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Heathrow unveils plans for new baggage system at Terminal 2 – Business Traveller

22Dec

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Heathrow unveils plans for new baggage system at Terminal 2 – Business Traveller

Heathrow has announced plans to build a new dedicated baggage system at its Terminal 2. The terminal currently uses a 30-year-old system housed within the airport’s Terminal 1, which closed to passengers in 2015 after 47 years of operation. BEUMER Group has been appointed to deliver the six-year project, with the new system capable of handling 31,000 bags per day when complete. Heathrow also said that “new technology with greater data analytics means the upgrade will deliver the predictable and reliable service customers need”. The dedicated T2 baggage system will allow Heathrow to demolish what remains of T1, which will in turn enable the airport to move forward with what it is calling its “new vision for the ‘heart of Heathrow’”. Long term plans will see more capacity added at T2 (also...

British Airways outlines plans for festive celebrations – Business Traveller

4Dec

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British Airways outlines plans for festive celebrations – Business Traveller

All customers will be handed farewell chocolates when departing flights, and seats will be decorated with specially designed headrest covers featuring the airline’s Christmas ribbon design. There will also be a dedicated Christmas countdown channel on the carrier’s IFE system, with more than 20 festive films and 50 TV Christmas specials. Back on the ground, departure halls at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports,will be decked out with festive check-in screens, Christmas décor and seasonal music playing, and customers have the chance to submit welcome messages for loved ones arriving into London, with the chance of them being displayed on billboards and airport screens. Commenting on the news Calum Laming, British Airways’ chief customer officer, said: “Christmas is one of our favo...

Saudi’s flynas reveals plans for eVTOL aircraft – Business Traveller

1Dec

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Saudi’s flynas reveals plans for eVTOL aircraft – Business Traveller

Eve Air Mobility, an urban air mobility company founded by Embraer, has signed an MoU with Saudi carrier flynas to explore the future of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations in the kingdom. The two entities will consider the possibility of starting eVTOL operations in Riyadh and Jeddah by 2026. “We are pleased to explore the sustainable solutions with Eve Air Mobility as a pioneering company in this field, in line with flynas’ strategy to adopt initiatives with sustainable impact on the environment, society, and economy in parallel with the national goals to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions by 2060,” said Bander Almohanna, CEO and managing director of flynas. Although an image has been released of what a flynas eVTOL aircraft could look like, details of i...

Dutch government scraps plans to cut flights at Amsterdam Schiphol – Business Traveller

15Nov

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Dutch government scraps plans to cut flights at Amsterdam Schiphol – Business Traveller

The Dutch government has suspended controversial plans to cap the number of flights at Amsterdam Schiphol airport next year. The so-called Experimental Rule would have seen a cap of 460,000 flights imposed at the airport for 2024 (down from around 500,000), in a bid to reduce noise pollution. Earlier this year several airlines including KLM, easyJet, TUI and Delta went to court to successfully challenge the plans, only for the court of appeal to rule in favour of the Dutch authorities. However – as discussed on our forum – the cuts meant that several US carriers including JetBlue were denied slots at Schiphol for summer 2024, and this in turn led to the threat of retaliation by US authorities, which could have resulted in Dutch flag carrier KLM’s slots being affected at US airports. Resp...

Plans to close rail ticket offices have been cancelled – Business Traveller

31Oct

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Plans to close rail ticket offices have been cancelled – Business Traveller

Plans for the proposed closure of around 860 rail ticket offices in England have been abandoned after a U-turn in government policy. Rail Delivery Group (RDG) first announced the mass closure of staffed ticket offices this summer, citing that only around 12 per cent of tickets were still purchased this way. However the cost-cutting proposal sparked major backlash, particularly from unions and disability groups, with the Transport Committee saying measures went “too far, too fast“. Around 750,000 responses were received by public watchdogs during the consultation process, with 99 per cent of people opposing the proposals. Today, Transport Secretary Mark Harper revealed the government has told train operators to withdraw their proposals, as they “failed to reach the high threshold of servi...

