The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP has been appointed by the new Prime Minister Liz Truss to a Cabinet position as Secretary of State for...
(more)
published 2022-09-10 19:10:32
Please scroll down for this week's
BTN stories. Welcomed by Sir Philip Beck, Chairman of developer Mowlem...
(more)
published 2022-09-10 17:55:10
Amsterdam Airport passengers who missed flights due to long queues at security at the airport between 23 April and 11 August, and...
(more)
published 2022-08-19 17:26:43
I for one will not be flying Wizz Air for the foreseeable future.
BTN reports in this issue that Wizz Air plans to...
(more)
published 2022-08-11 23:09:51
If
BTN was a tabloid this is how the splash headline would read! The United Kingdom is now leaderless when it comes to the...
(more)
published 2022-08-05 11:46:53
Where to start? At least here in the UK we will shortly have a change of Prime Minister, and hopefully one that is more sympathetic...
(more)
published 2022-07-16 18:23:21
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sunk, rather like his grandiose Thames Estuary Airport scheme.One thing we have learnt with the...
(more)
published 2022-07-05 10:17:56
At very short notice Qatar Airways and its boss Akbar Al Baker saved the 2022 78th IATA AGM with a very different style of gathering at...
(more)
published 2022-06-25 16:40:15
The Elizabeth line, running east to west, opened last Tuesday (24 May) with the kind of euphoria usually reserved for a State occasion....
(more)
published 2022-05-24 18:10:40
On Tuesday the Elizabeth line (Crossrail) officially opens, London's first major public transport improvement since the...
(more)
published 2022-05-22 11:25:03
Jeff Mills, BTN's Editor-at-Large, asks have we seen the last of really civilised business travel?Some comments made by...
(more)
published 2022-05-15 17:03:04
Your Editor-in-Chief has to admit that in recent times he was apprehended for speeding, 35mph on a Sunday morning in an empty main...
(more)
published 2022-05-03 12:32:54
Bank Station is nearly ready. The vastly over budget Elizabeth Line is supposedly imminent. What will make the headlines when Crossrail...
(more)
published 2022-04-23 09:29:40
We wish the new Flybe enterprise every success. Any initiatives that brings jobs and investment to the beleaguered British airline industry...
(more)
published 2022-04-17 11:26:31
The Russian news agency TASS reported that restrictions on flights from Russia to 52 countries would be cancelled from April 9. These...
(more)
published 2022-04-09 07:34:47
On 18 February a book arrived on my desk for review called ‘Defying Hitler'. It was put aside for later reading and not...
(more)
published 2022-03-25 10:08:52
Contributor Chris Tarry is in a thoughtful mood as tries to look into the future of air travel.Whilst it is impossible to...
(more)
published 2022-03-20 16:44:30
When you book a flight direct with an airline, typically BA or easyJet, the actual charge is clearly shown. This is not the case with...
(more)
published 2022-03-13 09:09:34
"I am appalled by the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people under siege.Aviation...
(more)
published 2022-02-27 17:01:44
It's been a very tough couple of years for the whole aviation industry. Much of the attention has been focussed on the airline...
(more)
published 2022-02-23 23:12:18
John Holland-Kaye withdraws.The Department for Transport (DfT) has advertised in the normal channels for a Director General for Aviation,...
(more)
published 2022-02-19 12:25:05
Have you every driven a 1960's car. For the most part they don't go, have limited handling, and can't stop. When...
(more)
published 2022-02-12 17:11:15
How much do airports (and airlines as their agents) charge the passengers? Over the years it has been common knowledge that...
(more)
published 2022-01-28 08:38:12
Sunday 23 January 2022.
Here is a letter to the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid from a number of British... (more)
published 2022-01-23 13:42:08
The electric trains being re-deployed to the Luton Airport Express (which runs between London St Pancras and Corby) are being internally...
(more)
published 2022-01-15 08:53:46
The Air League Sir Andrew Humphrey Memorial Lecture.John Holland-Kaye is familiar to most
BTN readers having literally not only...
(more)
published 2021-11-27 14:49:18
BTN's railway expert Andrew Sharp, former Director General of the International Air Rail Organisation, takes a look at the new Grant... (more)
published 2021-11-19 21:27:17
An attack yesterday (14 November) by
The Sunday Times against light aviation (General Aviation GA) has been strongly rebutted, a...
(more)
published 2021-11-14 14:34:43
Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association (BTA), was a guest of British Airways on BA001 to New York Kennedy last Monday 8... (more)
published 2021-11-12 21:27:10
BTN's Editor-at-Large, Jeff Mills, takes a nostalgic look at the World Travel Market.I'm not sure that London had ever...
(more)
published 2021-11-06 12:14:19
Karen Smart has been Managing Director of Manchester Airport (since 2020), having held the same position at East Midlands Airport... (more)
published 2021-10-15 16:24:08
With entry barred to the United States to many journalists and others, the 77th International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM and...
(more)
published 2021-10-09 12:08:06
Much respected aviation consultant, and regular contributor to BTN, John Strickland focusses on the IATA AGM, one of the most... (more)
published 2021-10-03 12:36:47
Chris Tarry, BTN's resident analytical guru looks forward in terms of airlines. He writes a monthly column for Airline Business... (more)
published 2021-09-19 19:09:37
As a Senior Analyst for OAG and partner in MIDAS Aviation John Grant has been tracking the impact of Covid-19 across the industry... (more)
published 2021-08-28 15:09:02
Chris Tarry of CTAIRA, The Specialist Aviation Consultancy, has been a regular contributor to Business Travel News... (more)
published 2021-08-22 19:45:49
The numbers look tantalising. In 2019 around 3m people flew between the world's most important financial centres. For an airline...
(more)
published 2021-08-15 13:44:18
They say that bookmakers always win. The London Stock Exchange is something of a gamble too with the participants some really expert...
(more)
published 2021-08-07 14:18:11
# When
BTN was first established back in the 1980s our title was
Air & Business Travel News (ABTN) but...
(more)
published 2021-07-25 00:06:30
If you are confused by the latest travel rules, and not just international, please do not call
Business Travel News. We...
(more)
published 2021-07-15 11:52:02
Yoti has been binding Covid-19 testing results to Virgin Atlantic crew to help keep things safely moving. Here John Abbott shares his... (more)
published 2021-07-11 01:21:15
Where on ‘earth' do we stand regarding international travel? "Always look on the bright side," says
Business Travel... (more)
published 2021-06-12 10:54:26
As a follow-up to the industry's letter to the Prime Minister, yesterday Heathrow issued an alarmist statement concerning the...
(more)
published 2021-05-30 12:01:05
Some of the CEOs from the UK's leading aviation, travel and tourism businesses have united to express their concern and...
(more)
published 2021-05-29 12:20:14
The quote is of Margaret Thatcher:"The last 30 years have proved her right."
Andrew Sharp.BTN's railway... (more)
published 2021-05-20 17:33:09
The former boss of BA owner IAG and now director general of IATA has issued one of the shortest press releases on record in response to the...
(more)
published 2021-05-08 10:17:36
This week's winner is Peter Smart of Laurencekirk, between Aberdeen and Dundee. He relates to UK travel rules. This week...
(more)
published 2021-03-21 14:20:16
A survey by
Business Travel News yesterday (Sunday 21 March) indicates that the public for the most part is taking up the...
(more)
published 2021-03-21 10:49:39
Under the umbrella of "Back Heathrow", Uxbridge residents have written to Boris Johnson as their member of parliament (Uxbridge...
(more)
published 2021-03-12 16:03:24
Business Travel News (
BTN) has evolved as an online weekly from
Air & Business Travel News...
(more)
published 2021-03-12 09:39:31
The Scottish rules BTN is introducing "Letter of the Week". No prizes unless someone wants to...
(more)
published 2021-03-03 21:19:14
The ASPIRE sponsored travellers review is now available online, and will be on the reception desks as the lounges reopen....
(more)
published 2021-02-27 08:55:24
The announcement by the EU that it was stopping vaccine supplies to the United Kingdom due to alleged contract failure was attacked by all...
(more)
published 2021-01-31 07:38:39
The collapse of Norwegian's long-haul Boeing Dreamliner operation at Gatwick is a blow for the south London airport but not fatal and...
(more)
published 2021-01-24 12:11:26
The travel embargoThe Prime Minister's words on Friday evening concerning inbound travellers to the United Kingdom...
(more)
published 2021-01-16 14:02:55
Finding words to describe 2020 is not easy.
BTN would prefer to forget the last nine months although in truth many harsh lessons...
(more)
published 2020-12-12 21:51:17
Catalytic converter thefts from cars rise sixfold.
