20 FEBRUARY 2017
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- COMMENT: Do you want a bath or a shower?
- Aer Lingus autism guides
- Airlink for St Helena?
- Arkia for Milan – Tel Aviv
- Aviation minister speaks
- BA double for Milan
- Biggin marks its centenary
- Business Travel Show 2017
- Delta upgrades US catering
- Doubletree Greenwich arrival
- Dublin growth surge
- London Classic Car Show
- Luton transit on track
- New Dreamliner bows in
- Qatar's ITB promise
- Regus expands at Heathrow
- SAS base for Ireland?
- SNCF wi-fi for all
- Virgin’s ‘game changer’
- Widerøe to launch E190-E2
- Wizz sets up UK base
- ON TOUR: Vietnam Airlines
- AND FINALLY: Virgin train-ing
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Arkia for Milan – Tel Aviv
As British Airways begins new services to Linate (see this issue), Milan Bergamo Airport’s route network programme is also continuing with a major development as Arkia Israeli Airlines launches a route to Tel Aviv.
Biggin marks its centenary
A special gathering of people and aircraft on Tuesday witnessed the launch of ‘Biggin100’, a programme of celebrations and special events to mark the centenary of London Biggin Hill Airport.
Doubletree Greenwich arrival
The London Borough of Greenwich has welcomed its first branded member of the Hilton hotels group with the opening of the 147-room DoubleTree by Hilton, housed in a former Metropolitan Police section house.
COMMENT: Do you want a bath or a shower?
With the London Business Travel Show starting later this week (Wednesday and Thursday, 22-23 February), it seems a very good idea to ask the question “Would you like a bath or a shower?” That is, when checking in at a hotel are you offered a choice?
Aer Lingus autism guides
Visual guides online to help to prepare people with autism and similar conditions for air travel have been produced by Aer Lingus in partnership with the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
Aviation minister speaks
City of London lawyers Bird & Bird last week hosted a gathering by Airlines UK on government airline policy with the principal speaker aviation minister Lord Ahmad. New at the DfT (from the Treasury), Dan Micklewaite, director of aviation, also spoke.
Business Travel Show 2017
The Business Travel Show is at home again at Olympia London this Wednesday and Thursday, 22-23 February, with more than 7,700 attendees expected and 260 suppliers offering their wares.
Dublin growth surge
Europe’s airports reflected the surging aviation scene last year by welcoming a record 2bn passengers. Dublin was ranked the fastest-growing major facility, with Schiphol taking the crown for the most growth.
London Classic Car Show
Dario Franchitti, a three times winner of the Indy 500 and four times IndyCar champion, is the latest star to join special Gala Evening celebrations on the opening day of the London Classic Car Show (Thursday 23 February) at ExCeL, close by London City Airport. The show, and the parallel Historic Motorsport International, runs until Sunday 26 February.
Luton transit on track
Plans for a state-of-the-art £200m mass passenger transit (MPT) system linking Luton Airport (LTN) with Luton Airport Parkway rail station have been submitted, the airport’s owner London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL) announced last week.
New Dreamliner bows in
US president Donald Trump and thousands of Boeing staff lined up at the aircraft manufacturer’s plant in South Carolina on Friday as the B787-10, the third member of the 787 Dreamliner family, made its public debut.
SAS base for Ireland?
A potential base in Ireland is being considered by the Scandinavian flag carrier SAS as part of a campaign to reduce costs, the Danish newspaper Berlingske reported on Tuesday.
Virgin’s ‘game changer’
In a self-proclaimed “game changer” in the Far East market, Virgin Australia on Friday announced an alliance agreement with HNA Aviation, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express to launch new direct services between Australia and Hong Kong.
Widerøe to launch E190-E2
The launch operator for the new E190-E2 jet, the first member of generation two of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft, has been named as Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia.
Wizz sets up UK base
Luton Airport is to become the UK base for the Hungarian carrier Wizz Air. It will be the airline’s 28th overseas unit and will open on 18 June with one Airbus A320. Luton has operated Wizz Air flights for more than 12 years and will be the airline’s first UK airport with base operations.
ON TOUR: Vietnam Airlines
Planet Appetite reports on BTN's latest Flying at the Front End feature, this time on Vietnam Airlines
AND FINALLY: Virgin train-ing
Please forgive the pun.
Airlink for St Helena?
Johannesburg-based regional carrier Airlink is hoping to add St Helena to its network using a new fleet of Embraer jets it is assembling under a modernisation plan to allow it to fly to more long-distance destinations.
BA double for Milan
Milan’s Linate Airport is gaining two new British Airways routes this spring, with a service from London City Airport starting on 24 April and from Stansted on 29 April, both using the Embraer 190. BA will operate two flights a day on weekdays and one a day at weekends from London City and two a week from Stansted.
Delta upgrades US catering
With inflight catering emerging as a new battleground for airlines, Delta is upping the stakes by introducing free meals on long-distance US domestic flights, including transcontinental routes between New York JFK and Los Angeles/San Francisco.
Qatar's ITB promise
Details of a much-anticipated evolution to Qatar Airways’ award-winning Business Class product are among features due to be unveiled at this year’s ITB Berlin travel trade exhibition in the German capital from 8-12 March.
Regus expands at Heathrow
Global workspace provider Regus is expanding its offering at Heathrow by opening two new Regus Express facilities in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. They join an existing Regus Express facility which opened in 2014 in Terminal 5.
SNCF wi-fi for all
France’s national rail operator SNCF is pledging to make free wi-fi available to all passengers on its high-speed lines by the end of this year following a successful two-month trial on the Paris – Lyon service that ended last week.