17 DECEMBER 2018
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- COMMENT: You cannot be serious
- 80m passengers for Heathrow
- A vital government paper published
- AC Hotels arrives in S Africa
- Airports celebrate record figures
- American flaunts A321T comforts
- APH biometrics guide
- Cardiff's space-age scanner
- Centurion Lounge for London
- Crossrail showdown next Friday
- Europcar airport Volvos
- First woman CEO for Air France
- Geneva lounge reopens
- IATA Global Media Day
- Indigo's Northern debut
- Kempinski showcase opens in Dubai
- London Heli Shuttle adds AW139
- Luton's new-look terminal takes a bow
- Malaysia introduces Business Suite
- Manchester lands Ethiopian route
- Ottawa International $100m upgrade
- PrivatAir ceases operations
- Remote ATC in Germany
- Restructuring at Wow Air
- Rip-off warning on no-show rules
- Royal Air Maroc to join oneworld
- Sea turtle from All Nippon
- Shanghai route takes to the air
- Tashkent joins Air Astana line-up
- Travel tax plan under fire
- United ups the competition
- Virgin unveils A330-200 refurb
- Wyndham adds three in Dubai
- ON TOUR: Brooklands Museum
- CHRISTMAS ROAD TEST: Aston Martin DB11
- DECEMBER CRUISE NEWS: BTN on a maiden voyage
- The 2018 Business Travel News Quiz
- AND FINALLY: 17 December
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APH biometrics guide
A new guide to help airport users to keep up to date with the increasing use of technology at UK airports has been issued by Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) against a background of growing sophistication in passenger processing.
Kempinski showcase opens in Dubai
With eight dining options, a spa and extensive meeting facilities, Kempinski Hotels has opened its showcase Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai within a 100,000sq m complex on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island and archipelago.
Malaysia introduces Business Suite
A rebrand of its First-Class cabins to a new product called Business Suite was ushered in by Malaysia Airlines across its Airbus A350-900s and A380-800s last week, offering what the company called new levels of luxury, space and privacy.
COMMENT: You cannot be serious
It is ironic that on today of all days (see AND FINALLY), BTN and many others should have to ask whether 31 March will really mean flights between the UK and continental Europe (with the honourable exceptions of Gibraltar, Norway, Switzerland and some Slavic countries) will grind to a halt. In the words of a well-known tennis person: “You cannot be serious”.
80m passengers for Heathrow
Another consecutive record month in November with 6.1m passengers travelling through has put Heathrow on course for a record 80m passenger total for 2018. The November figure is a 3.3% increase over the same month in 2017.
A vital government paper published
Today (Monday 17 December 2018) sees the publication of the government’s Aviation Strategy Green Paper launched, outlining the long-term ambition for aviation success after we leave the EU.
Airports celebrate record figures
Led by Heathrow (see story this issue), the UK’s major airports celebrated record November passenger figures last week. At Gatwick, growth in long-haul routes helped it to surpass 3m passengers, a record for the month, as overall traffic grew by 5.7%.
Cardiff's space-age scanner
A super-sensitive walk-through passenger scanner which uses space technology to image human body heat and reveal hidden security threats has completed trials at Cardiff Airport.
Crossrail showdown next Friday
Next Friday (21 December) will see a showdown between London mayor Sadiq Khan and London Assembly Transport Committee chair Caroline Pidgeon with an extraordinary public meeting at City Hall over the Crossrail delay.
Europcar airport Volvos
Leisure and business travellers can select Volvo’s newest model at all of the UK’s major airports. It is a very cost-effective way of trying out a car and seeing if it is for you, with no commitment nor salesman standing over you.
Geneva lounge reopens
After just over a month of refurbishments, the SWISS Business and Senator Lounges at Geneva Airport have reopened.
IATA Global Media Day
On behalf of IATA, director-general Alexandre de Juniac welcomed journalists from all over the world to the organisation's 15th Global Media Day in Geneva last week.
London Heli Shuttle adds AW139
The London Heli Shuttle, operated by Castle Air at Biggin Hill Airport, is extending its fleet to 10 helicopters with the addition of a new AgustaWestland AW139.
Manchester lands Ethiopian route
A landmark route into the heart of Africa took off from Manchester last week with officials hailing the event as underlining the pivotal role of the city’s airport in connecting the North of England to the world’s most important markets.
PrivatAir ceases operations
Swiss charter airline PrivatAir, the pioneer of scheduled Business Class-only flights, and its German subsidiary have ceased operations and started insolvency proceedings.
