The Turkish Government has introduced a web-based visa issuance system. The ETA is an electronic authorisation from the government to enter Turkey. It is the equivalent to a visa, but no stamp or label is placed in the passport. The e-Visa application can be downloaded from www.evisa.gov.tr with online payment taken. For more information to see which countries are eligible to apply for e-Visa or for more details on this, please visit the website www.evisa.gov.tr .

Turkish Airlines staff are likely to go on strike from 15 May 2013 over a pay dispute and the reinstatement of sacked workers. The strike will likely cause flight cancellations and delays. The Hava-Is union is demanding that the company rehires 305 employees dismissed after industrial action that grounded hundreds of flights in May 2012. Hava-Is had set a May 15 deadline to resolve the dispute with the airline. The union said that a strike would begin at 3am local time on 15 May. However, it is not clear how many employees would take part in strike action. Travellers should contact the airline if they have any flights in the coming days to check on the status.

Augsburg Airways pilots threaten to strike on 7 May 2013. Pilots employed by the Augsburg Airways – which is a regional subsidiary of Lufthansa - are due to commence a strike from 0600hrs to 2200hrs on 7 May 2013, in response to recent job cuts and other issues. The level of pilot participation in the strike, and the resulting impact on travel, is unclear at this time; the walkout may delay the majority of the carrier"s flights. Travellers are advised to check-in online to minimise the risk of reallocation of their seats to other passengers and to check the flight status before departure. Travellers are advised to avoid the affected area. For any further assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

Flood warning for eastern and central departments (3 May 2013).Six departments in central and eastern France were place on high flood alert late on 2 May 2013. The departments of Ain, Cote-d"Or, Isere, Loire, Rhone and Saone-et-Loire have been placed on orange alert, the second highest level of alert, by the meteorological authorities due to heavy rain and the threat of flooding, that had been forecast to affect the region over the night of 2 May 2013 and into 3 May 2013. Disruptions to air and rail transport services cannot be ruled out during the anticipated period of increased rainfall. Travellers are advised to avoid low-lying, flood-prone areas and should monitor local news for further possible flood warnings and information regarding the status of road and public transport infrastructure. For any further assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

Virgin Atlantic Little Red is the new UK domestic service with four daily flights between both London and Manchester, three between London and Aberdeen, and six daily flights between London and Edinburgh. To celebrate the launch of this service, Virgin Atlantic have announced of a new promotion where Flying Club cardholders can earn double Flying Club miles on all Little Red domestic flights until 30 June 2013.  As an added bonus, if travellers join Flying Club today and book to fly on Virgin Atlantic Little Red before the 30 June 2013, Virgin Atlantic will award them an extra 1,500 miles. Please check on the Virgin Atlantic website for more information and to note relevant terms and conditions. For further assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

EasyJet have advised that the carrier will be operating an online only check in process from 30 April 2013. EasyJet will be changing the check in experience at airports by removing traditional check in desks and replacing them with Bag Drop desks. This will enable them to streamline the airport experience and to remove unnecessary queuing. To check in online, passengers need their unique easyJet Booking Reference Number (it is not necessary to sign in with password to the registered email account managing the booking- only Booking Reference and Passenger Name is required). EasyJet will also be enhancing of the mobile EasyJet App to facilitate check-in with the download of a mobile boarding pass in the coming months. Please check on the easyJet website for more information.  For further assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

Chambers Travel Management has been named Best Travel Management Company at the Business Travel Awards for 2013 in recognition of its outstanding work as a TMC. The award was presented at a glittering ceremony in London this week that was attended by 1200 key players in the UK business travel industry and Chambers beat off stiff competition to take the top prize. The Business Travel Awards are recognised as “the industry’s benchmark for excellence”. To win the Best TMC award, Chambers impressed the judges in numerous areas: “Chambers has a very impressive growth record, a very impressive client list and a very, very impressive CSR programme." Commenting on his company’s success, Chris Thelen, Chambers’ CEO said: “I am so delighted to have been recognised for our category expertise by an illustrious panel of buyer judges. We work incredibly hard for our clients and our team deserve this accolade.”

More aviation regulators and airlines have grounded the 787 Dreamliner over safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered US airlines to stop using 787s temporarily after a battery fault caused an emergency landing in Japan.  Airlines in Chile and India also grounded their 787s, while Poland"s Lot Airlines cancelled a flight. Boeing said that it stood by the integrity of the Dreamliner. The FAA said that airlines must demonstrate battery safety before flights can resume. The FAA added that it had alerted the international aviation community of its airworthiness directive so that other authorities could take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their countries.  The FAA said it would work with the manufacturer and carriers on an action plan to allow the US 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible. For more information, please visit BBC news.  For any other assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

Kyiv-based AeroSvit airline, which launched bankruptcy proceedings at the end of last year, has set up a crisis management center to provide the temporary schedule of flights and timely inform passengers about the changes in the flight schedule. A procedure of money refund for unused tickets will be developed soon. On January 11, AeroSvit declared that from January 11 to January 14, 2013 it will fly only in Ukraine and five long-haul and five medium-haul routes abroad, explaining the decision by the program of its operation restructuring.  

On December 29, 2012 AeroSvit filed an application to the economic court of Kyiv region asking to open a bankruptcy case intending to commence a readjustment procedure, restore its solvency and ensure the fulfillment of liabilities to creditors in full. The case will be heard on January 23, 2013.  For any other assistance, please contact your Chambers travel team.

Virgin Atlantic will be operating domestic flights from Scotland to Heathrow from spring after being offered all the remaining slots that British Airways was forced to relinquish after its takeover of bmi. The airline will be moving into short-haul flying in the UK for the first time with daily flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen joining the Manchester service already announced for April 2013. Virgin expects to announce an exact timetable in the next two weeks, and will lease an Airbus A320, which typically seats around 150 passengers, for its UK flights.

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey has a new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, now open for Upper Class and Flying Club Gold passengers. The Clubhouse is located in a new airside location just a one minute walk from the Virgin Atlantic departure gate. It is part of a £100 million investment program. Virgin Atlantic also recently added a sixth daily flight to the New York area.

For further information please visit the Virgin Atlantic website or contact your Chambers travel team.

It has been advised that the passport office are now asking to see the applicant’s original passport when applying for a second passport.  A copy of the first original passport will no longer be accepted. 

For further information, please email visas@chamberstravel.com or contact your Chambers travel team.

Lufthansa is transferring short-haul flights to its lower cost subsidiary Germanwings as it battles to return to profit in Europe in the face of intense competition from budget rivals. From 1^st January 2013 flights to and from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, which is connected with long-haul services, will remain Lufthansa-branded, while Germanwings will offer a lower-priced alternative on other routes within Europe. Then Germanwings will have 89 aircraft and fly to more than 110 European destinations. The new service will not offer any business class seats.

British Airways launched the Blackberry mobile boarding pass to allow travellers using a BA App on their Blackberry will be able to display their boarding pass on their mobile which can be scanned at check-in to speed up the boarding process.  Other benefits include being able to view live arrival and departure flight times, adding bookings to the Blackberry calendar, viewing Tier and BA points and the ability to check the Executive Club account.  The British Airways app is also available on iPhone and allows clients to display their boarding pass on their mobile, view live arrival and departure flight times, view Tier and BA points and check their Executive Club account.