1.
SNCF
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SNCF is Frances national state-owned railway company and manages the rail traffic in France and the Principality of Monaco. SNCF operates the national rail services, including the TGV. Its functions include operation of services for passengers and freight. SNCF employs more than 180,000 people in 120 countries around the globe, the railway network consists of about 32,000 km of route, of which 1,800 km are high-speed lines and 14,500 km electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily, since July 2013, SNCF headquarters are located in a Parisian suburb at 2, place aux Étoiles,93200 Saint Denis. In 2010 SNCF was ranked 22nd in France and 214th globally on the Fortune Global 500 list and it is the main business of the SNCF group, which in 2014 employed 245,763 people and had €27.2 billion of sales in 120 countries. The chairman of the SNCF group is Guillaume Pépy, SNCF operates almost all of Frances railway system, including the TGV, In the 1970s, SNCF began the TGV high-speed train programme with the intention of creating the worlds fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981, when the first TGV service, today, SNCF operates 1,850 km of designated high-speed track that accommodate more than 800 high-speed services per day. SNCF’s TGV trains carry more than 100 million passengers a year, TGV lines and TGV technology are now spread across several European countries in addition to South Korea.8 km/h. SNCF has a safety record. After nearly 30 years in operation, SNCF’s TGV system has experienced one fatal accident. SNCF also owns the tracks and the stations, since the 1990s, SNCF has been selling railway carriages to regional governments, with the creation of the Train Express Régional brand. SNCF also maintains a broad scope of business that includes work on freight lines, inter-city lines. SNCF experts provide logistics, design, construction, operations and maintenance services, SNCF operates the international ticketing agency, Voyages SNCF. SNCF has employees in 120 countries offering extensive overseas and cross border consulting and those projects include, Israel, Assistance and Training. SNCF International provides assistance to Israel Railways in every area of operations including projects to upgrade the networks general safety regulations. Other assistance and training programmes involve Infrastructure and the Traction Division, SNCF supervised the prime contractor responsible for construction of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s main high-speed rail line. It also trained rail traffic controllers, drivers, and crew members, on behalf of the Government of Taiwan, SNCF managed the high-speed railway Command Control Centre
2.
Gare de Montpellier-Saint-Roch
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Saint-Roch is the main railway station in Montpellier, France. The station was known as Gare de Montpellier, but since March 2005 it bears the name of Saint Roch, a native of the city. Saint-Roch is one of the transport hubs of Languedoc-Roussillon, situated between the stations of Nîmes and Sète. The station building comprises a front face and a passenger building laid out on three levels. What was the bus station above the tracks is now a short stay carpark, since the beginning of the 2000s, the station is in the middle of an urban regeneration project involving old railway property called the Nouveau Saint-Roch. Until December 2013 there was a EuroCity service between Montpellier, Barcelona and Cartagena in Spain and this service was cut when high speed services were extended to Barcelona and Madrid. Due to its position in the south of France and on the lines from Paris, Italy and Spain, international services operate to Spain, Barcelona and Madrid, Switzerland, Geneva
3.
Marseille-Saint-Charles Station
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Marseille – Saint-Charles is the main railway station and intercity bus station of Marseille. It is the terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It opened on 8 January 1848, having built for the PLM on the land of the Saint Charles Cemetery. The station is perched on top of a hill and is linked to the city centre by a monumental set of stairs. Since 2001, when the TGV reduced dramatically the travel time between Marseille and northern France, traffic increased and the station is currently the 11th busiest in France. The station was once a key stage on the sea voyage to Africa, the Middle-East, to the rear of the station along Boulevard Voltaire was the goods yard which was used up until the end of the 1990s by the SNCFs road freight operations, Sernam. The station, originally isolated from the city, was equipped with a staircase, envisioned by Eugène Senès in 1911. It is bordered by statues inspired by all the distant locations to which people sailed from Marseilles port, Saint-Charles has 14 terminal platforms and four tracks which run through, all equipped with 1500 V DC overhead wire. Tracks run in various directions, towards Ventimiglia, the north, Briançon, a first extension was opened after World War II. The buildings on the side had been destroyed and were rebuilt to house the administration offices of the SNCF. A new between level was opened to enhance the flow of passengers, at the end of the 1990s a redevelopment project began with the opening of the Marseille underground and bus interchange as well as the arrival of the TGV Méditerranée. Since 2001 new underground parking lots and a tunnel have allowed the station to be renewed, a new hall, the Halle Honnorat, was created housing shops and services. New pedestrian spaces with cafe terraces have also been created atop the grand stairs and its filthy railyard is covered in litter and discarded equipment. Paulin Talabot started the Marseille-Avignon line
4.
