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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
September 27th - There was a strange message on the Network Rail landing page
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I'm at London Waterloo, home of Network Rail. But I am not using the public WiFi – the system has been taken down since the landing page was replaced by a strange message about terrorist acts in Europe. It appears this was not a hack, but the act of someone working for the company that provides the landing page. Hopefully the system will be up and running by the weekend. Meanwhile, if you are using on-train WiFi, you may struggle to connect with the podcast ...
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September 26th - Should we have a frequent flyer levy?
06:21|Anna Hughes, the distinguished director of FlightFree UK, has been telling me about how she believes a frequent-flyer levy could and should work to reduce the amount of flights we take.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.September 25th - How far would you fly without any in-flight frills?
06:55|Today's travel podcast: How far would you fly in no-frills (dis-) comfort? Natalie Wilson, travel writer for The Independent, says she would gladly go all the way to Australia if it saved her cash.September 24th - The business of business class in Europe
08:55|The all-knowing Rob Burgess, formidable founder of the Head for Points frequent-flyer website, explains the intricacies of business class flying within Europe; how you can sample long-haul comfort on a short-haul flight; and why you don't want to be further back than row 12 on a British Airways A320.This podcast is free, as is the Independent Travel weekly newsletter. Get up-to-date deals and news directly to your inbox by signing up here.September 23rd - Holiday horizons
05:51|It's all about booking horizons. How long in advance are people committing to holidays – and what "new" destination are in sight? Questions for Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, representing 750 travel agents.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.September 20th - From Poros with Love
09:32|I have the good fortune to be on the Greek island of Poros in the company of Melanie and Andy McCreddie – Londoners who are in love with this place. Andy was first here, under less-than-optimal circumstances, but now they both love the island and its people.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.September 19th - The top ten most crowded trains list is out
06:42|Commuting can be no fun if you happen to use the morning rush-hour trains from Bedford to London. Here's the top 10 most crowded trains in England and Wales, just published. But the most concerning point of the new Department for Transport (DfT) figures is the degree of undercrowding, with barely half of seats filled on the average peak-hour service.September 18th - A lawyer's take on airport drop off charges
10:03|Most UK airports now charge for drop-offs and pick-ups at the terminal. They enforce the rule by imposing heavy penalties on motorists who breach the rules. But the leading consumer lawyer, Gary Rycroft, believes many of the "fines" imposed by airports – or the firms to which they have outsourced – may not have followed the correct procedure and may not be enforcible.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.September 17th - Stretching the Limits
08:43|Wizz Air says it will fly the narrow-bodied Airbus A321XLR from London Gatwick to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. What's the future for "long, thin" routes flown by, well, long, thin aircraft? I've been talking to long, thin Rhys Jones from the frequent-flyer website Head for Points.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.