18 JULY 2022
- COMMENT: Air travel is a mess *
- LETTER OF THE WEEK
- The Airline Strategy Awards 2022
- Transport Secretary's statement
- Aerobility at Farnborough
- British Airways *
- CitizenM London Victoria
- Cockpit language problem *
- Commonwealth Games
- Doncaster Airport closure? *
- Emirates v Heathrow
- European airport slots
- Farnborough flying display
- Flybe problems
- Handling at Heathrow
- Israel and Saudi Arabia
- JetBlue cuts queues
- London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone
- Norse introduces Orlando
- Penzance Helicopters
- Spirit update and JetBlue
- Top Gun at RIAT
- Victoria Falls
- Virgin Atlantic's new Upper Class
- ON TOUR - Helsinki
- AND FINALLY: Elizabeth Line confusion *
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
LETTER OF THE WEEK
David Learmount is a former RAF pilot and long time expert with Flight International. His words are worthwhile taking in.
Victoria Falls
South African Airlink is adding Johannesburg to the iconic tourism destination in Zimbabwe from 15 August.
The Airline Strategy Awards 2022
Last night (17 July) the air transport world assembled in the (air conditioned) Great Hall of the The Honourable Artillery Company in the City of London to learn who the Airline Business judges had selected for the 2022 awards.
The premier award, for outstanding leadership, went to Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, who has stepped down after 37 years of service building the airline up to be the leading air carrier in Africa.
Transport Secretary's statement
Still a member of the interim Cabinet, although not now considered a Johnson loyalist, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps chose yesterday (Sunday 17 July) to publish a new Aviation Passenger Charter, developed by Government, industry, consumer and disability groups in partnership, outlining what passengers can expect if confronted with flight delays and cancellations this summer.
British Airways *
BA is having to cancel a “small number” of additional services from Heathrow after the airport told carriers to stop selling flights for this summer.
Cockpit language problem *
Once again the problems associated with two languages being allowed for inflight aircraft handling have been highlighted with a very serious near-miss at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on 23 May, just made public.
Doncaster Airport closure? *
The Peel Group, owners of both Doncaster (DSA) and Liverpool (LPL) airports, has put out a statement concerning the future of the Yorkshire operation. The airport sights the very short notice of the British-registered but Hungarian-based airline Wizz Air to discontinue services.
Emirates v Heathrow
On Tuesday (12 July) Heathrow introduced a daily cap on passenger numbers for the remainder of the summer. It limited passengers to 100,000 a day – a reduction of 4,000 a day on current numbers. All airlines are affected.
European airport slots
The European Commission’s proposal to finally reinstate standard airport slot usage rules for the upcoming winter 2022/23 season has not been universally embraced by the aviation community.
Flybe problems
Only weeks after resuming operations, flybe has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights between 28 July and 29 October, citing a shortage of available aircraft from lessors.
JetBlue cuts queues
A British company has partnered with New York based jetBlue Airways to reduce queues for international flights.
Spirit update and JetBlue
Frontier Airlines has announced that it will no longer raise its bid to purchase Spirit Airlines, possibly opening the door for JetBlue Airways to finalize the takeover of the low-cost carrier. Frontier’s CEO also stated that the airline’s revised merger agreement from the previous month would be their best and final offer.
Virgin Atlantic's new Upper Class
A trendy Shoreditch was the venue for a major Virgin Atlantic launch party last week for a serious upgrade for its new A330 neos. October will see the aircraft in service on the Boston route.
ON TOUR - Helsinki
Helsinki may be as far north as Anchorage but on a balmy summer’s day you would not know it.
CitizenM London Victoria
The CitizenM hotel in Vauxhall Bridge Road just by Victoria Station, London, has opened. A 4-star property in a superb location it has been well received, and is competitively priced.
Commonwealth Games
The 22nd Commonwealth Games is fast approaching, 28 July−8 August. With its usual sense of timing the RMT transport trade union has called for a rail strike on 27 July which will cause chaos before this major international event.
Farnborough flying display
Today (18 July) the world of aerospace, both civil and military, come together talking to customers and politicians at Farnborough. There will be announcements galore.
Handling at Heathrow
BTN has learnt that whilst the public assumes the current delays and cancellations at Heathrow appear to be the airlines/airports’ fault, this is not always the case.
Israel and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a decision welcomed by US President Joe Biden who visited the kingdom on Friday.
London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone
A consultation on plans to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover almost the whole of the capital from 29 August 2023 has been launched and highlighted by the Editor-in-Chief’s local MP (Harrow East) Bob Blackman.
Penzance Helicopters
There will be a change of operators for the helicopter service between Penzance and the Isles of Scillies in November.
Top Gun at RIAT
With Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting RAF Coningsby at Lincolnshire at the same time the real Top Gun was a VVIP guest at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) yesterday – meeting top brass, chatting with RAF air cadets and meeting the Red Arrows.
Alison Chambers reports.