15 AUGUST 2016
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- COMMENT: A strike too far
- Aircraft for sale
- American's IFE goes free
- BA's pilot's eye view
- Demand for pilots soars
- Drone drama at Newquay
- EasyJet’s flying foodies
- Emirates Manchester boost
- French sea link secure
- Growth surge for Dublin
- Hainan buys stake in Azul
- Heathrow's Ethiopian A350
- IT breakdown at Delta
- Live TV for Virgin's 787s
- More top hotels for Doha
- Speed-up for the Stansted Slow
- St Helena looking up
- Strike threat's bad timing
- TAP grows Gatwick services
- United drops Newcastle link
- US boom for Aer Lingus
- ON TOUR: 48 hours in the Cotswolds
- AND FINALLY: Stansted at the gallop
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EasyJet’s flying foodies
Sales of paprika-flavoured Pringles on board easyJet flights have soared by 30% following a viral video of a well-known public figure devouring the snack during a flight last summer.
Growth surge for Dublin
Dublin Airport was the fastest-growing major facility of its kind in Europe in the first six months of this year, according to ACI Europe, the trade association for European airports.
IT breakdown at Delta
Experts were asking last week whether airline technology had grown too complex after Delta Air Lines suffered a major computer breakdown that grounded aircraft and caused long delays for passengers already in the air or awaiting flights.
COMMENT: A strike too far
Don’t worry if you can’t understand the current rash of industrial unrest on the trains. You are not alone. Unless you’re Jeremy Corbyn, the remarkable coincidence of a strike on Southern Railway, now in abeyance while the two sides have a chat, being followed by the threat of similar assaults on Eurostar and Virgin East Coast, and possibly more, beggars belief.
Aircraft for sale
Following on last week’s report that Mike Collett has passed on Classic Flight’s unique RAF Canberra jet bomber to Vulcan in the Sky, he tells BTN that he is now looking for a home for the remaining aircraft in the fleet. “They are all flyable,” said Mike, and are offered “in check”, some current. See BTN 8 August
BA's pilot's eye view
A cockpit video showing the approach into London City Airport (LCY) has been released by British Airways to celebrate the airline’s bespoke Business Class-only service completing 25m miles – the equivalent of 100 trips to the moon or circling the earth 1,000 times.
Demand for pilots soars
More than 2m new airline-industry personnel, including 617,000 pilots and 814,000 cabin crew, will be needed to meet demand between now and 2035, according to the 2016 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook.
Emirates Manchester boost
An 11% capacity increase on the Manchester – Dubai route with the deployment of a third daily A380 from 1 January has been announced by Emirates.
Hainan buys stake in Azul
In another Chinese investment coup, China's largest non-state aviation company, Hainan Airlines, has completed the purchase of a 23.7% stake in Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras.
Live TV for Virgin's 787s
In another pace-setting IFE development, live TV is being introduced this summer by Virgin Atlantic on board its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with three channels – Sport 24, BBC World News and CNN International – leading the way.
Speed-up for the Stansted Slow
Stansted Airport has welcomed the Government announcement that Abellio East Anglia has won the franchise to operate the Stansted Express and other rail services between London, the airport and Cambridge from October 2016. Abellio was the previous operator.
St Helena looking up
Regular charters between South Africa and St Helena are under consideration by ExecuJet as the St Helena government continues to try to find a solution to problems with the new airport which have so far halted operations by large commercial aircraft.
United drops Newcastle link
Newcastle International Airport is losing its New York link after United Airlines said it was discontinuing the route. The carrier had operated for two summer seasons. Flights will continue to operate six days a week until 6 September.
ON TOUR: 48 hours in the Cotswolds
Editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg reports on a splendid domestic three-day break. With UK holidays now the vogue, it was off by motorcar for a really sunny short trip.
American's IFE goes free
Free unrestricted access to in-flight entertainment via passengers’ own tablets and mobile phones and the seatback system is now being offered by American Airlines in the main cabin of its aircraft on domestic US flights.
Drone drama at Newquay
A flybe flight on approach to Newquay Airport with 62 passengers was apparently buzzed by a drone at 900ft on Wednesday in what police said was a worrying escalation of the problem.
French sea link secure
Ending annual uncertainty, the ferry between Newhaven and Dieppe is finally guaranteed until at least August 2020 – possibly because an alternative is needed to cross-Channel links that face continual disruption, writes John Burke.
Heathrow's Ethiopian A350
Last night (Sunday 14 August), Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines became the first carrier to operate the Airbus A350 on long-haul routes out of Heathrow (LHR), the non-stop destination Addis Ababa. It was also the lead LHR carrier with the Boeing 787. The Addis service is daily.
More top hotels for Doha
Qatar’s capital Doha is adding to its stock of upmarket hotels over the next few months with the arrival of properties from the Mondrian, Mandarin Oriental and Waldorf Astoria brands.
Strike threat's bad timing
Last week's strike threat against Virgin Trains comes ironically just as the company has passed the halfway point in its East Coast fleet improvement programme, with the 23rd train to be refurbished rolling out of Craigentinny, Edinburgh.
TAP grows Gatwick services
An increase in the number of weekly flights operating from Gatwick to Lisbon and Porto has been announced by TAP Portugal as part of its winter operations timetable starting on 30 October.
US boom for Aer Lingus
Two more US destinations are joining the Aer Lingus network next month as the carrier celebrates new figures confirming it as the fastest-growing transatlantic airline over the past six years.