• Dans la dynamique du débat public le Comité des 9 Villes souhaite continuer à animer les débats au sein de la société civile notamment avec les chambres de commerces et d’industrie, d’agriculture, les syndicats, les associations et l’ensemble des acteurs du monde économique et social.

• Nous souhaitons être associés aux études du grand projet sud ouest dans la liaison Toulouse Narbonne

• Nous demandons aux techniciens de nos collectivités de continuer à travailler ensemble sur les aspects techniques du projet afin de bénéficier d’un éclairage indépendant sur l’avancement des études et des travaux conduits par les maîtres d’ouvrage.

~~~


AEROPORT BEZIERS CAP D’AGDE EN LANGUEDOC -

85% passenger growth

Bilan 2009 satisfaisant,
Poursuite du développement en 2010
L’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde en Languedoc a activement poursuivi sa croissance en 2009 :
tel est le bilan présenté lors de la réunion des élus du Syndicat mixte aujourd’hui à Béziers.
Ainsi, sur le plan du trafic, la plate-forme a enregistré une progression de son trafic de 18,5%
en 2009, malgré la fermeture de la ligne OSP Béziers Paris par Airlinair en février dernier.
Sur le seul secteur low cost, l’aéroport double quasiment le nombre de passagers transportés,
passant de 47000 en 2008 en 87000 en 2009, soit 85% d’augmentation.
Au final le trafic 2009 de l’aéroport atteindra 91000 passagers, toutes lignes confondues.
Ce résultat est notamment obtenu grâce à l’ouverture d’une 3ème ligne Ryanair
Béziers/Düsseldorf Weeze, désormais desservie à l’année, et à la progression des deux lignes existantes Béziers/Bristol et Béziers/Londres Luton, également maintenues cet hiver dans un
contexte économique difficile en Angleterre.

Pour 2010, l’aéroport travaille à l’ouverture de nouvelles liaisons lors du prochain programme
Eté, avec des prévisions de trafic se situant entre 120 000 et 140 000 passagers, marquant une nouvelle étape dans le plan de développement engagé dès 2007.
Concernant les investissements, grâce au potentiel mise en place par les Collectivités
membres du Syndicat mixte, l’aéroport réalisera cet hiver une 2ème salle d’embarquement et l’agrandissement de son espace de contrôle sûreté, rendus nécessaires par le nouveau volume de passagers, pour un montant global de l’ordre de 300 000 €.
Actuel Directeur de l’aéroport, Pascal Pintre a été nommé Directeur du Syndicat mixte aéroportuaire Béziers Cap d’Agde en Languedoc.

~

Lignes Fréquences Horaires (heures locales)

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Düsseldorf
Lun.
Ven.
20.05 – 21.55

Düsseldorf-Béziers Cap d’Agde
Lun.
Ven.
17.40 – 19.40

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Londres Luton
Mar.
Sam.
14.00 – 14.55

Londres Luton – Béziers Cap d’Agde
Mar.
Sam.
10.35 – 13.35

Béziers Cap d’Agde – Bristol
Lun.
Ven.
10.05 – 11.05

Bristol – Béziers Cap d’Agde
Lun.
Ven.
6.40 – 9.40


MORE INFO - www.beziers.aeroport.fr


TGV News from Chris Elliot

TGV line from Montpellier to Perpignan, RFF have confirmed that they will be inviting bids for construction of the TGV diversion line around Nimes and Montpellier in the next few weeks with a planned start due at the end of 2010.

Meanwhile plans for the route between Perpignan and Montpellier are expected to be published by Christmas

~~~


WINTER FLIGHTS FROM BEZIERS CAP'AGDE

PROGRAMME HIVER 2009/2010
Prolongement de la ligne Béziers/Düsseldorf Weeze
Pour célébrer, Ryanair offre 1 million de sièges
GRATUITS* Sans taxes, ni charges
Le Syndicat mixte de l’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde et Ryanair, compagnie la plus populaire d’Europe, annonce conjointement le programme Hiver 2009/2010 de l’aéroport Béziers Cap
d’Agde.
Ainsi, la nouvelle ligne entre Béziers et Düsseldorf Weeze en Allemagne, ouverte au printemps dernier pour la saison d’été, est étendue à la saison hiver et bénéficie désormais d’une desserte toute
l’année. Cette décision a été prise au regard des très bons résultats obtenus cet été, soit près de 82% de remplissage sur l’ensemble de la saison. La ligne doit enregistrer sur l’année un trafic de près de
40 000 passagers.
Concernant l’Angleterre, les lignes Béziers/Londres Luton et Béziers/Bristol sont également desservies cet hiver, bénéficiant d’ores et déjà d’une desserte tout au long de l’année. Dans un
environnement économique difficile, elles ont également continué de progresser cet été, avec respectivement 76% et 73% de coefficient de remplissage.
Pour Janita Govinden, responsable des ventes et du marketing pour la France : « Ryanair continue activement ses opérations et sa progression sur l’aéroport Béziers Cap d’Agde en Languedoc. Pour combattre la récession et pour permettre aux passagers de voyager, nous
continuons de pratiquer les prix les plus bas et la garantie d’aucune surcharge carburant. Dans un contexte difficile, Ryanair continue de croître et d’étendre son réseau. »
Pour Daniel Galy, Président du syndicat mixte de l’aéroport de Béziers Cap d’Agde :
« Nous disposons désormais de 3 lignes à l’année avec Ryanair et ceci est une excellente nouvelle
pour le tourisme et l’économie de notre territoire. L’aéroport continue de progresser dans un contexte économique difficile et les partenaires du syndicat mixte ne peuvent que s’en féliciter, dans
l’attente de nouvelles ouvertures de lignes pour le printemps prochain. »
Ryanair est la compagnie la plus populaire au monde avec 36 bases et plus de 950 lignes low-cost desservies dans 26 pays sur 151 destinations. D’ici la fin septembre 2009, la compagnie gèrera une
flotte de 202 nouveaux Boeing 737-800 et a passé une commande ferme de 110 nouveaux appareils,
qui seront livrés aux cours des deux ans et demi à venir. Ryanair emploie actuellement plus de 7000 personnes et prévoit de transporter 66 millions de passagers sur ses vols réguliers en Europe durant
cette année financière.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


