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Issue 555
World Cup 2010 wall chart inside!
SOUTH EDITION
4 - 10 JUNE 2010
See centre pages...
Weighty matters
Counterfeit goods destroyed
Twice a year, Torrevieja’s Town Hall has a habitual crushing and destroying of the confiscated items. The first of such events for 2010 was held last week. • p3
Greedy O’Leary lets off steam
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has been very vocal about the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and the no fly zone which crippled flights in April. • p6
by Jack Troughton
Free information day On Thursday 10th June Draycott Browne Solicitors are having an open day and will be offering free advice regarding personal and business needs. • p26
Win free tickets to Aqua Natura! RTN and TKO are offering two free tickets to Aqua Natura. Answer the questions inside and listen to TKO on Monday to find out when to enter. • p48
Squad farce Fabio Capello and the World Cup Games are hot topics for discussion in Andy Kay’s weekly column. • p70
WORLD CUP
More than forty different yachts and boats will be on display
Marina Salinas Boat Show THIS WEEKEND, Thursday 3rd June through Sunday 6th June, is the third edition of the Marina Salinas Boat Show in Torrevieja. Everyone is invited to join in the fun and admission is free. On display will be more than forty different yachts and boats along with exhibitors offering many different marine supplies and services. See page 4 for the full story.
LOW COST airlines are being accused of tipping the scales so passengers face paying expensive excess luggage fines. Angry travellers using Alicante’s busy El Altet Airport believe airline officials at check-in are stooping to sharp practice to boost income. A kilo overweight can net an operator an additional 20€. And the departure hall has become a frustrating place as tempers fray when passengers find same luggage they brought to Spain is suddenly ruled too heavy. RTN has learnt of allegations that both airline crews, monitoring carry on bags at boarding gates, and ground staff at checkin desks, receive bonuses for reaching “targets”. Passengers pulled up over the size of cabin bags must pay a premium to place them
in the hold, while overweight luggage also has a penalty. Calls for an investigation at El Altet – which is fast building a reputation as being particularly strict over luggage rules – come as budget carrier Ryanair inflates baggage charges for the summer season. In July and August, the profit-spinning Irish airline has announced a checked bag booked online will cost £20 rather than £15 and a second case £40 rather than £35. However, if booked through a call centre or checked in at an airport, the cost of putting the first piece of luggage in the hold increases from £35 to £40 and further cases up to £80 from the usual £70. RTN reader Tony Gee, who has lived in Spain for over 15 years, remains certain low cost airlines are “onto a nice little earner” by the weigh-in “scam”. continued on page 4