1 AUGUST 2016
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Tim Alderslade, chief executive, BATA
- Walsh adds caution
- Air Culinaire’s new treats
- American’s Olympic links
- BMI Regional for London?
- China Southern for Adelaide
- Delta in terminal upgrades
- Extra capacity from Jet
- Fast-track for UK – US passengers
- Flybe financial results
- Heathrow slots not taken
- JFK boost for Etihad
- London City’s green light
- Lounge deal from Norwegian
- Malaysia signs-on for B737 MAX
- More A350XWB for LHR
- NewLeaf takes a bow
- Peninsula now a Palace
- Ryanair's Stansted warning
- Week-long strike at Air France
- Xiamen expands again
- ON TOUR: Magellan around the (British) world
- CRUISE NEWS AUGUST 2016
- AND FINALLY: Les Misérables
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American’s Olympic links
With the Olympics looming, but also with an eye on passengers travelling on business to South America, American Airlines has launched a promotion for its 74 weekly flights from the US to Brazil that offer seamless connections from the UK.
Delta in terminal upgrades
Major developments have been announced by Delta Air Lines for its terminals at Los Angeles International and New York LaGuardia International.
More A350XWB for LHR
Heathrow is preparing to welcome Finnair’s flagship Airbus A350XWB more often from 5 October after the airline said it was replacing the current A320 on the Helsinki route.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Tim Alderslade, chief executive, BATA
Tim Alderslade joined BATA (British Air Transport Association) in May of this year, moving from AOA (Airport Operators Association) where he ran Public Affairs and PR since December 2012. Previously, Alderslade spent seven years working in public affairs and politics in a number of sectors, including Parliament, infrastructure, international rescue and security, insolvency and healthcare.
Walsh adds caution
IAG has trimmed growth plans for 2016 and given a cautious outlook for annual earnings due to weaker trading and the slump in sterling after Britain's vote to leave the European Union. It stated underlying second-quarter operating profit up 4.7% to €555m.
BMI Regional for London?
Members of Parliament overwhelmingly support a third runway at Heathrow to expand aviation capacity in the south east, according to the latest poll by YouGov.
Extra capacity from Jet
Jet Airways is upgrading its daily flights between Mumbai and Singapore by deploying the Boeing 777-300 ER, the largest aircraft in its fleet, from next Saturday, 6 August, resulting in a 50% increase in capacity.
Flybe financial results
Released to coincide with its AGM, the latest trading update from Exeter-based Flybe has warned of a £2.5m full-year profit hit because of currency fluctuations following Brexit.
Heathrow slots not taken
Flybe has suspended plans to take up available slots at Heathrow that could have enabled it to operate a number of selected routes to and from Scotland from the end of October.
London City’s green light
Former transport minister and now chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond was at London City Airport last Wednesday (27 July) to announce formally the go-ahead for a new £344m expansion programme there.
Lounge deal from Norwegian
Norwegian has entered a partnership with No1 Lounges for its Norwegian Reward loyalty scheme members flying from the UK to receive a 15% discount at the company’s airport facilities at Gatwick, Edinburgh and Birmingham airports.
NewLeaf takes a bow
Canada’s latest airline, NewLeaf, took to the skies for the first time last Monday when it launched trans-continental flights from Hamilton and Kelowna to Winnipeg.
Week-long strike at Air France
Air France yesterday (Sunday) cancelled around 20% of its flights but operated the rest as it juggled schedules on the fifth day of a week-long strike called by cabin crew. The airline said it managed a similar level of service on Saturday.
ON TOUR: Magellan around the (British) world
Magellan, the Spanish explorer, was not the first to circumnavigate the world (BTN has looked into that – see issue 2 May 2016) and the British cruise ship named after him is certainly not the first to go around the UK. With Marco Polo and next year Columbus too, Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) is beginning to gather a small fleet of ships with historical seagoing adventurers’ names. You never know, but the Vasco de Gama might be on for 2018.
See August CRUISE NEWS in this issue for all about Magellan.
CRUISE NEWS AUGUST 2016
We report on Cruise and Maritime Voyages' (CMV) excellent and value-for-money Magellan in this issue, but the highlight of August is bound to be Crystal Cruises' sold-out inaugural Northwest Passage voyage from Anchorage to New York.
AND FINALLY: Les Misérables
Victor Hugo wrote his famous masterpiece while a political refugee in Guernsey.
Clearly a very fit man.
Air Culinaire’s new treats
New on-board menus are on the way for clients of business-aviation caterer Air Culinaire following the appointment of Herve Bourdon as its new executive chef for the London operations team based at Biggin Hill Airport.
China Southern for Adelaide
A new direct air service linking Guangzhou with Adelaide is on the cards after a deal between the government of South Australia and China Southern Airlines. Flights are planned to start in December.
Fast-track for UK – US passengers
US-bound travellers wishing to avoid the long queues facing incoming passengers that hit US airports this summer will be able to apply to join the US Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP) Global Entry programme at an enrolment centre at the US embassy in London.
JFK boost for Etihad
Etihad Airways is increasing Airbus A380 service between New York JFK and Abu Dhabi International from 1 June next year in response to demand.
Malaysia signs-on for B737 MAX
Hailing “a new path to growth across the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] region”, Malaysia Airlines CEO Peter Bellew on Wednesday announced a deal with Boeing for 50 B737 MAX aircraft, with 25 firm orders and 25 purchase rights. The deal is for both Dash-8 and Dash-9 versions and is valued at $5.5bn. Deliveries start in 2019.
Peninsula now a Palace
Free champagne and extra spa time for visitors staying before the end of September are on offer at the Paris Peninsula as the property celebrates being awarded Palace status after just two years of being open.
Ryanair's Stansted warning
In a further reaction to the Brexit vote, Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary said last week the airline would cut capacity and frequency of services from Stansted and “pivot” growth away from the UK in favour of European routes over the next two years. Ryanair has 40 of its total fleet of 350 aircraft based at Stansted, which is its biggest airport base.
Xiamen expands again
Another Chinese carrier made history last Monday when Xiamen Airlines launched its first route to North America with service to Vancouver.