LD Lines annouce fleet switch on Channel crossings

By Craig McGinty
Courtesy of www.thisfrenchlife.com
FERRY firm LD Lines is to make changes to the deployment of its fleet over the coming months and into 2010.

The company has said that from early November 2009 the Norman Spirit will transfer from its current Western Channel Portsmouth to Le Havre route to start operations on the Dover to Boulogne service, offering increased freight and tourist traffic capacity.

Norman Spirit will operate four return sailings daily between Dover and Boulogne and provide a crossing time of one hour 45 minutes.

The ship has capacity for 1850 passengers, 700 cars, 110 freight vehicles and the service will also carry coaches and foot passengers.

However, the change will see the re-deployment of the high speed catamaran Norman Arrow, which began operating across the Dover Straits in June 2009, on to the Portsmouth to Le Havre route, where she will begin a six month seasonal operation from Easter to September 2010.

The Norman Arrow will considerably reduce crossing times between Portsmouth and Le Havre to three hours 15 minutes compared to conventional ferry crossing times of five hours 30 minutes (day sailings) and eight hours (night sailings).

It will operate alongside the year-round conventional ferry Cote d'Albatre.

~~~


WoW is grateful to Jon from Lunel for putting together key airports

Travel
Lunel is between two airports: Nîmes and Montpellier, both less than an hour away, and Béziers and Avignon less than 2 hours; several other airports in the south are within a few hours' drive.

Links to airports in the south of France:

Airport Flights to places in the UK
Nice Many UK airports
Marseille 7 low-cost destinations
Avignon Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds, Southampton
Nîmes Liverpool, Luton
Montpellier Bristol, Gatwick, Stansted
Béziers Bristol, Luton
Carcassonne Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Nottingham, Stansted
Girona 7 UK destinations

It is also on the A9 Autoroute and has its own station on SNCF with connections to TGV.

Plus Frogbus links to Perpignan - but not all year

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


EASYJET and carbon emmissions

Andy Harrison, CEO of easyJet, commented on the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendations:
“Technology is the key to cutting aviation emissions. The next generation of aircraft, which are under development, will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50%.
“We need to have measures which encourage airlines to fly modern, fuel-efficient aircraft and pressure manufacturers to bring forward the development of the next generation of aircraft. The EU should set tough minimum emissions standards for aircraft just as it does for cars and light bulbs. The UK government should change air passenger duty, a blunt revenue raising tax that exempts the most polluting flights such as cargo and private jets into an emissions tax.”

~~~

RYANAIR’S TRAFFIC GROWS 19% IN AUGUST TO A NEW MONTHLY RECORD OF 6.88M

Passengers 2008 5.78M -= 2009 6.88M +19% = 12 month total of 62.4M



BEZIERS AIRPORT - car park charges (levied for 2 reasons -
a) some cars were left parked at the airport for weeks - blocking spaces
b) new parking has been created and as the airport continues to grow - even more will be needed.

~~~

PARKING Simplified tarif

0-30 mins free

30 mins - 1 hour - €2.50

1 - 4 hours - €5.00

12 - 24 hours - €9

7 days - €38

28 days - €87

3 month abonnement €150

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





NEW FLIGHT from Edinburgh to Girona - starts 3 November - not exactly close but at least an improvement for a lot of Scots

www.ryanair.com

So at the moment Glasgow & Edinburgh both have flights to Girona and Marseille. And there is a Carcassonne flight from Edinburgh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A cautionary tale from todays Independent

Tourist imprisoned in French town hall

By John Lichfield in Paris INDEPENDENT

A young British woman was locked in the town hall of a small French town overnight after mistaking the "hôtel de ville" for a "hotel".

The tourist, in her early 30s, posted a rescue message on the inside of the glass door of the hotel de ville (town hall) but no one spotted it until the next morning. The woman, who has not been named, spent the night in the building's entrance hall. The mayor of Dannemarie in lower Alsace, Paul Rumbach, said the woman had assumed the hotel de ville was a hotel. She entered on Friday night and used the toilet before asking if there was a room. Meanwhile, committee members left the building and locked the front door.

"They thought they heard a noise in the toilets but didn't think much of it," the mayor said. The British tourist tried switching the town hall lights on and off to attract a rescue but no one in the town of 2,500 people noticed. She glued a message, in not quite grammatical French, on the window of the outer door: "22.08.2009. Je suis fermer ici. Est ce possible la porte en ouvrir?" (I am locked here. Is it possible the door to open?")

The young woman was liberated by the mayor at 9am on Saturday after a local chemist noticed the message. M. Rumbach said he might place English and German translations of the sign "Hôtel de Ville" on the front of the town hall (or Rathaus).