EasyJet plans order for up to 257 Airbus aircraft – Business Traveller

13Oct

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EasyJet plans order for up to 257 Airbus aircraft – Business Traveller

EasyJet has unveiled plans to order up to 257 new aircraft, as it targets annual profits of more than £1 billion in the medium-term. The low-cost carrier said it had entered into conditional arrangements with Airbus to secure the delivery of 157 aircraft (56 A320 neos and 101 A321 neos) between FY29 and FY34, as well as options on a further 100 jets. The deal would total $19.9 billion at list prices, although easyJet said that the actual price “would be substantially lower because of certain price concessions granted by Airbus”. The agreement is subject to shareholder approval, which the airline hopes to complete by the end of the year. EasyJet currently already has an existing order book for 158 Airbus aircraft for delivery by 2028, with the most recent order for 56 A320 neo Family airc...

Radisson Hotel Group reveals growth plans for the Middle East – Business Traveller

28Sep

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Radisson Hotel Group reveals growth plans for the Middle East – Business Traveller

At the recently concluded Future Hospitality Summit 2023 held in Abu Dhabi, Radisson Hotel Group said that it aims to reach 100 operational hotels in the Middle East by 2026. By 2030, it said that it plans to have a portfolio of 150 operational and under development properties across the Middle East. The group’s current portfolio includes 77 properties in the Middle East comprising over 11,619 keys. In Saudi Arabia, the group’s upcoming opening includes Park Inn by Radisson Makkah Thakher East, in Makkah. It is also planning another property in Makkah with the anticipated debut of Park Inn by Radisson Makkah Thaker West. In Jeddah, Radisson is working on the opening of the Vivid Jeddah Hotel under its Radisson Individuals brand which is scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2023. Addi...

Travel Apps and Websites for Last-Minute Labor Day Plans

28Aug

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Travel Apps and Websites for Last-Minute Labor Day Plans

Finding accommodationsIf you found a flight but aren’t purchasing a package, you’ll most likely need a place to stay. HotelTonight is a great resource for discount hotel rooms, with the home page search defaulting to “Tonight,” though you can book 100 days out. Unlocking the Daily Drop feature, available once a day for only 15 minutes, offers further discounts — but nonrefundable rates — on a specific hotel. (Like many travel websites, HotelTonight says many of its best deals are found only on its app.)Hot Deals is a feature on Hotwire’s hotel results page after you have entered your search specifics. Click on the Hot Deals tab, and the page shows a list of hotels with their daily rates, ratings, location and amenities, but the traveler does not see the name of the hotel until booking. Al...

Aeromexico plans South Korea return – Business Traveller

22Aug

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Aeromexico plans South Korea return – Business Traveller

SkyTeam alliance member Aeromexico is looking to restore Mexico City-Seoul Incheon from April 2024. In a preliminary schedule update, Aeromexico flagged daily Boeing 787-8 flights between the Mexican and South Korean capital resuming on 1 April. If the schedule holds, the flights would depart Incheon at 1225 for a same day arrival into Mexico City at 1120 following nearly 14 hours of flying. The Aeromexico 787-8 Dreamliners come in a dual-class configuration, with 32 in business class and 211 in economy class. Business class is configured 2-2-2 and comes with lie-flat seating. Economy class is in a 3-3-3 layout. This would be Aeromexico’s second route to Asia. The airline currently flies daily between Mexico City and Tokyo’s Narita airport, also with its 787-8 aircraft. Aeromexico...

Air India plans to start flights to Los Angeles, Boston

28Jul

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Air India plans to start flights to Los Angeles, Boston

Air India is planning to expand its flight operations to more U.S cities, with Los Angeles and Boston being considered as potential new destinations for long-haul flights from India, according to reliable sources. At present, the airline operates non-stop flights to five American cities and the new expansion aims to cater to the significant number of Indian nationals and people of Indian-origin living or working in the US, as well as tourists and students in American universities. According to sources “we are planning to expand (our base) in the US and various cities are being assessed for potential new destinations. So, Boston is one of them, and Los Angeles too is among the cities that are being assessed.” “We are weighing other metrics as well,” the source added. Starting new destinat...