13 MAY 2019
YOUR WORDS
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- COMMENT: Scotland on the wrong foot
- A380 and the Aviation Club
- Air insolvency levy under fire
- Airport safety in the spotlight
- Airports hit out at traffic management
- Alcock and Brown remembered
- Alitalia battle continues
- British Collection for Hertz
- Cathay new-look Business Class
- Edinburgh boost for Loganair
- Embraer keeps up delivery pace
- Emirates A380 wows Glasgow
- Grosvenor House revamped
- Hotel Indigo sails into Venice
- Manchester private terminal takes shape
- New funding for security ideas
- No1 Lounge for Luton
- Qatar marks a year at Cardiff
- Ryanair 25 years at Manchester
- Sherlock becomes Holmes
- Sukhoi Superjet under scrutiny
- ON TOUR: Gdańsk
- MAY ROAD TEST: SEAT Arona
- AND FINALLY: Life’s a beach at Heathrow Hilton
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Airport safety in the spotlight
Every aspect of aviation and workplace safety, including wellbeing, is being put under the microscope from today, 13 May, as the Airport Operators Association (AOA) launches its fourth annual UK Airports Safety Week.
Sherlock becomes Holmes
International developer the PPHE Hotel Group is opening its debut premium boutique property, Holmes Hotel London, formerly the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes London, in a few weeks.
COMMENT: Scotland on the wrong foot
Perish the thought Scotland’s first minister should be bandwagon-climbing but linking her government’s decision to scrap its commitment to removing air passenger duty (APD) north of the border with the climate change movement looks like a political move rather than a serious consideration.
Airports hit out at traffic management
Air traffic management (ATM) inefficiencies on the continent are failing the travelling public and airspace users, according to the airport trade association ACI Europe last week.
Alitalia battle continues
The deadline for bids from companies trying to keep Italy’s stuggling flag-carrier Alitalia in the air was extended by the Italian government again last week. Deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio said the date had been reset for 15 June.
British Collection for Hertz
Hertz Europe has launched The British Collection in the UK, offering a new high-end customer service experience, with a package of best-of-British services and products – and a personalised welcome service.
Edinburgh boost for Loganair
Three new jet routes operated by Loganair from Edinburgh Airport have been given an official send-off (below), with departures to Bergen and Stavanger in Norway and to Guernsey.
Grosvenor House revamped
Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, now part of JW Marriott brand, has completed a multi-million-dollar full-scale renovation.
New funding for security ideas
Ideas to enhance security at airports, the border and other screening locations are being sought in a new competition from the Home Office and Department for Transport – with a share of £4.5m funding at stake.
No1 Lounge for Luton
A new premium facility for passengers at Luton Airport is on the way this summer with No1 Lounges opening its first location at the airport and its 12th in the UK. The facility opens in July as the Clubrooms, No1’s premium brand.
Ryanair 25 years at Manchester
In a season of anniversaries, Ryanair joined in the fun last week by celebrating its 25-year presence at Manchester Airport, where it has carried more than 30.1m customers since arriving in 1994.
Sukhoi Superjet under scrutiny
Conflicting statements about Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 programme continued to emerge at the weekend as investigations continued into last week’s accident at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport in which 41 people were killed.
ON TOUR: Gdańsk
ON TOUR this week visits Gdańsk, one of the destinations featured by Wizz Air in its monthly ‘Wizz You Were Here’ spotlight on things to see and do in the many places around its network.
MAY ROAD TEST: SEAT Arona
When it comes to car names, SEAT seems to have settled on Spanish municipalities for the title of each of its product range. It manufactures the Ateca, Ibiza and Tarraco and now the Arona, named for a lesser-known Tenerife suburb. But it has a nice ring about it.
AND FINALLY: Life’s a beach at Heathrow Hilton
Facilities at airport hotels have taken a new turn with the latest attraction at the Hilton London Heathrow at Terminal 4.
A380 and the Aviation Club
Aircraft leasing and charters will be in the spotlight at the Aviation Club UK summer lunch on 12 June when guest speaker will be Paulo Mirpuri, president and CEO of the Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly.
Air insolvency levy under fire
Critics have attacked a proposal by the Department for Transport (DfT) for a levy of 50p per person on all flights to insure against a future collapse of UK-based airlines. The proposal is in the final report from the independent Airline Insolvency Review.
Alcock and Brown remembered
A celebrated sculpture of aviation pioneers John Alcock and Arthur Brown travelled from its home at the Heathrow Academy to Ireland last week ahead of celebrations to mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight from North America to Europe.
Cathay new-look Business Class
A refreshed Business Class experience is on the way later this year from Cathay Pacific as part of a new programme called Let’s Move Beyond aimed at making the airline “one of the world’s greatest service brands”.
Embraer keeps up delivery pace
A total of 22 jets delivered in the first quarter of 2019 was reported by Embraer last week, of which 11 were commercial aircraft and 11 were executive jets. The company said its firm order backlog as of 31 March now totalled US$16bn (about £12bn).
Emirates A380 wows Glasgow
New daily services between Glasgow and Dubai operated by an Emirates Airbus A380 superjumbo have been making history north of the border as the first regular flights of the iconic aircraft to Scotland (BTN 15 April).
Hotel Indigo sails into Venice
The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has marked the debut of its Indigo brand in Italy’s top visitor city with the opening of Hotel Indigo Venice-Sant’Elena, in an area known for its modern art and culture and near the Murano glass factory.
Manchester private terminal takes shape
More details of what passengers can expect from Manchester Airport’s new private terminal, PremiAir (below), were unveiled last week by airport operator MAG. The facility, for passengers travelling with partner airlines, opens in September.
Qatar marks a year at Cardiff
Birthday cupcakes were to the fore in Wales last week as Qatar Airways celebrated the first anniversary of its service connecting business and leisure customers from Cardiff Airport with destinations around the world.