By Graeme Paton, Transport Correspondent.The number of catalytic converters...
(more)
published 2020-11-21 08:48:16
The Prime Minister's ten-point planLast Wednesday (18 November) the Government published what it called its...
(more)
published 2020-11-18 15:33:11
Today's Airport Operators Association (AOA) Annual Conference would normally be the opportunity for the industry to express its...
(more)
published 2020-11-06 11:41:07
Or Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for that matter?A Minister for Travel Wanted. It was fairly obvious (and from day one) that the...
(more)
published 2020-10-24 07:50:47
The appointment of the London-based boss of Aer Lingus, Sean Doyle, as BA chief is an astute move by the board of IAG, which hopefully will...
(more)
published 2020-10-17 20:04:26
It is not often that anyone involved in travel will praise the consumer publication
Which? but for once Travel Editor Rory...
(more)
published 2020-10-10 17:16:33
The coronavirus pandemic has been fatal for the system of franchising railway passenger operations in Great Britain, which has... (more)
published 2020-09-24 11:48:37
Was the Rod Eddington appointment of Willie Walsh the correct one at the time?Probably yes.There were not that many candidates around...
(more)
published 2020-09-07 09:00:57
The UK airline industry is in crisis, its leaders working behind closed doors, and not visible.The Government turns away, seemingly...
(more)
published 2020-08-20 12:52:38
Last week
BTN ran a story that the Business Travel Show had been cancelled. Fact! Northstar, now the US owner of the...
(more)
published 2020-08-16 00:55:21
Where next as LCY tiptoes back into operation?Conceived as a business travel airport to... (more)
published 2020-07-17 23:24:37
This publication is not keen on base airlines subcontracting, whether it be front desk, gate handling or telephone reservations. You cannot...
(more)
published 2020-06-27 17:12:09
In its many years of publication
Business Travel News has never used the COMMENT feature to cover two unconnected stories. Times...
(more)
published 2020-06-21 22:21:22
Utter nonsense!The fact that the Government prevaricated over the introduction of the lockdown may have been a contributory factor in...
(more)
published 2020-05-17 10:44:03
Go back 20 years and there were no web bookings and airlines ran on credit. Times have changed. The younger generation may not know,...
(more)
published 2020-04-24 14:39:08
At a time of national need easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have joined the NHS to supplement the workforce at the new Nightingale hospitals as...
(more)
published 2020-03-29 12:38:05
The current challenges faced by the UK airline sector are truly unprecedented, and stark. Even just days ago, the idea that airlines...
(more)
published 2020-03-22 17:23:20
Tony Tyler, the former director-general and chief executive of IATA and previously chief executive of Cathay Pacific Airways,... (more)
published 2020-03-17 18:48:21
The ownership of the Heathrow (LHR) slots has been brought into sharp focus by Flybe dropping both Newquay and Guernsey to Heathrow for the...
(more)
published 2020-02-16 08:49:29
But will government changes intervene? With Brexit almost out of the way (fingers crossed), the next debate has to be HS2, with just...
(more)
published 2020-02-09 16:45:59
FLYBE What went wrong? The following is from an observer of the British regional airline scene who would prefer to... (more)
published 2020-01-18 20:44:16
Two Irishmen walk into a pub …It's the start of several familiar jokes but its slightly-altered application to last...
(more)
published 2020-01-18 20:21:23
Running a domestic and short-haul regional airline is not easy and both easyJet and Ryanair have revised their UK internal services in...
(more)
published 2020-01-16 09:40:02
British Airways' parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) is to have a new chief executive following the not-unexpected...
(more)
published 2020-01-11 09:11:45
Anyone in the aviation industry understands it is a turbulent business but even the most hardened observer could be forgiven for being...
(more)
published 2019-12-13 22:44:10
This week's COMMENT comes from Paul Simmons, former UK director at easyJet and chief commercial officer at Flybe, and... (more)
published 2019-11-15 14:35:34
Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, is known for his love of Spain and all things Spanish. His British Airways chief executive, Alex Cruz,...
(more)
published 2019-11-07 16:42:46
BTN editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg was "troubled" last week by a motorist displaying a Blue Badge which allows parking...
(more)
published 2019-10-26 08:02:07
With a government that has as many leaks as the
Titanic after it hit the iceberg, maybe someone somewhere got it wrong and leaked...
(more)
published 2019-10-19 07:34:50
The timing for AIRLINES 2050 could not be better, proceeded by the Queen's Speech today with a possible mention of future safeguards... (more)
published 2019-10-13 13:57:28
As with Monarch and others, the debate over the collapse of Thomas Cook will linger long after the nitty-gritty of the repatriation...
(more)
published 2019-09-27 14:08:59
It is a basic tenet of most businesses that cartels, or monopolies, while cosy for the entities involved, are a bad thing for the...
(more)
published 2019-09-21 16:02:59
There can be no clearer indication of the state of affairs between the warring parties in the current British Airways dispute than the...
(more)
published 2019-09-15 08:10:54
Results released today of the latest survey by
Which? on Britain's airports (see news story in this issue) will make...
(more)
published 2019-09-08 16:31:26
BTN features train services three times this week. Firstly HS2 (see in this issue) or, as we prefer, Fast Speed 1, which we...
(more)
published 2019-08-20 16:46:58
Last week, the Department for Transport announced that First Trenitalia had been successful in its bid to operate the West Coast...
(more)
published 2019-08-16 14:33:29
"The World's Favourite Airline"? No longer according to
Which? And
The Times.What has happened to British...
(more)
published 2019-08-10 10:30:35
Nobody said it was easy, but Grant Shapps, our incoming secretary of state for transport to give him his full title, is probably better...
(more)
published 2019-07-26 18:16:52
Do we really need HS2? Back in August 2013 the late Vernon Murphy wrote in
Business Travel News questioning the sense in...
(more)
published 2019-07-21 10:33:43
There are serious access problems on the way. The airport must stand up and be counted!If the predictions are correct, London City...
(more)
published 2019-07-11 10:36:02
Within weeks a new transport minister will be appointed. What is his/her first task?Heathrow is on its way, and HS2 likewise. The...
(more)
published 2019-07-11 10:33:12
It is an unfortunate consequence of having a free press that those who make the most noise often get the biggest headlines, usually with far...
(more)
published 2019-07-07 09:05:43
The following feature article appeared in the London Evening Standard on Wednesday, 19 June.
Emma Gilthorpe is... (more)
published 2019-06-19 21:05:21
As BTN
was saying last week, the forthcoming election of the British prime minister (to hold that position in theory at any... (more)
published 2019-06-16 09:22:11
The forthcoming election of the British prime minister (to hold that position in theory at any rate until 5 May 2022), is of vital...
(more)
published 2019-06-07 19:21:06
In Alison Chambers' report on the recent EBACE aviation conference in Geneva she notes the concern with aircraft operators regarding...
(more)
published 2019-06-01 22:08:35
With the 23 June cut off date for submissions regarding the government's proposed new Passenger Charter fast approaching...
(more)
published 2019-05-18 16:30:47
Perish the thought Scotland's first minister should be bandwagon-climbing but linking her government's decision to scrap...
(more)
published 2019-05-11 17:07:08
What's with the latest fad "gender neutral"? Have we gone definition mad?! Last week BTN highlighted that United...
(more)
published 2019-04-28 12:01:30
Speculation that last year's drone incident at Gatwick was the work of an insider brought the subject back into the headlines last...
(more)
published 2019-04-20 09:10:51
The business antics of Sir Richard Branson may have led to as many disliking him as admiring him, but he can take heart from last...
(more)
published 2019-04-14 11:02:11
"Frustrating". That was the term used by a senior manager in the consortium "poised" to take over Flybe last week....
(more)
published 2019-04-07 09:20:31
An enigma. London Luton Airport is a conundrum expanding enormously in recent years and celebrating the completion of a...
(more)
published 2019-03-21 16:55:34
In the rush to judgment that follows any air accident, theories of all kinds abound. So it has been over the past week as the industry has...
(more)
published 2019-03-17 15:30:46
The headline is tempting, but the key speeches at last week's AOA (Airport Operators Association) annual dinner were not completely...
(more)
published 2019-03-10 16:08:17
With a growing number of stories on the uses of high-tech in our industry emerging each week, it's a good time to catch up as the...
(more)
published 2019-02-16 15:38:50
Fifty years ago last Saturday, 9 February 1969, the first Boeing B747-100 took to the skies. Just one month later, 2 March 1969,...
(more)
published 2019-02-10 13:01:13
Last week British Airways issued a press release telling the tale of British air transport. Nothing wrong with that. But to say BA is 100...
