22 OCTOBER 2018
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- COMMENT: Singapore very-long-haul
- Business Traveller Awards
- Buyer circles Gatwick shares
- CAA new advice on disabled
- Changing Places at Aberdeen
- Check-in by voice
- City airport reverses
- Cobalt's last hours
- EasyJet app breakthrough
- Edinburgh – Boston
- Flybe profit warning
- Heathrow's electric incentive
- Istanbul Ritz blossoms again
- JW Marriott Seoul reopens
- Kuwait orders A330-800s
- Lincoln Plaza names the day
- London Transport Museum
- New aviation group for Poland
- Singapore, New Zealand link-up
- Stansted opens new stands
- Unions sign Air France deal
- ON TOUR: Eastern Med
- AND FINALLY: On-board bling
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London Transport Museum
Readers may be aware that London Transport has a fine museum at Covent Garden open seven days a week.
New aviation group for Poland
Described as a “milestone for the Polish and European aviation market”, four key companies led by LOT Polish Airlines have joined forces to set up the Polish Aviation Group to “start the integration of the industry in Poland and the CEE region”.
Daylight saving time ends next Sunday in the UK and Ireland when the clocks go back. Another hour of sleep Saturday night.
COMMENT: Singapore very-long-haul
Singapore Airlines can breathe a sigh of relief after exposing its inaugural ultra-long-haul SQ22 A350-900ULR service from Singapore to New York Newark to the attentions of the world’s aviation and travel media 10 days ago. The verdicts have been generally favourable and the service has quietly settled down to its daily routine in the week and a half since.
Business Traveller Awards
The 2018 Business Traveller Awards were announced at a lunch at London’s Royal Garden hotel on Monday, 15 October, by the publisher of Business Traveller magazine, Panacea Media, and presented by special guest and former Cabinet minister Michael Portillo, now a journalist.
Buyer circles Gatwick shares
As previewed in BTN last week, Gatwick on Thursday set out an ambitious vision for the future – and was immediately caught up in reports that Canada's biggest pension fund was in talks to buy a big stake in the airport.
CAA new advice on disabled
New industry guidance to airlines on assisting passengers with hidden disabilities was published last week by the Civil Aviation Authority, complementing similar advice given to airports in 2016.
City airport reverses
While the date has yet to be confirmed, road travellers into London City Airport from next Sunday (28 October) will probably find themselves turning left as they enter the terminal area to drop off passengers.
Cobalt's last hours
A last-minute change of mind by a potential investor in Cypriot airline Cobalt led to the carrier’s collapse, according to reports circulating at the weekend. Cobalt ceased trading just before midnight on Wednesday.
Edinburgh – Boston
A doubling of its flights from Edinburgh next summer with a new service to Boston was announced by Delta Air Lines last week, effective from 24 May and complementing the existing daily service to New York-JFK.
Heathrow's electric incentive
A million-pound incentive to airlines to invest in electric technology was launched by Heathrow last week with the airport announcing the first electric-hybrid aircraft will not have to pay landing charges for a year when it is put into regular service there.
Kuwait orders A330-800s
A politically-important purchase agreement for eight Airbus A330-800s was signed in Toulouse last week by Kuwait Airways chairman Yousef Al-Jassim and Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer.
Lincoln Plaza names the day
A new opening date of January has now been set for the latest UK member of Hilton’s Curio Collection of hotels, Lincoln Plaza London, set in a distinctive tower building at Canary Wharf in Docklands.
Singapore, New Zealand link-up
More combined services have been promised by Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand after they were granted regulatory approval to continue their joint venture agreement for another five years.
ON TOUR: Eastern Med
BTN is often asked “where is the best place for a 4/5-night trip combining sea, sand and some good weather.
AND FINALLY: On-board bling
If you’ve always wanted a Cerruti bag, here’s how – just fly Egypt Air Business Class.
Changing Places at Aberdeen
The latest phase of the terminal transformation project at Aberdeen International Airport, a “Changing Places” facility within the departures lounge to make life easier for those who find travel challenging, has been officially opened.
Check-in by voice
Voice check-in through Amazon Alexa, which allows passengers to prepare for their flights through the power of speech, has been introduced by Virgin Australia, which becomes the first airline outside North America to launch the facility.
EasyJet app breakthrough
A new app feature allowing passengers to book flights instantly using just Instagram photos has been launched by easyJet as the airline puts on sale hundreds of thousands of flights across Europe for next summer.
Flybe profit warning
A share price drop of more than a third hit Flybe last week after the airline issued a trading update saying its full-year adjusted profit figure would be “lower than market expectations”.
Istanbul Ritz blossoms again
Results of a multi-million pound refurbishment have gone on show at the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul as the city welcomes a range of trendy new hotels, galleries and flights ahead of the planned 29 October opening of its record-breaking new airport.
JW Marriott Seoul reopens
Fresh from an extensive eight-month renovation, the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul has celebrated its grand reopening in the South Korean capital, the host city for next year’s IATA annual conference.
Stansted opens new stands
Four new aircraft parking stands have become operational at Stansted, marking the completion of the first phase of airfield works forming part of the airport’s £600m transformation programme.
Unions sign Air France deal
In what was being hailed at the weekend as an early success for new group CEO Benjamin Smith, unions at Air France on Friday reached agreement on a pay deal, although the list of signatories did not include the main pilots’ organisation SNPL.