28 JANUARY 2019
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- COMMENT: Trading in nostalgia – BA and fake news
- Airbus A220 launch delayed
- Airport railway 'wake-up call'
- BA, China Southern move closer
- Boeing's autonomous breakthrough
- Busy agenda for airports Expo
- Cathay signs with easyJet
- Concorde anniversary
- Crossrail ‘costing £30m a week’
- Flybe Update
- Heathrow consultation begins
- IAG abandons Norwegian bid
- Jet2 fleet reaches 100
- Lincoln Plaza arrives in Docklands
- Mondrian hotel becomes Sea Containers
- More routes for Blue Islands
- Priority Pass adds 18 lounges
- Scotland Yard becomes a hotel
- Security in IATA spotlight
- Staybridge arrives at Heathrow
- United brings in 'Super-App'
- ON TOUR: Airport Slot Capacity
- AND FINALLY: High up in a B747
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Busy agenda for airports Expo
Plans are moving ahead and potential delegates being urged to save the date for the 2019 British-Irish Airports Expo, hosted by Heathrow and being held at Olympia, London, on 11 and 12 June.
United brings in 'Super-App'
An upgraded mobile app that updates passengers at each step of a journey has been introduced by United Airlines with the aim of “making managing travel easier from booking to landing”.
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COMMENT: Trading in nostalgia – BA and fake news
Last week British Airways issued a press release telling the tale of British air transport. Nothing wrong with that. But to say BA is 100 years old is pure fake news.
BA, China Southern move closer
Further cooperation on the world stage is being planned between British Airways and China Southern Airlines after the two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in London last week.
Cathay signs with easyJet
In another major step for inter-airline connections, Cathay Pacific has signed on as the latest partner in the Worldwide by easyJet project. It is the latest heavyweight recruit following the arrival of Emirates late last year (BTN 26 November 2018).
Concorde anniversary
Events are being planned to celebrate 50 years of Concorde, including at Brooklands Museum near Weybridge in the UK and at the remarkable Technik Museum Sinsheim, near Heidelberg, which has not only the Air France Concorde F-BVFB, but a Tupolev Tu-144 which took off for the first time on first 31 December 1968. It is the only place in the world where visitors can see both supersonic passenger aircraft. Concorde made its maiden flight on 2 March 1969.
Crossrail ‘costing £30m a week’
London Assembly members have reacted with fury after the latest report by audit firm KPMG on Crossrail finances claims the project is costing £30m a week.
Flybe Update
The new cut-off date for Flybe, the British regional airline listed on the London Stock Exchange, is 22 February.
Heathrow consultation begins
An impressive local consultation seeking feedback on changes to airspace and future runway operations at Heathrow has been launched by the airport as part of the run-up to the next stage in the expansion process. At various venues it runs as an exhibition until 4 March.
IAG abandons Norwegian bid
The future of low-cost long-haul pioneer airline Norwegian Air Shuttle was uncertain at the weekend after British Airways and Iberia parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) said it would not make an offer for the carrier.
Jet2 fleet reaches 100
Consolidating its position as the UK’s third largest airline, Jet2.com and its leisure arm Jet2holidays last week took formal delivery of the last of 34 new Next Generation Boeing B737-800s, taking the number of aircraft in the fleet to 100.
Security in IATA spotlight
Aviation's premier yearly security event, the AVSEC World conference, organised by IATA, will take “Disrupters and Enablers to Aviation Security” as its theme for the 2019 gathering in Miami on 26-28 February.
ON TOUR: Airport Slot Capacity
In December, IATA held a Global Media Day at its Geneva HQ hosted by director-general Alexandre de Juniac. It was a powerful briefing, with some 15 talks by true experts on many of the subjects that confront all of us involved with air transport, be it as user, seller, operator or aircraft supplier.
BTN brings you the full list of presentations (click on presentations and then click on presentations again). Here we precis one that concerns airlines and airports.
AND FINALLY: High up in a B747
BOAC was one of the first airlines to order the Boeing 747.
Airbus A220 launch delayed
Plans by Delta Air Lines to put its first Airbus A220 into commercial service were called off on Friday because the US government shutdown meant Federal Aviation Administration certification could not be completed.
Airport railway 'wake-up call'
New figures showing the proportion of passengers using public transport to reach Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton has declined over the past few years (BTN last week) have been branded a wake-up call by a rail lobby.
Boeing's autonomous breakthrough
The first test flight of an autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype, a transport that could be the taxi or family car of the future, was held successfully in the US last week by Boeing “urban air mobility” subsidiary Boeing NeXt.
Lincoln Plaza arrives in Docklands
As predicted (BTN 22 October 2018), 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, has opened in time for the new year.
Mondrian hotel becomes Sea Containers
The award-winning design hotel Mondrian London on the South Bank has been officially renamed Sea Containers London in homage to the history of the iconic building in which it sits.
More routes for Blue Islands
Two new low-cost services linking Guernsey direct to London and north-west England are being launched shortly with Blue Islands adding a daily service to and from Southend from 20 May and twice-weekly Liverpool flights from 21 May.
Priority Pass adds 18 lounges
Airport lounge operator Priority Pass has added 18 new facilities across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The expansion brings the group’s total portfolio to 1,263.
Scotland Yard becomes a hotel
The instantly-recognisable building that housed London’s Metropolitan Police before the force moved to new headquarters is on schedule to reopen this summer as a luxury lifestyle hotel with 153 rooms.
Staybridge arrives at Heathrow
Heathrow has added to its ever-growing hotel count with the opening of a Staybridge Suites property on Bath Road. It is part of a dual-branded complex with a Holiday Inn, due to open later this year.