2 AUGUST 2021
YOUR WORDS
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: John Holland-Kaye, CEO, Heathrow Airport
- LETTER OF THE WEEK
- TRAVEL NEWS UPDATE by Aspire
- airBaltic SKY Service
- Australia – New Zealand travel suspended
- Aviation losses
- British Airways and New York
- Brooklands and Sir Stirling Moss
- EasyJet for kids
- Global Travel Taskforce review
- Heathrow drop-off fee
- JetBlue London
- Loganair stops Isle of Man
- London St Pancras testing
- Ryanair recruits cabin crew
- Slots continued
- United adds US-UK flights
- US travel ban
- Video for London City
- Virgin hub for MEA
- World Aviation Festival
- Zero emissions – House of Lords
- ON TOUR: BOREALIS
- AUGUST CRUISE NEWS
- AND FINALLY: All at sea
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LETTER OF THE WEEK
Simon Buck-Honour on the appointment of Lord (Patrick) McLoughlin to the Chair of Airlines UK, a sentiment widely agreed with. Read here.
World Aviation Festival
ExCeL London has been confirmed for 2021 World Aviation Festival, a two-day event Wednesday 1 December and Thursday 2 December.
OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS
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ON THE SOAPBOX: John Holland-Kaye, CEO, Heathrow Airport
Over the last 18 months John Holland-Kaye has been the effective spokesman in many ways for the travel industry, not only lobbying government but keeping the public aware of the serious predicament for staff, the support industries and investors of the dilemma faced by his and every airport and airline.
airBaltic SKY Service
Latvian airline airBaltic has improved its onboard service, by introducing airBaltic SKY Service – a platform that will be available for all passengers during the flight via their mobile devices.
Aviation losses
Three of the biggest names in air travel last week posted substantial losses.
British Airways and New York
With the go-ahead for US eligible citizens to travel to the UK (and onward into Europe) British Airways has reopened its flagship Galleries lounge at JFK’s Terminal 7.
Global Travel Taskforce review
Flying and cruising update.
Loganair stops Isle of Man
In a surprise announcement Scottish airline Loganair has cancelled its Embraer 145 jet service into Heathrow from the Isle of Man.
Ryanair recruits cabin crew
UK bases to feature.
Dublin-based Ryanair has announced a major recruitment drive for cabin crew for its UK bases as it recovers and rebuilds from the Covid-19 pandemic.
United adds US-UK flights
With last Wednesday’s announcement of England’s reopening to fully vaccinated travellers from the USA, United Airlines has been quick to jump in with a revised summer timetable.
US travel ban
As of today (Monday 2 August) it appears that US citizens meeting the vaccination requirements can now come to the UK and return without any entry problems. For Brits it is not so easy!
Video for London City
“We can’t wait to welcome you back,” says London City Airport (LCY) Chief Executive Robert Sinclair in a new video released last week.
Virgin hub for MEA
Middle East Airlines (MEA) has announced a unilateral codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic offering seamless connections between the US and Beirut via Heathrow.
ON TOUR: BOREALIS
Business Travel News Editor-in-Chief Malcolm Ginsberg (and wife Linda) were on board Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ ship Borealis when she departed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool on Monday 5 July.
AUGUST CRUISE NEWS
This month will see virtually all the cruise lines with a UK programme back sailing from UK ports with a variety of offerings from three nights to eight. The lifting of the international cruising ban, whilst clearly welcome, is unlikely to affect programmes already in place for August and September.
TRAVEL NEWS UPDATE by Aspire
Published today, the August Travel News Update by Aspire is now available on the web.
Australia – New Zealand travel suspended
The New Zealand – Australia trans-Tasman travel bubble has been suspended “for at least the next eight weeks”, as the number of Covid-19 cases in Australia rises.
Brooklands and Sir Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Moss passed away aged 90 in the peak of the pandemic April 2020.
EasyJet for kids
What percentage of children are easyJet passengers under normal circumstances we don’t know, but one thing for sure, the airline is keen to promote young bilingual passengers.
Heathrow drop-off fee
Following the introduction of a drop-off fee by Gatwick (see BTN 12 April Gatwick drop-off changes) Heathrow is to follow suit with similar charges. Manchester Airport Group (Manchester, East Midlands and Stansted airports) have charged for some time.
JetBlue London
With UK residents still not able to easily enter the USA, JetBlue is reviewing its new flight schedule from New York JFK to Heathrow.
London St Pancras testing
Kings Cross-St Pancras station has gained a Covid testing facility operated by Collinson. It is one of the limited Covid-19 examination sites in central London.
Slots continued
Following the UK Government’s decision to waive the 80:20 ‘use it or lose it’ slot usage rule for the upcoming winter programme the European Commission has come up with similar 50% slot usage threshold for the same period.
Zero emissions – House of Lords
“Actions taken by the Government do not align with its ambition to achieve net zero emissions, nor do they take advantage of opportunities presented by batteries and fuel cells for the UK’s research and manufacturing sectors”.