Thomas Cook liquidators secure bids for valuable airport slots October 16, 2019 The liquidators of collapsed airline Thomas Cook are said to have secured bids from some of the UK’s largest carriers after kicking off an auction of dozens of UK airport slots. KPMG set a deadline of 5pm today for bids for the take-off and landing slots as part of an auction that could raise tens [...]
Arriva-run Northern Rail franchise could be nationalised October 16, 2019 One of Britain’s biggest rail franchises could be renationalised amid concerns about its financial situation and late-running trains, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps said he is considering whether Northern Rail, which is run by German operator Arriva, should be brought under state control. Read more: Arriva seeks £200m from government over East Midlands [...]
Rail franchising model set to be scrapped by Boris Johnson October 13, 2019 The UK’s rail franchising system is set to be drastically overhauled as early as next year. Plans will be announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech to scrap the current rail franchising model – where contracts are awarded to private companies to run commercial rail services – and replace it with a system based on “performance and [...]
Tui Airways adds extra flights by hiring Thomas Cook cabin and crew October 10, 2019 Europe’s largest travel company will fly up to two million more passengers in 2020 with the help of former Thomas Cook staff. Tui Airways has announced it will add an extra 10,000 flights next year by hiring former Thomas Cook pilots and cabin crew. Read more: Will buyout of Thomas Cook’s 555 high street stores [...]
Extinction Rebellion protester lies on top of plane at London City Airport to disrupt flight October 10, 2019 Paralympian James Brown has climbed up on top of a plane at London City Airport as a part of an Extinction Rebellion protest. Video footage streamed to social media shows the man using runway stairs to climb on top of the British Airways aircraft. Brown, who is reportedly blind, apparently boarded the plane before backing [...]
Easyjet share price dips despite profit on track to hit £430m October 8, 2019 Easyjet today predicted it will hit upper profit guidance of up to £430m for its full year, despite rising costs. The airline said profits would hit between £420m and £430m in profit before tax in a trading update today, just off its £440m upper range prediction. Read more: COO comes in as Easyjet hails ‘robust’ [...]
British Airways lost 300,000 passengers in September amid pilot strikes October 7, 2019 British Airways lost more than 300,000 passengers throughout September, as recent strikes forced it to cancel more than 2,000 flights. The airline suffered an eight per cent decline in passenger numbers last month to 3.85m people. Read more: IAG issues profit warning after British Airways strikes That was down from 4.19m during the same period [...]
From sunken sculptures to rusting Soviet planes, Grenada is an island brimming with mystery October 2, 2019 There’s a human silhouette looming out of the depths. The waves above have churned up the sand below, and now the sediment coils above the seabed like a strange mist, like something out of a Stephen King novel. I pop my head above the surface to fill my lungs with as much air as they [...]
Why did the US Navy sink its own vessel off the coast of the Cayman Islands? September 27, 2019 The sound of whirring rotor blades carries across the bay. I’m staring at a framed photo of Tom Selleck inside the office of Cayman Island Helicopters, while its proprietor, Jerome Begot, readies the chopper. Jerome is a Frenchman who, inexplicably, flew in the US Air Force decades ago, and Magnum PI is his hero. After [...]
IAG issues profit warning after British Airways strikes September 26, 2019 British Airways owner IAG today slashed its 2019 profit guidance after recent strikes forced it to cancel more than 2,000 flights. International Airlines Group warned that adjusted operating profit will fall €215m (£190m) below last year’s €3.49bn. Read more: Ryanair threatens to remove pilot perks over strikes, says union It estimated that Balpa’s strike action [...]