3 JULY 2017
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Steve Cassidy, Hilton
- 100m for Heathrow Express
- Air Astana in growth mode
- Air Europa Dreamliner No 8
- And now – the A380plus
- BA faces down new strike
- Comeback for China Air
- Dubai's cinematic hotel
- Emirates boost for Birmingham
- Etihad adds A380 on Paris
- Heathrow staff cars plan
- Iberia orders A320neos
- Luton rail link go-ahead
- Mandarin heads for Melbourne
- MAX 10 in Paris debut
- Sinclair for London City
- St Helena prepares
- Trump travel ban ruling
- US security upgrade
- Virgin in Hong Kong deal
- Wow in A321neo deal
- ON TOUR: Amsterdam and Antwerp. By ship.
- JULY CRUISE NEWS
- AND FINALLY: Amy's birthday
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Air Europa Dreamliner No 8
An eighth Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner has joined the Air Europa fleet and begun operating on the Madrid – Lima route. The carrier has incorporated the eight aircraft into its line-up in just one year and three months.
Comeback for China Air
China Airlines is set to launch nonstop flights between Gatwick and Taipei from 1 December, operating the 13hr service four times a week with its newest aircraft, the 306-seat Airbus A350-900 XWB.
Etihad adds A380 on Paris
In a similar development to its rival Emirates’ expansion at Birmingham (see this issue), Etihad Airways on Saturday introduced an Airbus A380 on one of its two daily services between Abu Dhabi and Paris Charles de Gaulle, while also inaugurating Dreamliner service between Dubai and Beijing.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Steve Cassidy, Hilton
Business travellers are craving technology, but is that all they need? That's the question posed this week by Steve Cassidy, senior vice-president and managing director, UK & Ireland for Hilton, responsible for the company’s multi-brand portfolio across the British Isles. He joined Hilton’s revenue management team in 2009 from British Airways, moving into hotel operations in September 2011. His remit expanded in 2015 to include all Hilton’s owned and managed properties in UK & Ireland. He is chairman of the Hospitality Guild and a board director of the British Hospitality Association.
100m for Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express is celebrating carrying 100m passengers since opening in 1998, writes Andrew Sharp. Celebrations include a quirky photographic pop-up exhibition in Paddington station which opened last week and can be seen until tomorrow, 4 July.
And now – the A380plus
Plans for an enhanced A380 superjumbo, the “A380plus”, with new large winglets to provide up to 4% fuel burn savings and a 13% cost reduction per seat versus the current A380 have been unveiled by Airbus.
Dubai's cinematic hotel
Film fans stopping over in Dubai will soon be able to stay in a hotel with its own rooftop cinema and a floor of film-themed rooms and suites at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Aloft Dubai City Centre Deira.
Heathrow staff cars plan
A car incentive plan for staff is among further major steps in Heathrow’s plans to improve London’s air quality announced last week as part of the airport’s continuing programme to deliver the third runway.
Luton rail link go-ahead
Approval has been granted by the local council for a 1.4-mile rail link costing £200m at Luton Airport to replace the current bus shuttle service linking the existing Parkway station with the terminal building. It is scheduled to open by 2021.
Mandarin heads for Melbourne
A management contract for a new luxury hotel and branded residences to be developed in Melbourne has been signed by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. It is the company’s first announced property in Australia.
Sinclair for London City
Bristol Airport CEO Robert Sinclair has been appointed CEO of London City Airport. He takes over on 30 October, within days of the 30th anniversary of the airport’s official opening by the Queen on 5 November 1987.
St Helena prepares
Three Georgian buildings on the island of St Helena have been renovated by the Mantis hospitality group to form a luxury hotel in anticipation of an influx of business and leisure visitors when commercial air service begins.
US security upgrade
New security requirements are being introduced for all US-bound international flights, the head of America’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), John Kelly, said last week.
ON TOUR: Amsterdam and Antwerp. By ship.
Three-night cruises seek a number of different markets. Those who have never taken to the sea before; an opportunity to try a new ship; a leisure break, or in the case of CMV’s Columbus, a maiden voyage (see CRUISE NEWS in this issue). Depending on the ports visited it can also be seen as an easy and quick way of taking an introductory visit to a new destination. BTN editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg and wife were on board.
JULY CRUISE NEWS
Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) welcomed its new flagship Columbus into the fleet just four weeks ago with a glittering naming ceremony at the London Cruise Terminal, Tilbury. The 64,000-tonne ship can carry up to 1,400 people and is based at the Essex port, close by the London orbital road, the M25. In airline jargon, it is a no-frills terminal, very easy with the drop-off, and quickly on to the ship. See also ON TOUR in this issue.
AND FINALLY: Amy's birthday
The old world of aviation of long ago met the new world of social media on Saturday when Google saw fit to mark the 114th anniversary of the birth of Amy Johnson with one of its header-page doodles.
Air Astana in growth mode
Having launched its fifth weekly service between Heathrow and Astana last month, Air Astana, a partner airline of Novosibirsk International Airport, has now also increased its operations between Novosibirsk and Astana to daily, using the Embraer E190.
BA faces down new strike
Aircraft wet-leased from Qatar Airways went into service with British Airways at the weekend as BA moved to allay the effects of the latest strike by Unite union members among its mixed-fleet cabin crew. The strike is due to last until 16 July.
Emirates boost for Birmingham
A second daily A380 service between Dubai and Birmingham is being introduced by Emirates from 29 October. The airline is replacing the Boeing B777 which currently operates Flight EK39/40 with the larger super-jumbo to meet demand.
Iberia orders A320neos
A firm order for 20 new Airbus A320neo aircraft to modernise the short- and medium-haul fleet was announced last week by Iberia chairman and CEO Luis Gallego at a meeting of small business groups held to mark the airline’s 90th anniversary.
MAX 10 in Paris debut
The newest member of the Boeing B737 MAX family, the B737 MAX 10, was put on display by the manufacturer at the Paris Air Show with the claim it will have the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane produced so far.
Trump travel ban ruling
In the same week new security measures were announced for US-bound flights, the US Supreme Court partially restored President Trump’s travel ban on visitors from certain parts of the world. The measure had been blocked by some lower courts since the beginning of the year.
Virgin in Hong Kong deal
First steps towards a major expansion across Hong Kong, mainland China and Australia by Hong Kong Airlines and Virgin Australia have been taken with a codeshare deal providing connectivity to 11 destinations across the two networks.
Wow in A321neo deal
The first airline in Europe to operate the new Airbus A321neo is to be Wow air following an acquisition deal signed at this year’s Paris Air show. The company says it now plans further route expansion as a result.