~~~~~~~~~~~~



Ryanair’s Traffic Grows 19% in July

Ryanair, has announced its passenger traffic grew by 19% in July to 6.7m passengers, which is a new monthly traffic record for Europe’s largest low fares airline.
Ryanair’s continued growth underlines that passengers during this recession are increasingly switching from high fare, fuel surcharging flag carriers, such as Air France, BA, Lufthansa and Aer Lingus who are losing passengers to Ryanair’s lowest fares and no fuel surcharge guarantee.

The following are Ryanair’s traffic and load factor stats for July 2009.

Passengers numbers increased from 5.66M to 6.73M in July a growth of 19% bringing the total passengers carried in the last 12 months to 61.3M

Ryanair’s Daniel de Carvalho said:

“Ryanair carried 19% more passengers this July than last year and Ryanair now carries almost three times BA’s worldwide recent traffic which clearly makes Ryanair “the world’s favourite airline”.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Ryanair Announces 34th Base at Leeds Bradford

2 aircraft, 17 routes and 1M passengers p.a.

Ryanair, the World’s favourite airline, has announced it will open its 34th base at Leeds Bradford in March 2010 with two based aircraft and 14 new routes (17 in total) being launched. Ryanair will offer 63 weekly return flights to/from Leeds Bradford in an investment worth over $140 million in the airport.

Ryanair’s new routes from Leeds Bradford to CARCASSONNE, MONTPELLIER, Faro, Ibiza, Knock, Krakow, Limoges, Malaga, Malta, Murcia, Nantes, Palma, Pisa and Venice Treviso will increase Ryanair’s traffic at Leeds Bradford to 1 million passengers p.a. which will create and sustain 1,000 well paid local jobs in Yorkshire.

Ryanair celebrated its new Leeds Bradford base, two new aircraft, 17 routes and 1million passengers by releasing 1 million £5 seats for travel across its European network for travel in October and November which are available for booking on www.ryanair.com until midnight Thursday (13th August).

In Leeds Bradford today, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“Ryanair is delighted to announce Leeds Bradford as our 34th base and our 11th UK base airport. These 14 new routes from Leeds Bradford go on sale tomorrow. With a total of 17 low fare routes from Leeds Bradford next summer passengers can beat the recession by choosing Ryanair’s guaranteed lowest fares and no fuel surcharges to 17 exciting destinations all over Europe including France, Italy and Spain among others. Ryanair’s 1 million passengers will create and sustain 1,000 jobs locally at Leeds Bradford Airport.”

3 Existing Routes From
Alicante £5 Barcelona (Girona) £5 Dublin £5

14 New Routes From New Routes Cont From

CARCASSONE MONTPELLIER £10

Ibiza £10 Murcia £10 Knock £10 Nantes £10
Krakow £10 Palma £10 Limoges £10 Pisa £10
Malaga £10 Venice Treviso £10
Malta £10 Faro £10


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WoW notices the Ryanair sense of humour when reporting hostility to BALPA - British Air Line Pilots Association - renamed by Ryanair as the British Airline LUNCHING Pilots Association.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

WoW is partnered with some very helpful sites for the area;-

www.languedocliving.com - comprensive and easy to use

www.languedocsun.com - the local regional magazine in English

www.creme-de-languedoc.com - comprehensive info - easy to use

www.the-languedoc-page.com - huge content about pretty well everything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leading estate agents in the Languedoc Herault area - WoW recommended

www.realestatelanguedoc.com/uk.shtml - mainly villages around Pezenas

www.finefrenchhomes.com - more around Beziers

And if you would like personal house finding service and no wasted visits - contact Patrick via his website - www.primelanguedoc.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#
How to get here by plane

www.bezierscapdagde.com

www.montpellierairport.net

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Other sites designed to help

