provisional itinerary & general information monday, 3 … · 2019-01-21 · there are excellent...

Tour 2277901 – 75th Anniversary of D-Day Normandy – Provisional Itinerary – Issue 3 of 13

Ian Allan Aviation Tours

Terminal House, Shepperton, Middlesex, TW17 8AS, United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)1932 255625 Fax: +44 (0)1932 231942 e-mail: [email protected] www.ianallantravel.com/aviationtours

FRANCE 75th Anniversary of D-Day

..plus optional 6-day extension to Germany and 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift

PROVISIONAL ITINERARY & GENERAL INFORMATION Monday, 3rd – Tuesday, 11th June, 2019

Undoubtedly the main attraction of this tour is the coming together of the largest number of DC-3s/C-47s since World War Two! We will see them on the ground, in the air - and doing a mass parachute drop! As of 31st March 2018 at least 27 Daks will be participating - with more expected! The “US D-Day Squadron” alone will be sending at least 18 Dakotas: see http://ddaysquadron.org/american-contingent/ Incredible! This fabulous 9-day tour around France starts in Paris before continuing to Normandy and the main Allied battle sites immediately prior to, and after, the D-Day landings of 6th June 1944. 2019 will be the 75th – and last - official commemoration of the D-Day Landings. We have provisional confirmation of a fabulous pleasure flight in one of the participating Dakotas and, subject to air traffic control on the day, we hope this will be at low level along the invasion beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. This is an option so please annotate your booking form if interested. Combine both historic events by continuing on the optional extension to Germany, to the 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, where the Daks will turn into “Candy Bombers” and again drop sweets over Berlin! Among the places we visit in Paris and Normandy are:

Musee Air et Espace, Le Bourget Merville: The Merville Battery Museum Benouville: Pegasus Bridge (pictured right) Ouistreham: Museum of the Atlantic Wall Caen Normandy Memorial and Museum Arromanches: 360 Museum The Landing Museum Port En Bessin: Musee des Epaves Sous

Marines du Deparquement Sainte Mere Eglise: Musee des Troupes

Aeroportees 75th Anniversary of D-Day Airshow, Caen Arrival of the Daks at Caen Carpiquet

airfield Mass Para Drop

We also visit the lovely town of Sainte Mere Eglise. This was in the American area of operations and its centre was the scene of savage fighting (and a memorable part of that epic film “The Longest Day”) – see Day 7 on page 4. It is also home to the Airborne Museum. The itinerary will travel at a relaxed pace, staying several days in beautiful Paris and Normandy with plenty of sightseeing opportunities for non-aviation minded persons, everyone is free to do as much – or as little – ‘aviation’ as they wish! After a 2-night stopover in the centre of Paris we move on to Berlin. In Berlin we will visit:





Tempelhof Airport: we have a guided tour

of the US Air Force’s Berlin Airlift airbase Gatow (pictured left): ex-Luftwaffe and

RAF; the former’s Airlift airfield and now home of the huge Luftwaffe Museum

Zossen/Wünsdorf: Hitler’s vast complex of underground operations and control bunkers – last used by the Soviets

Schonhagen airfield: we will be there when the fleet of DC-3s arrive from Fassberg

Gatow or Tempelhof: one of them will be the venue for the Candy Drop

Alliierten Museum: presents the history of the Berlin Airlift and the Cold War division of the city

There is free time in Paris and on the optional extension to Berlin. Although we have included flights from London, the tour starts at the hotel at Paris CDG Airport: it is here that you will meet your Tour Manager and fellow enthusiasts on the 3rd June. There are excellent flight connections between most UK regional airports on the scheduled services of British Airways, easyJet, Flybe, Jet 2 and Air France, so if you do not wish to fly from London, simply contact us and we will arrange your flight. Or book our Land Only option and make your own flight arrangements. Admission is included to all the museums and visits in France and Germany, as appropriate. We travel around Normandy, Paris and Berlin in a deluxe, air-conditioned coach (from Paris to Berlin we go by express train) – see appropriate paragraph on page 11 “General Information”; stay in comfortable hotels in Normandy, Paris and Berlin on a bed and breakfast basis - see pages 9 and 10 for details of all our hotels; and are accompanied throughout by one of our well-travelled and experienced Tour Managers. June 2019 will be an extremely busy month in Normandy; in addition to the D-Day Anniversary the area is also hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament and, in Le Havre, there is the World’s Gathering of Tall Ships. Very nearly all the hotels within a 100 mile radius of Normandy were fully booked by January 2018! We have to hand back all un-sold rooms by 1st January 2019. Therefore, it is essential that you book your place on this tour (and the optional extension to Berlin) no later than December THIS YEAR. Our previous tours to Normandy have been very popular and we expect this trip to be a sell-out.

