Long-haul air passengers looking to take the stress out of their journey can do so by staying in an airport hotel.

An overnight stay at a hotel located at an airport can eliminate the stress of having to get up at the crack of dawn to catch an early morning flight and can make the travel experience so much more relaxing.

And while airport transfers are a safe and inexpensive way to travel from an airport to a hotel, staying in a hotel at an airport is an ideal way for people on long-haul connecting flights to the other side of the world to experience the comfort of a hotel and still have the convenience of being close to the airport.

Kathrin Cockhill, director of sales and marketing at the Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts at Stansted Airport, said: ”The main advantage is that you are on site, ready to go and you can start your holiday the night before – which adds to the whole relaxing experience of going on a break.”

And airport staff at hotels around the world are more than capable of dealing with even the most stressful of travel difficulties. One recent example of this was when a 32-year-old woman staying as a guest at a hotel in Gatwick Airport went into labour.

Quick-thinking staff members at the Sofitel Hotel at the airport’s north terminal organised for an ambulance to take Shan Joseph, from St Lucia, to East Surrey Hospital after she went into labour five weeks early.

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One million tickets for an expo of Shakespeare’s works in London are going on sale in just over a month’s time.

As Stansted Airport is close to the capital, visitors may want to check out flights now for next year’s “unprecedented and outrageous collaboration”.

The World Shakespeare Festival, beginning April 23 and ending in November, is organised by the Royal Shakespeare Company and is said to involve as many as 50 other arts organisations, including many from outside the UK.

It will showcase both the writer’s famous works and his lesser known plays in 70 separate productions.

Thousands of school children and teachers are expected to join about 7,200 amateur theatre producers.

Michael Attenborough, artistic director at London’s Almeida Theatre, which will host King Lear, said: “The greatest artistic passion of my life is directing Shakespeare, and challenges don’t come much more awesomely thrilling than tackling King Lear.”

The writer’s shows are part of the London 2012 Festival and is expected to attract people from across the world.

Special efforts are being made to include school pupils and their teachers in the events by encouraging them to share information globally. Specific materials are being designed for schools across the globe in a digital package called Shakespeare Unlocked.

Recent research shows that around 50% of the world’s school pupils study Shakespeare.

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A second store dedicated to the sale of memorabilia for the Olympic Games has opened at Stansted Airport.

A wide range of London 2012 branded products from souvenirs and clothing to toys and fashion accessories will be on sale at the 1,400 sq ft site, which was officially opened by Games mascots Wenlock and Mandeville in August.

London 2012 may be the only time that many of the visitors will be able to experience an Olympic Games first hand and the stores at Stansted will give them the opportunity to take home a souvenir of the world’s biggest sporting event.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said that the stores will give international and domestic visitors to the capital a chance to “stock up on a piece of sporting history” while travelling through the airport.

Simon Lilley, head of licensing at LOCOG, said: “This latest shop opening offers an increased opportunity for London 2012 to connect to UK travellers and international visitors, offering them a great chance to take home a piece of the Games. The range of products on offer is huge and the diversity really means there is something for everyone—from pocket-money toys to collectables.”

Stansted Airport operations director Martin Lyall added: “We are delighted to welcome the new London 2012 shop to Stansted Airport. It provides travellers with a great opportunity to share in the excitement which the London 2012 Games will generate.”

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A third of workers would sacrifice some of their pay for more holidays in a bid to improve their work-life balance, a new study has found.

The survey of 1,000 adults by the hyphen recruitment organisation showed that younger employees are more likely to swap pay for time off, with 40% of those aged 16-24 in favour of this move.

Human resources and finance departments are also said to be keen on the idea, according to the study.

Hyphen’s managing director, Zain Wadee, said: “Our research demonstrates a radical change in the way that compensation and benefits packages are viewed by workers today.

“Even in today’s challenging economic environment, with the cost of living growing faster than salaries are increasing, workers are looking for more holiday time, and greater work-life balance. It is important to note that Generation Y and the Net Generation are particularly vocal about their desire for additional leave allocation.

“This may be indicative of a future shift in workplace culture, with workers beginning to demand and value greater work-life balance than ever before. Employers must think strategically about the kind of benefits packages they should offer to younger staff members in order to attract and retain the best possible talent. Offering a flexible menu of benefits may be one solution.”

Hyphen said that longer working hours and rising levels of stress are leading to more workers being prepared to sacrifice pay for time off. Low-cost air fares and easier transfers to airports such as Heathrow and Stansted could also be helping to fuel greater demand for holidays.

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The international departures section of Stansted Airport is offering a new type of cuisine for travellers to enjoy.

Yo! Sushi, a UK-based company formed in 1997 which has outlets throughout the country, has opened a restaurant at the air travel hub promising to offer a conveyor belt of dishes inspired by the varying tastes of Japan.

The airport’s chief of retail, Zoe Farmer, said: “Research collected from passengers travelling through Stansted has shown that brands like Yo! Sushi are exactly what passengers want to see at our airport, and we are pleased to be able to respond to our customer needs.

“This exciting new addition to Stansted’s retail offer complements perfectly our existing mix of good quality outlets.

“I’d like to wish Yo! Sushi every success with their new site.”

Robin Rowland, the food firm’s chief executive, said: “Continuing on our mission to provide fun, fast and fresh Japanese food served from a cutting-edge restaurant design, we hope to follow in the footsteps of our other airport sites in Edinburgh and Heathrow Terminal 3, building on the excellent reputation already generated within this sector.