www.midi-france.info

www.thisfrenchlife.com

www.languedoc-roussillon.eu.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Bad weather boosts Ryanair’s seat sales but price cutting expected to hit profits
Ryanair will pay the price for its aggressive price war with lower than expected profits despite a recent surge in flight sales brought about by the recent poor weather.
The rain across much of Northern Europe in the past two weeks has encouraged people to book late holidays, the budget carrier said yesterday.
Michael O’Leary, the chief executive, said: “We have seen a surge in the last week or so because people have been encouraged to go abroad for their holiday rather than staying in monsoon countries like Ireland and the UK.”
However, Ryanair gave warning that its strategy of aggressively cutting fares to increase traffic would put a significant dent in its full-year profits. Ryanair said it expected its full-year profits to be at the lower end of the €200 million to €300 million range previously given.
Investors took fright and Ryanair’s Dublin-listed shares fell 9.4 per cent to €3.048. Shares in British Airways and easyJet also dropped, both down nearly 3 per cent.
Ryanair said that it had cut fares by an average of 13 per cent in the first quarter, which had resulted in an 11 per cent increase in passenger numbers to 16.6 million. The airline is on track to carry 67 million people this year — more than any other European airline — and its ambition is to carry 100 million by 2012.
However, the airline’s price war has reduced the yield, or profit, Ryanair earns on each seat. The carrier said that yields in the second quarter could be more than 20 per cent below last year’s level but it believes that the gains in market share will make up for the lower earnings. Mr O’Leary said: “The winners in a deep recession will always be those companies like Aldi, Lidl, McDonald’s and Ryanair who offer the lowest prices and the best service to consumers. We will continue to expand as others fail. We will also continue to drive down costs and pass these on in lower fares right across Europe for the benefit of each of our passengers”.
Ryanair also reported yesterday that its net profits in the first three months of this financial year had increased 550 per cent to €136.5 million (£118 million). The surge in profits was attributed to a 42 per cent drop in fuel prices to €214 million. The budget airline’s figures for the previous year had been badly affected as oil surged to $147 a barrel.
The carrier is 90 per cent hedged for this year and 60 per cent hedged in the first quarter next year, which should deliver huge savings if fuel costs stay near or above current levels.
Ryanair said last week that it would cut the number of aircraft it has based at Stansted from 40 to 24 this winter because of high UK air taxes. The carrier is also expected to make similar cuts at its Dublin base.
From the TIMES

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Budget airline Ryanair has announced a reduction in its services at Stansted Airport, blaming higher charges.

Ryanair will reduce the number of aircraft it runs at the airport by 40% in its winter schedule, and will cut the number of flights by 30%, it said.

But it will operate only four fewer planes than it did last winter.

The company said that Stansted was one of its most expensive bases, and added that an increase in air passenger duty tax was also a factor in its decision.

The airline operated 40 aircraft from Stansted in the summer, but said this would fall to 24 this winter.

Last winter, Ryanair also cut its Stansted fleet to 28 planes from 36 in the summer.

Stansted Airport's managing director, Stewart Wingate, said: "It is common practice for [Ryanair] to reduce frequency to various destinations during the winter season as they have done in previous years.
"However, it should be noted that Ryanair recently announced it will launch a new service to Oslo from Stansted this October."
Ryanair said it would switch the 16 aircraft it was withdrawing from Stansted to other European bases. It expects to carry 2.5 million fewer passengers between October and March as a result of the latest move.
Ryanair also confirmed it had been in talks with European safety regulators about proposals to allow passengers to stand on its flights.

