19 OCTOBER 2015
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- COMMENT: London Northolt (IATA NHT) ready for take-off
- Autograph signs three more
- Business Traveller Awards
- Adelaide joins Qatar network
- Aer Lingus eyes Connecticut
- BA on the move at LHR
- Better times for Alitalia
- EasyJet woos women pilots
- Four Seasons in Casablanca
- Gulf Air’s new fleet
- Handling contract for Northolt
- Light fantastic at LCY
- Liverpool's DoubleTree
- London – Perth non-stop?
- MH17: It was a missile
- More ways to pay on Delta
- NATS new man for Aviation Club
- New Corfu base for Ryanair
- Russian fleet for CityJet
- Singapore’s ultra-long-haul
- £13.5m facelift at the Waldorf
- ON TOUR: The magic of Montreuil
- AND FINALLY: Tops for tea
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BA on the move at LHR
Eight of British Airways’ long-haul services that have been operating from Terminal 5 at Heathrow were transferred by the airline last week back to Terminal 3 in the Central Area.
Four Seasons in Casablanca
Business travellers in Morocco’s largest city have a new destination with the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca 1 December.
Light fantastic at LCY
Advertisers who want to promote their products to passengers using London City Airport (LCY) can now have their names up in lights.
£13.5m facelift at the Waldorf
One of London’s best–known hotels, the Waldorf Hilton in Aldwych, has been given a £13.5 million renovation to restore the Edwardian and 1920s style that made it famous.
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COMMENT: London Northolt (IATA NHT) ready for take-off
Business Travel News has long promoted Northolt as a solution to the London connectivity problem for the Provinces until the new runway is ready. Heathrow served 20 UK destinations 30 years ago. It is now down to seven with some of these under scrutiny by the BA routes team.
Several airlines are known to be considering applying to the MOD for a change of use. Private (sometimes noisy) jets currently can use the airport. Scheduled commuter airliners, cannot. The Cabinet Committee, now deliberating on the Airports Commission report, should invite (or suggest) Britain’s regional airlines, always innovative and with vision, to apply. No increase in movements, less noise and more safety.
The Chancellor will be happy, and also very much the regions. It is a very valuable site. SEE ALSO London Northolt handling contract in this issue.
Business Traveller Awards
It was back to the Royal Garden Hotel London Kensington for last week’s Business Traveller Awards ceremony. Best Airline went to Qatar Airways, followed by Singapore Airlines, Emirates and British Airways in fourth place.
Adelaide joins Qatar network
Daily non-stop flights between Doha and Adelaide (ADL) will be launched by Qatar Airways next May, the airline said on Tuesday.
Better times for Alitalia
Customer service enhancements to woo back passengers are among measures being introduced by Alitalia as it pursues its goal of achieving profitability by 2017.
Gulf Air’s new fleet
Talks aimed at replacing the Gulf Air fleet with up to 50 new aircraft are at an advanced stage, the carrier said last week.
Liverpool's DoubleTree
Hilton Worldwide’s upmarket DoubleTree by Hilton brand has opened its first hotel and spa in Liverpool, bringing the number of its properties in the UK to 25.
More ways to pay on Delta
Delta Air Lines is increasing the number of payment options available to international travellers booking flights through its website.
Russian fleet for CityJet
A new generation of Russian twinjets is on the way to London City Airport as CityJet prepares to replace its fleet of four-engine Avro RJ85s with the Sukhoi SSJ100 it was announced at the annual European Regions Airlines Association (ERAA) conference in Berlin last week.
ON TOUR: The magic of Montreuil
Richard Cawthorne explores an intriguing corner of northern France
To walk through the ancient streets of Montreuil is to follow in the footsteps of famous people, not least the Count of Ponthieu, Vauban, Henry V (possibly), Victor Hugo and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig.
AND FINALLY: Tops for tea
It’s a familiar cry that you can’t get a decent cup of tea when ‘abroad’ but it won’t wash any more in Budapest, where the Corinthia Hotel has appointed a 'tea sommelier'. No, really.
Autograph signs three more
Marriott International’s portfolio of independent hotels, the Autograph Collection, has added three more one-of-a-kind properties in important US business centres to its line-up.
Aer Lingus eyes Connecticut
New air services between Ireland and Connecticut are expected to be announced soon by Aer Lingus. At the US end, the flights would use Bradley International Airport, which serves the Hartford/Springfield region.
EasyJet woos women pilots
An initiative to recruit more women pilots was launched last week by Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet, when she joined Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, to open the £2.7m easyJet Gatwick Academy training facility.
Handling contract for Northolt
The handling contract for private jets at RAF Northolt is thought to have been retained by London City Airport, the incumbent operator, after a fiercely competed tender process which attracted a number of competing offerings. SEE COMMENT
London – Perth non-stop?
Hard on the heels of Singapore Airlines’ plans for the long-range A350-900ULR (see this issue), Qantas is said to be considering launching non-stops between the UK and Australia.
MH17: It was a missile
Investigators confirmed on Tuesday that a Buk missile brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine last year.
NATS new man for Aviation Club
Martin Rolfe was named last week as the new Chief Executive Officer for NATS following a selection process. He has led the company since May.
New Corfu base for Ryanair
Ryanair is to open a new base, its 75th, and place an aircraft at Corfu next April , with 11 new routes to Birmingham, Bratislava, Budapest, Cologne, Rome, Katowice, Poznan, Pisa, Rzeszow, Venice and Warsaw.
Singapore’s ultra-long-haul
Flights of 19hr covering 15,300km, the world’s longest, are on the way back from Singapore Airlines once it takes delivery of a new ultra-long range Airbus in 2018.