A round-up of other travel news in brief
New rules on plane delays
New US rules that go into effect in the next few months mean airlines must let people get off aircraft delayed on the ground for more than three hours.
The airline industry says it will obey the regulations but argues the result will be more cancelled flights and more inconvenience for passengers. Airlines could be fined more than $17,000 (€11,870) per passenger for each breach of the time limit. The regulations apply only to US domestic flights.
Protest over visa clamp
Britain and the US have lodged a diplomatic protest with India after the Delhi government introduced rules barring tourists from returning to the country within two months of a visit. The new visa rules, which also apply to other foreign nationals, are apparently a reaction to the arrest in the US of a Mumbai terror suspect who was in India on a multiple-entry visa. Britain has urged India to rethink the policy, which may hit tourists planning to use India as a touring base.
800
The decrease, in hundreds of thousands, in visitors to the Republic between January and October last year compared with 2008. In the first 10 months of 2009 6,032,800 trips were made, compared with 6,836,000 a year earlier.