24 APRIL 2017
YOUR WORDS
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- READERS FINEST WORDS - We have reorganised the layout - see below
- ON THE SOAPBOX SPECIAL: Stewart Wingate CEO, Gatwick Airport
- Airlines UK seminar
- American in cabin fracas
- Collier stands down at London City
- Emirates cuts US services
- Ethiopian expands again
- First A321neo handed over
- Five stars in Hoi An
- Flybe flies high for winter
- Heathrow Premier Inn complete
- High tech on FT summit agenda
- Iberia’s Premium Economy
- India relaxes visa rules
- Iran Air brings in A330
- Luton security upgrade
- Malaysia pioneers new tracking
- Norwegian heads for Singapore
- Novotel Canary Wharf opens
- Overbooking under scrutiny
- San José direct for KLM
- The eco-friendly train
- ON TOUR: Bateaux Royale
- AND FINALLY: Kicking the bucket
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American in cabin fracas
Cabin crew behaviour was back in the news at the weekend after a video emerged of an American Airlines flight attendant who allegedly struck a passenger with a baby buggy then threatening to fight a passenger.
Ethiopian expands again
Star Alliance members Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines are expanding their codeshare agreement as of 1 June with the launch of Ethiopian’s daily non-stops between Addis Ababa and Singapore.
Flybe flies high for winter
More than 2,600 flights a week on 121 routes, including four operating for the first time this winter, have gone on sale from Flybe in its programme for winter 2017/18. The airline is putting more than 3.6m seats on the market.
READERS FINEST WORDS - We have reorganised the layout - see below
Last week's "The unfriendly skies" is a typical offering. Go to the very bottom of the piece to read what our readers had to say!
ON THE SOAPBOX SPECIAL: Stewart Wingate CEO, Gatwick Airport
Stewart Wingate is a chartered engineer and has been chief executive of Gatwick Airport since 2009. He was customer services director of Glasgow Airport (2004-2005), chief executive officer of Budapest Airport (2005-2007) and, prior to the purchase of Gatwick by a group headed by Global Infrastructure Partners, managing director of Stansted Airport (2007-2009). He has a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Last Thursday, I was able to congratulate Norwegian on its announcement that Singapore is to join Hong Kong, the other major city state hub airport in the Far East, with non-stop flights from Gatwick in the autumn. However, it is not so much of a breakthrough but the consolidation of the new long-haul routes we have been able to welcome so far this this year, joining Xian, starting in June, plus Denver and Seattle in September.
Collier stands down at London City
After five years in charge and overseeing a change in ownership and a rise in passenger numbers from 3m to 4.5m, Declan Collier is to stand down as CEO of London City Airport. He will stay on until a successor is found.
First A321neo handed over
The first-ever A321neo, the latest generation powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines, was handed over to Virgin America, an all-Airbus operator, at a ceremony in Hamburg last week.
Heathrow Premier Inn complete
The Arora Group and Whitbread have completed construction of the new 613-room Premier Inn hotel at Heathrow Terminal 4 .The hotel group has taken legal possession of the site, with an opening ceremony planned for next month.
Iberia’s Premium Economy
Five A340-600 aircraft fitted with a new Premium Economy seating section will be in service with Iberia this summer after the airline revealed the first at a special ceremony last week.
India relaxes visa rules
Foreign visitors including business travellers to India using the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) are now entitled to stay in the country for up to two months and enjoy double-entry benefits.
Luton security upgrade
An enhanced security system is being introduced at Luton Airport following a new contract with the Copenhagen Optimisation (CopOpt) company to install its cloud-based Better Security platform.
Malaysia pioneers new tracking
Three years after the disappearance of Flight MH370, Malaysia Airlines has become the first carrier to sign up to a new satellite flight tracking system able to monitor aircraft in areas where there is currently no surveillance.
Norwegian heads for Singapore
Low-cost long-haul flights between Gatwick and Singapore are being launched by Norwegian next winter as the airline’s growing UK operation expands into Asia for the first time.
Overbooking under scrutiny
Despite United Airlines’ latest misfortune over Flight 3411, the latest denied boarding rankings by the US Department of Transportation show the carrier is not the worst for bumping passengers.
ON TOUR: Bateaux Royale
BTN’s Richard Cawthorne takes to the Thames to sample the new Bateaux Windsor experience.
AND FINALLY: Kicking the bucket
Travel is a key component of people’s bucket lists and they are willing to spend up to £10,000 on average on their ambitions, new research by the website TotallyMoney.com has revealed.
Airlines UK seminar
UK aviation policy between now and 2025 is the subject of the next Airlines UK policy seminar, taking place on Tuesday 4 July between 09:30 and 12:15 at the London HQ of Hill Dickinson in Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2EW.
Emirates cuts US services
A fall in demand for travel to the US has led Emirates to cut services to five cities – Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Orlando and Seattle – with Fort Lauderdale dropping from daily service to five a week from 1 May and Orlando also decreasing to five a week from 23 May.
Five stars in Hoi An
A major refurbishment including a $15m new wing and a rebrand have propelled La Siesta Resort and Spa Hoi An into one of the few 5-star category of hotels in Hoi An, one of the most visited destinations in Vietnam.
High tech on FT summit agenda
Latest developments in big data analytics, real-time monitoring, connectivity, avionics, autonomy and automation are in the spotlight when The Financial Times inaugural FT Business of Aerospace & Aviation Summit comes to London tomorrow, 25 April, at the Hilton Tower Bridge Hotel.
Iran Air brings in A330
Planned A330 scheduled services to Europe, set to begin next Monday (1 May), were announced last week by Iran Air, with France and Sweden the first destinations. The A330 replaces the A300-600R.
Novotel Canary Wharf opens
Beehives on the 39th floor – believed to be the highest in the UK – to produce honey for guests are among features of AccorHotels’ new flagship Novotel in London’s Canary Wharf, which opened to guests last week.
San José direct for KLM
Growing interest among European business travellers in Costa Rica has led KLM to launch a direct winter service to the capital, San José, with two flights a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from 31 October.
The eco-friendly train
Fifteen routes across Europe where using the train is faster and more environmentally friendly than flying have been revealed by travel platform GoEuro in response to the arrival at the weekend of Earth Day 2017.