Dirty digs

Here are the ten dirtiest hotels in the United Kingdom–with a fair proportion of London representatives–according to a survey by TripAdvisor.com:

1. Grosvenor Hotel, Blackpool, United Kingdom
2. Park Hotel, London, United Kingdom
3. Boston Court Hotel, London, United Kingdom
4. Cromwell Crown, London, United Kingdom
5. Corbigoe Hotel, London, United Kingdom
6. Earls Court Gardens Hotel, London, United Kingdom
7. Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel, London, United Kingdom
8. Minster Hotel, York, United Kingdom
9. Radnor Bayswater Hotel, London, United Kingdom
10. Hanover Hotel, London, United Kingdom

Yuck!

A solution to BA's labor ills?

British Airways and its cabin crew union will enter talks to head off a possible strike. In December, a British court blocked a planned twelve day strike by British Airways cabin crew members. The court action helped the airline avoid major disruptions during the busy holiday travel period.

Unite, the union representing BA cabin crew, had announced plans to hold a new vote in January with a potenital strike in February.

The planned December strike's length was unprecedented and the action appeared to have a high level of support among union members. Over 12,500 workers were expected to participate in the walkout. The planned strike followed announced job reductions and changes in staffing levels in response to continued operating losses at British Airways.

British Airways' last strike was in 1997. The airline and its unions reached last minute agreements to avoid a potential strike in 2007.

More Eurostar problems

Weather breakdowns once again plagued Eurostar high speed rail service on January 7 when a train was stranded in a tunnel under the English Channel. The latest breakdown, along with continued snow and cold weather, has caused Eurostar to limit train service "for the next several days."

Eurostar service was shut down over for three days in late December due to weather-related problems, stranding thousands of passengers in France, England, and Belgium. Full service was restored on December 27. Problems began when several trains were stranded for hours in the tunnel under the English Channel.

Responding to criticism from passengers and politicians on both sides of the English Channel, Eurostar's board of directors launched an independent review of the ongoing service problems. Eurostar's CEO Richard Brown issued a personal apology to riders after the December chaos, stating "I am very sorry for the inconvenience that we have caused you."