21 DECEMBER 2015
YOUR WORDS
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- COMMENT: 2015 – The year that nothing really happened
- Holiday shutdown for London trains
- Air France bomb scare
- Airlines in dash for Cuba
- Airports in emissions pledge
- Alliance spreads its wings
- ANA sets sights on Perth
- Birmingham in line for Emirates A380
- Bournemouth’s new Hilton
- Bristol’s royal day
- CAA launches new tech aids
- Christmas and security
- CityJet and Excel London
- CS100 gains certification
- December worst for delays
- Delta on expansion trail
- Dubai Four Seasons x two
- Etihad adds to B787 network
- First 3G network for Air Berlin
- Glasgow – Bucharest launch
- Hainan arrives in Rome
- Kimpton expands in DC
- Kuwait axes LHR – NY service
- London City’s record 2015
- Manchester’s jobs boom
- New Jet Air hub for AMS
- New look for the Pulitzer
- Newcastle opens £14m lounge
- Paris flights for Glasgow
- Premium Economy for American
- ON TOUR: A London hotel to top them all
- The Christmas Quiz
- AND FINALLY – FOR CHRISTMAS: The winner is!
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Birmingham in line for Emirates A380
Emirates is upgrading its EK39/40 service between Dubai and Birmingham to an Airbus A380 from 27 March as it celebrates the 15th anniversary of serving the Midlands airport. It will be the first time the aircraft will fly from the region.
Bournemouth’s new Hilton
Hilton Hotels & Resorts last week announced the opening of its newest property in the UK, Hilton Bournemouth. It joins 67 hotels in the Hilton portfolio across the country, including recent new additions at London Bankside and the Ageas Bowl, Southampton.
December worst for delays
Airlines have been urged to sign up to the Aviation Ombudsman’s alternative dispute resolution scheme in the face of expected heavy delays over the Christmas period.
Dubai Four Seasons x two
Just a year after opening its first hotel in the city, Four Seasons has unveiled a second and distinct choice for guests in the shape of the Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre.
Etihad adds to B787 network
Dusseldorf, Perth, Shanghai, Istanbul and Johannesburg are all joining Etihad Airways’ B787 Dreamliner global network next year, with next-generation cabins introduced from May.
New look for the Pulitzer
One of Amsterdam’s best-known hotels, the Pulitzer, is introducing a new face on 1 February following an extensive restoration showcasing the building’s architectural heritage.
The next issue of BTN will be published on Monday 11 January 2016. We plan to update our Twitter page daily at 08:00 with urgent business travel news. https://twitter.com/btnewsupdate
Do try the Christmas photo quiz (see below) but you have to be a (free) subscriber to enter. There are some fine prizes. It works well also on handhelds and tablets. Do try it out with your friends who think they know about aviation. You don’t have to put a name to every photo to enter as you may answer enough to win a prize.
COMMENT: 2015 – The year that nothing really happened
Last year, that is 2014, was a really interesting 12 months. The Queen opened Heathrow T2, Virgin Trains hung on to the West Coast Main Line and the Airbus A350 (XWB) Xtra Wide Body was certificated. www.btnews.co.uk/article/8255
What can we say about 2015?
Holiday shutdown for London trains
The Gatwick Express and the Heathrow Express will shut down for four days and 10 days respectively over the Christmas period – one of the busiest times of the year.
Business Travel News' editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg has some sympathy for the railway companies.
Air France bomb scare
An Air France Boeing 777 made an emergency landing at Mombasa Airport Kenya yesterday (20 December) after what turned out to be a fake a fake bomb was found in a toilet. The aircraft was on its way from Mauritius to Paris. Passengers and crew totalled 473.
Airports in emissions pledge
The European airport industry committed at this month's climate change discussions in Paris to raising the number of carbon-neutral airports on the continent to 50 by the year 2030.
ANA sets sights on Perth
Western Australia’s capital, Perth, has been identified as the next priority destination for All Nippon Airways if its new Sydney service, which began last month, is a success.
Bristol’s royal day
The Princess Royal made last Thursday a milestone day for Bristol Airport when she opened a multi-million pound terminal extension.
CityJet and Excel London
ExCel London, now established as the UK’s top convention and exhibition centre, has signed up with CityJet as its official airline partner. The deal was cemented at a joint press conference hosted by David Pegler, CEO of ExCeL, and Pat Byrne, executive chairman of CityJet.