“The ultra-competitive market for quality airport dining outlets is fiercer than ever before, a factor we both relish and respect as we prepare to cater to the palates of the travelling public passing through London Stansted.”

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The number of people passing through airports across Ireland has shot up, thanks to 15% more tourists recently.

But any increase has to be considered in the context of last year’s ash cloud disruption, which grounded Europe’s airports to a halt.

For Ireland, the news was especially good, with an extra 240,000 trips made to the country between April and June, compared with the same quarter last year. The 15% increase brought the total tourist numbers for the quarter to 1.8 million.

Official statistics indicate that nearly three million people used Ireland’s airports and sea ports in the first half of 2011. Last year the figure was 2.6 million for the first six months.

Of the totals for this year so far, an overall 1.3 million came over from the UK’s major airports such as Stansted and Heathrow, up nearly 100,000.And almost half a million visited from the US.

Ireland’s tourism minister Leo Varadkar said: “While the figures are a positive indication, we cannot afford to be complacent.

“With continuing economic uncertainty in most of our key overseas markets, the tourism agencies and the industry will continue to work together to restore sustainable growth to this vital sector.

“The Government is playing its part through measures such as the VAT cut, reduced employers’ PRSI (insurance) and the visa waiver scheme to support competitiveness as well as key investments to upgrade our tourism products and attractions.”

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New research has found a link between a person’s profession and the hoiliday destination they are most likely to choose.

Bankers have a tendency to go to New York for their holidays while lawyers are more likely to travel to France, according to a poll of 3,000 adults by airline Virgin Atlantic.

Estate agents could take advantage of cheap flights from Stansted to Alicante as their profession is particularly keen on trips to Spain.

Doctors and airline cabin crew appear to enjoy holidaying in the Caribbean, while farmers often switch domestic animals for wild ones on a Kenyan safari, the research shows.

Director of corporate communications for Virgin Atlantic, Greg Dawson, said: “Our jobs can often dictate where we holiday as budgets, interests and level of relaxation required are all influenced by what we do for a living. 

“However, what we do have in common, no matter the chosen profession, is that Brits are adventurous travellers, with 80% choosing a new destination each time they holiday.”

But just because you’re thousands of miles away on holiday, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve completely escaped the clutches of work. Another report suggests that a quarter of bosses think it’s acceptable to call workers while they’re on annual leave.

The report, also by Virgin Atlantic, found that a majority of bosses would be happy to disturb an employee’s holiday if they were still within the EU.

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A British Airways flight will set off from Stansted to take supplies to crisis hit East Africans on Friday.

The plane, a Boeing 747, will be carrying aid heading for Ethiopia.

It will be capable of taking more than 100 tonnes of cargo, and the aid will be provided by Oxfam and Unicef.

The mercy mission will be transporting the aid to those suffering from the effects of disease, drought and famine in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Oxfam will be sending 5,000 metres of pipe on the flight from Stansted Airport to Addis Ababa, which will be used to get water to the Ethiopian refugee camp Dolo Ado. 

Unicef will be loading the plane with vital emergency food and medication.

As well as supplying the plane for this mercy mission, British Airways will pass on all donations from its flights since August 1 to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for East Africa.

BA chief executive Keith Williams said: “The worst drought in 50 years means the lives of millions of people hang in the balance. 

“The generosity of our customers will make a real and tangible difference to those in desperate need.”

The DEC has said more than 10 million people have been hit by the worst droughts in 60 years and that hundreds of thousands of people are in desperate need of of food, water and emergency healthcare.

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A consumer group has claimed that some passengers are losing out when it comes to refunds for Air Passenger Duty (APD) departure tax.

The Air Travel Advisory Bureau (ATAB) has claimed that “tens of millions of pounds” in refunded APD for unused tickets has been withheld from passengers by a number of airlines.

The bureau has brought in London law firm Barket Gillette LLP to help fight for the rights of affected passengers, some of whom will have flown from the major UK airports such as Heathrow and Stansted.

ATAB chairman Tony White said that the tax is collected on behalf of the Government and never belonged to the airlines concerned. 

He added: “With a couple of exceptions, most of the UK airlines make it as difficult as possible to get your money back. If you don’t actually fly, for whatever reason, you are entitled to get the APD refunded.”

Barker Gillette LLP partner Steven Barker said: “Our primary aim will be to ensure that all claims are valid and properly made out. We hope and expect that airlines will co-operate with us in agreeing and refunding valid claims and that claimants need only seek the assistance of the courts in respect of legal issues that might not be agreed.”

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Research has suggested that women pack clothes for a holiday that they don’t get around to wearing.

The poll by Co-operative Insurance found that from the average 12 pairs of shorts or skirts women only wear six – meaning that many people travelling to airports like London Stansted may be carrying unnecessary luggage.

Backing up this claim are figures showing that out of the six bikinis taken for a two-week break overseas, just three are worn.

The survey questioned 3,00 women about their holiday clothing arrangements, finding that the average value of the clothes in a woman’s suitcase was £1,140.

Meanwhile, the research also showed that packing ’stressed’ up to 23% of women – with 21% finding the experience more stressful than work.

When it came to organising the holiday, nearly a third of women (31%) said they did it without the help of their other half. But for 8% of respondents, mum and dad still offered a hand in organising the holiday.

Lee Mooney, head of home and travel insurance at Co-operative Insurance, said: “Given that most people also pack high-value items such as iPods and cameras, the value of a suitcase contents can be quite staggering.”

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