Gare de Rennes
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Rennes railway station is situated in the town centre of Rennes, France. It is situated on the Paris–Brest, Rennes–Saint-Malo and the Rennes–Redon railways, the station at Rennes was opened in 1857, and was situated a significant walking distance from the city centre. However, since that date the town has expanded and now the station lies in the part of the city. It has access to Paris on the TGV, a two-hour trip, train service is also available to other cities in France such as Lyon, Montpellier, Marseille, Lille, Aix-en-Provence and Strasbourg. It is also served by Gares station on the VAL Rennes Metro, timetables TER Bretagne Transportation in France
5.
Gare de Nantes
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The Gare de Nantes is the principal passenger railway station serving the French city of Nantes. It is a through station aligned east-west, with entrances and station facilities on north and south sides. The two entrances are often described as Gare Nord and Gare Sud, as if they were separate stations, construction was started on the current station in 1965, and it was placed into service three years later. It is situated somewhat to the east of the old Gare dOrléans, originally the Nantes station of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans, the southern entrance hall was opened in 1989, in time for the inauguration of the TGV Atlantique. Line 1 of the Tramway de Nantes serves the northern hall of the station, the southern hall is served by several of the bus services of the Tan network, including the Navette Tan Air express shuttle service to Nantes Atlantique Airport. Across the road from the hall is the southern terminus of the Navibus service that operates through the St Felix canal tunnel
6.
Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu
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Gare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille railway, the train services are operated by SNCF. This zone is served by the metro line B, tram T1, T3, T4, the station was constructed in 1978 as part of the new Part-Dieu urban neighborhood project. Before the construction of the Gare de la Part-Dieu, the neighborhood was served by the Gare des Brotteaux and it closed in 1982 and its operations were absorbed into this station. While Part-Dieu is routinely the busiest, five stations operate in Lyon, Perrache, Lyon-Vaise, Saint-Paul, Gorge de Loup. Part-Dieu is a significant railway hub, connected to the French, the station is served by Frances high-speed rail service, TGV, in addition to Intercity and regional TER trains. Part-Dieu also has connections to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport by TGV and has assigned the XYD airport code. The SNCF is proposing connection services to CDG under code sharing agreement with many airlines, the station has significantly surpassed its initial traffic expectations, from a moderate 35,000 passengers a day in 1983 to 80,000 passengers on 500 trains a day in 2001. Because of the traffic, the station was renovated from 1995–2001 to increase the number of platforms. In 2010, the station served roughly 51.1 million passengers, Lyon Part-Dieu has direct access to the Lyon Metro and tramways T1, T3, and T4. Transport in Rhône-Alpes TER Rhône Alpes Timetables TER Rhône-Alpes
7.
Gare de Lyon-Perrache
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Lyon-Perrache is a large railway station located in the Perrache district, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France. The station was opened in 1855 and is located on the Paris–Marseille railway, Lyon–Geneva railway, the train services are operated by SNCF and includes TGV, Intercity and local services. The station was built in 1855 by Alexis Cendrier for the CF du PLM, the building was built in classical style and is composed of a double rooftop and a large passenger building. The station lost its view of the city when the transport interchange, the platforms are covered by two twin iron rooftops. It is the terminus of the LGV Sud-Est line, the railway line from Paris. It is also served by trains from other parts of France. It is also the terminus of one of the Lyon tram lines, today, however, Perrache is no longer the primary rail station serving Lyon. A rebuilding of the station is planned for completion by 2020, with a view to improving the interchange, saint-Étienne, Roanne, Bourgoin-Jallieu, Villefranche, Vienne, Bourg-en-Bresse and Ambérieu
8.
Gare de Valence TGV
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Gare de Valence TGV is a railway station in Valence, France which offers regular TGV services. The station, located in eastern Valence, is ten kilometres north-east from the town centre. With its opening in 2001, the station has considerably shortened travel times for travellers throughout eastern France, Valence TGV was built for and opened along with the LGV Méditerranée, which extends south from Valence to Marseille. The station is only 1 km south of the end of LGV Rhône-Alpes, Valence TGV has some unique station architecture. Built primarily of reinforced concrete, one of the features is the glass on all walls of the station building. The station is built on an incline, which makes it slightly harder for handicapped people to move around the building. Valence TGV is a station, the top level is used for TER trains while the bottom level is used for TGV trains. The lower level, aligned roughly north-south, has 4 tracks,2 in the centre allow through trains to pass without slowing, there are regular shuttles from Valence TGV to Valence City station, in the city centre. French highway RD532 provides road access to the station, and two large carparks have been built at the station to passengers to park their car. Travel times have decreased dramatically using Valence TGV station
9.