PROVISIONAL ITINERARY (all times local) DAY 1: MONDAY, 3rd JUNE If you have not already done so, please check-in with British Airways in Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport for your fight to Paris; or if you have, go along to Bag Drop. Latest check-in/bag-drop time advised by the airline is 90-minutes prior to departure, i.e. 13:25. Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5 Flight: BA 316 Departs: 14:55 Charles de Gaulle Airport, Terminal 2A Arrives: 17:15 After the usual arrival procedures please transfer to the Oceania Paris Roissy CDG Hotel on their complimentary coach service. In the reception area please meet your Ian Allan Tour Manager and check-in to your room. You stay one night on a bed and breakfast basis. For details of this superior 4* hotel please see page 9. For those arriving on earlier/different flights, your Tour Manager will be in reception from mid-morning.





DAY 2: TUESDAY, 4th JUNE At 09:30 we transfer by private coach the few miles to one of the greatest collections of aircraft anywhere in the world: the Musee Air Espace at Le Bourget Airport. We are there for when the doors open at 10:00. There is a gift shop and café on-site. Website: www.museeairespace.fr/en At 14:00 we set off for the small town of Lisieux in Normandy, about a 2½ hour drive to the west. We will have a ‘comfort break’ en-route. On arrival we check in to the 3-star Comfort Hotel Cathedrale Lisieux situated in the town centre where we stay 6 nights on a bed and breakfast basis. There is no on-site restaurant or bar as there are plenty of each next to, and in the streets surrounding the hotel. See page 9 for details. Website: www.comforthotelcathedrale.com/hotel-confort-cathedrale-in-lisieux-normandy DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, 5th JUNE At 09:00 we depart for Benouville/St-Aubin-d’Arquenay, site of the famous glider landings at Pegasus Bridge! See photo on page 1. Time to call in at the equally famous café for (optional) refreshments. Website: www.memorial-pegasus.org/mmp/musee_debarquement/index.php?lang=uk We spend the afternoon at Caen Carpiquet airfield: the armada of Daks are scheduled to arrive from Duxford between 16:30 – 17:00. We plan to be on the airfield to take our photographs; if not, then we will park up on final approach to the landing runway. At 19:00 we watch the scheduled mass parachute drop! DAY 4: D-DAY ~ THURSDAY, 6th JUNE Today is a rest day for the Daks and their air and ground crews, so departing our hotel at 09:00 we first visit Arromanches and the 360 Museum: not your usual ‘museum’, this is a cinema unique in Normandy, and one of only a handful like it in Europe, with views of 360˚ - you stand in the middle and watch the film unfold all around you on 9 huge screens arranged in a circle. Website: www.arromanches360.com/ After lunch (at your own expense) we go to ‘Gold’ beach, one of the British invasion beaches, and also the site of one of the two Mulberry Harbours (pictured right). We also visit The Landing Museum. DAYS 5 & 6: FRIDAY, 7th & SATURDAY, 8th JUNE

