www.uk-2-usa.com Newsletter
Quarter 2-2005

April 2005

Welcome to the second
www.uk-2-usa.com newsletter of 2005.

This newsletter will update you with any recent USA travel information I have come across and uk-2-usa.com web site changes that have occurred recently. All feedback is gratefully received about style or content. Click here to send me suggestions for improvements, additions or even things to avoid in future newsletters. This newsletter will be available via e-mail, on the web site or via the associated online uk-2-usa travel discussion group

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Contents





USA travel news.

Biometric Passports
At the moment a fall out is looming between the EU and the USA. As things stand the USA requirement is that all passports issued after 26th October 2005 must contain biometric information. Regular readers may recall that this was originally due to be October 2004 but it was delayed by a year as EU countries were not able to produce biometric passports by then.

EU countries are unlikely to be ready by this October either and are therefore requesting a further move to the deadline. However, the USA does not want to move the date again. If the date does not move and if the UK cannot issue biometric passports on time then new UK passport holders will have to apply for a visa to travel to the USA. The EU is threatening to retaliate and make US passport holders apply for a visa to the EU if this happens. More on this as it develops.

United Airlines and others
Federal Insurer to Take Over United Airlines Pension Plans
The agency agrees to assume $6.6 billion of the airline's retirement liabilities in a move that is likely to cut benefits -- fueling talk of strikes. More on this story in the
L A Times

April 22 (Bloomberg) -- US Airways Group Inc., seeking to exit bankruptcy protection, and America West Holdings Corp. confirmed that they are in talks about a possible merger.

The companies said in one-paragraph statements today on PR Newswire that there is no assurance that the discussions will lead to an agreement. The airlines didn't provide details and said they wouldn't comment further until there is an agreement or the talks are terminated.

More on this story on Bloomberg



As we continue to try to give a broader view of USA travel, here are a couple of articles below from the USATourist News Magazine and an extract from the Mississippi state newsletter

Spring Flower Festivals
At this time of year many flower festivals are celbrated across the USA. Checkout :-

May 5-7 is the celebration of Pella Iowa's Dutch heritage during the Tulip Time Festival
May 6-8 The Albany Tulip Festival
June 2 is the kick off of the Portland Rose Festival
June 18-19 is the Maplewood Rose Festival in Rochester, New York

Street Rod Nationals
From April though November the Street Rod Nationals will be popping up all over the country. Two new cities are hosting the Nationals this year: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (July 15-17) and Richmond, Virginia (August 26-28). Some of the other Nationals are to be held in Tampa, Florida; Pueblo, Colorado; Sacramento, California.

A street rod is an automobile manufactured in 1948 or earlier which has undergone some type of modernization, such as engine, transmission, interior improvements, or other alterations. A street rod is also required to be driven to events under its own power. The opposite of NASCAR, racing is not part of the street rod culture. When you attend a street rod event you'll notice its slow pace and that it's an event the entire family can enjoy. See what other cities are hosting the Street Rod Nationals.


Mississippi news

Faulkner's colorful Oxford a character in its own right

Ham Jam begins April 15

Discover nature at weeklong festival

Tourism commission brings railroad event to Delta

Five Mississippi Golf Courses Named Best-In-State by Golfweek Magazine

Spring beauty on display

Time winds down in Mississippi Braves' race to Opening Day

Spring Breakers Enjoy South Mississippi Hot Spots

Archie who? Tourism society can tell you



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USA flight price survey

This survey is for travel in August 2005. All quotes were taken on 24th April 2005 for a return journey for one adult out on the 10th August and back on the 17th August (both Wednesdays - normally the cheapest day to travel). The average prices from surveys for the same journeys in 2003 and 2004 are shown for comparison, as are the prices for the same flights quoted in January this year.

Perhaps not surprisingly, as before given the problems the airlines are having with lack of profitability, there seems to be an attempt to keep prices high at this stage. Travel4Less's flight search engine was out of service again ! during the time of the survey and so their prices are not included.

Expedia bucked the usual trend by getting a clean sweep of the cheapest prices. It normally pays to shop around.

As is now the convention in these surveys, the cheapest quote for a given journey is highlighted in red.

uk-2-usa.com April 2005
flight price survey
for travel in August 2005

Previous survey summary details
Quotes obtained April 2005
Route
Average
August 2003
price

Average
August 2004
price

Average
August 2005
price quoted
January 2005

Expedia
prices

ebookers
prices

Travel4less
prices

Opodo
prices

London
to
Orlando
£ 559 £ 617 £ 640 £ 641
Northwest
£ 641
Northwest
£ ??
??
£ 658
Air Canada
London
to
Denver
£ 554 £ 576 £ 663 £ 631
Northwest
£ 631
Northwest
£ ??
??
£ 681
Continental
London
to
San Francisco
£ 565 £ 574 £ 624 £ 631
Northwest
£ 682
Delta
£ ??
??
£ 679
Icelandair
Manchester
to
Orlando
£ 626 £ 627 £ 688 £ 684
US Airways
£ 708
American
Airlines
£ ??
??
£ 696
American
Airlines
Manchester
to
Denver
£ 551 £ 588 £ 684 £ 670
Air Canada
£ 694
American
Airlines
£ ??
??
£ 678
American
Airlines
Manchester
to
San Francisco
£ 610 £ 585 £ 644 £ 646
KLM
£ 646
KLM
£ ??
??
£ 678
American
Airlines
Average for
all 6 flights
£ 578 £ 594 £ 657 £ 650 £ 667 £ ?? £ 678


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Web site updates

Updates since the last newsletter
This last change with the mileage information is the result of feedback from website users. The most common suggestion to improve the uk-2-usa.com site is to add milage and driving time information. As you can see, this is now done for California and the other states covered will be added in due course.

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About uk-2-usa

www.uk-2-usa.com is a privately owned website. It was written to share the authors passion for travel to the USA. It is none commercial in nature with all information and advice being freely given. Although commission is made on any holidays sold through the site.

There is an associated online travel group which is also free to join where a message board allows members to share experiences, ask questions and also quiz some of our American members about their country. You may subscribe by entering your e-mail address below.
Subscribe to uk2usa
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look without joining by clicking here.

You can e-mail with any questions here.




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Future Newsletters

Please give me your feedback about what you would like to see in future editions of this newsletter. I will develop the format based on feedback from readers. Click
here to send me suggestions for improvements, additions or even things to avoid in future newsletters.

Well, thats it for edition number 2 in 2005. The next one will be July.

Happy USA travelling

UK



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