26 OCTOBER 2020
- COMMENT: Would you come to England?
- Akbar Al Baker and the illegal blockade
- American Airbus A220
- Amsterdam and Eurostar
- BA’s Sean Doyle at Airlines 2050
- Berlin International Airport (continued)
- Biometric path at DXB
- Cathay Dragon shuts down
- Emirates upgrades
- Etihad and Israel
- Flybe to fly again?
- Grant Shapps at Airlines 2050
- Heathrow departures tested
- IAG results
- JetBlue delay
- Ken Brookes
- Major US airline fails
- Malaysian Airlines MH370
- New York’s new live subway map
- TUI keeps flying
- Wizz at the Aviation Club
- ON TOUR: Napoleon and St Helena
- AND FINALLY: Drink up
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
The Canary Islands, Denmark, Maldives and Mykonos have been added to the Government’s list of travel corridors.
COMMENT: Would you come to England?
Or Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for that matter?
A Minister for Travel Wanted.
Akbar Al Baker and the illegal blockade
Qatar Airways boss Akbar Al Baker wound up a fine Airlines 2050 morning last Monday with some strong words on what he called “the illegal blockade” of his home country by some neighbouring states.
American Airbus A220
Airbus has delivered its first US-manufactured A220 aircraft to Delta Air Lines.
BA’s Sean Doyle at Airlines 2050
Only appointed as Chief Executive of British Airways a week earlier Sean Doyle was the opening speaker at Airlines 2050 Conference last Monday (19 October)
Berlin International Airport (continued)
Nothing ever goes right with Berlin Brandenburg Airport ‘Willy Brandt’ International Airport.
Etihad and Israel
The UAE national airline Etihad is pushing ahead with its Israel relationship and is even developing promotional material in Hebrew.
Grant Shapps at Airlines 2050
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps appearance at Airline 2050 last Monday proved to be as much a damp squib as ABTA the previous week. (See ABTA 1 – Shapps and quarantine in last week's BTN.)
Heathrow departures tested
Last Tuesday (20 October) saw the first passengers finally through the trial Covid-19 tests at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 5 en route to Hong Kong.
IAG results
The International Airline Group (IAG) results were bound to be disastrous and the quarterly figures, published last week, were in line with predictions.
Major US airline fails
A major carrier within North America has failed, and hardy anybody has noticed.
Wizz at the Aviation Club
Joseph Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air, something of an Anglophile, was in a bullish mood for a Webinar organised by the Aviation Club of the United Kingdom last Wednesday. The talk replaced October’s traditional lunch which would have been hosted at the Royal Automobile Club.
ON TOUR: Napoleon and St Helena
In May 2017 BTN Editor-in-Chief was one of two British journalists to fly into St Helena for the opening of its new airport. He described the trip as fantastic.
On 29 October 18:00 (GMT) The British Napoleonic Bicentenary Trust, in collaboration with Texas A&M and the Oxford X-Reality Hub, is offering a virtual tour of St Helena. Brent Fortenberry is the guide of a series of intricate virtual 3D images of the sites on the island.
Amsterdam and Eurostar
In spite of the problems associated with the pandemic at both ends Eurostar is to introduce a direct St Pancras – Amsterdam Centraal high-speed train service today (Monday 26 October). Covid-19 rules will be displayed and passengers are expected to adhere to.
Biometric path at DXB
Emirates has launched an integrated biometric path at Dubai International airport (DXB). The contactless airport experience is now open to Emirates passengers travelling from and through Dubai.
Cathay Dragon shuts down
The low-cost subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airlines (CX), Cathay Dragon, was closed down with immediate effect by owner Cathay Pacific last Tuesday (20 October). Cathay itself is owned by the Swire Group.
Emirates upgrades
Emirates is rolling out a redesigned onboard experience and introducing additional health and safety measures.
Flybe to fly again?
The National media, looking for some good news, quickly took up a statement by the administrators of Flybe that the airline is to fly again “in early 2021.”
JetBlue delay
It will surprise no one that JetBlue, the New York JFK based quality low-cost operator has delayed the start-up for its London services.
Malaysian Airlines MH370
There are fresh hopes that the mystery of the disappearing Boeing 777 can be resolved.
New York’s new live subway map
The New York subway now has an excellent new map showing live train services reports our train expert Andrew Sharp. Click on a station and you can see the next few departures in real time.
TUI keeps flying
Holidaymakers, and people with time on their hands, will be pleased to learn that TUI is introducing a Caribbean winter programme from this week. The reduced European schedule is continued.