Gare d'Avignon TGV
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Avignon TGV is a railway station located in Avignon, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, south-eastern France, European Union. The station was opened in 2001 and is located on the LGV Méditerranée high-speed line, the train services are operated by SNCF. The station is located 6km south of the city centre and this station has two platforms for trains calling at the station, with two through lines. This allows trains not stopping at Avignon to pass through at full speed and this station, inaugurated in 2001, was designed by the cabinet of architecture of the SNCF under the direction of Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Jean-François Blassel. It has a 340 m -long glazed roof that has been compared to that of a cathedral, on 15 December 2013 a link line between Avignons city station and Avignons high speed station opened, with a regular shuttle service operating between the two. International services operate to Belgium, Brussels, Antwerpen, Germany, Frankfurt, Spain, Barcelona, Madrid, Switzerland, Geneva, England, London and The Netherlands, parts of the 2007 film Mr Beans Holiday were shot at Gare dAvignon
10.
Aix-en-Provence TGV railway station
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Aix-en-Provence TGV is a high speed railway station located in Cabriès, Bouches-du-Rhône, southern France. The station was opened in 2001 and is located on the LGV Méditerranée, the train services are operated by SNCF. It serves the city of Aix-en-Provence,15 km north-east of the station, Vitrolles, northern Marseille,20 km south of the station and the Marseilles Provence international airport. From Aix-en-Provence TGV train services depart to major French cities such as, Paris, Lyon, Cannes, Nice, Dijon, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Lille. International services operate to Belgium, Brussels, Antwerpen, Germany, Frankfurt, Switzerland, Geneva, The Netherlands, Amsterdam and Spain, Barcelona
11.
Gare TGV Haute-Picardie
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TGV Haute-Picardie is a railway station on the LGV Nord-Europe between Lille and Paris. Geographically, it is located about 10 km west of Péronne, when built, it was criticised by the press for being too far from any of the neighbouring towns to be useful. The annual number of passengers varies from 360,000 to 400,000, at most stations on high-speed lines there is some form of barrier preventing this close up viewing from the platform. Since 2013, passengers are not allowed onto the platforms until the arrival of the stopping train, in order to avoid any risk of being hit by flying track ballast. A business park has created around the station for some years, on its western side
12.
Gare de Massy TGV
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Massy TGV is a TGV railway station in Massy, France. Massy TGV is a new station, located in Île-de-France, was built for the LGV Atlantique, thus certain trains serve at Montparnasse Station and this station simultaneously, although it is not allowed to use the TGV for such a short distance. The proximity of station the Massy – Palaiseau RER station makes it possible for this station to serve a great part of south Paris and its suburbs. The station also offers the advantage of enabling Lille-Tours and Strasbourg-Tours trains to serve Paris via the LGV Interconnexion Est without having to turn around at a terminus station, however, in spite of these advantages, the traffic of this station remains low. Official Information on the station at SNCFs Gares en Mouvement US travel information with map of the stations surroundings
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Gare d'Angers-Saint-Laud
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Angers-Saint-Laud is a railway station located in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, western France. The station was opened in 1849 and is located on the Le Mans–Angers railway, the train services are operated by SNCF. The station is at 40 m above sea level and at kilometre post 342.950 of the Tours–Saint-Nazaire railway, the station was constructed beginning in 1848 and ultimately opened on 30 July 1849, along with the Saumur-Angers section of the Tours-Saint-Nazaire railway. In 1851 the line was completed from Angers westward to Nantes, the station gradually expanded as traffic grew in the latter half of the 19th century. The station building was destroyed by bombing raids during the Second World War. A new one was opened in 1956, and ultimately renovated in 2001, in 2014, the station was used by 5,284,928 travelers
14.
