Overseas travel down by third as Brits shun holidays abroad for UK getaways July 21, 2022 Britons might be shunning holidays abroad in favour of a UK getaway as overseas travel has gone down by a third. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, visits overseas went down to 5.6 million in April this year – 33 per cent below 2019 levels. Whereas searches for UK destinations went up [...]
Regulators call on airlines to comply with consumer law if they want to avoid enforcement July 21, 2022 The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have warned airlines they could face enforcement action if they fail to comply with consumer law. In a joint letter sent to carriers today, the regulators said they were concerned about consumers experiencing harm “unless airlines meet their obligations” and “minimise flight disruption [...]
Sigh of relief for Londoners as ALL long-running strikes on Night Tube suspended July 21, 2022 Long-running strikes on London’s Night Tube have been suspended. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union have been taking industrial action over weekends in a dispute over shifts. “We are pleased that after our strong industrial campaign, we have made significant progress on the Night Tube dispute,” said RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch. [...]
Australian bidder walks away from £650m race to snap up rail giant Go-Ahead July 21, 2022 Australia-based Kelsian confirmed this morning it has pulled out from the race to buy Go-Ahead – weeks after the board picked a rival offer. The business said falling share prices in Australia tied its hands and forced the group to walk away from a potential tie-up. Kelsian is one of Australia’s biggest bus and ferry [...]
Hiring spree: Gatwick recruits 400 security staff to battle delays July 21, 2022 Gatwick has hired 400 additional security staff over the last few weeks as the airport battles the ongoing travel chaos. Crowned the UK’s worst hub last week, Gatwick said it was still recruiting workers ahead of the peak summer period. “With passenger numbers rapidly returning to 2019 levels, we expect to be busy, particularly at [...]
Refuellers suspend strike at Heathrow following improved offer July 20, 2022 Members of the union Unite working as refuellers for Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) have suspended their planned strike action at Heathrow following last-minute negotiations. Unite, which had planned a three-day walkout starting tomorrow, said AFS made a “sustainably improved offer.” The proposal will now be voted on by Unite members. “Unite has consistently said that [...]
Rail can’t take more than its fair share, says head of new trade body July 20, 2022 The railway sector can’t take more than its fair share from both fare and tax payers, according to Andy Bagnall, chief executive of the new trade body Rail Partners. “Train companies want to give their people a pay rise, but it has to be affordable and in the context of restoring the railway to a [...]
Car dealership group Pendragon says supply constraints slow vehicle sales as profits dive July 20, 2022 Car dealership group Pendragon said this afternoon that “supply constraints” have impacted new vehicle volumes over the past six months as it said profits will dip year on year. The company said it expects to post a pre-tax profits of around £33m for the six months to the end of June, compared with £35.1m over [...]
McLaren close to securing additional £100m from Gulf backers to fast-track new models July 20, 2022 McLaren is reportedly close to securing additional funding worth more than £100m to fast-track the production of new models. The cash-call – which could be finalised as early as tonight – would give the luxury car maker at least £80m of capital for the delivery of new road cars, sources told Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. [...]
Olive branch: Easyjet’s founder calls for ceasefire with airline management July 20, 2022 Easyjet’s founder and majority shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has called for a ceasefire in the long-standing feud with the airline’s management. The Greek-Cypriot entrepreneur was one of the many shareholders to vote in favour of an order for new Airbus planes during today’s shareholder meeting, sources told the Financial Times. The purchase – which was [...]