These 2 days are ‘public access’ days to Carpiquet airfield to see all the aircraft and the scores of assembled veteran military vehicles. On one of the days we will have our optional pleasure flight over Normandy. Exact day/time to be confirmed when details are known. We will visit the small coastal town of Ouistreham and the incredible Museum of the Atlantic Wall -

the Grand Bunker which is located just a stone’s throw from Sword Beach and inside the old German headquarters which was in charge of the gun batteries covering the entrance of the River Orne and the vital canal. The 52ft high concrete tower has been fully restored to how it was on the morning of the 6th June 1944. Website: www.musee-grand-bunker.com/englishversion.asp Then to a primary objective of D-Day: a redoubtable part of the German army’s defences, the Merville gun battery. Situated between Ouistreham and Cabourg, it is one of the most iconic sites of the invasion. Bombed on several occasions leading up to the Landings without effect, it was neutralised by the 9th battalion of British Parachute Regiment after a murderous assault during the night of June 5th/6th. Onwards, to Caen: to the Normandy Memorial whose exhibition space deals exclusively with the invasion of Normandy, a key episode in the liberation of Europe. For the first time ever they cover every detail both of the invasion itself and the ferocious fighting which took place in and around the town in the weeks and months following the Allied landings. Website: http://normandy.memorial-caen.com/





DAY 7: SUNDAY, 9th JUNE This morning we drive west across Normandy to the pretty little town of Sainte Mere Eglise. It was here, on the morning of 6th June 1944, that mixed units of the US 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions occupied the town in Operation Boston, giving it the claim to be one of the first towns to be liberated in the invasion. The early landings, at about 01:40, resulted in heavy casualties for the paratroopers due to some buildings in town being on fire, illuminating the sky and making easy targets of the slowly descending men. The wind blew some of them into the fires. Many were hanging from trees and utility poles and were shot before they could cut themselves loose from their ‘chutes. A well-known incident involved paratrooper John Steele of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment: his parachute caught on the spire of the town church, and he could only watch in horror at the carnage below. He hung there limply for 2 hours pretending to be dead, before he was inadvertently shot in the foot and the Germans heard him moan and took him prisoner. Incredibly, he later escaped from the Germans and re-joined his unit! This was one of the memorable events featured in that classic film “The Longest Day”. Opposite the church is the excellent “Musée des Troupes Aéroportées” with a Waco Glider and a C-47 (pictured right). Website: www.airborne-museum.org/en/

Time also to relax and explore the village, taking the opportunity for lunch (at your own expense) at one of the many cafes. Next stop is the American invasion beach “Utah” where, at the Utah Beach D-Day Museum is an original B-26 Martin Marauder bomber, one of only 6 known examples (pictured left). Our final visit of the day is to the Musée des Epaves in Port-en-Bessin which is a unique and amazing array of American tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), and other items recovered from the seabed off the American’s ‘Omaha’ beach. Website: www.preservedtanks.com/Locations.aspx?LocationCategoryId=6055

DAY 8: MONDAY, 10th JUNE We spend the morning/early afternoon at Caen Carpiquet airfield: it’s departure day for the fleet of Dakotas as they head off for Wiesbaden in Germany, at the start of their journey to Berlin where they are scheduled to arrive on the 15th June. At 14:00 we return to Paris, arriving 3 hours later at the 3* Hotel Magellan situated in the residential 17th arrondissement and a 15-minutes pleasant stroll from the Arc de Triomphe. The hotel has a bar but no restaurant - but there are plenty of eating options within easy walking distance. We stay overnight on a bed and breakfast basis. See page 10 for details. Website: https://www.hotelmagellan.com/en/ DAY 9: TUESDAY, 11th JUNE At 08:30 we depart for Charles de Gaulle Airport, about a 30-minutes drive away (depending on traffic), where we check-in/bag-drop for our flight back to Heathrow Airport; latest recommended time check-in/bag-drop time is 90 minutes prior to departure: 10:35. Charles de Gaulle Airport, Terminal 2A Flight: BA309 Departs: 12:05 Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5 Arrives: 12:25 Whilst waiting for our luggage we bid each “au revoir” – until we meet again!





