Why ‘Sunshine Saturday’ has travel operators crossing their fingers December 30, 2024 Black Friday’s travel-focused cousin, Sunshine Saturday, is set to fall on 4 January in 2025. Occuring on the first Saturday of every new year, Sunshine Saturday is the day most people book their holiday getaways for the year ahead. With Heathrow Airport set to cap off its busiest-ever year with two record months and Virgin Atlantic [...]
Why Grenada is the off-the-beaten-track side of the Caribbean December 9, 2024 The West Indies, one of the world’s most beautiful places, is still relatively untouched by tourism. A crescent-shaped group of islands separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the region is often referred to as the Caribbean, although, strictly speaking, the Caribbean also includes the coastal regions of North, South and Central America. [...]
Plane weird: How the airport broke my spirit December 9, 2024 I’m not a nervous flyer in the usual sense. Being in a tin can at an altitude of 35,000 feet (that’s half the height of Gary Barlow’s son, for reference) doesn’t really get me rattled. The rational side of me kicks in. You’re more likely to be hit by a car, or die from a [...]
Bad Gastein: Skiing with a touch of belle époque glamour December 2, 2024 They say first impressions matter, and my goodness, Bad Gastein certainly makes a great first impression. When approaching the resort, visitors are met with what at first glance, looks like a Wes Anderson film set. A spectacular cliff amphitheatre is crowned by elegant and imposing turn of the century palaces and hotels. As our taxi [...]
Why Virgin Atlantic boss won’t meet British Airways chief alone November 25, 2024 The boss of Virgin Atlantic has revealed the legacy of the dirty tricks scandal in the early 1990s will mean he will never meet his British Airways counterpart alone. Shai Weiss has said that while he has “professional respect” for Sean Doyle, he remains cautious and does “not want to get caught out”. Three decades [...]
Jet2 hikes dividend on record profit as holiday prices rise again November 21, 2024 Average package holiday prices grew six per cent to £904, with inflation leading to higher costs for consumers, Jet2 said.
WH Smith: Profit jumps as expansion into travel shops pays off November 14, 2024 WH Smith’s push into travel has paid off with the bulk of its growth in the last year due to higher profit at airports, train stations and motorway services. WH Smith’s revenue rose seven per cent to £1.918bn in the year ended 31 August, 2024, driven by growth in travel shops plus the company’s expansion [...]
UK airport operator bought by Canadian pension fund for £1.5bn November 13, 2024 An operator of UK airports has been bought by Canadian pension fund PSP, with the firm set to take over Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports in the £1.5bn deal. AviAlliance, a private airport operator which is wholly owned by the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), announced the takeover of AGS Airports today. The [...]
Jet2 takes on Easyjet as it launches new routes from UK airport November 13, 2024 Jet2 is parking its tanks firmly on Easyjet’s lawn as it announced its expansion into London Luton Airport – where its rival is headquartered. The Leeds-headquartered carrier is to start operating flights from the transport hub from next April. London Luton Airport will become Jet2’s 13th UK base and will offer 17 destinations. Jet2 said [...]
What happened at the poshest event in Monaco November 11, 2024 Arriving in Monaco, a magnet for the rich and glamorous and the second smallest country in the world, I was struck by the tones of the buildings: an enticing blur of apricot, peach and sand. Famed for fast cars due to international races like Monaco Grand Prix and Monaco ePrix, it is a country of [...]