News Update
easyJet to Fly to Dalaman
easyJet, the famous no frills airline, is in the process of buying the GB Airlines franchise from British Airways and has, of today, taken over the booking and operation of their routes. Included in these routes is the London Gatwick - Dalaman flight which has been operating for around 2 years. easyJet will begin their flights on 31 March this year and continue until 26 September according to their current timetable. Unlike GB airlines that just operated twice weekly flights, easyJet will be expanding to provide up to five flights per week during the busy summer holiday period. During April there will be 2 flights per week on Monday and Friday. In May 3 flights per week Monday, Thursday and Friday. Then at the end of May there will be a flight every weekday right through until the end of September. One-way fares from Gatwick to Dalaman have been advertised as costing from £44.99 one-way. However, we found prices ranged from £31.99 on Wednesday 18 August to £174.99 at peak flying times. Our quick test showed that Wednesday was the cheapest day to fly in almost all cases. easyJet's pricing structure means that prices will no doubt increase the later bookings are left. Of course, being a no frills airline means that extra charges must be added to these base prices. There is a £3.99 charge per item of luggage put in the hold. Additional bags cost £3.99 per item but the total weight of all the individual bags cannot exceed the 20kgs limit without incurring an excess baggage charge of £6.00 per Kilo. Payment charges include a credit card surcharge of 1.95% (minimum of £4.95) but debit cards are £1.50 per transaction.
New Oakwood Projects
Oakwood UK have always been involved in new ideas to increase efficiency and decrease costs. We are always looking for any products that would benefit our organisation or customers. If you have any ideas, products or business plans that would achieve these aims please get in touch.
Electricity Costs
We are all aware that Turkish electricity prices have increased by 65% this year and may further increase in 2009. As rental agents we know that however you advise guests on the correct use of air conditioners (the main consumers of power) they are invariably left on with doors and windows open. We have had bills of 673YTL for one property alone. An increase in rental to cover these costs will only mean being less competitive and will not stop abuse and environmental damage.
We believe that the only sure way to stop this abuse is to fit a "sub" meter within the property with easy to read instructions allowing a certain amount of "free" electricity usage, any excess would be taken out of the breakage deposit per unit used. We are sure that just knowing this procedure is in place with a reading they can view will stop abuse whilst owners can be "generous" with units allocated. Fitted and guaranteed for 5 years with a life of over 20 years, full E.E.C spec. £175. Contact us for full details and specifications.
Internet
Plans are underway to provide large area Wi Fi coverage. 24/7 Internet access is becoming a feature of our lives whether we are residents or rental guests. Oakwood have an experiment with new broadcast equipment that will provide whole complexes with reasonably priced Wi Fi coverage. This will be the fastest internet available. Once we have a system operational on one of our sites we will make it available to any complexes interested. More news soon and if you are interested in such a system for your complex please let us know.
Security and CCTV
Owning a property abroad has many advantages but is also a great responsibility. One of the main areas of concern is security.
If your property is not on a complex or the complex is too small to make permanent security viable then we will soon have provision to provide CCTV coverage of your property along with a 24 hour monitoring service with mobile fully licensed security personnel. This service will not only cover security but immediate notification of any storm or other damage. You will be able to access cameras covering your property from your computer in the UK or elsewhere.
Even if your property is on a complex with 24 hour security it would still be nice to have a visual check at any time.
We are presently involved in fitting CCTV to a property to test this system and provide costing.