Delta on expansion trail
New investments and codeshare agreements are helping Delta Air Lines to expand its global network by opening up India and growing its presence in Mexico.
London City’s record 2015
With airports ready to rush out their passenger throughput numbers for this year during the first week in January, London City Airport (LCY) has stolen a march on them all, publishing what it terms “expected figures” for 2015. Mind you, as sale discussions with prospective buyers are thought to be under way, an announcement can do no harm.
Newcastle opens £14m lounge
The £14m redevelopment of Newcastle’s departure lounge was hailed by aviation minister Robert Goodwill last week as the latest success story for regional airports.
Premium Economy for American
American Airlines is joining the trend to three- and four-class cabins by introducing Premium Economy on its international wide-body fleet next year.
ON TOUR: A London hotel to top them all
There is a hotel in London that towers above all the others. A hotel that can only be described as "outstanding", architecturally magnificent, and a landmark in a city of landmarks.
Staying at this hotel makes others jealous. If you have to accommodate an important visitor and want to impress, this is the place for you. And its room rates are no more than lesser 5-star competitors. This time of the year, there are some attractive bed and breakfast offers. It is worth the experience. Your editor-in-chief was a guest.
The Christmas Quiz
Welcome to the traditional Business Travel News Christmas Quiz 2015.
We wish our readers all the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016.
Do enter even if you can’t name all the aircraft in this year’s Christmas Quiz. We have plenty of prizes. The fun is taking part. Ask your friends to help. All they need to do is go to the website.
We will reveal the correct solutions on Monday 11 January, our next publishing date. Closing day is Friday evening 8 January at 24:00 (GMT), there is no cash prize alternative and on all matters the editor in chief's decision is final.
Airlines in dash for Cuba
Airlines are tugging at the leash to operate scheduled services to Cuba after the US and Havana agreed to restore the relationship for the first time in more than five decades. The deal allows 110 round-trip flights a day.
Alliance spreads its wings
Star Alliance is expanding its reach with the launch of a Connecting Partners concept where routes operated by low-cost and hybrid airlines will be able to connect to the group’s network. South Africa’s Mango Airlines has been chosen as the first carrier to be featured.
CAA launches new tech aids
Two significant improvements to the way the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) provides information to the public and stakeholders were made last week with the launch of a new website and industry alerting system.
Christmas and security
While security will be a priority at all airports this Christmas, Manchester has taken the extra step of issuing festive advice to passengers ahead of the busiest holiday period in its 77-year history, with 400,000 people set to fly during this week.
CS100 gains certification
Bombardier’s all-new CS100 aircraft received its Transport Canada Type Certification last week following a test programme that included more than 3,000 flight test hours, the validation of thousands of test results and the authentication of extensive design and performance data.
First 3G network for Air Berlin
Inflight connectivity specialist Aeromobile has launched the world’s first inflight 3G network in conjunction with Air Berlin.
Glasgow – Bucharest launch
Romanian carrier Blue Air added Bucharest to Glasgow's roster of destinations last Thursday when it operated the first flight on its new service with a Boeing 737.
Hainan arrives in Rome
Celebrations have been held at Rome Fiumicino Airport with Hainan Airlines of China marking its new route between the Italian capital and Xi’an with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Kimpton expands in DC
A 10th property is being opened in Washington DC by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants next spring. The Kimpton Glover Park Hotel will replace the 154-room Savoy Suites Hotel in a tree-lined residential area along Wisconsin venue.
Kuwait axes LHR – NY service
Flights between London and New York by Kuwait Airlines are being suspended by the airline until February in a long-running dispute over ticket sales to Israeli citizens.
Manchester’s jobs boom
Another sign of the economic importance of airports has come from Manchester, where significant growth over the past year at the self-styled “global gateway for the North” has created an employment boom.
New Jet Air hub for AMS
India’s Jet Airways is moving its European gateway from Brussels to Amsterdam Schiphol at the end of March following an agreement with KLM. The airline will add daily links to Amsterdam from Delhi, Mumbai and an onward service to Toronto.
Paris flights for Glasgow
Air France is expanding its short-haul network with daily flights between Paris and Glasgow, starting on 27 March. Glasgow will be the airline’s third Scottish and ninth UK destination.