Charles de Gaulle Airport
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Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, also known as Roissy Airport, is the largest international airport in France. It is named after Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War, founder of the French Fifth Republic, Charles de Gaulle Airport is located within portions of several communes 25 km to the northeast of Paris. The airport serves as the hub for Air France as well as a European hub for fellow SkyTeam alliance partner Delta Air Lines. In 2016, the airport handled 65,933,145 passengers and 472,950 aircraft movements, thus making it the worlds ninth-busiest airport and it is also the worlds tenth-busiest and it is Europes second-busiest airport in aircraft movements. In terms of traffic, the airport is the twelfth-busiest in the world. The incumbent director of the airport, Franck Goldnadel, was appointed to his position on 1 March 2011, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport covers 32.38 square kilometres of land. Management of the airport lies solely on the authority of Paris Aéroport, which also manages Orly, Le Bourget, Marsa Alam in Egypt, the planning and construction phase of what was known then as Aéroport de Paris Nord began in 1966. On 8 March 1974 the airport, renamed Charles de Gaulle Airport, Terminal 1 was built in an avant-garde design of a ten-floors-high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings, each with six gates allowing sunlight to enter through apertures. The main architect was Paul Andreu, who was also in charge of the extensions during the following decades, the Frutiger typeface was commissioned for use in the airport and implemented on signs throughout the building in 1975. Initially called Roissy, it was renamed after its designer Adrian Frutiger, until 2005, every PA announcement made at Terminal 1 was preceded by a distinctive chime, nicknamed Indicatif Roissy and composed by Bernard Parmegiani in 1971. The chime can be heard in the Roman Polanski film Frantic, the chime was officially replaced by the Indicatif ADP chime. Charles de Gaulle Airport has three terminals, Terminal 1 is the oldest and situated opposite to Terminal 3, Terminal 2 is located at another side with 7 sub-terminal buildings. Terminal 2 was originally exclusively for Air France, since then it has been expanded significantly. Terminals 2A to 2F are interconnected by elevated walkways and situated next to each other, Terminal 2G is a satellite building connected by shuttle bus. Terminal 3 hosts charter and low-cost airlines, the CDGVAL light-rail shuttle connects Terminal 2 to Terminals 1/3 and their parking lots. Refer to Ground Transportation below for inter-terminal transfers and transport to central Paris, the first terminal, designed by Paul Andreu, was built in the image of an octopus. It consists of a terminal building which houses key functions such as check-in counters. Seven satellites with boarding gates are connected to the building by underground walkways
15.
Guillaume Pepy
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Guillaume Pepy is a high-ranking French civil servant and is, since February 2008, president of SNCF, the French national rail authority. He is also Chairman of Eurostar and Deputy-Chairman of the Keolis Group, the President of the Republic appointed him to run the state-owned enterprise on 27 February 2008 for a term of five years. Guillaume Pepy joined SNCF for the first time in 1988 as Chief of Staff to the then Chairman, after a stint in various ministerial private offices, he came back as Head of Investment, Economy and Strategy. In 1997, he was put in charge of Mainline Services and in 1998 and he instituted a new low fares policy designed to boost train occupancy rates using yield management flexible pricing techniques. He was also the force behind the creation of Voyages-sncf. com, of which he was Chairman from 1998 to 2006. In 2003, Louis Gallois appointed him Group Chief Operating Officer, anne-Marie Idrac, Chairman in the last 20 months of the term begun by Louis Gallois, confirmed him in this position. He was also the prime mover in the launch of the Railteam European high-speed rail operator alliance, guillaume Pepy attended the Ecole alsacienne high school in Paris. He is a graduate of the Institut détudes politiques de Paris, in 1995, he was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Sofres group with special responsibility for business development. Closeted gay when he shared his life with Richard Descoings his companionship was publicly acknowledged at Descoings funerals
16.
Europe
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Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa
17.
