11 APRIL 2016
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- ON THE SOAPBOX EXTRA – Ian Jopson, chair of Sustainable Aviation
- A321 joins Delta fleet
- Alaska buys Virgin US
- Brussels recovery continues
- Celebration time for United
- Corinthia's MICE-only lounge
- De Juniac takes over at IATA
- EK, MH grow closer
- Garuda’s ultra long haul
- IATA capacity warning
- LH, LX, SQ new pact
- LHR challenge by flybe?
- LHR take-off for Plaza lounges
- New horizons for Accor
- Prague joins Ryanair empire
- Profit for Malaysia Air
- Qatar JFK second daily
- Renaissance's NYC flagship
- Reykjavik-Keflavik link closer
- TAP leads for A330neo
- Tianjin Airlines for LGW
- ON TOUR: A different Singapore hotel
- AND FINALLY: Language skills
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IATA capacity warning
IATA warned last week of a possible downturn in airline business after load factors in February fell as the growth in capacity exceeded demand.
It was the first month since the middle of last year this had happened.
Reykjavik-Keflavik link closer
Reykjavik City Council has backed the latest proposals from a group of private investors for a 175km/h rail link between the city centre and the international airport at Keflavik.
ON THE SOAPBOX EXTRA – Ian Jopson, chair of Sustainable Aviation
UK airspace has not kept pace with technological advances in aircraft and innovation at airports and needs Government backing for its modernisation.
A321 joins Delta fleet
Delta Air Lines has taken delivery of the first of 45 new A321 narrow-body aircraft, fresh off the factory floor at the Airbus manufacturing facility in Hamburg.
Brussels recovery continues
Airlines began returning to Brussels airport en masse on Friday as the complex continued to recover from the terrorist attack on 22 March. Passengers were advised to be present at least 3hr before departure because of enhanced security checks.
Celebration time for United
United Airlines last week celebrated the 25th anniversary of service to Heathrow. The carrier's first flight into the airport was a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet service from Washington DC on 4 April 1991. It was followed by flights from New York JFK, San Francisco and Miami the same day.
EK, MH grow closer
Codesharing was in the news this week with several carriers announcing expansions involving new routes and frequent-flyer benefits.
LH, LX, SQ new pact
In a week of codeshare deals (see elsewhere in this issue), Lufthansa (LH), SWISS (LX) and Singapore Airlines (SQ) are expanding their partnership agreed in November to give passengers of all three airlines more destinations more connections.
LHR take-off for Plaza lounges
The Plaza Premium group is forging ahead with its lounge expansion at Heathrow, the latest facility in T4 Arrivals scheduled for soft opening in the fourth quarter of this year.
New horizons for Accor
AccorHotels, the hotel operting company whose properties include the Sofitel T5 and Renaissance Bath Road Heathrow, has moved into the luxury serviced home-rental sector with the acquisition of the onefinestay company.
Profit for Malaysia Air
Malaysia Airlines announced last week it had made a profit in February for the first time in years.
TAP leads for A330neo
Portugal national carrier TAP is to be the lead customer for the A330neo, the latest version of Airbus’ current generation of wide-body jets.
ON TOUR: A different Singapore hotel
In bustling Singapore, a business city full of classy hotels, BTN’s Richard Cawthorne discovers a property with a difference.
AND FINALLY: Language skills
Always keen to encourage its readers to brush up on their language skills, BTN today presents an extract from the excited press release that accompanied the opening of the Renaissance New York Midtown hotel.
Alaska buys Virgin US
A takeover tussle over the future of Virgin America ended this week when Alaska Air said it is to buy the carrier for US$2.6bn.
Corinthia's MICE-only lounge
Hungary's first lounge dedicated to organisers of MICE events has been opened at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest.
De Juniac takes over at IATA
IATA has named Air France-KLM chief executive Alexandre de Juniac as its new head. He replaces Tony Tyler, who retires in June. De Juniac is expected to take over in Geneva by June.
Garuda’s ultra long haul
Indonesia’s national airline Garuda has joined Heathrow’s elite club of ultra-long-haul non-stop services with its new flights from London to Jakarta.
LHR challenge by flybe?
Flybe declined to comment yesterday on a story in The Sunday Times suggesting it was planning to move into Heathrow to operate domestic flights to major cities in the UK.
Prague joins Ryanair empire
A promise of more new routes and new cabin interiors came from Ryanair this week as the airline announced it is to open a new base at Prague Airport, its 84th such facility, on 30 October.
Qatar JFK second daily
A second daily flight to New York’s JFK airport has been launched by Qatar Airways, using an A350 for its new morning departure time from JFK.
Renaissance's NYC flagship
A new US flagship property for Renaissance Hotels has opened in the shape of the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel at 35th St between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Manhattan.
Tianjin Airlines for LGW
Another Chinese carrier heads for the UK this summer when Tianjin Airlines launches twice-weekly flights to Gatwick from its home base at Tianjin via Chongqing.