(more)
published 2019-01-22 20:20:05
Like many travellers,
BTN is fed up with the growing confusion over bag policies and priority boarding. The...
(more)
published 2019-01-20 12:08:36
Flybe's CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener put a brave face on last Friday's (Flybe flies on in this issue) announcement that her...
(more)
published 2019-01-13 17:11:22
It is ironic that on today of all days (see AND FINALLY),
BTN and many others should have to ask whether 31 March will really mean...
(more)
published 2018-12-15 12:26:49
If you are elderly or slightly infirm, don't use Luton Airport. That is the advice from
Business Travel News. The...
(more)
published 2018-12-05 07:13:41
Business Travel News is not anti-cyclists. In fact they have an important role to play in society, keeping the user fit with an...
(more)
published 2018-11-23 08:11:59
BTN joins the representatives of Britain's airlines and airports in welcoming last week's clarification from the European...
(more)
published 2018-11-18 17:49:22
The sad saga of Flybe has now entered the dangerous phase where a company needs money but the people who would normally pay it in this...
(more)
published 2018-11-18 17:11:39
After a quarter-century of talks, Europe still does not appear able to agree within itself how to sort out aerial navigation. This is the...
(more)
published 2018-11-11 08:05:58
Business Travel News has long promoted Northolt (NHT) as the solution to the London connectivity problem for the provinces until...
(more)
published 2018-11-03 13:16:31
Singapore Airlines can breathe a sigh of relief after exposing its inaugural ultra-long-haul SQ22 A350-900ULR service from Singapore to...
(more)
published 2018-10-21 10:26:39
Norwegian Air's CEO and founder Bjørn Kjos was quick to make the most of last week's revelation by the Port Authority of...
(more)
published 2018-10-14 14:52:12
Two vital elements are missing from the latest criticism of the Crossrail project over who knew what and when about the latest delay....
(more)
published 2018-10-06 08:36:13
Although last week's report into Air Passenger Duty (APD) appears under the flag of Airlines UK, the association is not the only body to...
(more)
published 2018-09-23 09:30:42
British Airways needs to get itself a new IT supplier, and fast. On Thursday the company admitted that bank details of 380,000 passengers...
(more)
published 2018-09-15 09:53:17
As Project Fear raises its head again, Dave Ashton, CEO of the train comparison and booking platform Loco2, addresses some key... (more)
published 2018-08-26 02:08:53
Last week's COMMENT asking the question "Is IAG a Brand?" seems to have created considerable interest, easily...
(more)
published 2018-08-16 08:27:01
Last Monday,
The Times of London published a pretty forthright letter by British Airways chief executive and chairman Alex...
(more)
published 2018-08-11 08:47:40
With still no date announced for the actual opening of the first section of the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Abbey Wood, the...
(more)
published 2018-07-27 08:20:55
A sun-drenched Farnborough. Some of us can remember wet events and canvas hospitality. Things have moved on and the whole operation is a...
(more)
published 2018-07-19 08:37:06
Media coverage last week of the CAA's latest annual report on the accessibility services provided by the top 30 UK airports concentrated...
(more)
published 2018-07-15 11:59:58
Aviation minister Baroness Sugg spoke enthusiastically to the industry last week regarding the great Parliamentary support for Heathrow's...
(more)
published 2018-07-06 08:55:52
THE FRENCH AIR TRAFFIC CRISIS The following has been reproduced from The London Evening Standard
and BTN... (more)
published 2018-06-15 17:57:16
In the world of diplomacy, as we have learned to our cost, you don't just have talks. First you have to have talks about talks,...
(more)
published 2018-06-10 07:58:46
It was appropriate that yesterday, Sunday 27 May 2018, was the day chosen by some of Britain's top business groups to add their...
(more)
published 2018-05-27 14:08:10
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) has just concluded its third annual UK Airports Safety Week, an initiative supported by the Civil...
(more)
published 2018-05-20 08:03:29
Today (Monday 7 May) sees the publication by the respected International Air Rail Organisation (IARO) of a report,
London... (more)
published 2018-05-11 09:26:59
Among all the words in last week's call for evidence for the government's Airline Insolvency review (BTN last week), one key...
(more)
published 2018-04-22 16:29:15
Will the possible takeover of Norwegian by IAG under chief executive Willie Walsh be more successful than BA's controversial merger...
(more)
published 2018-04-15 10:18:44
Just like probably every other business in the UK we are concerned with the implication of GDPR from 25 May. Nothing to do with Public...
(more)
published 2018-04-08 10:43:28
The history of British domestic air travel has been littered with failures. Who these days remembers Brymon Airways, Dan Air and...
(more)
published 2018-03-22 09:20:29
Crossrail/The Elizabeth Line steadily moves forward towards its planned opening date in December. But is all well? The Mayor of...
(more)
published 2018-03-18 08:40:54
You have to hand it to Brexit. It's a PR person's dream. Mere mention of the word by your client practically guarantees headlines to...
(more)
published 2018-03-11 10:27:49
Soothsayers seeking guidance on what sort of year 2018 is likely to be for our cherished industry need look no further than the week just...
(more)
published 2018-02-25 13:50:41
The problems associated with the introduction of the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine version of the Airbus A320neo will be sorted...
(more)
published 2018-02-18 07:15:49
In December 2018 the Elizabeth Line is due to open between a new sub-surface station at Paddington and Abbey Wood. It will surface from...
(more)
published 2018-02-08 10:19:30
The Virgin branded East Coast line, owned 90% by Stagecoach and 10% Virgin Group is rapidly becoming an embarrassment for the Government....
(more)
published 2018-02-06 14:44:04
In an announcement late Friday evening UK (and Northern Ireland) time the US International Trade Commission overturned by 4-0 votes a...
(more)
published 2018-01-28 09:24:15
Your editor-in-chief, with a clean driving licence, broke the law last June by driving at 45mph on the downhill dual carriageway that leads...
(more)
published 2018-01-21 15:16:29
It once called itself "The World's Favourite Airline" but has British Airways gone too far this time? Is it now perhaps...
(more)
published 2018-01-13 18:08:25
As any business person will tell you, there are few things more satisfying than leaving an undertaking in better shape than you found...
(more)
published 2017-12-10 13:16:51
As with Mark Twain, who responded to publication of his obituary by saying reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated, so with the...
(more)
published 2017-11-26 17:07:31
It comes to something when
The Daily Telegraph, with its famously aspirational readership, returns from the Dubai Air Show with...
(more)
published 2017-11-19 10:23:14
In a little over a week, on 22 November, we in the UK face the thrilling prospect of The Budget, which used to be called the Autumn...
(more)
published 2017-11-12 14:18:15
As with Brexit, so with Heathrow. That body of the population in the "Just get on with it" corner must have despaired last week...
(more)
published 2017-10-27 11:54:36
For anyone in the aviation business, last week's announcement of a partnership between Airbus and Bombardier to continue the development...
(more)
published 2017-10-22 10:28:12
Somebody, referring to the august profession in which
BTN dabbles, once said "Never let the truth get in the way of a good...
(more)
published 2017-10-15 14:07:59
The end of Monarch Airlines is a blow for our industry but it could have been worse. The CAA has been shown to be capable of some fancy...
(more)
published 2017-10-08 18:52:07
For a man who likes to be seen flying by the seat of his pants, the past week has probably not been Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary's...
(more)
published 2017-09-24 21:56:55
Of all the many present causes for concern in our industry, one stands out. It is the vexed question of Air Passenger Duty, or APD. And it is...
(more)
published 2017-09-23 13:12:26
"
Which?" goes back to 1957 and is part of the Consumers' Association, with more than half a million subscribers....
(more)
published 2017-09-17 19:56:41
Last week the London Assembly passed a formal notice "to campaign against RAF Northolt (NHT) becoming a commercial airport."It was...
(more)
published 2017-09-10 11:55:53
Is Michael O'Leary, the master of free press publicity, running scared? At a media briefing in London last week, he categorically...
(more)
published 2017-09-03 13:20:19
Just when you thought Project Fear was dead, as many believe it should be, up pop two stories which while ostensibly not linked have caused a...
(more)
published 2017-08-27 11:52:47
As if being seen to be going into administration isn't bad enough, airberlin now finds itself in an unedifying war of words with Ryanair...
(more)
published 2017-08-20 10:37:31
Anyone with the wider interests of our industry at heart would have been cheered by the formation earlier this year by a group of...
(more)
published 2017-08-13 07:30:45
Last week's announcement, reported elsewhere in this issue, by the Air France-KLM Group, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic that they...
(more)
published 2017-07-30 11:28:02
Last Monday's issue of Business Travel News in many respects predicted the announcement on Friday of the government's aviation...
