3 APRIL 2017
YOUR WORDS
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Nick Caunter CEO APH Parking Ltd
- COMMENT: Article 50
- Aer Lingus' new club
- Biggin Hill £15m expansion
- Brexit and London City Airport
- British Airways and The Sunday Times
- Dreamliner Mk 10 takes off
- Emirates’ triple record
- Farnborough sets out its stall
- Flybe connects at Heathrow
- Harvey Elliott
- Hilton in Saint Petersburg
- JetBlue moves in on Atlanta
- LAX's mighty move
- London City – New York non-stop
- Malawi’s all-woman flight
- Norwegian UK joins Airlines UK
- Oslo Airport redevelops
- Residence Inn on a roll
- Shangri-La – Taj rewards link
- Virgin's Atlantic boom
- £650m new cash for Heathrow
- ON TOUR: Delta’s magnificent 747
- CRUISE NEWS APRIL
- AND FINALLY: Ink-credible
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Biggin Hill £15m expansion
Major new infrastructure projects including a 140,000sq ft office, hangar and business aircraft parking facility, plus a 50-bed four-star hotel, are to be built at Biggin Hill Airport following a £15m finance package with HSBC.
Dreamliner Mk 10 takes off
The latest member of Boeing’s Dreamliner family, the B787-10, took to the skies for the first time on Friday from the Boeing facility in South Carolina, completing a successful flight totalling 4hr 58min.
Malawi’s all-woman flight
Joining a trend that is rewriting the aviation history books, Malawi’s national flag carrier Malawian Airlines has booked its space with its first flight to be operated and supported by an all-woman team, Michael Bartlett writes.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Nick Caunter CEO APH Parking Ltd
Another Brexit angle
Nick Caunter has been managing director of Airport Parking and Hotels (APH), since 2003, joining from Retail Decisions, now part of ACI Worldwide, a leading global provider of electronic payment and banking solutions. He also heads sister company Crawley Down Group with interests in forecourt convenience stores, auto repairs and property involving the motor trade.
COMMENT: Article 50
Whatever one thinks of the UK’s democratically arrived at decision to leave the EU, the die is now cast. Britain has signed Article 50 and we are on our way to the exit door.
Brexit and London City Airport
The first ever non-stop flight from London City Airport (LCY) to New York by a Bombardier CS100 (see in this issue) is very interesting in more ways than readers might think, writes John Burke.
Emirates’ triple record
Three destinations in one day joined the Emirates A380 portfolio last week with flights from Dubai to Tokyo-Narita, Casablanca and São Paulo. The airline also became the first to operate scheduled A380 services into Latin America and North Africa.
Flybe connects at Heathrow
Introducing new services between Heathrow and Scotland last week, Flybe made much emphasis of its ability to connect passengers to codeshare partners, and also non-participating airlines. (See BTN 27 March)
Harvey Elliott
As a dedicated journalist covering international air transport’s fast-moving stage of evolution during the latter part of the past century, Harvey Elliott, who has died after a long illness, was widely respected across the industry.
JetBlue moves in on Atlanta
Competition on one of the top business routes in the US, between Boston and Atlanta, stepped up on Thursday as JetBlue launched a five-times-daily Airbus A320 service.
LAX's mighty move
Billed in US style as "as one of the largest projects of its kind in the history of commercial aviation", Delta Air Lines is relocating from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) next month.
London City – New York non-stop
A landmark non-stop transatlantic flight from London City Airport (LCY) to New York JFK was successfully completed last week by a Bombardier CS100 in a significant advance in the aircraft’s development programme.
Norwegian UK joins Airlines UK
With a growing presence here and plans for future growth, the UK subsidiary of low-cost airline Norwegian has become the latest member of Airlines UK, the industry body that represents carriers registered in this country.
£650m new cash for Heathrow
In what the airport called a major signal of confidence in the UK economy, Heathrow shareholders on Thursday agreed to invest an additional £650m in the gateway over the course of 2019.
ON TOUR: Delta’s magnificent 747
On 9 February 1969, the aviation world was stunned by the first flight of the Boeing 747. It could carry twice as many passengers as anything else around and also had a massive cargo hold. Now, well into the 21st century, it is still with us with 1,500 built and the latest Dash-8 version still rolling off the production line.
CRUISE NEWS APRIL
This is the time of the year when the cruise lines get busy for the European summer season. We report.
AND FINALLY: Ink-credible
In our annual salute to inventive thinking, BTN hails Virgin Trains, which on Saturday launched an innovative new contactless ticket system.
Aer Lingus' new club
A new loyalty programme called AerClub, powered by the IAG scheme Avios, has been launched by Aer Lingus as the first of its kind where members can collect reward points not only in the air every time they book flights, but also on the ground and online.
British Airways and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times' John Collingridge has produced a scathing report on British Airways, calling the airline's perceived front man Willie Walsh “pugnacious”. Mr Walsh is in fact CEO of BA owner International Airline Group (IAG). There is an old quote from Walsh in the piece. Did BA fail to respond to enquiries?
Farnborough sets out its stall
With Northolt Aerodrome likely to close for private jets for at least nine months from this time next year (BTN 6 March) and expansion at Biggin Hill (see this issue), other executive aircraft bases have been quick to market their offerings.
Hilton in Saint Petersburg
The Russian Federation’s north-west region welcomed its first Hilton Hotels and Resorts brand last week with the opening of the 169-room Hilton Saint Petersburg ExpoForum.
Oslo Airport redevelops
Seven new shops and restaurants opened at Oslo Airport last week with more to follow shortly ahead of the complex’s official opening ceremony this month following a major redevelopment programme.
Residence Inn on a roll
With two new properties in London and additional openings in Aberdeen and Amsterdam this year, Marriott International says its Residence Inn brand expects to more than double its European portfolio in 2017.
Shangri-La – Taj rewards link
Two of the leading luxury hotel groups, Shangri-La and Taj, have merged their loyalty programmes in a move they say guarantees members personal recognition and the ability to convert points instantly to redeem rewards and benefits from either.
Virgin's Atlantic boom
A major growth drive was kicked off at Manchester Airport on Tuesday as Virgin Atlantic launched the first of a hat trick of new long-haul routes to America with an inaugural service to San Francisco.