TOUR PRICE PER

PERSON

TOUR: 227901A 75th Anniversary of D-Day & Normandy Battlefields

From £ 1,349.00 Package price based on sharing a twin bedded room on a bed and breakfast basis

From: £ 338.00

Single room supplement

Land-only (no flights) PLEASE SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR CONSULTANTS BEFORE BOOKING

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

Return flights from London Heathrow Airport to Paris on the scheduled services of British Airways Transfers and travel in de-luxe, air-conditioned coach 8 nights accommodation in rooms with private facilities Continental breakfast each morning Admission to all museums and collections as stated Services of an Ian Allan Tour Manager Coach driver’s gratuity

NOT INCLUDED

Optional sightseeing flight in a DC-3 Meals, other than those stated Any unforeseen, additional charges for taking photographs and/or video – see General Information Travel Insurance – see page 12 “General Information” for details Personal expenditure, for example, telephone calls, laundry, drinks, etc. Admission to any additional museums other than those stated in the itinerary Tips and gratuities (other than for the coach driver)





OPTIONAL 6-DAY EXTENSION TO THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT

DAY 8: MONDAY, 10th JUNE We spend the morning/early afternoon at Caen Carpiquet airfield: it’s departure day for the fleet of Dakotas as they head off for Wiesbaden in Germany, at the start of their journey to Berlin where they are scheduled to arrive on the 15th June. At 14:00 we return to Paris, arriving 3 hours later at the 3* Hotel Magellan situated in the residential 17th arrondissement and a 15-minutes pleasant stroll from the Arc de Triomphe. The hotel has a bar but no restaurant - but there are plenty of eating options within easy walking distance. We stay overnight on a bed and breakfast basis. See page 10 for details. Website: https://www.hotelmagellan.com/en/ DAY 9: TUESDAY, 11th JUNE A free day in Paris to enjoy as you wish. DAY 10: WEDNESDAY, 12th JUNE At 08:00 we transfer by coach to Paris Gare de l ’Est railway station, from where we depart at 09:06 on French high-speed “Tres Grande Vitesse” train TGV 9551 to Frankfurt, arriving at 12:58; we then take our seats on the Inter City Express (ICE) train to Berlin departing at 13:13 arriving at the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin at 17:28. We then board our waiting coach and transfer to our city centre hotel. We stay 5 nights on a bed and breakfast basis at the 4* Park Plaza Berlin Kudamm Hotel: see page 10 for hotel details. Website: www.parkplaza.com/berlin-hotel-de-d-10719/gerkuber DAY 11: THURSDAY, 13th JUNE Departing the hotel at 07:30 we drive 1 hour to Zossen to a little known area which played a vital part in

World War Two: Hitler’s wartime command and control headquarters: Maybach I and II were a large number of above and underground bunkers built 20 kilometres south of Berlin in Wünsdorf near Zossen to house the High Command of the Army (in Maybach I) and the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (in Maybach II) during the Second World War. Pictured left is one of the entrances to a bunker; they were made to look like a normal house to deceive spying eyes from the sky! The two Maybach bunkers were largely destroyed by the Soviet Armed Forces (GSSD) in late 1946 in accordance with four-power

agreement on the occupation of Germany, although some buildings survived including the almost entirely intact and separate communications bunker “Zeppelin”. “Zeppelin” was to play a considerable and vitally important part in the Russian war machine during the Soviet Cold War era. Further bunkers were subsequently added to house the central command and communications functions of the Soviet army in East Germany (the GDR). We will have a guided tour – in English - of both the German and Soviet bunkers. We spend the rest of the day at the ex-Luftwaffe (and RAF) airfield of Gatow, looking around one of the best aviation museums in Europe (if not the world!): the excellent Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr-Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow and its huge number of aircraft – 214 at the last count! Plus 66 air defence missile and radar systems. The Museum focuses mainly on the history of the post-war German Air Force and has a fabulous collection of more than 600,000 items, including 5,000 uniforms, 30,000 books and documents, art, personal estates, training materials and a great deal more. Not surprisingly, not all are on public display!