Open skies
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For open skies to become effective, a bilateral Air Transport Agreement must be concluded between two or more nations. Since World War II, most states have invested national pride in the creation, Air transportation differs from many other forms of commerce, not only because it has a major international component, but also because many of these airlines were wholly or partly government owned. Thus, as international competition grew, various degrees of protectionism were imposed, a bilateral air transport agreement is a contract to liberalize aviation services, usually commercial civil aviation, between two contracting states. A bilateral air services agreement allows the airlines of both states to launch commercial flights that covers the transport of passengers and cargoes of both countries, a bilateral agreement may sometimes include the transport of military personnel of the contracting states. A multilateral air services agreement is the same as bilateral agreement, the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed at Chicago, was intended to prepare a framework within which civil air transport could develop. To land in state for non-traffic purposes, e. g. refueling without boarding or disembarking passengers. To land in the territory of the first state and disembark passengers coming from the state of the airline. To land in the territory of the first state and board passengers travelling to the state of the airline. Because only the first five freedoms have been recognised by international treaties. The last twenty-five years have seen significant changes in airline regulation, the United States began pursuing Open Skies agreements in 1979, and, by 1982 it had signed twenty-three bilateral air service agreements worldwide, mainly with smaller nations. That was followed in the 1990s by agreements with individual European states, a huge step was taken in 1992 when the Netherlands signed the first open skies agreement with the United States, in spite of objections posited by European Union authorities. The agreement gave both countries unrestricted landing rights on each others soil, normally landing rights are granted for a fixed number of flights per week to a fixed destination. Each adjustment takes a lot of negotiating, often between governments rather than between the companies involved, other alliances would struggle for years to overcome transnational barriers or still do so. In 2001 the United States signed the Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalization of International Air Transportation with Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore. The United States has enjoyed a powerful negotiating position but the European Commission, as a supranational body and these negotiations led to the text of an agreement being initialed on 2 March 2007. Contending issues are, cabotage — opening up the hub and spoke networks on both sides of the Atlantic would be contentious, the U. S. rules on foreign ownership. The airlines, as a quid pro quo, benefit through a priority over the carriage of military, the provisions of the Fly America Act. There might also be problems in harmonising the framework of antitrust policy, Open Skies Agreement was one of the most significant open skies agreements concluded in recent years, applying to civil aviation traffic between two of the worlds three largest markets
18.
Low-cost carrier
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A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, as of July 2014, the worlds largest low-cost carrier is Southwest Airlines, which operates in the United States and some surrounding areas. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with an operating cost structure than their competitors. Low-cost carrier business model practices vary widely, some practices are more common in certain regions, while others are generally universal. The common theme among all low-cost carriers is the reduction of cost, traditional airlines have also reduced their cost using several of these practices. Most low-cost carriers operate aircraft configured with a single passenger class and these airlines tend to operate short-haul flights that suit the range of narrow-body planes. Long-range wide-body aircraft are too expensive for low cost carriers. In the past, low-cost carriers tended to operate older aircraft purchased second-hand, such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, since 2000, fleets generally consist of the newest aircraft, commonly the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. In 2013, ch-aviation published a study about the strategy of low-cost carriers. They summarized that major LCCs that order aircraft in large numbers get huge discounts and that saves a lot in operative costs. Aircraft often operate with a set of optional equipment, further reducing costs of acquisition and maintenance, as well as keeping the weight of the aircraft lower. Ryanair seats do not recline and do not have pockets, to reduce cleaning. Pilot conveniences, such as ACARS, may be excluded, often, no in-flight entertainment systems are made available, though many US low-cost carriers do offer satellite television or radio in-flight. It is also becoming a popular approach to install LCD monitors onto the aircraft and broadcast advertisements on them, most do not offer reserved seating, hoping to encourage passengers to board early and quickly, thus decreasing turnaround times. Some allow priority boarding for an extra fee instead of reserved seating, like the major carriers, many low-cost carriers develop one or more bases to maximize destination coverage and defend their market. Many do not operate traditional hubs, but rather focus cities, Airlines often offer a simpler fare scheme, such as charging one-way tickets half that of round-trips. Typically fares increase as the plane fills up, which rewards early reservations, in Europe luggage is not transferred from one flight to another, even if both flights are with the same airline. This saves costs and is thought to encourage passengers to take direct flights, tickets are not sold with transfers, so the airline wont need to take responsibility for a delay
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Ryanair
