27 AUGUST 2018
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- SOAPBOX EXTRA: Brexit impact: Not much
- Air France unions in strategy talks
- College briefing for minister
- Delta backs seat-back IFE
- Docklands Marriott new look
- Dusit adds Doha
- Eurowings on a roll
- Gatwick - São Paulo by Norwegian
- Heathrow names its winners
- Iberia Latin America boost
- Iran fights suspended
- Luton hits back at survey findings
- New hope for Manston Airport
- Qantas lounge bonanza
- Rocky road for car hire
- Ryanair spreads its wings
- Stansted – Washington DC
- Stobart board appointments
- Swaffield heads to Virgin
- United US lie-flat seat plan
- Ups and downs from American
- ON TOUR: Biggin Hill Air Show
- AND FINALLY: Royal wings
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Delta backs seat-back IFE
Seat-back inflight entertainment has been given a vote of confidence by Delta Air Lines after the company installed its 600th aircraft with the system ahead of schedule.
Luton hits back at survey findings
Complaints about queues at security and check-in and failure to provide adequate seating have led to Luton Airport being rated the worst in the UK in the annual survey by Which? magazine.
SOAPBOX EXTRA: Brexit impact: Not much
As Project Fear raises its head again, Dave Ashton, CEO of the train comparison and booking platform Loco2, addresses some key concerns about the impact of Brexit on British travellers – and says there’s little to worry about.
Air France unions in strategy talks
French labour organisations at Air France-KLM including the SNPL and SPAF pilot unions and bodies representing cabin crew, ground staff and engineers are meeting in Paris today, Monday, to discuss strategy following the controversial appointment of new CEO Ben Smith.
Docklands Marriott new look
One of London Docklands’ top properties, the London Marriott Hotel West India Quay, has unveiled a new look following a full refurbishment of its 301 guestrooms and suites in partnership with design company M Studio.
Gatwick - São Paulo by Norwegian
Plans to launch flights between Gatwick and the financial centre of São Paulo next year have been announced by Norwegian Air after the carrier won clearance from Brazil’s civil aviation authority ANAC.
Iran fights suspended
Three of Europe’s largest carriers, British Airways, KLM and Air France through its subsidiary Joon, last week followed the reintroduction of US sanctions on Iran by saying they would end flights to Tehran next month.
New hope for Manston Airport
A Development Consent Order (DCO) application submitted by the company hoping to bring aviation back to the Manston airport site in Kent has been accepted for the pre-examination stage by the Planning Inspectorate.
Qantas lounge bonanza
A new luxury lounge at Melbourne Airport and a revamp of its international lounges at Sydney, Auckland and Tokyo are on the cards from Qantas as it celebrates a record A$1.6bn (£900m) pre-tax profit for the 2017-18 financial year. Other plans include overhauling the interiors of the Airbus A380 superjumbo fleet to fit two new Business Class lounges on the upper deck, located either side of the staircase that leads down to First Class.
Ryanair spreads its wings
A claimed investment of $200m at Luton Airport with two new based aircraft, making six in total, and the addition of six new routes for winter 2018-19 was announced last week by Ryanair. The airline will now be operating 107 flights a week.
Stansted – Washington DC
The latest long-haul route from Stansted to be operated by Primera Air has taken to the skies with the launch of a new five-flights-weekly service to Washington Dulles Airport.
Swaffield heads to Virgin
Former Monarch Airlines CEO Andrew Swaffield has been appointed by Virgin Atlantic and the Virgin Group to run a new group-wide loyalty programme for customers across the Virgin companies.
United US lie-flat seat plan
Lie-flat First Class seats for the Boeing B737 Max 10 are being tested by United Airlines to meet demand for the premium transcontinental product in the US market.
ON TOUR: Biggin Hill Air Show
Spitfires and Hurricanes have been taking to the air at Biggin Hill again as Britain’s most famous front-line fighter station of the Second World War put on a spectacular show for its 2018 Festival of Flight. BTN editor Richard Cawthorne was there.
AND FINALLY: Royal wings
In case you missed the headline, here it is: Used jet for sale. One previous royal owner.
College briefing for minister
Aviation minister Liz Sugg took time out from a quick trip to last week’s Biggin Hill airshow to learn more about proposals for the new London Aerospace & Technology College (LATC) being built at the airport.
Dusit adds Doha
Further expansion for the Dusit International hotel group has seen the company sign a management agreement with the Al Majed Group to operate the Dusit Doha. It will be the group’s first Dusit-branded hotel in Qatar.
Eurowings on a roll
A nine-month programme to integrate 77 aircraft from airBerlin, which collapsed a year ago (BTN 21 August 2017), into the Eurowings fleet is almost complete, with a 174-seat Airbus A320 from leasing company Magnetar marking the final step.
Heathrow names its winners
The 20 winners have been announced of this year’s World of Opportunity Programme in which Heathrow as a major exporting hub partners with the Department for International Trade (DIT) “Exporting is GREAT” campaign to fund companies’ overseas ambitions.
Iberia Latin America boost
Starting with this year’s winter season, Iberia is boosting its services to its increasingly-competitive Latin America destinations with three additional weekly flights to both Buenos Aires and Mexico City.
Rocky road for car hire
Travellers are stressed, frustrated and feel out of control when picking up a hire car according to a survey of 2,000 British customers. Over half (58%) said that collecting a hire car is unnecessarily complicated and stressful.
Stobart board appointments
Senior appointments have been announced at the Stobart Group, which owns Southend Airport, in what chairman Iain Ferguson described as a move to “strengthen the board” in the commercial and listed-company fields.
Ups and downs from American
A new seasonal daily service between Phoenix in Arizona and Heathrow is a key element in an expansion by American Airlines of its European network, but Scotland and Ireland are losing key routes in a “realignment”.