Remote ATC in Germany
Traffic at Saarbrücken Airport in Germany is no longer being controlled from the site but from hundreds of km away in Leipzig using a remote tower control centre (RTCC), below, set up by German air navigation service provider DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung).
Royal Air Maroc to join oneworld
Frequent flyers on British, American and a dozen other airlines have a new partner to work with after Morocco’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) said it was joining the oneworld alliance.
Shanghai route takes to the air
An important new business route connecting London with China’s largest city – Shanghai – took off last week, giving British passengers direct access to an area responsible for a third of China’s imports and exports.
Tashkent joins Air Astana line-up
New services from Heathrow, Paris CDG and Frankfurt to the Uzbek capital Tashkent are being launched by Air Astana via its Astana hub from the start of its summer schedule on 29 March next year.
United ups the competition
Increased competition is on the way on the important business routes linking Australia and the US as United plans to go head to head against Qantas on direct flights between Melbourne and San Francisco from October next year.
ON TOUR: Brooklands Museum
On a much-delayed first visit, BTN editor Richard Cawthorne explores one of the UK's foremost motorsport and aviation showcases at Brooklands Museum.
CHRISTMAS ROAD TEST: Aston Martin DB11
For the special end of year edition of Business Travel News we are into a motoring legend with a car that can trace its heritage back over 100 years, and a Brooklands ON TOUR, featuring the world’s first purpose-built motor racing track.
DECEMBER CRUISE NEWS: BTN on a maiden voyage
November saw the annual International Cruise Summit, this year held in Madrid and sponsored by Cruise News Group. BTN reports on the event and on what will become December's most important new ship introduction.
The 2018 Business Travel News Quiz
Welcome to the 2018 Business Travel News popular year-end quiz.
AND FINALLY: 17 December
If you don’t know what today is, you probably shouldn’t be reading this – but we forgive you.
AC Hotels arrives in S Africa
Marriott International has marked the debut of its lifestyle AC Hotels brand in the Middle East and Africa region with the opening of the AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront in South Africa.
American flaunts A321T comforts
More comfort on the US transcontinental service between Boston Logan and Los Angeles International is being promised next year as American Airlines continues deployment of its new three-class Airbus A321T.
Centurion Lounge for London
American Express is opening the 13th location within its signature Centurion airport lounge network in Heathrow’s Terminal 3 next year. It will be the first in Europe, and second outside the US.
First woman CEO for Air France
Long-serving executive Anne Rigail takes up her new job as Air France’s first woman CEO today, 17 December, after being appointed last week on the recommendation of Air France-KLM Group CEO Ben Smith.
Indigo's Northern debut
Marking the brand’s debut in one of the UK’s largest cities, Hotel Indigo Manchester-Victoria Station has opened its doors at the gateway to the Northern Quarter, Manchester’s creative heart, and next to the Exchange Square shopping district.
Luton's new-look terminal takes a bow
After a three-year £160m redevelopment programme, Luton Airport's newly-renovated terminal was officially opened last week. Spokesmen say it will allow the airport to increase annual capacity 18m passengers by 2020.
Ottawa International $100m upgrade
Transport bosses have announced a $100m renovation project for Ottawa’s Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. The decision comes in response to several years of steady growth with the airport on pace to surpass the five million passenger milestone by the end of 2018.
Restructuring at Wow Air
A reduction in its all-Airbus fleet from 20 to 11 and a cut in staff numbers of 10% are being implemented by Wow Air in what it calls a restructuring after a “challenging year”.
Rip-off warning on no-show rules
Airlines were warned last week they are at risk of breaking consumer law by imposing rip-off ‘no show’ clauses which they can use to cash in when a passenger misses the first leg of a journey.
Sea turtle from All Nippon
On the heels of Air Astana’s snow leopard livery (BTN last week), All Nippon Airways has seen its and Japan’s first A380 roll out from the Airbus paintshop in Hamburg sporting an Hawaiian green sea turtle.
Travel tax plan under fire
A “travel tax” being considered by Westminster and Camden councils in London has come under fire from industry executives with a warning it could damage what Travelodge called “one of the UK’s most critical industries”.
Virgin unveils A330-200 refurb
The first of four refurbished A330-200 aircraft featuring Premium seating and a new-look Upper Class cabin has been unveiled by Virgin Atlantic. The programme has added 35 premium seats and introduced an updated Economy Class.
Wyndham adds three in Dubai
Three new managed properties are being opened in Dubai by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts as part of the Deira Waterfront Development being undertaken by Ithra Dubai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD).