5 JANUARY 2015
- ON THE SOAPBOX: Mark Schwab, CEO of Star Alliance
- Aegean UK expansion
- Aer Lingus takeover?
- Air Asia
- Airbus first A350 XWB for Qatar
- Airline sues ‘cheap ticket’ whiz kid
- Chinese passenger jet certification
- Delta T3 arrivals lounge
- Emirates internet
- Etihad arrivals
- Euston train services
- Flybe suspends Inverness
- Gambia Bird suspends flights
- Gatwick emergency
- Hyatt free wi-fi
- Iberia and the UK regions
- New Bangkok hotel
- Norwegian into Birmingham
- Taiwan airline launched
- Travelodge completes upgrade
- Virgin recruiting
- FLYING AT THE FRONT END: Etihad Airways
- The Xmas Quiz Pictures
- AND FINALLY: Korean nuts
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
Aegean UK expansion
A new route from Gatwick to Heraklion (Crete) is amongst the expansion plans for Aegean Airlines in the UK for 2015.
Chinese passenger jet certification
Powered by GE’s CF34-10A, the first Chinese regional jet developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC), the ARJ21 has received type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), paving the way for the aircraft’s entry into service.
China already assembles versions of the Airbus A320 but its own indigenous passenger aircraft is a major step forward.
Gambia Bird suspends flights
It may be a contributory factor, with Ebola placing a shadow over the whole of West Africa, but in any event Gambia Bird Airlines Ltd suspended operation on 30 December “until further notice”.
Iberia and the UK regions
British Airways sister carrier Iberia is to fly from Madrid to Edinburgh, Gatwick and Manchester airports next summer. All the routes will be served under the Iberia Express banner.
Taiwan airline launched
V Air is the name of a new Taiwanese airline that made its maiden flight on 17 December with a service from Taipei to Bangkok. The carrier is now operating this route on a daily basis.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Mark Schwab, CEO of Star Alliance
Mark Schwab is Chief Executive Officer of Star Alliance. As the world’s first and most experienced global airline alliance, Star Alliance offers worldwide reach, seamless service and recognition to the international traveller.
Schwab earlier held numerous positions at United Airlines, US Airways (where he launched the London operation) and American Airlines. As Senior Vice President Alliances at United, he served on the Management Board of the Star Alliance organisation. He has spent most of his career outside his home country, the United States of America.
Schwab has a degree in Latin American Affairs from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.
Aer Lingus takeover?
Willie Walsh, the IAG boss, sprang a surprise just before the holidays by announcing a bid for Aer Lingus (EI), an airline he had once headed. It was rejected. No surprise. A takeover battle is expected imminently.
Air Asia
What should have been a party time for Air Asia with the lead up to the new year turned out to be a tragedy for the airline with the loss of an Indonesian Air Asia Airbus A320 on 28 December in the Java Sea. On board were 162 souls.
Airbus first A350 XWB for Qatar
It was all smiles at Toulouse just before the holidays when HE Akbar Al Baker, President of Qatar Airways, took delivery of the very first Airbus A350 XWB.
The airline has committed for 80 A350s out of a total current Airbus order book for 778 from 41 customers.
The hand-over had been delayed slightly due to what was described as “small technical issues”. The aircraft will be introduced on the Doha – Frankfurt route on 15 January.
Airline sues ‘cheap ticket’ whiz kid
United Airlines is suing a web site developed by New York based Aktarer Zaman, who has found a loophole in the way airlines charge for tickets.
Delta T3 arrivals lounge
Whilst eligible passengers can still use the virtually identical Virgin Revivals facility, Delta Air Lines has opened its own exclusive Delta Arrivals Lounge, at the arrivals hall of Heathrow Terminal 3. It is slightly nearer than the Virgin operation and you do not have to use the lift.
Etihad arrivals
The Etihad engineering base at Abu Dhabi was chosen for the spectacular arrival of the airline’s first A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner on 18 December.
The airline also showed its new uniforms with an outstanding display by staff, to the untrained eye as good as a professional fashion show.
Gatwick emergency
On Monday 29 December a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 with landing gear problems made a safe "non-standard" landing at Gatwick Airport, which was forced to delay outbound flights with all incoming aircraft diverted to other airports.
FLYING AT THE FRONT END: Etihad Airways
It is amazing to think that Etihad Airways was only formally established in July 2003 and commenced operations in November of that year. Today it is one of the world’s major airlines, award winning with a very modern fleet of just over 100 aircraft, which will at least double by the end of the decade.
In December 2014 Etihad took delivery of its initial Airbus A380, incorporating “The Residence by Etihad”, becoming the only airline in the world to offer a pair of private suites on a normal scheduled flight. At the unveiling ceremony it was joined by the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for a Middle East carrier. Etihad is clearly going places. (see “Etihad arrivals” in this issue).
AND FINALLY: Korean nuts
A South Korean court has ordered former Korean Air executive Heather Cho to be detained for delaying a flight following an outburst over the way she was served nuts, in a case that prompted both outrage and ridicule.
Emirates internet
Over 250,000 passengers have used Emirates’ free on-board wi-fi since October 2014, taking advantage of the airline’s service to connect with family, friends or colleagues when they fly. With rival Etihad now charging just US$12 for two hours, and in Europe Norwegian also offering it for free, BTN believes that just as with hotels all airlines will eventually have to offer internet as part of their service.
Euston train services
London Midland has introduced a new timetable and more capacity which should significantly improve its whole operation between Euston and Birmingham New Street. Ten extra four-car trains mean passengers will benefit from 139,000 additional seats every week. This includes 64,000 extra seats in and out of London Euston and 75,000 more seats in and out of Birmingham. £62m worth of new trains will significantly increase capacity and help the operator introduce new and faster services.
Flybe suspends Inverness
The Flybe Inverness – London City route is to be suspended in February and the service from Exeter to the dockland airport reduced. For the Scottish operation the airline faced competition from easyJet to Gatwick and Luton with A319 equipment as against Q400. Now with spare capacity it is upgrading flights to London City from Edinburgh to six a day and from Belfast to four a day.
Hyatt free wi-fi
How long before all hotels globally offer wi-fi unconditionally for free? The sustained campaign by Business Travel News and others is now really beginning to have an effect with Hyatt Hotels the latest announcing plans to offer internet access at all its properties worldwide, beginning in February.
New Bangkok hotel
Now open in Bangkok is Thailand’s first upscale hotel under the Avani brand.
Norwegian into Birmingham
Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian is to introduce services from Birmingham Airport.
The airline will serve Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga from next summer and is also adding a Malaga route from Edinburgh. Norwegian is in fact replicating its successful strategy at Gatwick where it originally based a minimum number of aircraft and spread thinly it operations to popular destinations.
Travelodge completes upgrade
Just before the holiday break Travelodge, the UK’s largest independent hotel brand, announced the completion of a £57m nationwide hotel modernisation programme, claimed to be the largest hotel refurbishment project to have been accomplished in such a short space of time.
Virgin recruiting
Booking is now open to reserve a place at Virgin Atlantic’s Future Flyers and Expert Engineers event taking place 24 January at the airline’s state of the art training facility at Crawley in West Sussex.