Tourist tax
In November, air passenger duty will increase from £10 to £11.
Ryanair said it had written to the prime minister, asking him to scrap "this damaging tourist tax", adding that several other European governments had done so in recent months.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said UK traffic and tourism was collapsing, although Ryanair continued to "grow traffic rapidly in those countries which welcome tourists instead of taxing them".
"Ryanair's 40% capacity cutback at London Stansted shows just how much Gordon Brown's £10 tourist tax and the BAA monopoly's high airport charges are damaging London and UK tourism and the British economy generally," he added.
Mr O'Leary added that Britain's airports would see 10 million fewer passengers this year.

~~~~


TRAIN LINES - Beziers to Paris the slow way

Rambling on might the best description for the railway line Béziers Neussargues Clermont Ferrand and Paris.

It is probably best attributed to the debate on this controversial railway line

One thing is clear, due to the neglect by SNCF and now their infrastructure partner RFF, it takes a third of the time to drive long the toll free A75 motorway from Clermont Ferrand than to take the train

The railway line has been neglected for almost a century equipped with rails that were laid in 1934 it is supposed to compete with a motorway built during the last decade or so.

However it is more a question of the accountant's theory of diminishing returns equal reduced service, poor old Beeching.

However, and there is an however, it is not our region of Languedoc Roussillon which is taking dramatic action but our neighbours, The regions of Midi Pyrenées, Auvergne and Centre.

The region Midi Pyrenees has arranged a loan of 1.2 billion Euros to rip up all of its cross-country, commuter and major connecting routes to replace their entire track with equipment best suited for 21st century.
It has told SNCF that enough is enough of this neglect.

So behind the scenes and in the rolling countryside of the Tarn, and the departments of Aveyron, Lozère and Cantal the railway is being reborn.

As a result of this massive mobilisation of engineering services, a new efficient and very regular TER service will be on offer to the travellers of Toulouse, Albi, Rodez, Montauban and their conurbations.
Even the line up to Andorra, La tour en Carol has been rebuilt.
It is not just a matter of consigning the rail to the museum or scrap yard, but a need to revitalise the electricity substations, signalling and all that goes with a 21st century railway.
The last section of the Midi Pyrenees network to be rebuilt will be from Rodez to Severac le Chateau and Millau
Also being totally rebuilt is the line south from Clermont Ferrand with plan to electrify far as Issoire
The region of Auvergne is rebuilding the line between Arvant and Figeac and Capdenac
Whether Languedoc Roussillon likes it or not, certain stretches of the line from Béziers are being rebuilt by other regions.
Just to show just how worn out is the installation, was that a high powered class 6500 electric locomotive now in preservation was allowed up the line from Béziers on the 16th May, despite the fact that electrical sub-station at Roquefort had failed.
SNCF president’s Guillaume Pepys reassured M Raymond Couderc Senateur Maire of Béziers that the line will not be closed and the present debate on the TGV line from Montpellier to Perpignan includes a provision for a regular commuter service from Béziers to Bédarieux
It may seem like snails’ progress, but is going to happen, despite what the doom mongers might say.

Chris Elliott


STEAM TRAIN - if you like the smell and noise of the past there is a steam train in Gard - Les Cevennes
More info 04 66 60 59 01 or www.trainavapeur.com



Ryanair poll



For a free flight - would you stand?

Ryanair, "the World’s favourite airline", has launched an online poll to ask if passengers would ‘stand’ on short flights if it meant they could travel for FREE, or pay 50% less than seated passengers.

Ryanair is gauging passenger demand for its ‘vertical seating’ which will allow passengers to travel – for free – in a secure upright position on short flights of approximately one hour.

Enter the poll now » @ www.ryanair.com

Ryanair’s corporate song – I’m still standing »


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pezenas new one way system




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now Ryanair wants passengers to STAND UP during flights
Mail on Line

No frills: Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary wants passengers to stand during the budget airline's flights
Ryanair wants passengers to stand during its flights so the budget airline can squeeze more people onboard.
The Irish air carrier plans to cut costs by making fliers perch on stools with seatbelts around their waists.
Chief executive Michael O'Leary has already held talks with US plane manufacturer Boeing about designing an aircraft with standing room.
Should the idea get the go-ahead from the Irish Aviation Authority, the airline plans to either order new jets or refurbish its existing fleet.
Ryanair estimates it would be able to pack in 30 per cent more passengers while slashing costs by 20 per cent.
Spokesman Stephen McNamara said: 'It would be vertical seating more akin to a stool and the person would still be strapped in.
'The seating would completely adhere to safety procedures.
'It's really early days but we're looking at a 20 to 30 per cent increase in passengers on commuter routes.'
Passengers would be charged less if the scheme, inspired by similar plans recently put forward by Chinese airline Spring, is approved.
It is the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures put forward by Ryanair.

WoW comment – are any of the cost cutting plans ever going to happen or is this a clever way of staying in the news?



AIRLINE NEWS/BEZIERS FLIGHTS THIS WINTER

Informed sources close to Beziers airport tell WoW that the airport has safeguarded the Luton and Bristol flights for this coming winter.

At the moment the schedule looks like;-

LUTON – Saturday and Tuesday
BRISTOL Monday and Friday

Many other airports, further north, WoW is told, may struggle to keep a winter service running this winter as Ryanair plans to ground a fair number of planes – caused by the ailing pound and the depth of the UK recession

AEROPORT BEZIERS CAP D’AGDE

Béziers/Dusseldorf Weeze,
Le premier vol de Düsseldorf est attendu dimanche 5 juillet à 13h10 avec 173 passagers.
112 passagers sont prévus pour le vol retour à 13h35.
Fréquences et horaires des vols Düsseldorf Weeze / Béziers à partir du 5 juillet :
Dimanche & Mercredi
Düsseldorf Weeze/Béziers 11.10 / 13.10 (local time) 11.10 / 13.10 (local time)
Béziers/Dusseldorf Weeze 13.35 / 15.35 (local time) 13.35 / 15.35 (local time)



BEZIERS AIRPORT - parking

Charges for car parking start on the 13th of the month – for 2 reasons –

one for sure is revenue as they have greatly increased the parking spaces to improve access for travellers.