Uniquely, there is at least one aircraft of every type ever to serve in the air forces of both East and West Germany! There are also displays on the history of the airfield when it was used by the RAF – including the famous ‘intelligence-gathering’ DHC Chipmunk from the Station Flight, which is now on display after being moved from the Alliierten Museum (the secret camera is visible). DAY 12: FRIDAY, 14th JUNE A free day in Berlin to enjoy at your leisure. A favourite for tourists is to purchase a ticket for one of the several ‘hop on, hop off’ sightseeing coach trips. DAY 13: SATURDAY, 15th JUNE We have confirmation of a 2-hours guided tour of Tempelhof airfield, starting at 09:30 - one of the most spectacular buildings in Europe. It was the airfield used by the US Air Force in the Berlin Airlift. A landmark of the Third Reich, Tempelhof Airport’s main building is a historically protected landmark and a symbol of the eventful history of Berlin itself. On the one hand, it is an expression of Nazi ideology and served in World War II as a weapons production site using forced labour; on the other hand, Tempelhof is also a symbol of freedom, and the Airlift of 1948/49 made the airport famous throughout the world. During the division of the city in the Cold War the airport was the gateway to freedom for many Berliners. Midday we arrive at the small airfield of Schonhagen south of Berlin, ready for when the “Berlin Airlift Daks” arrive in order to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. We plan on being on the airfield for an optional lunch (at your own expense) in their café prior to photographing their arrival. DAY 14: SUNDAY, 16th JUNE Today the DC-3s/C-47s will replicate the famous “Candy Bombers” of 1948 and 1949 when Allied aircraft would drop sweets and chocolates to the civil populace as they flew into the airfields of Tegel, Tempelhof and Gatow. We await confirmation of when and where the drop will take place: Tempelhof or Gatow. The Berlin Blockade (24th June 1948–12th May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multi-national occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche Mark from West Berlin. In response, the Western Allies organized what became known as the Berlin Airlift (26th June 1948 – 30th September 1949), to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the city's population. Aircrews from the United States Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the French Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing to the West Berliners up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day, such as fuel and food. The Soviets did not disrupt the airlift for fear this might lead to open conflict, and by the spring of 1949 the airlift was clearly succeeding; by April it was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. Suddenly, on the 12th May 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade. The Berlin Blockade served to highlight the then competing ideological and economic visions for post-war Europe.





We will also visit today the Alliierten Museum which covers the Berlin Airlift, the dividing of Berlin into East and West and the Cold War years. The Museum’s exhibits include part of the tunnel dug to wire-tap the Soviet telephone system; the French military train; the guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie; and an RAF Handley Page Hastings T.5 (pictured left). We understand that the Vickers Varsity is now in store on Tegel Airport. Since the closure of Tempelhof Airport in 2008, the Allied Museum has been trying, without much success to date, to relocate to the old airport at some point. Website: www.alliiertenmuseum.de/en/0.php

DAY 15: MONDAY, 17th JUNE Mid-morning, having checked out, placed our luggage on the coach, we take our seats for the transfer to Berlin’s Tegel Airport; here we check-in with British Airways for our flight back to Heathrow Airport: latest recommended check-in time is 2 hours prior to departure: 12:35. Berlin Tegel Airport Flight: BA 993 Departs: 14:35 Heathrow, Terminal 5 Arrives: 15:35 Whilst waiting for our luggage we bid each “auf Wiedersehn” – until we meet again!

TOUR PRICE PER PERSON

TOUR: 227901B 75th Anniversary of D-Day & Normandy Battlefields & 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift

From £ 2,135.00 Package price based on sharing a twin bedded room on a bed and breakfast basis

From: £618.00

Single room supplement

Land-only (no flights) PLEASE SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR CONSULTANTS BEFORE BOOKING

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

Return flights from London Heathrow Airport on the scheduled services of British Airways: London-Paris; Berlin-London

Second class rail ticket Paris-Frankfurt-Berlin All transfers and travel in deluxe, air-conditioned coaches 14 nights accommodation in rooms with private facilities Continental breakfast each morning Admission to all museums and collections as stated Services of an Ian Allan Tour Manager Coach driver’s gratuity

NOT INCLUDED

Optional sightseeing flight in a DC-3 Meals, other than those stated Any unforeseen, additional charges for taking photographs and/or video – see General Information Travel Insurance – see page 11 “General Information” for details Personal expenditure, for example, telephone calls, laundry, drinks, etc. Admission to any additional museums other than those stated in the itinerary Tips and gratuities (other than for the coach driver)





OUR HOTELS

OCEANIA PARIS ROISSY CDG From your arrival at the terminal, a free shuttle drops you off at this 4* hotel’s entrance which is surrounded by a garden of almost 850 square metres. From the outside you can see the relaxation and ‘well-being’ area with its heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, hammams and fitness room, all set under a majestic glass room. Entering the hotel the hubbub of the airport gives way to peace and calm thanks to the high standard of sound-proofing throughout.

