2 SEPTEMBER 2019
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Gino Ravaioli, chairman of the DCC Forum
- Emergency at sea. French marines to the rescue
- AirAsia X in big Airbus order
- American goes biometric at DFW
- BA strike still in the balance
- Business hotels under the microscope
- Cabin baggage breakthrough
- Cutbacks at Virgin Australia
- El Al expansion continues
- Gatwick moves on Northern Runway
- Iberia woos UK traffic
- Infrastructure Summit imminent
- Liverpool Airport's big welcome
- Luton – Sarajevo
- New Business Class for LATAM
- Rail fares set for shake-up
- Ryanair faces down UK action
- Thoughtful technology at Four Seasons
- Tokyo named top safe city again
- Uganda Airlines returns
- United extends MileagePlus
- ON TOUR: France, Spain and Guernsey. All by sea.
- SEPTEMBER CRUISE NEWS: Seven nights P&O from Southampton
- AND FINALLY: A Brexit thought.
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Business hotels under the microscope
Business travellers want hotel options that are convenient, personalised and competitively priced with amenities, according to new research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in partnership with hotel portal HRS.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Gino Ravaioli, chairman of the DCC Forum
What does a cashless society mean for business travellers?
Emergency at sea. French marines to the rescue
Last Wednesday (28 August) around 09:30, all 5,100 passengers and crew on board P&O Ventura were alerted (woken in many cases) by the authoritative voice of Captain Neil Turnbull declaring an emergency.
American goes biometric at DFW
In the latest development at its largest hub, American Airlines has begun using biometric boarding for passengers on selected international flights departing from Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International.
BA strike still in the balance
Hopes of averting a series of strikes by pilots at British Airways were still alive last night (Sunday) after a further week of chaos at the airline as passengers sought to rebook flights likely to be affected.
Cabin baggage breakthrough
The end of the process of liquids and electrical items being carried in hand baggage having to be taken out for inspection could be in sight after the government last week ordered all major UK airports to install 3D security scanners by December 2022.
El Al expansion continues
Two new non-stop European destinations, to Dublin from 26 May next year and Dusseldorf from 1 June, were announced by El Al last week. The airline has also put tickets on sale for its new non-stop Tel Aviv – Tokyo route, which begins on 11 March.
Gatwick moves on Northern Runway
The process to bring the existing Northern Runway at Gatwick into routine use began formally last week with the airport submitting a notice to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) of its intention to prepare an application for a development consent order (DCO).
Liverpool Airport's big welcome
Passengers arriving at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) are experiencing an especially warm welcome with the completion of a project highlighting the airport, the city region it serves and the North West.
Rail fares set for shake-up
Moves to make rail travel easier for passengers with simpler, cheaper fares and improvements to the ticketing process were backed by the Department for Transport (DfT) last week.
Ryanair faces down UK action
A “business as usual” message went out from Ryanair at the weekend in face of a strike by some of its UK pilots which began this morning (Monday) and is due to continue tomorrow and Wednesday.
Uganda Airlines returns
Africa achieved a new aviation goal last week with the reincarnation of Uganda Airlines, nearly 20 years after the national carrier was grounded amid financial difficulties.
ON TOUR: France, Spain and Guernsey. All by sea.
Deep-sea cruising in Europe seems to be developing in two ways. You either take a vacation on a port-to-port basis, your ship docking for just a few hours, or finding a trip where there is an overnight stay. See also Cruising in this issue.
SEPTEMBER CRUISE NEWS: Seven nights P&O from Southampton
BTN has reported on cruising for more than 25 years. Editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg is something of a guru, claiming to be the world’s oldest cruiser, a passenger on RMS Asturias from Tilbury to Sydney in 1949.
AND FINALLY: A Brexit thought.
Where can you go to a French property (owned by the city of Paris), where they will only take sterling and are not affected by Brexit?
AirAsia X in big Airbus order
A major Airbus order including the new A321XLR was announced last week by Malaysia-based long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X, a sister company of Air Asia. The company has ordered 30 of the new variant, plus 12 more A330neo models.
Cutbacks at Virgin Australia
Up to 750 jobs are to be cut at Virgin Australia after the airline last week announced an AU$315m (£174m) loss for the 2018/19 financial year. It was the airline’s seventh consecutive year of losses, bringing the cumulative total to AU$1.9bn.
Iberia woos UK traffic
Passengers from the UK heading for Uruguay and Japan are being targeted by Iberia with new services which the Spanish airline says offer easy connections and more capacity at time of peak demand.
Infrastructure Summit imminent
The biggest gathering of experts in their field are preparing for the 2019 London Infrastructure Summit, taking place in 10 days’ time on 12 September at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Luton – Sarajevo
A three-times-a-week service between Luton Airport and Sarajevo is being launched later this month by FlyBosnia with plans to increase to a daily schedule “within the next 12 months”.
New Business Class for LATAM
A new Premium Business class was unveiled ln São Paulo last week by South American carrier LATAM on board the first Boeing B777 in the carrier’s fleet to feature new cabin renovations.
Thoughtful technology at Four Seasons
A refreshed app and a new trip-planning itinerary feature have been introduced by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in a move which the group says will make it simpler for guests to customise stays at its properties.
Tokyo named top safe city again
The Asia Pacific (APAC) region is continuing to make the running in the league of the world’s safest cities according to a new report, with Tokyo taking the top spot for the third year in a row.
United extends MileagePlus
Airline loyalty programmes were thrown a new challenge last week after United announced it was removing expiration dates from its MileagePlus scheme, giving members permission to access and use their awards years in the future.