(more)
published 2017-07-23 13:14:15
Last week, secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling was guest of honour at the Aviation Club.
Business Travel News...
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published 2017-07-16 09:43:22
After a quiet few weeks since the election, aviation hit the headlines again yesterday with wealthy hotel entrepreneur Surinder Arora...
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published 2017-07-09 10:32:57
AirHelp, a technology company founded in Silicon Valley in 2013, has come up with its fifth airline ranking review since it established its...
(more)
published 2017-06-25 17:50:22
Let the forthcoming Queen's Speech introduce cycling laws. With all the mayhem over the past seven days, both heart-breaking...
(more)
published 2017-06-17 10:59:07
In the aftermath of the election, Jane Middleton, chairman of the trade body for British airlines, discusses the way forward. ...
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published 2017-06-09 19:10:40
British Airways had a serious IT problem over the weekend. BTN does not know the full details of the breakdown but one thing for certain...
(more)
published 2017-05-28 18:17:43
If you ever thought you didn't know enough about the world's airlines, help is now at hand thanks to the OAG organisation, whose...
(more)
published 2017-05-21 14:44:18
Calling an election may make sense politically to the parties concerned but it has the unwelcome side effect of diverting attention...
(more)
published 2017-05-14 07:47:15
By the time you read this, there will almost certainly have been at least one further example of the "new" cult of air rage. New...
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published 2017-05-06 11:55:17
For our reader's views go to the end of this piece. BTN last week drew attention to the media hostility some US major airlines...
(more)
published 2017-04-16 09:47:59
Franco may have been a loathsome Fascist dictator, but he was no fool. In 1940, when Britain itself was under real pressure, he could have...
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published 2017-04-08 11:48:50
Whatever one thinks of the UK's democratically arrived at decision to leave the EU, the die is now cast. Britain has signed Article 50...
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published 2017-04-01 16:32:11
The introduction today of services between Scotland and Heathrow by Flybe, Britain's third largest airline by passenger numbers, is a...
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published 2017-03-25 20:51:26
There's nothing like the threat of a looming election to muzzle normally loquacious politicians faced with intractable problems. Even...
(more)
published 2017-03-19 09:39:20
Although there has been no official media announcement in the UK, British Airways is to launch Club Europe (Business Class) on domestic...
(more)
published 2017-03-12 15:39:48
Luton Airport is in an invidious situation. Passengers are voting with their seats that they want to use the airport with numbers up 18.5% in...
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published 2017-02-26 11:17:22
With the London
Business Travel Show starting later this week (Wednesday and Thursday, 22-23 February), it seems a very good idea to...
(more)
published 2017-02-19 14:19:22
On 2 February, transport secretary Chris Grayling took a major step forward in publishing the draft Airports National Policy Statement...
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published 2017-02-10 08:39:41
In the week the Supreme Court ruled MPs must oversee the UK's departure from Europe, Brexit and aviation's place in it were...
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published 2017-01-29 11:20:43
How times change. A while ago, it was all Heathrow hogging the headlines. That little matter having been (temporarily) quietened...
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published 2017-01-22 18:37:44
As is often the case with statistics, it's the stories behind the figures that fascinate. Take the year-end traffic results for 2016 for...
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published 2017-01-15 17:48:56
The news that HACAN (the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) and Heathrow Airport Ltd have set out their joint...
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published 2016-12-15 08:57:45
Yesterday (Sunday 11 December), Qantas announced it is to launch non-stop service between Perth and London from March 2018 using a...
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published 2016-12-11 10:34:30
Disappointment was the word most heard last week after the Autumn Statement failed conspicuously to address Air Passenger Duty (APD),...
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published 2016-11-27 15:46:29
Conferences come and conferences go, but rarely can one have arrived at a more opportune moment than the Airport Operators Association...
(more)
published 2016-11-18 16:13:13
Should we compare the Trump Presidential victory to the success of Michael O'Leary? All bluster and half-truths, and some...
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published 2016-11-07 10:47:28
At last, a definitive decision on a new runway for the South East. Even Norwegian Air, a Gatwick resident, says that we must put the past...
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published 2016-10-28 17:31:09
Or so we are led to believe. To say that the latest government ducking and diving over the vexed question of airport capacity beggars...
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published 2016-10-23 13:48:33
Regional airline Flybe is again making noises regarding operations from RAF Northolt, six miles to the north of Heathrow, during the...
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published 2016-10-16 23:00:59
In 1979, the then-Gatwick owner, British Airports Authority (BAA), in other words the state, signed a deal with West Sussex County Council...
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published 2016-10-14 17:17:26
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, major hub and something of an alternative to Hong Kong, has introduced three security lanes solely...
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published 2016-09-25 11:58:42
See BTN 12 September AN EXTRA COMMENT: Anarchists take over London City Airport. Airport and airline authorities reacted angrily last...
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published 2016-09-16 13:11:38
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) is to be congratulated on its action in launching a UK Airports Safety Week. It's one of those...
(more)
published 2016-09-16 07:51:32
The following paragraph contains words that will probably set alarm bells ringing in the heads of seasoned observers. It reads:...
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published 2016-09-11 15:54:33
Anarchists take over London City AirportLast Tuesday (6 September) a group of radicals, described by one airline...
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published 2016-09-09 16:53:47
Almost two million Brits jet off on a trip abroad over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA)...
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published 2016-08-25 22:27:21
Even non-sports fans, and there are a few, can fail to have been moved by Team GB's marvellous performance in the Rio Olympics. As...
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published 2016-08-21 16:21:23
Don't worry if you can't understand the current rash of industrial unrest on the trains. You are not alone. Unless you're...
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published 2016-08-14 10:40:18
The death of a firefighter in the Emirates accident at Dubai International Airport was tragic but no one needs to be told how much...
(more)
published 2016-08-07 18:06:17
Maybe it's the relatively-new phenomenon of the 24hr news cycle, but there seems to be a feeling about that someone needs to say...
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published 2016-07-24 17:12:30
Brexit means just one thing. The UK will become even more dependent on global trade, and that means getting our future South East runway (ie...
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published 2016-07-17 12:20:35
Don't let Brexit delay UK aviation growth 1. Responding to Brexit The past couple of weeks have seen extraordinary developments...
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published 2016-07-08 18:26:23
David Cameron, PM, is to go by the start of the Tory party conference which begins on 2 October. We have had a prime minister who over...
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published 2016-06-25 13:18:32
Whatever you think of the EU, and regardless of the outcome of next Thursday's referendum, some things are not going to go away. One...
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published 2016-06-19 15:27:32
As part of the British Overseas Territory that also includes Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, St Helena could reasonably be seen as a tiny...
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published 2016-06-12 12:09:12
The general odour of fish surrounding some of the tactics being employed by those who wish Britain to remain in the EU becomes more...
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published 2016-05-29 10:49:36
Led by Flight International magazine's David Learmount, who on TV has consistently refused to commit himself to the reason for the...
(more)
published 2016-05-22 12:36:33
Rumours are rife that Lord (Andrew) Adonis is to become the transport guru to Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London. An academic and...
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published 2016-05-13 18:33:57
US president Theodore Roosevelt had a phrase to describe his foreign policy. It was "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Some of...
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published 2016-05-07 16:19:27
There is a world of difference between someone deliberately aiming a high-powered laser at an aircraft cockpit and a drone enthusiast...
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published 2016-04-24 07:42:38
They call it the airport at the end of the world and no wonder. St Helena is a dot in the South Atlantic, 1,950km (1,210mi) west of the...
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published 2016-04-16 15:18:51
The terrible event at Brussels Zaventem last week is not the first time an airport has been attacked by terrorists. Here in the UK,...
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published 2016-03-25 08:40:53
Forget (if you can) the struggle between Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Germany's capital has its own aviation problems that are...
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published 2016-03-18 23:12:02
The posturing has started with the proposed sale of London City Airport by its joint owners New York based Global Infrastructure...
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published 2016-02-07 19:09:45
Northolt and Davies We are now into 2016.
Business Travel News would like to restate its belief that RAF Northolt,...
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published 2016-01-23 07:55:48
One known as 'The Thunderer' and founded in 1785
The Times has had in general a good relationship with the air...
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published 2016-01-16 22:47:31
Last year, that is 2014, was a really interesting 12 months. The Queen opened Heathrow T2, Virgin Trains hung on to the West Coast Main Line...
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published 2015-12-17 08:40:28
Jacques Bankir spent nearly 30 years at Air France and at one time was responsible for the then-AF CityJet subsidiary. He is... (more)
published 2015-12-09 08:20:40
Or
Why not close Northolt Aerodrome? Business Travel News has long campaigned for Royal Air Force...