- the other - too many cars have been left for a week or more blocking up the limited space. Leaving desperate passengers with no-where to park

Don’t even think about parking alongside the rail track as robust wooden posts are being installed now.

Pascal Pintre, the airport director says “we had to charge but we offer the cheapest airport parking in the region”


NEW PARTNERSHIP for WoW – working with Beziers Cap D’Agde airport and Radio Pays Herault to support Anglophone information to visitors on the Web and on Radio – more to follow





SNCF - news from Peter

In Clermont l'Herault SNCF still has a booking office - which as they have no trains is remarkably un-busy, so the staff have time to be helpful and have found us special offers, saving on the more obvious choices.
PS and the Tourist Office has also now moved in there - much easier to get to than the old and cramped office in town - just by the big parking on the South side of the town

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Some winter flight timetables - now bookable online :



Ryanair-

Bezier-Bristol Fri/Mon
Bezier-Luton Sat/Tue
Perpignan-Charleroi Fri/Mon
Carcassonne-Charleroi Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed
Carcassonne-Dublin Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed
Carcassonne-Liverpool Sun/Wed
Carcassonne-Stansted Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed
Nimes-Charleroi Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed
Nimes-Luton Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed
Montpellier-Charleroi Thu/Sat/Tue
Montpellier- Frankfurt Hahn Sun/Wed
Marseille-Charleroi Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Marseille-Gatwick Daily
Marseille-Stansted Daily
Girona-Birmingham Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Girona-Bournemouth Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Girona-Bristol Wed/Fri/Sun
Girona-Charleroi Daily
Girona-Dublin Daily
Girona-Dusseldorf-Weeze Daily
Girona-EMA Tue/Thu/Sat
Girona-Frankfurt Hahn Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun
Girona-Prestwick Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Girona-Leeds-Bradford Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Girona-Liverpool Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon
Girona-Gatwick Daily
Girona-Luton Daily
Girona-Stansted Daily
Girona-Manchester Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun
Girona-Shannon Wed/Sun

From Peter of www.the-languedoc-page.com

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Craig McGinty www.thisfrenchlife.com/
THE FrogBus service based out of Perpignan has announced it will offer a bus link between the town and Barcelona Airport over the summer months.
The daily service will operate between July 11 and August 30, 2009, and depart from Perpignan train station, stop at Le Boulou and arrive at Barcelona Airport, with a journey time of approximately three hours.
Tickets must be bought online before 5pm the day prior to travel as it will not be possible to purchase last minute tickets on the bus.
FrogBus started last summer offering a service between Perpignan and the Spanish airport of Girona, and enables people to book tickets online.

Info www.frogbus.com

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BEZIERS AIRPORT – more parking and improved facilities


The board set a budget at € 3.9m for developments this year.

Planned spending will provide

- 2nd standing for aircraft type B - 737 800,

- expansion of car parking,

- Buying a 2nd fire tender.

- Buying 34 hectares of land for development

Airport Director Pascal Pintre told WoW “we forecast traffic will grow to 100 000 this year”
The new “Syndicat Mixte” which has succeeded the CCI as the airports owner, will fund a development plan and targets 230 000 passengers by 2012 with an estimated benefit to the area of about € 100 million per year.
The airport, which employs a staff of 35, was owned buy the Beziers CCI (Chamber of Comerce and Industry) which made the brave decision to spend over € 9 million making the new runway to accomadate the larger jets used by Ryanair and other low cost carriers.
Creating the “mixte syndicat” has helped share both the development costs and the debt burden so the airport has the finance to improve the areas income with greater tourist and visitor spending


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PETROL NEWS

. SP95 - E10

This is a new fuel being progressively introduced this year. It is 95 octane lead free petrol with 10% added ethanol (so called bio fuel produced from agricultural crops).

Highly tuned and older vehicles may not be compatible with the new fuel. The ethanol can be corrosive to hoses, seals, etc. in older vehicles, apparently.

Which vehicles can use it ?

Approximately 60% of current vehicles on the road comply with the new fuel requirements. A quick check shows all Saabs from 1/1/1979 and most Renaults from 1/1/2000 are compliant. Look up your vehicle here, or check list below.
Courtesy of the Languedoc Pages


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SNCF takes good care of you even if...........!

A trackside fire caused long delays to all services from Narbonne to Béziers last Thursday the 11th June
An occurrence which is not that rare, does mean that if the signalling is affected, all trains come to an abrupt stop and can only proceed when either the cabling is repaired or each train is hand signalled through the affected section of line at speeds of no more than 20 km an hour.
Last Thursday this fire occurred mid afternoon causing several trains to be held in Narbonne, so what! you might think, the only problem with that is that trains kept arriving in Narbonne until there were problems trying to find a platform for them to take them.
Late afternoon is a very busy time for Narbonne, with a series of TGVs, a DB overnight car sleeper plus all of the local Languedoc Roussillon TERs.
Still despite a hour and fifty minute delay arrival in Béziers, our writer and fellow passenger was provided with a taxi to take him home to Magalas having missed the two evening trains towards Bédarieux
This incident only goes to underline the vulnerability of what is the main artery along the Mediterranean coast to and from Spain in one direction and to and from Bordeaux and Toulouse in another.
This vulnerability was given as evidence in the recent public debate on the new TGV line from Montpellier to Perpignan

Chris Elliott- WoW train editor and author of the book ‘The Lost Railway Lines of l’Hérault’

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EasyJet report a 6.3% increase in travellers this April compared with 2008. Load factors also up - from 80% last April to 84.2% this April.

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BEZIERS AIRPORT ++ BEZIERS AIRPORT ++ BEZIERS AIRPORT ++ BEZIERS AIRPOR


DANEMARK flights start at the end of this month


SATURDAY flights start 30 May and continue until 24 October

SUNDAY flights start 28 June and run through until 25 October

Links to Copenhagen and Aarhus but flight is from Odense

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RYANAIR – plan to remove loos from planes
