22 AUGUST 2016
- COMMENT: No gold for the EU
- London's Night Tube takes off
- A330 Regional first for Saudia
- American's luxury lounge
- British Airways cabin crew dispute
- Canberra international again
- China Eastern links with BA
- Delta in all-suite initiative
- Dreamliner No 50 for ANA
- Emirates grows in SE Asia
- Ethiopian Airlines & Bombardier
- Eva in codeshare with Avianca
- Hilton surges ahead in Poland
- Iberia clinches Japan deal
- Norwegian heads for Iceland
- NY boost from Virgin America
- Ovolo lands in Sydney
- Rail strikes called off
- Rod Hoare MBE
- Ryanair reprieve for Italy
- Self-print tags at Malaysia
- ON TOUR: Winding down on Sanibel
- AND FINALLY
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
American's luxury lounge
Shower rooms and an express clothes-pressing service, plus a business centre and meeting room, are among features just unveiled by American Airlines in its refurbished Arrivals Lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 3.
Emirates grows in SE Asia
A new route serving Yangon in Myanmar and Hanoi in Vietnam and operated by Boeing 777-300ER has joined the Emirates network, bringing the number of destinations the airline serves in South-East Asia to 12 in seven countries.
COMMENT: No gold for the EU
Even non-sports fans, and there are a few, can fail to have been moved by Team GB’s marvellous performance in the Rio Olympics.
London's Night Tube takes off
London Underground trains on the Victoria and Central lines began running all night on Friday as the Night Tube was finally launched. The service on the two lines will operate between 00:30 BST and 05:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
British Airways cabin crew dispute
Members of the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (BASSA) at British Airways have voted to take industrial action over a new performance review system, known as a dashboard scheme, but stopped short of calling for a strike.
China Eastern links with BA
Access for business travellers to the domestic Chinese market took several steps forward last week after British Airways launched a new partnership with Shanghai-based carrier China Eastern Airlines (MU).
Delta in all-suite initiative
Upping the stakes in the battle for premium passengers, and claiming a world first in the process, Delta Air Lines is introducing an all-suite Business Class next year.
Ethiopian Airlines & Bombardier
Ethiopia’s flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines is set to order 10 to 15 regional jets by the year end to be deployed on short-haul flights.
Hilton surges ahead in Poland
Further expansion in Poland has been announced by the Hilton Worldwide group with two new Hampton by Hilton hotels scheduled to open in Gdansk and Lubin in 2017 and the arrival of a DoubleTree by Hilton property in Wroclaw. They join more than 20 Hilton properties trading or under development throughout Poland.
Iberia clinches Japan deal
IAG member Iberia has been cleared to start operations to Japan after being included in an extension of an anti-trust immunity agreement covering Japan Airlines, British Airways and Finnair.
NY boost from Virgin America
More flights connecting its hubs at Los Angeles and San Francisco with New York Newark have been announced by Virgin America.
Ovolo lands in Sydney
Hong Kong-based independent hotel brand Ovolo has landed in Sydney with the transformation of two signature properties at Darling Harbour and Woolloomooloo.
Ryanair reprieve for Italy
A plan by Ryanair to close its Pescara base in Italy in November was reversed last week after the Italian government pulled back from a €2.50 municipal tax increase and brought in revised airport guidelines.
ON TOUR: Winding down on Sanibel
With time to spare in Florida, BTN’s Richard Cawthorne finds the ideal place to get away from it all.
A330 Regional first for Saudia
Saudi Arabian Airlines last week became the world’s first operator of the Airbus A330-300 Regional variant, after taking delivery of the type in a ceremony in Toulouse.
Canberra international again
Australia’s capital, Canberra, will gain direct international air service for the first time in more than a decade next month when Singapore Airlines begins a four-a-week service linking its home base with the city and Wellington (New Zealand).
Dreamliner No 50 for ANA
Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) celebrated the delivery of the airline’s 50th 787 Dreamliner at a ceremony on Thursday at Boeing's Everett Delivery Centre. The event saw ANA become the world's first airline to operate that number of the 787.
Eva in codeshare with Avianca
Travel between Asia and Central America became easier last week with the signing of a codeshare deal between Eva Air of Taiwan and fellow Star Alliance member, Avianca of Colombia.
Norwegian heads for Iceland
Two new routes between Gatwick and Reykjavik (Iceland) and Rovaniemi (Finland) are being launched this winter by Norwegian as the airline continues its UK expansion.
Rail strikes called off
Strikes at Virgin Trains and Eurostar were halted last week. Action at Eurostar planned for the past weekend and over the coming bank holiday was called off at the last minute, enabling the company to run a revised timetable with two services cancelled on Saturday and yesterday and a normal timetable next weekend.
Rod Hoare MBE
One of the best-known figures in the transport industry, Rod Hoare MBE, a former Heathrow Express chairman and British Airways Regional managing director, has died at the age of 77. He had been suffering from cancer.
Self-print tags at Malaysia
Malaysia Airlines has introduced self-print baggage tags for domestic and international flights at Kuala Lumpur as part of its plan to increase its use of technology to move passengers through airports more quickly and efficiently.