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published 2015-11-28 17:29:21
At last week's Airport Operators Association gathering at London's Hilton Metropole,
BTN asked Willie Walsh, the...
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published 2015-11-27 11:20:21
There's nothing like a debate over ministerial perks to get the fur ahem flying. This time it's David Cameron's jet. Reports...
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published 2015-11-21 18:18:03
Last Tuesday (10 November) easyJet celebrated 20 years at its spiritual home, and headquarters, Luton Airport. In fact Luton is no...
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published 2015-11-11 10:42:08
easyJet may carry more passengers but British Airways is still our national flag carrier as far as the world is concerned. For the most...
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published 2015-11-08 07:32:47
Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO, has a commitment to employing more women pilots. That was the theme of her inaugural British Air Transport...
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published 2015-10-24 14:29:40
Business Travel News has long promoted Northolt as a solution to the London connectivity problem for the Provinces until the new...
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published 2015-10-16 10:14:39
Perish the thought that
BTN should be seen to be political, but Europe has been at it again, this time with a ruling from the...
(more)
published 2015-10-09 10:50:47
Over the next few weeks we will hear the official verdict regarding the British Airways' near disaster at Las Vegas on 9 September....
(more)
published 2015-09-25 16:51:57
Boris Johnson, known for his anti-airport views both at Heathrow and London City, has been joined in the Heathrow and Northolt conurbation...
(more)
published 2015-09-16 15:11:16
Following Jock Lowe's plea that the extended northern runway is the answer to the Prime Minister's dilemma, aviation expert... (more)
published 2015-09-07 06:59:30
From time to time Business Travel News offers the COMMENT column to readers who have a special point to make.... (more)
published 2015-08-27 20:12:52
Last Wednesday the much read
London Evening Standard newspaper, under the by-line of Mark Blunden, ran the headline...
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published 2015-08-22 20:05:04
Headline reports in national newspapers and TV suggest that some airport airside shops are overcharging travellers, as the media put...
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published 2015-08-15 08:57:37
The surprise story of last week was the confirmation that London City Airport (LCY) has been put up for sale by majority shareholder New...
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published 2015-08-08 09:36:48
Prime Ministers will never admit a mistake, especially if they are still in power. About-turns are not part of the vocabulary. David...
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published 2015-07-26 17:45:47
With the imminent conclusion of the IAG (for that read British Airways) takeover of Aer Lingus (See ‘The Final Chapter' in...
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published 2015-07-19 15:27:44
Andrew Adonis is a Labour Peer (Baron Adonis), an academic, something of a railway buff, and Secretary of State for Transport in... (more)
published 2015-07-07 16:28:52
After 45 years Roskill reported in 1971 we may have finally arrived at the point when a new runway for the London area is about to happen?...
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published 2015-06-26 06:48:12
With the Aviation Commission recommendation for a third London runway due imminently easyJet (EZY) has joined the debate with Chief...
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published 2015-06-07 07:55:39
Business Travel News went to see the American comedian Jackie Mason last week. Somewhat of a Republican (and 83 "did you buy...
(more)
published 2015-06-07 07:50:07
LeighFisher, the global management consulting firm, has produced a fascinating study on the viability of long haul low-cost (LCC) air... (more)
published 2015-05-22 21:01:26
It got lost somewhere with the general election but the Department for Transport wants by tomorrow (23.45 hrs 19 May) comments from...
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published 2015-05-16 20:08:42
With all the excitement of the 2015 UK General Election results on Friday the Airports Commission quietly announced a delay with its...
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published 2015-05-09 15:40:19
On any given day there are over 30 flights to New York from London, that is City, Gatwick and Heathrow airports. You can now add Luton to...
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published 2015-04-26 10:14:09
Business Travel News and spamSadly some people who are registered for BTN do not receive their Monday morning...
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published 2015-04-17 21:01:39
One issue has been more or less neglected so far from the forthcoming General Election debate and that is air transport. The Aviation...
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published 2015-04-10 12:46:44
Over the last several weeks we have been having problems with the email distribution of Business Travel News
. We hope we have... (more)
published 2015-03-28 18:49:38
The market for regional air access to London has been one of UK aviation's most contentious policy issues over the last 20...
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published 2015-03-20 17:15:01
Last Friday the House of Commons Transport Select Committee reported on the smaller regional airportsand today the National Connectivity...
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published 2015-03-14 16:09:22
Business Travel News is a publication aimed at the regular traveller and his supplier. We also feature on a monthly basis two...
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published 2015-03-07 10:23:58
Last Friday the Mayor of London announced the establishment of a West Anglian Task Force to look at opportunities to improve connections to...
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published 2015-02-21 08:00:24
Aer Lingus is the de facto national airline of Ireland, although in truth far smaller these days than Ryanair. Over the last bumpy 20...
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published 2015-02-15 09:18:06
Some would say 40Back in 1971 the Roskill Commission recommended Cublington not a million miles from the current HS2 track...
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published 2015-02-08 10:27:19
Last week the
London Evening Standard ran a piece by its Political Editor, Joe Murphy. One did not have to be a brain surgeon...
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published 2015-01-24 13:49:50
On the 22 December 1965 a four-month trial of a 70mph speed limit on 100,000 miles of previously unrestricted roads and motorways was...
(more)
published 2015-01-17 14:42:51
In what is probably a unique occasion Qatar Airways will stage a special promotional flight for the all new Airbus A350 XWB at Heathrow...
(more)
published 2015-01-11 18:04:35
2014 looks like going out with a roar for the business traveller with Qatar Airways about to unveil the brand new Airbus A350 XWB (22...
(more)
published 2014-12-13 22:44:14
The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement last week announced that Air Passenger Duty (APD) for children under 12 in...
(more)
published 2014-12-06 22:02:45
It might be the less glamorous part of the flying business but light aviation, generally called ‘general aviation' (GA) is in...
(more)
published 2014-11-20 11:40:19
Confused by the latest Airports Commission report published last week to coincide with the Airport Operators Association conference?So is...
(more)
published 2014-11-14 11:27:13
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) Annual Conference opens today (10 November) with an unprecedented line-up of speakers headed... (more)
published 2014-11-07 08:30:47
Gatwick Airport Chief, Stewart Wingate, put forward a compelling argument in the 23 October London Times business section "Gatwick...
(more)
published 2014-10-23 07:30:20
Laurie Price was for eight years the civil airline consultant to the UK House of Commons Select Committee on Transport and is the... (more)
published 2014-10-15 13:24:49
Ebola a disease we can wash our hands of? In recent weeks, reports about the Ebola virus have been appearing with...
(more)
published 2014-10-08 15:16:35
The American magazine Aviation Week, normally highlighting more military aviation than commercial is now questioning the Airbus A380... (more)
published 2014-09-28 15:15:46
Last week COMMENT discussed Heathrow Express (HX) which inevitably led on to Crossrail. Will it affect HX? Read on. Before we...
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published 2014-09-15 11:03:05
There seems to be a feeling that the Heathrow Express (HX) is a very expensive railway from the airport to Paddington. The International...
(more)
published 2014-09-12 23:00:16
Having had his plans for an airport in the Thames estuary turned down earlier this year (See BTN 27 January), Boris Johnson, Mayor of...
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published 2014-09-03 14:48:44
The consumer publication WHICH has published its annual UK airport passenger survey with typical publicity gusto.BTN cannot argue with...
(more)
published 2014-08-24 12:40:44
Elsewhere in this week's Business Travel News you will read of the arrival of a new facility at Heathrow Terminal 5 by Regus, the office...
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published 2014-08-13 09:53:20
Since the emergence of the package holidays in the 1960s and the low-cost airlines two decades later, it has been thought that the...
(more)
published 2014-08-08 08:24:31
Last week Sir Howard Davies and his Commission more or less destroyed any notions of an airport in the Thames Estuary (BTN 14 July).The...
(more)
published 2014-07-14 21:59:12
Readers who have been following the court battle between Mr Ronald Huzer (in effect his compensation specialist lawyers) and jet2.com...
(more)
published 2014-07-12 07:26:15
With the various discussions surrounding the future expansion of London airports, it seems to be forgotten that the rest of the United...
(more)
published 2014-06-25 00:02:24
Today (23 June) H M The Queen opens the new Heathrow T2, a major step forward in the rehabilitation of Britain's major airport. But just...
(more)
published 2014-06-19 07:42:52
Flying could get very much more expensive following a judgement at the High Court ruling in favour of a passenger who was left waiting for 27...
(more)
published 2014-06-15 08:17:54
Doha last week hosted the IATA AGM, one of the most controversial in recent times. Whilst those whose native tongue is English muttered in...