Charging £1 for loo use (go before you take off says O’Leary – the flights don’t last more than 1.5 hours) – will mean 2 loos will be taken out of the plane leaving room for 6 more seats.



Beziers Airport – changes in ownership
The airport and all its facilities have been sold to a syndicate of local authorities and the Beziers Chamber of commerce – the syndicate which will now manage the airport - for € 8.9 million.

This new ownership/management structure, has set out it’s goals:
to reach the 230 000 passengers a year by 2012
to create and benefit from the € 100 million economic impact created by the increased traffic each year.

The new consortium plans to strangthen and diversify activity at the airport including new businesses related to maintenance, management, and cargo.

The new group has already acquired 34 hectares of land for economic development.

The financial breakdown of the new partnership is ;-
32,168% for CCI,
32,166% for Béziers Méditerranée,
32,166% for Herault Mediterranee
and 3.5% for Domitian.

The annual budget of the airport is 5 M €

The CCI Beziers spearheaded the airport development 3 years ago when it invested €9.1 million in the new runway capable of receiving the larger planes used by the Lo cost companies




There is no truth in a rumour circulating about the future of Beziers airport - a future safeguarded by this new consortium.

Luton and London flights are running now and the Dusseldorf flight starts on July 5th.

Ryanair - DUSSELDORF - BEZIERS

Wednesday and Sunday from 5 July

Beziers - Dusseldorf 13.35 - 15.35

Dusseldorf - Beziers 11.10 - 13.10

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AND FROM "sources close to Beziers airport" - a comment, when WoW suggested perhaps more routes would have been good said.....

"Hey 3 destinations in First year can't be bad (4 if you count the Stansted short season)
Bristol all year
Luton all year
and now Dusseldorf

Carcassonne may have 8 routes but that has taken them 11 years!!!!!!!!!!!!
Montpellier has now 4 but that has taken 7 years

"So BZR is looking pretty cool" he said and added "Other companies WILL follow"

Good to set the record straight! Thanks!

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High speed link between Dover and Boulogne
By Craig McGinty - from www.thisfrenchlife,com


FERRY firm LD Lines has announced it will operate the largest ever fast ferry service between Dover and Boulogne.

The 11,000 tonnes catamaran will came into operation in May, and can reach a speed of around 40 knots providing capacity for up to 417 cars, or a mixture of trucks and cars, with space for 1,200 passengers.

The fast ferry will operate up to four return sailings daily between Dover and Boulogne with a crossing time of one hour.

It will depart Dover at 4.15am, 7.45am, 12.30pm and 7pm and from Boulogne at 7am, 10.45am, 5pm and 10.30pm.

Two return sailings daily to Boulogne and one to Dieppe (Monday – Friday) will continue to be operated by LD Lines' conventional ferry, with a crossing time of one hour 45 minutes.

Dover to Boulogne fares start from £24 one way and short break day returns from £28 for a car and four passengers.


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EASYJET - MORE TRAVELLERS

In its latest set of figures EasyJet report

Passenger number up 6.3% - year on year - in April

Load factors also up from 80% to 84.2% in an April to April comparison

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MONTPELLIER AIRPORT bucks trend as numbers increase slightly

Montpellier airport:reports + 0.7% of traffic for the first 3 months of the year.
Last year the airport recorded 1 254 881 passengers, an increase (excluding Paris Orly) of + 2.2% and witnessed the opening of 5 new routes (Madrid, Amsterdam, London Gatwick, Brussels and Ajaccio).
Ed note – Gatwick flight not new – just BA sold out to EasyJet

The increase of 0.7%, seems low, said airport officials, but of the top 10 French airports - Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Nantes, Lille and Strasbourg, Montpellier is the only positive for this first quarter of this year..

Line by line
Air France -7.61%
Ryanair -3.76%

BUT some lines increased

EasyJet + 20.76%.
Transavia + 55.5%,
Air Nostrum + 23.3%
Air Algérie + 23.2%.

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RYANAIR NEWS
3 cheers for Ryanair!



A forgetful reader left his hat on the plane when making the usual fruitless "racing start" to get to the Perpignan terminal first.
A Ryanair hostess rushed after him and re-united hat and man.

That's worth 3 cheers for sure!

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Online check-in confirmed by Ryanair
RYANAIR has confirmed that from October 1 this year, all passengers will have to check-in through the airline's website.

The airline says it will mean a reduction in queues, and for those people travelling without baggage for the hold can proceed direct to security.

Passengers who have hold luggage will be asked to leave their items at a drop-off point.

Check-in will be available between 15 days and four hours before the scheduled departure time of flights, and passengers will be required to print off their boarding cards.

Ryanair will phase in the introduction of its 100 per cent web check-in as follows:

Phase 1: From March 19, Ryanair’s web check-in service was extended to (a) non EU/EEA citizens, (b) passengers travelling with checked baggage and (c) reduced mobility customers.
Customers choosing web check-in and travelling with only carry-on bags will continue to enjoy this service free of charge.

A web check-in fee of £5/€5 per person/per flight will apply to passengers travelling with checked baggage, while customers who wish to use airport check-in will be charged an airport check-in fee of £10/€10 per person/per flight at the time of booking.

Phase 2: From May 1, all new bookings will be required to use web check-in, and the use of traditional airport check-in desks will be phased out over the summer months.
The web check-in fee of £5/€5 per person, per flight will apply to all new bookings (except promotional fares) from May 1.
In order to dissuade passengers from using airport check-in desks, the fee for airport check-in will double to £20/€20 per person/per flight at the time of booking.

Phase 3: From October 1, airport check-in desks will no longer be available at any Ryanair airport.
All passengers will be required to web check-in and those who have checked in bags will use the airport 'bag drop' desks, if required.
From this date, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to travel unaccompanied and passports and national ID cards will be the only accepted forms of photo ID on Ryanair flights.


French motorists finally lose regional differences
A subtle, but controversial revolution begins on French roads this month. The familiar French number plate, ending in the two digits of the vehicle's département or county, will gradually be replaced by an anonymous, nationwide numbering system. The change has been stoutly resisted in almost all départements save one – Paris....