There are 150 modern, comfortable, and uniquely designed rooms each with en-suite facilities. Facilities include a new restaurant - the “Nautilus”, 35 yards away (see picture above) - bar and free wi-fi. And in the morning you take breakfast while the planes are taking off over your head observed through the glass roof! COMFORT HOTEL CATHEDRALE LISIEUX Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d’Auge region and our starting point to discover Normandy and the British/Canadian D-Day landing beaches and battle site. The Hôtel Comfort Cathédrale is situated in the centre of the small town of Lisieux and close to the pedestrian area with its cafes, restaurants, bars, shops and museums. It faces the Cathedrale of Lisieux and is near to the bishopric garden. The hotel is a charming Norman building: traditional yet modern, with a friendly, family atmosphere. Its comfortable, quiet en-suite rooms have a view of either the terrace or the Cathedrale and are equipped with flat-screen TVs and a telephone. There is free wi-fi. It offers a large choice of food for breakfast. There is no on-site restaurant and bar, however, there are both adjacent to the hotel (see picture above), and many others within easy walking distance in the surrounding streets.





HOTEL MAGELLAN, PARIS Located in the heart of the business district of Paris, not far from gardens at Boulevard Péreire and a 15-minutes walk from the legendary Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. This newly renovated Hotel Magellan is a 1918 Haussmann-style building with typically Parisian architecture and interior décor. A calm, verdant garden leads you to the reception desk and on towards the bar. Guest rooms offer a flat-screen TV with satellite channels and tea and coffee making facilities. Free toiletries and a hairdryer are included in the en suite bathrooms.

This superior 3* hotel occupies two buildings, with most of the 65 guest rooms and suites opening out onto a quiet and serene interior garden. There is an on-site lounge bar. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. A buffet breakfast is included each morning at the hotel. In the evening guests can relax in the lounge bar or on the terrace when the weather is nice. There is no restaurant on-site, however, there are plenty of eating options within easy walking distance in the surrounding streets. The hotel is located only a 400-yards walk from the “Porte de Champerret” Metro station, which offers quick and easy travel all around the French Capital. PARK PLAZA BERLIN KUDAMM HOTEL The hotel is 350 yards from the Kurfürstendamm shopping boulevard with its many boutiques and art galleries. It offers free Wi-Fi, modern interiors and rooms with a flat-screen TV. The bright, air-conditioned rooms of the Park Plaza Berlin Kudamm feature original works by the artist Wolf Vostell. Guests are offered a free tour to learn more about his work. An international breakfast buffet is available each morning in the Park Plaza Berlin Kudamm's Garden Salon. Guests can enjoy a range of exotic cocktails in the stylish Vostell’s Lounge or on the terrace. Nearby are many restaurants and bars. Berlin Zoo and the KaDeWe Department Store are a 10-minute walk away, and Kurfürstendamm Underground Station is 550 yards away. Inside the hotel is a tour desk with plenty of options for sightseeing. Many tourists use one of the several available ‘hop on, hop off’ sightseeing bus tours to explore the city at their leisure.