(more)
published 2014-06-07 07:47:49
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive of Qatar Airways (QR), has received criticism this past week. At a function in Dubai a reporter asked why...
(more)
published 2014-05-23 17:31:50
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will be 10 years old in June but confusion still reigns over what it offers. In addition,...
(more)
published 2014-05-16 19:33:07
Simon Jenkins' slating of the Airports Commission for dismissing an estuary airport and Stansted expansion in the face of pressure from...
(more)
published 2014-01-23 23:22:28
The great and the good of British air transport gathered at the Grange Tower Hotel last week to hear an intense day of presentations and...
(more)
published 2014-01-19 11:27:56
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its final decisions on economic regulation at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted...
(more)
published 2014-01-11 17:25:31
A good year or bad year for business travel? That is the question. Two upcoming items have dominated the last 12 months....
(more)
published 2013-12-12 09:28:38
The British government's New Infrastructure Plan (NIP), revealed in this week's Autumn Statement, has been welcomed by the majority...
(more)
published 2013-12-05 17:22:59
Two events took place last Tuesday (19 November) which helped once again to focus on the struggle that the air transport industry has in...
(more)
published 2013-11-22 12:30:58
Business Travel News likes to think it is fair and is only too pleased to acknowledge (reasonable) views that it does not agree...
(more)
published 2013-11-14 16:44:11
When the Prime Minister cancelled Heathrow's third runway on coming to power in 2010 the air transport industry was distressed....
(more)
published 2013-11-09 11:09:08
To its credit Heathrow has issued a bad weather warning in advance of the storms expected to hit Southern England this morning. Some of it...
(more)
published 2013-10-27 11:16:33
Under its new owners Global Infrastructure Partners, Gatwick Airport has been aggressive in its pursuit of a better identity, both in terms...
(more)
published 2013-10-20 22:19:18
Business Travel News recently reported on the country's most south westerly county and aviation. COMMENT featured...
(more)
published 2013-10-13 07:33:31
Airlines V Airports It has been something of a week with very senior air transport executives sounding off in spectacular...
(more)
published 2013-09-28 08:17:44
If, as planned, the three times daily air link from Gatwick to Newquay stops at the end of next March, Cornwall and West Devon will be...
(more)
published 2013-09-22 16:56:30
The World Cup and business travelThe last week of international news has been dominated by two future sporting events....
(more)
published 2013-09-15 09:33:28
Or is it? But it only reacts to customers during head office Waterside opening hours so it seems. It has taken a service software...
(more)
published 2013-09-07 10:43:28
Vernon Murphy is BTN's train guru as well as an airport specialist. His career includes the top jobs at Heathrow... (more)
published 2013-08-23 09:48:32
That arch exponent of ‘all publicity is good publicity' Michael O'Leary must be rubbing his hands together with the media...
(more)
published 2013-08-18 20:24:45
Sir Howard Davies put on a brave face last week when he faced certain selected media as the Airport Commission published a list of short and...
(more)
published 2013-08-09 08:09:45
You only have to read the autobiography "Shaking the Skies" by Giovanni Bisignani, former Director General and CEO of... (more)
published 2013-07-26 08:07:21
John Bell, the former BBC Radio Transport Correspondent (and travel film maker), was Business Travel News... (more)
published 2013-07-21 18:38:04
A public hearing last week brought to the surface a view that has been simmering with interested parties for some time regarding the Airport...
(more)
published 2013-07-11 20:22:38
A lady not known for her outspoken views, Jane Middleton, Chairman of the Aviation Club, was forthright last week criticising the Airport...
(more)
published 2013-07-05 22:55:54
With all the high profile fuss being made it is amazing to think that any recommendation (let alone decision) regarding the future of major...
(more)
published 2013-06-23 13:12:43
Whilst the Mayor of London pontificates with his grandiose scheme for an international airport somewhere in the Thames Estuary (see also AND...
(more)
published 2013-05-17 23:10:06
Legacy alliances have outlived their usefulness says Etihad Airways CEO The introduction by Etihad Airways of a daily... (more)
published 2013-04-11 09:46:56
The last seven days could have been enlightening for the air transport business, and indeed the whole country. Yes, the Government admitted...
(more)
published 2013-03-24 10:09:03
Aviation Policy Statement These are difficult times in the world of air travel. We know that on Wednesday (20 March) the...
(more)
published 2013-03-16 09:16:53
In this week's issue of
Business Travel News we publish the timetable for what many agree is the most important future issue...
(more)
published 2013-02-17 15:43:31
With the importance of resolving the question of new runway capacity for the UK so critical, many in the industry will have received the...
(more)
published 2013-02-09 10:54:59
It has not been a good seven days for airports around the world. Narita, Tokyo's unpopular second gateway suffered 40% closure one...
(more)
published 2013-01-27 11:53:09
Win an easyJet ticket Please visit the Business Travel News stand at the Business Travel Show (No 471 on the right...
(more)
published 2013-01-20 10:22:43
The Editor of Business Travel News sent the following words to the letter page of The Times and received an acknowledgement. It was not...
(more)
published 2013-01-13 15:18:13
Normally the last couple of weeks of the year in the airline business are quiet as far as serious announcements are concerned.Not this time...
(more)
published 2012-12-16 08:58:23
Chancellor hides increasesCongratulations to British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic who, in spite of punitive planned...
(more)
published 2012-12-09 08:41:08
Special privileges for America but not for the Caribbean Islands, or Russia The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George...
(more)
published 2012-11-18 09:06:44
Virgin Atlantic has added a sixth service from London to New York On the face of it this is a mundane announcement and clearly makes sense...
(more)
published 2012-11-11 16:15:48
The Association of British Travel Agents, much better known as ABTA, has launched a consumers' checklist on financial protection. They...
(more)
published 2012-10-26 21:51:30
The UK Airport Operators Association (AOA) will this morning (Monday 22 October) host new Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin at its...
(more)
published 2012-10-21 14:41:43
A campaign by a well organised aviation group seems to have destroyed once and for all the notion that residents of the Heathrow conurbation...
(more)
published 2012-10-11 22:46:53
It has been a very interesting week regarding literally the future of London, and certainly for its airport development. On Thursday Mayor...
(more)
published 2012-10-06 14:01:02
Readers should be aware that there will be no long distance trains on the West Coast Main Line Tuesday and Wednesday 25-26 December. On the...
(more)
published 2012-09-23 10:11:11
Venice from CityBritish Airways has introduced route number 23, from London City Airport to Venice Marco Polo and has now...
(more)
published 2012-09-16 12:12:06
This publication is ambivalent when it comes to a new London airport. We can see merit in Boris Johnson's argument for a four-runway...
(more)
published 2012-09-09 17:14:35
BAA has finally given up with its efforts to retain Stansted Airport. Probably by the end of the year all of London's major airports in...
(more)
published 2012-08-24 11:09:44
Stratford International Airport In the London Borough of NewhamYour Editor must express an interest in the following....
(more)
published 2012-08-13 14:48:58
Bringing the Great back to Britain The London Games of the 30th Olympiad have come to an end (Part 1 - The Paralympics...
(more)
published 2012-08-12 18:24:59
The next seven days are likely to be very important for GB Ltd in the eyes of the world. London 2012 has arrived. When IOC President Jacques...
(more)
published 2012-07-22 07:48:42
One of the first acts of the current Government was an impetuous decision to abandon any further discussion on a third runway for...
(more)
published 2012-07-14 09:50:12
Britain's ability to handle two major international events at virtually the same time (the Olympic athletes are beginning to arrive)...
(more)
published 2012-07-07 09:13:00
BTNews is not a fan of Ryanair. The nickname it has earned with the travelling public is well justified. "The world's most...
(more)
published 2012-06-23 19:20:33
Air transport in the news Inevitably air transport has been in the news over the last seven days with IATA meeting in...
(more)
published 2012-06-17 07:11:35
It is some 15 years since we launched our first electronic newsletter, and with three years into An Executive Review of Business Travel...
(more)
published 2012-05-24 17:01:08
Opening new airports, or even launching upgrades, is not easy. Somehow the two main parties concerned, the airlines and the airport operator,...
(more)
published 2012-05-20 19:28:35
The row regarding UK Border Controls lingers on. With the Olympics now only weeks away it is imperative that Government sorts out the whole...
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published 2012-05-12 20:34:42
They must have been somewhat startled both at Waterside and 11 Downing Street when Thomson Airways (once called Britannia) unveiled what...
(more)
published 2012-04-29 12:54:23
British Airways has finally secured BMA which was announced last Friday. (We prefer the old term as that includes bmibaby and bmi...