• TOURISM: Crisis-stricken foreign tourists turn their back on France
France’s tourism industry is suffering from the fallout of the financial crisis. Foreign visitors were down 20% from last year in February, and a steeper fall is expected in March.
Crisis-stricken British, US and Chinese – and even Russian – tourists are few and far between in the streets of Paris and in the French Riviera this year, France’s national statistics office said on Friday.
The total number of nights spent in hotels slipped 10.7% in February compared to a year earlier, counting both French and Foreign tourists.
“It’s the steepest decline since the beginning of the crisis in 2008. Early results say the fall will be sharper in March,” said Brigitte Doguet, the author of the report.
The crisis is expected to dampen France’s tourism ambitions these coming years. In 2008, Luc Chatel, then tourism minister, had set a growth target of 2.8% per year until 2015. It was hoped France, the world's premier tourist destination, would attract some 100,000,000 visitors in 2015.

France to Lower Tax to Entice Diners
PARIS —
The French government offered some good news for tourists and beleaguered consumers in France: The price of dining out will fall - but it appears to be only for set menues.

CREDIT CARD SCAM

This scam is pretty slick since they provide you with all the information, except the one piece they want.
The callers do not ask for your card number. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.
It works like this:
Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify, this would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company based in London ?"
When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497, just under the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.
Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?" You say "yes".
The caller continues - "I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"
Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works: the caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card." He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers." There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card.
The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.
You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. But after we were called we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card.
We then made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card.” Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam.
This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening .
Please pass this on to all your family and friends.


Masonic Lodge in English!
Formed to mark the "Entente Cordiale"
The Lodge is King Edward Lodge No.1521 under the Constitution of the Grand Loge National Francaise. The Lodge, by special dispensation, conducts meetings in English. Ritual Emulation. Meets 4 times a year. March, April, September and November, at "The Philadelphes Masonic Temple", Domaine du Grand Boutes, Chemin de Boutes(cc121) NARBONNE.
Meets Saturdays at 10.00am. Lunch at 12.30 pm.
Info Secretary - W.Bro.C.O'Grady,(who is English) Tel: 05 61 97 60 14
or info@aubergefrancais.com

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3 stars for MONTPELLIER – Michelins latest famous Green Guide (2009) has awarded the city top marks. It joins 34 other special towns in a list which includes Paris, Honfleur and Nimes. It is the only town in Herault with the maximum stars and joins Carcassonne with Nimes in the local area. Each town has to pass 9 quality standards. This award is seen as a reward for the hard work in developing the town over the last 30 years


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HEALTH MATTERS on the move in Europe
Most people know – or do they – that once in the CPAM medical system in France one needs, what used to be called an E 111, even to travel back to the UK.
Not a bad piece of card to carry – for it is no longer an E111 but a neat credit sized card – if you stray over the Spanish border looking for cheaper fuel/tiles/booze etc etc or indeed where-ever you go in Europe, and that includes Switzerland, it is a good idea to carry one for emergency medical treatment.
It is remarkably easy to get one on line by going to
vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F213.xhtml
The part you want is the 3 panel down on the right headed Démarches en ligne.
So long as you have your carte vitale at hand it takes seconds to apply and it will be posted to you within 15 days and is FREE.
Not really worth taking the risk when it is so easy, is it?

Card works in:-
Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Bulgarie, Chypre, Danemark, Espagne, Estonie, Finlande, France, Grèce, Hongrie, Irlande, Italie, Lettonie, Lituanie, Luxembourg, Malte, Pays-Bas, Pologne, Portugal, République tchèque, Roumanie, Royaume-Uni, Slovaquie, Slovénie et Suède.
And in the members of EEE – l'Islande, le Liechtenstein, la Norvège.
PS – it doesnt work for everyone – because I am a journo I have a much more complicated route to follow – but this might work for you.

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CUT PRICE RAIL TRAVEL FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN

The minister of labour, social relations, family, solidarity and the city and the Secretary of State for the family yesterday presented a paper to offer cut price travel.
Families with one or two children under the age of 18 whose annual income is less than or equal to the maximum allocation of school (ARS) or € 22 321 for families with one child and € 27 472 for families with two children. From today, this card is available at the counters of the station upon presentation of a certificate of entitlement available on the website www.caf.fr
The number of families potentially eligible for the card is 3 million, a total population of around 9.3 million people including about 4.5 million children.
This card allows on trains mandator a reduction of up to 50% with 25% guaranteed on SNCF (TGV, Téoz, Lunéa Corail night
This should enable families to use the train more.





How to get here by plane

www.bezierscapdagde.com

www.montpellierairport.net

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WoW is partnered with some very helpful sites for the area;-

www.languedocliving.com - comprensive and easy to use

www.languedocsun.com - the local regional magazine in English

www.creme-de-languedoc.com - comprehensive info - easy to use

www.the-languedoc-page.com - huge content about pretty well everything!

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Leading estate agents in the Languedoc Herault area - WoW recommended

www.realestatelanguedoc.com/uk.shtml - mainly villages around Pezenas

www.finefrenchhomes.com - more around Beziers

And if you would like personal house finding service and no wasted visits - contact Patrick via his website - www.primelanguedoc.com



Other sites designed to help with information on the area

www.midi-france.info

www.thisfrenchlife.com

www.languedoc-roussillon.eu.com