This French Life

Summer 2011 flights to France from Flybe

A NUMBER of early summer 2011 flights to France have been announced by Flybe, and you can book ticket now.

The airline has said flights from Southampton to Bergerac, Nice, and Rennes are available, as well as a service between London Gatwick and Nantes.

Flights start from £26.99 one way including taxes and charges for early summer travel between March 27 and June 30, 2011.

This early selection has been put on sale ahead of Flybe’s full summer schedule for next year that is expected to be announced over the next few weeks.

Irish Ferries cuts 40 per cent off fares to France

IRISH Ferries has cut 40 per cent off fares to France with a late summer offer that sees fares start at €99 each way for a car plus two passengers with each additional passenger travelling from €30 each way.

Sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg and Roscoff on the ferry Oscar Wilde, the fare includes the provision of two reclining seats with cabin accommodation available for a small supplement.

Bookings must be made before September 15, 2010 for travel before December 31, 2010 either online at Irish Ferries or call 0818 300 400.

High-speed internet by satellite gets government help

IF you are still limping along with dial-up internet access, then you'll be pleased to hear the French government has backed lower cost satellite broadband packages from four companies.

The companies offering the service are Nordnet, Vivéole, SHD and Connection Verte, with prices set to cost less than €35 a month.

These low rate packages do have some restrictions on the amount of data that can be downloaded each month, streaming films and online gaming are not really an option.

Summer tourism boost, but British visitors down

THE tourism boss, Hervé Novelli, has said that the tourist trade had enjoyed a successful summer and shaken off the problems of la crise.

Figures for the summer period showed the number of French people taking a holiday had increased by three per cent, while the number of foreigners enjoying a break in France increase by 10 per cent on last year.

Much of the boost in foreign visitor numbers comes from residents of China and Russia, although the number of Britons visiting France fell by 4.9 per cent and there was a 3.2 per cent fall in visitors from the Netherlands.

News round up: Quick burger chain bans pork

HERE is a look back over some of the headlines and stories that have been making the news in France.

Many thanks to This French Life advertisers

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Teacher strike Monday, major protests Tuesday

ALTHOUGH teaching staff went back to school this week, they are set to take strike action on Monday September 6, 2010 and join other workers in a walkout on Tuesday, September 7.

Calculate cost of your electricity after price chagnes

IF you want to calculate the change to your electricity bill in France after the price increases in the middle of August, the Conso.net website offers a simple way.

They have provided a spreadsheet file (.xls) you can download which requires you to know which pricing regime you are on, the supply you currently have, the puissance souscrite, and your annual consumption in kWh.

So you might want to get your recent bills together and once you've worked out the annual consumption figure enter it into your chosen blue box within the spreadsheet and hit return.

You will then be provided with a price for both before and after August 15, 2010 when the increases (see Electricity prices in France to increase by 3%) were introduced, and the percentage change in your bill.

Ryanair's new Barcelona base opens more French links

RYANAIR has announced the opening of a base at Barcelona El Prat Airport, providing a number of new routes to those heading to south western France.

The airline will base eight aircraft at the airport, which is approximately two hours drive from Perpignan, with flights from Leeds, Edinburgh, Dublin and Paris Beauvais available.

It is the first time low cost flights have been available from Barcelona El Prat Airport, which is the second busiest airport in Spain, and at the same time Ryanair also claimed that it had overtaken Spanish flag carrier Iberia as the largest airline in Spain in terms of the number of passengers carried.

Ryanair currently operates services from Girona and Reus airports, which are found to the north and south of Barcelona respectively.

LD Lines suspend Portsmouth to Le Havre fast ferry

FOLLOWING an incident with the Norman Arrow on arrival into Le Havre on Sunday, August 29, when it hit a buoy, LD Lines’ fast ferry sailings have been cancelled until further notice, whilst investigations continue.

LD Lines will continue to divert passengers primarily to its conventional ferry sailings between Portsmouth and Le Havre where possible or via Brittany Ferries’ services.

Just over a week ago LD Lines said it was to end its Dover to Boulogne passenger service from early September.

Rosyth to Zeebrugge service dropped by Norfolkline

THE Norfolkline service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge, which saved those living in Scotland from a long drive south to get to France, will come to an end later this year.

The ferry firm, which was recently taken over by DFDS Seaways, has said that the route between the Scottish port near Edinburgh and Belgium will end on December 15, 2010.

Norfolkline said it will continue to operate a freight service but that passenger numbers were very low and that they couldn't see any improvement in the long term.

Deauville American Film Festival welcomes fans

FILM fans are sure to have an eye on Deauville, in northern France, when the town hosts its annual festival showcasing the best of American cinema.

The Deauville American Film Festival has been showcasing the American cinematographic diversity since 1975, taking in both the established Hollywood circuit as well as independents.

The festival takes place from Friday, September 3 to Sunday, September 12, 2010 and more than 100 films will be presented to the public on three sites.

The festival is an event open to all, professionals as well as cinema fans.