GENERAL INFORMATION

Payment for Ian Allan Aviation Tours A deposit of £400.00 per person per tour should accompany your Booking Form, with any cheque being made payable to “Ian Allan Aviation Tours”. The balance is due 10 weeks prior to the tour’s departure. Please see your Booking Confirmation/Invoice for the exact date. Please note that a reminder of the payment date will not be sent. FCO Consular Advice The FCO's consular service is a major operation. Every hour of every day consular staff around the world are advising and helping British nationals. We suggest you visit www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo for up-to-date passport, visa and security information on the destination you intend visiting. In addition, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) provides both a web site http://abta.com/go-travel and an Information Line, telephone: 020 3117 0599. This line is open between the hours 10:00 – 16:00, Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays). Passports and Visas A visa is not required for entry into France or Germany by British/EU nationals. However, you must take your passport with you – NOT an I.D. card. Other nationals are advised to check the requirements. Coach Travel Ian Allan Aviation Tours only use coaches chartered from reputable companies, with a driver. Where we have had to cancel a tour, due to the small number of bookings, we have looked at the possibility of renting a 16-18 seater mini-van, with our tour manager driving. However, without exception, the hiring of such a vehicle is illegal if any of the occupants make any payment towards the rental price, fuel and/or other expenses - known as “for hire or reward”. Any such rental, made without these facts being made known to the rental company at the time of booking, also invalidates all insurance covering the vehicle, contents and persons. The DVLA has also confirmed that any “for hire or reward” rental could breach the normal driving classification of a standard U.K. driver’s license. Therefore, we do not undertake any tours using 9-18 seater mini-vans from a rental company; either with our tour manager, or a member of the group, driving. Baggage Regulations – British Airways – Departing from London’s Heathrow Airport Checked Baggage: British Airways will transport 1 piece of ‘checked’ baggage per person free of charge, the total dimensions of which must not exceed 190cm x 75cm x 65cm (75in x 29½in x 25½in), including the handle, pockets and wheels. Maximum weight is 23kg (50lb). Cabin Baggage: for travel out of London’s Heathrow Airport you may take 1 carry-on bag (and 1 personal item). Your main piece of hand baggage can be up to the dimensions of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in), including handles and wheels. You must be able to lift the bag into the overhead locker unaided. Carry-on baggage must be stowed in carry-on compartments of the aircraft, under a seat, or in an overhead locker. Your bag must also fit into the bag gauge, available at the check-in area. All larger-sized items must go in the aircraft’s hold. Limited quantities of liquids (individual containers must not exceed 100ml or 3.5 fl oz), are now allowed as hand baggage but must be carried separately through security in a clear plastic, zip-top or re-sealable bag that does not exceed 20cm x 20cm (8 inches x 8 inches), or quart size. Items must fit in the bag comfortably and the bag must be completely closed. Hand baggage can contain shampoo, suntan lotions, creams, toothpaste, hair gel and hair spray, perfumes, cosmetics such as mascara and lip gloss, water and other drinks, soups and syrups and other items of a similar consistency. Also prescription medicines in liquid form, e.g. diabetic kit.