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published 2012-04-21 10:58:33
Speaking to the BBC in Indonesia during his Far Eastern tour last week British Prime Minister David Cameron reconfirmed his objection to...
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published 2012-04-12 07:47:12
Since the holiday weekend is still upon us (for those that have opened AERBT on Easter Monday), and in spite of dire economic times in the...
(more)
published 2012-04-08 12:04:46
Confused regarding the Government's policy on Air Transport? Or does it have a policy on aviation? Last Wednesday's Budget hardly...
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published 2012-03-25 14:09:16
On Wednesday the Chancellor will unveil the 2012 UK Budget. There is one thing that can be guaranteed. A great many people will not be...
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published 2012-03-17 08:12:26
Read down in AERBT and you will find a story entitled 'OFT passes BA-bmi takeover to the European Commission'. This is a classic...
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published 2012-03-09 10:57:57
This will be a short editorial that will probably not go down well in certain quarters. Your Editor is thoroughly cheesed off with (mainly...
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published 2012-02-26 09:06:10
The name Mike Collett, Chairman of Air Atlantique, may not be familiar to the average business traveller or even many aviation buffs. The...
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published 2012-02-19 15:41:27
It looks like, as we go to press, that the UK has survived another weekend under a snowy blanket without any serious air transport...
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published 2012-02-12 12:44:48
The last AERBT in each month always features a cruise column. The steady increase of hits on the website confirms this leisure feature... (more)
published 2012-01-27 08:29:09
It does seem to be that the Government has been galvanised into some sort of action regarding Britain's current position as the hub of...
(more)
published 2012-01-22 09:50:39
AERBT is in favour of High Speed Two (HS2), the 21st century railway announced in Parliament last week, initially from London Euston to a...
(more)
published 2012-01-15 11:23:50
How will 2011 be remembered? For business travellers it has been traumatic, not knowing if an airline, hotel, or even a country was...
(more)
published 2011-12-17 14:01:06
easyJet is now the UK's largest airline a position, and responsibility, it takes very seriously. Last week the airline invited...
(more)
published 2011-12-11 12:31:58
Perhaps surprisingly to some, but not to others who believe that industry pressure is at last beginning to have an effect, the...
(more)
published 2011-11-26 23:29:36
Today Boris Johnson unveils his latest thoughts on the London airports dilemma. In fact of the six London scheduled service operations that...
(more)
published 2011-11-18 08:03:42
These are tumultuous times in the world of air travel, at least in the UK. AERBT thought it might be worthwhile to review the situation and...
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published 2011-11-13 14:15:34
UK Olympics Minister, Jeremy Hunt, will open World Travel Market 2011 next Monday (7 November) at Excel in London's Docklands, a venue...
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published 2011-10-30 08:10:01
AERBT does not have to be as diplomatic as IAG chief Willie Walsh who said that the new Transport Minister Justine Greening had a...
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published 2011-10-23 18:17:59
Dear Sir Richard Save the Virgin pepper pot set Many years ago you were kind enough to offer me a Virgin Atlantic salt and pepper pot on...
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published 2011-10-14 11:28:41
Desperate times mean desperate measures. That seems to be the airline industry's reaction to a Government/Civil Service suggestion last...
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published 2011-10-09 15:02:36
This week's COMMENT tries to reflect on just where the UK is going on the air transport front. Or is not! Three major issues dominate the...
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published 2011-09-25 22:29:20
Cathay Pacific's new CEO John Slosar may be in favour of a third runway at Hong Kong International Airport Chep Lap Kok (HKG) but... (more)
published 2011-09-17 10:45:56
Coverage of the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States on Tuesday 11 September 2001 has been extensive. Plenty has been said but...
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published 2011-09-11 09:04:02
Further down in this issue readers will note that Boeing has finally certificated the 787 Dreamliner, and as they say "better late...
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published 2011-08-28 16:36:01
Those of us that require to wear waist belts (commonly know as "belts") are quite used to the ignominy and pure nuisance of...
(more)
published 2011-08-21 07:52:39
This week features AERBT's monthly motoring review and so it seemed justifiable to highlight one of the problems of a simple life....
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published 2011-08-14 20:07:56
With the holidays upon us, now is the time to remind readers of a serious travel problem. Do make sure nothing personal is left behind...
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published 2011-07-22 14:09:00
Within a very short space of time London's Stansted Airport (STN) will have to be put up for sale by BAA Ltd. How much is it worth and...
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published 2011-07-17 09:43:20
British Airways sent us a press release last week (see below) which gave advice on travelling with children. It was relevant as we are...
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published 2011-07-10 07:56:47
It has been a busy week for the business traveller in terms of news and events. The Paris Air Show, at Le Bourget, once again proved a...
(more)
published 2011-06-26 16:49:35
Following AERBT's report in the 23 May issue Steve Slater, an international TV sports journalist, has responded. He is also a PPL... (more)
published 2011-06-18 08:25:57
There can be no doubt that since becoming CEO of a small and somewhat moribund Ryanair in 1994 Michael O'Leary has rejuvenated the short...
(more)
published 2011-06-08 21:55:23
Kazakhstan is a country far away from the United Kingdom, deep into Asia, that is having a ‘love in' with the West. It has been...
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published 2011-05-29 19:34:01
Just 70 years ago the first truly practical jet aircraft, the Gloster Whittle E28, flew for the first time. Its birth had been due to...
(more)
published 2011-05-22 10:39:14
On Friday 10 May 2002, your Editor in Chief was emerging from an occasional visit to a gym in Darkes Lane, perhaps 100 yards from...
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published 2011-05-15 21:48:54
For the second week of each month AERBT offers a special motoring supplement. COMMENT is therefore justified in submitting an... (more)
published 2011-05-08 08:40:03
There was a rumour going around several weeks ago that the UK was running out of avgas, which is the aviation fuel used to power...
(more)
published 2011-04-24 21:48:07
European business travellers are turning to flying as a respite from the pressures of daily life, providing a rare opportunity to unwind...
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published 2011-04-17 15:14:01
Figures issued by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) last week confirm that both business and leisure travellers in the...
(more)
published 2011-04-10 17:37:21
It looks as if finally the aviation aspects for the 2012 Olympic Games are coming together. The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced...
(more)
published 2011-03-26 15:57:47
About half of AERBT readers will be directly affected by what the British Chancellor of the Exchequer has to say next Wednesday (23...
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published 2011-03-19 12:14:34
Our guest commentator and regular contributor Alison Chambers makes her observations from Hong Kong and Asian... (more)
published 2011-03-13 04:25:33
An AERBT Special Report When it comes to Premium Economy, definitely the ‘in thing' with airlines trying to...
(more)
published 2011-03-05 20:23:37
Before any readers start sending in sympathetic emails, no the editor has not been caught for speeding but he is getting increasingly...
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published 2011-02-26 21:03:28
The ruling by Britain's Supreme Court that it will not revoke the Competition Commission's judgement that BAA must sell Stansted and...
(more)
published 2011-02-19 21:58:17
AERBT undertook a very straightforward straw poll during the Business Travel Show at Earls Court last week with the simple question...
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published 2011-02-13 11:15:36
AERBT has this week two stories which on the face of it have no relationship. The Transport Times London conference and the cessation...
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published 2011-01-30 16:30:37
Last week London City Airport was given the final go-ahead to expand from a current maximum of 90,000 movements a year to 120,00 following...
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published 2011-01-23 08:53:54
Last week's forceful and most interesting ON THE SOAPBOX by the new International Airlines Group (IAG) Chairman Antonio Vazquez...
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published 2011-01-15 09:14:51
BBC Three Counties Radio, usually called 3CR, and based in Luton, is probably not known to our international readers. Nor probably outside...
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published 2010-12-19 21:11:05
Plymouth, and West Country air services have reached a crossroads with the sale of Air Southwest to Eastern Airways (see below). What the...
(more)
published 2010-12-12 18:20:15
The simply astonishing weather in the United Kingdom last week has predictably caused vociferous criticism of airport operators. It was...
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published 2010-12-05 06:11:37
On the face of it the selection of the host nation for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 is of little consequence to a publication such as AERBT....
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published 2010-11-25 16:00:10
Rolls-Royce has come in for some harsh criticism following the serious engine fire on a Qantas Airbus A380 on 4 November. Not for its...
(more)
published 2010-11-21 07:27:44
If very well founded rumours are correct, later this week Flybe will finally announce plans for a London Stock Market floatation. It has...
(more)
published 2010-11-14 17:54:56
At the recent CBI conference the normally largely unseen British Airways Chairman Martin Broughton burst forth on the question of...
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published 2010-11-07 09:18:21
On the face of it the non-appearance of air transport in the Chancellor's spending review looked like a complete oversight by...
