28 OCTOBER 2013
- COMMENT: Bad weather expected. Don’t blame the airlines
- ANA food upgrade
- Dubai World Central opens
- easyJet route expansion
- Heathrow financial news
- Humberside to Copenhagen
- Long range business jet
- Luton Airport sale
- Manchester to Charlotte
- Manston Airport sold
- McLaren MP4 for car hire
- Mixed mode report
- Newcastle to Brussels
- Norwegian to Israel
- Paris – Hotel Félicien
- Russia and Intercontinental
- Ryanair relaxes
- Shannon revival for Ryanair
- Sir Gil Thomson
- Stansted to London links
- Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
- ON TOUR: Airports conference
- MOTORING UPDATE
- AND FINALLY:
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
ANA food upgrade
Japan’s largest airline, ANA, is to introduce enhanced catering mainly on international flights for Economy and Premium Economy customers.
Dubai World Central opens
The new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) opened its doors for business yesterday (Sunday 27 October) with the arrival the first scheduled passenger flight, Wizz Air flight W6 2497 from Budapest.
Humberside to Copenhagen
A new direct scheduled service from Humberside Airport to Copenhagen, providing the only non-stop Scandinavian link from the Humber, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire region, is launched today.
Manchester to Charlotte
US Airways is to launch a daily non-stop route between Manchester and Charlotte, North Carolina, next summer. It will become operational 22 May together with Barcelona and Lisbon. A service to Brussels will be introduced on 5 June.
Paris – Hotel Félicien
The Hotel Félicien has opened in Paris in the chic 16th Arrondissement, on the North Bank of the Seine. The hotel has placed much emphasis on couture fashion. The interior was designed by Olivier Lapidus, famed for his avant-garde inventions in the fashion world using electronics. The curtains light up with optical fibres and the bathrooms are lit gently by optical fibre glass.
Shannon revival for Ryanair
Having scaled back its business at Shannon Airport since 2008, Ryanair has announced eight summer routes for next year and increased frequency on the Stansted service.
Business Travel News will make a significant statement in the next issue Monday 4 November.
Watch this space.
COMMENT: Bad weather expected. Don’t blame the airlines
To its credit Heathrow has issued a bad weather warning in advance of the storms expected to hit Southern England this morning. Some of it is stating the obvious, suggesting that you check your airline’s website before stepping out. It points out that cross-runway winds of more than 30 miles per hour (25 knots) in wet conditions result in safety restrictions on the types of aircraft that are permitted to land or take off. The two Heathrow runways are parallel and are set for the prevailing winds, that is east to west.
easyJet route expansion
Now the UK’s largest airline easyJet has announced a further 10 new routes which it will launch as part of its summer 2014 schedule.
The new service will operate from its Belfast, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow and Newcastle bases to destinations across the UK and Europe.
Long range business jet
France's Dassault Aviation has unveiled its new twin-engined 16-passenger business jet, the Falcon 5X, which will cost US$45m and is scheduled to make its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2015. It will compete with the outstanding Gulfstream G650, already in service, costing US$65, with more range, faster, but a slightly smaller cross section cabin.
Manston Airport sold
Infratil, the New Zealand-based investment company, has agreed to sell Manston Airport in Kent to the founder of Stagecoach for £1. Ann Gloag will be the new owner. Together with her brother Brian Souter they once controlled Suckling Airways (later Scot Airways), which is now part of Loganair.
Mixed mode report
Disguised under the (ludicrous) title of Operational Freedoms Trial, Heathrow has published a final report on the mixed mode runway tests which took place during the summer.
Heathrow operates at nearly full capacity and is much more congested than competing major international airports. Any disruption to schedules can lead to late-running flights, inconveniencing passengers and planes burning more fuel.
Newcastle to Brussels
bmi regional is to introduce a double daily service between Newcastle and Brussels International on 3 March. Flight time on a 49-seater Embraer jet is just 75 minutes.
Sir Gil Thomson
Sir Gilbert Thomson, who has passed away at the age 82, was Chief Executive of Manchester Airport from 1981 until 1993, a period of rapid expansion during which the airport became the commercial gateway to the north of England.
Stansted to London links
London First, the influential lobby group, has outlined a £620m package to improve rail access to Stansted Airport.
In its report “A World Class Rail Link for Stansted”, the body proposes plans that could cut journey times on the Stansted Express to below 40 minutes, as well as halving its delays. Often called “The Stansted Slow” the train currently stops twice on the journey between the airport and Liverpool Street station near the Bank of England. Whilst the Tottenham Hale Underground connection is essential for passengers requiring the Victoria Line the standstill at either Harlow or Bishops Stortford are purely for local use.
ON TOUR: Airports conference
Monday and Tuesday of last week was taken up by the UK Airport Operators Association (AOA) annual conference, at its now regular venue, the London Hilton Metropole, close by Paddington Station. The general opinion confirmed that it was probably the best ever.
MOTORING UPDATE
On Test with Ted Wilkinson of The Guild of Motoring Writers
Peugeot 508 RXH Diesel Hybrid
Is Peugeot Nudging Towards 1,000 Mile Range?
Heathrow financial news
It was once called BAA, a non-descript acronym which only meant something to those with long memories. It served its purpose.
Now renamed Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd, it also owns Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, which one assumes will be put up for disposal at some point.
Luton Airport sale
The sale of the Luton Airport operation (see BTN 5 August) is progressing, but perhaps not at the speed first anticipated.
McLaren MP4 for car hire
Hertz Corporation has introduced a number of high quality new models to its Supercar range in Europe. Hertz Supercars provide customers with the opportunity to drive high end marques in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK that would normally retail at six figure prices.
Norwegian to Israel
Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv is the latest target of Norwegian Air Shuttle from Gatwick. The airline plans to link in with its twice from Stockholm 14 April.
Russia and Intercontinental
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) continues to expand in Russia and the CIS.
With the signing of three more hotels in the region, Holiday Inn Express – Naberezhnye Chelny, Holiday Inn Express – Samara and Staybridge Suites – Baku, IHG has 19 hotels (5, 283 rooms) open in Russia and the CIS with a further 10 hotels (2, 644 rooms) in the pipeline.
Ryanair relaxes
Michael O’Leary announced at the AOA Conference (see below) a whole raft of policy changes by his airline as part of the “Friendly Ryanair” policy. Assuming that the Chief Executive sticks to his intentions (which could be questionable) the old Ryanair, “The world’s most annoying airline”, could be a thing of the past.
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Amsterdam is to have a Waldorf Astoria with an opening date in Spring 2014.