Brits take 5* holidays as On The Beach bounces back from Covid in second-half of 2022 October 25, 2022 Travel retailer On The Beach reported its sales were up from pre-pandemic levels despite external shocks such as the war in Ukraine and economic turmoil. The medium and short haul specialists said its second-half sales were 25 per cent up on 2019 and 16 per cent up on the year as a whole. It also [...]
Spike in package holidays and foreign travel may be ‘rare positive legacy of pandemic’ October 11, 2022 Foreign holidays are back with a bang with 45 per cent of people going abroad in the last year. The latest study from travel agent association ABTA found the level of foreign travel in the last 12 months was equivalent to 70 per cent of that in 2019, pre pandemic. With coronavirus restrictions lifted, a [...]
Airbus and Air France plead not guilty at 2009 Rio crash trial October 10, 2022 Airbus and Air France have pleaded not guilty to “involuntary manslaughter” as the nine-week trial over their involvement in the 2009 Rio plane crash started today. The airline and the manufacturer are on trial in a Paris court 13 years after an Air France plane from Rio to Paris crashed into the Atlantic, killing all [...]
Overseas travel to UK lags behind pre-Covid levels despite yearly boom September 24, 2022 Overseas travel to the UK has remained significantly behind pre-pandemic levels, despite a boom if compared to 2021 levels. This is largely due to countries around the world – including the UK and EU – scrapping Covid travel restrictions since the beginning of the year. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday [...]
Lufthansa in talks with investors over sale of aircraft maintenance business September 15, 2022 Lufthansa is reportedly in talks to sell a stake in its aircraft maintenance business, Lufthansa Technik. According to Reuters sources, the airline is to offload between 20 and 30 per cent of its stake and was attracting more interest from financial investors than rival firms. The airline is also expected to commence talks with private [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary to stay until 2028 as airline sorry for ‘mishandling’ press at AGM September 15, 2022 Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary is in talks to extend his contract until 2028, as the company said sorry for “mishandling” the press at its AGM this morning. The chief executive told journalists on Thursday that he was hoping to sign the papers by March, subject to agreement on terms. O’Leary also apologised after reporters were [...]
Heathrow leads EU airports’ charge as passenger volumes treble September 14, 2022 Heathrow is leading the passenger traffic charge at EU airports, as numbers increased by more than 300 per cent in July. Data published today from aviation trade body ACI Europe showed that in July the west London hub was ahead of EU airports, as it reported 6.3 million passengers. On the other hand, Paris Charles [...]
Travel businesses need to be eligible for government energy cap September 8, 2022 Travel businesses should be eligible for the government’s cap on energy bills, according to travel association ABTA. ABTA, which represents UK travel agents, said the sector should receive financial support as it is heading into the low travel season with many companies still recovering from the pandemic’s impact. “With a fiscal statement expected later this [...]
Government doesn’t know whether traffic-light travel system worked July 26, 2022 The UK Government doesn’t know whether the traffic-light system implemented during the pandemic worked. According to a report published today by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), ministers spent £486m on travel measures to contain the spread of Covid but “did not track its spending on managing cross-border travel or set clear objectives.” The group of [...]
Cheeky Brits skip Heathrow queues by pretending to need wheelchairs after TikTok video goes viral July 26, 2022 Heathrow’s boss said this afternoon that a range of airline passengers are skipping queues at his airport by pretending to need a wheelchair after watching a video on TikTok. The west London airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, described this as “the wrong thing to be doing”. He told LBC: “For passengers requiring wheelchair support we [...]