(more)
published 2010-10-23 18:18:44
Over the next four days all the business jet manufacturers will gather in Atlanta, Georgia for this year's National Business Aviation...
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published 2010-10-14 16:54:43
I know that mergers and acquisitions are all part and parcel of the airline business but I am wondering who might be next. With...
(more)
published 2010-10-06 11:25:13
Air France/KLM please read this piece. You may be in for a boom in long distance travel from the UK. Readers will know that from 1...
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published 2010-09-25 09:04:57
British Airways has celebrated the first year of its twice daily 32-seat Airbus A318 service between London City Airport (LCY) and New...
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published 2010-09-19 19:01:32
AERBT is sorry to have to return to the issue of Air Passenger Duty (APD) but the matter is of such vital importance it needs to be aired...
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published 2010-09-12 11:32:07
It seems to AERBT that one of the prime objectives of any government is to change the name and even objectives of established civil service...
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published 2010-08-27 13:09:10
The government of David Cameron last week formerly responded to a large petition complaining of the hike in Air Passenger Duty (APD)....
(more)
published 2010-08-22 09:28:26
Last week the Prime Minister delivered a fine speech in central London to a travel industry audience on the challenges and opportunities that...
(more)
published 2010-08-14 11:15:35
With the holiday season in the UK at its peak the Home Office Identity and Passport Service has issued figures showing that more than 60,000...
(more)
published 2010-08-07 22:57:09
In the dying embers of the last Government Lord Adonis, whose short stay as Transport Minster could be considered a success, asked Lord...
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published 2010-07-23 07:59:01
As he addressed members and guests of the Aviation Club at London's Institute of Directors last week British Airways Chief...
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published 2010-07-10 14:55:35
COMMENT: The UK Budget and Travel Last Wednesday the new British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, revealed his first ever...
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published 2010-06-21 11:53:50
In a week when The Times stops the free ‘on line' edition, British Airways has ceased publication of its weekly award winning...
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published 2010-06-20 11:45:12
Following the eruptions of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on 14 April the politicians sprung into action. Never mind that the captain flies...
(more)
published 2010-06-10 17:13:03
Air France will introduce the Airbus A380 on a single rotation from Charles de Gaulle to Heathrow Saturday week at weekends for a limited...
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published 2010-05-28 22:10:03
Passenger figures published by the Airports Council International (ACI) for 2009 make for fascinating reading and reflect very much on...
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published 2010-05-23 09:04:18
The more senior of readers may recall the highly successful BBC TV satire show of the early 1960s That Was the Week that Was. Fronted by...
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published 2010-05-15 21:27:00
The outcome of the UK election last week seems to have been a complete British fudge, for which sadly we seem to be famous. Once again a...
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published 2010-05-08 15:13:14
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published 2010-04-20 10:37:15
Mother-nature has struck the airline industry with real vengeance, the volcano in Iceland has paralysed air travel in Europe and across the...
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published 2010-04-14 11:16:40
Willie Walsh is likely to go down in business history as the man that saved British Airways or destroyed it. It was announced last week that...
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published 2010-04-07 22:39:27
It stares us in our faces. The solution to the Heathrow third runway problem, or T6. Northolt. Or to give it the official title, RAF...
(more)
published 2010-03-25 08:55:58
Whilst airlines all around the world proffer crocodile tears at British Airways and its union troubles, offer back up services (for a...
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published 2010-03-21 23:46:00
If it was not so serious it would be boring. For the umpteenth week running AERBT is mentioning British Airways and the Unite union. This...
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published 2010-03-12 08:32:29
There is a strong argument that the financial strength of the globe is personified by the performance of the airlines around the world. Here...
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published 2010-03-06 10:44:32
Have you ever been caught out by fraud, or near fraud? Have you been taken in by web sites that say one thing and actually mean something...
(more)
published 2010-02-16 08:10:32
The news late Friday night that the US Department of Justice had ruled in favour of British Airways, American Airlines and its oneworld...
(more)
published 2010-02-14 18:53:36
British Airways quarterly results until the end of December, reported elsewhere in AERBT, were not as bad as many had predicted. However...
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published 2010-02-05 16:32:45
Last week saw some fascinating political wranglings that left the Conservative party out on a limb regarding Heathrow Terminal 6, and...
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published 2010-01-22 21:12:20
Our first issue of 2010 dealt with BAA and its six airports. CEO Colin Matthews was kind enough to allude to Gatwick and wished the south...
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published 2010-01-16 12:00:25
The British Airways sales people have put together this list of the best holidays for 2010. You may not agree with all the destinations...
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published 2009-12-18 09:35:14
No doubt you have heard the expression, but did you know that it probably dates back to 1696. It was an anti-taxation expression, and...
(more)
published 2009-12-13 10:06:41
Some of us are old enough to remember looking up in the sky and seeing the smoke trails being put out by the early jets such as the Boeing...
(more)
published 2009-11-28 12:40:30
Not widely reported by the national media on Friday (20 November), a decision by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg will have a...
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published 2009-11-20 20:10:42
Willie Walsh has stuck his neck out this time. If the emerging British Airways/Iberia (BA/IB) consolidation goes ahead as planned by next...
(more)
published 2009-11-13 23:13:50
World Travel Market (WTM) is upon us once again, the 30th manifestation of what now competes with ITB as the world's senior...
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published 2009-11-07 09:11:41
Gatwick Airport has been sold by Ferrovial, its Spanish owner, to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), an independent $5.64bn...
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published 2009-10-21 06:28:38
There is cause for concern that British Airways may be forced to stop flying in the weeks leading up to Christmas due to the cabin crew...
(more)
published 2009-10-16 17:42:04
Tonight (Monday 12 October) Panorama, the BBC's flagship investigative programme, offers what it calls "a flight with...
(more)
published 2009-10-09 17:22:34
Air France (AF) last week in Paris previewed what might be the biggest breakthrough in airline passenger comfort and marketing since Virgin...
(more)
published 2009-09-25 19:26:47
It has been a good week and very bad week for Formula One (F1). As noted in an AERBT news story below, besides holding the interest of...
(more)
published 2009-09-15 17:42:58
As airlines, airports and the support industries from all over the world congregate for the 15th annual World Routes in Beijing, which...
(more)
published 2009-09-13 19:15:40
There are certain events in one's life that are remembered well. For yours truly it was the night that John F. Kennedy died, but there...
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published 2009-08-27 17:57:20
The fact that British Airways has introduced a price comparison page on ba.com is opening up a whole discussion on how one should measure...
(more)
published 2009-08-23 19:41:10
Last week in COMMENT we asked a question of Lord Adonis, master of the UK universe on all matters concerning transport. With his known love...
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published 2009-08-15 11:40:17
These days we don't have a Minster for Aviation, just Lord Adonis, Baron Adonis of Camden Town, of clearly high intellect but little...
(more)
published 2009-08-05 17:32:28
Did you know that there is one pothole for every 120 yards of British road, that just under one million potholes were filled by local...
(more)
published 2009-07-21 08:59:15
British Airways and its fate concerns all of us who support what is still the national flag carrier. In this we must include its staff and...
(more)
published 2009-07-16 16:49:52
British citizens are about to be saddled with a nearly 8% rise in passport issue charges, yet another stealth tax increase announced...
(more)
published 2009-07-11 09:37:26
(The plan above views the Olympic Park from the direction of the West End. London City Airport lies to the right, about four... (more)
published 2009-06-27 18:14:39
LONDON CITY and GATWICK At a time when CEO Willie Walsh is calling for staff to work for free British Airways is...
(more)
published 2009-06-20 09:31:34
So IATA are warning of big losses at the airlines (see story below), this is nothing new, in fact in 2008 IATA announced the... (more)
published 2009-06-10 17:34:09
Sadly, in the last week there has been an aircraft lost with the loss of all souls on board. The accident is the worst... (more)
published 2009-06-04 19:34:55
The annual review of the UK cruising scene by the PSA (Passenger Shipping Association) was published last week. In itself it is an...
(more)
published 2009-05-22 23:29:15
France has followed a number of European countries, but not the UK, in introducing what is known as One-Stop-Security. Passengers that have...
(more)
published 2009-05-09 23:33:50
Now it can be argued that we have seen it all before, but it is also pretty obvious that the air transport industry is going through its...
(more)
published 2009-05-02 16:36:21
"You ain't seen nothing yet." That was the message that the Chancellor failed to put out during last week's budget speech....
(more)
published 2009-04-25 09:01:29
It is now 12 months since Heathrow's Terminal 5 shambolic opening, a total public relations disaster. Those dark distant days are now...
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published 2009-04-13 22:29:32