decisionmakers.tv, ABTA, Monarch, lowcostbeds, SimpliFlying, Inghams, Holiday Inn, Saint Lucia, Expedia Affiliate Network, WTM, A Fair Tax on Flying, most overrated jobs

Paul Simmons, director UK markets for easyJet, is the next interviewee on decisionmakers.tv, the new online TV channel from Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of World Travel Market. Click here to see his interview.

ABTA has unveiled a new checklist to help consumers understand the impact of the ATOL reforms, including the introduction of ATOL certificates from Monday (1 October). The ‘Your Protection Checklist’ offers advice on the booking process and outlines what documentation consumers should receive when booking travel arrangements. Click here for more details.

Around 24,000 passengers on Monarch’s 55 flights operating today had the opportunity to take part in the airline’s ‘world’s highest coffee morning’ in aid of Macmillan’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’. Passengers were able to purchase a cup of half-price Kenco coffee, with the proceeds donated by Monarch to Macmillan. The airline said every 20 cups of coffee sold would fund a Macmillan nurse for an hour.

Trade-only bedbank lowcostbeds has seen its long-haul bookings jump by over 150% since the expansion of its long-haul portfolio at the end of last month. The biggest increases have been in Mexico, the Caribbean, Thailand and its top US cities, which have seen over 200% year-on-year growth. Click here for more details.

According to the SimpliFlying consultancy’s Airline Social Media Outlook 2012 report, 70% of the 29 carriers it studied plan to increase their social media budget in the next year. The report also found that airlines’ social media budgets vary widely, from a few thousand dollars to more than a million dollars. Click here for more details.

Inghams has launched a new Deal of the Day showcasing the best value ski offers this winter, with savings of up to £559 per couple to a range of resorts in Europe and North America. The deals will go live at midnight daily and the operator will send agents advance details at 3pm.

Holiday Inn will open a new hotel at London Southend Airport on Monday 1 October. The £10m, 129-bedroom hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from the airport terminal and railway station.

Saint Lucia features on The X Factor this weekend with footage of judge Tulisa Contostavlos’s trip to the island earlier this month as mentor for the girls’ group.

Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) has announced a deal with New Zealand online travel agent, Travelbug, to power its international hotel offering, as the site expands from its current domestic focus. Travelbug will use the latest version of EAN’s private label retail platform, Chameleon, which gives access to almost 155,000 hotels. 

Former UK Transport Minister Lord Andrew Adonis will be interviewed by ITT chairman Dr Steven Freudmann at World Travel Market on Tuesday 6 November. Lord Adonis will discuss the transport challenges facing the UK, including the issue of runway capacity in the south east. He is a supporter of Heathrow expansion, having pushed for a third runway while in government. Click here for more details.  

The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, which represents nearly 3,500 businesses, is the latest member of A Fair Tax on Flying. Since the anti-Air Passenger Duty campaign launched 14 weeks ago, over 285,000 people have emailed their local MP or the Chancellor to object to the tax. Click here for more details.

And finally…according to US website, CareerCast.com, commercial airline pilot and flight attendant are among the top ten overrated jobs of 2012. Each year the site evaluates 200 professions using five core criteria – pay, hiring outlook, work environment, stress and physical demands – and 100 sub-criteria, such as income growth potential, to compile the list. Click here to see it.