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Ryanair Ltd. is an Irish low-cost airline headquartered in Swords, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, with its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted Airports. In 2016, Ryanair was both the largest European airline by scheduled passengers carried, and the busiest international airline by passenger numbers. Ryanair operates over 370 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a single 737-700 used primarily as a charter aircraft, the airline has been characterised by its rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation of the aviation industry in Europe in 1997 and the success of its low-cost business model. Ryanairs route network serves 34 countries in Europe, Africa, since its establishment in 1984, Ryanair has grown from a small airline flying the short journey from Waterford to London into Europes largest carrier. As of 2013 including over 1,200 pilots, after the rapidly growing airline went public in 1997, the money raised was used to expand the airline into a pan-European carrier. Revenues have risen from €231 million in 1998, to €1,843 million in 2003, similarly net profits have increased from €48 million to €339 million over the same period. Ryanair was founded in 1984 as Danren Enterprises by Christopher Ryan, Liam Lonergan and Irish businessman Tony Ryan, in 1986, the company added a second route – flying Dublin–Luton in direct competition with the Aer Lingus / British Airways duopoly for the first time. Under partial EU deregulation, airlines could begin new international intra-EU services, the Irish government at the time refused its approval, to protect Aer Lingus, but Britain, under Margaret Thatchers deregulating Conservative government, approved the service. With two routes and two planes, the airline carried 82,000 passengers in one year. In 1986 the directors of Ryanair took an 85% stake in London European Airways, from 1987 this provided a connection with the Luton Ryanair service onward to Amsterdam, in 1988 London European operated as Ryanair Europe and later began to operate charter services. Ryanair passenger numbers continued to increase, but the airline generally ran at a loss and, Michael OLeary was charged with the task of making the airline profitable. OLeary quickly decided that the key to profitability was low fares, quick turn-around times for aircraft, no frills and no business class, in 1989, a Short Sandringham was operated with Ryanair sponsorship titles but never flew revenue-generating services for the airline. He competed with the airlines by providing a no-frills, low-cost service. Flights were scheduled into regional airports, which offered lower landing and handling charges than larger established international airports, OLeary as Chief Executive took part in a publicity stunt, where he helped out with baggage handling on Ryanair flights at Dublin Airport. By 1995, after the consistent pursuit of its low-cost business model, in 1998, flush with new capital, the airline placed a massive US$2 billion order for 45 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. The airline launched its website in 2000, with online booking initially said to be a small, increasingly the online booking contributed to the aim of cutting flight prices by selling directly to passengers and excluding the costs imposed by travel agents. Within a year, the website was handling three-quarters of all bookings, Ryanair launched a new base of operation in Charleroi Airport in 2001. Later that year, the airline ordered 155 new 737-800 aircraft from Boeing at what was believed to be a substantial discount, to be delivered over eight years from 2002 to 2010
20.
EasyJet
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EasyJet is a British airline, operating under the low-cost carrier model, based at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on over 820 routes in more than 30 countries, EasyJet plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE100 Index. EasyGroup Holdings Ltd is the largest shareholder with a 34. 62% stake and it employs nearly 11,000 people, based throughout Europe but mainly in the UK. EasyJet has seen expansion since its establishment in 1995, having grown through a combination of acquisitions, the airline, along with associate company easyJet Switzerland, operates more than 200 aircraft, mostly Airbus A319. It has 28 bases across Europe, the largest being Gatwick, in 2014 the airline carried more than 65 million passengers, making it the second-largest airline in Europe by number of passengers carried, behind Ryanair. EasyJet was featured in the television series Airline broadcast on ITV which followed the operations at London Luton. In November 2016, ITN Productions announced a new TV series to be broadcast on ITV in 2017 exploring what it takes to become a pilot at the airline. The current working title of the series is easyJet, Inside the Cockpit and will feature unprecedented access to the pilot training scheme using unique. The airline was established in 1995, the first company in what would become the easyGroup conglomerate. It was launched by Greek Cypriot businessman Stelios Haji-Ioannou with two wet leased Boeing 737-200 aircraft, initially operating two routes, London Luton Airport to Glasgow and Edinburgh. In April 1996, the first wholly owned aircraft was delivered to the airline, enabling its first international route, until October 1997, the aircraft were operated by GB Airways and subsequently by Air Foyle, as easyJet had not yet received its Air Operators Certificate. EasyJet was floated on the London Stock Exchange on 5 November 2000, in October 2004 the FL Group, owner of the airlines Icelandair and Sterling, purchased an 8. 4% stake in the airline. Over the course of 2005, FL increased its share in the company periodically to 16. 9%, however, in April 2006 the threat of takeover receded as FL sold its stake for €325 million, securing a profit of €140m on its investment. In November 2005, Ray Webster stood down after 10 years as executive officer and was replaced by former RAC plc CEO. EasyJet has expanded since its establishment, driven by demand from both the United Kingdom and continental Europe, as part of this, the airline has also purchased several rivals, including GB Airways. In March 1998, easyJet purchased a 40% stake in Swiss charter airline TEA Basle for three million Swiss francs, the airline was renamed easyJet Switzerland and commenced franchise services on 1 April 1999, having relocated its headquarters to Geneva International Airport. This was easyJets first new base outside the United Kingdom, in 2002, rival airline Go Fly was purchased for £374 million, the airline inherited three new bases from Go, at Bristol Airport, East Midlands Airport and London Stansted Airport. The acquisition of Go almost doubled the number of Boeing 737-300 aircraft in the easyJet fleet, in 2002, the airline opened its base at Gatwick Airport, and between 2003 and 2007 opened bases in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, establishing a presence in continental Europe