Cigarette lighters are NOT permitted in hold baggage or through the security search. These may be purchased airside. Hand baggage can also include electronic equipment including mobile phones, digital cameras and MP3 players (such as i-Pods). Laptops must be removed from the bag for x-ray. At security all remaining items should be placed in the tray provided for screening, e.g. car keys and fobs, cash, solid food, books, newspapers, cigarettes and tobacco, belts and shoes. Pushchairs and walking aids are permitted but must be x-ray screened. All wheelchairs will be subject to search. Please note: you may be subject to a hand search by the security team and required to remove footwear to be x-ray screened. Once in the departure lounge passengers may purchase certain items in any shop and take it onto the aircraft as normal. Passengers may be subject to a secondary search at the departure gate before boarding. Any items not on the approved list will be removed. Baggage Weight Restrictions – UK Airports Since 1st June 2004, any single piece of checked baggage weighing more than 70lbs (32kgs) has not been accepted at check-in by any airline operating from London’s Heathrow Airport. The BAA may introduce this limit at their other airports in the UK (and so might non-BAA airports), in an attempt to reduce manual handling injuries amongst airport staff. Please bear this in mind when packing. Health Requirements There are no known compulsory health requirements for visiting France and Germany. For the latest information we recommend you consult your doctor or local health centre. Meals Continental breakfast is included on this tour as stated. Dress Code Bearing in mind that most of the places we are visiting in Normandy are battlefields and places where soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians died, out of respect and courtesy we would like you to observe a ‘casual but smart’ dress code. T-shirts, jeans, shorts, flip-flop type footwear etc., are not considered appropriate; open-necked shirts (golf, polo, etc.) long or short-sleeved, with slacks/long trousers are perfect. T-shirts, shorts, jeans etc. may be worn at all other times, e.g. at the end of the days visits, if not with the group, and when we are not in Normandy (i.e. in Paris and Berlin). Photography Photography is allowed at all the aviation museums we are visiting. At the time of preparing this itinerary we are not aware of any such additional charges for taking photographs or video. Any that subsequently arise are payable on the day by each person. Climate and Dress June should be warm and dry – unlike June 1944! - with temperatures around the low-mid 70⁰sF during the day and cooler in the evening. We therefore recommend you take items of summer clothing, including a jacket. Even better – check out the 5 or 10-day on-line weather forecast at the beginning of June and pack accordingly! Travel Insurance For citizens of the United Kingdom, Ian Allan Travel Ltd can provide competitive and comprehensive insurance cover for the duration of your tour. However, if you do not wish to take out our insurance, you must ensure that comparable or greater cover is taken. The number of your Insurance Policy should be written, if known, on your Booking Form at the time of making the reservation, but no later than the date when final payment is due. A copy of the policy must be forwarded to Ian Allan Travel Ltd. Individual insurance policies are arranged through CoverMore Insurance Services Limited; the premiums for which will vary according to your circumstances. Full details are available on request. Wheelchair Assistance at Airports. Anyone requiring wheelchair assistance at airports must have this service requested and confirmed in advance. Airlines and/or airports can no longer provide this service without prior confirmation, therefore, please annotate your booking form accordingly.





Flexible Itinerary We are very happy for enthusiasts to take time away from the printed itinerary to pursue their own interests, so long as they inform the Tour Manager. It will be the individual’s responsibility to ensure that they re-join the group in the hotel at the stated time on the day of departure. Please note: it is not possible to refund the cost of the coach nor admission tickets if you decide not to join the group on any day(s). Land Only Price For enthusiasts who would prefer to join the tour at the hotel at Paris CDG Airport (instead of flying from the UK with the main group), we would be pleased to provide a ‘Land Only’ price. This price does not include any flights whatsoever and you are strongly advised to contact us before making your own flight arrangements in the event that there has been a change to the published itinerary. Please note that the ‘Land Only’ price is based on you meeting the tour at the first hotel as stated above; however, it includes the airport transfer at the end of the tour (either in Paris or Berlin). Should you not travel with the group, for whatever reason (e.g. later flight, own arrangements), we are unable to refund the cost of this transfer. Flight Timings & Connecting Travel Arrangements to Departure Airport All flight departure and arrival times are correct at the time of preparing each itinerary; however, airlines may change these times with little or no prior warning. In practice such changes are only a few minutes either way and the final itinerary will show the actual times. Clients making their own arrangements to get to the departure airport by air, rail, coach etc., should bare the above in mind if purchasing non-refundable or non-changeable tickets. Ian Allan Travel cannot be held responsible for any changes to flight times and any privately arranged travel tickets to the airport becoming invalid. Pre-departure For connecting flights from UK regional airports - please call Ian Allan Travel on 01932 255625 for the latest special offers available. Airport Hotel and/or Car Parking - we can offer special rates for the above at most UK airports, please ask for details. Pleasure Flights – Disclaimer Should you decide to undertake any pleasure/sightseeing flights which have not been offered or sanctioned by us, Ian Allan Travel Ltd will not be held liable for any injuries or death resulting thereon. Tours Affected by World Events or Unforeseen/Unplanned Circumstances In an ever-changing world, events may occur immediately before or during a tour that result in cancellations or changes to the tour itinerary. For example, an increase in security may result in an approved visit being cancelled by the host, etc.. Ian Allan Travel Ltd cannot be held responsible for any tour being cancelled, or itineraries affected, due to world events or circumstances beyond our control.

* * *

provisional itinerary & general information monday, 3 … · 2019-01-21 · there are excellent...

Documents