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Mobile app
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A mobile application software or mobile app is an application software designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Some pre-installed apps can be removed by an ordinary uninstall process, where the software does not allow this, some devices can be rooted to eliminate the undesired apps. Native mobile apps often stand in contrast to desktop applications that run on desktop computers, Apps that are not preinstalled are usually available through distribution platforms called app stores. They began appearing in 2008 and are operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store. Some apps are free, while others must be bought, usually, they are downloaded from the platform to a target device, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or desktop computers. For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the provider. The same app can therefore cost a different price depending on the mobile platform, the term app is a shortening of the term application software. It has become popular, and in 2010 was listed as Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society. In 2009, technology columnist David Pogue said that newer smartphones could be nicknamed app phones to distinguish them from earlier less-sophisticated smartphones, Mobile apps were originally offered for general productivity and information retrieval, including email, calendar, contacts, stock market and weather information. However, public demand and the availability of developer tools drove rapid expansion into other categories, in 2014 government regulatory agencies began trying to regulate and curate apps, particularly medical apps. Some companies offer apps as a method to deliver content with certain advantages over an official website. Usage of mobile apps has become increasingly prevalent across mobile phone users, a May 2012 comScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used apps than browsed the web on their devices,51. 1% vs.49. 8% respectively. Researchers found that usage of mobile apps strongly correlates with user context and depends on users location, Mobile apps are playing an ever-increasing role within healthcare and when designed and integrated correctly can yield many benefits. Market research firm Gartner predicted that 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013, by Q22015, the Google Play and Apple stores alone generated $5 billion. Developing apps for mobile devices requires considering the constraints and features of these devices, Mobile devices run on battery and have less powerful processors than personal computers and also have more features such as location detection and cameras. Developers also have to consider an array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations because of intense competition in mobile software. Mobile application development requires use of specialized integrated development environments, Mobile apps are first tested within the development environment using emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide a way to test applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access
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SNCF TGV Duplex
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The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It is unique among TGV trains in that it features bi-level carriages, the Duplex inaugurated the third generation of TGV trainsets. It was specially designed to increase capacity on high-speed lines with saturated traffic, with two seating levels and a seating capacity of 508 passengers, the Duplex increases the passenger capacity. While the TGV Duplex started as a component of the TGV fleet. The LGV Sud-Est from Paris to Lyon is the busiest high-speed line in France, after its opening in 1981 it rapidly reached capacity. Several options were available to increase capacity, the separation between trains was reduced to three minutes on some TGV lines, but the increasingly complex signalling systems, and high-performance brakes required, limited this option. Another option is to widen the train but is not practicable due to loading gauge restrictions. Running two trainsets coupled together in multiple-unit configuration provides extra capacity, but required very long station platforms, given length and width restrictions, the remaining option is to adopt a bi-level configuration, with seating on two levels, adding 45% more passenger capacity. TGV Duplex sets are run with a single deck Réseau set or another Duplex set. The Duplex feasibility study was completed in 1987, in 1988, a full-scale mockup was built to gauge customer reactions to the bi-level concept, traditionally associated with commuter and regional rail rather than with high-speed intercity trains. Discussions with GEC-Alsthom began soon after, and in July 1990 the company won the contract to build the TGV-2N, the contract was finalized in early 1991, at which point the official order was made. The first tests of a trainset in were November 1994. Soon after their first run, the first rake of eight trailers was tested at 290 km/h on the Sud-Est line, the trainset was powered by TGV Réseau power cars at the time, as the Duplex power cars were not ready. The first Duplex power car was mated to the trailers on 21 June 1995. Perhaps the most important innovation is the efficiency of the Duplex design, aluminium bodies - the strict requirement of a 17-tonne axle load limit made it imperative to cut down on weight, wherever possible. Extruded aluminum construction made possible a 20% reduction in structure weight, the nose, the first significant departure from Coopers original design, was styled by industrial designer Roger Tallon, as was the rest of the trainset. Crashworthiness - crush zones and rigid passenger compartments protect safety in the event of a collision, the power units frame is designed to take a 500 tonnes of force frontal load, and features structural fuses to absorb impact energy. Active pantograph - the Faiveley CX used on the Duplex has a pneumatically actuated active control system, two small gas cylinders in the wiper armature can tune the stiffness of the pantographs upper stage, to optimize contact at any speed
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Gare de Lyon
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Paris-Gare de Lyon is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It handles about 90,000,000 passengers every year, making it the third busiest station of France and it is the northern terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, the station is located in the XIIe arrondissement, on the north bank of the river Seine, in the east of Paris. The station is served by high-speed TGV trains to south and eastern France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the station also hosts regional trains and the RER and also by the Gare de Lyon metro station. There are a further 4 platforms for the RER underneath the main lines, the station was built for the World Exposition of 1900. On multiple levels, it is considered an example of the architecture of its time. Most notable is the clock tower atop one corner of the station, similar in style to the clock tower of the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament. The station houses the Le Train Bleu restaurant, which has served drinks and meals to travellers, on 27 June 1988, in the Gare de Lyon train accident, a runaway train crashed into a stationary rush-hour train, killing 56 people and injuring a further 55. From Gare de Lyon train services depart to major French cities such as, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier, Perpignan, Dijon, Besançon, Mulhouse, Grenoble and a number of destinations in the Alps. International services operate to Italy, Turin, Milan and Venice, Switzerland, Geneva, Zurich, Bern, Interlaken, Lausanne and Brig, Germany Freiburg im Breisgau and Spain, Barcelona. For the Gare de lEst, either walk to nearby Quai de la Rapée Métro station for Line 5, or take Line 1 from Lyon north to Bastille station and this is also another way to reach the Gare du Nord. For Gare Saint-Lazare, take Métro Line 14, for Gare Montparnasse, catch a 91 bus, which goes there directly. Or take the Métro Line 14 to Châtelet and then change for Line 4 to Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, for Gare dAusterlitz the 5-10mn walk south across Pont Charles de Gaulle or Pont dAusterlitz is quickest. The station has appeared in the films,1972, Travels with My Aunt, directed by George Cukor 2005, The Mystery of the Blue Train
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Lille
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Lille is a city in northern France, in French Flanders. On the Deûle River, near Frances border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, archeological digs seem to show the area as inhabited by as early as 2000 BC, most notably in the modern-day quartiers of Fives, Wazemmes, and Vieux Lille. The legend of Lydéric and Phinaert puts the foundation of the city of Lille at 640, in the 8th century, the language of Old Low Franconian was spoken here, as attested by toponymic research. Lilles Dutch name is Rijsel, which comes from ter ijsel, the French equivalent has the same meaning, Lille comes from lîle. From 830 until around 910, the Vikings invaded Flanders, after the destruction caused by Norman and Magyar invasion, the eastern part of the region was ruled by various local princes. The first mention of the dates from 1066, apud Insulam. At the time, it was controlled by the County of Flanders, the County of Flanders thus extended to the left bank of the Scheldt, one of the richest and most prosperous regions of Europe. A notable local in this period was Évrard, who lived in the 9th century and participated in many of the days political, there was an important Battle of Lille in 1054. From the 12th century, the fame of the Lille cloth fair began to grow, in 1144 Saint-Sauveur parish was formed, which would give its name to the modern-day quartier Saint-Sauveur. Infante Ferdinand, Count of Flanders was imprisoned and the county fell into dispute, it would be his wife, Jeanne, Countess of Flanders and Constantinople and she was said to be well loved by the residents of Lille, who by that time numbered 10,000. He pushed the kingdoms of Flanders and Hainaut towards sedition against Jeanne in order to recover his land and she called her cousin, Louis VIII. He unmasked the imposter, whom Countess Jeanne quickly had hanged, in 1226 the King agreed to free Infante Ferdinand, Count of Flanders. Count Ferrand died in 1233, and his daughter Marie soon after, in 1235, Jeanne granted a city charter by which city governors would be chosen each All Saints Day by four commissioners chosen by the ruler. On 6 February 1236, she founded the Countesss Hospital, which one of the most beautiful buildings in Old Lille. It was in her honour that the hospital of the Regional Medical University of Lille was named Jeanne of Flanders Hospital in the 20th century, the Countess died in 1244 in the Abbey of Marquette, leaving no heirs. The rule of Flanders and Hainaut thus fell to her sister, Margaret II, Countess of Flanders, then to Margarets son, Lille fell under the rule of France from 1304 to 1369, after the Franco-Flemish War. The county of Flanders fell to the Duchy of Burgundy next, after the 1369 marriage of Margaret III, Countess of Flanders, Lille thus became one of the three capitals of said Duchy, along with Brussels and Dijon. By 1445, Lille counted some 25,000 residents, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, was even more powerful than the King of France, and made Lille an administrative and financial capital
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